Productivity Nerds with Weapons: Ricky Spears Challenges Me To a Blowtorch Showdown…

You might want to make sure you are sitting down before you read this…

I am deeply saddened to report Ricky Spears, fellow North Carolinian and co-Lexington Barbeque fan has challenged me to a dual. Yes, I was reading his blog late one night and admiring his homemade whiteboard when the curiosity got the best of me. I asked a simple question about how he made his whiteboard when I was blind-sided.

His response was so fast and harsh, you’d think I had called him a Yankee!

I had only asked if he had used a blowtorch to melt the plastic in order to create the whiteboard on his desk.

It was at this moment he posted a blog DARE to me! Read for yourself, there’s no other way for me to take it except as a challenge to a productivity-hack showdown. The gloves really came off when he dared me to post pictures of my homemade notebook cooler in order to prove I made one.

So here it is. It’s the whiteboards vs. the notebook coolers in this most unique, no-holds-barred productivity hack showdown.

His weapon: Cat-like astuteness for turning everyday objects into money saving miracles. The things he does with chewing gum, dental floss and $1 Wal-Mart picture frames would strike fear into any productivity dualist (me included). I thought long and hard about accepting his challenge.

My weapons: A blowtorch, 1 piece of Plexiglas and an old computer case fan. Although inexpensive, my hacks rely on persistence and tools. I usually make many mistakes and have to rebuild. But I know to beat Ricky, I will have to wear him out with sheer determination.

Who will win? (Personally, I’ve got my money on the guy with the blowtorch.)

But you, dear reader, can decide who is the last geek standing.

Read on to see the pictures!

This is a picture of the notebook cooler with the USB powered fan (notice the duct tape – I had to cut off the screws to prevent them from digging in and scratching my laptop.

Here is my laptop sitting on the cooler. You can see that the plexiglass cut underneath is not straight. That is because I used the blowtorch and a heat blade to cut it. I didn’t have a straight edge and had to eyeball it. Also, I’ve got the USB fan plugged into the side of the laptop.

Here is a side view of the setup showing the angle. The space underneath lets the fan circulate the air outward and away from the notebook.

Pros and cons to making your own notebook cooler…

Pros:

• With other notebook coolers starting at $30 and providing low cooling, you can make your own with spare parts and an $8 piece of Plexiglas.
• You can add more fans if you need them
• USB fan doesn’t require additional batteries or power source – look Ma no batteries!
• Keeps your laptop noticeably cooler and protects the surface underneath from getting hot too! No more hot pants for you!
• Fun project

Cons:

• Took me several times to learn how to melt the angles into plexiglass – No joke, I even melted a mini torch in the process.
• potentially dangerous – compressed flammable gas (wear eye protection)
• Using a blowtorch in the heat of summer is miserable
• Melting Plexiglas smells horrible (wear a mask)
• Plexiglas is too flimsy for some laptops. I’ve got a multimedia laptop that has some width and weight to it. As such, the cooler bows and buckles at times.

Overall, it was fun and I learned a few things. But I did it in the heat of the summer and the torch’s heat made the job excruciating during the long plexi-bends. But it really works!

Warning: Please don’t take my rivalry with Ricky Spears seriously. He’s a good friend and great idea man. I recommend you stop by and subscribe to his blog for his unique productivity tips like his $1 Wal-Mart whiteboard project.