Closure - A Really Cool and Imaginitive Flash Game

Close the upgrade box and:

Click the Red "Begin" in case it's not obvious

IMPORTANT: For whatever reason once the game loads you need to hit the Tab key for it to work properly the arrows on the keyboard are the main controls,

and the "R" key will re-start the level. - Have Fun

More Games at arcadecabin.com | Cool Generators

Alsop Redmond Mousepad - I Love This Mouse Pad

We have a couple of these mouse pads and I have to say, they are the best mouse pads I have

ever owned, hands down.  They are metal and thus rigid and the surface is some kind of semi

slippery hard plastic.  If you get a good mouse with slick teflon feet, the mouse practically skates

across the surface.  The nice thing about the metal aspect for us laptop users is that the mouse

pad can be used on a soft surface like a sofa or Ottoman with the same feel as a table top.  For 

gaming, graphics or any other mouse intensive tasks, I highly recommend this mouse.

CB Jackets

During the early 1980's these jackets were the thing to

wear, and kids in my high school would wear them indoors.

I had a blue one with black where the pink is on the one

below. Nearly every boy had one of these at one time.

Purportedly they came briefly back into style in 2004,

but I can't remember the last time I saw one. Sorry

about the crappy pic, but this was the ONLY one the

Googles would show to me. Maybe it was only a New

England trend? I dunno, but I could not even find one

on e-bay.

Napier - Bentley

Although it looks like Jay's tank car, the Blastolene special, the 

Napier Bentley pre-dates it by 30 some years and it has a weirder 

engine, a W-12 Napier aero engine, which although not quit as 

large as the Blastolene's 1800 cubes, weighs in with a still

respectable 1,400 cubic inches.  Like Jay's Blastolene, the

Napier Bentley is a one off and was constructed in 1972.

Bonus fact, before the 8 litre Bentley chassis it was originally

built on Sunbeam running gear.

Rotary Radial Engines

That is not a typo, in the early days of aviation planes often

used rotary engines. In this design the entire engine rotated

and was attached to the propeller while the crankshaft was

fixed to the plane (The exact opposite of the way things are

generally configured). This may seem like a strange way to

go about the business of powering an airplane, but it worked

surprisingly well. The momentum of the heavy rotating engine

and propeller had several benefits. The mass of the rotary

allowed the engine and prop to continue rotating even

if the engine was not firing.In these times carburettors

were very primitive and could not maintain the proper air

and gas mixture as the throttle was open and closed. The

rotary design allowed the pilot to set the proper mixture at

wide open throttle and use the ignition to vary power delivery.

Simply put, when the pilot wanted to land, he would simply

cut off fuel and let the propeller and engine windmill during

the descent until he was about to land and needed power once

more. At this point the pilot would open the fuel valve and the

engine would re-light at full throttle. During the final approach

and landing, the pilot would briefly cut the ignition to vary

amount of power delivered by the engine. It's hard to describe

but the sound is unmistakable, check out the video, you will

see what I am talking about.

Also here is a video of the full sized version in a Sopwith Camel

Marin Hamilton 29er

I have always preferred 29 inch/700c wheels on bikes for the road, probably partly out of habit

and partly because I am 6'4", in any case I am really pleased with the current popularity/fad of

29 inch wheels. Bikes as a whole have gotten hugely expensive, granted the parts are top notch

and miles ahead of the old days, but still, even a decent starter bike costs a ton new. Part of the

problem is probably the complexity of modern bikes, with indexed shifting, a berjillion gear hub

and a level of precision that would have been unavailable to all but the top racing teams 15 years

ago. I don't know about you, but as a semi out of shape middle age dude, I don't use half of the

gears on my bike and probably use closer to 1/4 of them (keep in mind I am in a congested

urban environment that is not too hilly). I got my bike for about 1/3 of retail price because it

has a large frame, was a 2 year old model on clearance and the dealer was discontinuing that

manufacturer. What I am getting at is that I never would have ponied up full boat for this bike.

All of this brings me to the modern 29er, the Marin Hamilton is a single speeder, but it has a low

enough gearing that it could probably meet most of my modest needs and it's pretty cheap at

a tick over $400. The only thing it's lacking IMHO is a multi speed hub, in this case the Shimano

8 speed sealed hub. Seriously, add that modest gearing and it will easily cover all my needs.

Well, almost. The handlebars need work. Straight handlebars suck as far as I am concerned,

there are just too few hand position/riding posture options to make them comfortable. I prefer

Nitto Albatross style bars, which are remarkably similar to old skool 3 speed bars, either that or

Japanese style mustache handlebars (which I have not tried but look promising). So, add the

Albatross and the gear hub and u are in business. For those of you generationally challenged,

here is a picture of modern Albatross bars.

Rohloff Speedhub 14 speed bicycle hub

Like many folks growing up in the 70's and 80's, the last time I rode a bike with a shifting hub it

was on an English 3 speed and it was not pleasant. They were probably poorly adjusted and

in need of some service, but they shifted terribly and I never gave them a second chance or

thought. Well, as it happens, some folks have been giving it a lot of thought and the current

state of the art as nearly as I can tell is this incredible German made 14 speed hub. Though I

in general try to avoid excess complexity, a derailleur setup is not prize in the simplicity dept

either. The Rohloff has been out for at least a decade and by all accounts is extremely reliable.

The hub is completely sealed and purportedly maintenance free, which a derailleur is definitely not.

Unfortunately, all of this comes at a price of around 1,300 $ US, which in the high end bike world

is not unheard of, but for a casual user it's a bit high. You can learn more about this hub and

practically everything bike at http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/ . Harris cyclery and the late

Sheldon Brown are legendary in the local bike community and their site is a terrific resource.