manimal347@rocketmail.com

Well, I figure this varies widely from region to region, but I'm curious to know what people reckon might be the most popularly stolen bikes? New, older or vintage? Mint or not? Road, mountain, racer, BMX - department store or specialist?

I ask because I'm getting a rather unusual bike. 2 speed Bendix-hub late 50's Columbia Speedliner middleweight. Not mint - from five to ten feet. I figure it could go both ways; no takers, or a big target.

I'm ignorant about bikes. My last one was a Roadmaster that I left to rot about five years ago after the true went south after say ten rides. But, I'm living in bike central and I know I need one to get around. I've been looking around, and decided I have my heart set on a cruiser. Not new, but vintage. Where I live Columbia's are a fairly common sight. Almost the only brand for cruisers, because they were made about fifteen miles from where I live.

Now, I found a bike that I really fancy. 26" Columbia, 1967. Fully restored. Looks sharp with an electric seafoam *** robins egg finish. About as curvacious as an old-school pinup. Has working dynamo light + original horn. New whitewall tires, too. Columbia's were more or less on par with any other American cruiser/single gear of the period. I know it's a risky question, but do you think this might be a fair price?

Also, I'm 5 '5. Is 26" too big a bike? I have no clue what my Roadmaster was, and anyway, that was a mountain bike. I don't want a poorly sized bike, because I understand that can be really uncomfortable on long rides. As if pedaling fifty pounds of steel uphill with no gearing isn't fun enough!

(picture)

http://www.imagecross.com/11/image-hosting-view-32...

I'm trying to forge a style, and I have no clue how badly I'm doing. I've gone out inadvertently looking like edward scissorhands, and punky brewster is my icon, yet my friends don't even comment one way or the other. I really don't care about how socially aberrant this outfit looks, or any of that. I'm more just interested to know if you think it's visually appealing or not, based upon color contrast/clash and visual space. If you think it's ghastly, do say why. In particular, any accesories need to go? I already know the neck scarf should be a colorful one...

Again, I know it's pathetic to ask here, but just a year ago, the extent of my fashion interest was whatever baggy jeans I could find on the floor.

meee:

http://www.imagecross.com/11/image-hosting-view-29...

Ah. I last had my hair cut four months ago, and its now a wreck. What was once a half-assed chelsea, with bleached sides and extensions, is now a fried mop. The only thing I currently like about my hair is how it runs down to my nose, hiding acne and bags. I want a subcultural or out there cut, but am not exactly sure what. I'm thinking of keeping my hair black and putting purple skunk striping in it. I don't want a masculine cut, nor one that's terribly high maintenance. Oh, and I have coarse hair and a slightly receded hair line. Thanks!

I just picked up a pair of size 24 Forever Twentyone skinnies, and they fit just right. Does 24 = 24" waist? if so, does a 28x28 pair of men's jeans have a 28" waist? i can't believe this is so - even after i marveled at how huge my old 30x30 Levi's were before putting them in the donate bin.

http://www.imagecross.com/11/image-hosting-view-29...

Ah. i got a girly chelsea four months ago, complete with extensions for bangs and bleached sides. now, it's in shambles. i want a cut that's swept and very long in the front to hide my hideous baggy eyes and facial acne, and something that pays homage to my punk roots would be nice. I was thinking doing some violet skunk striping on a jet black base, but don't know if that would look bad. Poofy 80'ness is also dear to my heart. I utterly fail at hair. Lower maintenance the better - the girlier the better.

Basically, I'm soliciting either photos or the names of recommended cuts or parts thereof...

I'm looking for a lead on cute and inexpensive juniors-sized women's jeans, greywash or black and preferably skinnies. The trashier or more youthful-looking, the better, and I'd like ones with some embellishments on the back pockets and or front, though nothing gaudy like tacky flowers. Girls/kids jeans work, too... I'm small enough :D

Can anyone name a store that has something like this? I bought Xhilaration skinnies with lightning bolts on the rear pockets, but they're discontinued, and I can't find anything like them Online. I know this seems like a dumb question, but I'm not sure where to even begin, not being a mallrat.

Um... I'm sorry, but women's jeans sizes totally confuse me. I fit into a pair of size 5 L.E., but tried on a pair of size 12 Old Navy skinnies at Goodwill today and couldn't even get the waist-band close to the top of my hips (with fly fully open!). I know sizes aren't fully standardized, but what was going on there? Aren't the odd numbered ones the juniors, and the even the women's, and wouldn't that meand the Old Navy pair should be bigger? I want/need short skinny jeans that fit someone 5'4, and can almost never seem to find something that is black and doesn't leave a foot of denim bunched up by my sneakers.

Really, I just want sub-25$ skinny jeans with a modicum of style that fit a shorter person. What racks should I check at a place like Target/Kohls? I know there's no official length sizing numbers, but is there a short-jeans area that I've not noticed?

(front)

http://f.imagehost.org/0854/100_3379.jpg

(back)

http://f.imagehost.org/0526/100_3389.jpg

I know I'm going to get some flack for this, but what are some effeminate haircuts I could actually pull off? I want to have a more androgynous face, and have been growing out my hair in hopes of having more options, but have no blasted idea how to style it. My hair is kind of bristly, and refuses to stay in place when combed. It's also starting to thin a bit in the front (argh). Seriously, I'm hair-challenged, and I need some considerate advice on how to look less facially masculine. Deviant dye shades and or streaking will definitely be considered (would black w/ red streaks work?).

Hello. This one's obviously for the older posters among us... many of us weren't born when this technology was current. Anyway, I have a Samsung XT clone (8MHZ NEC V20,) and it has both a Seagate ST-225 and a WDC 1002A-WK1 controller card. The storage subsystem is aftermarket, was already installed when I received the PC, and has never been tested in the five years I've had the machine sitting around. The cabling looks fine, I've reseated the controller, and double-checked the drive model. I've not verified jumpers, but have a printout for all BIOS revs; will try and figure out which mine is, but I'd assume the jumpers would have been set right by the prior owner.

Now for the problem:

Spinrite II reports a bad drive controller when I try to run it on the drive, but doesn't offer up much more info. Disk Manager completes a low level format, and makes light clicking noises as it does so (not unlike a 5 1/4 floppy stepper). But, when DM goes to verify, it finds that none of the sectors are readable, and gives a seek I/O error. The drive takes an easy thirty+ seconds to check each head of a cylinder, and as it tests, makes a whirring sound, then a tone that falls in pitch. It repeats this three or four second long sound-pattern at least five or six times per head. Disk manager diagnostics reports the drive's seek mechanism works, and while running the test, it produces some almost musical notes towards the end, which may or may not be normal for an ST-225. Random read testing fails, with similar I/O errors/sounds to those above.

Solution:

Well, is anyone familiar with the iconic ST-225? These old drives sounded distinctive, I hear, and perhaps the sounds it makes can tell whether it's controller failure/jumpering, drive failure, or perhaps, both.

Seriously, what would you think if you saw a hipsterish-looking young adult carrying a cassette portable? Both first thoughts, then secondary ones, if any, please? Yes, it's me, and I'm curious on how people might percieve my rather unusual anti-technology choice. No, no matter what you say, I'm going to keep playing cassettes, BTW... I'm just interested in people's thought associations.

I have a monophonic push-pull 6V6GT amplifier/preamplifier chasis from the mid 50's that needs some new electrolytics to replace the originals. I've bought caps with acceptable values, but I'm not sure how to install them. There's the stock four-section filter can, which has four tube socket-like leads coming out the bottom. Each of these leads corresponds to a symbol of some sort (square, semi-circle, or triangle,) I think telling me which lead corresponds to which cap in the can. I do believe the set grounds to the filter cap, but beyond that I'm not sure. Point is, I just can't figure out the symbols nor the circuit- my filter cap circuitry looks to be more complex than anything I've seen on the Web! I just need to know roughly how to wire in the new caps below, obeying polarity in building a new pack.

Perhaps there's somebody like a guitar amp tech or radio restorer who can look at my picture and help figure this out. I've included a photo of both my chasis and filter cap. Basically, I'm looking for a more personal bit of help in how to do this to clear up what Web guides don't. I've already soldered in new Mallory polys to replace the paper CDEs, but this just escapes me. I know it's a lot of work to look at my circuit and explain, but it might get me really into the hobby :D

(Chassis top)

http://www.imagecross.com/06/image-hosting-view-04...

(Filter can engravings)

http://www.imagecross.com/06/image-hosting-view-04...

(filter can wiring- Can values go 40-40-40-50, in that order.)

http://www.imagecross.com/06/image-hosting-view-04...

And yes; the amp runs AS-IS with some buzzing and hum, and yes, my multimeter says the caps have no DC voltage on them. There's no schematics available, but if you need it, I can take a shot of the full under-chasiss.

Lastly, I'd like to thank in advance anyone nice enough to reply. If you know a better place to ask this, or just have general advice on how to do this, I'd also appreciate it.