I'll have to look through these links in more detail. For years, I've been looking to replace a lost Koh-I-Noor Rapidomatic .5 mm mechanical pencil . KIN still makes .5 mm mechanical pencils, but they are plastic barreled and made in China. This older generation was made in Japan and has a hefty brass barrel and a very firm, precise, but not stiff lead advance action.
The extra heft was just enough to make the lead glide over the paper and to neutralize minor hand tremors as well as deviances caused by variations in the paper surface. It was and absolute pleasure to write with it.
I bought a Rotring 600 series mechanical pencil before they disappeared. Externally, it has a rather similar appearance. But it is lighter, and the action is stiffer and less precise. The Koh-I-Noor was at another level.
With some digging, I can find a page that describes them. But I've never found a hint of one for sale, not even on eBay.
Thank you both! Will definitely check out these before I make a purchase. In fact, I might even ask HN what writing instruments they use before I buy the Kuru Toga.
Sorry - have added disclosures about that. Though I thought it would be preferred over ads, would it not? It's funny how they are treated differently, as the same comment wouldn't be made about a page with some unobtrusive ads.
Affiliate links are preferred over adverts, but they should always be disclosed. Affiliate links are like adverts, you're getting money to advertise a product, so while adverts outside your article don't affect the contents affiliate links do -- even if you refuse to have any bias.
It's just good manners to always mention that the links are affiliate links because it can change the value of your review and/or recommendations when money is involved and it should be the readers choice. Just like if you're reviewing a book you wrote, or a company you work for.
Sorry, wasn't me. I'll upvote you to equalize the downvote :)
And I agree with your reasoning - in another post that I had an Amazon affiliate code I remembered to put a disclosure, however this time I forgot.
On a reasonably related note, I found out a few days ago that StackOverflow and the StackExchange network of sites automatically insert their affiliate code into Amazon and presumably other sites links.
edit: and I just got back, so can do any edits you would suggest to the article
I'd take off the Vibram Five Fingers, unless you caution your running geek to take it easy in them.
In a marathon I did on Sunday there was a lady wearing VFFs who already had two stress fractures, but was still determined to run in them. We questioned that decision....
I think some people might be reading "Born to Run" and jumping full on into barefoot running and VFFs without taking the time to get their feet used to the minimalist style! That said, they do work for a lot of people.
> I think some people might be reading "Born to Run" and jumping full on into barefoot running and VFFs without taking the time to get their feet used to the minimalist style!
There is often an evolutionist explanation for it that goes something like "the human leg and foot evolved to run barefoot", but isn't there a flaw in the explanation that running usually happened on dirt, grass, and not on the paved streets of New York? In other words our feet won't do well running barefoot on concrete or asphalt.
I am not a runner but just wondering, how many people use VFF for marathons successfully without injury? Is it a high number or it is still very very small minority?
I transitioned in a few ways. One, I intentionally changed my stride for distance training while wearing Nike Air Free Everyday trainers. Two, I did short runs on the sidewalks barefoot to toughen up my feet. (It's gross.) Three, I started wearing the VFFs everywhere else where possible.
I trained for years (12 yo+) as a middle-distance (10k) runner, so the biggest adjustment was to eliminate my "make this stride as long as possible," technique, which lends itself well to heel-striking.
Now that I run on the road in VFFs, I definitely know for days afterward if I tired enough on a run to fall back into old habits. I can barely walk and have to roll my calves and shins. Mind you, I'm too close to 40, and I think I could have pulled it off pretty easily when I was 15-20.
> but isn't there a flaw in the explanation that running usually happened on dirt, grass, and not on the paved streets of New York?
This seems intuitive when considering the difference in impulse between a sidewalk and a grassy lawn, but I'm not sure it actually makes any difference if you have good form - the idea there being that your calves take all the impact (remember impulse, again), versus your knees. Muscles can develop - whereas joints and bones can deteriorate. There's a good illustration of this in the following link from Harvard, which elaborates on the mechanics of foot strike with pretty charts showing the force generated in different scenarios: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFo...
I started running in VFFs in September, 2009, but didn't seriously commit to running in them until January of this year. I've since logged 1,200 miles in them and haven't looked back. I've done numerous 20+ mile runs in my Vibrams, including a marathon within the past month. There were 2,700 entrants at that race, but only two runners (including myself) wore VFFs. I haven't had any stress fractures or other injuries since I've started wearing them, even when logging around 60 miles per week. (This is not to say that I disagree with the other comments in this thread.)
I'm pretty passionate about barefoot running. I love to see others joining the movement, so I try to encourage best practices to those making the transition. If any of you have questions about how to take the plunge, feel free to follow up here or contact me via email.
Am on mobile at the moment, but I wholly agree, and mentioned that in the guide I linked to next to the Five fingers site link. Good to emphasize though, and I will add that soon.
I'd recommend a Tonido plug. Who wouldn't like a server the size of a wall plug that uses only $0.50/month in electricity? It runs Ubuntu with root SSH access so the possibilities are endless. It's under $100 too.
Considering that hackers are usually open to experimenting new things, why not try something new on Christmas that could become one of your passions? This could be a good time to enter the world of tea/tea-brewing, something that a caffeinated hacker should be able to appreciate. Buy some starter kit (below $50) and see how it goes.
Gadget-wise, if you don't have it already you should definitely buy an ebook reader.
Considering that you are in Germany, these two companies from uk: cantonteaco.com and jingtea.com (suggested in the tea for hacker thread* , i've just done my first order from them), have various packs with a selection on different teas+infuser and the prices are in the 30-40£ range. Also, check out Steepster.com if you need reviews about a particular tea, the founder is on HN, jroos1.
It would probably include a few types of tea, plus a tea mug (with a mesh infuser for steeping the loose-leaf tea and a lid to maintain water temperature), some measuring utensils, etc.
I'm surprised he chose a 1TB drive for backup over a year of online backup - a physical drive fails a lot more easily than a company whose sole purpose is backing up your data, and if he/she already has a computer that has a disk of a size close to 1TB, the drive is going to fill with backups.
Good suggestion! I'm surprised I forgot to write CrashPlan pro. Though I did have Dropbox on there, so I suppose that counts for a bit. I added CrashPlan pro to the $25-50 section.
For me, I will use a second 1tb drive as a raid 1 drive mirrored to my main drive, to prevent against drive failure. The really important stuff on there is saved in Dropbox anyway.
I've been using it on a daily basis since September and it's absolutely phenomenal.