Hello all... A lurker here, coming out from the shadows.
I've just started working on a project. A "SAK Selector"... that is, a web page that asks people about their preferences and priorties, and then prints a ranked list of Swiss Army Knives that would be good for that user. (I am aware that there is already at least one SAK selector on the web... http://sakselector.info/cgi-bin/sak_selector.cgi ... but I have something different in mind.)
I got my first Swiss Army Knife when I was about 7 years old... a Small Tinker that my Dad brought me from a business trip in Manhattan, at Abercrombe & Fitch back in the 60's. We still have that knife: I carried it for years; Dad's using it now. Since then, I've carried one Swiss Army Knife or another pretty much every day. I'm 51 now, and I've worked in a variety of fields, including construction and the oil fields, IT, academics, office work, and selling SAKs and other knives at outdoor outfitters and sporting goods stores. I've done a fair amount of backpacking, hiking, canoeing, fishing, climbing, camping, and scout leading. In other words, I feel good about my SAK creds. I have earned opinions about what works and what doesn't.
I have opinions about what works and what doesn't, and about the costs and benefits that come with the inevitable tradeoffs in selecting a Swiss Army Knife. I am weighting the algorithm used in the SAK Selector's scripting accordingly. That is, I'm trying to use what I've learned over the years to make the Selector a more useful tool.
But, I recognize that this is my opinion of what works and what doesn't, of the costs and benefits. Others with different priorities and lifestyles might crunch the numbers differently.
That's why I'm coming to you folks for input.
If you can share with me why a given model is just right for you, I can (possibly) use that to weight the script's variables such that the Selector's results are more useful for more people.
I'm open to any kind of input, but here are things that come to mind:
Intangibles might or might not be useful... By this I mean things like "To me the S model embodies the Swiss Army Knife" ... and then you say why.
What wouldn't be particularly helpful is something like "I got the M model N years ago, from O, and I use it to A, B, and C.". This isn't helpful because we all got some model, at some point in the past, from somewhere or someone, and we all use them to do various things. This kind of input doesn't help refine the algorithm.
Other points:
I may or may not include a question about where the user lives, and filter out or mark models that would be illegal in the user's domicile. Questions: Any one out there know of some good sites to research the laws regarding owning and using knives in various countries and states? Any legal eagles out there have anything to say about whether I would be opening myself to some kind of liability, even if I include an "I'm-not-a-lawyer/check-local-laws" disclaimer?
This is a for-fun project, and it will be a while before I have anything to test... Given that, if you'd like to help test the early version, please PM me.
Thanks for any help.
I've just started working on a project. A "SAK Selector"... that is, a web page that asks people about their preferences and priorties, and then prints a ranked list of Swiss Army Knives that would be good for that user. (I am aware that there is already at least one SAK selector on the web... http://sakselector.info/cgi-bin/sak_selector.cgi ... but I have something different in mind.)
I got my first Swiss Army Knife when I was about 7 years old... a Small Tinker that my Dad brought me from a business trip in Manhattan, at Abercrombe & Fitch back in the 60's. We still have that knife: I carried it for years; Dad's using it now. Since then, I've carried one Swiss Army Knife or another pretty much every day. I'm 51 now, and I've worked in a variety of fields, including construction and the oil fields, IT, academics, office work, and selling SAKs and other knives at outdoor outfitters and sporting goods stores. I've done a fair amount of backpacking, hiking, canoeing, fishing, climbing, camping, and scout leading. In other words, I feel good about my SAK creds. I have earned opinions about what works and what doesn't.
I have opinions about what works and what doesn't, and about the costs and benefits that come with the inevitable tradeoffs in selecting a Swiss Army Knife. I am weighting the algorithm used in the SAK Selector's scripting accordingly. That is, I'm trying to use what I've learned over the years to make the Selector a more useful tool.
But, I recognize that this is my opinion of what works and what doesn't, of the costs and benefits. Others with different priorities and lifestyles might crunch the numbers differently.
That's why I'm coming to you folks for input.
If you can share with me why a given model is just right for you, I can (possibly) use that to weight the script's variables such that the Selector's results are more useful for more people.
I'm open to any kind of input, but here are things that come to mind:
- Your occupation requires a certain kind of dress, and because of that you find that X layers is the max for EDC.
- Because you... whatever... work in this field, or love that activity, etc... you've found that having tool Y is a deal breaker. You just gotta have a Y.
- You travel a lot, and in your travels, you found that tool Z is invaluable.
- You hate a knife with P! You love a knife with Q! Because _______. (The "because" is the useful part.)
Intangibles might or might not be useful... By this I mean things like "To me the S model embodies the Swiss Army Knife" ... and then you say why.
What wouldn't be particularly helpful is something like "I got the M model N years ago, from O, and I use it to A, B, and C.". This isn't helpful because we all got some model, at some point in the past, from somewhere or someone, and we all use them to do various things. This kind of input doesn't help refine the algorithm.
Other points:
I may or may not include a question about where the user lives, and filter out or mark models that would be illegal in the user's domicile. Questions: Any one out there know of some good sites to research the laws regarding owning and using knives in various countries and states? Any legal eagles out there have anything to say about whether I would be opening myself to some kind of liability, even if I include an "I'm-not-a-lawyer/check-local-laws" disclaimer?
This is a for-fun project, and it will be a while before I have anything to test... Given that, if you'd like to help test the early version, please PM me.
Thanks for any help.
