December 2007
23 posts
21 ways to use old coffee grounds →
I produce a lot of used coffee grounds. I used to often put these in a small mug in the back of the fridge to “absorb odors”—but I’m convinced that the effect is negligible, especially in light of the risk of coffee ground spillage and the incredible clean-up hassle that creates. I also don’t have plants or a garden so can’t really use coffee grounds for these....
Real Simple: 22 Items You Need in Your Cleaning... →
(Link goes to the printer-friendly page so you can see all 22 items at once.)
Treatments for Sneezing and a Runny Nose
So probably because I’ve been sleeping less, I just got freakin’ sick. Mostly it’s a lot of sneezing, a super runny nose, and massive congestion. I took pseudoephedrine to try and clear myself up, but it’s not working, either because it just doesn’t work anymore or because my nasal membranes are so inflamed from nose-blowing. I then tried a cup of warm water with 1/4...
The Poo Avenger
Since we have a dog, I take a lot of walks around our Cambridge neighborhood. As a walker, it can be infuriating how many people don’t shovel their sidewalks and don’t sand/salt them when they ice over. It’s extremely dangerous. I can understand that in our neighborhood, there are many older people. But it’s mostly wealthy families. Who apparently only melt the ice on their...
Using the Canoscan LiDE 50 with My MacBook Pro
My God, I’ve had some trouble getting my Canoscan LiDE 50 to work my MacBook Pro, running Mac OS 10.4.11 (Tiger). The scanner worked fine with my old Powerbook, but my MacBook refused to recognize it until now. First, to use the LiDE 50, you have to download and install the Canoscan toolbox software and the Scangear 7.1X driver from the Canon web site. Install the toolbox software *first*,...
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Shooting with the Nikon D40 and the Nikkor 50mm...
So the Nikon D40, while being a great camera, doesn’t accommodate a great lens, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8. The link is to the AF/auto focus, while I’ll be using and talking about the manual focus lens. I’m doing this because that’s the one that I have, but also because given the limited capabilities of the D40, it’s cheaper to just get the manual one than to use a...
MP3 Tours of the ICA Boston →
You can download MP3s of tours of the Institute of Contemporary Art on the Boston waterfront. I just wish I would have known this before we went today.
"Command-Line" Hacking Google Maps
Not a huge hack, but I sometimes get annoyed that I have to go to maps.google.com and then enter an address, click a button, then if I want to link to the map, then I have to click a “link to this map” link, and then copy and paste. Gah. Isn’t there an easier way to do this? Sure. Just do it all in the URL. The core URL query for Google Maps is this:...
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Rite in the Rain Field Books
In another blog, during another time, I raved about the Rite in the Rain memo/field books, particularly the 5” x 3 1/2” Field-Flex Tactical Memo Book: http://thnlnk.com/riteintherain/Tactical.Memo.Book/699 It has sturdy paper with enough sheets in a durable binding that bends in your pocket. The problem with Moleskins is that they don’t bend well in your back pocket; the...
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Cheap-o Bounce Flash
So bounce flash is a technique used to reduce the obnoxiously glaring built-in flash on most cameras (like my Nikon D-40). Usually you have a separate flash unit that you point straight up—instead of directly at—your subject. This evens out the illumination and “fills” in the dark areas. Problem is the much-touted SB-400 is still $100+. An alternative could be to use the...
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Customizing My Nikon D40
I’m really trying to learn my Nikon D40. So far, it’s great. (Except for the fact that you can’t get a good 50 mm lens for it—I use my old Nikkor 50 mm in total manual mode, which is fun.) I’ve been reading up on settings (like customizing your “vivid” setting),and I’m trying and liking this:In P-mode, set Tone -2, Saturation -1, and Color...
What I'm Listening to Now 001
Checking out: The Cribs, Mika (meh—the Pitchfork review actually *did* turn me off of him, those smarmy bastards gave Mika a 1.5), Against Me!
The Best Response to Bullying
We were driving on the highway, and this woman in the white Volvo Cross Country station wagon (most definitely the worst (if not rudest) drivers around) beside us just starting giving us the finger. She then tried to push into us, finger wagging, and so I started honking back at her. It appears that she expected us to get out of her way so she could cut us off. Why that required the finger is a...
Last Law School Exam - Evah
I just completed my last law school exam ever. It feels pretty good never to have to take an essay test like that ever again. You know how law professors tell you not to name or cite cases? But then they ask you to write a legal brief-style answer? Fuck that. I named and cited cases just like I would any legal brief. It helps organize my thoughts. And that’s what they’re looking for...
Oceanographer - On Leaping From Airplanes
Was listening to Oceanographer’s “On Leaping from Airplanes” and was thinking exactly what this Prefix Magazine review is saying: It’s great drinking music. Great background music with a laid-back feel that just makes you want to absorb. Kind of like what I’m listening to write now: Yo La Tengo’s “Painful,” which I used to only have on vinyl until I...
Uninstalling the QLOUD iTunes Plugin for Facebook →
I just checked out the QLOUD My Music Facebook application and installed the iTunes plugin to display songs I’m listening to on Facebook. It never updated my song list and so I just looked like a tool who listens to Sean Kingston all day long. Then there’s no clear way of uninstalling the damn plugin—it messed up my iTunes interface so I couldn’t select songs in iTunes, I had to...
Do You Need an Accent to Be a Defense Attorney?
Is it just me or do all the defense attorneys on Court TV have thick local accents? Makes sense that you can charm a jury if you have a provincial, endearing accent. Kind of like when I talk to customer service people on the phone, my South Central PA drawl unconsciously comes out.
The Lights on the Boston Common
…Look like droopy penises. Horrible.
Car Window De-Fogging
Our Scion has problems with the inside of the windows fogging up in the wintertime. It’s even potentially dangerous. We’ve used the Rain-X de-fogging wipes—pointless waste of money. I know that in our bathroom, I sometimes use shaving cream, rubbed on the mirror, to prevent fogging while you’re taking a shower. Gotta give that a shot. I bet it works! Other suggestions:...
Juggalo Life Gallery →
No matter how you spin it, the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) Juggalo community is utterly fascinating.
New Throw-Away E-mail Address
I need a new throw-away e-mail address. I’ve been using MyWay, but for some reason a lot of my registration e-mails aren’t coming through, or are delayed by a day or two. My requirements are: Free. Doesn’t “follow me around” through a portal interface, i.e., no Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo! (This requirement is negotiable.) Semi-anonymous. Doesn’t...
Raven's Brew Coffee: Deadman's Reach - "Served in... →
Time-tested, without a doubt, my favorite coffee in the world. Unfortunately, it’s not Fair Trade certified, but organic. Plus Raven’s Brew is committed to single origin and USDA organic coffees.