You want the condensed version?

I imagine some of you might be saying “Listen you weirdo...I haven’t got time to go through this extensive list of product, typeface and graphic design, trip reports, product reviews, musings, photos, illustrations, stuff you’ve made, observations, weird music you like and heaven only knows what else. I’m busy, you verbose dork!”

So as not to waste your valuable time, maybe I can narrow it down a little, go for the stuff you might actually be interested in or to give you a greatest hits package if you will.

STATE OF THE BLOG
A look at some of the patterns and numbers I noticed looking at the list of tags. Blogging is fun.
State of the Blog: A to Z

PRODUCT DESIGN and PROTOTYPING
Sometimes what I want and need can’t be found anywhere, or ideas for a product come into my head. I like the whole process of identifying a problem, devising a solution and manifesting it into a physical reality. I really enjoy making stuff with my hands. (I have a lot of other designs and prototypes that I’ve done but won’t show here, since I’m shopping them around to manufacturers with an eye towards having them made.)
Squish’mups
YakBakDekPak

GEAR TWEAKING
I like modifying stuff. I’m one of those people who is never really satisfied with stock anything. Rather than wish it was the way I wanted it , I figured out how to alter stuff to suit me. Tweaking and modifying things to my liking gives me a lot of satisfaction.
Emdom Recon Waist Pack
Cold Steel Kukhri Sheath
Emdom B.O.M.B.
Tactical Tailor Frag Pouch
Camelbak Octortopoise
Petzl Tikka Pouch
And sometimes it’s an equal combo of modifying and making something new.

SEWING INFO
Given that interest in sewing, I have some articles on sewing and kits and supplies.
DIY/MYOG Material Sources
Sew’mups
Hussif
Sewing By Hand

TUNEAGE
I like tunes. Have for a long time. I have music going all the time. I’m constantly discovering new music, and a have a big collection that I’ve amassed over the last thirty years. I tend to like stuff that is somewhat laid back and relaxed, but still a bit funky, make you bob your head, groovy but soundtracky.
So I’ll narrow down a few tunes that you’ve quite probably never heard, and if you like discovering new music and want something to listen to while you look at a few things, here you go. (Right click, and click on “Open In A New Tab”.)
Midnight – Slackwax
One – Ohm-G and Bruno
Shake It Loose – Dolphin Boys
Autumn Leaves – Bob Holroyd
Everything You Do Is A Balloon – Boards of Canada
My Pleasure (Tech Cut Mix) – Roberto Bardini 
Lyra – Tripswitch 
Midnight Metro – Motionfield 
Lovin’ You – Lojik
The Western – PFM
The Memory – Steve Roach 
Dial-A-Cliché – Jazzanova  
The Story – The Matthew Herbert Big Band
Room To Think – Min-Y-Llan
Jupiter! – System 7 
 
KAYAK BUILDING
I’m currently hard at work building not one but two cedar strip kayaks. If you’re interested, you can check out the build (and at some point the finished product) here. It will lead you down the rabbit hole.

 LEGO
I have a bit of an obsession with Lego. I loved it as a kid, and I love it even more today. While some might snort and deride it as a silly kids toy, it really is so much more. It’s a mental workout - it allows you a great deal of lattitude and yet at the same time, you’re limited by what pieces you have and what the pieces will allow you to do. There are also structural restrictions – will the idea be strong enough – not to mention whether all the pieces will work in conjunction with one another.
Gives my creative writing skills a work out too.
Alien Quadriped Attack Vehicle
Tattoo Machine 
Fire Truck
H.A.R.D. and S.S.S.H.

PRODUCT REVIEWS
When I get something I like I write reviews of it, in an effort to let others know what is a worthwhile thing to buy.
Maxpedition Manta
Spyderco Tenacious
Fenix L1D
Zippo Hand Warmer

CAMP ADMIN
Love being out in the woods, and strive to make my time out there as productive and comfortable as possible. A few little things I’ve done to make things go as smooth as possible in the bush. Hopefully it will give others some ideas, and there are also some resources in there that I will share (email listed in the relevant posts).
Toiletry Bottle Labels
Ration Packs
Hussif
Fuel Warning Labels
Titan Kettle Cook Setup
Pill Packs

POETRY
At some point I got into writing amusing little poems about my friends. Mainly they’re just about observation, but mainly they’re just a fun brain exercise for me, word play, a vocabulary workout.
Post Contemporary
Amazoë-Mail
Captain Jean–Marc Peakhard
Leo Zulueta

Sometimes it’s fun wordplay of another sort.
Alliteration Addicted Advertisan  

SURVIVAL
I live by the adage that one is none, and two is one. When far away from help, having some sort of backup is always a good idea. I have the things I need, but stuff gets damaged or broken. And yet I still want to keep any sort of back up as light and compact as possible. I have come up with a few ways to carry survival gear, but as unobtrusively as possible.
Belt’mups
Hang’mups
Tin
Survive’mups

6°
I have a thing for small world, 6° of separation stories. Quite a few neat ones have occurred with me. To me they’re one of those things that shows not only the interconnectedness of everything and everyone, and that even though we live on a vast planet, many times it seems it’s really surprisingly small.
Absolutely one of my very favourite things to do is go on canoe trips. If you also share an affection for this graceful craft and the places it can take you, or if you would like to see some of the gorgeous scenery the province I live in has to offer, check it out.
Killarney Autumn 2009

HIKING
Another favoured pursuit of mine is going hiking. Sometimes multi-day trips...
North Mountain, Nova Scotia
Kejimkujik, Nova Scotia
Sometimes just a day hike in my immediate environs...
Carrolls Point
Borers Creek C.A.
Canada Day
Cootes Paradise 
Grindstone Valley Bruce Trail 
Spencer Gorge 

GRAPHIC DESIGN
I’ve been involved in graphic design for almost 25 years now. I still have doubts about my ability, but here are a few examples of things I’ve done over the years.
Vespidame
AtoZ
Gazillions of Groovy G’s
MoonTribe 
Flak
Clan of Xymox
Bowyer 
Absolut Ads
Holy Krow
SubBase
Caution Point
Torontekno

TYPE DESIGN
An extension of that is my interest in typeface design. I did it very intently for about a decade, then I stopped for a decade, and now I’m getting back into it again. Here are a few.
Coil–e–Q
Gyrosol
Cryptonym
Cosmodrome
Jarkko
Penetralia
Dirigible
Amazon

TATTOOING
I’m also big into tattooing and I’m always drawing up new designs for myself.

MUSINGS
Sometimes I just write a little essay about something, some observations about a given topic.
It’s Not An Accident
On Surviving Alone In The Woods
Reflections On Walking
11:11 11/11/11
Some observations about data and the storage thereof
Marketing (Outdoor Gear) in the 21st Century pt. 1
I’ll tell you what you can do with your “No Backpack” rule....
Why being creative makes me so happy
So you want a tattoo?
Why are people so reticent to wear safety gear?
I Love Merino Wool!
Innis & Gunn
Lame Product Pictures
Donating Blood
The only hockey game I can handle
Criminal Negligence and Bureaucratic Ineffectuality
Go buy a map?
There’s hardly ever any one out

TALES FROM THE JOURNEY
Sometimes I just want to share interesting things that have happened in my life and in my immediate surroundings.

BOOKS
I read a lot. An almost ridiculous amount. I read fast, very fast, which allows me to read a lot. Book a night practically.

 The list ranges from the high brow to the low brow. From entertainment to mind expanding, paradigm shifting deep thinking. The subjects are pretty much across the board. Art, history, science, fantasy, political science, psychology, mythology, botany, ecology, agriculture, thrillers. About as diverse as the subject matter I deal with on this blog. What can I say... I’m insatiably curious about everything.

Every so often I will post a review of just a small selection of what I’ve read with my thoughts about them.
Books I’ve Read

HEIGHT
Oh and I’m really tall, so that is something I touch on once in a while

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