a sherpa's life

2010-06-29T01:20:00.000-07:00

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~ Dr Seuss

(Two)face(d)book - A flawed business model

2010-05-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

"This may seem like a bad way to treat customers, but the whole point about Facebook is that users aren’t customers. Anyone who supposes that Facebook’s users are its customer has got the business model precisely backwards. Users pay nothing, because we aren’t customers, but product. The customers are the advertisers to whom Facebook sells the information users hand over, knowingly or not." ~Andrew Brown. The nut graf

WTF?

2010-05-13T14:11:00.001-07:00

Failbook.com - comic releef, releaf, reflief

2010-05-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

2010-02-15T16:54:00.001-08:00

Lady, people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard fillings. But I don't find them half as annoying as I find naive bubble-headed optimists who walk around vomiting sunshine. ~Dr. Cox: Scrubs

Order yours today!

2010-01-30T11:02:00.001-08:00

My Review of High Sierra Rolling Duffel Bag - 36" Drop Bottom

2010-01-05T23:41:00.001-08:00

Originally submitted at Sierra Trading Post

Closeouts . What separates High Sierra's rolling duffel bag from the pack is its ingenious use of space—and lots of it. This 36" drop bottom duffel features straps for last-minute lash-ons and generous, end-pocket-accessible stuff sacks for laundry. Haul and carry handles Removable padd...

A wheeled trunk for all of your gear!

By sherpasd from Escondido, CA on 1/5/2010

Pros: Good Zippers, Large Capacity, Durable, Easy to Transport

Cons: Really Big

Best Uses: Camping, Extended Travel, Airline Travel, Weekend Trips, Gear for the week

Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer

What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist

I'm using this bag as a trunk in the back of my SUV. It works awesome for keeping all of my cycling & hiking gear ready for instant assault in the back of my vehicle. Very spacious, room for everything I need at a moments notice.

I doubt I will try to bring this onto a commercial airliner. It would take security a week to comb through all of it's open spaces! The fact that is splits in half could make it valuable to a traveler with more than 50lbs trying to board a plane...?

Bottom line... A great deal for a great big bag with wheels and pack straps attached. Might make a great world traveler bag. Just make sure you have a hired a Sherpa or two at your destination.

(legalese)

My Review of Black Diamond Equipment Garbage Bag

2009-08-17T23:25:00.001-07:00

Sierra Trading Post

Closeouts . The Garbage bag from Black Diamond Equipment holds all your gear when you’re on your way to the rock face, the campground or the gym. Rugged polyethylene material resists water, abrasion, and general wear and tear. A great all-purpose haul bag for any activity Rugged polyethylene con...

For use with only your finest garbage!

Sherpa Escondido, CA 8/17/2009

Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational

This was a great find. I'm kind of a connoisseur of anything related to baggage. This is a fun, fashionable and highly functional bag. I bought 6 of them to hand out to friends. Bring it to the local market place and be ready to field questions such as... Where did you get that? That's cool! Do you think they still have some?

It's Black Diamond! Can you really go wrong with anything they produce? Pick one if they're still available. I might have to get some more for Christmas gifts.

()

Adrenaline

2009-05-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

2008-06-16T20:24:00.001-07:00

The past does not repeat itself, but sometimes it rhymes.
– Mark Twain

Yep.

2008-05-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks Brian...

In the midst of a new biz-venture. My horoscope for the month.

2008-04-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

On the 1st, your coworkers are getting teary. They're getting all choked up. They might be getting angry. They might be getting furious. They're probably taking out their aggression on all kinds of innocent bystanders. One of these innocent bystanders could be you. Luckily, you're cool as a cucumber, and you assess this situation with a refreshingly unemotional clarity. You'll put everything to rights before anybody blows their top. And if they blow their top anyway, steer clear of them and don't pay their outburst any attention. On the 5th, you're at risk of overreacting emotionally when your boss ticks you off. Try not to! The 11th and 12th are emotionally in-tune days, when you make some very exciting new work plans. On the 17th, spend the day figuring out how to put things right at home. It'll clear up some emotional room for you to do better work. On the 21st, don't be too hard on yourself if you can't decide between a double caramel latte or a shot of espresso. Some days are tough for big choices! On the 24th, don't gossip too much. On the 28th and 29th, keep your eye on the money. It'll lead you exactly where you need to go!

I'll let you know if this becomes the prophecy it's set out to be! Exciting times none-the-less...

2008-04-03T00:42:00.000-07:00

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods;

There is a rapture on the lonely shore;

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love man none the less, but Nature more…”
-Lord Byron

2008-03-26T22:54:00.001-07:00

Cartograms of the social and economic world

2008-03-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a group of cartograms that give visual reference to the world's social and economic data, by charting this information to the size of each country one can see visual cues as to who is doing what around the world.

Click on the map for a more detailed analysis.

Frozen in Grand Central Station

2008-03-23T01:19:00.000-07:00

Quote of the day...

2008-03-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve.

Take a stand - Our freedoms are being threatened again!

2008-03-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

The 29er is so yesterday… I present to you the “Yarder”, 36” of big rolling fun.

2008-02-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

So much for the 650b gaining any momentum...?

How free are we?

2008-02-13T14:31:00.001-08:00

New York Times 2/13/2008
WASHINGTON — After more than a year of wrangling, the Senate handed the White House a major victory on Tuesday by voting to broaden the government’s spy powers and to give legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President Bush’s program of eavesdropping without warrants.

One by one, the Senate rejected amendments that would have imposed greater civil liberties checks on the government’s surveillance powers. Finally, the Senate voted 68 to 29 to approve legislation that the White House had been pushing for months. Mr. Bush hailed the vote and urged the House to move quickly in following the Senate’s lead.

The outcome in the Senate amounted, in effect, to a broader proxy vote in support of Mr. Bush’s wiretapping program. The wide-ranging debate before the final vote presaged discussion that will play out this year in the presidential and Congressional elections on other issues testing the president’s wartime authority, including secret detentions, torture and Iraq war financing.

Republicans hailed the reworking of the surveillance law as essential to protecting national security, but some Democrats and many liberal advocacy groups saw the outcome as another example of the Democrats’ fears of being branded weak on terrorism.

“Some people around here get cold feet when threatened by the administration,” said Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who leads the Judiciary Committee and who had unsuccessfully pushed a much more restrictive set of surveillance measures.

Among the presidential contenders, Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, voted in favor of the final measure, while the two Democrats, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, did not vote. Mr. Obama did oppose immunity on a key earlier motion to end debate. Mrs. Clinton, campaigning in Texas, issued a statement saying she would have voted to oppose the final measure.

The measure extends, for at least six years, many of the broad new surveillance powers that Congress hastily approved last August just before its summer recess. Intelligence officials said court rulings had left dangerous gaps in their ability to intercept terrorist communications.

The bill, which had the strong backing of the White House, allows the government to eavesdrop on large bundles of foreign-based communications on its own authority so long as Americans are not the targets. A secret intelligence court, which traditionally has issued individual warrants before wiretapping began, would review the procedures set up by the executive branch only after the fact to determine whether there were abuses involving Americans.

“This is a dramatic restructuring” of surveillance law, said Michael Sussmann, a former Justice Department intelligence lawyer who represents several telecommunication companies. “And the thing that’s so dramatic about this is that you’ve removed the court review. There may be some checks after the fact, but the administration is picking the targets.”

The Senate plan also adds one provision considered critical by the White House: shielding phone companies from any legal liability for their roles in the eavesdropping program approved by Mr. Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks. The program allowed the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without warrants on the international communications of Americans suspected of having ties to Al Qaeda.

AT&T and other major phone companies are facing some 40 lawsuits from customers who claim their actions were illegal. The Bush administration maintains that if the suits are allowed to continue in court, they could bankrupt the companies and discourage them from cooperating in future intelligence operations.

The House approved a surveillance bill in November that intentionally left out immunity for the phone companies, and leaders from the two chambers will now have to find a way to work out significant differences between their two bills.

Democratic opponents, led by Senators Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, argued that the plan effectively rewarded phone companies by providing them with legal insulation for actions that violated longstanding law and their own privacy obligations to their customers. But immunity supporters said the phone carriers acted out of patriotism after the Sept. 11 attacks in complying with what they believed in good faith was a legally binding order from the president.

“This, I believe, is the right way to go for the security of the nation,” said Senator John D. Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who leads the intelligence committee. His support for the plan, after intense negotiations with the White House and his Republican colleagues, was considered critical to its passage but drew criticism from civil liberties groups because of $42,000 in contributions that Mr. Rockefeller received last year from AT&T and Verizon executives.

Senator Olympia J. Snowe, a Maine Republican on the intelligence panel, said the bill struck the right balance between protecting the rights of Americans and protecting the country “from terrorism and other foreign threats.”

Democratic opponents, who six months ago vowed to undo the results of the August surveillance vote, said they were deeply disappointed by the defection of 19 Democrats who backed the bill.

Mr. Dodd, who spoke on the floor for more than 20 hours in recent weeks in an effort to stall the bill, said future generations would view the vote as a test of whether the country heeds “the rule of law or the rule of men.”

But with Democrats splintered, Mr. Dodd acknowledged that the national security argument had won the day. “Unfortunately, those who are advocating this notion that you have to give up liberties to be more secure are apparently prevailing,” he said. “They’re convincing people that we’re at risk either politically, or at risk as a nation.”

There was a measure of frustration in the voice of Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, as he told reporters during a break in the daylong debate, “Holding all the Democrats together on this, we’ve learned a long time ago, is not something that’s doable.”

Senate Republicans predict that they will be able to persuade the House to include immunity in the final bill, especially now that the White House has agreed to give House lawmakers access to internal documents on the wiretapping program. But House Democrats vowed Tuesday to continue opposing immunity.

Congress faces a Saturday deadline for extending the current law, but Democrats want to extend the deadline for two weeks to allow more time for talks. The White House has said it opposes a further extension.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats hope to put some pressure on Republicans on Wednesday over another security-related issue by bringing up an intelligence measure that would apply Army field manual prohibitions against torture to civilian agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency.

Republicans plan to try to eliminate that provision, a vote that Democrats say will force Republicans to declare whether they condone torture. Democrats also say it could show the gap between Mr. McCain, who has opposed torture, and the administration on the issue.

“We know how we would feel if a member of the armed services captured by the enemy were, for example, waterboarded,” Mr. Reid said. “So I think that we’re headed in the right direction, and I hope that we’ll get Republican support on this.”

Carl Hulse contributed reporting from Washington.

Gotta ride!

2008-02-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

So you thought humans couldn't fly...? Yeah right

2008-01-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Check this shit out.

One of the best legal disclaimers ever!

2008-01-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

WARNING

Nature is unpredictable and unsafe. Mountains are dangerous. Many books have been written about these dangers, and there's no way we can list them all here. Read the books.

Nelson Rocks Preserve is covered in steep terrain with loose, slippery and unstable footing. The weather can make matters worse. Sheer drops are everywhere. You may fall, be injured or die. There are hidden holes. You could break your leg. There are wild animals, which may be vicious, poisonous or carriers of dread diseases. These include poisonous snakes and insects. Plants can be poisonous as well. We don't do anything to protect you from any of this. We do not inspect, supervise or maintain the grounds, rocks, cliffs or other features, natural or otherwise.

Real dangers are present even on trails. Trails are not sidewalks. They can be, and are, steep, slippery and dangerous. Trail features made or enhanced by humans, such as steps, walls and railings (if any) can break, collapse, or otherwise fail catastrophically at any time. We don't promise to inspect, supervise or maintain them in any way. They may be negligently constructed or repaired. They are unsafe, period. Live with it or stay away.

Stay on the trails whenever possible. The terrain, in addition to being dangerous, is surprisingly complex. You may get lost. Carry food, water and first aid supplies at all times.

Rocks and other objects can fall from the cliffs. They can tumble down slopes. This can happen naturally, or be caused by people above you, such as climbers. Rocks of all sizes, including huge boulders, can shift, move or fall with no warning. Use of helmets (available at entrance station) is advised for anyone approaching the rock formations. They won't save you if you get hit by something big or on another part of your body. A whole rock formation might collapse on you and squash you like a bug. Don't think it can't happen.

Weather can be dangerous, regardless of the forecast. Be prepared with extra clothing, including rain gear. Hypothermia, heat stroke, lightning, ice and snow, etc. can kill you. Rain can turn easy terrain into a deathtrap.

If you scramble in high places (scrambling is moving over terrain steep enough to use your hands) without proper experience, training and equipment, or allow children to do so, you are making a terrible mistake. Even if you know what you're doing, lots of things can go wrong and you may be injured or die. It happens all the time.

The Preserve does not provide rangers or security personnel. The other people in the preserve, including other visitors, our employees, agents, and guests, and anyone else who might sneak in, may be stupid, reckless, or otherwise dangerous. They may be mentally ill, criminally insane, drunk, using illegal drugs and/or armed with deadly weapons and ready to use them. We aren't necessarily going to do anything about it. We refuse to take responsibility.

If you climb, you may die or be seriously injured. This is true whether you are experienced or not, trained or not, equipped or not, though training and equipment may help. It's a fact, climbing is extremely dangerous. If you don't like it, stay at home. You really shouldn't be doing it anyway. We do not provide supervision or instruction. We are not responsible for, and do not inspect or maintain, climbing anchors (including bolts, pitons, slings, trees, etc.) As far as we know, any of them can and will fail and send you plunging to your death. There are countless tons of loose rock ready to be dislodged and fall on you or someone else. There are any number of extremely and unusually dangerous conditions existing on and around the rocks, and elsewhere on the property. We may or may not know about any specific hazard, but even if we do, don't expect us to try to warn you. You're on your own.

Rescue services are not provided by the Preserve, and may not be available quickly or at all. Local rescue squads may not be equipped for or trained in mountain rescue. If you are lucky enough to have somebody try to rescue you or treat your injuries, they may be incompetent or worse. This includes doctors and hospitals. We assume no responsibility. Also, if you decide to participate in a rescue of some other unfortunate, that's your choice. Don't do it unless you are willing to assume all risks.

By entering the Preserve, you are agreeing that we owe you no duty of care or any other duty. We promise you nothing. We do not and will not even try to keep the premises safe for any purpose. The premises are not safe for any purpose. This is no joke. We won't even try to warn you about any dangerous or hazardous condition, whether we know about it or not. If we do decide to warn you about something, that doesn't mean we will try to warn you about anything else. If we do make an effort to fix an unsafe condition, we may not try to correct any others, and we may make matters worse! We and our employees or agents may do things that are unwise and dangerous. Sorry, we're not responsible. We may give you bad advice. Don't listen to us. In short, ENTER AND USE THE PRESERVE AT YOUR OWN RISK. And have fun!

NRP Management

bike 29

2007-10-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's always cool when you see good friends of yours launch a business in a fun & adventurous activity; like riding mountainbikes in an amazing locale that is Vermont.

George has introduced Vermont; as well as other regions of the country; to the benefits of riding 29" wheeled bikes.

Bike29 is doing well, the bike industry as a whole has seen a resurgence in interest. The sport seems to morph into new avenues of vision and direction. This allows folks to carve out a living doing what they love to do. Not to mention ride some of the most amazing bicycles coming from a thriving community of bike enthusiast.

Checkout the travels and experiences of the 29 revolution via Bike29's Blog.

Buff Headwear

2007-10-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Popular for nearly a decade in Europe and now distributed in 22 countries, Buff(R) Headwear expanded its U.S. distribution network in early 2003 by establishing an office in California. Buff has been featured on CBS's Survivor television series. Buff Headwear is manufactured by Caviro, S.L., which is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain.

The beauty of Buff is simplicity--one garment serves many functions. Designed to offer technical performance and protection from the elements during a wide range of sports, Buff Headwear can be worn as a hat, headband, neck gaiter, helmet liner, balaclava, sun or wind screen, bandana, scarf, pirate-style cap, hairband, or wristband.

Original Buff(R) Headwear--a seamless tubular garment made from a high-performance microfiber fabric--performs well for hiking, cycling, motorcycling and skate sports in the warmer months and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. It provides the same performance benefits that athletes demand from the rest of their performance clothing. In warm weather, Buff(R) is breathable, wicks sweat, and helps keep you cool. In colder temperatures, it has thermal and wind-resistant properties similar to soft-shell fabrics.

Get yours today at OutdoorGearCare.com

Fivefinger discount

2007-10-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Joe Brown

From the January/February 2006 issue of I.D.

I am a robot Hobbit from the year 3000. Or at least that's what I look like wearing these, the weirdest shoes on planet Earth. They're called Vibram Fivefingers; they're made of bright orange elasticized nylon and have articulated toes and white rubber soles. They were created for boating, and I am sitting on a red velvet couch in a carpeted room in Brooklyn testing them.

Where did this odd footwear come from? The legend of Fivefingers goes that Marco Bramani, grandson of the founder of Vibram—the Italian shoe-sole company responsible for that elongated yellow octagon on the bottom of your hiking boots—asked his grandfather's successors to design shoes that would allow him to retain the sensation of traipsing barefoot on his sailboat while boosting his traction and protecting his toes from deckside hazards. Eighteen months later, Fivefingers was born.

My Italian yacht is in the shop, so I'm in the shower now, testing wet traction. There are not many better laboratories for this particular experiment—like a typical boat deck, my shower's floor is made of fiberglass with a texture that helps prevent slipping.

Fivefingers' soles are also designed to keep you from biting it: They're made of a rubber called TC4 (an abbreviation for "traction control," uhm, "four"), which is common on the bottoms of trail-running shoes and outdoor sandals. However, according to Tony Post, president and CEO of Vibram's U.S. division, TC4 isn't the best rubber Vibram has in its arsenal for wet traction. "Choosing a material is an exercise in compromise," he said. "Unfortunately, grip and abrasion-resistance tend to cancel each other out."

The technique used by Italian footwear masters to boost wet traction is to increase the sole's porosity. When a porous rubber sole presses down on a wet surface, the pressure forces water into the tiny holes that are, Swiss cheese–like, endemic to that kind of material. With this water diverted, the sole is essentially in contact with dry ground. The downside is that a porous rubber is not very durable. TC4 is a pretty good compromise, but not good enough for Vibram's designers—they were, after all, designing a shoe for the founder's grandson.

In order to give the Fivefingers extra traction beyond TC4's capabilities, Vibram borrowed from the tire industry, which faces similar hurdles when engineering winter tires: These need to be grippy on ice but also can't wear away after a couple thousand miles on dry pavement or plowed-and-sanded roads. The solution: sipes! No, that's not a yelp of pain or surprise; it's a noun (plural) that refers to the tiny cuts you'll find along the surface of a winter tire. You'll also find sipes—1.5-millimeter-deep zigzaggy cuts—across the ball and heel of Fivefingers' soles.

When the shoe is in flat contact with the ground, it behaves just as it would without the tiny cuts. But when the sole flexes—as it would when one is running across the deck in a desperate effort to save an overboard-bound Campari and soda—the sipes slide apart like the steps on an escalator, pulling water into the spaces in between, increasing traction. It's kind of like porosity on demand, and it worked in the shower.

I'm out of the shower now and ready for phase two of my test: walking around the port city of Brooklyn.

Walking in Fivefingers is not like throwing on a pair of Top-Siders, or even flip-flops. The shoes force your foot muscles to provide a lot of the stability they'd normally get from the sole and upper of your shoes. So I've worked up to this maiden voyage by wearing these bad boys around the apartment for the past week to build up strength. And also to build up the courage to appear in public looking like I stole George Hamilton's feet.

Once you stop thinking about the texture of the ground, it's almost possible to forget that you're wearing neon-orange footgloves—except that everyone you pass is looking at your feet. The stretchy nylon uppers dried out from the shower in about five minutes, and the suede-ish material that lines the insole and surrounds your Achilles tendon does an admirable job of preventing chafe.

The only truly uncomfortable part of wearing Fivefingers is all the loudmouthed landlubbers. Even the guy handing out the flyers for the custom-aquarium store had an editorial: "Where's the rest of your wet suit, man?" Ahahaha. Wet suits don't have feet, genius, but I'll bet you a bespoke fish tank that all your buddies are going to be sporting these while poaching exotic fish from tropical oceans. Neon or not, these shoes rock.

You can find these cool little shoes at my webstore BeyondOutside.com

A green note

2007-10-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

We hate thinking about the future of plastic. Using and chucking disposable cups and plastic bags can add up to nearly 700 pieces of plastic a year per person. Most of it ends up in landfills, but quite a bit of it flows through storm drains and out into our oceans. So much so in fact, that there is a garbage patch the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific. Read more...

Life is all about the simple things...

2007-09-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

as it should be... As I grow older and experience even more incredible things in my life. It truly is the simplest things in life that bring me the most joy. A message from a trip taken over a year or so ago. These are the things I recall as well as embrace.

A soul mate, a past partner in life, a partner in crime south of the border... 50 miles of extreme washboard, oh yeah some good wine and tasty food; plus a natrural spring hot tub, some sunshine, some new friends selling dirt (healing pre-historic volcanic ash?) and survivng.. in mexico!... no phones, little security and wasps nest in our kitchen... mexican highways, border breaches and long lines returning to familiar lands...

It's definitley the simple things that bring the most pleasure...! I'll take this any day over the rat race, keepin up with the jones' trying to impress friends who don't understand the desire to leave the easy chair. Life IS good. Bless each and everyone of you that gets the real message, the recipe for living a real life. Getting out there, getting lost and finding yourself all on the same trip. I hope that you all are well and finding happiness in this journey we (pigeon-hole) call life. May the life-force be with you... Buenos dias muchachos, Good day I say. =)

Peace,
Sherpa

OGC - Press Release

2007-07-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Outdoor Gear Care Announces a New Business Venture and Outdoor Community

Combination Creates New Opportunities for Backcountry and Outdoor Enthusiasts

ESCONDIDO, Calif., June 1, 2007 – Outdoor Gear Care announced today it opened it’s website for business. The idea for Outdoor Gear Care born from a lack of consolidated information regarding outdoor gear care techniques and recommended manufacture care requirements for literally everything in use in the backcountry.

What originally started off as a technical apparel care website has spawned into a web based gear care community, information portal and e-store. The category structure is set to include bicycle, backpacking, camping, climbing, snowsport, watersport, and personal care advice. While the web-store’s product selection encompasses a full range of gear care products and fixes to help “Protect Your Investment” in all of your outdoor endeavors.

“Outdoor Gear Care is open to all, as a resource. Our desire is to create a community in which information can be shared openly by everyone looking for the best performance from their outdoor gear. We have simplified the process through the implementation of an online forum and news blog,” said Greg Smith aka Sherpa, co-founder and President of Outdoor Gear Care. “Our attention at the moment is to welcome the outdoor community in for a closer look.”

“We’re inviting everyone who has proven methods for caring for your outdoor gear to share their experiences and maybe learn something new from others.” We have just started to cover all categories and our team is busy developing new content. The Outdoor Gear Care Store product selection is growing daily. “We’re sourcing the best products to support every category. If there’s a product that has worked well and we don’t have it. Let us know and we’ll bring it into our product line-up”

Outdoor enthusiasts generally buy the best products. Outdoor Gear Care wants to aid in the proper care for all of that gear. What good is buying the best gear only to have it under perform or break down when you need it most? This is where Outdoor Gear Care hopes to have all of the answers and products to help you protect your investment.

Visit the website at: http://www.outdoorgearcare.com/

To request more information:Email: tiler.cabot@outdoorgearcare.com

Neighbors stealing your wireless Internet?

2007-05-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

This little trick will have them scratching their heads for weeks.

Dynamite Surfing

2007-05-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

What do you do when the surf is flat? You make your own....
Parents lock up the TnT. Kids don't try this at home.

Geesh.......!

2007-04-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

Too bad you don't work!

That's what I say to myself, and maybe out loud..?

A few replacement parts which were hard to come by...(and not entirely compatible). The three year old mod (affectionately known as 'Sanitorium') is difficult to resurrect these days.

When I originally built this machine it was overclocked @75% over it's listed rating, water cooled and zipped along with a SCSI 10k rpm hard drive. I'm not a gamer, but Photoshop and AutoCad were running almost at the speed of light!

Oh well, now I have some good parts for Darwin... The machine that understands the need to give and cares to give it's very best.

I'm currently saving up for a Apple G5 quad core, running OSX and Win XP using Parallels.

Long live Windows XP, AMD, SCSI & Unlocked processor cores.

Back to the future

2007-04-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

After several years of doing strictly graphic and web design... I've been commissioned to open the old AutoCad r14 and try to pick up where I left off six years ago now.

Funny, AutoCad is nothing like Photoshop! One man's logic is nothing like anothers...

Good design is just that good design. Whether it's designing an advertisement, designing a logo, or designing a design and business empire. (excuse me I have high aspirations). The creative juices never subside.

Over the past year I have established two new businesses. Outdoor Gear Care and Sherpa Design Group. All the while working a full time position as a buyer/business developer for a well known Outdoor Retailer. It hasn't been easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. (a cliche' in know, but so true)... The greatest thing you can carry with you are the people who helped you realize these dreams within your self.

So.... Cheers to all of my good friends. I love you all!!! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you and the 'good' times we've shared. You're there with me always!

Till then... keep the rubber side down and keep your dreams at the forefront of your thoughts. Keep on believing! Your dreams will come true.

Peace

Sherpa

Jan Ullrich Retires...

2007-02-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

Filed at 9:01 a.m. ET
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- Former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich retired from cycling Monday amid continuing investigations of his alleged role in a Spanish doping scandal.
The 33-year-old German, who won the Tour in 1997 and was runner-up five times to Lance Armstrong, said he will stay in the sport as a consultant for the Austrian-based Volksbank team.
''I am ending my active career,'' Ullrich said.
He criticized the way he had been treated by cycling officials in Germany and Switzerland and by the German media.
''I feel like a serious criminal although I have nothing to reproach myself,'' he said.
Ullrich said he was still fit and had received offers from seven teams to race this season, but had decided to move on.
Ullrich has been under investigation for several months in Spain's ''Operation Puerto'' scandal, but has not been charged. He has been without a team since being fired by the T-Mobile team last summer.
''I could have had a team immediately,'' Ullrich told a news conference, accompanied by his wife and mother. ''I had offers, also from Pro Tour teams.''
The Spanish probe followed a raid by Spanish authorities last April on a Madrid clinic which allegedly provided performance enhancing drugs to 57 top riders.
The investigation led to Ullrich, a pre-race favorite, being expelled from last year's Tour de France -- a day he called the ''hardest'' in his career.
On July 20, he was dismissed by T-Mobile and hasn't raced since.
Ullrich said he would work as a media consultant with Volksbank and will also be active in the team's young riders' program. He said Volksbank offered a large budget for other riders that he would bring with him.
''That really impressed me,'' he said.
Ullrich trained in the former East Germany and emerged as a top rider in 1996 by finishing second at the Tour de France. The following year he became the first German winner of the Tour, setting off a cycling boom in his homeland.
Ullrich also won a gold and silver at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Some predicted Ullrich would dominate cycling for years, but Armstrong eclipsed him by winning seven times in a row. Ullrich battled weight problems in the offseason, while his teams publicly accused him of lacking discipline in training compared to Armstrong.
Team Telekom dropped Ullrich in 2002, and he served a six-month ban after a positive test for amphetamines. Ullrich said the drug was laced into an ecstasy pill he took during a visit to a nightclub.
Ullrich is also under investigation in Germany and Switzerland. He planned to appear on a German talk show later Monday to talk about the allegations.

Confessions of an eBay opium addict

2007-02-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Perspective

2007-02-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

OGC - Speak your mind

2006-12-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

New, just installed... Outdoor Gear Care receives a discussion forum. Through the beauty of the Open Source community I had the opportuntiy to implement a new forum based on phpbb.

My hope is that the outdoor community will have access to valuable gear care advice, gear reviews, news and a place to share their stories.

If anyone wants to create a new category or want to volunteer to moderate a category? Please let us know. Not fully sure what this new addition to Outdoor Gear Care will bring? "Hard saying not knowing..." but I feel this will benefit all.

Outdoor Gear Care - Forum

Check it out. =)

Outdoor Gear Care: Almost ready for primetime

2006-11-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

We have slated the first of the year for the official Grand Opening for Outdoor Gear Care. It has been quite the process getting the website ready, procurring vendors and getting the business end of things legitimized. More work that I originally figured... but none the less excited that it is going to happen.

We are currently on the hunt for more gear care advice. The 'How To' section of the site is basically a community forum, where everyone is welcome to contribute, learn and share gear care advice. This was the very reason the site came to be. If you have a tried and true method for gear care, something you know that has worked for you, please share it with us. More details can be found here: http://outdoorgearcare.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!
Sherpa

Priorities...

2006-10-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

This just in.....

2006-10-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Urban Dictionary

Things that make you go... huh?

2006-09-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

"... Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us..."Bill Watterson, cartoonist, "Calvin and Hobbes"

A quote to live by... #3 in a series

2006-09-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

"It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity". - Dave Barry

Five days in paradise

2006-09-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

A chance to get away from my normal life and attend our families 18th annual Sierra Trek was just what the doctor ordered. I've had a soul affair with the Eastern Sierras even before I could speak as a child. I spent my first three birthdays staying at June Lake in my great grandfather's cabin on Gull Lake. Ever since I have made it a point to revist the Eastern Sierra every year to recharge the soul.

This year did not disappoint. I brought my mountain bike, kayak and fishing poles... but this time I put some milage on the ol' hiking boots. Luckily the muscles still had memory left over from our two trips up Mount Whitney last year and I was able to get to some high alpine lakes in the Bishop Creek region without the usual leg strain. Maybe the soaking at Keough Hotsprings helped too?

Next summer I will be leading a group of friends through Evolution Valley on a 55 mile romp in the high country. I hope that everyone interested will set aside the time now. Seems like the only way one can get the time to do such things anymore.

Well back to the real world... Peace

It's all about perspective

2006-09-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

All life really comes down to... is the perspective you choose to carry with you on your journey. Everytime you think that everything is going your way...? Life deals you another set of problems to solve. Maintaining balance is the key to a happy life... Finding that balance is the eternal life challenge.
Once again I enter the fray. Stay tuned for all of the details.....

2006-09-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

More shameless self promotion. We have the skillz....
www.sherpadesigngroup.com

2006-09-14T20:16:00.002-07:00

New to the playlist... Something I had forgotten about... John Cordova the guitarist for Pruitt Igoe broke out the Uli Jon Roth at work yesterday. Man, it was a throw back for me.. Brought back the days of jamming the Scorpions & UFO with my buds Skip and Pete. The 60's 70's and 80's were the best times in rock - Guitar-wise!

Long live the AxeMeisters from that era.

A quote to live by - #2 in a series

2006-09-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

"I don't do drugs. I am drugs." -Salvador Dali

Recycled cycles

2006-09-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

This..... Creatively turned into these>>>

www.bikefurniture.com

What do your cats listen to?

2006-09-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

The iCat

First annual Meat-up - 29ers Unite!

2006-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

My buddy George owner of Bike29 and Five Hills Bike Shop in Waterbury Vermont is sponsoring a unique event this coming weekend. It should be a great time for anyone who is able to attend. This is a great time of year to be in New England as I hear the trees are starting to turn and the temps are more reasonable than the rest of the country is currently experiencing. The details are listed below.

Less than a week to go now for the big Meat-up. I have received several phone calls about the event, and have heard from several people who are attending. Plus have had rumors of the large "local" contingent of 29er sporting bike mechanics from other area shops.

Cool. I will be so pleased if we have a good turn out, as I have received several cool prizes to raffle off from Niner bikes and Twin 6, plus I'll be throwing a few things into the mix as well. Things are starting to get really crazy with last minute detail type stuff. I think it is going to be a ton of fun. Banners are being made. T-shirts are bring made. Beer is even being made. How about that?

Hopefully, the weather gods will smile on us again this year, as they have every year we make our anual pilgrimage to Burke. Classic early fall riding, cool days, chilly nights, beautiful vistas, threaded together with buff singletrack and good friends. The leaves have already started to turn here, so maybe we'll get some of that famous color too.

More to come, along with an update to the Meat-up site.

The new monarchy?

2006-09-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

It could happen...

We're going back to the moon!

2006-09-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Lockheed Wins Job of Building Next Spaceship
By WARREN E. LEARY and LESLIE WAYNE
The NASA decision is likely to change the dynamics of the space business, setting Lockheed up to be the dominant player in space exploration.

An Apple-Google Friendship, and a Common Enemy

2006-08-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30 — When Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, was named to Apple Computer’s board this week, it did more than signal a potential alliance between powerful companies. It touched off a wave of speculation about the motives of the man behind the move: Apple’s co-founder, Steven P. Jobs.

“The old social networks in Silicon Valley run very deep,” noted AnnaLee Saxenian, a leading scholar of the industry and dean of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. “And this reminds us that Silicon Valley has a common enemy to the north.”

She did not even need to name the enemy she had in mind: Microsoft, the leading rival to both Mr. Jobs and Mr. Schmidt through most of their careers. Now, with the Internet era remaking the competitive landscape, their prospects for outdueling Microsoft’s Windows empire may be better than ever.

Even in a valley where careers leave few degrees of separation between any two companies, the Apple announcement was remarkable. Mr. Schmidt, brought in five years ago to guide Google and its young founders to a stock offering, is Silicon Valley’s consummate insider. Mr. Jobs, who spent years in the industry wilderness before retaking the helm of Apple, is its defining outsider.

But Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Jobs, both 51, share a common outlook: that computing technologies can be remarkably disruptive forces in business and in society at large.

By JOHN MARKOFF

Published: August 31, 2006 - NY Times

Out with the tired, in with the goods.

2006-08-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I have reached the end of an era. I have finally culled my stable of everything Ellsworth. On a recent trip to SLC for a tradeshow, I brought my beloved Sub22 to Park City for some singletrack fun before the show began. I had a great time on the bike and it is totally suited for the smooth singletrack of Central Utah. Unfortunately the bike did not survive the trip home as expected. Upon the reassembly straight out of the IronCase I used to travel the bike aboard a Southwest Airlines flight to and from SLC. I noticed a 2" crack in the headtube along the downtube weld. A fatal crack for this flyweight Easton tubed hardtail.

SWA's response was basically "oh well"... Geesh. I paid an extra $100.00 to bring my bike with me on the trip and SWA turned my bike into wall art. If you ever find yourself contemplating a trip with a bike on an airliner mark the case with "Survey Equipment" and hope for the best.

A couple phone calls to friends that I know in the industry turned up this new beauty. It's creator calls it the "frankenbike". I have always been fond of that particular style of rig. I have never been known to ride anything 'stock' and my friend (whom wishes to remain anonymous) hooked me up hard. I can't give out the specifics, because I would go against my word of keeping this under the radar, but I do have to say that it's good to keep the karma bank fully deposited and to always cherish your friendships. Because in life, that's all you really have.

Thank you to everyone who helped bring this bike to fruition. You know who.... get the tile saw ready. I'll be there soon to finish what I started. See ya'll on the trail.

A brain, if you have one? Is a terrible thing to waste

2006-08-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

"I would not live forever, because we should not
live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever,
then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever,
which is why I would not live forever,"

-- Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest .
``````````````````````````````````
"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids
all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love
to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and
death and stuff."
--Mariah Carey
````````````
"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very
important part of your life,"
-- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become
Spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign .
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part
of my body,"
-- Winston Bennett,
University of Kentucky basketball forward .
`````````````````````````````````````````````!
"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the
lowest crime rates in the country,"
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC.
`````````````````````````````
"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through
our papers. We are the president."
-- Hillary Clinton commenting on the release of
subpoenaed documents.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death
by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it,"
--A congressional candidate in Texas .
````````````````````````````
"Half this game is ninety percent mental."
--Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark
``````````````````````````````````
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's
the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
--Al Gore, Vice President
And .
"We are ready for an unforeseen event that
may or may not occur."
-- Al Gore, VP
```````````````````
"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."
-- Dan Quayle
``````````
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much
clean air do we need ?"
--Lee Iacocca
```````````
"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A
genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." -
--Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
````````````````````````````````````````````
"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude
certain types of people."
-- Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instrutor .
`````````````````````````````````
"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
--Bill Clinton, President
````````````````
"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come
from overseas."
--Keppel Enderbery
````````````````
"Your food stamps will be stopped effective
March 1992 because we received notice that
you passed away. May God bless you. You may
reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
--Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
````````````````````````````````````````````
"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack
in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their
heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when
they wake up dead, there'll be a record."
--Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Feeling smarter yet?

McStarbuck's

2006-08-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

Many competitors are slowly begining to become like Starbucks; by offering gourmet coffee. McDonald's wants IN! The company released little details to the press, but they want everyone to make sure that its no Starbucks. I think its a great move for McDonald's, being that they already have a strong reputation within the food industry. Competing with Starbucks may hurt them a little...but if they offer coffee at a more affordable price, people may realize that $4 moca mocas aren't cool anymore. McDonald's currently has a testing spot in Rochester, NY, titled, by no surprise, "McCafe". Catchy name... it'll be interesting to see how this turns out. Others like Dunkin' Donuts are attempting to jump into the Gourmet Latte bathtub, which is complete with Starbucks, Dunkin', all of those little guys like Seattle's Best and now the McCafe.
Courtesy of Damanick @ http://streetblabber.blogspot.com/

Good news for the IM generation

2006-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Pluto declared dwarf planet...

2006-08-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

From Spaceweather.com Today at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly in Prague, astronomers decided that the Solar System has eight planets, and Pluto is not one of them. Instead, Pluto is a "dwarf planet."

To be a planet, the assembly ruled, a world must meet three criteria:

(1) It must have enough mass and gravity to gather itself into a ball.

(2) It must orbit the sun.

(3) It must reign supreme in its own orbit, having "cleared the neighborhood" of other competing bodies.

So, e.g., mighty Jupiter, which circles the sun supreme in its own orbit, is a planet--no adjective required. Pluto, on the other hand, shares the outer solar system with thousands of Pluto-like objects. Because it has not "cleared its own neighborhood," it is a dwarf planet.

This decision clarifies the vocabulary of planetary astronomy while simultaneously upturning 76 years of "Pluto is a planet" pop-culture. Will non-specialists heed Pluto's demotion? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, according to the IAU, the Solar System has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; and three dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313.

A temporary page for our web projects

2006-08-23T23:19:00.001-07:00

Sherpa Design Group

Brian and I needed something to direct potential clients to our current web projects. The main site is in the planning stages, but the actual launch is still a ways off. We are currently working on a couple of business projects that are taking all of our time away from design. I'll drop a note here as we get closer to an exciting new business launch. You won't believe what we are up to!

Outdoor Gear Care

Outdoor Gear Care is a stones throw away from an official launch. I spent a week in Salt Lake City ironing out product options at Outdoor Retailer and I have found a business alliance in Nikwax. With their support, knowledge base and expansive product line the site should evolve into something very special.

Fun for Girls... and Boys

2006-08-23T23:10:00.001-07:00

Bubble wrap... rap

http://fun.from.hell.pl/2003-11-24/bubblewrap.swf

From Steve-Z.com

Life in motion

2006-03-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how when your work is derived from doing some activity you love to do.. Eventually you stop doing what it was that brought you joy in the first place? This has happened several times thoughout my life. It happened to me most recently in the bike industry, and now it's facing me in all of my favorite outdoor activities. But I will persevere this time.

I spent another weekend.... Not riding my bike or going for a hike, but sitting in front of my computers, learning the ins & outs of PHP and oscommerce.

A year ago a very good friend of mine and myself came up with this idea to create a website devoted to the care of outdoor gear. A site where the consumers could gather knowledge on the finer points of caring for all of your waterproof jackets, sleeping bags, tents and such.

Shortly after the idea's inception. I purchased an appropriate URL and decided to give it a go. Just out of design school... I figured it would only take a few months to have it up and running. I worked on a few designs that would become the template for the informational part of the site. Everything seemed to moving along well.

Next came the content research. This was the point that I realized I had some real work ahead of me. The original reason the idea for the site came about, was that there was apparently no one else doing this. If you wanted advice on how best to care for your investments (ie: Goretex jackets, $300.00 sleeping bags and lightweight backpacking tents) you had to really search for information. I mean, who really keeps all of the hang tags that come with your new gear? I have been working for months now compiling data, information and gaining knowledge in something that most guys never think about. Doing laundry!

So, comes the birth of something new and different on the web. A single resource site devoted to "Protecting your investment". It has been a wondrous journey becoming a one man web business. Lots of hard work, lots of avoiding the inevitable research, lots of knowledge filling my brain. I'm happy to have such a burden!

You're welcome to take a sneak peek. I still have a way to go on everything, but it is turning out to be a labor of love. Now the only thing I have to do is keep it all in perspective. I love the outdoors and the people whom share my ideals for the outdoors. I won't let anything stand in the way of that joy. I keep telling myself to ride, walk, surf and just "be". This time... Will... be different

Welcome to Outdoor Gear Care - http://www.outdoorgearcare.com/ Please feel free to comment, add a helpful hint or tell me I'm crazy. It's all good!

See you on the trail.

A quote to live by...

2006-03-22T23:22:00.000-08:00

"Everything in moderation. Including moderation." -Mark Twain

Spring has finally arrived...

2005-09-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

Southern California is a funny place. It seems to be the catch-all location for all of America's residents whom can't stand long winters anymore. The flip side to a normal winter is a never ending summer. The weather here is the absolute opposite of the rest of the nation. It sounds like a perfect dream... And to some I'm sure it is.

This year Summer pushed into December, with temperatures at or around the 80 degree mark through the holidays. It's hard to explain to anyone who lives elsewhere that 300 days of sunshine can become depressing. The first site of clouds and my depression lifts. It can cause a surreal effect on the mind body and soul, throwing off all of your natural instincts.

Winter finally reared it's ugly head (as most residents here would say) at the beginning of March and we finally recieved a little rain. 30 days of weather and Spring is now here, literally and figuratively. I often wonder if our seasons here in the southwest have shifted a 180 degrees of normal or if my senses are out of tune at this latitude? Spring is a welcome season, even in my own psyche. Summer... you can have it. It definitely lasts way too long to feel normal.

I know most of you are thinking that I should be in therapy for feeling this way, but a lifetime of too much sun can warp your sense of reality.