4th of july fun : modified sparklers

By Josh Highland in Josh's Rambling, semi-legal

circa 1999

If you looked through my permanent record, you would see that in the past my friends and I have been known to do dangerous things with fireworks.

When it comes to safe fireworks, sparklers are cool until you learn how to make the other fireworks explode. This year I found out how to make sparklers cool again by making them explode!

I guess you take a bundle of sparklers, wrap them all in electrical tape really tightly, leave one out for a fuse. light and run. amazing! This is for sure something that I’m going to add to my bag of tricks!

Here is the video on how it all works:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/697373/more_bang_for_your_buck/

my new (used) laptop

By Josh Highland in hardware, Josh's Rambling

toshiba_satellite_a100_le4.jpg
Over the last weekend, I overhauled a “broken” laptop that I got of craigs list for a steal. Its a Toshiba m55. 1.6 ghz pentium M, 1 gig of ram, wide 15in glossy screen, 2 batteries, charger, needed a hard drive, $200… stoked! (I replaced the hard drive with a 120 gig western digital)

I’ve been wanting a laptop more and more recently because I feel like I could be getting things when I am away from the notPop Labs (aka my computer room). I end up spending a lot of time on my cell phone (t-mobile mda … http://www.mdaTweak.com), but never really getting anything accomplished. Now I can use my phone as a cellular modem, and use my laptop to get some work done.

I think having a decent laptop also opens me up to the world of coffee shops. I always seemed to do my best school work in a coffee shop, lets see if that holds true when it comes to working on my personal websites.

Look out world, Josh Highland is computing wirelessly now again (this is my 4th laptop in 10 years)!

update: On top of getting the laptop for a great price, my friend Luis Majano just hooked me up with a super sweet laptop bag for it. woo woo!

cycling

By Josh Highland in Josh's Rambling

I don’t like Lance Armstrong, I don’t really like the sun, and I’m not a fan of lycra shorts. Despite this, I have decided to start cycling. Many of my best friends have become avid cyclists over the past year. Two of my friends don’t even drive cars anymore, they just ride their bikes, most of the time over 50 miles a day. They have a great time doing it also.

Recently I have started training to be a kick boxer (muay thai), and I have realized that I need to work on my cardio and my hip strength. I think that riding around town with my friends will be more exciting and motivating then siting in a gym with an ipod on, riding a stationary bike.

I live in Redlands, California. Every year Redlands plays host one of the largest bike races in the United States, “The Redlands Classic“. There are lots of people who cycle around here, so that means lots of used bikes. CraigsList.com is awesome for that sort of stuff.

Last Sunday I bought a used bike through Craigs List.

roadbike.jpg

  • Trek 5000 OCLV 56 Carbon Frame
  • Shimano 105 Components
  • 23/13 cluster
  • Mavic Wheels
  • New Saddle
  • New Brake and Shift cables

Once I figure out what all that means, I will make another post. Right now all I know is that I don’t have all equipment that I need to ride it yet. My good friend Hardcore Steve has been awesome and kicked me down with a helmet and some shoes. I have a feeling that many good times are going to be had if I don’t crash and kill myself, or get hit by a car and die