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I have heard that Mountain Equipment Co-op ( http://www.mec.ca/ ) used to give a cash discount to reflect the perceived lower costs associated with cash over plastic, until they did a closer accounting of the actual costs and realized that the cash costs were comparable to the plastic costs. Paying employees for count, sort, deposit, and otherwise handle the cash are real, unavoidable costs. Errors, accidents, and thefts impose additional costs that can be minimized by increased error checking and security procedures, but those procedures impose further direct costs. Non-cash transactions also have various costs (including errors, and thefts) associated with them beyond the transaction fees paid to the processor, but they are often so much smaller than cash handling costs that they can almost be ignored when making a comparison.

Of course, the devil is in the details. Different businesses have different characteristics such that the balance between the the two can not be covered by blanket statements. And none of this addresses the psychology of the customer experience. It might be worthwhile taking a loss on the single pack of gum sales in order to maintain customer loyalty for more typical large purchases, or it might not.

Some possible customer results: "I just want some gum, but they have a $5 minimum CC purchase, so I won't go in at all." "I know they have $5 minimum, so I will buy some milk and bread along with the gum." "They don't have a $5 minimum, but now that I'm here I might as well pickup some milk and the paper too." "Oh, their sign explains their fee structure, without demanding minimums, that is nice, so I'll pay using the format that costs them the least to process."

I'd rather read about other people's processes than anything else. If you find key management as trite then perhaps you don't understand what being a nerd entails.

Well, for me I solved this with a more general "stuff management" scenario. I've long since given up and bought a messenger bag (aka man purse). I've decided the occasional smart ass remark from some tool I don't know is far outweighed by the utility of the damned thing.

I've always carried a back-pack or a satchel, and this is actually the best form factor I've found for daily stuff. Between keys (on a 'biner, tucked into pants or backpack), cell phone, iPod, wallet, glasses case, ID badges for work (and possibly for the client), possibly a water bottle, occasionally my camera and/or Tom Tom ... well, one just carries a tremendous amount of stuff on a daily basis -- not just keys. Frankly, I don't know how I'd carry all that shit without the messenger bag. I've had one (actually, I think I'm on my second) since about '03 or so.

If I'm at work I've got my laptop bag with all of its own associated payload and usually lunch to bring -- and that usually represents a lot of stuff. This being Slashdot, I'm sure there are other nomads out there.

If I'm on vacation, I switch to a full-on back-pack carrying my camera gear and all of my "keep handy" crap. Camera days change to another sling style camera bag for easy access.

Having everything in one "ready bag" is actually kind of nice, and it frees up your hands and pockets for other more immediate things.

I got it from mec.ca:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442620959

If the link fails, it's the Planet Bike Super Flash Rear Light. There is a clip. I've had to start putting it on my pannier. My rear post is used up by the trail-a-bike attachment.

I would strongly advise against "trying to preserve your night vision" or you may end up in phsyiotherapy or in other people as an organ donor.

I had done quiet a few bike trips and generally can't be without my iPod, PSP, and cellphone so I have had some experiance using Solar Panels previously, though never for something as power hungry as a notebook/netbook. Two years ago I purchased the Soldius 1 Solar Charger, seen here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7d34/. I found that even stationary it really just drained my iPods batteries and made them unusable, as the change in voltages associated with clouds would cause the iPod to constantly redetect that the charging had started and illuminate the screen thus draining more power. I may have only gotten one meaningful charge or two out of it, in the two years I've had it. It also didn't charge some devices, that were USB powered, and seemed very brittle. This summer past, I had taken time off to go cycling for 2 months across Canada, and so invested in another Solar Panel, the SolarFocus SolarMio 31 Solar Charger: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302697169&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442620595. It was very durable, and I had it strapped on my rear rack, even in the worst rains. It also has a portable battery pack so you can charge during the day, and then have power for later, and it charges relatively quickly. I found that 4 hours would give it a full charge to the battery, (it is probably much better than this, as being on my bike rack and in motion means that it is not really positioned for optimum solar energy collection) and that would charge my iPod to 90%. It also has an external AC adapter to charge the battery overnight, and a USB port for 'most' USB devices. Some draw backs are that it didn't charge my Phone at the time, a Motorola KRZR, and after my trip I found out it doesn't charge my iPhone (which is kinda a disappointment). Another plus is that the battery is detachable, and while replacements/spares are expensive, it made it convient to charge at camping sights. They make an equivilant solar panel for laptops which is a bit pricer at CAD $595: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302697169&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442625524. Which is too rich for my blood at the moment, but if the quality is anything like this one, I'd definately recommend it. Finally some other words of wisdom: 1) The Solar Device compatibility list actually seems to matter at least for obvious devices not listed, just because it's USB doesn't mean it will charge it. 2) Getting a dead iPod (I had both a iPod 4G Photo and 5.5G Video) to charge is a bit tricky if you are charging straight from the sun in less than ideal conditions, as when it turns on, the screen comes on maximum brightness, and I believe stops charging for a moment, and will cause the iPod to turn off. I found that both the above would eventually charge by just booting it into Disk Mode a few times, eventually it would have enough power to stay on in Disk Mode and charge. Finally after two minutes rebooting it into Normal mode, so that the screen turns off resulted in a quicker charge.

I had done quiet a few bike trips and generally can't be without my iPod, PSP, and cellphone so I have had some experiance using Solar Panels previously, though never for something as power hungry as a notebook/netbook. Two years ago I purchased the Soldius 1 Solar Charger, seen here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7d34/. I found that even stationary it really just drained my iPods batteries and made them unusable, as the change in voltages associated with clouds would cause the iPod to constantly redetect that the charging had started and illuminate the screen thus draining more power. I may have only gotten one meaningful charge or two out of it, in the two years I've had it. It also didn't charge some devices, that were USB powered, and seemed very brittle. This summer past, I had taken time off to go cycling for 2 months across Canada, and so invested in another Solar Panel, the SolarFocus SolarMio 31 Solar Charger: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302697169&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442620595. It was very durable, and I had it strapped on my rear rack, even in the worst rains. It also has a portable battery pack so you can charge during the day, and then have power for later, and it charges relatively quickly. I found that 4 hours would give it a full charge to the battery, (it is probably much better than this, as being on my bike rack and in motion means that it is not really positioned for optimum solar energy collection) and that would charge my iPod to 90%. It also has an external AC adapter to charge the battery overnight, and a USB port for 'most' USB devices. Some draw backs are that it didn't charge my Phone at the time, a Motorola KRZR, and after my trip I found out it doesn't charge my iPhone (which is kinda a disappointment). Another plus is that the battery is detachable, and while replacements/spares are expensive, it made it convient to charge at camping sights. They make an equivilant solar panel for laptops which is a bit pricer at CAD $595: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302697169&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442625524. Which is too rich for my blood at the moment, but if the quality is anything like this one, I'd definately recommend it. Finally some other words of wisdom: 1) The Solar Device compatibility list actually seems to matter at least for obvious devices not listed, just because it's USB doesn't mean it will charge it. 2) Getting a dead iPod (I had both a iPod 4G Photo and 5.5G Video) to charge is a bit tricky if you are charging straight from the sun in less than ideal conditions, as when it turns on, the screen comes on maximum brightness, and I believe stops charging for a moment, and will cause the iPod to turn off. I found that both the above would eventually charge by just booting it into Disk Mode a few times, eventually it would have enough power to stay on in Disk Mode and charge. Finally after two minutes rebooting it into Normal mode, so that the screen turns off resulted in a quicker charge.

For the sake of argument, I'm writing this on my laptop with the display set to 800x600 (I can't do 800x480, but the width is my main concern anyway). I have to admit that Slashdot, for example, seems to resize quite well. I'll hit a few more bookmarks and try it out...

*checking*

Okay, most of my links work very well. BBC News has horizontal scroll bars, but all the I'm missing is an ad; The site seems to be formatted for an 800 pixel width. A forum I regularly read fails to resize well. That's about it. I guess "Web 2.0" has resulted in sites that are a little more dynamic and make better use of the available real estate. To be honest, I haven't surfed under 1024x768 in ages.

I suppose the only other major resolution-hog in my day to day use is spreadsheets, but I can't see myself doing spreadsheet work on the Eee anyway. It wouldn't be the point of the machine, if I were to get one.

Still, for now I'll stick with the 12.1" notebook. To carry an Eee I'd still need some sort of bag, and the MEC Bag I currently use is very compact (the 12.1" fits snugly in it). Out of interest, how do you carry your Eee around?

-FL

This is certainly nothing new at all.

Here is MEC's selection:

Water Purifiers At MEC

There is a vast array of products available that have been available for years.

My filter: (on the 2nd page, $68 these days, .2 micron, 1.25l per minute, 750+ litres per filter) Been using that one for...sheesh, almost 10 years.

Spend more, get more throughput and more filter life. The Katadyne filter on the first page is used throughout the world by many many agencies. Expensive, but for it's abilities, it's right in line with the price of the device in the article. (Almost 100k litres per filter!!!)

Note that almost all the filters on the MEC site offer the same level of protection...the differences are in the throughput and filter lifetime. That is what you pay for.

This is just a company trying to get a big government contract and make a pile of cash, they have nothing new to bring to the table whatsoever. Now if they could provide filters for $20 per household...then they'd be on to something.

You might find that this bag works for you: MEC Carry On Travel Pack I use one of these as my everyday laptop bag and for travelling. Depending on the location I'm travelling to, I'm usually good for a few days to a week with just this bag for my clothing + electronic gear (TabletPC, cellphone, PDA, iPod, GPS, batteries, chargers and a few cables) plus pens, business cards, etc. I know you say you hate backpacks, but the backpack straps do stow away neatly when not being used and it has a padded shoulder strap and grab handle as well. I use it mostly as a shoulder bag but the backpack option is nice for carrying it longer distances with a full load. I use the snapcord on the outside to pop in a jacket or hat when it's not needed immediately but I want to keep it handy, like when trudging through airports.

One of these (which may only be available in Canada but I'm sure you can find an equivalant somewhere near you), one of these and a bunch of these and I'm good to go. The Carry-All has pockets for pens, passports and even one that fits every PDA I've ever tried. You can open a zipper to double its capacity and they're built like brick sh^h^h, uh, outhouses.

I wanted something I could use to carry my laptop to work, and use as a daypack when travelling, or shopping - so I got this:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PROD UCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442280621&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder _id=2534374302699713&bmUID=1144269078394

Serves me very well, and it stealthy too - sure does not look like a laptop case!

if you want a quick guess at how much better your doing
one of these sites might help

http://www.myfootprint.org/
http://www.bestfootforward.com/footprintlife.htm
http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/
http://www.mec.ca/Apps/ecoCalc/ecoCalc.jsp

Foot print calculators.

http://www.myfootprint.org/
http://www.bestfootforward.com/footprintlife.htm
http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/
http://www.mec.ca/Apps/ecoCalc/ecoCalc.jsp

My score ranged from 2.2 and 3.5 hectares of land use.
They all also tell me how many earths would be needed t support the worlds population at my standard of living they Ranged from 1.2 to 2.5 earths.

A corporation with morals is like a coathanger with a conscience.

Corporations have one purpose: making money for the people in charge.

Usually to break in leather boots quickly is to get them completely wet and walk in them until they become completely dry.

To really minimize blisters while using boots for long days, and your feet aren't used to them, I would suggest what I use for hiking (did 100km(60 miles) in 4 days, feet were okay): Bring 2 pairs of liner socks and 2 pairs of woolies. The liner socks act as a second layer of skin and generally stay put while sliding against the woolies.

Wigwam CoolMax Liners - Liners.
Wigwam Ultimax Cool Lite Hiker Crew Socks - Woolies

Every day you can wash 'em and hang them to dry (since they're all quick drying) so no more than 2 pairs of each are necessary.

As a side note to any Canadians reading this, Mountain Equipment Co-op has the same stuff.

You'll want a sturdy set of work boots. Perhaps even steel toed shoes.

Absolutely - if you don't have any, check with local EMS/Police services to find out what they wear. You're looking for something safe, lightweight, good ankle support, and waterproof.

Bring one of these for yourself, and recommend that each group member brings their own.
Bring one of these.
These are great too, you'll want dry feet.

Some sort of protective glove. Leather/Kevlar etc are all good. Bring a box of nitrile gloves too.

A headlamp is a great thing (this one has a dual-bulb system).

All this stuff is for you.
If you're looking for stuff to bring for other people down there... bring money. Go there, find out what's needed, drive away, buy the stuff they need, and bring it back to them.

Also for you, bring some beer.

Good luck.

Oh come now...

It's MEC all the way!

Cheers!

In most provinces, we have two sales taxes: provincial sales tax (8% in Ontario), and the GST (7%)<arrogant-worms>Screw it!</arrogant-worms>.

When doing mail-order from another province, they always charge the GST. If the company has any business presence in your home province, then they have to charge PST too. However, if they don't, then you get away without paying the PST.

For example, I can order DVDs from http://www.thecnl.com/ or computer parts from http://www.ncix.com/ in BC, and I never pay PST (which almost makes up for the shipping costs). However, if I order clothing or equipment from http://www.mec.ca/, I have to pay the PST, even though MEC is based in BC and everything ships from Vancouver. They have stores in Ontario, so they have to collect the PST for anything sold here.

Of course, some provinces have the HST (harmonized sales tax), which combines their PST and GST into one big tax. I think they always get stuck paying it for anything that they buy.

The best part about the GST is that we have the privilege of paying it on anything ordered from the USA too.

I carry white powder in a plastic bag around when I go to the climbing gym.

IT'S CALLED CHALK!

Climber's use it to keep their hands dry (as do gymnists).

please don't assume that Chalk
is something else.

I'm very happy with my Darwin pack from Mountain Equipment Co-op. It looks like a regular old non descript bookbag, but inside it has a padded pocket that holds a laptop. The pocket is about 5" from the bottom of the bag so when you put the bag down it doesn't make contact with the floor. It also has pockets for CD player, Cell phones/PDAs, straps, velcro, neoprene/mesh outer bag and loops to clip your 'biners on.

Or, get a MEC Darwin pack. They're designed for laptops, well made, inexpensive and not-obviously-a-laptop-bag. Oh, and those are CANADIAN dollars on the website, so you'll save some dough, too.

My only complaint is that it's a little small...

Go to MEC.ca
THey carry a lot of Extreeme weather gear, but also have good day to day stuff as well. Much cheaper than anywhere else. I have a http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLD ER%3C%3Efolder_id=676033&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=52087 7&bmUID=1097459696396
pack that works great. The one I had before was the bottom of the line model and lasted 5 years of engineering textbooks.

Please, please, please check out Mountain Equipment Co-op's Darwin Daypack. I've been using it for over a month, and I'm very pleased with its performance/protection.

I'm not sure if the /. community as a whole is much aware of this treasure of a Canadian company, but I think a lot of us could save money on quality gear there. Poke around at http://www.mec.ca/ and let me know what you think.

More information on the Darwin can be found directly at http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PROD UCT%3C%3Eprd_id=520877&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=67603 3&bmUID=1097459101744

Please, please, please check out Mountain Equipment Co-op's Darwin Daypack. I've been using it for over a month, and I'm very pleased with its performance/protection.

I'm not sure if the /. community as a whole is much aware of this treasure of a Canadian company, but I think a lot of us could save money on quality gear there. Poke around at http://www.mec.ca/ and let me know what you think.

More information on the Darwin can be found directly at http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PROD UCT%3C%3Eprd_id=520877&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=67603 3&bmUID=1097459101744

The RIAA's cartel mambers takes some 65 cents per song, and the credit card companies likely take another 10 cents.

That doesn't leave much money for tech, bandwidth and advertising costs.

I thought about opening an online music store, but such numbers are frightening.

The only way I can see this working, and since it is likely there will be very few players in this market, is to have a co-op. Mountain Equipment Co-op is a prime example of how to do things right- and a member-owned online store would not have advertising costs like Apple's since word of mouth would probably work well.

A socially responsible, internally democratic institution would be fairly novel in the music industry, and work will with the ethics of the open-source movement. Anyone want to take this on? :)

BTW, Nike doesn't outsource to "sweatshops" anymore (if they ever did). See: MEC's website. (MEC is a Canadian cooperative that has strict policies concerning the practices of the companies it deals with.)

Do you have snow tires on your bike or something?

Though they are available I don't use them personally. Calgary, while cold, is also remarkably dry. When we do get snow, it rarely lasts more than a day on a surface that is travelled even remotely often. Once the snow is pounded into slush, it's absorbed in short order by the dry air and becomes dry pavement. (This is merely my observations compared to other places I've lived, and is not scientific in any way)

Besides, cycling on snow/ice/slush isn't really that hard if you're slow and careful about it. Admittedly becomes messier and much slower, though. I would generally work from home on days like that. :)

What we bike riders really need is:

1) Tires that don't go flat!

Get $10 tyre-liners like Mr Tuffy's. Ever since I started using them a year and a half ago (and only in my rear tyre, to boot!), I've had zero punctures despite commuting five times a week through streets littered with broken beer bottles.

And in the rare event that you do get a flat, use a CO2 inflator to cut out the most frustrating part of on-road flat repair: pumping.

2) Something to keep the rain and road dirt from putting a big skunk stripe up our backs when riding in wet climates. There are fenders, but they don't work well.

Maybe you're using the cheapo snap-on plastic types. Get the real thing and they eliminate every drop of spray. They don't look so conspicuous either if you get them in black (unless you have fancy candy-coloured tyres).

3) The ability to fold the frame so that it can fit in the back of a small car or on the bus.

Plenty of options available for you here. Probably the best and most popular are the Brompton and the Bike Friday. And if you're really hardcore (but obviously you're not), check out S&S frame couplings.

4) Brakes that work in the rain.

Pssst. I'll let you in on a secret. Use the front brake, it's really not that dangerous.

5) Tires that don't go flat. So important, I'm saying it twice.

Well, I wouldn't recommend solid tyres but hey, if you really want them, it's a free country.

We don't need auto transmissions, $150 helmets, $1500 frames that weigh next to nothing, and stupid yuppie mommies who want to pass stupid yuppie mommie laws to protect us for our own good.

Agreed on all those points.

In fact, I HATE bicycle helmets. "But," the yuppies tell me, "you NEED a helmet for safety! It should be illegal to ride without one."

Well I'll agree that it should be your choice whether or not to wear a helment, but still it's pretty stupid not to wear one. It's your head -- don't go suing somone for not having told you about the risks when you go crack your skull on the pavement.

The same people who say this think nothing about strapping two skinny long little boards to their feet and flying down an snow-covered mountain at 50 MPH with nothing on their heads but designer sunglasses!

Umm...I guess you haven't been on a ski slope recently, because the biggest trend these days is for everyone to be wearing helments. In fact, it's almost a fashion statement now regardless of which demographic you fit into -- they're all going for the freeride / x-ski look. But hey, as a ski patroller, I'm all for it if it saves lives and minimises injuries.

1) Tires that don't go flat! Or, rather, I should say... tires that don't go flat and only cost two or three minimum wage units. $15 US. Yes there are Kevlar tires that are as thin as your thumb and cost $200, hold 100 PSI air pressure, and rarely go flat, but they don't count.

Firstly, those $200 tires go flat just as easily as cheap tires on pavement (i.e. a piece of glass or nail). They are $200 because they're light (by way of having a high thread per inch count) and they're grippy (fancy rubbers and compounds). NOT because they're anymore flat resistant than a cheapo knobby or slick. In fact, I'd argue there more flat resistant for punctures (maybe less for snakebites).

Secondly, if you want a tire that definitely won't go flat, buy a solid rubber tire like your bike had when you were seven. Light, Cheap, Strong - pick two.

Thirdly, tire choice pretty much never affects regular flats (assuming the tire is adequately inflated to begin with). It's the inner tube that goes. Here's a tip, throw a bunch of baby powder in the tire before putting in the inner tube. You're probably flatting because your tire is spinning in the rim and cutting the valve stem.

2) Something to keep the rain and road dirt from putting a big skunk stripe up our backs when riding in wet climates. There are fenders, but they don't work well.

Actually fenders work incredibly well. Just get a set of grandma fenders that cover about half the wheel (less in front) and are really close to the tire. Yeah they look dumb, and your cool seat mounted stick is waay cooler on campus, but you said you want something that works.

3) The ability to fold the frame so that it can fit in the back of a small car or on the bus.

These exist in abundance.

4) Brakes that work in the rain.

Yeah. This one would be nice. Discs work well here ($$$), and so do Magura's with salmon pads (haven't tried the froggies), but most mechanicals suck. (Except when you pair old canti levers and v-brake arms... that'll stop anything).

5) Tires that don't go flat. So important, I'm saying it twice.

See above.

In fact, I HATE bicycle helmets. Their sole purpose is to show all the people driving around that the person on the bike is middle class, has a car at home, can afford a $100 helmet, and is seriously concerned about saving the environment to the point of actually going out into the public on a bicycle.

At this point I think I'm being trolled, but I'll continue.

There are plenty of ANSI and SNELL certified helmets for significantly less than $100. Hot damn, I even found you one using Canadian Dollars. The Adrenaline 2 is on sale for $20 and is plenty safe. Hardly seems to justify the yuppie status trophy you want to place on it.

Sure helmets aren't cool looking. BFD, neither are life jackets and designated drivers.

I'll leave the skiing one for the next time, but in the meantime, think about what you'd rather land on if dropped from the sky, fresh powder or a lamp-post/ford pickup/car door/concrete curb and when you're done there, remember that traffic (on streets, trails, and parks) move both ways and don't expect to see you there.

Jeff

Private elections are another matter. In the same Canada, Mountain Co-op has been running these elections for a while. Whenever you buy some mountain gear (or anything for that matter) from them, you become a member of the co-op. As such, you have a say in how the system is run and you get to elect the board of directors. Election implementation is overseen by PWC or E&Y, and you get a package in the mail containg the election information.

Private elections are another matter. In the same Canada, Mountain Co-op has been running these elections for a while. Whenever you buy some mountain gear (or anything for that matter) from them, you become a member of the co-op. As such, you have a say in how the system is run and you get to elect the board of directors. Election implementation is overseen by PWC or E&Y, and you get a package in the mail containg the election information.

> I'm 35 floors up, 40 blocks uptown from where the WTC was,
> where lots of people I know and love got killed.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I've got an idea that might help in future situations like that.

Get a nice long rope, and find somewhere near a window to tie it to. If shit happens (including an ordinary accidental fire), go down the rope instead of freaking out and jumping. If you're serious, or if you want to get into climbing anyway once you have the rope, buy a harness and a descender (so you can rappel down). If not, buy a thick-enough pair of leather gloves so you can slide down the rope with your hands still covered by skin. If you just go with the gloves and the rope, there are much cheaper ropes than climbing-quality ones. Climbing ropes have to deal with abrasion without losing their strength, plus they need to handle shock loads. A rope that sits on your floor or in a drawer doesn't need that.

Unless some mofos blow up the whole building and it falls over before you have time to save yourself (and hopefully others, esp. if there's more than one glove available! Make sure you get a good strong rope so it won't fail if more than one person is on it), you shouldn't have to worry too much.

One problem: A big fire could burn through the rope, or make part of the way down uncomfortable.

Anyway, as my scout leader said, "Shit happens. Don't let shit happen to you." Don't forget to learn to tie a decent knot that will hold, or make some kind of arrangement so you don't screw up on that part.

> I'm 35 floors up, 40 blocks uptown from where the WTC was,
> where lots of people I know and love got killed.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I've got an idea that might help in future situations like that.

Get a nice long rope, and find somewhere near a window to tie it to. If shit happens (including an ordinary accidental fire), go down the rope instead of freaking out and jumping. If you're serious, or if you want to get into climbing anyway once you have the rope, buy a harness and a descender (so you can rappel down). If not, buy a thick-enough pair of leather gloves so you can slide down the rope with your hands still covered by skin. If you just go with the gloves and the rope, there are much cheaper ropes than climbing-quality ones. Climbing ropes have to deal with abrasion without losing their strength, plus they need to handle shock loads. A rope that sits on your floor or in a drawer doesn't need that.

Unless some mofos blow up the whole building and it falls over before you have time to save yourself (and hopefully others, esp. if there's more than one glove available! Make sure you get a good strong rope so it won't fail if more than one person is on it), you shouldn't have to worry too much.

One problem: A big fire could burn through the rope, or make part of the way down uncomfortable.

Anyway, as my scout leader said, "Shit happens. Don't let shit happen to you." Don't forget to learn to tie a decent knot that will hold, or make some kind of arrangement so you don't screw up on that part.

> I'm 35 floors up, 40 blocks uptown from where the WTC was,
> where lots of people I know and love got killed.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I've got an idea that might help in future situations like that.

Get a nice long rope, and find somewhere near a window to tie it to. If shit happens (including an ordinary accidental fire), go down the rope instead of freaking out and jumping. If you're serious, or if you want to get into climbing anyway once you have the rope, buy a harness and a descender (so you can rappel down). If not, buy a thick-enough pair of leather gloves so you can slide down the rope with your hands still covered by skin. If you just go with the gloves and the rope, there are much cheaper ropes than climbing-quality ones. Climbing ropes have to deal with abrasion without losing their strength, plus they need to handle shock loads. A rope that sits on your floor or in a drawer doesn't need that.

Unless some mofos blow up the whole building and it falls over before you have time to save yourself (and hopefully others, esp. if there's more than one glove available! Make sure you get a good strong rope so it won't fail if more than one person is on it), you shouldn't have to worry too much.

One problem: A big fire could burn through the rope, or make part of the way down uncomfortable.

Anyway, as my scout leader said, "Shit happens. Don't let shit happen to you." Don't forget to learn to tie a decent knot that will hold, or make some kind of arrangement so you don't screw up on that part.

I second that. I've got a pair of C batteries for my bike light. They're made by GP, aka the "Gold Peak Group". 1.2V, 2200mAh, but they're a couple years old, not really used very often, and they're far worse than somewhat newer Rayovac batteries (also 1.2V, 2200mAh). (The Rayovacs have only ever been charged in a good Rayovac charger that knows about NiMH, while the GPs were charged many times in a Dynacharge quick-charger for NiCd batteries. Hmm, that's probably it, given what other people have said about chargers.) The (damaged?) GP batteries seem to have less capacity than the Rayovacs, and I think their shelf life is shorter, like a week instead of a few weeks for the Rayovacs.

My Rayovac charger is a model PS3, not a "quick charger", but it can charge lots of batteries at once, up to D cells, not just AAs. It kicks ass.

I got all my Rayovac gear at Mountain Equipment Co-op. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have rechargeable alkalines.

What, that the environmentalists are hypocrites who waste just as much energy as the rest of us

Well, without engaging your 8th grade debate technique, Ill simply say your probably pretty wrong.

Im as green as they come, a #1 tree-hugger, and I can tell you, I watch my coworkers, neighbours and family pollute and waste endlessly. Try riding your bike to work. Leave bags and packaging on the counter at the grocer. Grow a garden. Compost. Recycle. Pick up random trash when walking in parks and put them in your pocket. Dont use paint where you dont have to. Plant trees. Use an electric lawnmower (infrequently enough to get letters from city-hall). Let 90% of your lawn grow at its own will. Have your shoes repaired. Buy organic-cotten clothing at a co-operative. By organic groceries and support local farmers. Dont eat at chain-restaurants.

...and tell loud-mouthes on slashdot -- who call OTHERS HYPOCRITES TO SATIFSY THEIR OWN GUILT AND PROVIDE SHALLOW-JUSTIFICATION FOR THEIR OWN MISDEEDS to @#$@-Off .

Im not greener-than-though pal, but I resent the implied justification for your OWN ACTIONS you present by calling someone a hypocrite.

...but it can't be beat for versitality.

The standard stayed-back camping chair can't be beat. They're just so damn useful in any number of situations. The link given is for a basic chair through a Canadian distributor. There a number of different models and I'm sure you could phone around local camping stores to see if they have anything of the sort. The great thing about these things is that they are meant to go everywhere. They fold up nicely so they're easy to tote around with you to the beach, park, wherever.

I highly recommend getting one. Best of luck in your search.

Also, there is a train track near my backyard

Next time you get this NIMBY (not in my back yard) feeling -- think back to last time you were at the mall? mcblondalds? car dealership? did you buy ANOTHER pair of shoes? ANOTHER mchpally meal toy for your kid? ANOTHER SUV?

When you goto the market, do you buy LOCAL organic produce? do you buy ORGANIC clothing? Shoes made from Non-profit CoOps?

These things are inter-related, you WILL have to have a power station in your backyard unless you make good decisions -- Do You?

but $500 for a good coat is well worth the price
Obviously someone who has cold weather experience. I paid ~C$650 for my three layer (fleece and down liners; double layer gore-tex shell) winter jacket and at the same store one can easily spend double that. Good sampling of medium high end winter wear at Mountain Equipment Co-op
If this clothing looks like over kill you probably shouldn't be out in the wilderness in real winter.

The L.L Bean website was one of the worst designs I have seen in ages. In addition when my girlfriend and I bought online there to have a gift shipped to her parents in Texas as a gift, they actually shipped only 1 of the 2 products we ordered (backorder). However, they never notified us. And we were quite embarassed, as the second gift was to be for her mother's boyfriend. Consequently, he didn't receive anything! And we didn't find out in time to send him something else. If you want cutting edge, there are few if any sites on the internet that can do better than amazon.com. And I hope that's the major reason that they are finally successful, they have an excellent site. A clear second place for me for service and a great site is one here in Canada. Mountain Equipment Co-op doesn't dissapoint, and they offer free shipping, and Canadian prices!