secretreality

Garmin Nuvi 205 GPS install

2009-11-14T09:29:00.000-08:00

Well I needed/wanted to get a GPS going on the new Uly so I pulled the Ram mount I had for a handheld style one off my dual sport and ordered up the RAM baseplate for my car's GPS a Garmin Nuvi 205. Once installed, I realized that a) it needed vibration dampening and b) it needed something to waterproof it.

So I found a Pelican box that fit the mount almost exactly and used some old bicycle inner tube to make a rubber gasket/cushion. I used a dremel to take down the ridges on the back of the box, and drilled holes to mount the cradle inside it with the RAM mount on the outside. The rubber on either side of the mount, combined with the RAM arm itself seems to mitigate the vibration quite well and of course, it is totally waterproof.

I haven't drilled the hole for the power yet, I'll wrap that up soon here.

RAM mount and Nuvi plate

Pelican box

Ball attached

Mounted up case open, I was thinking about how I could make something to prop the case partially open with a dark insert to act as a sunshade.

You can see through the clear case easily

RAM stuff is awesome, strong, easy to adjust and best of all cheap. The universal mount was ~$25 and the GPS base was $8, I got the Pelican at the local REI for $20.

Anyway, all in all cheap easy to do, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Horn upgrade

2009-11-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

I decided to install a Stebel Nautilus air horn on my bike as a replacement for the factory horn that sounds like someone accidentally stepped on a dog toy. The new Stebel at 139db (the loudness of a gunshot), literally demands respect. When on the bike it is nice to be seen, AND heard. :) I love it.

Power wire routing

Behind the screen

Buttoned up you wouldn't know it was there till I honked at you :)

Brake light upgrade

2009-11-03T22:35:00.001-08:00

Car is 25-30ft away.

Stock brake lights

Upgraded lights

Video:

It is so bright I was laughing out loud when I hit the brakes, neither the video nor the photos do it justice. Looking directly at the light for too long is blinding...

Riding my bicycle

2009-10-23T09:54:00.001-07:00

A Zen Teacher saw five of his students return from the market, riding their bicycles. When they had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?" The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the student, saying, "You are a smart boy. When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over, as I do." The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path." The teacher commended the student, "Your eyes are open and you see the world." The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant, nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel." The fourth student answered, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all beings." The teacher was pleased and said, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming." The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle." The teacher went and sat at the feet of the fifth student, and said, "I am your disciple."

Words to live by

2009-10-20T18:59:00.001-07:00

It is said that "what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

Two important facts to consider with regard to Obama's recent Peace prize.

2009-10-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

FACT #1: According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee website, the deadline date for nomination is Februrary 1.

FACT #2: On Februrary 1, President Obama had been in office for 12 days.

Think about that for a minute.

What a joke.

Gerber Crucial Multi-tool

2009-10-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

In its most simple form, the basic folding pocket knife is an indispensible tool, proving its value to nearly all who carry one on a regular basis. And while handy, the classic folder is missing some rather useful features such as screwdrivers and bottle openers, which is why it isn’t surprising that eventually knife makers were lead to create the venerable and instantly recognizable Swiss Army knife. Over time as the need became apparent for additional features, namely a pair of pliers, the Swiss Army knife eventually evolved into the multi-tool, which has traditionally been a market cornered by Leatherman, though the Victorinox version is superior, neither are very pocket friendly. Finally in very recent years, we have seen yet another split in the evolution of pocket knives, with a new breed of carry friendly mid-size multi-tools, which brings us to the Gerber Crucial.

If a good mid-sized folder managed to convince a multi-tool to have a little ménage à trois with a Swiss Army knife, the Crucial would be their bastard offspring. The Crucial, aptly named for its lack of extraneous tools, pairing down the large scale multi-tool functions to what Gerber designers suspected would be most often used, is an excellent knife with only a few shortcomings. Medium in size, it is about the same length as an average Swiss Army knife and of very similar thickness, though due the pliers it contains, it is a bit wider, being about the same width as a medium sized folder. The blade opens single handedly with ease and locks solidly into place, presenting you with a partially serrated edge on a very thick blade. And while it does seem to be quite robust, you would most likely be ill advised to attempt to pry anything with the blade.

While the majority of most pocket knives are typically called into service for the use of their blades, the added features brought to the table by multi-function pocket knives are just as handy. Not wanting to exclude anything useful, the Crucial also includes a small flat-head as well as Phillips screwdriver, and while partially opening the knife gives you a little better reach with the Phillips, the flat-head is stuck with its diminutive length as its maximum reach. Turning the knife onto its other side we find the carabineer/bottle opener, which functions well as a bottle opener with a nifty bonus being that the carabineer clip holds the bottle cap once popped off, and also seems to hang on reasonably well when clipped to a pack. The final, and solid contender for most useful feature on this knife, are the very nice needle nosed pliers complete with wire cutters which are accessed by fully opening the Crucial to reveal some remarkably comfortable grips.

Personally the lack of a good solid saw is this knife’s one weakness as that is something that gets put to use relatively often on my Swiss Army knives; in spite of this, the Crucial manages to pack some very useful tools into a solid, carry friendly and comfortable pocket knife that has found its way into my routine as my daily carry.

The Gerber Crucial can be found on Amazon.com for about 35 bucks.

If you’d like to check one out in person, head to your nearest REI where they can be had for $40.

2009-10-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -T.S. Eliot

Polyphasic sleep experiment - Day 4

2009-09-16T19:23:00.001-07:00

Not going to do daily updates unless there is something fantastic to write about, otherwise, while I have had some challenges adjusting to the schedule and a few hours of a zombie-like gaze, it seems to be going well.

Polyphasic sleep experiment - Day 3

2009-09-15T13:37:00.001-07:00

Things still going well, as I suspected I'm not hardcore about my schedule, I let it fluctuate a little bit so some naps are 20 minutes, some are 30 or so. I also combined last nights 1hr and .5hr naps into one 1.5hr nap, I think the key thing here is that we're basically talking about small blocks of sleep spread out over the day rather than one 8hr or so lump at night.

So far so good, I have only slept about 6hrs since Sat and while do feel some tiredness if I stretch the gap between naps too long, I'm generally fairly normal feeling. In fact, the usual after lunch "slump" is gone since I take a .5hr nap at lunchtime, so more or less, I'm really not ever tired. I know the first week is supposed to be the roughest, and it is unusual adjusting, but I seem to be taking to the change fairly well.

Polyphasic sleep experiment - Day 2

2009-09-14T08:52:00.001-07:00

So far so good. My body is adjusting to the shortened sleep periods remarkably fast, I've already had dreams in 3 of my naps, though I'm not fully rested feeling, I'm really not that tired either, which is a little nutty if you think about the fact that I've only had 3.5hrs of sleep in the last 30 hours. Otherwise, things seem to be going well with my modified schedule.

From what I gather reading about other people's attempts, a good deal give up in the first week, or are not able to wake up on time and oversleep. I'm not sure how they manage that, use a good alarm clock and it isn't an issue. Right now I'm using earplug etymotic research headphones which help block out sound and let me fall asleep, which is hooked up to my iPod Touch which I set a 30 minute or 1hr timer on; works like a charm.

Polyphasic sleep experiment - Day 1

2009-09-13T04:00:00.001-07:00

So today is the first day of my attempt at a polyphasic sleep pattern. There just isn't enough time to do the things I want to do, and rather than spend a third of my life in hibernation, it seemed like an interesting idea concept to try. I have read many reports on the topic, most with overall successes, though they all generally seem to revert back to a "normal" sleep pattern after a year or two, but only because of social concerns.

A few years back I did a sleep deprivation experiment and I stayed awake for 68hrs straight. I found that I needed to eat a lot more frequently, which made sense, my body needed something to provide it with energy. I'm curious to see how this experiment will go in that regard.

I've been up since 3am and will take a 20-30minute nap at 6:30-7am.

To work around a somewhat conventional 8-5 schedule, I will have a slightly modified version of the 4hrs on, 40min nap rotation.

My daily schedule will be loosely this:
07:00a - 11:30a : Awake : + 4.5
11:30a - 12:00p : Nap : - 0.5
12:00p - 05:30p : Awake : + 5.5
05:30p - 06:30p : Nap : - 1.0
06:30p - 10:00p : Awake : + 3.5
10:00p - 10:30p : Nap : - 0.5
10:30p - 02:30a : Awake : + 4.0
02:30a - 03:00a : Nap : - 0.5
03:00a - 06:30a : Awake : + 3.5
06:30a - 07:00a : Nap : - 0.5
-------------------------------
Awake time: 21 hours
Sleep time: 3 hours

I'm not much of a blogger, but this does give me an easy place to record my experiment. The first week is supposedly the worst, I guess we'll see. ;)

Today's word is eavesdropping

2009-07-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

I love to find out where words and phrases we often use come from, I just find it fascinating. The word eavesdropping came up in conversation today, and I was curious as to where it came from.

Henry the Eighth's palace outside London is called Hampton Court Palace. Here, in the eaves of the Great Hall, are small faces carved into the oak beams which lean at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground. These are known as 'Eaves Droppers'. Henry was known to be a strong ruler and often put spies in crowds of people to listen in to conversations. He wanted his staff (who slept in the Great Hall between banquets and would lie on straw looking up at the eaves) to know that he or his people would be listening at all times.

SF Examiner from July 21, 1969

2009-07-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Click photo for more images.

I got this paper a few years ago at a charity auction. It is amazing to flip through it and see what was being reported back then. Everything seems so foreign, the styles, the ads, etc. One thing is funny though, some things don't change. Notice that on the front page, the only other article, second only to the moon landing is a story about Isreal bombing Suez City... sigh.

Back from the Rubicon

2009-06-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

I still need to collect my thoughts and sort through the photos, but overall it was one of the better trips through that trail. I found I pushed my limits a bit more and spent more time on 2 wheels than usual, but all in all a great time was had.

A good friend of mine sent me this quote, I thought it befitting:
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." - Hellen Keller

Rubicon 2001 Trip Report

2009-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a repost of a 2001 trip through the Rubicon where I had a great time with a bunch of great people.

2001 Rubicon Trip Report

I love my topo software and color printer

2009-06-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

We're going out for a little backcountry off roading and kayaking this weekend; sure is nice to be able to knock out a USGS 7.5' map specifically of the area I'll be at. :)

Make Excel talk VBA code

2009-04-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's pretty simple and you can use it to read pretty much anything, cell reference, etc. Add a whole new level of creepiness to your spreadsheets.

strTextToRead = "Hello world lol"

Application.Speech.Speak(strTextToRead)

2009-03-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you'll catch the X-Files reference :)

We The People Stimulus Package

A couple new hats

2009-02-16T10:40:00.001-08:00

I decided to try a few different color schemes and yarns so I knocked out a couple more beanies this weekend. Since they're so cheap to make and the only real effort is time, there really isn't any reason not to experiment. Anyway, over the last few beanies I've made I've refined the process and my pattern to the point where I think I've got the perfect tight fit beanie down. I could make another pattern up pretty easy for a folded up base, or a bit looser hat which I might try next. I'm also using a fairly tight stitch on purpose, as I'm aiming for maximum warmth with these hats over style. I think an olive drab might work well for a solid color next, maybe put some sort of small decorative patch on the front.

New beanie

2009-02-08T15:17:00.000-08:00

I decided to go backpacking next weekend and it has been pretty cold at night, so while setting up my gear I decided I wanted to bring a beanie. I unfortunately lost the last beanie I had knit a while back, which is too bad because I really liked it so I was stuck choosing from a commercial beanie. I've got a few I've purchased, but like anything that's made en masse, they all just fit o.k. and going through them I decided I didn't want to bring any of them on the trip.

So I decided to crochet one and since I didn't use a pattern I was able to make it a custom fit for my fat head (24") Since it was crochet in the round there are no seams to contend with and since I made it, no stupid and itchy mfg tags either. Made with probably 50 cents worth of yarn and some free time on my Sunday while appropriately watching Man vs. Wild, I knocked out my earthy toned head-warmer. :)

The completed hat

And on my head

Excel manipulation with VBscript

2009-02-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

So I've played around with it more since the last time I mentioned it, here's a couple new tricks.

Autofit your spreadhseet columns:
cartSheet.Columns.AutoFit

Autofilter your columns:
cartSheet.Cells.autofilter 3, "DOWN"

Bold a range of cells:
objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets(1).Range("A1:J1").Font.Bold = True

At some point I'll add to the tutorial...

South Lake Tahoe

2009-01-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to move up to the Sacramento area was its close proximity to so many of the things I love to do. We have in town lakes and rivers to kayak in, National forest practically surrounds us for hunting/fishing/camping and shooting opportunities and aside from the fact that it takes about an hour and a half to get to Lake Tahoe, I'm now only 50miles from Icehouse Road, which leads you to the Rubicon trail. Alas, the Rubicon has become overrun in recent years, but the trail doesn't have to be run start to finish, you can go in, wheel around, head back from the Loon entrance to Georgetown- the options are endless.

Anyway, it was time for a mini-vacation so with a couple days off from work we decided to head up to Tahoe to enjoy a few comp'd nights at our favorite casino Mont Blu. One of the reasons we love that place so much is the fact that not only do they allow dogs but they are very pet friendly in general and on check in they even have a dog welcome kit with a couple dog bones and requisite poop bag. :) Alas, as with all things, the end has come for dog days at Mont Blu as they have changed their policy and after March, no more pets will be welcome. It is unfortunate as I will no longer stay there; their loss I suppose.

That aside, we had a great time out in the snow and relaxing in general. In spite of a few bucks lost on the slots, we managed to do pretty well and considering the fact that our room was free, we really didn't have to spend much at all, except for some new wiper blades for the Rover, which I won't go into in full detail, but let me just say that $50ea is a bit excessive IMHO.

Ready to roll

Saw this on the way up, thought it was funny. Doggie bag :)

Loved the door hanger

Flora says "I see rabbits damnit, let me out!"

Can we go now?

TONS of animal tracks in the snow, it was fun to follow them and watch Flora trail them.

Brooke had fun in the snow.

My girls

I love that dog

Obviously a stone cold killer

Such a sweet dog

Alas, we must head home.

My new everyday watch

2009-01-20T10:53:00.001-08:00

Victorinox Swiss Army Summit XLT Titanium

For some time now, I’ve been keeping my eye out for a good all-around watch that met some specific requirements; reasonable cost, solid brand, easy to read and most importantly- tough. I’m a fairly active guy and while I’m not exactly a participant in an Eco Challenge, I would venture to say that in general I actually subject my gear to equally abusive, if not worse, conditions. I personally prefer things with a Swiss Army knife sort of appeal, fairly non-specialized gear that excels in many conditions but is not necessarily the best at any one in particular. I also really enjoy watches; men essentially don’t really wear jewelry save for a wedding band and a watch and since ideally the wedding band doesn’t change with any real frequency, watches are the one place where we have some freedom to play.

Over the years I’ve played around with a variety of sub-thousand dollar watches, with the bulk of them being under $250. From Timex and Casio to a recently failed Luminox, I’ve run many watches through unintentional torture tests in the backcountry over the years, with a small sampling of dress only watches thrown in for good measure, so I definitely have some strong opinions on what works for me and what doesn’t. Generally speaking, while very tough, Casio’s digital G-Shock watches with their LCD fail have failed me in the field due to extreme heat or cold washing out the display, something which really applies to any LCD watch; on top of the fact that, let’s face it, style-wise digital watches usually leave something to be desired. Even some of the high end LCD watches such as the Suunto’s will suffer from these problems and honestly, they are just overly complicated as in my opinion a watch is for telling the time- I’ll use my GPS for elevation, compass and altimeter; which leaves me with analog watches.

While there are higher end analogs that are quite nice: Tag, Rolex, Omega, et al. I could not bring myself to subject a 10k Rolex to some of the beatings that the bulk of my watches must endure. Additionally, as a high power rifleman, the recoil of a large caliber round would wreak havoc on the fine inner works of any automatic watch, regardless of price, which also helps narrow down the search. Finally, while I have a small selection of watches to choose from, I generally find that I fall back to one watch I wear most of the time. It is dressy enough to wear to the office but rugged enough to wear into the backcountry on any of the types of trips I enjoy without the fear that it might fail; which brings us to the Victorinox Swiss Arrmy Summit XLT titanium watch.

I personally prefer watches with a Swiss movement, they are accurate and I can count on them to be reliable. Unfortunately not all makers are the same and after the watch that I thought had fit the bill perfectly as my general from the office to the backwoods watch had failed to hold water out after a few kayaking trips and fogged over, a new search began. With my known requirements in mind I started looking around for a replacement and stumbled across the Swiss Army XLT. Already a huge fan of the knives from the same maker, I felt safe sinking a few bucks into one of these watches and after finding the exceptional deal at Sierra Trading Post, I’m glad I did.

The XLT is a slight departure from the modern trend of gargantuan watch faces, which I personally find ridiculous anyway, with its more traditional face size of 28.6mm. The pins are driven in quite solidly and you will find the band will need to be adjusted by a jeweler, unless you happen to have the right tools at home, it isn’t like sizing most low-mid range watches. Though I’m not a diver, the watch does have a second clasp which allows the band to be opened up enough to be worn comfortably on the outside of a wetsuit which will prove useful when ocean kayaking in a wetsuit. Double clasp aside, the standard clasp holds tightly and securely leaving no fear of the watch coming loose. Overall the XLT has a very nice build quality, everything lines up nice and neatly, the design is solid and it is a fine example of excellent craftsmanship. The watch has a screw-in sealed case back which affords a water resistance rating up to 100m, in spite of the fact that the crown does not screw down.

The multilink titanium band offers a little lateral play by design, making it very comfortable to wear as it adjusts slightly during those times when it slides up the wrist closer to the hand. It has luminous hands and hour markers as well as a luminous mark at the top of the bezel to signify the starting point when used as a one hour timer and they do hold their charge quite well, as checking the time at 4am after the watch has been in total darkness for 7 hours has proven and as a side note, they also recharge quite quickly. The one directional ratcheting bezel is made of a tough plastic of some sort with the numbers being painted on in a slightly recessed groove, something which will certainly help prevent wear and make the eventual repainting simple. The bezel is relatively tight, though not overly so and I suspect it will loosen up a bit with use. Thanks to the titanium casing and band, the watch is also exceptionally light when compared to a stainless steel watch and is a pleasure to wear as you sometimes forget it is even there, especially if you are used to heavy stainless watches.

I personally chose the model with the black face and white numbers which is very easy to read, with the time in both standard 12hr and military 24hr format just to the inside of the larger 12hr format numbers. The 3 has been replaced with the date which is in a nice location for easy reading as I find the watches that put the date to some sort of diagonal to annoy me and the 12 is replaced by an artfully designed Swiss Army logo, giving the watch a similar look to a certain popular Tag Heur watch. The mineral crystal should also prove mostly resilient to scratches due to the inevitable knocking around of the timepiece and if you’ll forgive the pun, only time will tell.

Though it has only been through a few small trials to date, I have yet to find any real fault with the watch. I did need to ever so slightly adjust the main and double clasps so that they would grip a bit tighter, but that took only the slightest bit of effort and I would honestly consider that a part of the sizing process. From a strictly cosmetic point of view, some may find fault with the minute hand, which, while going through the ticking process does not always land exactly on the minute mark in question, though the watch holds accurate time and it does in fact tick 60 times through each minute. I cannot speak as to why this is, but it does not appear to affect the accuracy of its timekeeping in any way.

Overall the watch offers all of the things I was looking for and one thing that made the purchase quite painless is the simple fact that before the model was discontinued, the Summit XLT retailed for $325. In the end, the XLT is tough enough to take outback and classy enough to wear to the office. While I wouldn’t wear it with a tux, for the bulk of my ‘normal’ life at work and at play, this watch will adorn my wrist.

New lid

2009-01-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

So I dropped by Cycle Gear for a new lid yesterday and stumbled on a pretty good deal on the KBC VR2 helmet in the Grim Reaper pattern. Personally the XL sized KBC helmets fit my head like they were made for me so I like them anyway, but at the clearance price of $99 I couldn't say no even though I'm just sorta so-so feeling about the design.

Nice features, mouth breath guard, good vents, very nice padding inside and a price that can't be beat.