Saturday, October 29, 2016

Secret Hitler board game DIY

Autumn colors and cold rain is perfect for arts and crafts, a DIY weekend project. Actually more like afternoon project.
I found an interesting board game named Secret Hitler. It is similar to Mafia, but in this, you get playing cards and a board.
secret hitler board game diy
The game is played with 5 up to 10 players. There are 2 teams, fascists, and liberals. The point of the game for the fascists is to get Hitler chancellor or promote 6 fascists laws. The liberals to win have to promote 5 liberal laws or kill Hitler.
So the first thing is to download the game from the kikstarter site. (download)
The pdf with the playing cards is b&w, and you do not get the full deck of cards design. All of the fascist cards are the same as well as the liberal cards. The real deal has beautiful artwork for every fascist and liberal card.
secret hitler board game diy printTo make the game I decided to get a thick paper, 300 gram (color cardboard). To print it I used my 10-year-old inkjet Canon printer. It needed a very slight nudge to take the thick paper in but after that, it was smooth sealing. I used color cardboard instead of plain white to give the game a bit of the original feel.
The total cost of the supplies was about 4 $, plus a few hours for printing and carefully cutting.
The colors I used for the cards are: yellow for the chancellor and president cards, blue-gray for the laws, role cards and party member card, and red for the board.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Opinel No 8



For some time now I am looking for a hiking,  general purpose knife. Of course, first time I started searching for one my mind went directly to Crocodile Dundee -That is not a knife, this is a knife..

but using reason I managed to pick an Opinel no 8.
What I want from a hiking knife is to carry it safely (folding is a good starting point), to have a decent size blade (8 cm is good enough) for cutting food with not too much trouble, stainless steel blade because I will be using it to prepare food, a locking system so the blade doe not close on me.

I found in the Opinel all of the requirements above.
Of course, a folding knife is not as strong as a fixed blade, but I will not be alone with my knife in the jungle where I have to hunt to survive. So opting for a folding blade is more practical. A 30 cm blade would be great if I would hunt for bears or crocodiles. But for cutting the bread and buttering it, it makes more sense to use a smaller blade.
I found a lot of fans of the brand and a lot of reviews of the knife. A lot of them say you can not beat the knife at this price point. (I paid 10 dollars for a stainless steel 8 cm blade Opinel).
First, when I opened the package and got my hand on the knife I said, it's priced according to what it offers. The folding mechanism is encased in wood, and this is not a good thing in my opinion. The wood shrinks or expands and this affects the blade unfolding force needed. It can jump from hard to open it (going to break my nails and fingers) to if it's not locked the blade will just swing around.
It is an old design, farmers knife. In my opinion, the company should work a little on the design.
opinel blade #8 folder knife
Opinel No 8

The knife didn't come very sharp. So the first thing was to sharpen the blade to an acceptable level. Second thing was putting mineral oil at in the pivoting mechanism several times and braking it in. Several days of opening and closing.

opinel blade #8 folder knife
opinel blade #8 folder knife

At this point, i consider the knife has not too much not too little friction during blade opening/closing.

Another thing that I do not like is the finish of the fishtail handle. It is too rough on the hand, so I might just sand it down and maybe reshape the back of the handle.
But after a week of having this knife, I started to like it. And I like it for its simplicity the same reason I didn't like it at first. The wood handle, the simple locking system, the classic and beautiful design that survived over all these years.



Saturday, August 13, 2016

Bic matic grip in cinema

You do not need a high-end pencil to do some sketches, a comfortable one works just fine. It's all in the wrist finally.
In the movie American Ultra, Mike Howell played by Jesse Eisenberg likes doodling and sketching.
The results... Bic Matic will draw*
bic matic pencil in movie bic matic pencil in movie sketchbic matic pencil in movie bic matic pencil in movie sketch

At some point in time, probably in the 3rd or 4th grade, I had a Bic Matic, the older version (classic by today's standards).
It had a white barrel with black clip and black front part, 0.7 mm. From my memories, it was my first (or second) mechanical pencil I ever owned. After seeing it in the movie American Ultra I am starting to get nostalgic, maybe I will get a new Bic Grip Matic.


It seems Thor is a fan of Bic as well. If you want to see Bic appearance in other movies view this post as well.

*  reference to "Forged in fire"

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Penac Chubby and Faber Castell Grip Plus

Two different brands of stationary, same mechanical pencil.

Faber Castell Grip Plus:
The mechanical pencil comes in a plastic body with 4 available colors (green metallic, blue metallic, black metallic, red metallic). It has a triangular rubber grip and a twist eraser. The clip is plastic similar to that on the Grip Matic.
As the mechanical pencil is for general writing purpose you have the option of 0.7 mm lead. Also, there is a less common 1.4 mm lead size version. It has a slide back sleeve and spring lead protection, for when you push too hard on the pencil.
faber castell grip plus vs penac chubby

Penac Chubby 10:
Penac is a Japanese brand produced by the Kotobuki & Co Ltd. Chubby 10 is a large grip, "jumbo" by the producer standards. The pencil has a plastic body. You can choose between 0.7 and 0.5 lead. Available colors are blue for the 0.7 mm and black for the 0.5 mm.
It has a twist eraser, PVC free the same as the Faber Castell. It features cushioned lead and a sliding sleeve, the same as the Faber Castell.

faber castell grip plus vs penac chubby



The only thing that seems to differ is the clip. The grip is slightly different also, but not much.
The real difference comes in price though, where the Penac is half the price of the Faber Castell.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Sculpture in pencil lead

Modern art is not restricted to oil paintings or sculptured granite blocks. Now art is everywhere, train station, building walls, pavement, coffee art, sand painting, and why not in toilet rolls

Salavat Fidai is an "experimental" artist who among others does pencil sculpture, lead sculpture to be more precise.
A couple of images of his impressive work
lead sculpture pencillead sculpture pencil

For more, you can see Salavat Fidai work at www.salavatfidai.com, or on instagram

One question, can you use them for writing?

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Stadtler Tradition pencil seen on screen



Seen on the screen comes back. Now with a pencil, Tradition 110 from Staedtler. According to Staedtler website, the Tradition is a High-quality pencil for writing, drawing, and sketching has an unbelievably break-resistant through special lead formulation and super-bonded lead. The wood is from certified, sustainably managed forests (I don't know what to say about this, we all heard about VW). Well, who knows let's give them credit until proven wrong.
The pencil comes in 12 degrees of hardness

Made in Germany.


In the movie The Numbers Station (2013) a bunch of Staedtler Tradition pencils can be spotted, apparently, grade B. The movie is poor - ok-ish but I'm not going to make further comments on the movie quality.
The main actors are John Cusack and Malin Akerman.
Note: I want to mention if by chance you see in the rest of the post the name Tom Cusack it's the same actor John, it's just I like to call him Tom :). He looks like a Tom for me.
Now that Tom is out of the way:

Right in the first scenes when the two are in the bunker receiving/sending numbers the pencils can be spotted.
the numbers station 2013 pencil staedtler
With very good eyesight and zoom, you can actually see Tradition B written on the pencil in the middle.

the numbers station 2013 pencil staedtler
In this first two images, John Cusack is picking up the pencil from the bunch and plays with it.

the numbers station 2013 pencil staedtler
In the picture above Malin Akerman is holding the pen, taking notes
the numbers station 2013 pencil staedtler
Spot the Staedtler.
Apparently, it is also good for holding your hair, not only for writing. Who knew?!

As I said before the movie is, how it is, but I have learned that Staedtler Tradition is good for playing when bored, good for writing, and good for holding your hair (if you have long hair)
Also, the movie made me aware that a number station is a real thing, not a made up bunker for John/Tom Cusack and Malin Akerman.

According to Wikipedia:
"A numbers station is a type of shortwave radio station characterized by unusual broadcasts, reading out lists of numbers or incomprehensible coded messages. The voices are often created by speech synthesis and are transmitted in a wide variety of languages. The voices are usually female, although sometimes men's or children's voices are used. Some voices are synthesized and created by machines; however, some stations used to have live readers. Many numbers stations went off the air due to the end of the Cold War in 1989, but many still operate and some have even continued operations but changed schedules and operators."

How does a number station work?
A number station provides a way to communicate in plain sight, transmitting a series of characters or numbers over radio waves. Everyone can listen to the transmission but only those who have the decrypter can understand the message.
The people decrypting needs a one time pad which is provided in advance.
More about one-time pad -The Laws of Cryptography

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Review of Parker Urban Premium, a premium ballpoint?

Parker is a well known brand with high quality products. Today I am reviewing the Parker Urban Premium ballpoint. The Parker Urban collection is comprised of mechanical pencil, fountain pen, and ballpoint pen.
Parker is a big brand, known for good quality writing instruments, having in it's range some iconic fountain pens that shaped the industry for many years. If you do a google search on Parker you will be surprised to find out that Parker is the supplier of fountain pens for the royal house of England.

parker urban ballpoint color plum


The design of the pen.

It has a interesting design, inspired I think from a bullet (or maybe a sexual device). I'll leave the design for you to judge. Let's call it "urban". It is classy and modern at the same time.
the pen's body is made entirely out of metal. The grip is a smooth shiny metal, thicker towards the middle of the pen. If you tend to grip the pens high you will find that this is quite thick. The most concerning aspect of the grip though is the shiny metal, but I did not have problems with lack of grip. As a disclaimer I do not use the pen for extensive writing sessions. I use it for note taking, a few lines, a page maximum.Though I can see for some people with sweaty or oily hands this could be a more uncomfortable experience. So your millage may vary...
The barrel is made from a colored metal that has groves in it. My version is a plum - brownish color, which in certain light looks like a shiny brown/black. The pen comes in various colors.
The clip has the traditional  Parker arrow shape. It is a nice clip as it seams very secure and strong.
To advance the ballpoint you have to twist the pen. 
Because I use the pen especially for taking quick notes I would prefer for the pan to have a push button mechanism as it is more convenient.
The pen uses a standard Parker refill.
parker urban ballpoint color plum

The feel:

The grip is made out of polished metal. It has a substantial thickness at the top and tapers down to the tip. Because of this if you grip your pens high and you have small hands it can be uncomfortable.  The polished metal grip is fine for me, but your experience might be different. As I said, I do not use the pen for long sessions of writing. In general the pen feels good in hand, it has a good weight to it. The ballpoint comes with a standard Parker refill size 1.0. I like the way it writes, it is very smooth, gliding effortlessly over the paper. Because of the weight of the pen you do not need to put extra pressure to write, a "fountain pen" grip is enough.
The pen looks rather well built but at a closer inspection it falls short in some places.
My first complaint about the construction regards the joint between the grip and the barrel. It has a slight wiggle. If you shake the pen in your hand you can also hear the movement of the joint. I consider this a minus, not because it is something you feel when writing but is something you  feel when you first touch the pen and hold it. As a expensive pen, with a body entirely made out of metal, made by a reputable and known writing instrument maker I consider this to be a short coming. In my opinion an expensive pen should look and feel expensive
The other thing that annoys me is the twist of the pen. The twist is not smooth as it should. The feedback is a bit scratchy and it seems off somehow. I would liked a smoother and easier twisting mechanism. Maybe with time the action will improve.
parker urban grip metal

parker urban body and clip

Verdict:

The pen was 45 € which is approximately 50 USD, so it is not a cheap pen. At this price The pen writes incredible I'll give it that. If you like heavy and thick pens (for some the weight is a characteristic of quality) with a premium look this Parker could be a decent contender for a spot in your pencase. But at the same time a Parker Jotter stainless steel would do it's job just as good as the Urban at a lower price point with a more iconic design.

Friday, December 18, 2015

The man who stares at goats, what does it teachs us about engaging terrorists

In this days when terrorists and Star Wars is mentioned on news feeds daily I think we should all take an example from Lyn Cassady, the character played by George Clooney in the movie The Man Who Stares at Goats.
Lyn Cassady is an ex-military man who was part of a special unit in which they were training in paranormal activity. He is traveling with a reporter Bob Wilton played by Ewan McGregor.
Lyn is constantly talking about his mental abilities and the possibilities of the mind while they are captured by a group of terrorists.
In the basement where they are held hostage Lyn explains to Bob that it does not matter that there are more terrorists and they have guns because they are Jedi "we are Jedi's Bob, we don't fight with guns we fight with our mind"
basement escape pen

Friday, August 21, 2015

Q&Q sport watch review 2nd update

q&q running watch 150 laps timingToday was a roller coaster. I thought I am the luckiest man alive, just to find I am just a regular Joe. This is the last update of the Q&Q sport watches because today was the end of it. Just 10 days before the second year of wearing it.
Why today was a roller coaster, and why I thought I am the luckiest man alive? Well The watch broke, actually the strap broke, and the warranty of the watch ends in just 10 days. Who else had this luck in life, a product needs replacing just 10 days before the end of the warranty. It usually happens just after it is out of warranty. But not today, today I need to buy a lottery ticket. Or do I?
q&q running watch 150 laps timingI went to the shop I bought the watch with the warranty to find out that the warranty does not cover the strap just the mechanism. I tried to explain that the strap is part of the watch and can not be replaced because is not a regular strap. I had no luck, apparently, the strap can be changed, but the bring it only on request, it takes a few months and it cost almost as much as the watch.

As I feared when I bought it the custom strap is a bad thing as it's not practical to change it if something happens. But to be fair, most of the sports watches use custom straps that are hard to replace in case of break down. So I can not be to upset on Q&Q. It's just a shame because I really liked it.

I have to find a new sports watch. I am thinking to get the Timex Marathon or the Casio Tough Solar WS200H.
Do you have any suggestions?

If curious about the watch without this glitch check the previous posts: Q&Q reviewQ&Q review update

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Vintage Lanco wrist watch


17 RUBIES INCABLOC, handwind lanco mechanical vintage wrist watchI have recently bought another watch from eBay, this time a Lanco mechanical hand wind wrist watch for which I paid 9 $, shipping included.
Lanco is a brand of Langendorf Watch Company, which was a large Swiss watch company founded in 1873. The Langendorf Watch Company was bought in 1965 by SSIH (Societe suisse pour l'industrie horlogere SA), a holding under which many other companies existed. In 1973 SSIH reached it's peak selling approx. 13.6 million timepieces, of which 70 percent where pin lever watches. The Japanese inexpensive quartz watches became the main rival of SSIH (quartz was a fearful competitor to the majority of mechanical watches). At the end of 70's the holding was in financial trouble. In 1983 the ASUAG and SSIH merged forming SMH (Swiss Corporation for microelectronics and watchmaking industries LTD). This created the largest watchmaking company. Both ASUAG and SSIH where holding companies, so the merger took a few years to implement. In 1998 the company changed the name to Swatch Group.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Pentel Energel on the screen

Watching the tv series Better Call Saul, I spotted a Pentel Energel pen. For you that do not know, Better Call Saul is a sideshow of Breaking Bad, on AMC. It presents the background of Saul Goodman the lawyer in Breaking Bad, his efforts of creating a name for himself, establishing a legitimate practice,  and the interaction with different characters that made a mark in Breaking Bad. In the 6th episode, Mike is the star. His background as an ex cop is under the spotlight, how did he end up in Albuquerque, and what made him leave the uniform for the criminal life.
Seven episodes into the life of Saul Goodman and I can say is a great show. Give it a try, especially if you enjoyed Breaking Bad.
Back to the pen spot.

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