Archive for December 31st, 2008

I will soon be adding journal entries and letters from my service in Peace Corps Haiti from 1999-2001. Some journal entries may be graphic so I advise caution in choosing to read them.

I recommend starting at the beginning and reading in chronological order. Click here to start at the beginning of my service. Read from the bottom of the page up.

Okay, I don’t like to use derogatory terms for subsets of a population but since rednecks call themselves rednecks and seem to be proud of the title, I will use it.

It seems a staple of redneck life to drive big pick-up trucks and to use every other kind of motorized vehicle or tool whenever possible.  The louder the motorized vehicle, the better and, apparently, the tougher the operator too.  This seems extremely hypocritical for two reasons.  First, when did you become tough by using a motorized vehicle rather than performing the work by hand.  Second, it seems rednecks are the first to use derogatory terms to describe people they don’t like in the Middle East, yet, they happily buy middle eastern gasoline.  Therefore, supporting the very people they disapprove of.  Good thinking….or lack thereof.

Okay, so as I state in my Product Review Rating System, it’s hard to receive better than a 3 Broken-Down Car rating if I have to modify anything to make the product work properly. This is the case with the Planet Bike Flipper. I mounted the Flipper on my commuter mountain bike to eliminate the disgusting brown streak you get on your butt and back without a fender. I quickly realized two modifications needed to be made. First, the Flipper has only one point of contact — the seatpost. To maintain its position over the wheel it must have good rotational stability. This is not the case with the Flipper. I had to add a piece of rubber under the front of the fabric strap so that the securing mechanism had better purchase on the seatpost. I was still getting the dreaded brown streak even with the Flipper so I had to drill holes in the back and add an extension (made from a plastic orange juice carton). This worked well and now the Flipper meets my needs.

The Flipper gets a 3 Broken-down Car rating.

My Modified Flipper:

Modified Planet Bike Flipper