Carry-on luggage with large wheels

This is kinda a silly post; I tried to ask for help with this on Reddit but "something went wrong with your post" and I could never get it to work. Then, after extended searching, I answered my own question. So in case anyone else is looking for this, I am posting my research here in blog form:

2-wheels vs 4-wheels

Many years ago I had the unfortunate experience of my spinner luggage's small wheels breaking mid-trip. I had to carry it for the rest of my vacation. Ever since then I have tried to only buy luggage with larger wheels, e.g. 3", which I assume are more reliable. Some might debate that assumption but I reason that physically-bigger wheels are stronger (less like to collapse), also the larger diameter means the hub rotates slower (less wear on the bearings). And, larger wheels are better on uneven surfaces. 

The only way to get bigger wheels is to buy 2-wheel luggage, i.e., not the more-popular 4-wheel 'spinner' design. Unfortunately, as I look for new luggage today, most of the 2-wheel carry-on's appear to have the same small 2" wheels as the spinner bags. For instance, the Travelpro MaxLite5 has 2" wheels (their online chat quoted "50mm").

My research

Most listings do not list the wheel size, instead they just assure you, "high-performance wheels, they're sooo good." Also I could not find any way to search for "luggage 2-wheel large wheels." Instead I kept reading reviews of recommended luggage, then checked-out the recommended 2-wheelers. In doing so, I found the following 2-wheel bags with large wheels:

 

 

Osprey Daylite Wheeled Duffel

• $130 on-sale (as of July 2024)
  regularly priced $200
  
• https://www.osprey.com/daylite-carry-on-wheeled-duffel-40-daywhdf40-789
• 22 inch height, 40 liter capacity
• 4.9 lb
  
• 3.0 inch wheels
• not really a suitcase? Instead this is a rolling duffel bag. Patagonia makes a similar one, "Black Hole Wheeled Duffel" for $360
   

 

 

 

Osprey Ozone 40L

• $280
  
• https://www.osprey.com/ozone-2-wheel-carry-on-40l-21-5-ozoneco2wf22-550
• I also found it for-sale on REI but not with any discount,
  https://www.rei.com/product/210339/osprey-ozone-2-wheel-carry-on-wheeled-luggage
• I also see these for-sale on Ebay for just $230 
  
• 21.5 inch height, 40 liter capacity 
• 4.5 lb, extra lightweight!
  
• 3.5 inch wheels (they list "90mm")
  

 

 

 

 

 

Yeti Crossroads 35L

• $350
• https://www.yeti.com/bags/luggage/26010000236.html
• This is also for-sale on Amazon but not at any discount
  
• 22 inch height, 35 liter capacity
• this is a hybrid, i.e., the back-side is hard-shell 
• 7.5 lb, heavy!
  
• I couldn't find the wheel size but you can see that they're large, at least 3 inch
  
• for some reason, they only provide a 3-year warranty. Maybe they assume people buying such a 'rugged' bag will subject it to hard travel?
• in the Amazon comments, one reviewer complained that the zippers are waterproof -- but this also makes them difficult to use.
   

 

 

 

 TopoDesigns Global Traveler ROLLER

• $300
• https://topodesigns.com/products/global-travel-bag-roller
• (FYI - I found this bag mentioned in the Amazon comments for the Yeti)
• 21 inch height, 44 liter capacity
• hybrid design with hard-shell back
  
• 6.6 lb
  
• again, I couldn't find the wheel size but they appear to be 3 inch or larger
  

 

 

 

 

 

 Samsonite Armage II

• $215 on-sale (normally $300)
• https://shop.samsonite.com/luggage/carry-on-luggage/armage-ii-upright-wheeled-carry-on/140636XXXX.html
• 
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveler's Choice Conventional II

• $125
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GCBW8LU/
• 21 inch height (I couldn't find the capacity)
  
• 3.25 inch wheels
• 8.6 lb, heavy
  
• is this model discontinued? I couldn't find it on the manufacturer's web-site. They only make 4-wheel spinners now.
• Even though this seems like a good choice, I am reluctant to pay so much for an off-brand's old model. Maybe if it was closer to $50!
• also, the Amazon comments say the zipper breaks, as do the wheels, doh
   

 

 

 

Final Comments

 I have previously purchased these other 'large-wheel' 2-wheel bags:

• Travel Pro 22 and 28-in rollers
• I'm not sure which models these are, though they look like the MaxLite?
  
• 3.0 inch wheels
• Travel Select 22-in carry-on
• $45 !!
  
• 2.5 inch wheels
• this was ultra-cheap and generally works fine. But after just 3 trips the top handle ripped.
  

How to remove a trash can lid

 (Wow, it's been 3 years since my last post? My, how time flies ... )

My local trash-collection service provides free replacement lids for our trash and recycle bins. But those lids are a PITA to remove and there's no advice or how-to's for removing them. I finally figured it out, though, and so now I am posting this quick explanation.

GENERAL INFO

• First, you need to check the serial number of your trash/recycle bin to see if it's still under-warranty. At least where I live, that's 10 years. There should be a reference list on your trash service's web-site identifying which serials are still supported.
• Also, worst case, you can always just throw the entire bin in your van or truck and drive down to the trash service's office -- and they'll figure it all out for you. If it's not under-warranty then they might require that you purchase a new one. Again, where I live, the recycle bins are always a free replacement, even if they're out-of-warranty

INSTRUCTIONS

• The lids are held-on by 2 really-strong plastic pins. Those pins have 2 slots cut in the side to allow the pin to 'squeeze in' just enough to click into place. The key to removing them is to grab onto those slots and yank the pin out. (Which is easier said than done.)
• First, use your fingers or a screwdriver etc to pull the pin out as far as possible. This is only about half-inch but that's enough to expose the slots.
• Second, find a screwdriver that is small enough to fit through the slots. (It needs to be long enough and strong enough, too, i.e., you can't use a small screwdriver!)
• Third, jam the screwdriver all the way through the pin and the slots.
  

• Finally, twist the screwdriver around until the tip is braced against the side of the trash bin. This is to give you more leverage. Now, just yank the thing out!
  

This was -- by far -- the easiest way to remove these pins. I originally made the mistake of trying to wedge the pin out using just the tip of the screwdriver and only 1 side/slot. I also tried an assortment of pliers but nothing could grip it well enough.

FYI - here's another picture which shows the pin after I pulled it out 🙂 You can clearly see the slot and how I was able to jam the screwdriver through.

 

Gear 360 (2016) firmware updates

The two Samsung Gear 360 models (SM-C200 in 2016, then SM-R210 in 2017) are now discontinued. So I don't think you can download firmware updates for them anymore.

I own the older 2016 model and I was trying to figure-out if it had the latest/final firmware. This is what I found:

Aug 2017 = C200GLU0AQF1 

March 2018 = C200GLU0AQK1 

So, I think the "K1" firmware is the final release for the SM-C200 model

 

SOLVED: Windows 10 mic input not working

I hope that this post rises in the search-engine results because I spent days trying to fix this issue, then found the solution through careful experimentation.

MY PROBLEM

My family and I are stuck sheltering in-place because of coronavirus and my kids are all attending online classes. So I had to dig-out several old HP desktop computers, and the first thing I did was refresh them with the latest Windows 10 '1909' operating-system. Everything seemed to work great.

Then we started to have issues where everyone was trying to participate in video-conferences at the same time (and in the same room) so I bought everyone corded headsets. But the microphones wouldn't work! I swapped headsets around, even tried my known-good headset from my work, so I knew the issue wasn't the headsets -- it was the computers.

NOTE: these computers used the old-style pair of Headphone vs Mic inputs, i.e., it did not use the newer combined input (like for smartphones). I'm not sure if this made a different to my eventual solution but it did help me to troubleshoot.

HOW I TROUBLESHOT

First I opened the Device Manager and saw that Win10 had installed (2) sound/video drivers:

• High Definition Audio Device
• IDT HD Audio

The IDT driver was dated 2015 so I tried the 'Check For Updates' function, but it reported that it was already the latest version.

Next,  I opened the Win10 'Sound' settings. I noticed that when I plugged/unplugged either the headset or the mic plug, the list of available Output or Input devices would auto-update. So this told me that the IDT driver was correctly detecting the presence of the plug; this was a good sign!

MY SOLUTION / EXPLANATION

I eventually realized that the new Input (that appeared in response to plugging-in the mic) was labeled "Line In" rather than "Mic In". If the driver thought I had attached a line-level device, e.g. an external CD player, then it wouldn't apply the necessary amplification for a very low-level device like a microphone. Something was interfering with the IDT's ability to fully detect the status of the mic input-plug...

So I tried disabling first the MS-provided "High Definition Audio Device" device. Everything still worked but the mic still failed to be detected correctly. At the very least, this demonstrated that the 2 drivers were redundant. Next I tried disabling the IDT and re-enabling the MS; now the mic plugin wasn't detected.

Finally, I disabled both audio devices -- then re-enabling only the IDT driver. It worked! In the Sound settings the new Input was labeled "Mic In" and the headset mic now worked. So, apparently, when the IDT driver starts-up, it is blocked somehow by the presence of the default MS audio-driver.

Could the 'Upside Down' be real?

In honor of tonight's release of Stranger Things season 3, I present the following argument in favor of the existence of the 'Upside Down'. Not like in the TV show, of course! The title of this post is just click-bait :-)

But in all seriousness, and apropos of nothing, I have been thinking about the difference in Einstein's famous equation for energy, e=mc^2, and how it differs from other similar physics equations. (Actually, I think this whole chain of thought began with a wistful memory of how much math I learned in college, including the derivation of e=mc^2... oh, well!)

THE PROBLEM

There are many examples of math and physics equations of the form:
  'TOTAL'  =  one-half-of-something  (multipled-by)  something-else-squared

For instance, kinetic energy = one-half MASS x VELOCITY-squared

So why does Einstein's energy equation = ALL-OF-MASS x light-velocity-squared?

THE SOLUTION

My conclusion: the MASS we can measure is only HALF the actual mass. In other words, there's another entire 'mirror' universe equal in size to our visible universe. We just don't know how to access it...
__________

This conclusion is actually supported (maybe...) by the current models of a Grand Unified Theory (GUT) of physics which predict multiple additional dimensions  -- though I think they predict that those dimensions are extremely extremely small. I'm reminded of the classic novel, "Flatland", which discussed the idea of how our 3-dimensional world would appear to someone accustomed to a 2-dimensional world. You could 'pick up' that 2D person and they would 'disappear' from their world, even though they were still entirely intact and whole. Then, you could return them to another spot in their world and it would appear as if they'd transported. If we could demonstrate and control our position in one of these hypothetical extra GUT dimensions, we could effectively do the same thing in real life.

Another cool idea: if we could understand what causes gravity in the same way that we now understand magnetism, we could build our own artificial gravity-generators. This would make space travel much easier since we wouldn't need rockets, instead we would just generate 'reverse' gravity and we'd be launched into orbit by our centripetal motion!

P.S. Don't quote me, I don't really know what I'm talking about ;-) In fact, the 'one-half' in kinetic energy comes from the fact that we're integrating (adding-up) the energy required to accelerate something from zero to some-velocity, and if you graph that it looks like a right-triangle where the area is HALF the height (x) width.

What happened to Salon app

Problems with accessing Salon.com 

The title of this post is copied from the auto-complete offer from Google search, when I was trying to find out what happened to the Android app for Salon.com.  It had not been updated since 2015 (two years ago) and apparently I was fortunate that it still worked, at all, on my Galaxy S7 running Android 7.0 "Nougat".  Most of the reviews in the Google Play Store said that it didn't work on Android 7.0.

But now it seems to have stopped working for everyone and has been removed from the Play Store search.

When you use the above-mentioned search term you are directed to the Salon.com web-site where they still extol the virtues of their (non-existent) Android app.  They also still include the link to the original app -- so the app is still available, but it's highly questionable if it still works
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.salon.salonapp

Probably they want people to use the mobile-optimized version of their web-site instead. Unfortunately, the site has a ridiculous amount of popup ads, making it very unpleasant to use.
So I wanted to post the following workaround:

• use the Play Newsstand app and add Salon.com as a Library resource
  https://play.google.com/store/newsstand/news/Salon?id=CAowgGA&hl=en

The Play Newsstand app is free and skips all the ads.  The only limitation is that you can only browse the most recent posts, maybe a days' worth.

What Happened to Salon.com?

I have been a regular reader of Salon.com since they began 20 years ago.  I was even a subscriber, back when they tried to use that profit model.  But now they seem to be on the decline.  On their own site, under Press Releases, they admit that they are losing money and that their viewership has dropped 25% in the past year, 2016-to-2017.  

I also found the following articles, talking about the decline of the site:

• May 2016, in Politico
  http://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/05/the-fall-of-saloncom-004551
• March 2017, Reddit
  https://www.reddit.com/r/slaterefugees/comments/605jnx/saloncom_quietly_gets_rid_of_their_comments/

In Conclusion

If I ever see an official announcement about the app, I'll update this post.

How to remove the armrest on a 2015 Honda Accord (9th generation)

Quick post without any pics; my phone is sooo far away (in the next room).

I just wrestled with my 2015 Accord's rear armrest and I was unable to find any information online about how to remove it, so now I'm posting the secret :-)

On the right-side of the armrest there is a plastic spacer.  This is easy to find and remove, and implies that you should now be able to push the armrest 'in' on the right to unclip the opposite side.  But it wouldn't move.  Eventually I figured-out that you have to pull back the carpeting around the left side and then you'll see a spring-loaded clip holding the left-side in place, too.  Pinch to remove and now the assembly can be pushed out, to the right.

It also looked like there was a bolt on the left side and I took a wrench to it, shattering the plastic.  I don't think it needed to come off, the assembly was just stuck.  But, by then, I was impatient :-)