MOAR Blogging!

So You will probably wonder what this has to do with adventures of Diver Laura, but….

One Word, well, technically two.

WIRELESS KEYBOARD!

(on closeout even because its for the first gen iPad)

I will admit that the iPad is _almost_ outstanding for about 90% of the things I do on electronic devices… With the addition of the camera connectivity kit and Pages for iPad, I can _nearly_ do everything… Except type a lot, do video editing, and photo editing. Pages for desktop still has more options, but in a pinch I can gitterdun 🙂

Anyhow, I wanted the snazzy protector keyboard critter (in matching aluminum) but they were out of stock (AKA out of production because apparently no one on earth uses an “old” iPad anymore, everyone has a 2 or newer… The nice manager took a look for what i wanted and found a left over Adesso “Compagno” (cute) “Bluetooth Keyboard with European Style Carrying Case” Half off. WOOP WOOP! (Alex might be jealous)

What does this mean to you?

MOAR BLOGGING!

Upcoming Review: SOLA4000!

Planes, iPads and cameras

Planes are a great place to catch up on my blogging truancy… I must thank Alex again for the hand me down iPad, I foresee an increase in productivity (or at least something resembling productivity). Those of you who enjoy my rambling can thank him as well 😉

So far other than Pages for the iPad (although it is missing some of my favorite templates) it seems I use iBooks, penultimate, notetaker HD, sketchbook pro and of course iTunes (videos) the most. Utilizing Handbreak (and a good tip from AC) I can now watch Sherlock on the plane :). Ok, maybe productivity was not quite the correct word.

I can pull up a video with a demonstration of perfect fin kicks, or a blown up scooter tail. I can blog, watch videos, and today I figured out how to download photos directly from my DSLR to the iPad. If it were not for a handful of files that I have not yet sent to the “cloud” this trip could _almost_ have been Laptop free! Exciting concept, no?

I know, I know, I’m a bit late to this bandwagon, but I really didn’t want to pay a chunk of ka-ching that could be put towards a wide angle adaptor for the ex1 on something that had the potential to just get tossed on the desk and be yet another flat shiny surface to collect dust.

To a degree it is great that I waited, I feel like they worked out a lot of the early bugs so apps run smoothly and is actually a productivity enhancer as opposed to annoyance and distraction creating gadget. That is not to say it is completely perfect, (the spell check and autocomplete makes for some entertainment) and not to say it is distraction free – Sherlock and Dr. Who at my beck and call with outstanding battery life = a fine distraction.

And so begins our descent… Shortly I will be in Long Beach for the annual Scuba Show!

It is the first time Alex has been left home alone with Lucy overnight (for two nights even) since she came to live with us. I wonder how the house will fare LOL! Luckily the doggie sitter was available for Sunday as our trips overlapped slightly, which means only one real day that they are ‘home alone’ 🙂

CLX450

I’ve been planning to start writing some dive kit reviews for several months now.   My hope has been to ‘review’ each item of my kit.   The title should probably be something along the lines of “This is my kit, there are many like it, but this one is mine”  or something catchy, but instead I’ll just be a bit boring and put it under the Cont. Adventures.

 

I dive two drysuits.  Both from DUI, a CF200 and a CLX450.   The CF is warmer, a bit stretchy (AKA my fat winter suit) and very durable and puncture/tear resistant, the CLX is lighter, dries faster, has as quick zip (which means the zipper will last forever) and more abrasion resistant.

The biggest difference in these two suits though is that the CLX450 simply loves to dive.   If i do not dive the CLX the upper body that has the cordura overlay gets stiff.  Like cardboard.  Cardboard reinforced with steel girders.   I look like i’m participating in solo WWF getting into my suit, or some contortionist torture, or maybe trying out for cirque de soleil.    Even the thought of a valve drill is enough to cause my pupils to contract.    It gets so stiff that its actually incentive to dive.   every day.   must. keep. CLX. happy.

If i dive it every day though, its like a different animal.  The Cordura is fantastic, DUI has taken great care to put the overly in exactly the areas that are showing wear from my BC Harness on the CF200.   The FLX lower half is super …flexible, and a breeze to don and doff, climb over rocks and down ripraff walls, etc.  The suit drys fast (so its not just being wet that makes it so flexible) which means its ideal for travel (Icy cold Swiss lakes anyone?)

So all in all, the CLX450 gets two fins up on the DiverLaura Scale.  When I first got it last year as a backup suit I worried that i’d made a horrible mistake, but after a week straight of diving I sometimes wonder if I should elevate to primary suit and put the suit heater inlet on it, which is a quick way to tell which suit is getting the most use.  (well, as soon as I loose those 5lbs of insulation left over from winter)  😉

upcoming brief reviews, partial list… (so stay tuned!)

BTS Suit Heater

DUI CF200

Halcyon EOS 12w LED

Halcyon 21w HID

Halcyon Mini-explorer

Halcyon Scout HP and XP

DUI Rockboots (old style)

Halcyon BAP (big ass pockets)

Halcyon T14 Scooter

Halcyon T16 Scooter

AGA old style positive pressure ffm vs. recreational style demand regulator

Scubapro trimfins (err.. Jetfins) vs. Hollis F1’s

Halcyon Infinity BCD

Halcyon short plate vs. standard plate

Halcyon Cinch harness of goodness