Just Another Robbification

On my way back from a bike ride this morning I stopped by my buddy’s place to show him my latest modification.  He immediately dubbed it another Robbification.  He’s seen me build or modify a few things over the years.    Those that have known me since I was a kid know that I don’t mind tinkering with something to make it work better for me.  This tinkering has sometimes led to destruction and other times lead to helpful enhancements.

My latest Robbification is the creation of a clip for  my GPSr.  Turns out the manufacturer decided to change their mounting technology when they brought out a new line of GPS receivers.  The cynic in me says they did that to force upgrades.  I don’t know if that’s the case or not but the end result is the same.

The clip worked fine on my 10km test ride.  There didn’t appear to be any signs of weakness.  This isn’t the first modification I’ve made for my GPSr.  I also added a pull tab to the power cable.  That change was a bit late for my Garmin 60 series as I’d already broke the strain relief.  I added the pull tab to avoid future problems.  When I upgraded to a Garmin Colorado I made a similar modification to that cable in hopes of avoiding future problems.

A few weeks ago a friend invited me to learn more about the “makers community“.  I didn’t know what that was.  Turns out those of us that like to tinker have a new moniker – makers.  When I didn’t know what it meant I wasn’t sure I was one.  With this last Robbifcation I’m pretty sure I fall into the category of maker.

Walk a Mile in My Wife’s Shoes

I’m sure you have heard the expression that goes something like:

You don’t really know what it’s like for the other person until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.

Well yesterday I didn’t have to walk a mile, in fact I just stayed home, but I did gain new insight into what it is like to be my wife or more accurately my children’s mother.

I was on dad duty.  How hard can that be?  It’s not so much that it’s hard but it certainly is limiting.  Between taking kids here and there, making meals, playing games, teaching cycling skills and otherwise being available, when do you get your own time?  I don’t know how my wife does it.

So Tracey, thanks for all the time and effort you put in to raising our kids.  It would be hard doing it on my own, thank you for sharing the load.

@johnarobb Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08