Walking Sticks

I ran into an old friend the other day, who invited the wife and myself to his house. While we were there, he showed me several walking sticks that he had carved out.  He then opened a couple of books on carving, and he showed me pictures of some of his future projects. He also explained the degree of difficulty of each, and what would be involved in each project.  He said he's a member of the local carving club.  They meet once a month, and the club covers different topics on carving.  They also trade ideas, tools, and pieces of wood to carve. I was impressed with his walking sticks, and could tell he loved carving. He's around 70 years old, and retired once, but his company called him back to work, and he went back.  He's talking about retiring a second time. The walking sticks are something he works on in his spare time.

I thought a walking stick would be made out of oak, but he said no, oak was to hard. He uses a soft wood. Thereby making it easy to carve. He said he carves them and gives the finished sticks as gifts to friends and family.  He tailors each walking stick to the individual.
I asked if he ever considered selling them on eBay or at a flea market.
He replied that he doesn't have the time, or want to start a business carving walking sticks.

His walking sticks were beautiful. I felt that if he advertised a little bit. he would get the business. This is a niche he excels in, and could turn it into a steady income maker.  But he's content, and happy and not looking to start up a new business at his age. 

Along the same line, I work in the factory with a lady who knits on her breaks. The afghans, and shawls she creates, she gives to her friends and family.   I asked if she ever considered selling on eBay. She said yes she had considered it, but didn't want to do it.  She was happy knitting for friends and family. Working at her own pace and time and giving each piece her own personal touch.

Do you have a hobby where you create something?  Have you ever considered selling your item?

Bicycle for a free drink

They have vending machines that reward smiles and mental agility with free treats.
You know, smile at the camera in the machine, and get a freebie.
(the vending machine computer reads if you are smiling or frowning, and how big your smile is.)
If your smile isn't big enough, no treat.
But here's something new.  While surfing the web, I came across a article that tells about a vending machine in California that’s pedal-powered.
A California beverage called "Activate" has set up a unit that rewards consumers with free drinks for the time they spend pedaling an attached bicycle.

Activate sells a line of vitamin water packaged in twist-and-release bottles. As a promotion, the company has  installed a pedal-powered vending machine at a Los Angeles shopping center. Not only does every 30 seconds of pedaling earn participants a free bottle of Activate, but the company has also partnered with Nourish America to donate the retail value of all the drinks handed out to support nutrition for pregnant women.

I always enjoy reading about new ways of vending, and it’s hard to imagine one more appropriate for a fitness-oriented brand than one that uses pedal power. (except maybe hooking it up to a treadmill)
 Its a great way to promote the product, and to get people to try it that other wise wouldn't.   
But I wonder, if I got on the bicycle and pedaled for a hour, would I wipe the machine out?


Website: www.activatedrinks.com

Computer LapTop Repair

I've always wanted a laptop.  But the price of laptops kept me for the longest time from purchasing one.  I finally got the idea to look for a used laptop on eBay.  I looked, searched, and bid on a couple. I finally had a winning bid on a used Dell.  A 80 dollar dream come true.

One day my wife and I decided to spend the weekend at her house a couple of hours away.  We didn't have a tv there.  I mentioned that we could take my laptop, and play movies on the computer. I grabbed a DVD and put it in the drive to test how it would run. I hadn't used the CD-Rom before this, and thought I should test the run ability of it. Surprise,  the reason I was able to get the laptop so cheaply was because the CD-Rom didn't work.
I did some checking, and found out it would be simple to fix.  I could pop the old CD-Rom out and put a new player in.
......but wait a minute.  
If changing a CD/DVD player was that simple,  couldn't changing the other parts of a laptop be just as easy?
Well, yes and no.
I found a free eBook that listed the necessary tools for starting a laptop repair business. I then purchased a video course that walked you through changing the different parts of a laptop.
Back to eBay....
I looked for laptops that didn't run, and purchased a set of 4 dirt cheap.  After a little study, I repaired my first laptop.  It's an older model, but it runs with internet access.  I've given it to my wife to test drive for a while... To play with to see if she encounters any bugs or problems.

Cost?  I purchased 4 Dell laptops (same model that didn't run) for $50.00.  I swapped hard drives, and CD-Rom's between computers. I already had a flash drive to connect to the internet. 
Four non-working laptops interchanged to get one working one. To get another one to work I'm going to have to purchase hard drives and operating systems.  But I'm proud of myself. I repaired, and now have a working running laptop.

I haven't decided if I'm going to sell it on eBay yet. I think the real money is made selling parts, not the completed computer.  It was fun, and I'm ready to do it again. My problem is time. Finding free time to devote to tearing down a laptop and then building it back up.
Am I ready to open a repair business?
Hardly.  But who knows what the future will hold.  The cost of rebuilding a laptop is cheaper than purchasing a new one. I figured I can get experience rebuilding a few, and when I get comfortable, maybe take a look at someone's broken laptop.  Starting part-time. One day, it could lead into something........

 Are you good at fixing things?  A natural handyman?    Have you ever considered a repair business?