The Cubicle Punk: Notes from a life uncommon by Jeremiah Andrick

Just say no to North Face

by Jeremiah Andrick on October 23, 2012

This is not a paid endorsement; this is my way of saying let’s try and expand our horizons.

I was going for a run tonight and it was rainy out so I didn’t even hesitate to grab my jacket a hoodie from TAD gear. It reminded me of an exchange between two friends, Colin and Danielle on twitter from last week that started with this little tweet.

If this North Face is not the new startup founder uniform I don’t know what is refer.ly/aX2Q

— Danielle Morrill (@DanielleMorrill) October 18, 2012

While I should probably worry that the startup world might be engaging in group think, I am a little more worried that Danielle might be right that North Face is just everywhere. I used to joke that when you joined Microsoft they must give you a black North Face Jacket and the keys to an Audi A4. All things you would see everywhere on campus.

So for your consideration, I thought would share some options that are not North Face.

Triple Aught Design (TAD Gear)

For me when it comes to being warm and dry and I think almost exclusively first about TAD gear, these jackets look good but they are not about fashion. Founded in 1997 by Patrick Ma TAD Gear jackets and apparel are designed for real outdoor use and live up to it. I live for back country hiking and snowshoeing and my Ranger Hoodie is the go to jacket for days when a hard shell is too much. I have several other TAD products and next on my list is this Stealth Hoodie, it is the best of both worlds and a go to jacket when you want to be warm and dry.

If you were planning on buying a North Face jacket but want to stand out in the crowd and have kit that lasts a long time in hard outdoor use or just riding the bus from your office to the bar for happy hour this is really is so much better. Plus every comparable North Face jacket is guaranteed to pill and wear in the seams. This will last!

Acronym by Errolson Hugh

So on the less technical front but super cool, Acronym is a great brand that is totally out there but has found a way to make gore-tex look cool. The jacket above was designed as a collaboration for last years Herno collection. It doesn’t have a hood but it will keep you dry. For something similar, check out the GT-J22 hardshell with gore tex. I promise you will stand out in this jacket. An Acronym jacket is on my list for this year. Check out the video below for this years collection. Cool Stuff.

Aether
Another good option is for the SF and Pacific Northwest crowd is Aether, they make a wide variety of performance clothing focused on the city dweller who needs outdoor kit that doesn’t fall apart. I have never owned any, but everyone I know who has says that they fit great and look good. I like the hood and cut of the F12 Altitude and the waterproof zippers are huge pulse.

Moncler

One option if you want to skip a rent payment or mortgage payment would be to go really old school, is a clothing company of French origin founded in 1952 by French entrepreneur René Ramillon that manufactures high-end down jackets and sportswear. You will need to drop a grip if you want anything from them, but I can personally guarantee that these jackets will keep you warm and dry and looking way better than anything that North Face will ship. I really dig this Moncler Grimbert this jacket is really different from the other suggestions I have made but it looks great. There are also a wide set of down options that will keep you warm and dry.

Some other options:

So now you have no excuses. Friends don’t let friends buy North Face.

Video: Kentdrick Lamar and Best Coast

by Jeremiah Andrick on July 12, 2012

Any one who knows me knows I enjoy a little Best Coast. Sorry this has nothing to do with the usual noise I post here, but this is a great video of Bethany from Best Coast and Kendrick Lamar in Portland last night. So watch and enjoy.

H/T: Fader

The Art of Packing : Louis Vuitton Style

by Jeremiah Andrick on July 5, 2012

Here’s a good example of luxury marketing that works. (Although the use of flash kills me.) Everywhere I looked this morning I saw links back to this great example of how to pack your bag the Louis Vuitton way. The site makes great use of the brand and ties luxury and walks you though how they see you can pack efficiently.

I would argue that you could be more efficient than they propose since the bags in the example could hold more clothes but the concept is that you can do it in a way that the clothes are less wrinkled. This may be accurate but there are other techniques that work as well. However, they make it look pretty sexy. Check out the video below and of course go and check out the site.

When will our site be done?

July 3, 2012

I have heard the following quotes more times that I care to repeat. “When will the site be finished?” “We have redesigned the site X times in Y years, when is it finished.” My response has always been, “Welcome to the internet.” this is my snarky way of saying why are you complaining about the [...]

Focal Standup/Sitdown Desk

July 1, 2012

So people who read my blog are going to start thinking I am writing a blog about stand up desks, but I so adamant that this is how we should work. You feel better and you will live longer. That said the desks are notoriously boring and ugly. This is because they have only really [...]

On Meetings

June 26, 2012

Thought for the day: “You are the owner of your meetings, not the victims of your meetings.” Lance Binley Think about that for a minute. -Jeremiah

Lacoste – This strategy is a loser.

June 13, 2012

I am a lazy shopper. A friend sent me a link to a sale at Lacoste and I like one of their button down styles (the so called modern fit), so I opened the link on my iPad and of course like many websites I was forced to the mobile site. Not responsive, but for [...]

An adjustable height desk you want to stand by

June 9, 2012

So if you didn’t know already I am a huge fan of standup desks, but they have one critical flaw in an office like mine. The need to look good. Since I stand a majority of the time I have looked for a machinist table at sites like Factory20 or at local industrial salvage shops [...]

AT&T this is not a great way to approach privacy.

June 4, 2012

I got this fun mail this weekend from AT&T and I was a bit amazed by it. The following is a notice that AT&T wants to let me know that unless I tell them otherwise I am opted in to share my CPNI data with whomever they choose whenever they choose. At first I almost [...]