Author: Ngoc Nguyen

The Best Personal Backpack for Life
The Best Backpack for What?

I am looking for a backpack that I can take with me everywhere – business, travel, commutes, biking, hiking, etc. I want it to fit all aspects of my life rather than just accommodating one particular area. I think such a backpack should have the following qualities:
- Lightweight, durable, weather resistant, and comfortable to wear
- Organizable pockets for notebooks, electronics, pens, pencils, etc.
- Padding and safety for all of my electronics – preferably with a separate compartment for my tablet
- Discrete profile with limited zippers for security reasons
- Sleek design so that it doesn’t look like your stereotypical student backpack
- Expandable so that when it is fully packed, I don’t look like a giant turtle
The requirements are extensive, but it simply makes sense to have all those features in a quality backpack. I know the standards are high, but so are life’s expectations. They are a matched set.

We tend to treat a backpack as a disposal item because we don’t really expect it to last more than 2-3 years. When I was in school, I would typically spend around $20-$40 on a backpack every one to two years – first world problems, I know. We live in a replacement culture where it is simply more convenient to buy a new item rather than fix the current one and the majority of products reflect that ideal.

I am looking to step out of the replacement culture mindset and try to find crafted workmanship that I would use on a regular basis – a product that I would be proud of having five or even ten years down the road. The results are as follow:

The Almost But Not Quite What I Am Looking For

I am an Amazon Prime member, which by the way I love, so I started my search on Amazon. After spending hours combing through specs and reviews, my search ended in failure. However, I am listing some candidates that came close but didn’t quite go the last mile to meet all of my requirements.

V7 16-Inch Professional Laptop Backpack – $23.99

The V7 is one of the lowest price backpack that I found while still retaining a variety of good features. The slim design and the organizational features are pretty decent. However, I ultimately disgarded it due to quality concerns, lack of capacity, and general aesthetics.

Pros

Price

Good form factor and slim design

Good organization for miscellaneous and gadgets

Cons

Poor material quality and construction

Poor padding in the laptop compartment

Limited space and capacity

Unprofessional aesthetics – in my opinion it looks like it was made for a child.

Everki Swift Light Laptop Backpack – $29.94

Similary to the V7, I dismissed the Everki due to quality concerns. Numerous reviews had the stitching falling apart within the first few months of using the product.

Pros

Good form factor and design

Good organization for miscellaneous and gadgets

Rugged bottom

Cons

Poor stiching and durability

Thin interior fabric

SwissGear 1775 Black Laptop Backpack with Red Accents – $59.99

Ultimately where the Swiss Gear shines is where it also fails for me. While it is no doubt a good backpack, it is still only a backpack. It doesn’t impress me or meet the unique standards that I am looking for.

Additionally, the design stands out which would normally be a plus, but I am looking for a discrete backpack. You will probably get a decent amount of compliments on this backpack, but you will also likely be targetted by every tout and pickpocket while travelling too.

Pros

Good foam padding protection

Good quality fabric

Contoured shoulder straps and airflow system

Bottle holder, sunglasses holder, and audio interface for your headphones

Cons

Form Factor

Flashy Design.

Belkin Slim 15″ Notebook Polyester Backpack – $35.90

The Belkin backpack is very popular, and it is one of my top favorites. If you are looking for a sleek quality backpack under $40, it is going to be pretty hard to beat this one. However, the space limitation was the non-deciding factor for me. I could see myself using it for work, school, and casual usage but not for extended travel or rugged activities.

Pros

Amazingly sleek design

Price

Comfortable fit

Good Organization with plenty of pockets

Removable bag for additional storage and organization

Cons

Limited space and capacity

Brenthaven Pro Style Slim Pack – $68.31

I wanted to love the Brenthaven because it includes a lot of the features that I am looking for. If I was in the market for a professional backpack, I would most likely go with the Brenthaven for the sleek design alone. However, the backpack simply did not have enough capacity for all of my needs.

Pros

Sophisticated design and style

High quality fabric for both exterior and interior

Good security due to limited zippers

Side-zipped pocket for easy access to laptop and high density foam padding for the laptop compartment

Convenient pockets and secret compartment

Water resistant material with stowable rain cover

Comfortable shoulder straps and back-padding

Chest strap for additional stability

Cons

Limited space and capacity

Case Logic NOXB-114 Corvus – ~$100

The NOX has some amazing features and design points going for it. It combines sophisticated style with durability and excellent function. However, I passed on it due to limited availability, pricing, and personal preference.

Pros

Buckle design instead of zipper for main compartment

High quality fabric for both the exterior and interior

Designated dual compartment for laptop and tablet

Convenient pockets, secret compartment, and very good organization

Expandable capacity simliar to carry-on luggage

Velcro strap management systems for tyding loose end straps

Security strap on the back act as carry-on luggage attachment

Cons

Price and limited availability

Enter Tom Bihn

Every now and then, you encounter a product so amazing that it needs almost no marketing because it speaks for itself – like say the iPhone. Of course it doesn’t really speak for itself, it spreads through word of mouth because it is a product you want to talk about. (Tangent – Actually, it dawned on me that starting with the iPhone 4S and Siri, the iPhone did speak for itself which is just a bit disturbing.) Anyways, after numerous hours spent searching the web, I ended up stumbling onto Tom Bihn’s website and the way he designs his backpacks are simply amazing, but don’t take my word for it watch the video below.

Additionally, I just wanted to point out that I really like their FAQ section because it is straightforward, honest, and answered all of my questions. It is rare to find a business that seems to show so much integrity and sincerity in its products and practices.

Hallelujah – I Can Finally Stop Researching

The particular backpack that I want is the Smart Alec. Actually, I really want them all.

Pros

Lightweight, durable, weather resistant, and comfortable to wear

Organizable pockets for notebooks, electronics, pens, pencils, etc.

Padding and safety for all of my electronics – preferably with a separate compartment for my tablet

Discrete profile with limited zippers for security reasons

Sleek design so that it doesn’t look like your stereotypical student backpack

Expandable so that when it is fully packed, I don’t look like a giant turtle

Additional Pros

Modular design for additional attachments to increase storage capacity and organization

Laptop accessory is properly sized to laptop dimensions

Removable sternum and waist straps

Durability because it bears repeating. The backpack is made out of 1050d Ballistic Nylon on the front, 1000d Cordura® on the side, and Dyneema®/200d nylon ripstop so basically military grade tear and abrasion resistance.

Cons – I am just nitpicking for fun at this point

Price – I actually think the backpack is worth the price and then some considering the quality and craftsmanship. I am just giving myself a few days to mull it over.

Lack of conductive charging via solar power – I want my electronics to charge condutively while they are in this bag and the power source will come from the reflective panel absorbing solar rays.

Strap management system similar to the Case Logic NOX, but I am just going to get some velcro straps and do it myself.
April 10, 2013
WordPress: Custom Thumbnails
When developing a WordPress theme, I want to use my own custom thumbnails and to remove WordPress’ default thumbnails. The following snippets can be added to the functions.php file to:
- Add Custom Thumbnail Support to the Theme
- Remove WordPress Default Thumbnails
- Add Custom Thumbnail Support to the Media Library
Add Custom Thumbnail Support to the Theme

We are adding two custom thumbnail sizes to this theme – 360×270 and 640×360 and we are going to crop it to size. If you are unfamiliar with the add_image_size function, you can read up on it at http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/add_image_size.
```
	if ( ! function_exists( 'themename_setup' ) ):
		function themename_setup() {
			// Adds support for custom thumbnails
		        add_theme_support( 'post-thumbnails' );
			add_image_size( '4x3-thumb', 360, 270, true ); // cropped
			add_image_size( '16x9-thumb', 640, 360, true ); // cropped
		}
	endif; // end setup
	
	add_action( 'after_setup_theme', 'themename_setup' );
```
Remove WordPress Default Thumbnails

We want to remove the default thumbnails because we are not using them so as to prevent the creation of redundant images.
```
	function remove_default_wordpress_image_sizes($sizes) {
		   unset( $sizes['thumbnail']);
		   unset( $sizes['medium']);
		   unset( $sizes['large']);

		   return $sizes;
	}
	
	add_filter( 'intermediate_image_sizes_advanced', 'remove_default_wordpress_image_sizes' );
```
Add Custom Thumbnail Support to the Media Library

The final step is to add our custom thumbnail sizes to the media library so that we can use it in posts/pages.
```
	function update_wordpress_image_sizes($sizes) {
		   $result = array(
				"4x3-thumb" => __( "4x3 Thumbnail" ),
				"16x9-thumb" => __( "16x9 Thumbnail" ),
				"full" => __( "Original size" )
		   );
			
		   return $result;
	}
	
	add_filter( 'image_size_names_choose', 'update_wordpress_image_sizes' );
```
Notice the before and after:
April 1, 2013
DNS Transfer from Google Apps to GoDaddy
I had to run through the following steps in order to do a succesfful DNS transfer from Google Apps to GoDaddy. It was ridiculously more complicated than it needed to be so I am outlining the process in case it saves someone else some time.
1. Navigate to GoDaddy’s DNS Transfer Page and enter in the domain name that you want to transfer.
2. OPTIONAL – Do a search for GoDaddy’s coupons and save yourself some money on the transfer fee.
3. GoDaddy will proceed with the transfer but it fails because the domain is privately registered. You will have to deactivate the privacy registration in order to proceed.
4. Now, the most obvious place to disable the privacy registration would be from the Google Apps control panel, but it is not going to be there. In order to disable the privacy settings, you will need to login to https://www.domainsbyproxy.com. The problem is that you won’t have your username and password because Google Apps automated the registration for you.
5. Click on the ‘Login’ button from the Domains by Proxy site and go through the process to retrieve your Customer ID. It will send an e-mail to the administrative contact on file for your domain.
6. Click on the ‘Login’ button again but this time choose to reset your password and enter in your Customer ID and administrative e-mail. You will be e-mailed a link to reset your password.
7. After resetting your password, login to the site and cancel the privacy settings.
8. Go back to your GoDaddy account and restart the transfer process.
9. You will be e-mailed a transaction ID and security code to proceed with the transfer – go ahead and enter that into GoDaddy to proceed with the transfer.
10. GoDaddy is going to ask you for another authorization code which you can get from Google Apps by logging into the watered down version of its GoDaddy system.
11. GoDaddy will proceed with the transfer and you will get another e-mail asking you to login to Google Apps to confirm the transfer – go ahead and do so.
12. Pat yourself on the back and finish your drink; You are done.
Aside – Background Rants

First of, I am going to note that I love Google Apps because it allows me to leverage Gmail for my own domain. Nowadays, you have to pay for Google Apps, but in my opinion, it is worth the cost to have Google manage your company’s email infrastructure.

In the past, I would typically register a new domain with GoDaddy, sign-up for a Google Apps account, and then update the MX records in GoDaddy to point to Google’s mail servers. It wasn’t an extremely time consuming process, but I did wish that there was a way to streamline the whole process. So I was pretty excited when Google Apps integrated DNS registration, and I went and register a new domain with them to check out the process. And as typical of Google products, I came away disappointed by the lack of polish. The process worked, but it didn’t exactly work well. I had two main gripes:
1. DNS wasn’t integrated with Google Apps but was instead managed offsite by GoDaddy
2. The offsite GoDaddy administration was a watered down version of what you would find on GoDaddy itself, and it was missing a lot of the more advanced DNS management features
The whole idea of integration is so that I could walk away with one account that did the work of two. Instead, I still have to deal with two accounts, but I have less features to work with…
March 29, 2013
Responsive Video Embed
The normal method of embedding videos into your 'responsive site' will break the responsiveness because the videos themselves won't resize correctly. In order to get responsive video working, you can use one of the methods below to embed videos from Youtube, Vimeo, etc. into your website.

Responsive Video – Integrating with FitVids.js

Chris Coyier from CSS-Tricks has developed a great javascript plugin that stretches the video to the full width of the container. You can download the plugin from http://fitvidsjs.com/. You can view the full video screencast on the fitvids method at CSS-Tricks.com
```
	// Basic FitVids
	$(".entry-content").fitVids();
```
In the code above, I am calling the fitVids() function on all video content within the ‘entry-content’ class container and just like that your videos will be responsive.

Responsive Video – CSS Method

The above method will not work on devices without JavaScript support so I needed a fallback method. I stumbled upon this gem from Web Designer Wall
```
<div class="video-container">
	<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Us-TVg40ExM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
```
```
.video-container {
	position: relative;
	padding-bottom: 56.25%;
	padding-top: 30px;
	height: 0;
	overflow: hidden;
}

.video-container iframe,  
.video-container object,  
.video-container embed {
	position: absolute;
	top: 0;
	left: 0;
	width: 100%;
	height: 100%;
}
```
By wrapping the iframe code inside of a video-container class, I am using CSS to force the video to be responsive. With both methods written into your site, you are all set for responsive videos.

Conclusion

Here is an embedded video from Youtube to showcase responsive videos. When you resize the window, the video will automatically resize to fit within the container.
March 18, 2013
IE: Child of the 90s

You grew up. So did we. Reconnect with the new Internet Explorer. Visit http://www.browseryoulovedtohate.com for more.

Nowadays, when I think creative and genius, I don’t think “Microsoft’, but their Child of the 90s video is something else. Column Five, the marketing agency, did a really good job tugging on my emotions with this video. You can read about the Behind the Scenes process for this video over at Column Five Media’s website.

Now, I may love the video, but I am not going to use IE over Chrome or Firefox. I am Gen Y, Microsoft, and while you may move me with passion, you are going to have to convince me with logic. And the fact is, IE is still behind Chrome and Firefox when it comes to utility.

January 24, 2013
My Travel Lessons Thus Far

As I am traveling, I am keeping a kind of mental blog, and I finally had time to start writing some of it down.

Overall, I feel overwhelmed and humble at the same time. The pictures will highlight the places I have been, but the more intriguing bits are the things I have learned. I won’t be able to write everything and even when I do I am sure that I won’t be able to do it justice, but here are some of it:

Freedom

It took me months to even come to the decision that I want to leave and go travel, and it took even longer to work up the courage to actually go through with it. In looking back, I realize that I changed a bit the second I made my decision, and I changed a bit further when I executed that decision. I still have no clue what I am doing, and every now and then I have that ‘Holy crap, I am actually doing this’ moment, but I am in love with it.

The feeling of freedom hit the hardest during that first month across the US. I was driving north and west, but I didn’t have any definite plans of being at any one particular place by the end of the day. On occasion, I would drive from sunrise to sunset and enjoy the sense of just taking to the road, and I would stop and go when the mood hits me.

It gave me a lot of time to take everything in, ponder about past, present, future, and overall an understanding of what is really important in the grander scheme of things.

Some of the thoughts that occupied me:

Our choices define us, and in the end bind us.

The true worth of a man is determined by the strength of his character, and the compassion he shows to others.

We think of time as being linear with a beginning and an end, but it is less a thread and more of a tapestry.

Faith and Reason – and one more throw of the dice.

A girl – it is always about a girl.

Normal Life

Normalcy is what you make it. It is the things that you are used to in your every day life and what seems strange one day is simply another thing the next. It is amazing how fast you adopt to the ‘new normal’.

It could be a small thing like seeing cars drive on the left side instead of the right, and then realizing everyone walks on the left instead of the right. It could be hailing taxis in different countries, not being able to read street signs, clean public transportation, no air conditioning, no indoor plumbing, etc. Overall though, it becomes less strange moment by moment, and you adapt and broaden your world a bit more.

When I first started my trip, I had limited experience on how to book hotels and lodging. Since then I have slept in budget hostels, 4-5 stars hotels, airports, benches, buses, trains, ferries, but I have not yet slept on the streets. I still miss having my own bed and place, but I no longer find it strange to move around. It is strange how quickly things become normal after you do it for awhile.

Appreciation

Thus far, I think the most important lesson I have learned is appreciation – appreciation for family and friends, appreciation for living in a first world country, appreciation for how lucky I am to be able to go on this journey. I have learned to appreciate all that because I no longer have routines that allow me to take them for granted.

When you have to take four showers a day just to get rid of all the sweat, you really learn to appreciate first world amenities.

I have seen the sunrise and sunset over Ankgor Wat, and it was beautiful. However, the most beautiful sunrise I have seen was in South Dakota over the Badlands, and the most beautiful sunset is a tie between my drive into Seattle and my time spent on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand.

Overall, I am just much more appreciative of life. I sometimes finding myself just standing still to take everything in – watching the leaves dance in the wind, the rain as it falls from the sky, the ocean waves as it comes in. I am sure everyone else around me thinks I am weird because I just randomly stop to enjoy the moment, but since I no longer have to worry about going somewhere in a hurry, I can afford to take my time.

People are People

For the most part, I find people to be people. You have the good, the bad, and the ugly everywhere – it crosses borders and all cultural boundaries. I have seen people who have given up and just want to live day by day with no goals or plans. I have seen others work 60+ hours a week doing hard labor just to provide a brighter future for their kids. I have seen millionaires who are spendthrifts, and millionaires who are financially capable, but for the most part I find that the more money you have, the lonelier you are.

You find all types of people everywhere; Most are just struggling to live and keep moving on, and they are not out to get you or treat you badly because you are a tourist or a foreigner. The exception are taxi drivers though – 95% of them are horrible and will rip you off left and right.

As I travel, the cultural differences are at first shocking but after awhile, it is the similarities that are more important and the differences just shrink into insignificance. Everyone is guarded at first too, but the moment someone truly laughs it crosses every thing. You can see it in their eyes, and it is the luckiest people whose eyes can shine the brightest with overwhelming joy.

October 7, 2012
My Da Nang, My Tranquility

I went running on the shores of Da Nang.
After a mile, I threw away my shirt.
Another half-mile after that I tossed my shoe and socks.

I jogged barefoot on the sands with not a care in the world, and when I finally start to turn back…
I saw my footsteps in the sand – the path I took to get here.

I weaved in-between these steps; jogged side by side; and finally abandoned them altogether to make a new path
I knew where I was heading, but I chose a different path and that made all the difference

When the heat became overbearing, I jumped into the waters
The waves splashed over me, and I dive deep

I recovered my shoes and later on my shirt, but I do not put them back on…
I walked the shoreline – waves and sands between my toes
The sound of the waves are calming, peaceful

I live in the moment, and I smile.

September 25, 2012