Archive for the ‘Tips and Tricks’ Category

Quadriplegic Tips XVI

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Frontpage

With my finger function the opening of envelopes is really trying my patience. I simply can’t open the

envelopes

uninjured, undamaged or prompt. My shredder is usually not far away!!!
If you put a nail file in the

cutlery holder (see older blogpost)

it turns into an

excellent letter opener.

Let’s take it for granted that you can use the

nail file

in the cutlery holder coincidentally for

manicure

as well.

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks VII

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

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As self-confessed hobbit with 1,38 m total height forehead top sitting in the wheelchair you have to confess every now and then that the upward reach is a little limited.
My well-tried

key hooks

suddenly have a perceived height of 2,10 m after my accident.
If you aren’t a friend of the fishing sport then taking down the keys turns out to be a bit tedious and can be dangerous.
The usage of safety glasses and helmet is mandatory.
The

Yellow North European Furniture Elks

are offering a

magnet holder for kitchen knives,

which I have declared as

vertical magnet key holder.

Watch out, there are two types.
One of the holders just succeeds to prevent a paper clip from falling down.

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks VI

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

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In winter or rainy weather, almost all pedestrians take off their shoes in front of their door and sneak in socks over the laminate.

I absolutely appreciate that this makes sense when you have estimated 2 kg snow on the soles of your shoes
and you don’t like to go sledging in your flat.

You won’t believe how much snow or rain water can stick to a wheelchair.
Even the wiping of the wheelchair tyres with discarded towels is rather difficult if you are not a Paralympian or contortionist.

To counteract the spring tide in your flat
I have purchased a carpet as it is usually lying e.g. at the entrance of department stores and positioned it outside of my door in the staircase.

These carpets absorb up to 6 liters of water per m².
With its size of 230 cm x 120 cm my

wheelchair tyre cleaning carpet

(wheelchair doormat)

could actually absorb more than 16 liters rain water.
Before I roll into the flat I am doing two laps on the carpet in the staircase, and the wheelchair tyres are clean and dry.

Up to now the maximum “filling capacity” was not reached yet.

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks V

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Frontpage

It is always a little difficult to switch on and off electric devices sitting in a wheelchair.

There are always missing the commonly known 2 cm.
Not 1 cm, or 5 cm?
There are always 2 cm.

I have the theory that this results from mass inertia, momentum and black holes.

Here is the solution:

remote-controlled electrical sockets!!!

A remote-controlled Christmas Tree lighting is quite nice.

(see other blogpost)

Radio coverage allegedly until 25 m. (Probably only at full moon on April 1st).

You can get regularly special offers for a pack of 4!
(15 €, not much more.)

If you buy the pack of 4 twice from the same manufacturer, you should change the radio frequency with the little DIP switches, (in German) also known as

mice piano

.

It might happen otherwise that the toilet light is switched on together with the coffee machine.

Well, maybe not so bad after all… let’s think about it again…

It is not complicated to change the switches.
Every quadriplegic who manages it should get a piece of cake or two from his occupational therapist.

Serious safety instruction:
Please always consider the max. switching power, around 1000 watt.
Never connect an electric heater, around 2000 watt!!!
The switches get hot and might start burning.

I have experimentally connected an electric heater, the electrical socket didn’t survive!!!

Should there be any difficulties with playing the keys (setting the switches) I am at your disposal as professional ”piano tutor” .

Have fun with the piano lesson.

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Tips XV

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Frontpage

After the usual administrative chaos caused by all those who can cut a piece of paper gets currently out of hand, I feel a bit like the “Hauptmann von Köpenick” (synonym from German literature for a catch-22; without residence no work, without work no residence), and I have decided to take 3-4 valium more and turn again towards my

passion,

the technical aids for quadriplegics. What a sentence, the blue things are helping already, I am suddenly missing the fullstopslll

Knife, fork, scissors, flames, have no place in quadriplegic’s gamesl
That’s about true :-)

To cut paper with a scissor is not funny,
especially when you like me can’t even press a clothespin.
If

scissor-type silhouettes

aren’t going to be the new hobby I can highly recommend a

Paper Guillotine,

one-arm-usage guaranteed “fullstop”.

The blue pills are ttzzzzzzzzz

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Tips XII

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Frontpage

The personal enemy of the quadri-(aka tetra-)plegic is, hardly to believe, the:

Tetra Pak beverage carton

These things are so smooth that it is hardly possible to decently pour something into a glass.

I was owning this

metal holder for Tetra Paks

already a couple of years before my accident.

It was revitalised from my

kitchenware graveyard

and does a good job for me now.

If somebody knows the source of supply of this extremely useful equipment, please send a short e-mail to me.
Have a look on to your kitchenware graveyard, maybe 10-15 pieces are lying around there which you have in excess?

rollinator@eigude.de

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks III

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Frontpage

As wheeler out in the wild you are not really noticed by the pedestrians.
This is getting extreme in bigger crowds like sports events or festivals.
It is quite funny if at a street fair the girls take a seat on your lap because you have been again overlooked. But the whole thing gradually gets a little irritating when the number of “hitchhikers” increases towards evening in the dark.

My tip is a

head light

Ideally a blinking one.
These things are simply great.
The pedestrians see the light between their legs, are totally confused, and a gap is formed as if Moses had parted the sea.

Because H4 spotlights on a wheelchair are quite rare such a head light is very recommendable for nightly excursions.
With it each pothole is seen and can now be driven around, depending on the condition of the wheeler.

Not only alcohol but also the taking of pills can reduce the fitness to drive. Opium for the people. Drive slooooowly!!

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Workshop II

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Frontpage

It was used already in the mid of the 1980’s:

The 512 kB USB Stick Version Tetra 1.0 with tie wrap

Each quadriplegic manages to pull out this USB stick. ;-)

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Workshop I

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Frontpage

I received this photo a couple of days ago.
Look closely,
the plumber didn’t have 2,5 per mill blood alcohol level and mounted the clamp incorrectly.
With this hose clamp you can easily regulate the thermostat.
Great idea!!!


Security advice:
If possible you should upgrade it with a child safety feature in form of a cork.
A wrong grasp could end painfully.

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks II

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Startseite

Der Transport von Gegenständen aller Art ist uns Rollifahrern ein Gräuel, besonders wenn sie rund sind!
Oberschenkel sind gänzlich ungeeignet zur Beförderung von Kernobst.
Die hohe deutsche Ingenieurskunst hat sie nach jahrelanger Forschung herausgebracht:

Die Pflaumentransportbox fĂĽr Rollifahrer

dscf0093b

Die Ähnlichkeit mit einem Eierkarton täuscht!

Hier geht’s,…ääh..fährt man zur

Quadriplegic Tips Part IX

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Frontpage

I dare to state globally that there are no

wheelers which are not exempt from paying TV licensing fee

in Germany.
Due to this fact the program is probably that bad. I confess myself guilty as program Grinch.
Never mind.
We quadriplegics probably don’t pay any TV licensing fee just because we don’t manage it anyway to hold such a high gloss TV guide, let alone to pick the magazine up. Therefore it happens again and again that due to lack of knowledge we are watching a

scripted reality show

on private TV, instead of

The love life of grapevine snails


on the documentary channel.

With a big

binder clip

img_6168c

from the stationery shop around the corner, the basic right for

TV program knowledge

should be provided again.
Alternatively I can offer a do-it-yourself course with a hole puncher and a key chain.

Now you shouldn’t miss the next episode of Mc Gyver again.

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks I

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Frontpage

I am user of a

bed designer monkey bar

which I can’t do without.
I have cushioned it with the common sanitary rubber foam for water pipes from the do-it-yourself store.
This tip is an “old hat“.
If you then additionally fix a super-strong round

Ikea magnet

to the bars and hang the monkey bar on to it, it doesn’t
dangle around
in front of your face any more.

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Tips Part VI

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Frontpage

Everybody who once had a plaster cast knows this

blue adhesive wrapping tape .

It you wrap it around things like e.g. a bottle this virtually sticks to the hand.
For me who constantly drops things due to the paralysis of my fingers this tape is just brilliant!

For those who don’t like blue the tape is available in red as well ;-)

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Tips Part III

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Frontpage

Everybody who knew me before my accident knows that I have been a rather

”spiritual” person.

In the hospital I wasnâ€t able any more to open a bottle of

hop blossom ice tea

(cold beer) due to lack of power.
My colleagues had sympathy with my situation and constructed this special opener type:

ASIFLENGHTISNOTIMPORTANT!

The opener is also excellently suitable as extension for Allen wrenches if the screws on the wheelchair are lose again.

Translator BL

Quadriplegic Tips Part II

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Frontpage

That we quadriplegics are fixing key rings, tie wraps and tapes to each and everything is nothing new, but you probably haven’t seen this before ;-)

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Translator BL