Some OT Questions (Ibex, jewelry, Old Nalgene bottles & VPNs)

[MattTuck]

Rather than add 4 OT threads, figured I'd lump these 4, unrelated questions into one thread.

1. Has anyone had luck finding a good replacement for Ibex wool sweaters?

2. Since there's a bunch of folks who like custom bikes, curious if anyone has had custom jewelry made for their significant other. I have an idea I'd like to get priced out, but not sure how to choose the right jeweler.

3. I have a bunch of old Nalgene bottles like this (https://www.nalgene.com/product/2178-2025/), that apparently have BPA. I question how dangerous these things actually are -- but I have stopped using them. Should I just trash them? Has anyone found a good use for them? Is it all hype and I shouldn't be worried?

4. Anyone have experience using NordVPN for streaming races via Eurosport? I have been using TunnelBear and haven't been thrilled with the speed. Wondering if I should make the switch.

[SPOKE]

For your jewelry question.....there’s a guy across the hall that has been making some beautiful pieces. Pretty impressive.....

[hokoman]

For your jewelry question.....there’s a guy across the hall that has been making some beautiful pieces. Pretty impressive.....

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f18/handmade-engagement-rings-21082.html

I had two diamond bands and an engagement ring made by him. Easy process and I really impressed with the work.

[echappist]

Re item 4, Nordvpn is quite a ways better than Tunnelbear. Faster speed and easier to use. Only gripe is that their desktop app (cf. browser plugin) needs work

Alsoaccess to morecountries (Belgium) as well

[MattTuck]

For your jewelry question.....there’s a guy across the hall that has been making some beautiful pieces. Pretty impressive.....

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f18/handmade-engagement-rings-21082.html

I had two diamond bands and an engagement ring made by him. Easy process and I really impressed with the work.

Thanks, I will check this out in more detail later. At first pass, I didn't see a link directly to a site of his. Did I miss it?

Re item 4, Nordvpn is quite a ways better than Tunnelbear. Faster speed and easier to use. Only gripe is that their desktop app (cf. browser plugin) needs work

Alsoaccess to morecountries (Belgium) as well


Good to know. I think I had picked TunnelBear because it was all open source at the time. I got a NordVPN ad when I clicked on that Porch Pirate Glitter Bomb video, so interesting to see it was actually a relevant ad.

[echappist]

Good to know. I think I had picked TunnelBear because it was all open source at the time. I got a NordVPN ad when I clicked on that Porch Pirate Glitter Bomb video, so interesting to see it was actually a relevant ad.

it's one of the best; with TunneBear, i had streaming issues every now and then (less than full HD quality). Didn't happen with NordVPN. Currently at 25-30 mbps down and up on wireless, whereas without VPN, it's 45 down and 40 up. 25-30 mbps is certainly fast enough to support HD streaming, whereas I was getting ~10 (and often less on the weekends) with TunnelBear.

[hokoman]

Just going off memory, this is the place he works, and bills from the shop. He is an employee, but works closely with the owner in regards to pricing, etc.
https://www.hurdlesjewelry.com/

[kramnnim]

Have been using TorGuard for Eurosport for several years, works well. $30/year iirc, from some coupon code listed on Slickdeals. Or maybe it is $60, can’t recall.

[Black Dog]

Use the Nalgenes. The BPA issue is not a big deal unless you store liqiudes at high temps for extended periods and consume large quantities of said liquides. BPA is an estrogen mimick and since you are post pubescent and not likely to consume anything close to a therapeutic dose you are fine.