Tag Archive for 'FriD.I.Y.'

Build: The SuperForest FriD.I.Y.! – Jackstrap!

jackson published on February 20, 2009 in build, technology and zeitgeist. 12 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

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Good Morning SuperForest!

SuperForester Jackson here. Today I’ve got a great project for you all to try out. You’ve got a whole weekend ahead of you, why not build something cool and useful with your own two hands?

Today’s project is called: The Jackstrap

The problem: We all have things to carry around with us.

If you wear clothes that fit and you don’t want to carry a bag, that means stuffing your pockets with your cell phone, wallet, keys, moleskin, flip, etc…
I usually deal with this by wearing a suit jacket. Others carry man bags, or wear fanny packs, or just walk around holding a double handful of stuff.

The solution: Incorporate “bag” and “clothing” in a sleek, elegant design!

Hence, the Jackstrap.

The Jackstrap allows you to carry everything you need when you go out, while still keeping the tasty lines of your outfit together. It’s ridiculously easy to make and mend, and totally customi-zify-able.

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Here was my inspiration:

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Chewwwwwwwwbacca! The galaxies mightiest lefty.
If Chewy can carry a bunch of gear AND not wear any clothes, well, you can too!

Here’s how you make one:

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You can put the pockets anywhere you like, but I’ve found through trial and error that it’s best to keep the heaviest items (keys & moleskine) towards the bottom, and you’ll probably want your phone to be as accessible as possible, so it’s best right on your chest.

There you have it! The Jackstrap. Good for carryin’ without looking bulky. All strap and no bag, or all bag and no strap.

What’s really nice is if you make one from start to finish, and then give that one away immediately. Your second one will be better than the first and you’ll have learned a lot about how you want to customize it. The first one I made I wore for a month and then gave away, and when it was gone I immediately had to hustle to make the second one as I needed it badly.

Enjoy!

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A lot of folks who’ve seen me wearing this have said either that they want one, or that I should patent the idea and license the design.
I’d much rather give it away for free.

Here’s why…

I believe very strongly in the Jackstrap. Having used one for a while now, I’ve found it invaluable. But it isn’t perfect.
Since I don’t have the time, energy, or resources to perfect this design, I will let it roam the internet freely, in the hopes that it will replicate.

If a bag maker or fashionista saw this design and wanted to build an empire based solely on manufacturing and marketing Jackstraps, more power to them. I’d definitely buy one.

Since I cannot workshop this idea I will let the idea workshop itself, via the internet.

The best part is that when a really successful mutation of the Jackstrap comes along, there is nothing to stop me from creating my own version and giving it to my friends. Such is the power of collaboration. Good ideas win, less worthy idea get composted and recycled into new ideas.

To ensure the freedom and unfettered growth of the “Jackstrap meme” the device is now patent pending, as we must patent it to ensure that no one else does and tries to stop people from making their own.

Hopefully, the Jackstrap will catch on.

Love to All,

Jackson

Love to all the Makers everywhere!

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SuperForest Journal: Feb 19, 2009 – Patenting Fun Times!

jackson published on February 19, 2009 in build, celebrity, technology and zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

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(image via howstuffworks.com)

Good morning SuperForest!

I’m going to be posting regular “journal style” updates, hopefully everyday, so that you SuperForesters at home will always know what we’re doing on a day to day basis. Fun!

Today, things are mighty busy!

You see, tomorrow a post is going up that I’m really excited about. I personally think that it’s one of the best posts I’ve ever written. It is the first post in a series called the SuperForest FriD.I.Y.! Once a month, on a Friday, we’ll post a cool, easy-to-do homebrew project for your weekend making pleasure! So, the first one is going up tomorrow and I’m so thrilled. I’ve seriously never worked harder on a post…

I hope that piqued your inteterest. (Stay url’ed to SuperForest for the exciting happeningses!)

Here’s where the fun times come in:

Because SuperForest is very much about the free exchange of ideas, SuperForesters Carla and Spoon and I have been busy all day researching the patent application process. We want for anyone to be able to make and manufacture tomorrows widget without fear of retribution, lawsuits, or men with warrants and such, so we are taking steps to ensure that we patent the device before it goes out so that no one else will be able to patent it and restrict access to it. It is for the world, for free, and we want to ensure that it remains that way… So fun…

The process of researching patents was amazing as well!

Check it: I wrote tomorrow’s post earlier in the week and asked some of the Team to read it. Carla and Spoon checked it out and Spoon suggested that we should patent it in order to protect it’s freedom. (Ironic, I know.)

I had been on google chat with Carla and Spoon simultaneously and asked them both to research the patent process while I had a quick meeting. I get back from the meeting and found that C and Spoon had joined forces and had emailed me a concise list of what needed to occur in order to successfully complete the patent application.

Together, via a group chat, we all discussed what needed to happen and the best way to proceed, and how to divide the work. The two main things on a patent application are a summary of the invention and a drawing detailing its design, so we discussed how to best word this summary.

While Spoon and Carla were mulling this over, I jumped on the phone with the amazing SuperForester Eric, who happens to be an attourney. Eric passed me along to a friend of his, who happens to be a patent attourney.

So, while I was waiting to hear from the patent attourney, I jumped back on the chat with C & S, and we finalized our plan… I would work on the drawings while Carla worked on the summary, and Spoon would act as producer, overseeing the lot. Then we said “aloha” for a few hours, planning on meeting up again tonight.

In short, three people in less than three hours took an idea from the pure idea stage and put it well on the road to receiving a patent (fingers crossed), and we did it using the internet, our mutual enthusiasm, and a strong desire to get cool information out into the world.

The life of a SuperForester is a thrilling one, amigos!

If we use our brains to accomplish what our hearts desire, and if our ideals are benevolent, what can stop us?

We can change this world for the better, laughing as we join forces…

Ah ha ha ha!

Love to ALL,

Jackson

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