My Review of MagLite Solitaire Key Ring Flashlight

Originally submitted at REI

This compact, take-along flashlight features a high-intensity adjustable light beam (Spot to Flood).

MagLite Solitaire Key Ring Flashlight

Old Faithful

By Happy Gear Head from San Antonio, TX on 8/2/2008

4out of 5

Pros: Waterproof, Spare Bulb, Durable, Long battery life, Stable, Adjustable Beam

Cons: Dim

Best Uses: Hiking, Backpacking, Everyday use, Day trip, Car Camping

Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational

If Maglite would update this to LED, it would truly be the perfect light in its class. I've carried one in my pocket for years. The AAA battery means it is easy to find replacements. The adjustable beam is more than handy. It even does the 'candle' trick it's larger 2-AA model is known for (remove the lens and light still shines - handy in a tent).

I recently had a few problems and sent it in to Maglite out of curiosity. They went above and beyond - repaired it and returned it for free within a couple of weeks. Turns out the malfunction was my fault.

When it wasn't working I bought another AAA light. While brighter (it was an LED) was heavier, bulkier and has not been nearly as dependable.

Maglite! Make this an LED!!!

(legalese)

Guitar (Nerd) Hero

I love the latest trend in video games - games that let you really 'play' them. The "Wii" is the best example but the one that has become my come-from-behind favorite is "Guitar Hero". If you haven't seen it, it is hard to explain. It is a small plastic guitar that serves as the controller - you've got 4 buttons out on the neck for the 'frets' and a little 'bar thing' where you would strum the strings. They put up a blazing metal song and you follow images on the screen that show ou when to strum and hit the buttons. It is as close to playing a blazing, melt your face off guitar solo as many will ever get and you don't have to grow your hair out or where any black and white makeup! Admittedly, I thought it was hokey... but play it once and you'll be hooked!

Here is the super (nerdy?) funny part: now, you too can play guitar hero at home... WITHOUT BUYING THE GAME! That is right - someone out there has heard the cries of all of us 'non-console' owners - the nerdy masses who still do all ther gaming on their PC! In a feat of Flash programming and some deftly, creative use of a standard keyboard the online version of Guitar Hero has arrived! Now you, too can (swallow your pride and) have a shot at this gaming phenomenom. Check it out here!

M: is for "Mobile Blog"

If you've read much of my Blog you'll notice that it it often illustrated with pics from my phone. Now I'm taking it a step further ... The whole post can now be done on the phone. I can now Blog no matter where I am and even include a photo! I won't be doing this all the time but it is a fun alternative to "breakout" while waiting for a haircut! I'm going to put the "M" at the beginning of mobile posts so you'll know I did that one while on the run (or in the can! ... Sorry - TMI, I know).

(PHOTO: my coworkers comparing phones... but mine BLOGS!)

Nerd Quiz - I Passed

Cheryl has a lot of fun with my nerd-dom. It is true. I don't deny that I'm nerdy. I like to think that I'm more of the "creative with funny musical tastes" species of nerd rather than the "I can't find my pocket protector until I get my glasses taped back together" breed. But, either way I like most things techy and list "Coldfusion" and "PHP" under foreign languages that I speak. That along with my strong tendency to choose fantasy, action and sci-fi movies over films involving sports, animal that talk and/or love stories pretty well pegs me for some level of nerd-dom. But if all that wasn't enough to prove it, my loving mate sent me a link to a quiz which apparently tests this:
http://www.toysforyourblog.com/quiz/6/How_Nerdy_Are_You.php

... and it is official...
This would be my 'results' after taking the quiz. ;-)

Caution: Nerd with Power Tools

So I'll have to be honest, I do have quite the proclivity for all things techy (and big words like proclivity!). So naturally I carry a high-tech, shiney, black, does-everything-but-make-the-bed blackberry cell phone - the "Pearl", in case you wanted to know. But my gadget orientation has always included power tools as well. I really dig wood-working and most projects in general that involve tools that could remove one of your limbs if not handled properly. Blackberrys don't tend to do that.

I finally have found a project that properly unites these two domains - behold, the hand-crafted wooden cell phone cradle! This beauty is a one of a kind featuring hardwood construction using red oak and rosewood and a high gloss black lacquer finish. It is a thing of beauty that true nerds don't get ... and true woodworkers can't see the need for. Sadly, this is a one of a kind. I'll not be taking orders for more of these. You'll have to find some other techy-wood head!

Hey, That's Not Wi-fi! That's a Thermostat!

Just a random bit of humor ... I ran across this picture I took while in an airport a couple of years ago. I was walking along when I saw th Wi-Fi sign. I tend to notice techy things. I'm going to assume that they were intending to mark what might be the center of this particular 'hotspot,' but the sign was placed directly above a thermostat. I was pretty amused imagining the rip-off that might have been perpetraited against the airport there. Some shady contractor talking to the airport's non-technical purchasing manager:

Shady Guy: "Aaaa, Oh Kaaaa, Vinnie and I got 'cha Wi-ah-less Network set up, boss. 'dat'll be 100 grand - cash pref'rably."
Dopey Manager: "Well OK, but I didn't see you do anything but screw that thing to the wall and slap on the sticker.
SG: You gonna tell us how to do ahhr job, or pay up? (Vinnie cracks knuckles menacingly)
DM: Yeah, here's the money, but ... that sure looks like a thermostat to me!

I Said 'Pouty', not 'Dumbfounded'

Let me try to make a long story a bit shorter...I was evaluating a piece of software for a project and found a list of websites that use the software. The list included a women's fashion site based in the UK.

So, I bring up their site and before I can begin my technical evaluation, I'm struck by the expression of the cover model...
I mean, we're all used to the type of expressions and such that 'high fashion' models find, but this one was just a bit off. She seems to have been caught off-guard, but not in that "I'm cool, spontaneous and candid" way. It's more of a "That guy with the clicky, confuses me" kind of look. I was mildly amused until I realized that this is her ONLY LOOK! I poked around the sight and found several other pics and sure enough, the look is stuck.

Here are 2 more shots as proof:Comments Contest: give these shots a caption! The title of this entry is my suggestion.

Crossloop is Cool!

I do a fair amount of Tech Support both on and off the job and let me tell you it can be grueling.

• "Are you on the desktop?"
• "Yes."
• "Click the blue button."
• "I can't see any blue button."
• "Are you sure you are on the desktop?"
• "Yes! I'm sitting right here!"
• "You're sitting?"

And so it goes. 90% of my time is spent trying to figure out what they are seeing! If I could see their screen it would be so much easier, but up until now that would have required a significant amount of networked software. Until Now!

I was introduced to a wonderful piece of free software the other day! Crossloop. It is a tiny download. It install in seconds and is brain-dead simple to use. Case Study: Cheryl called me from home at work with an odd question about MS Word. We couldn't figure it out, so I said, "Hey, click the blue & green circle icon and tell me what the numbers are in the box." I opened CL on my machine and typed in the numbers. Bingo! In 5-10 seconds, I'm looking at her screen and controlling her mouse and keyboard and Cheryl is amazed.

If you're a little intimidated about whether you could actually work this, here is the test:

• Can you "double-click" an icon?
• Can you read up to 12 numbers aloud?

If you answer yes to both, you're in good shape! See you on-screen soon!

BTW - this software will now be a mandatory install for any family members calling me for tech support! :-)
Get Crossloop at: http://www.crossloop.com

So Many Blogs

It all started out with one little blog. Maybe this one. Then you started one. And so did your brother/sister/-in-law. Then they all started putting up link to their favorite blogs and you started finding your own. You might have even started returning a particular website to read their headlines! The number of articles and blogs to read just keeps on growing. If this keeps up you'll end up going nuts! We'll find you huddled in a corner of your closet with a laptop you stole from Best Buy strung out on caffine pills mumbling and typing what you mumble into a series of increasingly incoherentblogsthatyoujUSTCAN'TSTOP!!!!! DO YOU WANT THAT?! DO YOU, PUNK!? ...sorry, i think i need a time out from blogs!

Wouldn't it be great if you could go to ONE website and have all the articles and blogs you like to follow posted right there? You can! Recently a friend put me onto a cool service by (who else?) Google ... the Google Reader. It can take all the blogs you read and combine them into one list of articles. (The techie name for this is a "Feed Aggregator".)

If you don't already have a google account (your "blogger" account is one) you can start by setting that up. Then go to http://reader.google.com and start adding subscriptions - click "Add Subscription" and type or paste in the address of a blog you like. Most of the time this works with out a hitch. Give it a shot - you'll be glad you did!

Taggin' in the Bloggerhood

Yo dawg! ... hehe Ok, I know you know that I know you know I'm a lot closer to "nerd-core" than "Hard-core" so I'll spare you my lame attempt at ghetto-speak. I'm going to start blogging a wider range of topics and I'm setting my sites on some blogging related topics up front! Today: Tagging.

If you use "blogger", you've seen the "Labels for this post" blank below the editor window. But, do you use it? Uh, no, What's it do? Glad you asked! The labels are stored with your blog as a list of words that you choose to describe the content. Different internet sites have started using this system to give users yet another way to drill through the ba-zillions of giga-bytes of stuff out there to find what interests them. Sounds simple, but is something to consider before you start tagging: what type of style of tagging do you want to use. There are basically 2.

"Cloud Tagging" (my term) involves tagging every key word or idea in a blog. Every blog is different and you'll quickley end up with a LOT of tags across your blog. This can be good if you want to be able to get really specific on a "search" but bad because the list is too long to really browse. Yahoo does a lot with the cloud style to make it easier to use.

Blogger is friendlier to "Category Tagging" where you pick a defined list of tags and limit yourself to those. Because Blogger lists them (with counts) it makes for a manageable list. It also gives you essentially multiple blogs. When people click on, say, your "pets"category (posts that you tagged "pets"), they see only those posts. It's like a mini blog!

Whatever you choose, stick to it! It is hard to change later! I do the second style - categories. Take a look at my "tags" list on the side for an example. Have fun tagging - don't tell the police I told you how!

4th of July Fireworks

We took the kiddos to the city fireworks show this 4th of July. Both were mesmerized. Cheryl and I hadn't been to a live, public display in a long time, so it was even fun for us!

I shot these pics with our Olympus Evolt 500 - a digital SLR. It was hard not to get a decent pic if you were pointed in the right direction!

fireworks

iPhone ... oooooo ... ahhhhhh

Apple computer fans and Gadget heads everywhere have been waiting for this day - the iPhone has arrived (well, at 6:30 pm it will, anyway!) In case you've been in a hole for the last 6 months and have not heard, the 'iPhone' is Apple's insanely publicized entry into the mobile market. Entry is a bit weak of a word for this event; it has been billed as the death of (insert other smart phone of choice), the dawn of a new era and quite a few other titles that hint more at the amazing zeal of the Apple devotee than the deliverable goods on the phone. My own skepticism toward the device may be showing at this point, but I'm duly impressed with the magnitude of the launch event they've created.

I had opportunity to go by the AT&T store today and the zealous (I did intentionally refrain from calling them 'zealots') are camping on the sidewalk already. I've heard tales of individuals around the country that started camping as early as last Monday. While I don't ever plan on doing this, it is quite a sight to see.

The real question now is "Will the phone live up to the hype?" I've already heard a couple of reviews that while positive put the iPhone squarely in the realm of its mere mortal peers. Even Apple exec's have been quoted saying they hope those that buy the phone are not disappointed given the amount of attention. One thing does seem apparent, though - Apple is off on the right foot. The next few steps will be the real test, though!