Kikuyumoja's realm

• just another multitool

  Posted: April 24, 2011, 2:47 am by jke

  The only reason I am posting the following is because I get terribly excited about multitools. Think of Apple fanboyz and you’ll know what I mean. I think it’s the EveryDay-Carry (EDC) syndrome – the need to have the perfect tool in your pocket.

  EDC also reflects a lifestyle of preparedness, where the individual wants to be prepared for the majority of situations ….(…) People who carry EDC items have a mindset of planning ahead for emergency situations. (src)

  Fortunately, I am not alone on this and there are others who not only visit EDC-forums, but also come up with detailed reviews on my latest purchase: the Leatherman Squirt PS4 (e.g. 1, 2 & 3) and even their own (and very smart) modifications (& here). Unfortunately though, my new Leatherman PS4 does not have screws but rivets, so modifications are very limited. The perfect tool does not seem to exist yet, but we’re getting closer with every iteration.

  
  A Leatherman Squirt P4 I bought some time ago forwarded as a gift to her father. He really loves this one and prefers it to his older pocket knife.

  The Victorinox Manager 0.6365 I got instead of the LM Squirt P4. A very nice & slim pocket knife that comes with a pair of tweezers and ballpoint pen. Mentioned here because I think the perfect tool should also come with such a handy ballpoint pen and tiny screwdrivers. Also, Torx 5, 6 and 7 would be great!

  I bought the LM Squirt PS4 (not P4) because it comes with pliers and isn’t that much bigger than the Victorinox. The tools I need the most are a) knife, b) screwdrivers and c) pliers. When I switched to the Victorinox in 2009, I also stopped carrying my LM Charge TTi – so I always missed the pliers. Hence this recent purchase of the PS4 which is a successor to the P4.

  
  LM Squirt PS4 vs. Victorinox Manager

  The quality on the LM could be a bit better. This also applies to the Charge TTi below. There’s a clear difference between the tools Leatherman produced some years ago and the ones they are selling these days. Victorinox clearly wins here, even though steel quality is equally bad. Sufficient for my needs, though.

  
  LM Charge TTi vs. LM Squirt PS4

  I’ve paid about EUR 20 for this LM PS4 and it arrived within only 7 days from the US. The cheap EUR-USD exchange rate probably is another reason for my love affair with multitools :-)

  The real winner of my EDC concept is the Swiss+Tech Utili-Key 6-in-1 – because it looks like a key and is on my keychain. A great little helper that even passes through TSA while all other tools have to be stored in the luggage.

  Are you also infected with the EDC virus? What’s your favourite EDC gadget?

  P.S.: There’s a Wiki on MultiTools. God, I love the internet! 1!11

  
  

• eggbotlicious

  Posted: April 19, 2011, 4:21 am by jke

  “Do you have a nice vector logo for me?”, Simon asked me via Twitter today. Not knowing what to expect and since I missed this particular tweet earlier today due to still missing push notifications on Android, I failed to answer in time. But Simon just picked the Kikuyumoja-Tusker logo from my site, converted it into a vector image via Inkscape, distorted it to fit on an egg and switched on his latest toy: an Egg-Bot.

  What’s the Eggbot?
  The Eggbot is an open-source art robot that can draw on spherical or egg-shaped objects…(…). [more]

  This certainly has to be the GREATEST Easter present – ever. I am so lost for words, dear Simon. Asante sana!

  
  

• on money

  Posted: April 14, 2011, 7:56 pm by jke

  
  If money has been around on this planet for so many centuries, how come we (humans) are still at a very basic level to define the monetary value of things you can’t buy in shops?

  Am asking this since I just read this short article on future mobile (billing) technology and wondered if money as we know it in its various forms will be the right record to define a value.

  Taken to my special level of interest – public toilets and the provision of sustainable sanitation with an understanding for closed loops among its users – what needs to happen until users are ready to accept these new ecosystems where the positive impact on society & environment isn’t (primarily) measured in EUR, USD or CNY?

  
  

• ReverbMag

  Posted: April 11, 2011, 4:37 am by jke

  Ein kurzer Hinweis auf meine Artikel beim reverb magazine – einem neuen Online Magazin, für das ich derzeit schreibe.

  (Facebook | Twitter)

  Do epic shit. Das ist natürlich eine gewagte Ansage, steht aber auch stellvertretend für den Anspruch und die Geisteshaltung, den Leser mit interessanten Themen zu unterhalten und einen wirklichen Mehrwert zu bieten.

  Für mich ist es auch eine neue Erfahrung, weil ich meine Texte auf Deutsch verfasse und zur Veröffentlichung freigebe – statt auf Englisch wie bisher (hier und anderswo). Betreut werden wir Autoren übrigens von jungen Online-Journalisten, die sich u.a. mit diesem hübschen Bildband schon einen Namen gemacht haben.

  Kurz: das reverb magazine ist ein gut gemachtes Blog mit spannenden Themen, kurzweiligen Artikeln und freut sich auf Euren Besuch! :-)

  
  

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Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

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The end of the fish cakes