Tool of the Week: Topo Maps

Posted on by mrsoltys
[caption id="attachment_425" align="alignright" width="320" caption="TopoMaps near one of my favorite mountain biking spots: Walker ranch"][/caption] There is no substitute for a good topo map and old fashioned compass.  Knowing how to use them is a basic skill for any outdoors person.  With that said, nothing beats being able to bust out your smart phone and immediately know your place on...Read More

Tool of the Week: f.lux

Posted on by mrsoltys
f.lux is a sweet free program for any operating system that really helps with eyestrain when working on your computer for long hours. based on the time of day flux gradually adjusts the tones of your monitor output to be easier on your eyes (including softer, redder colors late at night).  This is consistant with the body of literature that suggests avoiding bright...Read More

Tool of the Week: Performance Air-Filters

Posted on by mrsoltys
Living in colorado, my car sometimes struggles at high elevation on hills... especially when loaded down with friends and gear. I did some reading about how I could improve performance, and came across performance air filters. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="384" caption="About to head out for some adventures in Suzi"][/caption] Performance Airfilters are pretty cheap (compared to many car upgrades), but can increase...Read More

Tool of the Week: LaTeX

Posted on by mrsoltys
Think of LaTeX as the nerdiest word processor you'll ever see. LaTeX focuses on content, and does all the formatting for you (kind-of).  The end result is beautifuly typset documents based on style sheets with auto labeled equations, figures, and tables. I love using LaTeX in conjunction with BibTeX to automatically format my citations and build my bibliography based on the citations I've used...Read More

Trip Report: Kalalau Trail

Posted on by mrsoltys
[caption id="attachment_380" align="aligncenter" width="1024" caption="The view at Kalalau. Our campsite is in the hole in the trees to the left, and the beach is on the right."] [/caption] The kalalau trail was one of the most magnificent trails I've ever hiked. Every turn offered breath-taking views of magnificent cliffs, huge jagged mountains, and 1000 ft waterfalls. The trail is lined...Read More

Tool of the Week: Mint.com

Posted on by mrsoltys
Mint is an online personal finance tool, and the most helpful and easy to use budgeting tool I've ever used.  Simply enter in your user-names and passwords to the accounts you want it to track, and then Mint will automatically download your transactions and assign them to budgets. It also does a great job tracking investments. Mint is complete with...Read More

Trip Report: Honolulu, Hawaii

Posted on by mrsoltys
[caption id="attachment_374" align="aligncenter" width="1024" caption="View of Hanauma bay"][/caption] We didn't have a whole lot planned upon arriving in Honolulu, which, in my opinion, can be a very stress free way to travel if you have like-minded travel companions. William and Randy stayed in a hostel near Waikiki beach and my brother and I stayed in a hotel near the convention...Read More

Tool of the Week: NOAA hourly weather and point forecasts

Posted on by mrsoltys
[caption id="attachment_354" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Example of hourly weather for Boulder, CO. Notice temperatures falling from the 70's today to snow in 48 hours... typical Boulder weather!"][/caption] Weather you're a data lover, or a flexible planner, I love using NOAA's hourly weather graph feature. Go to www.noaa.gov, type in your zip code (or city and state), and then scroll down and...Read More