Elliott C. Back: Internet & Technology

I bought a Seiko Men’s SKA201 Arctura Kinetic Watch from Amazon for ~$150 more than 5 years ago. It’s a great watch and lasted decently, but recently it’s worn down and no longer charges up when you wear it on your wrist.

So, I googled around and ending up sending my watch to a company in Denton, Texas called BestFix Watch Company, Inc.. The watch came back shiny, looking new, ticking, and charging up again–I don’t know if there are other good repair places out their, but this shop was really worth it.

(No, this is not an ad!)

If you were lusting after the sold-out Union Street men’s DSLR bags which retail for a hair-raising $279, I’ve got an alternative for you. One that I’ve tested out on a 4-day trip to Puerto Rico, carried through the jungles of El Yunque rainforest, and in the unyielding heat of a sultry day in viejo San Juan. It’s the Tamrac 3537 Express 7 Camera Bag. It comes in either Khaki or Black, and sells for just $50. It’s a good looking messenger/shoulder bag:

The benefits are obvious:

• Nylon material is simultaneously lightweight, strong, and waterproof
• Ample pockets let you carry a Nikon D90 with Zoom attached, an SB-600, a 50mm prime (small lens), and two other lenses or a litre of water. There is another front pocket, two side pockets, and a pocket on the flap.
• “Quick access” flap and carrying style lets you get your camera out and shooting very quickly.
• Shoulder strap, handle, and rolling luggage piggyback let you carry it however you want.

This diagram convinced me of its usefulness:

Amazon reviews give it 4.5/5 and I agree, it’s a fantastic camera bag if you are a DSLR or SLR owner. Especially with a prosumer-size body. If you have a full-frame camera, you might want to check the dimensions, as the body will be larger than what I’ve tried. But with a Nikon D90 or equivalent, it’s a perfect fit.

This will work to make conductive gloves that you can use to control your iPod, iTouch, iPhone, or iPad in the winter! Normally wearing gloves means no Apple product love, but when you follow this DIY tutorial, for $5 and a bit of elbow grease, you can make yourself a pair of angel’s gloves!

Materials needed:

• One (or more) gloves
• Conductive thread ($5 sample on SparkFun or Soft Circuit)
• A heavy needle

Here’s what you do. [Step 1] put your index finger in the glove and mark with a marker, pen, or pencil, where your finger pad lies (so that you know where to sew). [Step 2] measure off a good length of thread and thread your needle. Make a knot at the other end, like this:

[Step 3] Begin to sew a small vertical square through the pad all the way through the glove and into the inside. The thread bridges your finger to the outside world:

[Step 4] Finish up your square, and it should look like this. If you sew well and use a heavier needle than me, yours should look far better than this!

[Step 5] Sew another horizontal square overtop the previous one. When done, tie off the thread and cut the excess! You are done!

I just tried it out on my wife’s iPad and it works! My index finger has magical properties! To get better results, practice on a softer glove first–sewing into leather with a regular needle (like I did here) is not just hard, it’s stupid.