So endeth June

Monday. End of June.

• I'm hung over.
• My DVD player died for reasons I can't figure out.
• My backup DVD player does not work properly.
• Annoying amounts of bad news in email.
• Did I mention that I'm hung over?

This is Super

I have certain character traits:

• I'm afraid of needles.
• I don't like pain.
• I'm fickle.

It should therefore come as no surprise that I do not have a tattoo nor am I likely to willingly ever have a tattoo. So I am impressed beyond words when my friend Erik, who does have a tattoo... like the godfather of tattoos, really... won an award for his.

Check it out. Bet you can guess which one is his (assuming you don't read his blog and have seen the progress photos).

Kickstarter Xmas - the ZeroHour has arrived

Yeah, I get excited about the Kickstarters I back. It varies. Some I'm interested in but don't froth at the mouth over.

Then there's those that just make me jump up and down and squee like an 8-year-old on Xmas morning.

The ZeroHour Flashlight is one of those that falls in the latter category.

The Kickstarter page is here and describes the end-product better than I ever could.

In a nutshell, it's a variable flashlight (delivering 1000 - that's one thousand) lumens at its highest setting and acts as a power supply for phones, tablets, and the like.

Mine arrived over the weekend.

My shouts of joy were probably heard across the state and I'm pretty sure I have freaked out my neighbors as I play with the light's ridiculously-bright strobe function.

Initial thoughts:

• The ZeroHour is a beefy, squat light. Sits in the hand with a comfortable weight. Might be too big for someone with small hands.
• I believe non-Kickstarter purchases always come with lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged. It comes with a charger (both USB and AC), a carrying bag, a larger draw bag, a lanyard, and varying end-caps (closed cap, open cap, and - in some cases - a lanyard cap).
• The light has a nice, wide emitter dish and a burly-looking strike-bezel on the end. It's got a single Cree bulb that is blindingly-bright.

All-in-all, it's a nice light to have in a large jacket pocket or a carry bag. I'm a little wary of the light switch getting clicked accidentally in a bag, thus turning it on. I know first-hand the light gets hot if it's on for a while. Still, it hasn't happened, so I may be worrying needlessly.

Certainly I'm not leaving this thing at home. I am too enamored with my shiny new toy to be apart from it for too long.

This might be the best flashlight I've ever had.

Gettin' edgy - Sebenza 21 and the TAD Dauntless MK3

I've previously mentioned that I got my hands on a Sebenza 21. I believe I communicated my enthusiasm fairly-well.

Honestly, I figured the Sebenza 21 was going to be the last knife I was going to buy. I loved it that much.

Yeah... I wasn't convinced either.

So I was perusing one blog or another and came across mention of the TAD Dauntless. I'd seen this knife on the TAD Gear site (and in the stores) before. It's not cheap, so I'd never really given it more than passing notice.

After reading a glowing review, I grew more curious. I liked the look of it and the design.

The knife is almost always out-of-stock, so I got on a mailing list and moved on.

Then one morning I got a notification that the Dauntless MK 3 was going on sale.

I did some creative things with my schedule (it went on sale at a singularly-inconvenient time). It wasn't the best time to make a purchase like that, but I've never been one for good judgment with shiny things.

It arrived a few days later. And I found myself struggling with my undying singular loyalty to the Sebenza 21.

I've now given both time and attention by carrying them and have thoughts I will share unsolicited with the world. And pictures:



So here's the two knives folded together, side-by-side, on my indifferently-clean carpet. Yeah, you probably didn't need that last detail, did you?

Anyway, the Dauntless is a bit bigger in dimensions. Feels beefier and has a nice, solid weight. I've been undecided if I want to keep the fob on the Sebenza, but have left it in place because I'm loathe to mess with the knife in any way. It's so pretty...



And now they're opened. Note the different blade designs. The Dauntless has a cool spear-head blade. The rounded indentation towards the bottom of the blade's edge is nice for a better-controlled grip on finer use. I have to honestly say, the Sebenza came much sharper. Like ridiculously-sharp. The Dauntless has a nice edge on it, but the Sebenza is "take-a-finger-off sharp".



The Dauntless on its own. So the knife's grip is really nice. I found the opening action to be a bit sticky, though. I loosened the main screw to give it better opening action and found the screw then had a tendency to loosen too much. I disassembled the knife to grease it and tinker with it a bit. It's still a tad (hah!) fussy and there's certainly a trick to opening it one-handed, but it's improved a bit.



The Sebenza getting some solo-action now. I have to admit there's a trick to getting this one to open one-handed as well, but it's smooth going and hasn't required any tinkering on my part.

So do I have a preference? Jeez... it's hard to say. I find the Sebenza to be "prettier". It's more of a "gentleman's knife" in many ways. It's also much sharper. Its smaller size makes it less of an issue to carry in public (as much as any knife is a great idea to flourish in public). The Dauntless has a better feel to it. The size is better for my hands and I really like the grip and blade design. I wish it were a bit smoother for opening, but it seems to have found its happy place.

I'm almost-convinced I'm done now. I have the perfect pocket knives.

Almost convinced...

Gear for the Zombie-NSA apocalypse

Yeah... I struggled with that headline. In my defense, I've only had one cup of coffee.

Moving on...

So, Kickstarter's got some interesting projects underway that I wanted to give a shout-out:

• The KLAX ("It's more than just an axe"). A multi-tool detachable axe-head with a clamping system allowing you to use pretty much any chunk of wood as a handle. Depending on the model, you get options:
  • The Feller gives you a scraper on top of the basic axe function. Can serve as a hammer as well. Secured to a handle by a screw and paracord.
  • The Woodsman does the same, but has an adjustable clamp for securing to a handle.
  • The Lumberjack (cue the Monty Python song...) is where the juicy stuff is at: wrenches, hex-driver, and bottle opener beyond the scraper/hammer/axe-blade functionality. Plus it's got the adjustable clamp thingie.
  • The Ti-KLAX. A Lumberjack only in titanium. Drool.
  Use? Zombie apocalypse. Price? Not too bad unless you start looking at titanium. Then... ye gods. They're funded and more, so this is a thing.
• The Recon 6 ("World’s First 14-in-1 Adventure & Survival Recon Watch"). As the tagline says, it's a watch that can do a ton of other stuff. James Bond would swoon over this. It's got a multi-tool, a bottle opener, a little blade, a can opener, a fire-striker, a whistle, a signal mirror, a fire starter, fishing wire, magnifying glass, flashlight... and so on. And it can tell time (duh). I'm not clear if the watch is waterproof or not. Use? Zombie apocalypse. Price? Not cheap. At time of writing this post, they're still about $35K away from funding. I hope they make it.
• The Visor ("Stealth Hoodie-Face Guard Hood with Clear Vision"). From the people who made The Shield Tech Hoodie (glorious bit of garb) and The Shield Tech Jacket comes yet another hoodie from Avid Union. In a nutshell, it's a hoodie that zips up to completely obscure the face while still allowing the wearer to see out. Thus, you too can be a superhero and/or ninja while avoiding all those pesky facial-recognition-software cameras out there. Way to fight the Machine!. Use? NSA countering. Not sure if zombies will care. Price? Affordable. At time of writing this post, they're about $5K away from funding. I'm guessing they'll make it.

Review: How to Train your Dragon 2

Just came out of a late-afternoon/early-evening viewing of How to Train Your Dragon 2. In all fairness, I have three pints of tasty beer and a very well-made BLT in my belly right now, so... perspective.

This movie made me very happy. Very happy.

The movie starts five years after the first movie ended. Hiccup and friends are now in their early 20's by all accounts. Hiccup is being evasive when it comes to any responsibility and going out to goof off with his dragon.

Then stuff happens.

The plot really doesn't matter. It's kind of rocky, when you look at it, but for all that I enjoyed the film. It has some surprisingly-intense moments for a children's film (spoiler alert: someone dies). The villain is weak tea, but the dragons are kind of awesome. Plus Hiccup has a fire sword. Don't ask.

All-in-all a thoroughly-enjoyable film. I may see it again in theaters and I will definitely add it to my DVD collection when the time comes.

Two swords up!

Getting Belted

Saw this belt on Uncrate. I approve of the concept, but it makes me sad that nobody ever seems to take these fancy belts to the next level and make 'em money belts. Seriously, how hard would it be to stick a little zipper or velcro pouch in there?

Actually, kinda hard if you have no skill in sewing or alterations. I know. I've tried.

Time for the hockey mask

• It's a full moon and it's Friday the 13th.
  
  Yeah. Nothing bad can possibly happen under combined circumstances such as these.
• Now reading "Blood and Iron" by Jon Sprunk. Book one of his "Black Earth" series, it's helping me fill time until "Tower Lord" by Anthony Ryan comes out.
  
  Sprunk's novel is formulaic but the protagonist is interesting enough and the world he's built is engaging. I'm about halfway through and enjoying it fine.
• I need to figure out a way to profit from my gaming hobby. Maybe transition my attentions from game prep to actual novel writing. Given the ridiculous amount of time I dedicate to this hobby, it should be earning me some cash.
• Got a bag of dark chocolate M&Ms the other day. I was looking for dark chocolate Kit Kats. Why is it so goddamn hard to find dark chocolate Kit Kats in stores? WHY??? KHAAAAAAAAN!!!!
  
  Sure, I could go through Amazon or something, but these should be easy to buy locally! DAMNIT!!!!
• Internet Archive uploaded a bajillion Doctor Who-related books. And my e-reader is toast. This is how the universe operates. F*cking universe.

Holy damn

I have to hand it to Hayao Miyazaki. The dude could do the most amazing stuff ever in animation.

So I'm reading Nerd Approved this morning and saw a post that led to this.

A Miyazaki music video. Seven minutes of Miyazaki awesome.

And what I love best about Miyazaki's work is his effortless ability to engage my interest and lift my spirits. I got up in a crappy mood that I carried from yesterday and was expecting to sulk my way through 'till my workday was over. Now I feel... lighter. I dunno. This just really made my day.

Miyazaki-sama, you rock!

Raining Gremlin Piss

First my bike decides to develop an unhealthy appetite for inner-tubes. Now my eReader is kaput. What the hell?

Pun-tastic

Presented without further comment:

Friday and the Bike Gods

I suppose the Bike Gods are being a bit merciful this fine Friday morning. They could have given me the flat tire halfway into the office instead of a hundred yards away.

Getting home is going to be a pain in the arse today, but it could be worse.

At least it's Friday.

I need to get the damn bike into a shop to figure out what the HELL is causing all these flats!

Thoughts on the Hobbit Movies

On a whim, I re-watched The Desolation of Smaug over the weekend.

On its own merits as a fantasy story, I have to admit it's a piece of escapist glory. Bad bad-guys. Anti-heroes. Questionable or bad decisions. Fancy FX magic. Shiny things. Elf-fu. Oh, and the dragon. Gotta love the dragon.

It bears only the vaguest, loosest connection to Tolkien's work, of course. I've blathered about that before, so no need to rehash.

I just find myself amused by Jackson's tweaks and changes. He's sporting such a little crush on Legolas that it's kind of embarrassing to watch. And Tauriel is... well, suffice it to say I dread what weird slashfic Jackson's got stored away re: Legolas, Tauriel, and rock-star Dwarf (I forget the character's name).

Having seen how stupid the folk of Lake Town are portrayed in the film, I gotta say I'm really rooting for Smaug.

ugh

It's Monday.

My meeting dance-card is full.

I think I'm coming down with something.

I get to end my day with an unrelated afternoon appointment that will put me in the middle of rush hour traffic.

I've got a full tank of gas, a half pack of chewing gum, it's dark, and I'm wearing sunglasses. And I'm all out of bubblegum.

Yes, mangled two classic movie quotes just now. Because I can. And I don't smoke.