The (rear) Bike Light.

It was almost five years ago that I co-reviewed what two rear blinky lights on CandlePowerForums, creating one of the most popular threads ever on rear bike lights. In my eyes, the Planet Bike Super Flash was the ultimate rear bike light... and in four years of all-season riding in Chicago's less-than-perfect streets, it performed like a freaking champ.

That was 2007. It's 2012, and things have changed. LED's are smaller, brighter, more efficient, and easily accessible. So I decided to venture out and look for a new rear blinky to replace retire my Super Flash as a backup ("two is one, one is none", after all). Someone at CPF linked to a new rear light called the Red Zone 4, made in Australia by NiteFlux, and after seeing what this light was capable of, I knew I found my new rear bike light.

This light is nothing short of amazing. It's got a ton of flashing and constant-on modes, which are all easily disabled, so you can have it simply be ON>(your favorite mode)>OFF, instead of normal bike lights where you have to scroll through ON>(mode you never use)>(mode you never use)>(your favorite mode)>OFF... or worse. But the Red Zone 4 was clearly designed, engineered, and built with the user in mind. It's self-contained battery is charged with a common USB cord, which I'm fully converted to after realizing the convenience, with a charge indicator light. It's fully encased in a proprietary super tough polymer that doesn't crack or leak, and the entire thing glows red when it's on, which makes side visibility (a must for commuters) awesome. It's got a really strong clip on it which makes attaching it to your bike bag or rear pocket quick, easy, and secure. It's an awesome size and weight, and can should always be in (or on) your bike bag.

My only wishlist item for the Red Zone 4 would be a quick-release clamp for seatpost, as the velcro straps make it a bit cumbersome to remove. Lucky for me, I take my seat with me wherever I go, so the light stays on it, but I'd prefer a nice custom post clamp that the light could clip into and out of easily.

I've used the light for long enough to feel comfortable commenting on its performance. First and foremost, it's more noticeable than any other rear bike light I've ever seen, and programmable so you're not selecting a brightness that's blinding your fellow cyclists. I have mine programmed with just two strobe levels: 1.2 Wat & 4 Watt. I use the 1.2 Watt for normal nighttime riding, as it's the perfect balance of bright-but-not-too-bright. The 4 Watt strobe is great for daytime riding or really bad condition nighttime riding (like last night's snowstorm), where you want to be visible to everything and everyone. The battery lasts a long time between charges - to the point that I plug it in maybe once a month just because I feel like it, and not because it needs it.

NiteFlux also has amazing customer service - despite being on the other side of the world, they always promptly answered my questions, and give their products one year warranties with the ability to add on two more years for only a few more bucks.

I literally could go on and on about why I love this light, but suffice to say that if you're in the need of a rear bike light upgrade, the Red Zone 4 is your light - a hundred bucks is a tiny price to pay to keep yourself from getting hit by a car.

The Poker Chips, et al.

When it came time for my poker-playing bachelor party, I realized that the old plastic chips I stole inherited from my parent's house were in need of upgrading. In my search, I stumbled across a whole world I didn't know existed, in the Chip Talk poker forums. There I learned a lot about different kinds (and manufacturers) of poker chips, what denominations to use for different types of games, and all of the other things you need, like a dealer button, a case, and oh yeah, cards.

But first thing's first. The chips.

I was on a budget, which is a hard thing to do if you're looking for some US-made poker chips - a nice set of Paulson's can run you $500 on the cheap side. However, the awesome folks at Apache Poker Chips had (and still have) a killer sale on ASM (aka Atlantic Standard Molding) Edge Spot clay poker chips, which are really close to the Paulson quality but are a lot less expensive. Apache says it best about ASM: "ASM has been making fine poker chips for close to 100 years. Little has changed over the years in their old fashioned process. Each chip is handcrafted in the United States. With so much attention to detail it is hard to find a better poker chip."

I had them "hotstamped" with a silver foil by ChipTalk member cgraham86, with denominations that I designed, and they turned out awesome. Thanks Corey!

They have such an awesome feel and weight to them, and are fun to play around with in your hands... so if you've only got one chip left in hold'em, you're still having a half-ways decent time.

Then, I obviously needed a cool dealer button. Again through ChipTalk, I found the excellent company Palm Gaming, who make custom clay dealer buttons out of Florida, amongst a bunch of other stuff (some made in USA, some imported). I sent Joe from Palm my design for a dealer button (complete with a logo of my initials in the middle), and he whipped a few of these up in no time.

It made for an awesome finishing touch to my poker chip set.

And what better backdrop for a photograph of a dealer button than some cool playing cards? I picked up some Italian-made Modiano plastic playing cards after reading some good reviews on them. Sure, a lot of Bicycle playing cards are Made in USA, but I always like the idea of seeing if there are any smaller other companies out there. The Modiano's have an excellent texture to them that make for a different experience than the normal cards we're all used to playing with - I like 'em. They even come in a cool plastic case, which makes everything feel a bit more old-timey classic.

And to finish them all off, I've ordered a wood case made in Ohio by Sven at Oz Woodworking, which should be arriving soon. Can't wait.

Sure, I lost big time playing cards for my bachelor party (weren't they supposed to let me win?!?), but I won big time with my poker chip setup.

The Tripod Setup. (and what good gear really is and does)

I want to share my tripod setup, because I love it.

First, a picture.
Missing from photo: my camera.
Reason for absence: something had to take the picture, right?

Gitzo GT2540 Mountaineer tripod
(link goes to the newer GT2541)
Made in Italy. Lightweight, sturdy, and compact. It's held up to a decent amount of abuse too over the years. I literally wouldn't change anything about this tripod. The G-Lock system rocks - easy to open, easy to close.

Arca-Swiss D4 geared head  
(link goes to Rod Klukas's website - Arca-Swiss' USA sales rep)
Made in France. Pricey, but worth it. So well thought out... not as bulky as the Manfrotto 405 or 410 geared tripod head, and arguably more accurate. The ability to loosen the movements and use it as a makeshift ballhead to get it into place, and then lock them down and use the geared knobs to precisely move it into place is awesome - getting your verticals, well, vertical, is better and easier to do in-camera than it is in Photoshop. It took some time to get used to which knob controls what, but that's usually the case for a new tripod head. Why the company is called Arca-SWISS yet the head is made in France is beyond me, but I'll take it!

Really Right Stuff B2 AS II clamp
(not pictured in photo - oops)
Made in USA. Once you've had the best, it's hard to go back. The Arca-Swiss clamp was nice, however it left a bit to be desired. It didn't have the same feeling that a RRS clamp has when it's locked in place, so I switched it out with a RRS clamp,  which just seem to be better engineered. I'm also going to take this opportunity to say that I love Really Right Stuff. I have two RRS heads (BH-40 medium ballhead and MH-01 monopod head), their MC-34 monopod, and a bunch of plates and clamps. I want everything they make - including one of their Carbon tripods, as soon as my Gitzo breaks or "grows legs" (get it?) and walks away... because they make everything to absolute perfection. Their customer service is exemplary - friendly and knowledgeable, and completely willing to help their customers out. I love Really Right Stuff. Love 'em. I have it on good authority that they'll be releasing some very cool new products in the future, so stay tuned.

It's a simple, compact setup that makes architectural photography all the more precise and intuitive, making it easier for me to concentrate what matters: taking an interesting picture. And while being a gearhead is fun, the camera and tripod are only tools that allow you to capture and share your vision.

Caravaggio may have had the world's most expensive paintbrush, but it wouldn't have done jack if he didn't know how to throw together a decent painting. Yo Yo Ma would probably still make a tolerable song on a $200 cello, even if it wasn't worth $2.5 million (which is apparently easy to lose). Michael Jordan still would have been a baller in plain ol' shoes than with fancy Air Jordans (really?).

Good gear is gear that inspires you and makes it easier for you to translate your vision of the world around you and make whatever it is you call art - whether it's photography, painting, music, basketball, scrapbooking, quiltmaking, writing, carpentry, masonry, hair cutting, or whatever else you like to do. As cheesy as it sounds, life is art.