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glimpses of life in suburbia

Art Supplies to Investigate

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Brush Pens
  • Memory Brush Pen
  • Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
  • Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen
  • Kuretake Brush Pen
Colored Pencils – Water Soluble
  • Derwit Inktense

Written by damien

11 | February | 2010 at 20 | 13 | 49

Posted in steadylife

What is “Social Networking” anyway?

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What is social about social networking? That is a question I’ve been asking myself for a while. There is a lot of interaction with the computer and by extension other people who are using their computers but it is far from truly a “social” experience, right?

I don’t really know where I stand on these questions. I have used electronic communications as part of my everyday existence for so long that I really cannot imagine a life unplugged. Much of that communication has been for business but a substantial portion has been with friends and family. That sounds like the very definition of social to me. And yet there is something distinctly unsocial (perhaps even antisocial) about relationships that are purely based on electronic communications — the complete lack of physical face to face human interaction.

When TWTTR first emerged it was an SMS service with the simple idea of enabling friends to let each other know what they were up to. But that was geeky and boring and unprofitable and so now a significant number of tweets have nothing in them about what a person is doing. Most of them have a url and a lot of them are intended to sell something. That is Twitter in 2010. (And yes this blog uses twitter to get traffic too.)

Facebook was fun at first — catching up with people who I’d not talked to in nearly 20 years was cool. Finding some people who I was sure I would never hear from again was awesome. Even the games were fun at first. But then it settled down and the games and apps began to get old. There was a growing sense that the lil green patch couldn’t possibly be doing anything to help the environment. And gradually there was a realization that maybe the reason I’d lost touch with some of those “old friends” was because we really didn’t have all that much to say to each other anymore.

Suddenly I find that most of my facebook time is with people that I do have real relationships with. But that we are no longer calling each other or even emailing each other. Suddenly online social activity is replacing REAL social activities! And that doesn’t seem so social.

And one more thing…I was not a fan of my high school when I was 17 why on earth would I become a fan on Facebook?

Written by damien

10 | February | 2010 at 21 | 54 | 53

Being out in the strom

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One of the most wonderful things about a good snow storm is that the world seems to stop.  Since the roads are a mess there is very little traffic on the streets.  With limited visibility, airports shut down — much to the dismay of travelers — and so there is almost no air traffic either.  Animals tend to hunker down and take cover in a snow storm.  And that pretty much leaves people.  Most people don’t like to be out in a snow storm.

I do.

I love to go out in a snow storm, bundled up of course.  I enjoy taking in the peculiar silence that a snow storm brings.  There is also something exhilarating about being out in the elements.  Of course this requires a certain amount of appropriate gear and planning — you’d be foolish to venture out in a pair of sandals and shorts.  But given the appropriate clothing, being out in a good snow storm is really one of the most peaceful places in the world.  

Of course, I’m also one of those people who likes to be out in a heavy rainstorm in the summer, especially if its been really hot and humid and a good storm blows in that drops the temperature by a few degrees and there is momentary relief from the heat.

Written by damien

9 | February | 2010 at 21 | 40 | 35

Posted in steadylife

Shedworking – A concept that has captured my attention

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I work from the house at least two days a week and I would not give that up at this point for much.  However, there are times when having the home office in the house can be a bit problematic — such as when Mr. Grey bursts into the office while I’m on a conference call.  For some time now, I’ve been wondering if it would be feasible to build an office in a shed.  It turns out, I’m not the first person to think of this and there is actually a bit of a disorganized movement in the UK centered around working from home in a shed.  I have to say that I find the concept of Shedworking highly intriguing, but I’m not sure if it would work for me.

Positives:

  • A workspace in a shed get me out of the house when I am WFH
  • A shed workspace would be mine and all mine – a man space
  • A shed workspace could be more than an office, it could be a studio for my art projects

Negatives:

  • I would need get permits most likely for the space
  • It would require electiricy, heat, and AC
  • I’d need to ensure that it was physically secure
  • The neighbors might not like me having two sheds on the property.

I certainly haven’t thought this all the way through, but it is an interesting idea.  And perhaps one worth exploring.  Maybe when we replace the dilapidated shed that is nearing 20 years old, I should double it’s size.  Of course, then it would be a barn really…Maybe I could have livestock.

Written by damien

8 | February | 2010 at 13 | 49 | 23

Blackberry post

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So I downloaded the new wordpress blackberry app. And this is the obligatory post from the handset. Not sure how useful this is but it could prove interesting.

Written by damien

6 | February | 2010 at 19 | 03 | 24

Posted in steadylife, technology