Perplexed Orange Independent Biker

I love these headphones. Bought them 5 months ago in August ‘09 at REI. I think they are a great value for good sound and the all-important iPhone button that lets you answer calls, pause, and fast-forward. I could do without the volume control.

I just replaced them using the REI 100% satisfaction guarantee, because the original pair developed a short-circuit near the jack, in the button circuit. When carrying the phone in a loose jacket pocket, the pause and fast-forward functions were out of control.

I hope this new pair lasts better, because I really like them. I might even buy a short extension cable, just so I can limit the short-circuit to that easily replaceable jack.

http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/asym-black-red-micd.html

Handsome Devil

Originally uploaded by dansteeves68.

Took my new Handsome Devil out for a shakedown cruise this morning in the fresh snow and aging ice fields of Minneapolis. Visited Hurl at CRC & Jesse at Handsome to show off.

Initial ride impression: This bike is smooth. Like my old Falcon. I like it. My track bike was so twitchy, which I realize now was not ideal.

The build was easy as follows:

* Handsome Devil frame and fork via CRC
* According to Jesse, I am the first customer to own the Handsome branded seat collar :-D
* Origin 8 headset installed at CRC
* Shimano UN-53 bottom bracket from old bike (110mm spindle length)
* Shimano 105 square taper cranks from eBay
* Time ATAC Alium (newer style) pedals from old bike
* Surly fixed-fixed hubset, originally 120mm spaced out to 130 (chain line looks good on inside ring)
* Nitto Moustache Bar w/ cheap stem from old bike
* Brooks B-17 w/ cheap post from old bike
* Fenders from my parts bin
* Assorted stainless fasteners from my local hardware store. I’m especially pleased with the 5mm long set screws used to plug the shifter boss and fork rack threads.

The build was difficult in two ways:

* The drive side dropout was too tight for the hub axle. It looked slightly squished which may have happened in transit or in my garage. I spaced it out a bit using gentle pressure on a pry bar.
* The bottom bracket threads were very clean, but I needed a 5 x 0.8 tap to clean out the threads on all the bosses.

Testing

Delta and Northwest Airline admits their online checkin doesn’t work on a Mac. Pathetic.

> From: Delta.OnlineSupport@delta.com
> Subject: Re: Web_Feedback – Current and Future…
> Date: 8 March, 2009 12:31:07 AM CST
> …
>
> Dear Mr. Steeves,
>
> Thank you for contacting us concerning your difficulty with our online
check-in option. At this time, the problem with printing your boarding
card appears to be directly related to the Mac platform.
>
> Currently, delta.com is designed and constructed to be best viewed by a
Windows-based, PC platform using Internet Explorer 6.0 (and higher), as
well as Netscape 7.2 (and higher) browsers. This was established based
on the dominant type of users throughout the industry. We regret that we
cannot guarantee service on every computer platform. However, we will
regularly review the Mac population of users and respond accordingly.
>
> We recommend that you take advantage of our airport kiosk location to
avoid the ticket counter lines.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jessica Tribbey
> Online Customer Support Desk
> http://www.delta.com

_UPDATE, 28 Oct: This isn’t working right now and is very frustrating. I can sync a new database from either device but can’t get the iPhone to take the latest from the MacBook._

Tonight I upgraded from OmniFocus 1.0 to 1.5 sneakypeek, purchased OmniFocus for iPhone, and set up free WebDAV sync using sharemation.

Downloading and installing the OmniFocus upgrade was easy, as was purchasing OmniFocus for iPhone from the app store. The first time I ran the upgrade it converted my database which took a minute.

Creating a free account at sharemation was easy. I did not create any folders there. To connect to the highest level folder using WebDAV from Finder, connect to “https://sharemation.com/username”.

Next I set up sync for OmniFocus on the Mac. Knowing the URL, username & password that worked in Finder was all I needed. The first sync took a couple minutes.

The next thing I did was send my settings over. This did not go so well. I kept getting trapped in a loop of selecting between the local & server databases, or re-entering my sync username & password. I finally got out of this by syncing the local database from the iPhone to make a successful sync from there. Then on the next sync from my Mac I had to tell it to use its local database, not the blank one I’d just synced from the phone. On the next sync from the phone I got the right database down, I think because I didn’t have to enter credentials again.

So there was a bit of hassle, but with some perseverance it seems to be working. And free. If I was doing it again I would back up my database, then sync blank or starting databases to get sync going, then restore the backup & sync it to the phone.

Dew cockpit

Originally uploaded by dansteeves68.

I feel pretty responsible for Craig’s relationship with this Kona Dew Deluxe, as I helped him select & purchase it a couple years ago. The result was good for both of us, as he likes the bike and we ride together.

Last year I helped his wife select the Titec H-Bar as a birthday present. This week I finally got around to properly setting up the brake/shifter pods for the new bar. Craig has a smaller Dew, which came with a 70mm stem. When he simply put the h-bar on a year ago, he had to leave the brake/shifter pods way out on the tips of the bar ends because the cables were too short.

Well, I finally got this bike into my garage for a few days. I found a longer 110mm stem in a local shop used bin, and bought some cable stuff. I had a hard time deciding between this setup and the pods on the extension side of the bars which was better for braking. But the shifting was just too awkward out there, so here it is. I like the “jaunty” Rivendell look of the long-ish cables. I maybe could have taken an inch or two off them but there you go.