global_jd

Walkman one-piece earset

The form of a device influences how we're likely to use it.

If you're studying a foreign language, then you know the importance of regular daily exposure. This is even more important if you're trying to retain language skills you already possess. But it can be hard to schedule review sessions throughout a week, particularly when you're also trying to learn new things as well... there's less than a thousand minutes in a day.

Any audio program in general, in fact, whether podcast or audio book or lecture series -- suppose there was an easy way you could get at least half-an-hour of it a day? Without throwing off the rest of the things you want to do?

Sony has a tool which may help, "NWZ-W202", the "W-series Walkman MP3 player". (Websearch only gives a Sony press release and PR images, but here's link with Sony product copy at Amazon.)

$60, two gigabytes, MP3 etc. Two earpieces connected by a band, they say it weighs less than two ounces. There are bigger, cheaper audio players. But the big advantage here is the form-factor.

It takes less than five seconds to set up, less than two seconds to shut down. It has no cords or separate pieces.

You can use this while dressing, washing the dishes, brushing your teeth, folding clothes, cooking, sweeping, unpacking the groceries... it is much easier to use throughout the day than any other audio player I've ever seen. It's a very practical way to claim minutes from your day.

Putting it on: Hold it so that you can see the red "R" and the white "L' on each earpiece. Put it behind your head, then hang them on your ears. Settle the speaker near your ear canal. Let your right thumb flick the job switch to the back. In two seconds you'll hear the startup tone; in five seconds you'll start hearing your material.

Taking it off: Just take it off your ears and connect the magnetic latches between the two earpieces. The device will automatically shut off when it's off your head and magnetically connected.

Comfort? Some people say they run with it. I wouldn't trust it that far myself. But it is one of the most comfortable earsets I've worn.

UI? Pretty clean. Right earpiece has a small pause/stop/forward/rewind toggle, easy to use. Pushing this in triggers "zap mode", with 3-second previews of each track -- push in again to select a track. Also has small "+" and "-" volume pushbuttons. Left earpiece has a small "shuffle on/off" button. Easy to load up through a variety of computer software.

Durability? Don't know. I break a lot of earbuds and such, but this looks a bit stronger, and less exposed to damage, than other audio players I've tried.

Most of the Amazon comments on this focus about running. None seem to make the point that it's so quick to put on and take off, that you can use it far more often than other types of audio players. If you've only got five minutes of chores, then this is still worthwhile to put on.

I've got Cantonese textbooks and Malay phrasebooks on mine, and with the way spoken-voice compresses, there's still lots of space available. Courseware which doesn't work for intensive repeated audio-only exposure becomes more useful when shuffled among other material, listened to casually as you're getting packed up for the day.

The big reason I'm excited by this audio player is that it is giving me a half hour, an hour through the day that I didn't think existed.

Brushing your teeth, without pursuing your goals... not as much fun as if you are!

Packing notes, PRC09

I recently lived 23 days out of a carry-on and a daypack, carrying a computer, camera, and plenty of books. I've already pruned away many of the things that don't work on earlier trips, so here's some gear that does work, as well as some gear I still have to improve.

Basic outfit? I had two pairs of tactical pants, and two 5.11 Tactical shirts, in navy and khaki, in medium and light weights. Under the shirt was a lightweight longsleeve REI performance T-shirt, their "Sahara" line. In hot weather I could wear the shirt open and untucked; in middling weather I had two layers of sleeves to roll up, and in cold situations I was pretty windproof. Plenty of pockets -- the pants can hold maps or a guidebook, the shirts have large internal document pockets, both top and bottom have secure passport pockets, and there was much flexibility in arranging gear. These tactical clothes can also take a few days' wear before needing to hit the laundry. Very flexible; I'm sold.

While traveling I topped this with a Filson Travel Vest. I've been using this for a few years (it's more expensive now!) and it's functional while not looking too dorky. At first I used this as my main gear-holding clothing, but when overburdened it tends to drag on the back of the neck. Now, with more pocket options in pants and shirts, I can use any of the vest's many pockets to hold whatever's convenient. Rephrased, instead of just sequentially filling empty pockets, now I'm just using pockets when I need them, and many of the pockets remain empty. Much more balanced. The zipped pockets, large map pockets, and large split front pockets make for a very secure carry. (The split front pockets are interesting... there's a patch pocket with snap cover in front of a large handwarmer pocket, but the patch pocket has a full-length divider, for a total of three storage compartments. Easy to find stuff; easy to layer things so they sit tightly and don't jumble together.) I didn't use the Filson Travel Vest for day-tripping at all this time... just for transit (handy in an airline seat!) and as an extra wind-barrier layer.

I carried four more pieces of clothing, for layering and emergency use:

• A burgundy longsleeve Feather Cloth Shirt from Filson. I brought it as emergency third shirt and as dress shirt, but it's supernatural enough to serve as everyday shirt... only downside relative to 5.11 shirts is two big pockets instead of four. This is Filson's lightest, tightest cotton -- it's a solid shirt, but it dries overnight in the shower, faster than any synthetics! I think the weave may be tight enough that water just drips out and can't stay. I'm continually amazed. Blocks wind but is very comfortable in heat, and packs up to very small size. If I had to use only one shirt for multiple days, this would be it.
• Under Armour Heatgear Compression Fit leggings: I was skeptical, but now I'm sold. These are lightweight longjohns, tight yet stretchy. They felt very weird the first few times I wore them, but after a few washings they feel much more natural. I'm not sure if this is in their catalog anymore... sorta like this or this. Served multiple purposes: extra layer of insulation for cold which was not uncomfortable when warm; great for long airplane flights for reducing pooling of blood in lower body; useful as an extra sleeping layer if needed. It dries very quickly, and holds up well between laundromat visits.
• Filson Lewiston Knit Henley: This is no longer in stock, but was selling for US$30 during closeouts. It's a very finely-knit cotton, windproof and insulating. Rolls up to an exceptionally small space. Can function as a second undershirt, or outside the overshirt as a sweater. Could be removed and stored discreetly in a Filson Travel Vest map pocket. Saved my butt more than once.
• A very lightweight pair of "convertible" pants, with zip-off knees. Useful as emergency pants, hotweather shorts, swim shorts, sleepwear, and as overpants for very cold conditions. Rarely used, but I'm glad I had them.

Two more essential pieces of clothing: A lightweight red Supplex ballcap (which could be suitcased if I met a nice hat), and a heavy 33" red-patterned cotton bandana. The bandana sounds incidental, but it was of daily use: as a scarf to block wind; as a bib when slurping noodles; as a washcloth to dry hands at a restroom (there's often no paper or heaters); tied around my head babushka-style underneath the ballcap for a high-wind hood (Yangtze River at 20 knots, baby!); as storage to hold buffet nuts and dried fruit until I could pack them for later snacking; to mop my brow; more. In the past I've used 24" bandanas, but the larger size and heft here makes a big difference. Available at Wild West Mercantile. My secret weapon against weather changes. :)

I've learned something about socks. I usually wear calf-high cotton athletics under wool socks, double-layering 'cause I walk a lot. While traveling I often add a fast-dry thin polypropylene sock liner (yes, three layers) to make the cotton last longer by avoiding skin contact. Wool just needs to air out to freshen up, but at one point I realized I was sending cotton socks to the hotel laundry even though it cost more than just buying fresh cotton socks. Future plan is to figure on buying and discarding middle-layer cotton socks through the trip, washing them only if convenient. (Those socks I discarded in Singapore this spring did indeed die a noble death.... ;-)

Anther travel tactic this trip was early mailing of guidebooks to a hotel I'd reach mid-trip, as well as mailing back guidebooks that I used on the first part of the trip... at any point I was carrying only half of my book/map load. Some downsides: it's expensive; it can be confusing to mail at book rate from a foreign country; when mailing into China the package was opened for examination, and not all that unobtrusively. But the Kindle hasn't stocked the material I need, and I'm not certain if a Nook can be turned into an effective travelguide book.

I carried an extensive medical/toiletry kit. I used an Eagle Creek bag, maybe this one, used as a belt pouch while walking around, and inside the maps pocket of the Filson Travel Vest while in transit. Held rare stuff like bandaids, aspirin, vitamins, toothpicks and earplugs and such, but was regularly used for Chapstick, Purell, and Ayr Saline Nasal Mist. I suspect the latter is very important when traveling in areas of high particulate matter, or when confined in an airplane -- salt may deactivate many pathogens, but moisture helps keep your nasal cavity at its strongest. Anyway, this Eagle Creek belt pouch of health supplies was again very useful.

I didn't carry any melatonin for jetlag this time... wish I had, but couldn't buy it in time. I regularly use Walgreen's sleeping pills on a plane, and rely on their caffeine pills for tough mornings without a coffeepot. I carry laxatives and anti-diarrheal pills... glad I've never needed the latter, but I should pack a light laxative to use at the end of the outbound airline trip. I carried four tubes of Airborne but was short, and managed to eke out the extra Vitamin C tablets... multivitamins I averaged at 1.5 a day. Three small Purell containers. I carried one ounce-sized toothpaste tube and relied on hotels for the rest, but wish I had a backup of my own stuff. I did not carry any skin-moisturizer (other than Chapstick), but needed the hotels' supplies to avoid breaks in dry skin.

New, and a winner: "Smells Be Gone", a 4oz. spray bottle. Haven't tested it conclusively, but so far it has seemed to help hotel-sink washing and packing dirty laundry. Not as objectionable as some of the wintergreen deodorizers. Will be buying more and trying it in different situations.

Pocket tools were few. I packed and carried my usual beltpouch of nailclippers, tweezers, magnifying glass, marker pen, safety pins and so on, but instead of my daily vintage Leatherman I used a Leatherman Micra tied by 8" cord to a flat compass. If I needed strong pliers I would have failed, but the Micra's tweezers can function as an eyeglass screendriver, so I came out ahead. (A compass is necessary, even if only for figuring out directions while in an underground mall... GPS/maps is promising, but still seems a hassle in many locations.) I carried one 10' length of paracord, but should have carried two... I tied a bunch of canes together and then lacked a spare cord for emergencies. But bottom line on pocket tools: nothing got confiscated at airports this time! :)

Flashlight shoutout: Streamlight Stylus Pro, bright and durable, clips in a pocket like a pen. I wrapped some flat paracord around it to make a finger loop for open-hand carry. My daily savior.

Computer was a 10" Dell netbook... only three hours on battery, but good connectivity with few hassles, and a keyboard that became more workable with time. Camera was a nice Nikon Powershot, but I didn't use it enough to justify it... too busy looking directly at things. Also brought a transistor radio, but rarely thought to use it this time... would have been interesting to turn the dial up and down in West China and on the Yangtze.

I used two pairs of shoes, some great LL Bean slip-ons (now discontinued) for hardcore walking, and some lightweight slip-ons for airplanes or hotel. I didn't carry an extra daybag or bookbelt... this trip was mainly supported by pockets, very comfortable. For electronics it was just chargers for camera and computer, and a Radio Shack transformer, no socket adapters necessary in the PRC (wall outlets supported the China-style 3-prong as well as cylindrical 2-prong).

The suitcase pack has slowly improved. My old Filson Wheeled Carry-On is getting beat up by unnatural airline damage, but it's still sturdy, presentable, and tight. Bottom layer holds shoebag, shavebag, gearbags, pipes, books... above that go two shallow layers of Eagle Creek packing cubes for clothes. Took me awhile to figure out how to use it.

I need to improve my passport carry. I need a small flexible container which will lock out moisture and prevent crushing, and which will fit in any of several secure pockets.

Wallets included a zipped pocketsafe tied to a beltloop for ID, credit cards and reserve cash... a slim nylon billfold for spending money and receipts... a change purse for coins, which seems pretty much a necessity throughout Asia. Made it easy for a quick pat to ensure that everything's where it should be.

Summary: This trip I improved my layering strategies, and succeeded in shaving ounces and inches in enough small ways to make a big total difference. I can live out of a carry-on and daybag for weeks at a time.

Rearview sunglasses

I've been shopping eyeglasses which include mirrors so you can see behind yourself.

Why? I'm tired of bicyclists sweeping up behind me on the sidewalk, at speed, six inches from my body. I do sidewalk-scans better than anyone I know, and still got caught three times last month. People entering the sidewalk from a doorway or car behind me and running ahead also aren't safe. Using rearview mirrors reduces the cost of scanning for new traffic behind.

What types are available? I've done a lot of web searching, and still am not sure. Testing notes on four options are available below. Aside from bicycle mirrors attaching to the eyeframe, or small mirrors in the corners of the glasses, the main idea seems to be to apply a layer of mirroring on the inside lens of the glasses, on the outside third or so. It'd be great if this was available as a standard option on any set of glasses.

How well does it work? Very well. Takes a little training, and then you have to grow new sidewalk-scanning patterns, have to make it a habit. But it has already saved my butt a few times. During a quick walk outside today, I realized I now felt naked without it.

Angles: If you wear them down on your nose, or up above your ears, the mirrors will be pointing at the sky. When they're down on the ears and up on the nose, and your head is straight, you'll be looking right behind you, just by shifting your eyes to the lower-right or lower-left. Makes me conscious of walking with my head straight. Takes a little adjustment going up and down hills to be able to see the sidewalk behind.

Lighting: Another surprise is how much the external light affects visibility. It's easier to see in the mirrors if the rear is brightly lit and you're walking into shade. But if you're walking into the sun, then it's hard to see in the mirrors. A brimmed hat can make it darker behind the lens, easier to see into the mirror.

Reality: Bicycle forums have had long flamewars about whether mirrors make you more safe or less safe. The big argument seems to be "It doesn't replace a headturn when changing lanes", and that's true. But it does reduce the cost of checking behind, and should be supplemented by full headturns as needed. Sometimes you need to pay attention to tricky areas being traversed... sometimes you can't risk the balance issue from a quick turn and return... sometimes oncoming traffic needs attention and you shouldn't risk blindness behind... sometimes a headturn actually sends a signal to other people in the traffic stream. A quick discreet check of the mirrors is much easier.

Some models:

1. A clip-on-eyeglasses bicycle mirror costs $10-15... looks dorky, works great. Even though it's on only one side, it's easy to move the head and scan the entire surrounding area.
2. $5 plastic sunglasses actually work well. They seem to be made in Taiwan, and are available at novelty and spy shops. But they're big and plastic and make me look like El Rayo-X.
3. There are hardshell oval lens glasses, each 2.5x1.5 inches, thin metal frames. Cost is usually $20-30, sometimes coming with a case. This is the one I've been using the most, even though it's a little dark, and the mirrors don't seem quite as sharp as some of the others.
4. There are also more rectangular lenses, also $20-30, about 2.25x1.125... look almost like pince-nez, but a little thicker, and with earpieces. These are the darkest I've used so far, but with a very sharp mirror image. I think they'll work if regularly moved up and down on the nose... otherwise, it can be hard to see in the shade. I'll probably bring these as a backup to Taiwan.

A novel danger: Be careful in traffic when starting. That mirrored stripe means that sometimes there will be a flash which appears to be in front of you and off to the side. It's startling to be standing at a corner and to see cars suddenly rush by where they shouldn't be. I still flinch at the false signal sometimes, but it will become natural with practice.

Practice: Try tracking an item as it moves behind you... a pedestrian you've passed, someone standing by their car, someone walking at an angle behind. Try switching mirrors while watching something behind. Check weird headturn angles, trying to catch sight of the object at one try.

What'll I do? Well, if someone comes up behind me, right down the center and unsafely, I'll step aside. If there's no room for them to pass, I'll stop and block them with the cane, with a "what are you doing" mien. But preferably I'll see them 20-30 feet ahead, and just be able to do the standard cane-twirl warning, no confrontation and no eye-contact, but the moving object makes them go "uh-oh", very naturally. (From my usual immediate reactions after nearly getting hit on the sidewalk I was first afraid that I would use the hook of the cane on their neck, or the tip to kill their spokes -- it's that upsetting to be at the mercy of an idiot -- but once I tried the glasses I realized I had many more options, and could deter an assault rather than just punish it.)

Buying tips: Try searching with terms like "('rear view' OR 'look behind') sunglasses mirrored"... lots of garbage results, but some real places. Amazon has a few, through third-party sellers. Distribution doesn't seem mainstream... there's lots of amateur storefronts listed that I wouldn't trust with my purchase, not sure how secure their databases are.

Additional notes: Doesn't work that well for girl-watching, although it's still better than nothing. ;-)  On the bus it can be weird. It's much much better for estimating speed of an overtaking pedestrian that repeated headturns are. I wish there was lighter-colored glass and more frame options. 

Bottom line: Having discrete mirrors in sunglasses while walking makes it easier and cheaper to frequently scan the entire 360-degree range of potential traffic. It takes a little training to use this additional capability effectively, and then to make it habitual. But, having used it, it's hard to consider going back to irregular headturns as the sole way to protect from idiots behind.

Duluth Presentation Jacket

Paul Saffo says he learned of it from Tim O'Reilly. The jacket is available in brushed twill, as well as denim and canvas. I've got one of each, but they all act differently... twill is the tightest, denim the loosest... my twill doesn't have the upper arm mobility the others do (may be a change in pattern). The Firehose Canvas took a look of work -- half-a-dozen washings, and I ripped out the sleeve linings, and finally started abrading the cloth with a wire whisk until it started feeling broken in. The denim one may be the most comfortable, although it still has sleeve linings, and weighs a little than I'd expect.

Another approach is Travelsmith Travel Coat. It's also a blazer cut, but in unlined microfiber... I can pack it up into an Eagle Quarter-Cube, just like a shirt. It functions as an outer shell to block wind and mist. I use wear a vest as a base layer, and keep this jacket as a shell. (With the Duluth, the jacket becomes my base layer, which sets a limit on high temperature.)

Funny to see this stuff mentioned on Cool Tools....

Vests

New category, that I've been thinking about for a year but haven't written... casting a vote here on the web for some of the physical tools I've found I like, clothes, bags, pocket tools, gear.

Vests have been an issue for me for a long time. As a kid practicing magic, I knew all this mystique about vests but was not in a situation to even imagine such a use.

Towards 1984 I found an early cotton safari vest at the original Banana Republic on Upper Polk, and I was sold on the functionality, the pockets, and temperature regulation. But once I wore that vest out I couldn't find a good replacement. By that time there were more and more vests on the market, but more dorky, and with more people wearing them so it was easier to look dorky.

Then the first fleece vests came out, but these abraded quickly, were affected by the sun... after five years there were more types of fleece vests available, but the features also seemed to drop down to least-common-denominator.

Packable ultraleight vests? Not if you're carry a bag over your shoulder... pills up really quickly, and the pockets don't provide support for a load. I did find a nice Northface zipper vest, tight navy quickdry, zipper pockets top and bottom and cargo pocket with velcro Napolean map pocket, on each side... still use this one, good for travel too.

I was excited to find an Orvis leather travel vest a few years back, but the leather and lining were too heavy, didn't bear up under warmer temperatures. Pockets were laid out nicely but lacked actual capacity. I'm still breaking it in, though, maybe it'll have more character in five years.... ;-)

Filson travel vest works. It does a lot, and it hasn't let me down. I've used it as my always-on base layer while travel, and it's excellent. Washes well too. But I don't want to wear it every day because I'm not sure how it will hold up to daily abuse for a few seasons. (It may hold up -- it's good 6oz cotton canvas with good stitching -- I try to save this vest for when I need it though.) I have had some people make "fisherman/photographer" comments, even though its front pockets are modest, however.

Split front cargo pockets with snap closure and back handwarmers... excellent, a revelation, more should offer this, sold me on split pockets. Left and right full-face compartments, very flexible, quick to access. Multiple zipper pockets on the facings of the inner pockets. No back pocket, which made me leery, but I haven't missed it in practice. Front zipper is relatively light plastic, but feels very sturdy... I wish it had a two-way zipper, though, so I could unloosen at both top and bottom.

The balance of the cloth is significant. The back is a single layer of 6oz cotton, while the front has up to six of these layers to provide the various pockets. The back is thin, the front is up to 36oz in spots. Helps in warmer weather, because the back overall is light and breathes, but it's just an asymmetrical weight between front and back.

Lately I've been working with a Filson Tin Cloth Cruiser Vest. It's a dense 11oz canvas with a resist finish (paraffin or ScotchGuard based, I don't know). My feeling is that this will not only wear will, but it will take awhile to wear in... it's a very flexible cloth, comfortable first time I wore it, but it feels like it will really break in, even better than a good dungaree jacket or such will. Pocketing is minimal yet flexible and functional... the heaviest spot is three layers of cloth. Two front snapped cargo pockets, smaller than the travel vest, and with no back handwarmer pocket. Front right is an open-top pocket (which could use a snap), and front left is a Filson-style four-slot pocket (I snipped the threads on a divider to make a pocket for my 3"x4" planner, leaving a pen pocket on either side). Inner pockets are along the entire bottom up to about the third button, with a central snap... great, flexible. Back cruiser pocket will hold a sweater or shell. I wouldn't wear this when dressing up, but for daily use I have a feeling it will burnish, become more useful with time.

Lately I've been used a TravelSmith vest with good results too. This is actually more a sleeveless jacket than a vest... coat length, down to the bottom of the butt, rather than to the belt line like many vests. The material is a teflon-coated synthetic which I think is the same fabric I've used in a convertible Columbia coat... no abrasion problems, feels good, quiet, looks good, breathes well. Their inner pocketing is a standard Orivs-style system, but it's sewn onto a separate panel from the front of the coat. Between the two is a loose pocket, great for maps or such, and there's an inner cloth wing to prevent the materials from falling out along the side seam. Good stuff.

The flip side of using a vest, particularly as a San Francisco pedestrian, is what to add for a warmth layer. I've been using sports jackets, inner sweaters, and an extra shirt, but haven't settled on anything in particular yet. One thing that seems to be working well is an unlined microfiber shell cut as a sports jacket... light to scrunch up to pack, breathable, water repellent was well as a windblock. TravelSmith has one.