We’re in the process of handing out candy at our Port Angeles, Washington store to an estimated 3,000 children who have come to trick or treat downtown. Below are pictures of some of the best costumes.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Josh Spear reviews the Super Ego
Check out this review of the Super Ego by Josh Spear:
"I’ve been heavily testing a bag I received from Tom Bihn a few months ago — they call it the Super Ego. I’d definitely use the word ‘Super’ to describe this bag — it’s the most versatile, rugged, and usable bag I’ve ever tried. It has splash proof zippered pockets, an enormous front pocket packed with compartments for organizing every accessory I could think of.
It has places for water bottles on the sides, and secure zipper pockets inside for valuables. The real kicker with this bag is that it has a back zippered compartment large enough to hold a laptop, four books, a dozen magazines, your pillow, a few LP’s and lunch. I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to fill this bag up. I’m probably making it sounds enormous, but I assure you it fits ‘underneath the seat in front of
you’.
It has a nice padded shoulder strap as well as a waist buckle to take some weight off your shoulders. The Super Ego isn’t a ‘school bag’ or a small messenger bag for a few papers — it’s truly built for travel. It’s also really customizable with lots of color and feature options. This is an all around excellent bag, I give it a special JS nod of approval!"
Super Ego Rave
Customer Mike wrote us to rave about his
Super Ego and
Brain Cell:
I recently purchased your Super Ego with a Brain Cell. I am an
interventional pain physician on the go.
I just wanted to tell you that in all the years of purchasing anything for whatever reason,
your product stands alone in quality, design, comfort, and a "hip" look.
I just want to congratulate you and your staff for putting out some of the finest products
on the planet. Just magnificent!
alt="Super Ego" width="390" height="125" />
I am so connected by the hip with your product that I call it
"my home in my hand". I carry extra texts, separate hard drive, files,
extra battery to my 17" extra wide screen workstation which holds my life’s work.
If I need to go out on a date after meeting after work, it even has room for clean
clothes, electric shaver, etc.
Aside from practicality, no similar product has ever come close to the
"heart and soul" of this piece of art work. I even get compliments on its
"futuristic -retro-" look which would make any cool person in their right
mind would not even hesitate to grab one.
It has become an extension of me and I am proud of it. I look forward to my next bag!
I just realized that I am sounding like one of those women in "Sex in
the City" when they talk about a purse they can’t live without.
Well, we talk about our water "mocs" and new cool trendy river runners.
Why not a bag?
Thank you for a seriously researched, artistic, practical, comfortable, and tough
as nails product. New cybergear for the next millenium!
Size 2 and 3 Soft Cells Ready to Ship
Designed to protect your laptop against scrapes and scratches, the
Soft Cell
has an exterior made of durable 500 Denier Cordura and an interior of super-soft
brushed nylon. The Soft Cell protects your laptop with little bulk added and
is ideal for those who don’t want their laptop case to make their loads heavier
or take up a lot of space.
alt="Soft Cell" width="100" height="159" />
The Soft Cell
is now available in vertical sizes 2, 2XL, 3, 4, and 5. Size 1 will be available
early next year, as will horizontal versions of the Soft Cell in these
same sizes.
SchwarzTech Reviews the ID Messenger Bag
Excerpt:
"I especially like the flap, as it provides an added level of protection of
keeping out the elements and makes the bag look a bit nicer. Besides a zippered
outside compartment on the flap itself (it even has the water-resistant zipper,
like the one found on the eM²), there are quite a few pockets inside for
pens/pencils, PDAs, digital cameras, business cards, an iPod, or anything else
you might have lying around. There’s also a little clip for keys. On the back of
the bag, there’s an open pocket for magazines, papers, or the like."
Rainy Day Magazine Reviews the eM2, the Brain Cell, and the Laptop Keyboard Cover
Take a look at the Rainy
Day Magazine review
of the eM2,
the Brain Cell,
and the Laptop Keyboard Cover.
Included in the review are some great pictures.
target="_blank">
alt="Laptop with Brain Cell and Keyboard Cover" width="400" height="100" />
Little known fact: the laptop featured on the
Laptop Keyboard Cover
page is my 15" Powerbook. Sometimes I’m not very good at remembering to put the
keyboard cover on my Powerbook, but even when I don’t use it to separate the keys from
the screen, it’s great to have around to gently clean my Powerbook with,
getting rid of dust and Riley
hair.
Sunga recommends: Audible.com
If you haven’t discovered Audible.com
yet, the time has come. This is an amazing service. Audible sells down loadable books,
magazines, and radio programs. No reading here. Everything is ‘audible’, hence the name.
I love to listen to books. I started out doing it because I have to drive a couple of
hours twice a week. Now I listen to books when I’m running, working in the garden, cooking,
doing really mindless busy-work, riding the bus…. You get the idea.
The selection at Audible is great. Books for all kinds of taste. Every genre of fiction,
loads of non-fiction, your favorite radio programs, even the New York Times. All read to
you by professional readers. You can buy programs individually or purchase a monthly
subscription. I have the Audible Basic subscription which provides me with one book and
one subscription (magazine or radio) per month for $14.95. Every once in a while I’ll buy
an additional book when there is a good sale, but generally what I get with the subscription
is enough (I do still read books, as well).
If you join Audible and commit to a one-year subscription, they have all kinds of
special offers for different mp3 players. I chose to get $100 off of and iPod, since I
wanted one anyway. I won’t even start in on how much I love my iPod! You can also live
stream the books on your computer, of course. Oh yeah, and anything you purchase from
Audible stays in your Audible library, so you can delete things from your computer once
you’ve listened to them – no need to take up lots of precious hard drive space.
Some important tips for using Audible:
- Never buy anything that isn’t available in Format 3 or higher. The
couple of things I tried to listen to in Format 2 were terrible.
Really poor sound quality. - Always preview the book before buying it. The reader can make or
break your listening experience. - Lots of things on Audible are abridged, so look carefully. I
always go for unabridged books. - I have three favorite readers. Check them out: Jonathan Davis,
Campbell Scott, and Jennifer Wiltsie. - Be sure to get your books and subscriptions before the next months
renewal date. They don’t carry over. It’s a use it or lose kind of thing.
Well, I could go on and on, but I think that about covers it. Join Audible.
You won’t regret it.
Daily Gadget Reviews the Empire Builder
Alan Williams of the
Daily Gadget
reviewed the Empire Builder. Here’s an excerpt of his review:
alt="Empire Builder" width="170" height="168" />
"I’ve been using this bag for a few months now, and I have simply not
found a better briefcase anywhere for any price. This bag’s typical
routine was to come with me to work, then to school to pick up my son,
countless meeting during the week, more than a few trips … in each case,
it performs well. Kept me organized and prepared with everything I needed.
Tom Bihn’s bags don’t come cheap, but it is money well spent. I’ve used
briefcases that have cost five times what the
Empire Builder
does ($140), and none of them come close. Makes me really wish I could keep it.
Why would I give up such a wonderful bag? Simple. My wife loved it too.
She’s able to carry all of her work, scriptbooks, drafting and supplies,
her lunch, and even a sweatshirt all in the Empire Builder. All stuff
she would have crammed haphazardly into backpack can be carried with
grace in the Empire Builder."
Read the full
review
Tom recommends: Tilley’s Lighterweight LT6 Hat
alt="Tilley hat" width="198" height="155" />
I’ve been wearing broad-brimmed hats for many years, preferring them to
sunglasses and sunscreen, or alternately, skin cancer. Mostly I’ve worn
Akubra hats because
they reek of quality and they are easy on the eyes. But Akubra hats are
made of rabbit fur, which is less than politically correct,
plus they don’t travel well, IMHO.
I bought a hat from one of Tilley’s
competitors, and while it is quite useful, everyone agrees it scores high on the
"dorky old man" scale. I still use it for gardening, but it officially
does not go out in public. Out of frustration, I finally went to a Tilley store and
tried on some hats, and decided try the
target="-blank">"Lighterweight LT6 Hat".
It’s made of a very light weight nylon fabric, yet it holds its shape
quite well; though it is a light tan color it seems to resist stains
very well too. The thing is so light weight I often forget I have it on
my head, plus it protects the back of my neck like no baseball cap ever
could. I’ve used it in a light rain and it kept my head dry, which is
important up here in the Pacific North Wet. I can put it in my pack
without really worrying much about it, and when I take it out it looks
pretty much like it did when I put it away. Which brings me to the
aesthetics: while perhaps not as ultimately chic as an Akubra, it is so
much more practical that I am wearing it far more often than I ever wore
the Akubras. In terms of utility, the only hat that might compete with the
target="-blank">Lighterweight LT6 Hat is one of those ball-cap-with-tails affairs,
which, let’s face it, are either a cry for help or a measure of the
wearer’s disdain for society.
At somewhere in the neighborhood of US$70, the Lighterweight LT6 Hat is
an investment for sure. But consider the cost of one visit to the
dermatologist and this hat is cheap, and in my opinion worth every penny.
Buy one – the rabbits will thank you.
