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It's been a few years since I've kept you all up to date on the contents of my EDC bag. And I know what you've all been asking yourself: "What's Mike got in his bag today?"
Now keep in mind that this is an Urban Dad kit. So an extra Metrocard is much more useful than, say, a fishing kit. Tool-wise, I ditched the Victronix SwissTool because of its weight and bulk, opting for smaller and lighter single-use tools. The only thing I miss not having is the pliers, but you've got to make choices.
First, the bag itself. I switched out of the camera bag I'd been using for years and into a Muji Travel Organizer:
Advantages of this organizer are 1) it opens like a book, giving me easy access to contents; 2) lots of little pockets and things; 3) it looks more "professional" than my old bag; and 4) most of the storage is in two separate packs that velcro to the bag's interior. The two packs enable me to switch out one pack for another (e.g., removing the Emergency Pack and replacing with the Computer Cable Pack.) It also means I can make the whole bag "flight safe" in about ten seconds.
Left Side:
Center:
Right Side
The "Urban Dad" Pack
Emergency Pack:
"Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."
I'm not sure of the total package weight, but it certainly feels lighter than the old bag. So there you go, my obsessive listing of my obsessive bag. At least you know that when push comes to shove, I'll be the one with the duct tape.
posted this | this entry's link | 1 comment
| Every Day Carry | Gear | Preparedness | Stuff
I like to give people gear. Being a gearhead, I don't want all hoard all my research on which doohickey is the absolute best doohickey to solve your doodad problem. Gear is useful, and it's the kind of thing that non-gearheads don't usually buy for themselves.
Today's gear guide: Keychain Stuff!
That's all for today's gift guide. Go Give Gear!
| Gear | Gift Guide | Gifts | Tools
Still working on my upgrade to Ishbadiddle -- wrestling with Drupal is like wrestling with angel, only with more extensive documentation.
What I have in mind is to collect data streams from the Greater Ishbadiddle Community. The new Ishbadiddle will take in Twitter, LiveJournal, blogs, delicious links, RSS feeds, email, and however else the Ishbadiddlers want to post their information. Sort of what I've tried to do with the "On Our Blogs" section with Yahoo! Pipes, but integrated into the main blog. Suggestions on redesign / retooling are welcome (but email me, because the comments here are nearly broken).
In other news, I have a couple of job interviews coming up (yay!) and sold my first Zepto Dice (wahoo!) And here's the first video of Science Mondays With Dad:
I started doing science stuff with the boys after they went to Carmello the Science Fellow for a week over the summer. They wanted to do his after-school program, but 1) it's pricey, 2) it's not close to home, and 3) we weren't that impressed with the week-long program. Carmello showed them a lot of TV. And we're not talking Cosmos re-runs, either. So I figured I'd do it myself. Coming up next: Electromagnetic Crane, and Which Takes Up More Volume: Ice or Water?
Stay tuned!
| Science Mondays | Site Redesign
Zepto, the world's smallest dice game?
Available now on Etsy! Only $9 plus S/H!
(Yes, that's my hand again, and yes, I'm selling this.)
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Etsy | For Sale | Games | Tiny
If September 11th were my son, he would be eight years old and just starting the third grade.
If September 11th were my son, he would be playing video games right now.
If September 11th were my son, he'd be into Star Wars and Lego and Harry Potter and Pokemon.
If September 11th were my son, he would like to play soccer and baseball.
If September 11th were my son, he would be laughing.
If September 11th were my son, he would love to run.
If September 11th were my son, I would kiss his forehead every night as he slept.
But September 11th was buried long ago.
You are my son.
And each year you grow.
And each year, my grief gets smaller.
Hey, that's my hand over there on Cool Tools. And a picture of my mini-EDC kit, or as I like to call it, "Still Life With Paranoia." I'd mentioned these "preform" tubes in a comment on a CT post on geocaching, and the editor asked me if I'd write up something about it. My second review on Cool Tools -- do I get extra gadget geek credit for that?
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | EDC | Gadgets | Preparedness | Reviews
Cross-posted from my Social Actions blog.
We here at Social Actions have been hard at work this summer trying to improve our serve. Not the tennis kind, the volunteering kind! And if you haven't heard already, it's time to sign up for a great opportunity to improve your serve -- Mozilla Service Week!
During Mozilla Service Week, tech-savvy volunteers all over the globe are going to help meet the technology needs of individuals, schools, community groups, and non-profits. If you're reading this on the web, you're qualified to help out. Teach your grandma how to use the Internet. Refit that old laptop in the closet with Linux and open source software and donate it to your local community center. Get together with your friends, find out what help non-profits need, and pledge your support!
Another way you can help is to spread the word to people and groups who might need technology help, so they can post a volunteer opportunity.
We've helped Mozilla bring together an amazing group of Friends to ensure the success of Mozilla Service Week:
Join in and improve your serve!
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | MozService09 | Social Actions | Volunteering
We had a swell vacation in Block Island this year with the family. Rented the geodesic dome again. (Terrible joke I just made up: Why is a geodesic dome a great place to throw a party? Because no matter how many guests show up, it always seems Fuller!) Did our usual beach-going, biking, hiking, grilling, ice-cream eating. New this year: Entered a Toy Boat race for charity. Covered ourselves in mud. Went geocaching (my new geeky hobby).
I've got some changes planned for Ishbadiddle -- can you say "social media hub"? Watch this space!
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Buckminster Fuller | Geocaching | Jokes | Vacation All I Ever Wanted
As you know, I've been doing the independent-consultant thing for the last six months or so, mostly with ImprovEdge and now with Social Actions which is working to philanthropize the web. More on that later.
Working from home has its benefits (unlimited coffee, relaxed wardrobe standards) but it's certainly not as productive as going to an office. Perhaps it's just my mindset, or the number of distractions here ("Did I water the plants?"), or, you know, kids who want to play with you.
But I hate working in a café. The music's loud, finding a seat is annoying, WiFi slow if present. Plus there's the "how much should I spend here in order to justify my ass taking up a seat?" factor. And forget about trying to make phone calls.
You know what Brooklyn needs, I thought. It's a place where you can rent a quiet cubicle for a few hours, plug in, and do your stuff. Fortunately, the folks at the Brooklyn Creative League had the same idea, and went and built it. So I now have a part-time office space! Check it out:
| Office Space | Park Slope
New Yorkers have some very specific needs when it comes to a commuter bag: durability, comfort, and professionalism. The traditional briefcase might look good in the board room, but that fine Corinthian leather is just going to get scratched on the train or the sidewalk. The ubiquitous nylon messenger bag is durable enough, and you can get away with it at the office, but if you're carrying a heavy load (say, your laptop) your shoulders will feel it. (Besides, it's not good to walk around with your weight unevenly distributed.) A backpack will be comfortable on that one-hour-standing-on-the-train commute, but you'll look like you just came from Freshman English class.
I saw an ideal solution at Tumi -- a backpack that converts to a briefcase. Unfortunately, I don't have $350 to blow. (They make a cheaper one in their T-Tech line but it's still $225, and it's uglier, and it screams "computer bag"). There's a line of similar convertible bags at BBG which at $100 are far cheaper (found on Cool Tools, where you really must read this "pedantic" review of the $530 William Gibson Aviator Bag and ensuing flame war against Bruce Sterling, the new curator there).
But I really like the bag I picked up at the MOMA Design Store: the Lexon Challenger Backpack. It's well made and well designed. As a backpack it's comfortable -- I carried 16 lbs of gear around Manhattan yesterday and my shoulders feel fine. (There's a chest compression strap if you need it.) It's got two main compartments (one with a padded laptop section) and three front pockets. Inside are pen loops and a card holder and a change purse and a carabiner hook so you can squirrel things away properly. I especially like the top corner pocket, which is great for a cell phone stash (or any other gear you want quick access to.)
When you've arrived and are ready to attend your meeting, you just unclip the back straps and slip them inside a zippered compartment. A handle slides out of the top. Now you've got a briefcase. The bag is neutral gray, and most importantly, doesn't have patches, logos, or dingbats on it, other than a subtle black branding box.
And it's only $100. (Less if you're a MOMA member.) Strangely, MOMA isn't marketing the bag's main feature, that it converts from a backpack to a laptop. Update your ad copy, guys!
posted this | this entry's link | 2 comments | Bags | Essential Tools | Reviews
Yesterday Michelle Obama stopped by the Corporation for National and Community Service as part of her whistle-stop tour of the federal agencies. My father was among those standing behind her at the event, to honor his 40 years of government service. Here's the picture that ran in the AP story:
Fortunately, you can actually see him (all the way on the left, in back) in the agency press release photo:
He got to meet her and everything. Congratulations, Pa!
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Michelle Obama
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. And check out this great customizable Mother's Day video -- which is, also, a very clever bit of political viral marketing.
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Mother's Day | Political Ads | Viral Advertising
If you know what it stands for, then you know to put it on your calendar.
So Gillian, our baby sitter / music teacher / child technician, made it to Round 2 of Amateur Night at the Apollo. (See below for her performance in Round 1). In order to make it to Round 3, she must come in 1st or 2nd place in the voting-by-text-message. It costs a buck a throw, and the cash goes to help the Apollo stay afloat. So please vote for her by this Sunday. Here's what to do:
You can see all three of the finalists at the Apollo site if you want to make an informed vote. Shannon should have never covered "At Last." You, ma'am, are no Etta James.
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Gillian Harwin
Gillian Harwin, our babysitter / child technician / music teacher, and her winning performance at Amateur Night at the Apollo. She goes on to the next stage this Wednesday! Go Gillian!
posted this | this entry's link | 1 comment | Gillian Harwin
It's a new/old animated Breakup Girl! Listen for our own Colin as The Pilot. Also check out these stories (Love Sic and It takes a bachelor village) which were sent over by us.
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Cartoons | Relationships
For ValerieAll girls should have a poem
Written for them even if
we have to turn this God-damn world
upside down to do it.
-- Richard Brautigan
I picked up a copy of Brautigan's Rommel Drives On Deep Into Egypt at the Housing Works Café. Even though I already own a copy I bought it.
I have a lot of Brautigan books. He was one of my stepfather's favorite authors, and I inherited his collection. A lot of people start with Trout Fishing In America, but personally my favorite is In Watermelon Sugar. which I mentioned here, oh, seven years ago.
So there was Rommel, on the 50 cent rack. I always feel bad for good books that end up on the cheap shelf in used book stores. Sometimes I buy them just to find them a good home.
The last time this happened, it was A River Runs Through It, on the dollar shelf at Housing Works. I took it out and (for some reason unknown to me) began to riffle the pages. Somewhere in Montana, tucked between the pages, were five $20 bills.
I could have kept them. $1 for $100, what is that, 10,000% profit? But it was Housing Works. The bookstore's revenues help HIV+ people. Morally, the money really belonged to them, which I explained to the volunteer as I handed over the cash.
They didn't charge me for the book, though.
So if anyone wants a copy of A River Runs Through It or a book of Richard Brautigan poetry, just let me know. Mine were almost free.
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Norman Maclean | Poetry | Richard Brautigan
I resisted the Twitter for a long time, but no longer!
I'm no stranger to the social networks. (Remember Orkut? Friendster?) I've been using Plaxo for years as a way to keep up with people's address changes. (It's still good for that, even as they try and make it more of a social network.) Then there's LinkedIn, which is hugely helpful for work (and looking for work) in all kinds of ways. It's by far the best business networking tool since the Rolodex.
Enter Facebook. (Yeepers, I need a new photograph.) At first I thought, what do I need to join Facebook for? I've got a blog. (Which, of course, everyone in the world is reading, right?) But I eventually caved and signed up, although I refuse to superpoke or give out eggs or any of that silliness (any more). I mean, everyone has a Facebook account now, right? (Welcome aboard, Chris!)
But Twitter? Really? I mean, I have a blog and Facebook now -- do I really need another means of broadcasting my minutiae to the world at large? Kerim was the one who convinced me, with this post: Twitter for Facebook Users. He quotes: "Twitter does one small thing, and does it well." As I'm a sucker for simplicity
To keep myself sane, I'm using HelloTxt so I can update all my networks via email. (I still don't do SMS.) I have one account that will update my status on business networks (Plaxo and LinkedIn) and another for personal networks (Twitter and Facebook), because presumably my professional network does not really want to know what I'm having for breakfast.
If you want you can follow Ishbadiddle via twitter, at least if the plugin works. It should tweet the latest posts. (And this is me).
So, do you Tweet?
| HelloTxt | LinkedIn | Plaxo | Social Networking | Twitter | Web Tools
Cruising the back links of Waxy I ran across the following sites of interest to some of our members. Perhaps they will interest you as well.
For Chris: Making songs out of financial charts; Billboard Top 100 in handy chart format (also Pitchfork ).
For Andrea: I made tea and blueful. Some new ways to tell stories.
If none of the above appeal to you, perhaps I could interest you in the World's Hardest Tetris Game?
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Data Visualization | Storytelling | Tufte Alert | Video Games
I am on a CAUSE -- a Crusade Against Useless Stuff Everywhere!
I can't remember where I read about the book It's All Too Much -- probably Lifehacker or 43 Folders or somewhere like that. I'm telling you now: you need this book. It will change the way you think about your house and your stuff. Since I've read this I've been filling up trash bags, giving things away, and generally de-cluttering. Things I haven't seen in five years because they've been sitting in a box? Out. Clothes that don't fit me anymore? Out. Old magazines I'm never going to get to? Out.
Speaking of which, let me know if you're interested in a bunch of copies of Nadine...
And here to inspire you is George Carlin, talking about Stuff. (It's Carlin, so audio is NSFW).
posted this | this entry's link | speak your mind | Stuff
