Meet Diego Lopez of Underground Technology

Diego Lopez is the president of a startup company called Underground Technology. This company mainly focuses on developing products for motorcycle riders, and one of them is the NightRage Backpack. The NightRage Backpack has integrated lights to help riders be more visible at night or in poor weather conditions. The backpacks are currently available on eBay. Visit the Underground Technology eBay store for more about their products.

1. Why did you decide to start your company, Underground Technology?

Well, ever since I can remember, I have had a passion for motorcycles. I believe that the Isle of Man TT was the event that captured my attention and has defined my life ever since. When I was a teenager I had an idea, an idea that I have fine-tuned since then, and now we call it the NightRage Backpack. I thought to myself: Why not make my passion into something useful to me and others? Just as in the same way you ride a motorcycle, starting your own business gives you a sense of freedom you don't usually get from a 9 to 5 (or a car), and that was my biggest motivation for starting the Underground Technology engine.

2. Would you tell us a little bit about how you came up with the idea for your NightRage backpack?

When I was a teenager I was very much into motorcycles, but I also was constantly reminded by everyone I knew about the dangers of riding, both motorcycles and bicycles. I began to think of ideas to make riding safer, both from a preventive standpoint and from a post-accident situation. It took me some time, but I finally decided on a design and electric layout for the NightRage Backpack.

3. What makes your backpacks so useful for motorcyclists and bicyclists?

Nations across the globe are becoming more environmentally conscious and adopting bicycles, one passenger electric vehicles, and even motorcycles as means of transportation to get to work and to run errands; these riders need something that allows them to carry all their personal items with them. Why not combine safety, functionality, and style into one multi-purpose product?

The NightRage backpack has integrated electro light panels which increase the visibility of the rider as far as a half a mile away, and it's also made out of a lightweight hard shell composite to help minimize any damage to the rider and personal items if an accident ever occurs. This backpack with lights also has a padded sleeve for 16-inch laptops, an extra sleeve for tablets, multiple pockets for smaller items, three zippered pockets inside, and enough room to fit a large watermelon in case you ever have to ride to the supermarket to buy one.

4. When it comes to designing a product, how do you make sure that safety is a priority, while also keeping functionality and the look of the product in mind?

I truly believe that functionality, safety, and looks always go hand in hand when designing a product. When designing a product with electro panels, safety is simply a byproduct of the design, or design is a byproduct of the safety element. (They are the same thing.) Another example might be aerodynamics; aerodynamics create sharp shapes and creases that are interesting to the viewer, and the design is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

5. How do you hope to grow your company over the next year or so?

There are many things in the works, from our marketing and advertising campaigns to the development of new products, things that I cannot say much about. But one of our biggest milestones at Underground Technology will be the launch of our web store. We are expecting that by the end 2015 we will have it up and running, ready for our current loyal customers and welcoming new ones. One thing is for sure: this is just the beginning.

Thanks, Diego!

Introducing Alarm-Reviews.Net

If you're interested in buying or upgrading a home security system, you're probably eager to read some alarm reviews, and Alarm-Reviews.Net is a website that reviews the major home security companies and their security systems.

As you browse the site, you'll find well-known names such as ADT and Protect America. The reviews include pricing information (installation plus monthly rates) and the features that each system provides as well as the company's customer support practices. The reviews are concise and give you a good overview of each company and what you're getting for your investment.

Alarm-Reviews.Net also includes comparison tools which allow you to line up the features offered by different companies against each other. This can be helpful if you have a couple of companies in mind and want a little help making a decision. Another tool specifically offers an equipment comparison, where you scroll through pictures of all of the different equipment provided by each company--this is a great idea for people who like to see visual representations.

The site is meant to offer an unbiased, third-party perspective on security systems available in the US and Canada. If you're shopping for a home alarm system, it's worth checking out.

Introducing Houston Locksmith Texas

Looking for a Houston locksmith with over thirty years of experience? Houston Locksmith Texas offers 24/7 emergency services as well as the full range of locksmith services for homes, businesses, and vehicles. The business owners work hard to maintain a fast response time and quality customer service.

It's always a good idea to have a reliable locksmith in your phone's address book because you never know when you might need emergency services if you get locked out of your car doors or trunk, your home, your business, etc. Who hasn't lost their keys at some point? I know I have.

It can also be very convenient to work with a locksmith to get extra keys made, and not everyone can make new car keys (as you may already know if you tried to get keys made at a "big box" hardware store), but Houston Locksmith Texas can do this task for you.

Be sure to visit their website for specials; they are currently offering 10% off all services with the offer code listed on their site. They offer complete mobile locksmith services to customers all over the greater Houston area.

Meet Jason Horton of Carbon Monoxide Detector Placement

Jason Horton is a musician and environmentalist with a family background in home construction. Each year he creates a new website based on a home-related health and safety issue where he sees a lot of misinformation floating around the web. He started his Carbon Monoxide Detector Placement website in 2012.

Jason started the site because he discovered that many people who buy carbon monoxide detectors don't know how to install them in the correct locations in their home, which can lead to people being poisoned even though they have a detector or alarm installed. He posts reviews of carbon monoxide detectors as well as information on proper placement.

1. I think a lot of us grew up "before" carbon monoxide detectors, so could you give us a little background on how/why they have come into wide use?

Carbon monoxide poisoning has been a problem for a very long time; in fact it's still the most common cause of accidental poisoning in America today. The reason detectors have become widely used in recent years is two-fold: firstly, the electrochemical sensor technology that modern detectors use has become quite affordable (you can get CO alarms for under $20 these days), and the second reason is that many state governments have created laws requiring their use in homes which have fossil fuel burning appliances.

2. What do people need to know about the proper placement of detectors in their home?

This is the topic I cover in most detail on my website because it's vital to ensuring they work correctly in an emergency. If you put them in the wrong place, the sensors won't be able to detect the build up of CO gas until it's too late, or they won't wake you up at night, or in some places they will give false positives which means people end up turning them off or not taking them seriously when they sound--a bit like the "boy who cried wolf." But as the old saying goes, "the worst place to have them is still in the package they were in when you bought them."

3. How many detectors does an average home need?

This is where it gets a little complicated because it depends on factors like whether or not you have an internally attached garage, where the fossil fuel appliances in your home are, and a few other factors like that. For most homes, one in the basement if you have a furnace or gas powered water heater there, another one 15ft from your gas oven, stove, or fireplace, and one within 15ft of each bedroom is the minimum needed.

4. With smoke alarms, a lot of times they go off when there isn't really a fire but rather some smoke from cooking, etc. Does this happen with carbon monoxide detectors, too? What should you do if yours goes off and you don't think there's a problem?

You will only get false positives if you place a detector too close to a fossil-fuelled appliance. There are always trace amounts of CO gas produced when you're cooking, for example, and these low levels aren't dangerous over short exposure times during cooking--as long as your nearest detector is 15ft away, you won't have a problem unless it malfunctions. Most models run self-tests and have a testing button you can press if you're not sure. If the detectors sound the alarm, and you use the test button and it says it's working properly, then you must evacuate the house immediately and call 911. You must do this even if you don't think it's serious because your judgement is often affected when you're exposed to CO gas.

5. In reviewing detectors for your site, what criteria do you consider in choosing a good product?

I tend to take an epidemiological approach by presenting the models which will produce the greatest net benefit for the greatest numbers of homes, and I base my criteria on that. I also review some models which I recommend against using because I know people are looking for information on them when they visit my website, and if I don't provide them with the facts they need, they may go out and get one which is inappropriate for their circumstances. For example, I strongly recommend against using dual smoke and CO detectors because the sensors for each type of unit need to be in different positions for maximum effectiveness and safety.

Thanks, Jason!

Affordable Bulletproof Vests from BulletSafe

I will admit at the outset of this post that I'd never done any price comparisons on bulletproof vests. As someone who works mostly from home, it just never occurred to me. However, for people who work as security guards or are employed in other dangerous professions, a bulletproof vest is a wise investment indeed.

Whether you are taking occasional night shifts in a convenience store or working every day in a security job, if you are concerned about the possibility of gun violence at your job, you may be interested in a bulletproof vest. The question is: can you find a quality vest at an affordable price?

Tom Nardone, who previously worked as a test engineer for military equipment, launched BulletSafe last August because he wanted to make great protection gear available at a great price. He wears a vest himself when doing volunteer work in downtown Detroit, and he has made it his job to bring down the cost of bulletproof vests without sacrificing quality.

In Tom's own words, "I just want people who work in dangerous situations to be able to afford one."

To learn more about BulletSafe, check out their Facebook page, and visit their YouTube channel to get a real picture of how their vests work.