Gadgetry

[Ari]

It amazes me how many things people are willing to tie to a single device that requires an internet connection.

Just the other day a rent a car via an app company stranded a woman along a california mountain road because it lost internet connection and a bug in the system turned the car off and she couldn’t get mobile signal to turn it back on. She was apparently told by the company she could sleep in her car until the internet got better. Instead she called a tow truck to move the car 3 miles into signal range and it started back up. She later admitted she would probably use the app again because ‘convenience’ and that she just wouldn’t drive anywhere she couldn’t Uber home from. Which is convenient?

I can’t wait till the police are sent to someone’s house because their ring camera caught them trying to break in after their phone battery died, preventing them from unlocking the door.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Ari

Just the other day a rent a car via an app company stranded a woman along a california mountain road because it lost internet connection and a bug in the system turned the car off and she couldn’t get mobile signal to turn it back on.

Sometimes I forget how stupid technology companies can be and get startled by things like this.

Originally Posted by Ari

She was apparently told by the company she could sleep in her car until the internet got better.

Sometimes I forget how stupid company service people can be and get startled by things like this.

Originally Posted by Ari

She later admitted she would probably use the app again because ‘convenience’

Sometimes I forget how stupid consumers can be and get startled by things like this.

[Ensign Steve]

You're really getting your money's worth out of the copy and paste commands today, aren't you. It's what he would have wanted.

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Originally Posted by Ari

Just the other day a rent a car via an app company stranded a woman along a california mountain road because it lost internet connection and a bug in the system turned the car off and she couldn’t get mobile signal to turn it back on. She was apparently told by the company she could sleep in her car until the internet got better. Instead she called a tow truck to move the car 3 miles into signal range and it started back up. She later admitted she would probably use the app again because ‘convenience’ and that she just wouldn’t drive anywhere she couldn’t Uber home from. Which is convenient?

My smart car rental was a breeze – until I got trapped in the woods | Technology | The Guardian

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

...absolutely not pic.twitter.com/URBJzmq3pm

— Internet of Shit (@internetofshit) February 25, 2020

[ceptimus]

Automatic internet connected pet feeder has starved pets (not to death, as far as I can see from the BBC article).

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by ceptimus

Automatic internet connected pet feeder has starved pets (not to death, as far as I can see from the BBC article).

"As we go towards a more automated home you have to acknowledge that, somewhere along the line, things will fall over," said Stuart Miles, founder of the tech site Pocket-Lint.

"Robots and automated systems have hiccups along the way, it's something we need to get used to.

Oh well. Nothing to be done about it I guess.

[JoeP]

It's almost as if people are deliberately sabotaging centrally-controlled systems to see how much consumers will put up with until there's a more widespread realisation it's a bad idea.

Or am I thinking of UK and US politics?

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Amazing! The plug in timer things I have around the house don't know when the time changes twice a year, but they never randomly get bricked or suffer outages!

[specious_reasons]

One again, I am buying a pen from the company whose business model seems to be selling me pens on Kickstarter.

I lost my old bolt action pen from this maker, so I'm excited to get a new retractable from them.

[specious_reasons]

Originally Posted by specious_reasons

One again, I am buying a pen from the company whose business model seems to be selling me pens on Kickstarter.

I lost my old bolt action pen from this maker, so I'm excited to get a new retractable from them.

So, the new Kickstarter campaign is doing very well, and their post reminded me of my long lost pen. I looked for it again, and this time I found it!

I now have more pens than I could possibly need, and getting more.

[specious_reasons]

More pens: REFYNE EP1 Brass

The pen I bought for myself and as a gift to my kids came out with a brass version, and I decided that a brass pen for $40 is worth it.

[specious_reasons]

I got the bug to search for new knives.

Starting from this old post:
Gadgetry - Page 2 - Freethought Forum

The current EDC has been a Leatherman Style PS (pliers and scissors, no knife) and the Kershaw Cinder, stored in my watch pocket. The cheap steel knife won out eventually because of one-hand open and close. The SpyderCo LadyBug is a much better knife but the lack of one-hand close kept it on the dresser. The Browning Ti is a little harder to open, so I use that one when I don't have a watch pocket.

But since I'm itching for something new, I'm experimenting with some nicer ($30-60) knives. I've ordered 3, have 1 now and am waiting for 2 more.

I have the Boker Lil Lambfoot. This actually has the same length blade as LadyBug, but it's a much bigger knife overall. I think this has already lost the EDC competition because the frame lock is too hard to unlock with one hand.
https://www.bokerusa.com/lil-lambfoot-01sc081

Then I ordered the Kansept Korvid Mini Cleaver. This looks totally stupid, and I love that. Unless the features of the knife bother me, this is the likely winner.
Korvid Mini Cleaver

This is likely the runner-up: SpyderCo Chicago. A little bigger than the LadyBug, but still very light and promises to be one-hand open and close capable.
Chicago G-10 Black - Spyderco, Inc.

Pictures coming once I get them all.

[specious_reasons]

Not only did knife #3 come in the mail today, but over the weekend I also received my latest BLANK FORCES pen, the Injector with stand:

DSC01242.jpg

That's a retractable titanium pen with a white ceramic finish. It's designed so it can stay in the stand with the tip out, so you can just pull it form the stand to use it. I plan to keep it at my desk at home.

Now, here are the 3 new knives, with the current EDC knife. Top to bottom:

• Boker Magnum Lil Lambfoot
• SpyderCo Chicago
• BLANK FORCES Pocket Bolt, with ruler for scale.
• Kansept Korvid Mini Cleaver
• Kershaw Cinder.

DSC01232.jpg

Same order, with the knives open.

DSC01236.jpg

All three new knives are pretty solid and higher quality than the Kershaw, as expected because they're all more expensive.

The SpyderCo and the Boker pretty much have the same length cutting edge, but the Boker is a bigger blade and knife in general. It still hasn't gotten any easier to close one-handed.

I've been carrying the SpyderCo for a couple of days, and I'm generally pleased with it. It would be a fine knife to carry everyday.

The Kansept Korvid Mini Cleaver is exactly as ridiculous as I expected. It can be opened and closed with one hand (but I might need to be a bit careful while closing it), and it can be used for most things I use a knife on a daily basis. It's size and shape are about as unthreatening as I could hope for even though it's a flipper style that deploys quickly.

I actually like all 3 knives a lot, and I'm thinking I may carry the Boker in my small tool bag which has my Leatherman in it. It just won't be the one I carry in my watch pocket.

Yup. I'm going to carry the Mini Cleaver until it gives me a reason not to.

[slimshady2357]

The mini cleaver is the cutest thing I've ever seen

I want one so bad.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by specious_reasons

Yup. I'm going to carry the Mini Cleaver until it gives me a reason not to.

Sounds like you're not quite sure it's cursed / possessed, but you accept that it's likely.

[viscousmemories]

@specious_reasons What are some things you use a knife for on a daily basis? I legitimately can't think of anything but opening boxes and cutting food that I use a knife for on any given day.

[specious_reasons]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

@specious_reasons What are some things you use a knife for on a daily basis? I legitimately can't think of anything but opening boxes and cutting food that I use a knife for on any given day.

Well, we do get a lot of boxes in the house... I don't actually use a knife frequently, but I still find it useful to carry one. When I need one, I have it with me.

For example, we had some windy days recently, and it knocked over these trellises we had on the deck. We started to pick them up, but Mrs. Reasons had zip tied a string of lights on them, and we couldn't lift all the trellises at once. I was able to cut the zip ties off.

It more I like being prepared with nice tools.

[lisarea]

Do you sharpen them yourself?

I've been practicing with a whetstone on some of my crappier kitchen knives, but I cannot maintain an angle, so I've been considering a basic Lansky sharpening system. But first, I am soliciting opinions from anyone who has one (an opinion, that is).

[specious_reasons]

Originally Posted by lisarea

Do you sharpen them yourself?

I've been practicing with a whetstone on some of my crappier kitchen knives, but I cannot maintain an angle, so I've been considering a basic Lansky sharpening system. But first, I am soliciting opinions from anyone who has one (an opinion, that is).

I can't sharpen by hand. I have trouble visually judging angles and have a hard time holding the knife consistently.

I have a Lansky system - this one, and do try to sharpen them myself when they get dull enough, but I have never had the patience to get a knife so sharp they're dangerous. I find the system is mildly awkward but works well enough.

[lisarea]

Exactly my problems with sharpening, too.

And that's one of the Lansky kits I was considering, so it's good to know. I try to be careful about gadgetry type things, because I have a natural impulse to go overboard and start collecting.* But those kits cost less than it'd cost to get all my kitchen knives professionally sharpened just once, so I figure that's a decent investment if it works at all.

* I'm probably going to allow myself a good pocketknife and ONE more flashlight, like a dangerously hardcore one, as my most hardcore one at this point is only moderately dangerous.

[specious_reasons]

I would say that Lansky kit I have does a good job of keeping the honing stones at a consistent angle while you are sharpening - as long as you want one of the 4 common angles. I have done better sharpening with it than manual

[Ari]

The baby cleaver is hilarious, but I’m curious how you find the lambs foot, not at all because it’s more in my price range. I have a small double bladed Buck folder, one blade had a drop point like those and I surprisingly used it over the normal tipped blade so much I eventually broke it and put the knife in a drawer despite it still having a good but not great second blade.

[specious_reasons]

Originally Posted by Ari

The baby cleaver is hilarious, but I’m curious how you find the lambs foot, not at all because it’s more in my price range. I have a small double bladed Buck folder, one blade had a drop point like those and I surprisingly used it over the normal tipped blade so much I eventually broke it and put the knife in a drawer despite it still having a good but not great second blade.

For everyday use, I really like the sheeps/lambsfoot and wharncliffe points, I have a Kershaw Doublecross which I used the smaller wharncliffe blade more often.

I find it better for the utility-knife style cutting I most often use a knife for.

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

The topic is interesting. Perhaps more impressive is the interactivity of this web page.

https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/