Photo Bouquet

I recently got a new (to me) camera. Hand me down from my brother to my Mom, and then re-gifted from Mom to me. My digital camera has become increasingly unreliable, shutting off randomly, freezing with the shutter open, corrupting files. It could be a battery issue, but replacing the battery is at least $30, and because the camera is over seven years old, I'd rather put that money towards a new camera (probably an SLR). Until I take the plunge and buy a new camera, I'm playing around with my hand me down one and it's pretty great. It's a point and shoot like my old one (same brand as well), a few years newer than mine. I'm taking lots of pictures and having fun with the new functions.

I did some practice shooting on a bouquet of flowers and I think they turned out pretty well. Going to keep practicing until I figure out all the best settings. I love this bouquet - just gorgeous.

Twitterversary

I got an email from Twitter this morning wishing me a Happy Twitterversary.

I didn't really start using it actively until March and I'm happy for all the friends I have made on there. A year later and I'm still pretty into it. Lots of fun and things to see and opinions to share in 140 characters or less.

If you have been thinking about joining, go for it! Then we could have the same Twitterversary!

@myadorableblog stats at 1 year:
Tweets:  2101 (and counting)

Following: 434

Followers: 326

Time spent on there daily: hours and hours and hours...

Video Game Post!

We borrowed our friend's XBOX 360 so John could try out a few games, namely Skyrim. I am usually a Wii gamer, but watching John play Skyrim has been fun, though I'm not sure it's for me (even though he says you get to tame and ride a dragon...I could be into that). So far I've only played Rayman Origins on the XBOX, which turns out is also a Wii title. What can I say, I know what I like.

If you've been following the blog for a while, you know my favourite video games are Lego centered. Along with Lego Batman 1 and 2, Lego Harry Potter 1 and 2, and Lego Indiana Jones, I have now completed a few more.

I finally finished Lego Pirates late last year. I found it to be one of the weaker Lego games, so I finished it long after I started it. I inherently love it because it's Lego but it didn't hold my interest like the other games. Not sure if I will replay it, but happy I was able to finish it.

Also completed Lego Lord of the Rings earlier this year. It was a great game with lots of exploring and I love LOTR so there were many familiar faces. My only complaint was there was a lot of crying by Lego characters. Lord of the Rings is pretty dark, so the game was pretty dark too. Even when people are being killed with broom, banana, or chicken arrows, it's still pretty sad. Lots of Lego tears in this one.

I have yet to complete Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, but I think I will be doing that incrementally over my whole life. I still have to find most of the blue canisters (essentially replay all the levels, but timed) as well as complete most of the Super Story missions (essentially replay all the levels, but timed). So I won't be posting about it's completion any time soon.

ARKYD Space Telescope: I Pledged Money To My First Crowd Funding Campaign!

So in recent months I have amped up my obsession with space. When I was kid we had all the awesome coffee table astronomy books that got us interested in space and science. I can't remember all the titles, but Our Universe is one that stands out in my mind. My dad always made sure we had interesting and educational books to read, something I am forever thankful for.

My renewed interest in space was triggered when the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars last August, and kicked into high gear as I followed all of Commander Hadfield's awesomeness in space. I'm following many NASA and science related Twitter feeds, and while surfing Twitter last week I learned about a Kickstarter campaign to crowd fund a space telescope that can be accessed by the people who fund it. People can also donate their telescope access to schools. How cool is that?

This is the ARKYD Kickstarter campaign video with details about the project:



Check out the Kickstarter Campaign Page here: ARKYD: A Space Telescope for Everyone by Planetary Resources. At time of this posting the campaign had already raised close to $800,000 of their $1,000,000 funding goal.

Bad Astronomer wrote a great description of the telescope and the campaign if you want a more detailed version of what it is all about.

I kicked in $25 which allows me to use the telescope to get a selfie from space. When prompted, I will upload a photo that will be displayed on a screen on the telescope, and then a camera on the telescope will take a picture of my picture with Earth in the background! I think that sounds so cool! I thought $25 sounded pretty cheap to get a photo of myself from space, so I donated! The photos aren't expected to be taken/delivered until August 2015, but I imagine it will be worth the wait. My major dilemma now is picking what photo to send to space. How will I choose?

Here are some examples of what a selfie from space could look like, as featured on the ARKYD Kickstarter page:

Illustrations by PRI

And here is a badly doctored version of what my selfie from space could look like if I submitted a photo of Gary:

Illustration by PRI (featuring Gary selfie)

This was my first time pledging money to a crowd funding campaign. It was really easy to do (Kickstarter just connects to your Amazon account) and I have already gotten three updates about the project so I actually feel involved. It has been a really neat experience so far with much more to come.

42 Posts and My Continued Obsession With Space

This is the 42nd blog post I've published this year. The Douglas Adams significance of that number aside, this is a milestone for me because I only published 41 posts last year. I didn't set out to write more posts this year, I've just been feeling good and have been really excited about blogging. My returned drive is now showing in the numbers and I'm very happy about that!

Also, as with yesterday's post, I am still very obsessed with space. Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield returned to Earth last night and I spent the entire day talking, thinking, and tweeting about it. I watched webcasts via NASAtv and the CSA, I obsessively checked Twitter feeds (mainly CSA, NASA, and Chris and Evan Hadfield's), and I spent much of the day reading and learning about how we return people to Earth from the International Space Station. It was a very exciting day!

Periodically John would try to talk to me about other things and even though I thought I was answering appropriately, my response was always something like: "So basically they have to go 12km from the Space Station before they can start the deorbit burn." I was very focused!

And I'm still talking about it today. Still marveling at the wonder of going in and out of space. Forever in awe of those who dedicate their lives to exploring what is out there. And very happy that we can get astronauts safely back to the planet.

If you missed it and are interested, this CSA video sums up how the crew returned to Earth.

Humans Like Round Numbers

Because we all love numbers that end with lots of zeros, I noticed this on my Google stats earlier today:

Thanks for being a part of this number! 

The Great Outdoors

I have an iPod Touch and since today is so beautiful out, I thought I would try blogging from outside. I think faster than I can type on the iPod keyboard, so the writing process is delayed a little bit, but being outside is worth it. I tried pairing my Bluetooth keyboard to the iPod but I was having technical difficulties so this one finger keyboard will have to do for now! I just took a photo of what I am surrounded by while typing. Such a beautiful day!

I am using the Blogger App and not sure it has enough features for my blogging style. If there is a preview button, I'm not sure where it is. And I have added a photo, but I'm not sure where it will end up in the published blog. Oh well, it feels great being out here and I can always edit it when I go back inside!! 

UPDATE:  Once back inside, I increased the font size, added a space between the text and the photo, added my labels, added my "share this" button, and wrote this sentence! :)

Bear Stardust

Gary Bear doing her best Bowie impression.  Also, I love the Hipstamatic App.

iPod Replacement - Success!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I sent away for a replacement iPod Nano, as my 1st Generation Nano from 2005 had been recalled by Apple. It wasn't clear what the 7 year old iPods were being replaced with, so I was excited at the possibility of getting a brand new one (the new ones have touch screens!).  Apple emailed me this morning to let me know my replacement had been shipped and provided me with the UPS tracking number so I could watch it's delivery progress in real time.  I tracked the package obsessively throughout the day, and was excited when it read: "out for delivery" with an estimated arrival time of "end of day" Tuesday! That was today, People! 

My iPod was being delivered to my work, so my excitement was growing throughout the day.  While on a walk at lunch-time I spotted the UPS truck near the office and was overjoyed with the idea that it MIGHT ALREADY BE THERE!  Sadly no package was waiting for me upon my return, so I went back to obsessively checking the whereabouts of my package with the tracking number.  And my heart and brain stopped working when the internet told me that the package had already been delivered twenty minutes earlier.  The "proof of delivery" page on the tracking site said it was signed by a name I didn't recognize.  A silent panic attack was erupting in my head, as I calmly told my colleagues I was going to go look for it.

There are three units at my work address, so I went to the other two units to see if anyone signed for my package.  No luck.  Next I contacted UPS customer service, for what turned out to be an excellent customer service experience.  I (sort of) calmly explained what had happened and the CSR clicked a few buttons and was able to tell me that the package had been delivered to the wrong address (three doors up the street).  It might sound odd to say, but I was so grateful to be told the truth in such a matter-of-fact way. I wasn't mad - I was just happy it was somewhere and not lost. The CSR let me know he was sending a urgent memo to the driver to have it picked up and brought back to me, and that UPS would call me back within the hour to provide me with more details. I was still in hunting mode, so I told the CSR I was also going to check out the address up the street, and if I was able to get the package back myself, I would call back to let him know.

I went up the street to a local realtor, who had indeed received my package. The woman at the front desk let me know she had just phoned UPS to inform them she received a package by mistake.  She wasn't able to give it to me - and I understood - as UPS was on their way to get it from her, and it would look bad if they came to get it and she didn't have it anymore.  I didn't mind the further delay, I was just happy that it was confirmed safe and sound.

So at 4:15pm the UPS driver returned with my package and lightened the situation by making a joke about whether I really wanted it. I smiled; I was just happy to have it. Everything worked out and it did arrive by "end of day" Tuesday like they had originally said.

And after all the commotion, inside the package I found:

iPod Nano - 6th Generation, 8G - For The Win!

And just to recap, this replacement is superior to my 1st Generation Nano as it has 8G (mine only had 4), it has a touch screen(!), and it is the most recent model they have.  Thanks, Apple!  Anything else you want to recall?

The Last Song I'll Ever Sing For You....

I got my first iPod in 2005 when all my amazing friends chipped in and bought me a group gift for my birthday.  I didn't know I wanted a digital music player, but I instantly bonded with my sleek and adorable iPod Nano, not fully comprehending how I had previously walked without earbuds and 800 of my favourite songs at the ready.  At the time (almost 7 years ago!) the Nano was the best thing ever. And even now, knowing that there are so many newer versions of the iPod, I still love mine, even if all it does is play music.  But having said that, isn't that what iPods are for?

I'm not really one to upgrade easily; change isn't really my thing.  And really, my iPod still works!  I use it every day in my alarm clock dock, and it still accompanies me on long walks in the park.  We've had and continue to have good times.

In November I got an email from Apple saying that my iPod had been recalled.  There was a possibility that the battery could overheat, so they were voluntarily recalling and replacing them. At that time the internet was a flutter with what they were being replaced with.  Would we get our Nanos back refurbished?  Would we get brand new ones (with a touch screen!)?  Would we get refurbished 1st Generation Nanos that Apple just had lying around?  The internet could only speculate! If they do send me a new one, I'll definitely be making an enormous leap in my music player (my Nano is only 4G; the smallest available size of the 6th Gen is 8G! Win!)

I was slow moving to start the process of sending my iPod away to be replaced, but I have finally come to terms with the fact that my 6+ year relationship with my 1st gen iPod Nano is over.  We'll always have our rainy walks through the Annex, our sunny sprees up Bathurst, and some energetic times at the gym.  Good times and good memories.

I sent in my request for a replacement and Apple recently sent me a padded envelope and instructions.  All very spy like, I think.  I called UPS yesterday morning and they picked up my iPod by 1pm.  The UPS tracking already shows it as half way to Apple.  I'm starting to get excited about what will be coming back in 4-6 weeks.

Your Call Cannot Be Completed As Dialed

We are getting ten digit dialing in the 705 region starting tomorrow, and like every other region that has ever gotten it, no one knew it was coming!

Homer: What really burns me up is they didn't give us one word of warning.
Carl: What do you mean? They ran those TV commercials about it, and that big radio campaign.
Lenny: Don't forget the leaflets they dropped from the Space Shuttle, and the two weeks we all spent at area code camp.

Homer: Not a single word of warning.

From The Simpsons: "A Tale of Two Springfields"

If you have a 705 number and don't want the recorded operator yelling at you repeatedly, then get used to adding the three extra digits, even if you are calling right next door.

As with most things, ten-digit-dialing has been in the works for a while now, but no one cared about it until it was SUDDENLY HAPPENING this weekend.  I found the CRTC decision for 705 to adopt ten-digit-dialing, and it was decided all the way back in October 2009.  For the people I know who are just hearing about it now, I chalk it up to none of us watching local news or listening to the radio.  Plus they are phasing in the new system, so up until March, if you still only dial seven digits, you will hear a reminder to dial ten digits, but your call will still go through.  After March, if you only dial seven digits, your call will not be completed at dialed!  Phasing in the system over a few months is a good way to get everyone to know about it, but I'm with Homer, why didn't anyone tell us! :)

GPS OMG!

My brother and brother-in-law recently got a GPS for their car so they can more easily navigate road trips.  We went on a road trip together on the weekend, and by the end of the day, I wasn't convinced the GPS made the trip easier.  The nice GPS lady who would tell us to "turn right in 250 meters" never made us drive into a lake or anything, but by the end of the five hour trip I was pretty fed up with the way we were relying on it for everything we were doing.  In retrospect, my brother was trying out a new gadget, so I should have expected that it would be a main focus of our trip.  I also should have had a coffee before I left the house that morning.  Hindsight is always 20/20.

It all started with radio interference.  My brother's GPS system runs through his laptop.  The laptop allows for a bigger screen and direct access to his iTunes playlist.  We set out on the road with the GPS lady directing us and some Thompson Twins rocking us along.  But then: "what is that sound?"  We had to pull over so Dave could figure it out.  After ten minutes of fiddling with it he diagnosed that the power outlet that was charging the laptop was causing interference with the car radio.  So no iTunes while the laptop was charging.  The GPS lady could still speak to us through the internal laptop speakers, so not all was lost.

One of the places the GPS directed us to was a town called Bala.  We found a nice park where we stopped to eat lunch, foregoing the GPS actually announcing that we had arrived in Bala. When we were ready to leave, the nice GPS lady kept trying to direct us back to Bala. "Make a U-turn" she kept saying, as she didn't realize we were already there and trying to leave.  We pulled over again so it could get figured out.  Dave kept updating our route information, trying to get it to abandon it's desire to head to Bala.  I got out of the car and took photos because I couldn't watch him fight with the GPS anymore.  I was probably overly irritated due to my lack of coffee intake that day as I mistakenly assumed that the GPS would find me a Tim Horton's somewhere early in our road trip.  It just so happens that we drove through the only part of Ontario that doesn't have thirty Tim Horton's in a row.  I would have gotten a coffee elsewhere, but I kept holding out for a Tim's to show up (they always do!).

Our day trip took us in a giant loop with the final destination being Orillia.  Having spent several summers working in Orillia, I knew for sure that they would have the Tim Horton's I so desperately wanted, possibly even fifty of them.   Regardless of my familiarity with Orillia, "Tim Horton's" was typed into the GPS.  The GPS lady modified our route just as we passed the highway exit she instructed us to take.  No worries, there would be another soon.  And it just so happened that the next Tim Horton's off the highway had a sign that directed traffic to it!  All we had to do to get there was follow the giant blue signs with the Timmy's logo on them. This is precisely when I had my "haven't-had-a-coffee-yet-and-I'm-annoyed-with-the-GPS-freak-out."  The conversation went like this:

GPS: In 250 Meters, turn left on West Street

Dave: Is the GPS trying to direct us back to the Tim Horton's we already passed, or is it directing us to a different one?  Because I don't want to drive all through town.  Maybe we should update it?

Me: THERE IS A SIGN THAT SAYS TIM HORTON'S!!  MAYBE WE COULD USE OUR EYEBALLS AND FIND IT AND NOT USE THE GPS BECAUSE I KNOW WHERE IT IS!

Dave: Wow, Jen is freaking out!

Me (upon seeing the entrance to the Tim's): In 250 meters turn left into the Tim Horton's!

I got my coffee and I stopped fighting the future.  Don't get me wrong, I think the GPS is an amazing resource and I am overwhelmed by all it knows and all it is capable of.  I just don't want the nice GPS lady to tell me where to go...especially if I already know how to get there!