Embrace the Adventure
Indoors or Out
Welcome to my lifestyle page, where outdoor exploration and tech innovation come together. Whether I’m scaling rock faces, hiking rugged trails, or experimenting with the latest gadgets at home, I’m passionate about adventure in all its forms.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Carabiner 3 Pack for Toprope Anchors and General Use
I have used these carabiners on every toprope anchor I have ever built. Coming in a 3 pack, I am able to use two of these carabiners to clip into the bolts for my toprope anchor, and I still have another available for transporting my gear.
My Anchor Point Carabiner for Toprope Climbing
I have two of these carabiners that my rope passes through when I toprope outdoors. They are lightweight, reliable, and what I turn to for my toprope anchor points.
Black Diamond Rocklock Screwgate Carabiner
Description
- 100% Synthetic
- Made in the USA
- Square hinge end holds belay loop securely in place
- Slightly curved spine maximizes gate opening
- Keylock nose prevents snagging
- One-hand operable
- Screwgate sleeve
- Type H or HMS connector. For dynamic belaying using a Munter Hitch or belay device.
My Go To Chalk
This has been my favorite chalk for climbing. The other Friction Labs chalks are great too, but I love the little clusters of chalk the chucky variant has. I feel like I go through the finer textured variant faster than I do this one. I use a lot of chalk when I climb, but a pack of this chalk lasts me a while.
Friction Labs Chunky Texture – Gorilla Grip
Description
- GAME CHANGING GRIP: Don’t limit yourself because of bad grip. Overcome grip problems caused by sweat, rain, humidity, and oils or sunscreen. Our high purity Magnesium Carbonate makes a single application last longer, giving you the grip you need to stay in the zone.
- SKIN FRIENDLY GRIP: Made in Colorado, USA with the highest purity pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Non-toxic, silica-free chalk that is safe for all skin types. Healthy Skin = Better Performance.
- PEAK PERFORMANCE: A bit of moisture can be the difference between success and failure. Our high purity chalk lasts longer so you can keep pushing to that next hold instead of stopping to chalk up. Perfect for indoor & outdoor use.
- TRUSTED BY THE BEST: Friction Labs is the only chalk endorsed by champions in multiple sports like rock climbing, tennis & powerlifting. Our chalk provides the long lasting moisture absorption you need to keep performing your best.
- COMPLETE THE REGIMEN: Looking for maximum grip and performance? Learn from the pros: Activate your grip with Secret Stuff Liquid Chalk base layer before you climb or lift. Then add loose chalk to refresh your grip when pushing hard.
My First Aggressive Climbing Shoe
I have been loving this shoe so far. I just picked them up a few weeks ago when I had to retire my previous pair of La Sportiva Kubos after 2 years of use and a resole. I opted to go down from my size 44.5 Kubos to a size 43.5 Solution Comp after trying and returning a size 44.5 pair of Solution Comps for being slightly too large on my foot (I have narrower feet, size 11 US Men). I am still in the process of breaking these shoes in, but I am excited to climb more in them!
How I Belay
The Petzl Grigri is one of the most popular belay devices on the market today. This was the first belay device I ever purchased on my own, and by far my personal choice due to its ease of use and cam assisted blocking.
PETZL Grigri 2 Belay Adult
Description
- 100% Aluminium
- PROGRESSIVE DESCENT CONTROL: 3:1 mechanical advantage of the camming mechanism helps smoothly control the rope and reduce lowering efforts regardless of rope diameter.
- CAM-ASSISTED BLOCKING: Cam-assisted blocking ensures a comfortable belay—when the climber falls or weights the rope—the cam in the device automatically cinches down to arrest the rope.
- COMFORTABLE and CONVENIENT: Simple to use for belaying both lead and top rope climbers. Rope installation diagram engraved on the inside and outside of the device serves as a friendly reminder to novices and experts alike.
- ERGONOMIC: Ergonomic handle allows belayer to easily unblock the rope and lower someone. Durable, compact, and lightweight (175 grams).
- ROPE COMPATIBILITY: Compatible with 8.5 to 11 mm dynamic single ropes.
How I Carry My Gear to Outdoor Climbs
This bag has been great for carrying all of my gear to and from outdoor climbing sessions. I love how the main pocket of the bag is a zipper along the middle of the back and how it unfolds into almost a duffle bag. This makes accessing its contents quick and easy. The included rope tarp is another huge plus. The size of this bag also means it is the only thing I have to carry on the hike wherever I plan on climbing. It easily fits all of the necessary gear for a trip (including shoes, harness, and a helmet) without seeming to be oversized when actually being worn or carried.
PETZL Kliff Rope Bag
Description
- YOUR CRAGGING WORKHORSE: With a built-in rope tarp, 36 liters of storage, and a simple, easy-to-access closure system; the KLIFF will quickly become your go-to for days out on rock.
- MAXIMUM STORAGE WITHOUT THE BULK: 36-liter volume. Stows up to 100 m of rope, as well as all other climbing gear (such as harness, quickdraws, and shoes). Two internal handles make it easy to store the rope. Zippered pocket provides quick access to topo map, phone, keys, and other items.
- COMFORTABLE CARRY: Adjustable foam shoulder straps. Sternum strap keeps the shoulder straps in place.
- REMOVABLE TARP: Detachable protective tarp provides a 140 x 140 cm 55 x 55 in clean area for ropes.
My Go to Battery Bank
While this may be a little large to call a “portable” charger, this device has saved me countless times simply from having it live in my back pack. Even when charging this battery once a week, I could depend on it to charge my phone back to full multiple times. It is also capable of charging my iPad which has saved me on multiple occasions when I would forget to charge it the night before, enabling me to take my class notes as normal.
GOODaaa Power Bank
Description
- Exclusive Hand Crank Power Bank: GOODaaa adopts latest advanced technology to combine the solar charger with a hand crank generator. Simply rotating the handle on top, make it possible to provide power during an emergency or natural disaster. Besides, it has multiple fast charging input ports and cable (Recommended recharge ways). Get power at any time!
- High Capacity Portable Charger: With 45800mAh high-capacity premium polymer battery, this solar power bank provides multiple times of charges to your devices. Equipped with smart protect IC, it intelligently guarantees the charging safety. Gives you ultra-long safe charging time.
- Seven Outputs & Five Inputs: With 3 built-in output cables (iOS & USB-C & Micro USB), 3 output ports ( USB*2 & USB-C*1), and a wireless charging area, this power bank supports charging 7 devices simultaneously. It is the most in the market. With 1 USB-A input cable and 2 input ports (iOS & USB-C), it offers five ways to be recharged. ALL charge methods are included, it keeps all your devices powered and getting rid of messy cables.
- Advanced Wireless Charging: This solar charger power bank is equipped with a wireless charging area, just put your device on it, and gets charged, very convenient to use. It is compatible with all wireless-enabled devices, such as iPhone 14/13/12/11/X series, Samsung Galaxy S23/S22/S21 series, etc. Make your charge cable-free.
- Practical Outdoor Battery Pack: This solar portable charger has dual bright LED flashlights with 3 modes (SOS/Strobe/Steady) for power outages and other emergencies. The built-in compass clearly shows you the direction. It also comes with a carabiner, which you can hang on the backpack to charge this power bank through solar energy. It’s well-made to be waterproof/shockproof/dust-proof, suitable for various harsh environments.
The Mouse I Use Everyday
This is by far the best mouse I have ever used, and I will without a doubt be the next mouse I buy if my current one ever quits. Although I have used my current mouse everyday since even before I built my computer in 2020 (with my old laptop) and I have had no issues at all in that time. I love how it is weighted, and it just feels well made in your hand. My favorite feature is the metal scroll wheel, and it is also nice having so many programable buttons.
Logitech G502
Description
- Hero 25K sensor through a software update from G HUB, this upgrade is free to all players: Our most advanced, with 1:1 tracking, 400-plus ips, and 100 – 25,600 max dpi sensitivity plus zero smoothing, filtering, or acceleration
- 11 customizable buttons and onboard memory: Assign custom commands to the buttons and save up to five ready to play profiles directly to the mouse
- Adjustable weight system: Arrange up to five removable 3.6 grams weights inside the mouse for personalized weight and balance tuning
- Programmable RGB Lighting and Lightsync technology: Customize lighting from nearly 16.8 million colors to match your team’s colors, sport your own or sync colors with other Logitech G gear
- Mechanical switch button tensioning: Metal spring tensioning system and pivot hinges are built into left and right gaming mouse buttons for a crisp, clean click feel with rapid click feedback
- 1 year hardware limited warranty. USB report rate: 1000Hz (1ms)
- Microprocessor: 32-bit ARM. Use Logitech G HUB to save your settings to the on board memory on the mouse and take them with you. Your saved settings will work on any PC without additional software or any login required.
My Keyboard
I got this keyboard when I first built my PC, and it has been nothing but great. The keys are quiet and satisfying to type with, and it is very responsive when using for games. The Corsair iCUE functionality also provides a lot of customization for the integrated LED lights not only with my keyboard but also to synchronize with the other Corsair LED enabled products within my PC. I also how the LED’s on the back and sides of the keyboard shine off of my desk during late night use.
Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical Wired Gaming Keyboard
Description
- The CORSAIR K100 RGB is the pinnacle of CORSAIR keyboards, offering the cutting-edge performance, style, durability, and customization that gamers need to stand above the rest..Keyboard Cable Material: Braided
- The centerpiece of your gaming setup, the CORSAIR K100 RGB boasts a refined design bolstered by a durable aluminum frame, dynamic per-key RGB backlighting, and a 44-zone three-sided LightEdge.
- Powered by CORSAIR AXON Hyper-Processing Technology, enabling CORSAIR’s most advanced gaming keyboard experience by delivering up to 4x faster throughput with native 4,000Hz hyper-polling and 4,000Hz key scanning, while simultaneously driving up to 20-layer lighting effects.
- A programmable iCUE control wheel gives you command over backlighting, media jogging, and more through CORSAIR iCUE software, customizable to perform actions in games and applications.
The Latest Microcontroller I Have Worked With
The Pico W is a low price and powerful board that was everything I needed for my last project. My latest project involved using MicroPython on the Pico W to make requests to the Spotify API to get information about a user’s currently playing song. Using the Pico W’s on board WiFi chip, I was able to host a webserver using MicroDot (a library similar to Flask) to authenticate Spotify and then use the GPIO pins of the board to connect to an external LCD screen.
Raspberry Pi Pico W (3 pack with headers)
Description
- Raspberry Pi Pico W is a small, quick, and an adaptable board built using the RP2040, a microcontroller chip manufactured by Raspberry Pi
- RP2040 features a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor with 264kB internal RAM and support for up to 16MB of off-chip flash
- Raspberry Pi Pico W comes with a fully certified module on board featuring 2.4GHz 802.11n wireless LAN
- Supported input power 1.8–5.5V DC Operating temperature -20°C to +85°C (Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico H); -20°C to +70°C (Raspberry Pi Pico W and Pico WH)
- Package includes:3x Raspberry Pi Pico W, 6x 20pin Pin-Header, 6 x 3pin Pin-Header
LCD Screens to Provide Visuals For My Projects
These LCD screens were everything I needed them to be to add a visual display to my latest project, and I even have an extra to play around with later since they came in a 2 pack! Using a custom ILI9341 driver I found online, I was able to easily control the LCD screen I had connected to a Raspberry Pi Pico W to display text in varying fonts as well as images. More specifically, I made calls to the Spotify API to get information about the user’s currently playing song such as the song name, artist name, and the album art. I was then able to display all of this information to the LCD screen and have it update in real time when the song eventually changed.
SPI TFT LCD Display Touch Panel ILI9341 (2 pack)
Description
- Display Area: 48.6(W)X64.8(H)mm
- With touch pen inside, support touch screen function, more easily to use.
- Compatible with arduino r3 controller board, which will improve your project operations.
- Designed with a SD card socket on the back.
- SPI serial, built-in ILI9341 driver IC and power supply IC.
Wires I Used to Prototype
These are the wires I use to prototype my projects in all stages of development thanks to the flexibility of having male-to male, male-to-female, and female-to-female options included with one purchase. The male-to-male wires were great for breadboard development, although I opted to use the included male-to-female wires to connect directly to the pins of the LCD screen from the breadboard in early development. Once I was ready to move to my project to a semi-permanent housing, I used the female-to-female wires to connect directly from the pin headers I soldered to the Pico W directly to the pins of the LCD screen along with some clever connections to excess pin headers when I needed multiple wires carrying like signals.
120pcs Breadboard Jumper Wires
Description
- Package include: 20cm (7.9inch) / 40pin Female to Female jumper wires / 40pin Male to Female jumper wires / 40pin Male to Male jumper wires (Total 120pcs)
- Connector Type: Standard 2.54mm Pitch 1Pin-1Pin Dupont Housing Connector, with brass nickel plated terminals, provides excellent electrical conductivity and oxidation resistance.
- Cable length: 20cm (7.9 inch) / Cable material: 12-core pure copper wire
- Cable features: Separable multicolored (10 colors) softness ribbon cables
- For DIY experiment / Electronic projects / Breadboard / PC motherboard / PCB project
Large Quantity of Varying Buttons Great for External Input
I bought these buttons for some of my smaller projects requiring a means of user input. The large quantity and varying styles of buttons allows these to meet just about any requirement needed for a microcontroller project or any electronic project for that matter. It is also worth noting that this set comes with latching buttons only expanding the possibilities of projects having this kit laying around could help out with.
202PCS Micro Momentary Tactile Push Button Switch Assortment Kit
Description
- Product Introduction: Micro Momentary Tactile Push Button Switch Assortment Kit; Low contact resistance value, accurate operating force error, diversified specifications, high reliability electrical sealing structure.
- Contact Type: Momentary; Voltage Rating: DC 12V; Current Rating: 50mA; Contact Resistance: 100M Ohm; The switch can be connected by pressing the switch button gently, and disconnected by releasing.
- Switch Size & Quantity: 6 x 6 x 4.3mm 25Pcs / 5mm 25Pcs / 6mm 25Pcs / 7mm 25Pcs / 8mm 25Pcs / 9.5mm 21Pcs / 11mm 20Pcs / 12.5mm 20Pcs / 7 x 7mm Latching Tact Switch 8Pcs / 7 x 7mm Momentary Tact Switch 8Pcs.
- Product application: It is widely used for Audio-Visuals, digital products, remote control, communications products, household appliances, security products, toys, computer products, fitness equipment, medical equipment, laser pen keys etc.
- Product content: 10 values 202pcs, they are packed in a delicate plastic box with labels, which is convenient for carrying, selecting and using.
Breadboard I Use For Prototyping
I was recommended this breadboard by one of my Electrical Engineering professors at Penn State, and it has been great for all of my prototyping needs both inside and outside of the classroom. Having two columns of breadboard on one mounted frame is great for keeping my prototypes contained while being able to spread out and organize my wiring at the same time. The dedicated positive, negative, and ground terminals are a great addition, too. Personally, I use them in conjunction with a multimeter to quickly have a reliable reference to ground.
How I am Hosting this Website
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Description
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