Lifetime Warranty! Handmade! Buyer Beware!

I've been a longtime fan of good quality products. The type of thing that you use and it makes you say "Wow, That's good." It takes a lot for me to do that. I've stuck with the companies that I know of. Craftsman is excellent. You buy a tool. You ruin the tool, or even with wire cutters, dull them. You return them for an exchange. No questions, just quality. I've beat the crap out of some tool until they didn't function anymore. I've ripped tips of screwdrivers off, broke hammers, bent/broke pliers, and much more. They take them, then they give you new ones. They also like to hear about quality, and value input(the employees, not the tools).

A little over five years ago, I discovered Timbuk2 bags. They were great. They were solid, looked nice, and took a beating. I ordered another a few years later, after I needed something a little more water resistant. Excellent in different ways. It showed progression. The future couldn't be bad if they continued manufacturing things by hand, with quality in San Francisco. I checked their website regularly. I wanted to see the next bag I would own.

I was a little aggravated when I saw they had multiple shops outside of San Francisco. Well, outside of the United States. Their locations in China, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are "to take advantage of technical expertise, competitive pricing and scale. We don't have the required machinery or manpower in San Francisco to make every Timbuk2 product locally. Thus our Asian and San Francisco manufacturing facilities are complementary."

Here is where I interpret the quoted line above:
 We don't have as many technical or smart people in the United States. Although we pay them, we don't pay them as much as we normally would. Their lowered work costs and long hours provide discounts for our customers. We can't buy the machines they have and bring them here. We should support our global economy before we support ourselves.

Now remember, they didn't say that, I interpreted it my way.

If you really think about it, they are wrong. Let's say they manufacture a product that costs $129.99. The "Asian" places make the same product, but not customized for $109.99. Then they are shipped here, and sold globally. I'm just going to guess, and estimate that they spend $2.00 per bag on all the travel around the world. Now we have an $18.00 difference. Since the item from Asia costs less, you still have to pay for shipping. $9.95 for slow shipping. That makes our difference now $8.05.

That $8.05 you saved is now holding at least three properties:
Your bag looks like every other bag that wasn't customized.
Your bag took away a job from someone in the United States.
Your bag is contributing to our economy failing.

I fully support the ideas of having jobs outsourced if they can be done correctly, and if we have no other option here.

That is not the case.

"We don't have the manpower in San Francisco to make every Timbuk2 product locally."

I live one mile from a Chrome messenger bag store. Inside their store, they also manufacture bags. There employees custom make bags on site. There are three stores owned by them that do this nationwide. One of the main reasons why they are able to do this is because people will work if you provide them with jobs. I've seen it happen. If the Chrome bags were a little nicer(I really like the Berlin Pro, so don't think I wouldn't buy it if it was cheaper), I would buy them.

Last week I purchased a Timbuk2 two bag. It was Ready-Made, like those $5 pizzas that suck. It was $20 less than I would have paid, and I expected the same quality. I have limited income being an intern, so I sold my other two Timbuk2 bags to help pay for this new one that would hold my laptop. I received it, a day went by, then I complained about the quality to their customer service. My reply was dry, almost cookie cutter. I had three options. Send it back at my cost, then receive a credit, get a free strap pad, or do nothing. Since I didn't have another bag to carry anything in, I went for the free strap pad(it's still in the mail).

One week went by. On my way home from work, I like to stop and pick up groceries. I ride my bike, so I'm limited to a certain amount, but it's great for freshness and exercise. Every Timbuk2 bag I have had held up doing this. Today, it did not. I loaded up everything, then went to tighten the strap, and it snapped off. I wasn't happy. I was far from happy.

I looked at my options with the warranty. I can send it back at my expense, and now leave my laptop at work, and not get fresh food on the way home. I can fix it myself or have a tailor deal with it at my expense. So the full lifetime warranty of a handmade product is that I have to spend more to have it replaced, even though I've had it for a week. This is stupid. I want to talk to their C.O.O. and see if he knows what an inconvenience he is imposing on the United States. I'll send it back. I'll take the credit. I'll order a new bag and have it custom made for an additional $8.05 after all the crap I've been through. The reason for that is that they still make a nice bag here. It's not that I fully support their company, policies or ideas, but almost everywhere else that makes messenger bags is worse. This is me, smile removed, sticking to the best of the worst.

The one way I can feel better about it is if I explain it to everyone that asks about my bag.

New name, same stuff

I changed it from Jaik of All Trades to I spilled words all over my blog.

Almost 10 days into it...

So...we started as a city of people. Five hundred were interested in this program.

Some weren't interested.
Some didn't complete the application process.
Some didn't fit the qualifications.

Fifty made it to the panel interview, which was one of the last steps.

Twelve were selected from those fifty. That made us a group of 12. We were each 8% of our program.

No unexcused abscence, no being late. We are moving so fast through the information and programming that if you miss one day, it could potentially halt the entire group on their progress if we have to show you and teach you on top of all of the other projects that we have. We've got individual projects. We've got partnered projects. We've got team projects. We've got group projects. All combined, and still have our work to do for learning to program in various codes, meet with C.O.O.s of various corporations anywhere from beginning stage of startups, to multi-million dollar companies. We develop working relationships and personal connections with these people. We learn all about the various aspects of business, leadership, and technology(B.L.T.)

The first week we had one drop out.

The second week we had a second drop out.

That's 16% that missed out on the experience of a lifetime.
Now we have 10. I have the confidence that I'll finish. I hope everyone else does. Some aren't picking things up as fast as everyone. That's fine, we are able to assist each other. Everyone has to be able to learn, and be willing to be willing to examine themselves and their codes...otherwise the outlook might not be the best for them.

Sounds Good.

I have always appreciated music. Even when I was growing up and had a walkman with those giant puffy foam earphones. I would go to see my cousins and would stare at the giant reel to reel and turntable that my Uncle displayed in a giant glass case in his living room. His 8-Tracks were shown prominently in a record store styled wire spinning rack similar to one you see sunglasses displayed on now. I didn't know who Three Dog Night was but I do remember that was my favorite of his collection. It could have been the '70s styled font or the name of the band. We weren't allowed to touch anything near the stereo, including the 8-Tracks. Thankfully he was a delivery guy for Anheuser-Busch and that meant he was gone all day.

As an adult I have spent a significant portion of my life appreciating music. Live. Acoustic. In the street. At bars. In my home. It was only natural a few years ago to eat less and save money to buy a home stereo that would replace my 5.1 Klipsch computer speakers. I purchased a massive theater set. I chose the Onkyo HT-S9100THX. 1200 watts. 7.1 surround sound and a mic to automatically adjust the levels on the speakers best for your listening positions. I still feel love towards this home theater. It helped me rekindle the passion of music in my ears.

Sadly a short time after I purchased the theater, my hearing was damaged. I was reconstructing a wall and when I had to mount it to the floor I hit the hammer to had on the nail head that was in a corner...all without hearing protection. I know exactly which blow did it. Instant ringing and slightly muffled sound was all I could hear in my left ear. The right wasn't as bad. I thought it would fade over a few days and go away eventually. It hasn't.

I've seen an audiologist. Two actually. The first was a weird experience. She was coming on to me and telling me how great it was to see someone with clean inner ear canals. I still get embarrassed thinking of it. The second was more humorous. This doctor was a shorter older man. He wore a doctors reflector/head mirror. I've never seen a doctor wear one before or since. This was only a few years ago. I thought it was a joke at first. Then he positioned it to actually serve it's purpose when he was checking my throat. I know, I thought he shouldn't be focused on my throat, but he is a Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor.

A checkup, a hearing test, word focusing, and I had my diagnosis. My hearing is moderately damaged in my left ear, and only slightly affected in my right ear. I have a tough time distinguishing certain sounds in words. I read lips in conversation to help. I understand with some of the people that I know. You tend to learn speech habits of the people close to you, including what words they will use.

A few years ago I had a friend of mine give me a pair of Dr. Dre Studio Beats. It was a promotional item from his employer. He didn't use them and he knew I would. They were nice. I liked that they isolated your hearing, and you couldn't hear anything outside of them. The problem was that they leaked sound so much that people around me would complain about them even at minimal volumes. I sold them about two weeks ago. They were barely used and still in excellent condition. While they were on eBay I browsed a variety of headphones. The younger part of me wanted to buy a set that had similar features. The thing I had read the most about the Dr. Dre headphones was that the hinges snapped all the time. They released a newer version since my set that fixed that. Another was that they looked like they were marketed towards teenagers, along with almost every other headset. Decals, bright colors, lights, these things no longer attracted me, but made me feel childish while looking at headphones. The final thing that pushed me over was the audible frequencies on headsets. Monster, the maker of Dr. Dre beats, refuses to release this information. There are a few other companies that refuse as well. They want you to buy based on brand names, rather than facts.

I had criteria that I wanted met.
No flashy colors.
No additional battery power.
Hopefully an inline control.
Wide band of audible frequencies.
High Quality.
No sound interferences.
Competitive price.

I looked at probably close to a hundred headsets. I only found one that I liked that fit in almost every bit of the criteria. Those were the Bowers and Wilkins P5 Mobile Hifi. I honestly think one of my favorite things about them is that there isn't any plastic on them. The second I received the box, I had them plugged in and playing music. I felt emotion with the music again. Things are paired again. I smiled, and continue to smile while listening through these headphones. If anyone ever asks me again, These will be the only recommendation that I offer. I immediately purchased an ADH warranty for them because I don't know if I'll ever take them off.

Day 2. Elizabethtown, KY.

So...I wake up this morning to my partner for work saying, "Jaik, wake up! We're late!" Oh crap. My first day on the job, and we're late because of me. He watches me jump out of bed, start to run, and says that he was just kidding. I laughed after a cup of coffee because my mind doesn't function prior to that. I had a ton of three minute naps in the car ride down here, and was really wore out by the time we checked in to the hotel. There's some big event here, so a lot of the hotels are booked up right now. I also started making a list of things I need to get. I haven't been on a trip like this in over seven years, and it's not something that I had planned.

I have three bags. One hosts my clothes, one has the laptop, and all of my chargers/various electronics, the final has my tools. Since I'm going to be gone for a while, I didn't think of where to put my dirty laundry until I wash it. I have to get a larger bag. The bag for clothes, is actually the same backpack that went across the country with me seven years ago. It's still holding up just fine, and looks like new.

 A few of the others that I'm with had to run to Home Depot this morning, because they needed some diamond carbide drill bits. I'm not sure where this was going.

Notes/Things:
Buy bathing suit. Every hotel has a pool, I don't have a bathing suit with me.
Need a better piece of luggage.
Look in to see if there have been any technological advances in instant coffee, it used taste like crap, not as much anymore.
Start posting in the yelp talk threads prior to visiting a city, find entertainment.

The Most Simple Linux Bootable USB Flash Drive...

 After getting a netbook, the first thing that I did, was check to see what could be improved. The Asus 1005HAB came standard with WinXP, 1GB RAM(2GB max), a 160GB hard drive, and that's about it.

 I like Linux. A LOT. I've worked primarily on a history of Microsoft based machines. From 3.1 up to Windows 7, and quite a few between those. Linux has me, for a wide variety of reasons. Price(FREE), ease of install, tools, free programs, multiple desktops, etc.

 I currently have a dual-boot Sony Vaio laptop sitting atop my desk, running Linux Mint 8, and Windows 7. The netbook, has XP on it, and I would like to create a Linux install, but I want to be able to use both computers, not losing a thing, if I switch.

Things Needed:
USB Flash Drive(Recommended +2GB)
Linux Mint(or Your choice of any other Linux)
USB Installer(from PenDriveLinux.com)
Five minutes of your time.

Step One:
 Download the two files linked above.
Step Two:
 Install USB Drive(USB Installer won't detect it unless you put it in beforehand.) Run USB Installer. Click "I Agree." Select "Linux Mint 8" (or other distribution) from the dropdown list. You should know where your Linux ISO was downloaded, select the ISO in the area below. Check the box to format the drive.
Step Three:
 Click "Create" and it should finish in less than five minutes.

 One of the benefits of having a Live install, is that you can take it with you, and boot off of it on almost any computer. Linux Mint 8 has what is called the "Persistent Feature," which allows you to save most of your changes.

J.

Re-Keying A Lock

 So, you have a door knob that locks. You have keys. However, your keys don't work in the lock. This is how you can rebuild the lock & pins, so that your keys will work.

Things Needed:
Door knob lock
Small flat-tip screwdriver (#5 works good)
Precision screwdriver or Small hex wrench
Needle nosed pliers
Flat metal file
25 minutes of your time(or less)


Step One:
 Separate the lock into the two halves. That is the easiest part, since there are two screws that hold the lock together. If you can't make it past this part, then it might be easiest for you to pay for someone to make a key for you.

Step Two:
 There are four small pieces of metal around the spring, that hold it onto the lock, allowing it to retract to it's original position. It's easiest to remove this, as you will need to twist the handle in a later step. You will need to bend these four small pieces of metal, so that they fit in the holes that they slid through to set in place.

Picture of the parts to bend:

Picture of some parts bent:

Step Three:

 Remove spring. It should be marked, by either grease, or from wear, which bar the spring centers on. Your lock will need to have this back in the right position to operate correctly.

Step Four:

 This is one of the more complex steps. There is a hole in the housing for the lock, and there is a piece in the hole that needs to be pressed in, so that you can remove the handle. I used a small hex wrench to press in this piece. In this particular lock, there were four spots that looked like the right one, but the one that is correct always looks a little different. I tried to capture what it looks like, but the camera has limits.

When you press this part, you will need to pull the handle away from the rest of the lock.

 

Step Five:

 Remove the housing holding the lock cylinder. It's pretty self explanatory.

Step Six:

 Remove the lock cylinder. Now that you have the lock cylinder out, you can remove the spring cover. It's usually clamped tight, and you need to be careful when removing it, because the springs under it are compressed. If you pop the cover off fast, the springs will fly, and are very hard to find. 

 Once you have the top clamp removed, your springs will be protruding from the top. Pull them out individually, in the order you will be replacing them. Place a finger on top of the cylinder, and turn it upside down, letting the pins fall out, but keeping track of where they came from. You will also need to remove the retainer ring from the rear of the cylinder.

Step Seven:

 Insert key that you would like to fit. Place the lower pins back in the cylinder, they will look similar to this.

 The idea is to have them all flushed(flat) with the top surface of the cylinder. Looking at this cylinder, you could remove the first cylinder, and last cylinder, and those two would be completed, with no work done to them. The remaining ones will need to be filed down.

Step Eight:

 File down the remaining pins. It's best to file them down one at a time, so that you can file through them faster, not worrying about filing to much on another if the key moves. If the key does move, put a rubber band through it, wrapping it around the other end. File one flushed, remove it, and keep them in order. Then start with the next one. (I have spare pins sitting around for this, so I didn't have to file any.)

Step Nine:

 Once all of the pins are filed down, you can start re-assembly.

 Slide the cylinder into the tumbler, and put in the top pins. You don't need to put the springs in for this part. If you can twist the cylinder with the key, you have done well. Place the springs above the pins, and put the clamp on the way it was before. Put the retainer clip on the end of the cylinder, and go to the next step. 

 IF YOUR CYLINDER WON'T TURN: You need to find which pin isn't level, and file more. If this is the case, empty the cylinder out, and start with the first pin. Insert the pin, checking if the cylinder turns, and move to the next. Check if it rotates with the key in it after each pin you insert. When the cylinder won't turn, you know which one is the one needing to be filed more.

Step Ten:

 If the cylinder is twisting, all of the pins are in place, the springs are on, the clamp is in place, and the retainer clip is back in, then the lock can be reassembled. 

1.

Insert tumbler into handle.

 2.

Insert housing onto handle.

3.

Align and slide handle to base.

4.

Unlocked (just checking to see if it works).

5.

Locked (just checking to see if it works).

6.

Replace spring clamp to where it should be.

7.

Push spring clamp down over metal.

8.

Bend metal parts back to their original position.

Done!

 That is how it's done. Yes, I know some of you are thinking that it would be easier to buy a new lock, or a kit to replace the pins. That isn't the point of this. It's the actual hands on experience that brings the joy.

J.

A New Hope...

So, I've started a blog. The idea is, that I do things. I fix things. I make things. I create things. I have the tools, will power, ambition, and intelligence to work on anything. I generally do all of this with extra parts and knowledge, that I have just sitting around. It's fun.

 The "Jaik of All Trades" blog is designed to show you how I do things, and how you can do the same things, or possibly even suggest a better way. There are certain things that I don't know a lot about, but that doesn't stop me from going ahead and giving them my best attempt. It's exciting for me, because I end up learning new ideas that I can use in the future, whether for that same project, or another similar.

 I'll actually kick off in a few days, when I get things situated, and some photos taken.

Enjoy.