Ishbadiddle

The Things I Carry

2009-12-21T19:14:07Z

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:

Sunglasses that fold flat. Also available at MOMA.
On the A&P Key Ring, a B0007UQ18S:Leatherman Micra.
A "Micro Widgy" pry bar (yes, it actually has come in handy).
Tweezers.
Moleskine Cahier notebook, business cards, spare Metrocard.

Center:

Pilot G-2 Gel Pen
4-bit pocket screwdriver

Right Side

B0013L2FGW:Spork!
Bandanna. The cloth with a 1000 uses.
B001Z9EACY:Adventure Medical Kit. The basics in a small flat pouch.

The "Urban Dad" Pack

Writing: The Stowaway Space Pen. Skinny version of the space pen, but you can't refill it. Also a golf pencil and a mini-Sharpie.
Drawing: Small blank notebook. Miniature color pencils. I couldn't find this set online, but you could buy similar mini pencils in bulk from BC USA, purveyor of fine Japanese stuff. Eraser.
Entertainment: B000HI58JS:Miniature Bicycle cards, wrapped in potentially-useful rubber bands. Also the new, improved Zepto Dice!.
Other Useful Things: Krazy Glue, B000F4B77Q:collar neck extender, paper clips,
band-aids, Altoids Smalls, eraser, floss, hard candies (with Vitamin C!).
Low-Tech Tech: Timex 1440 sports watch, clip version. Includes stopwatch, alarm, etc. Kingmax flash drive. Small cheap keychain flashlight (you can pick some up super-cheap at DealExtreme, purveyor of fine products from Hong Kong.)

Emergency Pack:

Things that cut other things: P-38 can opener, pocket saw, pocket straight razor, and the trusty Doug Ritter MINI RSKMk1 knife.
Things to connect things together: Telephone wire; duct tape; an s-biner and a regular carabiner; a Niteize figure 9 with cord; 10' parachute cord; knot cards, because I have a lousy memory for knots.
Things to catch other things on fire: Split pea lighter
Other potentially useful things: clip compass;
B001GAOO6Y:Fenix 01 flashlight, 2 AA batteries; a small aluminum whistle; extra pills in pill case, cushioned by two B000VDPYNE:pill towels.

"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.

And Another Food Link:

2009-12-08T14:16:54Z

Where Should I Eat? Fast Food Flowchart. Via Debbie.

Your Food Links Du Jour

2009-12-08T02:24:17Z

First link via Fark, second via Ennis.

So a Rabbi, a Dog, and a Cop walk into a bar...

2009-12-07T13:33:08Z

So all is well in the Jewish community here because the Hasidic rabbi is helping the Montana cop speak Hebrew to his dog. Thanks to Susie for the article.

Mike's Holiday Gift Guide

2009-12-03T22:06:12Z

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!

Flashlight: B0007D5TKQ:Photon Freedom. You can get a cheapo keychain flashlight instead (CountyComm has one for $1.20), just make sure that it has an on/off switch and not one that you have to keep squeezing to light. (You may need both hands for other things!) But I like the Photon Freedom for the following features: First, it dims.1 This is really useful if you want to, say, read a program in a dark theater, but don't want to have your flashlight blazing away. Second, it can also strobe, and flash SOS in an emergency. Third, it has a handy clip that can quickly detach from your keychain, which is useful when you want to use the flashlight but not have your keys dangling from it.
Pico Pen. I have been using the PicoPen for a while now and I really like it. (Available on B001CWCIKK:Amazon, but CountyComm has a better deal.) It's a good keychain pen with a magnetic cap that attaches to the keyring, so I always have it on me. If you want an insanely detailed, 22 page review of keychain pens, you can read "Keychain Pens: IN Search of Excellence". Whoah.
Cash Can. I reviewed this on Cool Tools last year. It holds a rolled-up $20 bill for emergencies.
Phone Tag. You need something that will let someone know how to get in touch with you if they find your lost keys. I used to use an actual dog tag, but they're pretty big to carry around in your pocket all the time. This tiny pet tag is just big enough for two phone numbers. Obviously, don't put your home address on it!
Miniature pocket knife. I used to use a B0001EFSTI:Swiss Tech Utili-Key but found that it was too difficult to open quickly, and too dangerous to use since you have to hold it by the blade if you want to use its other features. This pocket knife is 4 cm closed. The blade isn't much, but it works in all those situations where you want to cut cord or tape and try to use your keys instead. This knife was my grandfather's, but I've seen similar ones in army-navy stores.

That's all for today's gift guide. Go Give Gear!

1How does an LED dim, you ask? It actually flickers on and off very quickly.

Update

2009-12-01T14:58:51Z

Still working on my upgrade to Ishbadiddle -- wrestling with Drupal is like wrestling with angel, only with more extensive documentation.1

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!

1Apologies to all who read this joke already on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

An Actual Tufte Alert

2009-11-21T05:19:26Z

Microsoft makes patent claim for "sparklines in the grid"!! Via Waxy.

Pardon Our Appearance

2009-11-19T04:00:46Z

We're fixing things up around here for the big move over to Drupal. More to come.

Some questions raised by re-reading Harry Potter

2009-11-10T06:08:49Z

We've finally finished reading the entire Harry Potter saga aloud to the boys. So here are some things that I want to know (spoilers ahead, but if you haven't read it by now you probably won't care):

Is Voldemort just stupid? He hides a Horcrux in the Room of Requirement, and assumes he's the only person to have ever hidden anything there? Despite centuries' worth of junk filling the place?
Hermione manages to pack everything they need for their extended camping trip into her bag -- tent, cloaks, portrait of Nigellus Black, etc. Yet somehow she forgets to bring food, and she and Harry and Ron end up scrounging for mushrooms. I know that you can't magically make food, but couldn't she have just thrown a bunch of cans and a can opener in there?
The plan to get Harry out of the Dursley's house seemed stupid enough when we're told it was Mundungus' plan. But this was the best that Dumbledore could come up with -- put the entire Order at risk, and give the Death Eaters the right date? I admit that the "seven Potters" is dramatic and all. But couldn't they have FedExed a Portkey to Harry? Or have him leave in a Muggle cab or something?
Fiend fire? Really? Crabbe conveniently uses this spell we've never heard of before, and which just so happens to have Horcrux-destroying capabilities?

OK, I'm done with the picking of nits. We're still figuring out what series to read next; in the meantime we're in the middle of James and the Giant Peach. Did Roald Dahl write any bad books?

Nothing To See Here

2009-11-07T04:23:16Z

I guess there really is nothing in Frostburg, MD. A mistake, a joke, or a trap street?

Big Bear Lodge? The Rusty Spurs? The Wrangler?

2009-11-05T18:58:47Z

Steak House or Gay Bar?

Mmmm...

2009-10-30T22:44:15Z

.... meat hand.

Pie Charts + Flags =

2009-10-29T16:09:48Z

Flags By Colours. Via Gadgetopia.

Malware Bites

2009-10-23T19:53:56Z

Light posting of late as I'm getting over a virus -- of the digital kind. This one was particularly nasty. Our PC wouldn't boot at all in any mode (just giving us the lovely Blue Screen of Death) and, after running numerous diagnostics, I decided to re-install Windows. (Fortunately everything is backed up in the Amazon cloud -- thank you, JungleDisk!)

My bleary eyes lit up with success when I finally heard that XP Startup Sound1 -- and then dimmed with tears as Security Tool began bombarding me with Dire Warning Messages. I had Trojans! I had viruses! My programs had been infected and were sending my credit card information to overseas hackers!

Hold on there just a minute. I don't have a program called Security Tool. The malware was camouflaged as an anti-malware program. We're through the looking glass here, people.

It was also blocking my AVG anti-virus, and any other process it didn't like. I'd tussled with spyware this belligerent before, so went to get Malwarebytes which took care of the problem. Nice. I now have it in "Protection mode" all the time. It was certainly worth the $22.45.

1If you're nostalgic for Eno's 95 Startup sound you can get it here.

"In the case of the Higgs and the collider, it is as if something is going back in time to keep the universe from being hit by a bus."

2009-10-14T19:42:06Z

Could the LHC have been sabotaged -- by particles from the future? I guess it's time to go check on Temporal Anomalies and see if this theory's kosher.

And by the by -- aren't these wonderful time travel posters? But not as useful as this poster to keep in your time machine.

LHC story via Rebecca Blood.