Quote of the Day

" I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way."

-John Paul Jones

What's in your bottle?

Old news but I just learned from the Patagonia website that they terminated their cobranding with Sigg in Sept 2009 because Sigg was apparently deceptive about BPA in their aluminum bottle liners. A couple years ago BPA was a big health issue and everyone switched from plastic bottles to stainless steel and aluminum bottles with Sigg as one of the benfactors of this trend.

Sigg bottles have a plastic liner but the company said their liners did not leach BPA. Whether the liners contain BPA was unclear. Apparently the liner did contain BPA and this info was kept hush hush for about a year until they came out with their BPA free liner in summer 2009.

I got my bottle for Valentines Day 2009. Now I really can't tell if it is the new or old liner. And even if BPA never leached out of the old liner I'm just disgusted at the apparent deception of Sigg. The witholding of the information and the timing of the release of the new BPA free liner seems rather suspicious. In addition, Sigg had agreed to take back old bottles (until Oct 2009 - i'm too late!). While that sounds nice, why would they do that if there is no issue? I'm going to find out if I can still return it to Sigg or REI.

Now I love my bottle and I just got the dents and stickers just how I like them. I will probably continue to drink out of my Sigg bottle. But I will not buy another product from Sigg. I guess the buyer has to perform one's own due diligence or they will never know what they are getting.

Vibram Five Fingers - First day review

I just received my Vibram Five Finger shoes or shall i say foot gloves...check out http://vibramfivefingers.com for more info. I am very excited and will give my initial impressions so far to be updated with more information either on this blog or on twitter.

INTRO - these shoes are designed to protect ones feet while allowing as much of a barefoot feeling as possible. It also allows the foot to spread out naturally rather than be confined to a typical narrow shoe.

DESIGN - As seen in the photo I purchased the Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) Classic in Black. I paid $74.95 with free shipping from Kayakshed.com. That is a typical retail price. It is their original Five Fingers model and i choose black to help me be less self conscious. Maybe in the future I can get orange ones! Upon unwrapping my first impression was that it looked like ballet shoes with toes. High quality construction from an overseas manufacturer. The Vibram soles overlap the top of the toes and parts of the foot like the ball for additional protection. the heel cup has some similarities to a climbing shoe. The rubber on the forefoot and heel have a siped pattern to aid in sole flexibility and wet traction. There is a drawcord at the heel to tighten the opening of the shoe to improve the fit. However I was somewhat surprised that the cordlock was not attached to the shoe somehow. this would allow you to pull the cord one handed to tighten the shoe. as it is one must pull the draw cord with one hand and hold the cord lock with another. one handed drawcords have been in the outdoor industry for ages.

FIT - as excpected it was harder to slip on this shoe. I constantly was putting two toes into one section...of course sometimes i put both legs in the same pants leg too. The fit can be very hit or miss on a product like this. On my right foot the heel cup is a little loose. While my left foot is a fraction longer than my right, my right foot feels tighter in the toes and loose in the heel. I probably would go to a store and try several sizes on and maybe even the womens size to dial in this fit. The pull tab at the heel is rather high and somewhat annoys my Achilles. I may cut this off later. I have this issue with some climbing shoes as well.

COMFORT, USE AND OTHER SHOES - since it has only been an hour since i got them i will comment on comfort later. it is recommended to only wear them for 1-2 hours at a time to get used to the fit and decreased cushioning. My footwear usually does not have much support so i think i will adapt quickly. I typically wear sandals, driving shoes, and lightweight running shoes.

I prefer sandals when possible due to sun and air exposure but they are lousy for running, wet weather, variable terrain, and often driving when heel toe pedal action is required. I like driving shoes except they are often narrow and again poor for running, wet weather, and variable terrain. My lightweight running shoes are great all around except a little narrow and no foot exposure. I plan to use the VFF's as a casual shoe, running and driving. It would be interesing to see if I decide to phase out any of my other footwear for this. Updates to follow

Gear Review - Snowpeak Titanium Stubby Spork

My girlfriend gave me a Snowpeak Titanium Stubby Spork for Christmas. Since then I have used this spork for almost every meal requiring a utensil. Not because it is more effective than a full size spoon and fork, but because it is made of titanium, stubby, is a fork and spoon built into one, and I am me. It is approx 4.5" long, made in Japan, and is only $8 from most vendors.

So really... how well does it work? Well soup dribbles out the front of the tines so each spoonful is a little small. It's a little hard to twirl spaghetti. When using it to put crosshatches in your peanut butter cookies, it leaves what looks like a pawprint instead. And I use it many times everyday and have never looked back. That's the point of having cool stuff right? Enjoying using it everyday. And if i get weird looks when i pull it out of my pocket, so be it. Better to look strange than miss an eating opportunity due to the lack of a utensil!

If you'd like a Snow Peak Titanium Spork, consider this vendor below. I get a commission if you end up buying through this link.
Snow Peak Titanium Spork

I had a job. Then I had another job. Now I have a blog.

Like many of you out there, after years of working in an industry (in this case, product development) I have found myself out of a job. Despite the huge feeling of insecurity I also consider this an opportunity to review what I do for money and how it affects the balance of other parts of my life.

I plan to explore developing multiple income streams in areas of interest to me and reduce compromises i have made for work in order to have more opportunities to do what i really want.

I also want to explore how I spend and save my money. In the past I have wanted to be a minimalist, but with an interest in product development and cars there are so many cool things out there and I own so many products that I will never be a minimalist. So, I would like to consider myself a SELECTIVE MINIMALIST. On things I do not consider important I will spend little or no money, while on things I really am crazy about I am willing to spend more. For example I do not care to spend any money on furniture while I am willing to pay more for a sports car (for now - what I'm willing to spend on my favorite hobby is decreasing).

I'm back...

Ok I'm back and I'm not going to kid you - there will be tons of posts about cars...all kinds of cars...sport cars expensive and beaters, wagons, vans, and trucks. Modified and stock. It will just be a reflection of how much I think about them. However I will also post about other topics. Product design and reviews, philosophies about work, money, fun...every aspect of life that I think about. Unabridged.