Daily Handy Tips

Archive for September, 2009

Every industry has its myth about products, technology or features. The massage chair industry is no different and many myths have been put forward. One paticularly persistent one is about the number of motors. This myth claims that the more motors the better. There were claims of shiatsu massage chairs having 6, 10 or even 18 motors. Of course, having more motors can be advantegeous, but also has tradeoffs. Are these claims sustainable in reality. This myth is put to the test.

This myth buster will challenge the more motors the better the chair. There are inherent advantages to having more motors, such as more massage movements. As with anything, there are tradeoffs, such as quantity versus quality. Can a massage chair with 18 motors have the same quality motors in a chair with only 3 motors? Keep in mind that motors are one of the most expensive items in a massage chair. Since, motors are not cheap, as the number of motors increases, the cost of the chair increases holding the quality level equal. Obviously, there is a great chance as motors are added; the quality level of the motors will drop.

Weight is a consideration since motors weigh between 2 lbs to 5 lbs each. Imagine a massage chair with 18 motors, each weighing 5 lbs for a total of 90 lbs just in motors. Motors can quickly add more weight. Space is another important consideration. There is only so much space in a shiatsu massage chair for the motors and the mechanisms driven by the motor. Shiatsu assage chairs with 3 motors in the chair back are already constrained, where do the other 15 motors go?

How is the quality of massage with more or less motors? High end luxury massage chairs generally have 3 high quality motors to power the back massage rollers. There are individual motors to run the kneading massage and to run the tapping massage. The third motor drives the roller unit up and down the chair back. The tapping and kneading motors can be run simultaneously for the shiatsu massage.

There is a 5 motor design where the kneading and tapping use two motors each. This is done by having a motor on both the left and right side rollers for both the kneading and tapping. Having 2 motors for kneading splits the duty and should lead to longer motor life. Did it make any difference in the massage capabilities? There was no noticeable difference. Is more better?

There are still massage chair companies that claim to have very high numbers of motors. Certainly, they are not motors performing massage functions. These massage motors are expensive, heavy, take up space and are integral to a long, trouble-free life. Many massage chair companies jumped on this fad and perpertuated the myth. If adding motors does not add massage functions, then what is its value? In this case more is not better. More motors creates more potential problems, complicates the design and servicing. More motors also means the quality level is being sacrificed versus models with less motors. This myth is built on hype. Simple is beautiful!

It is said that the the idea for hand powered radios originated in the early 1990s when a British inventor decided to come up with a solution to a problem in Africa, where educational radio broadcasts were seen as important to spread the word about transmission of diseases, but electricity was scarce. The inventor came up with the idea for hand powered radios, which operate through a cranking motion.

While hand powered radios may have been developed for Third World countries, they have a place within our developed world as well. Should you be unlucky enough to be affected by a natural disaster of some kind, such as a hurricane, you may be without grid power for a considerable period of time. In this case, this great invention will allow you to keep in touch with what is going on.

Survival specialists put together a special kit including a hand powered radio, a flashlight and cell phone charger. Cranking the handle or even squeezing it, should you be impaired in some way, would be enough to power these items. The kit also comes with a whistle to help you attract assistance to your plight.

We do not have to think about disasters or problems when it comes to uses for a hand powered radio. If you love camping, then you should take this along with you and as you will have no access to electricity, you will be able to have some form of entertainment to enjoy during evenings around that camp fire.

Those of us who have endured the aftermath of a hurricane, will testify to the fact that it can be particularly unpleasant, especially at night if you have no power of any kind. The kits including the hand powered radio, cell phone charger and flashlight can be an amazing help during these times.

Every home emergency kit should contain a hand powered radio, just in case a natural disaster of some kind were to strike. Unfortunately, most of the population of the United States is vulnerable to some kind of catastrophe and they should always be prepared.

The feeling of being alone and being unsure of what is going on around you is a very unpleasant one. You feel that you should know what authorities are saying and what advisories are being issued, as well as being able to call someone or see around you at night. Just by cranking the hand powered radio device for 30 seconds, you will have up to 30 minutes of information from your radio.

Handcranked technology is a fairly simple concept and is based on the repetitive motion theory seen in numerous electricity generating projects such as hydroelectric generators, for example. It is being further developed and expanded to provide hand powered laptop computers for developing countries.

Problems and irritations will occur between any two mates. Our partner will be rude at times, unpleasant to us at times, thoughtless towards us at times. If we can’t let these irritations go, we will begin to a big problem in the relationship.

We can get stuck thinking about what they did wrong to us, how they shouldn’t have done it, etc. If we keep thinking about it and getting mad about it, we create even more relationship damage.

Thus, forgiveness. It is necessary to keep relationships from spiraling out of love.

But how can you forgive when what happened is so upsetting and keeps replaying in your mind? How can you let it go when it won’t let you go?

Well, forgiveness is a skill, that, like any other, takes some practice to develop. However, it can be broken down into several parts. One powerful part of forgiveness is to try on not taking what they did personally.

What does this mean? It means that when they were rude or when they were unthoughtful or when they yelled at you that it is about them, not about you. They are trying, like all of us, to do the best they can. And, like all of us, they get frustrated and upset and irritable about things from time to time. And sometimes, they will vent or release that frustration all over you. You just happened to be there!

If you can not take it so personally, that creates room for forgiveness. “Oh, they just had a bad moment.” “They just had a bad day.” This helps you to let it go, and that is what forgiveness does, helps you to let go of past transgressions.

Letting go is a key to forgiveness. If you can’t let go of things, you are the one who will walk around for days after reliving a negative event. You are the one who stays hurt. Forgive, and it heps you, and it helps your relationship.

There you are, 2 miles from home, in the pouring rain and your scooter crawls to a complete standstill. This is a story that many of us are familiar with and, no matter how much you may not like it, the chances are it is our fault. By not looking after our mobility scooter batteries correctly, we are just asking for trouble. It isn’t hard to reduce the likelihood of a repeat episode however.

Each time you return home, take a minute or two to plug your battery into its charger - as with me, mobility scooter batteries perform far better when well fed!

If you are heading off on holiday, or not needing you scooter for an extended amount of time, (anything over 3 or 4 days really), it is best to remove your battery from charge and disconnect fully from your scooter. This ensures the battery does not overwork and limits the possibility of wear.

Where you store your mobility scooter batteries is also important. Ideally, this should be in a shed or garage. If you have to keep the scooter and batteries in your home; ensure they are kept away from damp areas or areas subject to marked temperature changes.

Just as damaging as heat is damp. Now, fortunately this is something I have not been affected by, (fingers crossed!), but friends have assured me that simply wiping everything down at the first sign should halt any nasties in their tracks!

Finally, no matter how well you care for you mobility scooter batteries or the scooter itself; ensure both are fully serviced by a qualified engineer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. By simply following these tips, you should get an awful lot of life and sustained performance from your scooter.

Picture yourself as a mature speckled trout basking in the shallows of a barren East Matagorda Bay mud flat. At last, beams of light penetrate wintry clouds and are warming an insulating mud bottom, energizing your lethargic attitude.

You start to move, cruising right along the flat until you see it - your favorite spot to feed. The patch of mud with its shell pad is a familiar landmark and you think back happily about years past when you would happily fill up on all you can eat shrimp and finger mullet. Your stomach immediately starts to grumble as you recall these feasts.

You take up your favored feeding spot right where the mud meets the shell bed, watching the water above you for signs of a meal. You spot a delicious looking six inch mullet at two o’ clock and get ready to spring into action.

Before the mullet even knows what happened, you’re drifting back to the bottom feasting on your first catch of the season.

Soon after, a wobbling, wounded-looking mullet pierces the water’s surface, several feet away. Vibrant in color, the four inch bait fish gently dances, flaunting its dazzling body as it sinks leisurely through the water column.

Like a flash of lightning you’re on the mullet and it’s in your jaws - but this one seems to be stronger than you!

A fierce head shake hurls the previous 6-inch mullet from your jaws; but the invisible, pulling force never ceases. You grow tired and succumb to the grip of a Boga at your lip.

“Ten pounds at least!” a man yells.

Two other men approach, admiringly looking you over. Is that a camera flash you see?

Finally they unhook you and pit you back in the water, exhausted but relieved to have survived the ordeal.

“Courtesy of a Corky Fatboy!” is faintly heard as you dash back to the warming protection of your feeding ground.

Of course, trophy trout don’t actually understand what we’re saying (do they?). Otherwise, they’d be well aware that being fooled by that lure was the fulfillment of an angler’s fondest wish.

After James Wallace caught that famous record breaking speck, the news got out in fishing reports in no time and trout fishers everywhere started to use Corky slow sinking soft baits just like Wallace had used. With their wobbly broken-back motion and a size about that of a topwater, these saltwater fishing lures can be just what a big speckled trout is looking for when used with a slow retrieve.

“It got crazy when Wallace caught that fish,” states B&L Corky founder, Paul Brown. “Anglers poured into our shop and literally bought every single Corky off the shelf.” Even after so many years, this Corky craze hasn’t slowed in the Brown family’s Houston-based shop.

Captain Mike McBride, a fishing guide in Port Mansfield is a man who knows Corkys well and uses these lures along with his own one of a kind retrieve to land speckled trout on the lower Texas coast.

“You work your lures a bit differently based on what part of the coast you’re on, but I try to pop the knot off while trying to keep up with the slack if at all possible,” says McBride. Contrary to the advice you’ll find in many of the fishing reports, Captain McBride doesn’t generally go with the slower than slow approach many use. He instead uses more aggressive movements which mimic the behavior of real baitfish, which as he points out is the beauty of a Corky in the first place.

Captain Jesse Arsola, a Matagorda trophy-trout guide, swears by a particular science when working Corky’s.

“When trout are aggressive they will nail anything; but when you have to work for them to bite, technique really comes into play.”

“I use a counting system nearly every time I work a Corky. Count how long it takes for the Corky to reach the bottom. Vary how many seconds you let the Corky fall before yanking the slack out of the line. Find out which count you are catching your fish on. This gives major insight in knowing which part of the water column the trout are feeding on best.”

Captain John Havens, a tournament angler from Clear Lake, Texas favors chartreuse, white, and gold sided Corky Devil and a rather routine retrieve.

“All you have to do is to make sure you keep in constant contact with the lure so you can tell when you have even the littlest nibble,” Havens says. He lifts the rod and gives it one or two twitches before letting his lure fall, the only variation this expert angler uses in his retrieve.