Remember the day when you would sit at a desk and write a letter to someone with an actual pen and paper? Sometimes you mess up so you have to crumble up the paper and throw it away and the trash can would be halfway full of crumbled up paper. You wanted to get it right because there was no delete button and there was no spell check. Then once you were finished you folded it up and stuffed it into an envelope and wrote your address and their address and put a 10¢ stamp on it then put it in your mailbox to go out the next day. Remember that?
Well, then the internet came along and that made it so much easier to sit at your home computer (mac or pc) and you could email your letter instead. You sat there thinking what you wanted to say so you didn't sound too weird or something. Now of course you could delete and spell check then the person gets it in the blink of an eye.
What happened to that? It seems that I don't get any emails from family or friends anymore except for the ones that are forwarded to me from other people which have either jokes, funny pictures of dogs or cats or some old lady comic strip. Most of the emails people forward to me are all telling me about some kid who has cancer and you have to forward it to 10 people. Or about being careful not to get out of the car with the keys in the ignition because you see a note in the back of the car.
For once I'd like to get an email from someone telling me how their day or week was. An email saying hi how are you. I email people constantly and sometimes they actually respond but then that's it. If I don't start a conversation then the conversation never gets had.
What is the point of having email if nobody will actually email you something that they wrote instead of just using other crap people have sent them.
I think that's one of the reasons why I blog so much because I've gotten to the point where nobody emails me so why should I email them. So if I have something that I want to get out, I'm just gonna blog it and if someone cares enough to read it then they can respond either in email or they can leave a comment.
I know someone out there knows what I'm talking about.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Nashbar Townie Basket
Last week I bought this product for my bicycle from nashbar.com for carrying my groceries. I got the rack for my birthday from Chips cousin and her girlfriend so all I needed was the bag.
The bag I got is called a Townie Basket and it's small enough to carry a bag of groceries so I don't have to keep wrapping the bags around my handlebars. The more specific grocery I wanted to use this for was for the 2 gallons of milk I always buy because it's cheaper to buy 2 gallons than 1 at $3.69.
So I got the bag today and put it on immediately which only took maybe a minute to figure out how it goes on. I went to Albertson's right away and got my 2 gallons of milk along with some other things that I needed which I ended up having to carry in my grocery bag on the handlebars... I'm gonna need another one for the other side lol.
The only problem is that with 2 heavy gallons of milk it was sagging outward. I was petrified that they would fall out as soon as I hit a bump in the road or a pot hole, not paying attention to the road and watching the milk instead might make me accidentally hit a pot hole or a CAR lol.
Well, here are the pictures of the bag. The first one is of the bag folded up on the rack, the 2nd one is the bag open and the 3rd one is of it with it's handy dandy rain coat or as I like to call it, it's shower cap.
Ok, now to fix the problem with this bag sagging outward I had to think about how I was going to do this. I remembered the metal with the holes I used to make it so the rack was secure on the bike so I grabbed the roll of that stuff and held it up then bent the top of it over then I held it on the clamp in the tool shed and cut off a piece, then I cut a 2nd piece. Then I went back over to the patio table and started drilling holes in the hard plastic in the bag so I could screw these things in place and then I put it on the bike rack. Viola, it doesn't sag anymore so I don't have to worry about anything falling out lol. Well, for now anyway.
It's a really dark picture but you can see that it's not black, it's the silver or gray thing on the right. Not only does it stay on the rack but because I used the pliers to curl it over the rack bar I know nobody will be able to steal it lol. It's too much trouble to be able to steal now. I mean because it's only on with bungee at the bottom in the 2nd rack hole then with the 2 metal pieces (the black one on the left) so it's very easy to steal but not anymore.
So if I have any other problems I'm going to have to put a hole on the outside of the bag into the plastic and put a hook there so I can hook a bungee on the outside then hook the other side of the bungee cord to the other side of the rack to make damn sure nothing falls out.
Edit: While I was watching Stargate SG-1 today I was thinking of how I could make this even more secure to the rack, not so that it doesn't make my milk fall out but secure as in security. How do I keep people from trying to steal it? Bracket it to the rack. See, there are these straps at the bottom that you are supposed to put the rack through, the metal sticks that get screwed to the wheel part of the frame, those are supposed to go through these straps and you would think that those would be velcro so that just in case your rack doesn't allow you to put them through, then you could just undo them with the velcro. So I came up with something a little more permanent.
This picture is taken from the inside of the wheel, as you can see the spokes on the right and left side. I bracketed the bag to the rack so it would never be easy to seperate. Well, I mean it would if I was trying to but a theif couldn't easily do it and the guards at the grocery store know me and my bike so they would know if someone was trying to take something off my bike anyway. But this would definitely slow them down lol.
And to top it all off, I put an eye hook in the outside of the bag, you can see in the first 2 pictures, there is a little silver rectangle, that is the logo of the company I bought it from. Well, I screwed the eye hook just below that logo so that I could easily attach a bungee cord to it then the other end of the bungee could attach to the other side of the rack. This way everything will stay inside the bag and not fall out. The neon yellow shower cap will be able to protect it with the bungee cord in place so that isn't an issue.
The bag I got is called a Townie Basket and it's small enough to carry a bag of groceries so I don't have to keep wrapping the bags around my handlebars. The more specific grocery I wanted to use this for was for the 2 gallons of milk I always buy because it's cheaper to buy 2 gallons than 1 at $3.69.
So I got the bag today and put it on immediately which only took maybe a minute to figure out how it goes on. I went to Albertson's right away and got my 2 gallons of milk along with some other things that I needed which I ended up having to carry in my grocery bag on the handlebars... I'm gonna need another one for the other side lol.
The only problem is that with 2 heavy gallons of milk it was sagging outward. I was petrified that they would fall out as soon as I hit a bump in the road or a pot hole, not paying attention to the road and watching the milk instead might make me accidentally hit a pot hole or a CAR lol.
Well, here are the pictures of the bag. The first one is of the bag folded up on the rack, the 2nd one is the bag open and the 3rd one is of it with it's handy dandy rain coat or as I like to call it, it's shower cap.
Ok, now to fix the problem with this bag sagging outward I had to think about how I was going to do this. I remembered the metal with the holes I used to make it so the rack was secure on the bike so I grabbed the roll of that stuff and held it up then bent the top of it over then I held it on the clamp in the tool shed and cut off a piece, then I cut a 2nd piece. Then I went back over to the patio table and started drilling holes in the hard plastic in the bag so I could screw these things in place and then I put it on the bike rack. Viola, it doesn't sag anymore so I don't have to worry about anything falling out lol. Well, for now anyway.
It's a really dark picture but you can see that it's not black, it's the silver or gray thing on the right. Not only does it stay on the rack but because I used the pliers to curl it over the rack bar I know nobody will be able to steal it lol. It's too much trouble to be able to steal now. I mean because it's only on with bungee at the bottom in the 2nd rack hole then with the 2 metal pieces (the black one on the left) so it's very easy to steal but not anymore.
So if I have any other problems I'm going to have to put a hole on the outside of the bag into the plastic and put a hook there so I can hook a bungee on the outside then hook the other side of the bungee cord to the other side of the rack to make damn sure nothing falls out.
Edit: While I was watching Stargate SG-1 today I was thinking of how I could make this even more secure to the rack, not so that it doesn't make my milk fall out but secure as in security. How do I keep people from trying to steal it? Bracket it to the rack. See, there are these straps at the bottom that you are supposed to put the rack through, the metal sticks that get screwed to the wheel part of the frame, those are supposed to go through these straps and you would think that those would be velcro so that just in case your rack doesn't allow you to put them through, then you could just undo them with the velcro. So I came up with something a little more permanent.
This picture is taken from the inside of the wheel, as you can see the spokes on the right and left side. I bracketed the bag to the rack so it would never be easy to seperate. Well, I mean it would if I was trying to but a theif couldn't easily do it and the guards at the grocery store know me and my bike so they would know if someone was trying to take something off my bike anyway. But this would definitely slow them down lol.
And to top it all off, I put an eye hook in the outside of the bag, you can see in the first 2 pictures, there is a little silver rectangle, that is the logo of the company I bought it from. Well, I screwed the eye hook just below that logo so that I could easily attach a bungee cord to it then the other end of the bungee could attach to the other side of the rack. This way everything will stay inside the bag and not fall out. The neon yellow shower cap will be able to protect it with the bungee cord in place so that isn't an issue.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Pimp your bike
I just saw this article on the Dvice website.
Pimp your bike with MonkeyLectric LED wheels
This is so cool. I used to have a little fan that did the same thing, I don't know where that fan is but they sell them at the store for like $3. But, who cares about such a small fan when you can have this on your bicycle on both the front and the back wheels.
It has 16 led lights on each side and it straps right to the spokes on the inside of the wheel so it's not sticking out. You can put 1 on your wheel or you can put 4 on your wheel or 1-4 on each wheel. It's really cool for teenagers at night so they can woo their friends and also be very visible to cars so they don't get hit... from the side? Cars can't really see this from the back.
I wonder if this is street legal though. I can see it being bicycle trail and skate park legal but what about the street?
This product from MonkeyLectric is only $60 per board and it takes 3AA batteries which are good for 30 hours.
Too Cold To Ride
Well, it seems that Summer isn't quite yet here. I have been waking up nearly every morning at 4am to go out bike riding thinking that it would be in the 90's or 100's during the day so I'm basically trying to beat the heat. Well, we had heat for maybe a week but then it was gone.
The last 3 days (including today) it has been too cold to ride. Yeah I could've just gone out when the temperature was in the 70's but I've gotten so used to riding when there are no cars when the sun isn't up yet that I don't want to go out during the day.
Friday I checked the weather channel application on my computer and it said that there were going to be thunderstorms so I didn't go out. Yesterday when I went outside to go bike riding it was raining, well more like sprinkling but you know how it goes. It starts out with a sprinkle then next thing you know it's raining hard. So I just stayed in. This morning it was so cold outside and I just decided to wait until when it was warmer and now it's too warm even though it's only 68 lol. Well, the weather channel says 68 but it's warmer than that outside.
Hopefully tomorrow it will be ok. It's supposed to be 85 during the day and it says that I should wear pants and a jacket at 7am for exercising because it will be 65 but that is a good temperature in the early morning to exercise for me.
I never thought I would say this but I wish the heat would come back lol.
The last 3 days (including today) it has been too cold to ride. Yeah I could've just gone out when the temperature was in the 70's but I've gotten so used to riding when there are no cars when the sun isn't up yet that I don't want to go out during the day.
Friday I checked the weather channel application on my computer and it said that there were going to be thunderstorms so I didn't go out. Yesterday when I went outside to go bike riding it was raining, well more like sprinkling but you know how it goes. It starts out with a sprinkle then next thing you know it's raining hard. So I just stayed in. This morning it was so cold outside and I just decided to wait until when it was warmer and now it's too warm even though it's only 68 lol. Well, the weather channel says 68 but it's warmer than that outside.
Hopefully tomorrow it will be ok. It's supposed to be 85 during the day and it says that I should wear pants and a jacket at 7am for exercising because it will be 65 but that is a good temperature in the early morning to exercise for me.
I never thought I would say this but I wish the heat would come back lol.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
The Next PSP
Sony ready to unveil it's PSP Go at E3 tomorrow | Dvice
PSP Go Video Game, E3 09: Conference Footage 2
Ok so here we go, they have a new PSP out which is their 4th gen called PSP Go. This PSP is smaller, same wide screen but it flips up so you can use the control buttons below the screen instead of on the sides of it. It then closes so you can watch movies or TV shows or even use it as an mp3 player and not have any buttons pressed while it's in your bag.
The PSP Go has a 16GB flash memory as well as a Memory Stick Micro slot which is a different name from the one that is currently in the PSP which is Memory Stick Duo so no you can't use the one that you already use in your current PSP. They took away the UMD slot so all those games that you bought you can't use anymore. You have to buy all your games via the PlayStation store online.
It also has Bluetooth Support. I don't know what that means for the PSP though. When I think of Bluetooth I think of a cell phone earpiece. What does Bluetooth mean for a PSP Go?
On the video (which is the 2nd link above) at the E3 the guy talks about how people like to buy the actual physical product. There will be a new media manager for PC so I'm guessing that maybe you plug your PSP 2 or 3 into your computer via the USB and it probably converts the UMD into files that you then upload to your PSP Go. But that is just what I think that means, I don't know for sure. Who knows, but he did mention something about being able to buy the UMD even though you can't use it in this thing.
I don't know about this one. I like my PSP 2000. I didn't upgrade it to the PSP 3000 when that came out because the only upgrade it had was a mic on the front so you don't need a headset to call people with Skype and it had a more matte finish on the screen so you don't get glare from lights or the sun. With a $250 price tag I'm still not convinced that I need to upgrade to the PSP Go.
I kinda prefer having a UMD and being able to put it in the UMD slot when I want to play a game which of course means searching for the game I want but that's perfectly fine by me. I don't know if I want to fill my 16GB flash memory with games then have to use a memory stick to add more. Call me old fashioned lol.
PSP Go Video Game, E3 09: Conference Footage 2
Ok so here we go, they have a new PSP out which is their 4th gen called PSP Go. This PSP is smaller, same wide screen but it flips up so you can use the control buttons below the screen instead of on the sides of it. It then closes so you can watch movies or TV shows or even use it as an mp3 player and not have any buttons pressed while it's in your bag.
The PSP Go has a 16GB flash memory as well as a Memory Stick Micro slot which is a different name from the one that is currently in the PSP which is Memory Stick Duo so no you can't use the one that you already use in your current PSP. They took away the UMD slot so all those games that you bought you can't use anymore. You have to buy all your games via the PlayStation store online.
It also has Bluetooth Support. I don't know what that means for the PSP though. When I think of Bluetooth I think of a cell phone earpiece. What does Bluetooth mean for a PSP Go?
On the video (which is the 2nd link above) at the E3 the guy talks about how people like to buy the actual physical product. There will be a new media manager for PC so I'm guessing that maybe you plug your PSP 2 or 3 into your computer via the USB and it probably converts the UMD into files that you then upload to your PSP Go. But that is just what I think that means, I don't know for sure. Who knows, but he did mention something about being able to buy the UMD even though you can't use it in this thing.
I don't know about this one. I like my PSP 2000. I didn't upgrade it to the PSP 3000 when that came out because the only upgrade it had was a mic on the front so you don't need a headset to call people with Skype and it had a more matte finish on the screen so you don't get glare from lights or the sun. With a $250 price tag I'm still not convinced that I need to upgrade to the PSP Go.
I kinda prefer having a UMD and being able to put it in the UMD slot when I want to play a game which of course means searching for the game I want but that's perfectly fine by me. I don't know if I want to fill my 16GB flash memory with games then have to use a memory stick to add more. Call me old fashioned lol.
Big Brother Good or Bad
No I'm not referring to the reality show Big Brother but the real reality of Big Brother.
I went to the grocery store yesterday and paid $59, then I went home and paid my cable bill, my phone bill and then I paid for 1 month of EverQuest to keep my account alive. SOE had 2 transactions of $1 each basically to verify my account but then those 2 charges disappeared. But as soon as I paid for that I got an email of suspicious activity on my checking account.
I call the number in the email and go through the process of pushing buttons to verify that yes I did make those charges and it was all fine and dandy, or was it? I tried to buy something from Nashbar for my bike and it kept declining my debit card. I just figured that they have a debit card limit and I've probably passed that limit so I waited until today.
So today comes and I come home from my bike ride and go to Nashbar's website again to buy my bag for the rear bike rack and a new skull cap so in the middle of my ride I can switch to a dry cap to make me more comfortable. It declines me again so I just ended up using PayPal to generate a temporary credit card number then I called the bank.
After finally getting to an associate I told him what was happening and explained I was just paying bills, he puts me through to one of the fraud analysts who just wants to verify every transaction.
The woman who I spoke to was very nice, she had a nice voice and she was very helpful. I told her what happened and that yes I did make all of those transactions. She asked me about each item. SOE. She asked what that was. I told her it's Sony Online Entertainment. She said she has seen SOE before but she never knew what it was. Then we talked about the 2 $1 transactions and she said that they do that to verify that it is my debit card then they erase them.
Then we get to Brighthouse. She had no clue what that was and of course if you have never heard of it then yeah you aren't going to know but it's my cable company. Then I said to her you will see ATT DES, that is the phone company. So then she mentioned Bike Nashbar which I had just paid with PayPal and I was like oh wow that is already showing up on the bank site? I just paid for that. I told her I had to use PayPal to pay for it because my debit card was declined.
Oh well, she unlocked my debit card so I can use it again. You know, I have mixed feelings about all of that. She said that they locked my card out because it was unusual spending for me. Well, the day I get my check every month I pay my bills and buy something from a website so how is that unusual spending for me when I do it every month on the same day, the 3rd of each month. On one hand I'm happy that the bank is looking out for my best interest but on the other hand I'd like to not be embarrassed if I had to go back to the store with a grocery cart filled with food then have my card be declined you know?
Oh well, I'm sure this post was totally unncessary but who cares lol.
I went to the grocery store yesterday and paid $59, then I went home and paid my cable bill, my phone bill and then I paid for 1 month of EverQuest to keep my account alive. SOE had 2 transactions of $1 each basically to verify my account but then those 2 charges disappeared. But as soon as I paid for that I got an email of suspicious activity on my checking account.
I call the number in the email and go through the process of pushing buttons to verify that yes I did make those charges and it was all fine and dandy, or was it? I tried to buy something from Nashbar for my bike and it kept declining my debit card. I just figured that they have a debit card limit and I've probably passed that limit so I waited until today.
So today comes and I come home from my bike ride and go to Nashbar's website again to buy my bag for the rear bike rack and a new skull cap so in the middle of my ride I can switch to a dry cap to make me more comfortable. It declines me again so I just ended up using PayPal to generate a temporary credit card number then I called the bank.
After finally getting to an associate I told him what was happening and explained I was just paying bills, he puts me through to one of the fraud analysts who just wants to verify every transaction.
The woman who I spoke to was very nice, she had a nice voice and she was very helpful. I told her what happened and that yes I did make all of those transactions. She asked me about each item. SOE. She asked what that was. I told her it's Sony Online Entertainment. She said she has seen SOE before but she never knew what it was. Then we talked about the 2 $1 transactions and she said that they do that to verify that it is my debit card then they erase them.
Then we get to Brighthouse. She had no clue what that was and of course if you have never heard of it then yeah you aren't going to know but it's my cable company. Then I said to her you will see ATT DES, that is the phone company. So then she mentioned Bike Nashbar which I had just paid with PayPal and I was like oh wow that is already showing up on the bank site? I just paid for that. I told her I had to use PayPal to pay for it because my debit card was declined.
Oh well, she unlocked my debit card so I can use it again. You know, I have mixed feelings about all of that. She said that they locked my card out because it was unusual spending for me. Well, the day I get my check every month I pay my bills and buy something from a website so how is that unusual spending for me when I do it every month on the same day, the 3rd of each month. On one hand I'm happy that the bank is looking out for my best interest but on the other hand I'd like to not be embarrassed if I had to go back to the store with a grocery cart filled with food then have my card be declined you know?
Oh well, I'm sure this post was totally unncessary but who cares lol.
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