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Home Fire: What to Grab First?

2009/03/16 / / 0 Comments
housewarming

image by Andrea @ the-mugwump.com

Friday I was feeling pretty worn down and eventually I left work early, at 5pm. Saturday I had to take care of some stuff, and I’m sure it didn’t help my immune system any. Saturday and Sunday I felt like… icky ick. I called into work on Sunday night so, if needed, I give my body the rest it needed.

This morning, at 8:30am the fire alarm was going off. Not the ringing noise you would expect to hear, but the funky Start Trek siren when being targeted by the “Get out of bed boy!” aliens.  So much for sleeping in.

I threw some clothes on, deactivated the alarm in my suite and then looked around my apartment thinking, “I have no idea if this is real. If it is real, then what should I grab?”

The solution was actually pretty simple. I grabbed my backup drives. 1TB worth of my work, personal records, 3D projects, demo reel, home movies, photos… etc. This stuff is irreplaceable. It also made me realize that I need to have an off-site backup. When I was about 15 years old, I learned the hard way when my dad’s apartment burned down. In this digital age, you have no excuse for not having backups. Especially considering you can get a 500GB drive for about $100.

I have other important stuff, but most of that is pretty fireproof and (more importantly) water proof.

Good news is, on the walk down the stairwell I ran into the firefighters. They said it was a false alarm that was due to the dust from the construction on the first floor.  I went back upstairs, stripped and continued my sleep till 12:30pm.

My only regret:  I had my video camera in hand, yet wasn’t recording.  I’ve gotta make it a habit to always have it running.

Cooking for a Recession.

2009/03/12 / / 0 Comments

From Apartment Therapy‘s  “the kitchen” mailing list.

Even if it’s just a bowl of Ramen, to the bitter end I’m going to encourage you to borrow a sprig of cilantro from your neighbor, put the soup in a ceramic bowl, and use a cloth napkin, light a candle and give thanks.

Well said!  So cheezy, yet inspiring.

Weekly Digest – 2009-03-09

2009/03/09 / / 0 Comments

Home Theater Projector… screen

2009/03/08 / / 0 Comments

So I picked up a Sony projector the other day.  FINALLY!!  It’s an older model that I got for about 1k (including cables & tax).

I’m projecting it on the wall for testing… but it’s actually not bad, and considering I’ve got a forest green wall.  Hah.  Neat.

Anyhow, I’ve been told about this refletive paint.  Or some recommend using “blackout cloth“.  They say it’s used to line drapes to completely block out light.  Looks like you can get it in grey, which sounds good for contrast balancing.  Some guys even recommend paper (which wouldn’t survive in my place).  Or whynot skip the middle men and just go right to China.  “Can we get it by the yard?”

This Lumanlab thread has some good info, till you hit the expired MSN links.

I thought abot a screen, but now I’m thinking a strip that goes across the whole wall.  If it’s just the right grey, it might even help blend these walls.  Hmm…

I’ve gotta start digging a deeper than just the first page of a Google search.

It’s car time

2009/03/05 / / 0 Comments

Yeah, need is a funky word to use, but I’ve explored Vancouver pretty well and I think it’s time to expand my horizons a bit and see what the rest of BC has to offer.  Can’t spend my entire summer in the city.  Must see some mountains.

First step is to get myself a BC drivers license.  Which means a little study of the local driving rules n regulations.

Coworker recommend a local ride share organization that is a $500 deposit (that you get back if you leave) and $2.50 per each hour that you borrow a vehicle.  This would mean more trips to big box stores and IKEA.  heh…  oh no.  You can borrow anything from Cooper Minis to moving vans.

Weekly Digest – 2009-03-02

2009/03/02 / / 0 Comments

Vitamin Supplements

2009/03/02 / / 2 Comments

Stopped by to visit Warren today.  We went for a walk and promptly we started talking an audio book that he’s been listening to by Deepak.  We also spoke of multi-vitimins and and another audio book, where the author was talking about supplements.  I mentioned that I had significantly lowered my meat intake and Warren recommended (based on a few different sources, including the current audio book) that B12 would be a good supplement to look into.

I stopped by a local organic shop and picked up some B12, Folic Acid & Milk Thistle.  Just got home and have been reading the wiki writeup on folic acid. 

“Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells.[8] This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. Folate is needed to synthesize DNA bases (most notably thymine, but also purine bases) needed for DNA replication. Thus folate deficiency hinders DNA synthesis and cell division, affecting most notably bone marrow and cancer, both of which participate in rapid cell division.”

The wiki entry goes on to describe associations found with mental health and cancer.  Basically, is sounds like a good balance of folic acids in the body is certainly a good thing.

Milk Thistle is your liver’s best friend, especially against damage done by toxins.  It’s a blood cleanser and also can aid the healing of sebaceous cysts. 

Vitimin B12, on the other hand, is essential for,

“…the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins. It is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell of the body, especially affecting DNA synthesis and regulation, but also fatty acid synthesis and energy production.”

“A common synthetic form of the vitamin,cyanocobalamin, does not occur in nature, but is used in many pharmaceuticals, supplements and as food additive, due to its stability and lower cost. In the body it is converted to the physiological forms, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin, leaving behind the cyanide, albeit in minimal concentration.”

Cyanide?  OH MY!!  Well, apparently we eat more cyanide than we realize, and in small doses, it’s harmless.  Since I’m lowering the meats, it sounds like a good idea for me to start taking this supplements. 

Oh, and back to Deepak.  Apparently he recommends sesame seed oil.  Further googling reveals that it’s apparently a good anti-fungal treatment.  Huh… go figure.

Weekly Digest – 2009-02-22

2009/02/22 / / 0 Comments

Twitter Tools Hacked for Identi.ca

2009/02/22 / / 0 Comments

Alex King made Twitter Tools for Wordpress.  Basically allows you to make tweets from your WordPress blog or create Daily/Weekly digests from  your tweets.  

Here is a hack to get this to work with Identi.ca.

2009/02/22 / / 0 Comments

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Weekly (Semi) Digest – 2009-02-20

2009/02/20 / / 0 Comments

 

Daily Digest – 2009-02-16

2009/02/16 / / 0 Comments

Daily Digest: 2-14-2009

2009/02/16 / / 0 Comments
  • Going to have to make the time to see “Of Muppets n Men” on youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRkmhJRl0Ec
  • Wireless repeaters? Finally!! Imagine free internet. : http://ur1.ca/1maw
  • Sticky note madness! [via Apartment Therapy] : http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/diy-project/look-eepybirds-sticky-note-experiment-065143
  • Protect yourself on Facebook. a MUST READ: http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/

Daily Digest – 2009-02-12

2009/02/12 / / 0 Comments

Weekly Catch-up Digest – 2009-02-09

2009/02/09 / / 0 Comments
  • Capcom announces Dead Rising 2 w/ screenshots: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=351810 #
  • Dead Rising 2 leak?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d87f8pqEsU8
  • Vancouver Dodgeball League posted their game times. One of the names was “Sofa King Good”. Thought of Tiger immediately. about 17 days ago
  • My advice for job security and financial stability for the next few years. “Hybridize your skills and your business practices.”
  • Have you seen the chewing hedgehog yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYikam6FmB8
  • High at age 7, after dentist: http://www.videosift.com/video/David-after-dentist

Dead Rising 2 Announced

2009/02/09 / / 1 Comment

dr2

Click here for IGN’s coverage.

or Gamespot’s article.

Daily Digest – 2009-02-07

2009/02/07 / / 0 Comments

Daily Digest – 2009-02-03

2009/02/03 / / 0 Comments

Daily Digest – 2009-01-30

2009/01/30 / / 0 Comments
  • Ubisoft is looking for people and is holding interviews at Vancouver’s Prince of Persia Siggraph event: http://siggraph.ca/enews/20090130/ #
  • Kevin Smith
    The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts
    Friday March 27, 2009 #

Lego Animations

2009/01/29 / / 0 Comments

I really have to find out what the little Lego USB camera playsets are called. What better way to get children creating creative content? Working with physical objects, so you’re not trapped behind a computer. Learning about animation, story telling and communication. Lego sets allow you to make almost anything you can think of.

There’s also Spiderman w/ The Peril of Doc Ock (alt ending).

Or maybe some Indiana Solo?

This entry was inspired by this Swedish Playmobil animation.  Thanks Cecilia.

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