tingilinde

making gifts for the holidays

It is now less than three months until the major holidays and two months until the unpleasant shopping period.

If you are inclined now is a good time to pick a few people on your list and make something special with your hands or even with your imagination.   

Sukie is heavily into it this year and Colleen has a suggestion guide on her blog from a year ago.

inside zappos

The other day I came across a New Yorker piece on Zappos (online version here).  A very unusual company that breaks a lot of rules.  One wonders how hands off Amazon will be in the long run.

I'm a happy Zappos customer.  My shoe size is unusual and I can rarely find shoes in the stores.  Zappos takes away a lot of the pain and allows me to exchange shoes that don't fit without shipping charges and no questions asked.  You pay close to list price, but the convenience makes it worthwhile for me.  When I know a shoe fits, I use their discount brand 6pm.com.  The shoes are overstocks and discontinued items, but I don't worry about fashion.  The downside is you pay for returns, but if you know what you want it is a great way to save.

converting youtube files to something else

cute and free

being hospitable

Our house is small, so putting people up overnight involves some folding beds  Finding something comfortable and sturdy is the trick.  Cots just aren't comfortable enough to do the job and a good night's sleep is especially important when someone has been traveling.

One friend happens to be just under 6'7.  She doesn't complain, but our 72" folding beds just don't work.  We searched for something with enough length, and finally found something that fit the bill.  Cabela has a folder in two sizes.  We went with the  x-large ... 84" x 38".   This was our first purchase with them and their service was very good.

The photo is deceptive if you are used to normal folding beds. 84" x 38"  is approximately big - you don't think about it until you set it up.  The frame is study and the mattress well supported.  For occassional guest use it will probably last a lifetime.  The mattress is thin, but comfortable enough for someone who like a firm mattress.  King size sheets intended for a normal mattress fit with a bit of re-arranging.  If you need fitted sheets we found a source that has something, but we haven't tried them.

One thing we've learned knowing her is there are a lot of common things that don't fit well.  She is used to this, but it is a feature of having a body outside the 2σ adult population.  You can identify dozens of problem areas besides clothing and I tried to get a bit of interest in the design of one, but nothing was that much better than the hammer and tongs solution of just using a box as a spacer.   With the Internet as a connection tool, there is probably a business for clever designers who cater to small populations.

sunscreen database

Which ones to use?   Try this

quite possibly the best rowing machine ever

I have a Concept2 model B rowing machine that was made in the late 1980s.  It has a bladed flywheel for resistance and is quite noisy, but its rowing action silky smooth and the design is a rock solid.  It will probably last longer than me. 

This past August I decided I needed to get in better shape and started out with little 6 or 7 minute sessions at average power levels around 110 watts.  Since then I've worked up to slightly more than an hour a day at around 135 watts six days a week.  Not spectacular  (not to mention 0.13 kWh almost kills me and is disappointing when I consider it is not quite two cents of electricity), but real progress nonetheless.

The current machines are better designs and much quieter than mine.  Using mine requires something like an iPod to block the noise and give me music or podcasts. 

The manufacturer is famous for supporting people at all levels - rank beginners to Olympic class athletes.  A community exists if you want to use it.

Support groups and carefully prepared exercise programs probably make a lot of sense, but I have better luck with people I know and an athlete friend has been helping.   She sends suggestions and well timed bits of encouragement that turn out to work well.  I don't know if it is optimal given my personality, but the progress has been good. 

$900 may seem like a lot for a piece of exercise equipment, but something like this is going to last at least twenty years and probably longer.   Even if you aren't terribly serious, spending a half hour a day three or four times a week will probably make a difference.  Just use an iPod and find someone to encourage you - a friend or the community that has formed around the machine.

highly recommended!

offers of support

In the past month several people have written and offered to contribute something to tingilinde - sort of "go out and buy yourself a nice dinner as a thank you".  

It is gratifying to get such offers.  Apart from ongoing conversations with a few close friends, most of the mail I get is from people who seem to believe I am offending their god, political belief or sense of what science is.  While some of these are greatly entertaining;  notes offering  thanks, thoughtful comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

If you want to make a contribution to  tingilinde,  I ask you to support a friend.  My friends are those who have a certain curiosity, passion and strange sense of humor. Most are doing well, but one is trying something where even modest contributions can make an enormous difference.  Here is the introduction I wrote a year ago.   

She's going for the stars and happens to be a bit closer than most of us, but a little help can get her there.

Colleen's blog is here - send a few bucks her way and tingilinde will feel the glow.  (there is a paypal link on her page that accepts normal credit cards and you can send her email for an address if you prefer checks)

kudos to applecare

Laptops tend to have higher failure rates than desktops and I've found an extended warranty usually pays for itself.

My 2+ year old MacBook Pro lost the ability to burn discs.  They replaced the keyboard (a few keys were sticky) and the battery as part of the service. Neat.  Batteries are rarely warranted for more than a year and are usually excluded from extended warranties.  Apple checks to see if there are any dead cells - if they find one, you get a new battery ...  

very happy

goodness and cardboard

Deeply cool -  The Adaptive Design Association of NYC.   Helping disabled kids with inexpensive custom design.  Clay Shirky comments here.

I have a few friends who are outside of the normal 5% to 95% range of the population for which most of the stuff we buy is designed.  People talk about custom manufacture, but it is still relatively expensive and rare. These days there is so much more profit having stuff made with micro-wage labor and shipped great distances.

the last few weeks of holiday gifts

It is getting a bit too late to make your own, but this kind of gift can be amazing if you have the time and the talent.

Since people are cutting back and wanting to focus inwardly, consider local and regional artisans. Handmade candles, sweaters, jams and any manner of fancy foods ..  there are so many ways to cut the tie to shrink wrapped mass produced stuff that travels on container ships.  

One friend's family has decided their big gift will be towards a more comfortable/energy efficient house.  They're installing new insulation and replacing some very old windows.

Other neat ideas we've seen

• Hire some music students from the local university to play music or lead your neighbors in carols.  It is amazing what a fine tenor and/or soprano can do to help liven things.  Music students are really cheap and you will probably get a great value.  I know someone who had a tenor come over and start singing Gesu Bambino outside their home before coming in and performing for an hour with two other conservatory students from Oberlin vacationing on the holiday break.  His comment "the best $400 I've ever spent"  Imagine this

• Give someone the gift of the perfect stereo for an hour or two.  Hire a musician or two to sing in their car or play an instrument while they drive.  I had this done to me with a cellist an a violist - in an old VW Rabbit years ago.  We took out the rear seat and the cellist laid in back with her $60,000 instrument.  The sound quality was great - like being there. 

• Draw straws and the loser gets a caricature painted

• Make a donation to a local nature conservancy and take a holiday walk in the area they protect

• Have a feast for the neighbors using goods from local cooks and bakers within a ten mile radius. Of course you can offer your own cooking  

• Have some clothing tailored for a friend who is very hard to fit.   

• See if you can do something amazing that may change someone's life.  Look for friends and relatives who may be in need and do something that will amaze them - as well as yourself.

Forget about the regular stuff - be creative and go for the heart if you dare.  It looks like a long hard recession, so settle in and focus on quality and helping your neighbors. 

Oh - and if you live in Southern California and want to learn a bit of beach volleyball technique, send email. I have just the person for you.