Why do so many people rave about Amazon's recommendation engine? I bought a Canon 40D from Amazon only a few months ago, have looked at various accessories for that body, and have a Canon lens on my wishlist. Why are they recommending me a Nikon battery?
After years of being cold on the slopes, I think that I've finally gotten the gear to keep myself warm. Through a high of 4 degrees Fahrenheit a few days ago and 16 degree snow with 20+ MPH winds today. I'm sure someone will find this information useful.
I wear a helmet, so hats are out of the question. Instead, I have an Icebreaker Quantum balaclava; in addition to being quite warm, it stays so even when wetted with snow or breath. As for tops, I wear an Under Armour ColdGear mock turtleneck with an Icebreaker Bodyfit 260 TechTop over top of that. I think this combination of a tight-fitting synthetic base layer with very warm merino wool atop is the best way to go. When the weather is very cold, such as the aforementioned bitter or windy days, I wear a Descente Podium vest. I top this all with a Spyder Rival insulated jacket.
My hands have always been a very difficult part, but was the final piece that I solved this year. I'm wearing a pair of Manzella Silkwieght Windstopper gloves, which are just thin, polyester pieces, inside a set of Black Diamond Mercury Mitts which are absolutely wonderful. The mitts are roomy enough that my hands with those liners fit easily, allowing me to quickly pop them out to take pictures, use my phone, or deal with my gear. Polyester for the liners is good because it shed snow when I do pull my hands out of the mitts. The my outer handwear also has insulation that is easily removable, making overnight drying a snap.
On bottom, I wear a single pair of Smartwool socks and a couple of pairs of polyester long underwear. I should really get some wool long underwear, because it's certainly better than polypropylene. Generally, though, I'm doing enough with my legs that I don't have that much problem.
Note on brands: I mention all the brands of things I wear because it makes clear exactly what I'm talking about. Generally, the style of the item is what is important. For example, Smartwool makes tops very similar to the Icebreaker one I mention. I know that North Face makes tops much like the Under Armour ones that I like. As for vests, I very much like the North Face & Mountain Hardwear ones that I have, in addition to the Descente.
Harley Shaiken had a piece on Marketplace yesterday arguing that high labor costs, the sticking point for Senate Republicans concerning last week's bailout, are not a prime reason for the US auto maker's downfall. I don't feel the need to break apart Shaiken's short argument, because he sums it up well in the final sentence, "A superior product, high productivity and high wages pave the road to a healthy economy and a decent society." We can all agree that workers in Detroit have high wages and the indigenous car manufacturers even have good productivity; but a superior product? Not a chance.
The prime reason that Asian cars sell so well in the United States is because they have a superior product at nearly every price point when compared to the US companies. Often features are not what makes domestic cars pale compared to their Korean & Japanese counterparts; usually a general air of cheapness, from bad switchgear and low-grade plastic to unsorted suspension American cars are made to a much tighter budget. The reason? High labor costs at the plants of domestic auto makers, an average of $78 vs. $45 for non-union plants, force those car makers to make up for these costs elsewhere. The only way to compensate for such a large disparity in costs is for the US manufacturers to cut back on the amount of money put into their product, hence the low-quality cars.
This video clip from a 1977 film Gizmo! shows a 1930s newsreel clip of a man doing Parkour moves, well before such a thing had a name or community. It's incredible to see exactly the same movements being performed 75 years before I had ever imaged doing them. About 20 seconds in he does a wall-run top-out in the exact same fashion I've seen numerous people do on the high box at Primal. Neat.
Discussed previously on the APK Forums here.
