There always seem to be plenty of unpatchable bicycle inner tubes around here but they don't get thrown out until they rot and start to come apart just hanging on a hook. I have had some of the cheap tubes do that. I don't know what will take their place if I ever go to tubeless (not likely) or solid (likely) tires.Non-skid tips for my walking sticks and staff are the latest use.
I took a section about 8 inches long and pulled it several inches on the the stick gave it a full twist then pulled the opposite end on over itself. Then I seized it with some of my lifetime supply of marlin left over from my sailing days and folded the excess rubber down over that. It ain't pretty but it is functional and cheap.
I still call this stuff rubber but it's not. It only resembles rubber. It's useless as rubber bands for my slingshot and I have not found a practical replacement.
The lifespan of these tips is unknown but they are easily replaced.
On the left is a couple of my homemade walking sticks with commercial tips. Some call them canes and I don't know why as they are not made of cane. The light colored one is live oak and the dark one is wild black cherry so I am told.They're gifts from the trees in my yard and were brought down in Hurricane Gustav. I use to carry a walking stick only when my ankles were acting up but I have found of late that it helps with a problem I am having with my left heel as well. Just that little bit of weight that goes onto the stick really helps.
They also double as a dog ball bat. Dog ball is a game I play with various aggressive dogs that think they would like to nip at my heels. One inning is usually sufficient.
Update on the battery adapter I reported in my May 17 post. It didn't work out. I forgot to use the KISS rule and ended up with something that popped out if I just looked at it wrong. After a while I was cross eyed from trying to stare it into working. So back to the drawing board (figure of speech I seldom plan anything). This time I kept it simple.
I placed a piece of tape on the negative end of the cell like the cell on the left in the picture below. When placed in the device it is electrically isolated. Then I just crammed the wires into the unit until they made contact and it has been working fine ever since. This is a different player than what I started with but it works the same. I am using it because it plays my SD flash cards. The other one has a radio so both get used.
Why do I go to all this trouble? Because I have these D Cells that are too depleted to use in our hurricane lamps but they will still operate these players for days. After that I use them in series to run a LED night light until they won't register anything on the voltmeter.
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3 comments:
Great idea for reusing old batteries for your mp3 player and then old night light. I was wondering, if you wanted to take your mp3 player on a walk or for a bike ride, where do you put the player. It looks too big to put in your pocket. Maybe you could make a sling out of extra inner tubes to hang the thing from your shoulder?
It's not a problem as I never multitask. As a member in good standing of the "Slow Down Now" movement I see multitasking as a moral weakness. Walking or riding a bike while listening to music is multitasking and I'm agin' it.
Actually the mp3 players are so small i can get them in my mouth although I wouldn't carry one there. Just peel the tape off the battery and it's good to go on the AAA if I were so inclined. I have never needed music, talk radio or TV as back ground noise in my life. Uh oh' I feel a blog post on that subject coming on! See what you've done.
Seriously, check out slowdownnow.org I think you'll like it.
You are correct about slowing down. I don't listen to music and walk or bike either. I have Buddhist friends who tell me the dangers of multi-tasking, and I believe them. However, I am weak, and I find myself eating oatmeal and reading blogs at the same time. Both experiences become diluted.
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