Category: SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

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Wild Gears 2.0!

Hello dear readers!  I’m very excited for my husband’s latest project; Wild Gears 2.0, a spirograph redesign!  One more day to go and it’s already almost 500% funded!

Here’s a link to the Kickstarer:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/465068187/wild-gears-20-reinventing-the-spirograph

He’s successfully done a kickstarter before and everyone was wildly happy with it. His redesign has already funded almost 500%!

Here’s his youtube channel if you want to see him use his sets: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Japyt2Sp_r_4qq3TGqIjw.

Together, we’ve been to craft fairs and Maker Faires and he has shipped sets all over the world to artists and engineers, children and grandmothers, mathematicians and people who just like to doodle.

Oh and the free shipping to the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and (for the Compact set) Europe is a pretty big plus, especially since one of his stretch goals (already reached!) will get a bunch of designs out in time for Christmas.

If you have fond memories of spirograph, you’ll definitely be into what he’s doing.

Cheers.

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Wild Gears is Live!

My husband, Aaron, has been working hard at making an exciting new project.  “Wild Gears” is a laser cut spirograph set that he designed himself, and it’s awesome.  He’s been testing prototypes and experimenting with art made with the circles and gears.

I wanted to share some of it with you, because it’s beautiful!  Our apartment is rapidly becoming filled with this stuff though, so uh, be careful, it’s addictive.

Anyway, here’s some art from Wild Gears!  And a link to the Kickstarter page, in case you want in on it! Also… a link to the video in case you just want to watch that!

The actual clear acrylic, laser cut gears!  You’re seeing right- pentagonal, square, and triangular gears.  He put a of work into getting these perfect, and they’re amazing.

Gears within gears!  Everything works with everything else.  He’s brilliant.

Weird, right?  He’s developed some new technology that allows for the creation of some pretty wonky designs.

And when he uses colour- ah my eyes!  Haha, it’s a fine line between mathematical beauty and crying tears of geometry.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR ARE THOSE PARALLEL LINES

You’re darn tootin’ right they are.  This is perhaps the most amazing thing he’s developed- the ability to create parallel lines with a spirograph.  It makes for some really interesting pieces.

Another one with parallel lines.

So that’s “Wild Gears!” Thanks for checking it out. The album on Imgur has even more photos, and some descriptions. His video on the Kickstarter Page has even more stuff too!

Cheers.

Heidi out.

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Nicholl Fellowship Deadline Looms! …and food is delicious.

I am going to be doing the last of the final edit tomorrow, then sending in the screenplay adaptation to the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship.  (See my previous post here!)  I’m way excited!

My husband and I have been going to the gym every other day.  Some health problems have rendered me pretty inactive for several months, but they have largely been controlled.  …hurry up, orthodics, I apparently DO need you to walk now :<  Feels better to be getting fitter again.  Rowing machine to strengthen up my back.  Elliptical to burn calories.  …so I can eat delicious things.

I do love food.  I have a rather unhealthy relationship with it, but I’m working on that too.  Counting calories is great; I still eat whatever I want, just, less.  🙂  PS MELONA BARS ARE AMAZING

OK!  So I wanted to share some pictures.  Pictures of food.  Oh wait, am I one of *those*? Hah, apparently yes, yes I am.  But the crux of it is that I cook for my friends a lot, and I love it, and sometimes I take pictures!

So here are some.  🙂

D’OH!

Pomello Seeds look like Teeth!

Mediterranean Pizza is Great

And so is Hawaiian with Mushrooms!

I do not think this pizza is big enough…

Because anything less than a four-layer cake would have been… illogical.

Let’s BEE friends!

Heh.  Thanks for letting me share.  That’s all for now with the random food.

Up next, much more specific food!   …Including, tiny, miniature, candy sushi.

Cheers.

Heidi out.

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Watch. Dogs.

Allow me to digress from the topic of writing, if you will, and share with you some amazing gameplay footage.

…this is me, and probably all of r/gaming right now.

Because of this:

Oh.  My.  Glob.  Right?

The setting (Montreal?!), the little details (trash blowing in the wind?!), the swagger of the main character (last time I played a character with that distinct of a walk, I found myself waiting for busses with my hip cocked out, waiting to tip my hat at passing cowboys).

My biggest excitement, though, is caused by, what looks like, much more realistic NPCs.  It’ll be a huge step up for immersion when games can get NPCs right, and this game looks like it’s taken a pretty good stab at it.   A woman running back to her friends to solidify plans?  That guy trying to save his wife in the car crash?  People doing anything other than standing around: huge step up for realism.

And on top of all this, the concept of Watch Dogs is HUGE.  Being able to connect with all the electronic devices around you, gather information, control things- this could be good.

I’m always hesitant to get excited for a game, but this one… this one had me at hello.

Thanks for reading.

Heidi out.

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Back into Submissions / Minecraft Pics

I’m sending out another wave of subs, and it feels great!  I found some anthologies that several of my short stories really fit.

In other news, iTunes has proved a fine way to get the latest episodes of The Walking Dead.

In still other news, my Minecraft world (Hardcore on a superflat world) has come along nicely.  Pictures below!

I had fun with it.

Oh, and I’m over the flu now.  …That’s enough Minecraft for now, eh?

Imgur album here

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SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

Lately I’ve been grappling with how I get my watchable entertainment.

All the video rental stores near me have closed.

HMV downtown, where I used to buy my DVDs and BluRays, has closed.

iTunes is frustrating sometimes- there’s content I want on it, but it might not be on the Canadian store.

I have a Netflix account, but the content is pretty limited (it’s great for when you feel like watching something non-specific, but as soon as I start naming movies I’d like to watch, I’m disappointed every time).

I will now attempt an experiment.

I want to keep watching The Walking Dead.  I don’t have AMC or cable of any kind.  My criteria:  I want to watch this show that they make, and I want to give them money to do so.  I want to watch it within a day of it airing on TV.

I will document my results here, starting with last nights episode.

Attempt number one: go directly to the source.  AMC’s website for The Walking Dead.  (http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead)  Result: “shop” seemed like my best bet, as none of the menues seemed to have season three episodes.  The “shop” is for apparel, DVDs of past seasons, and other things I’m not looking for.  *sigh*

So it’s not available from them, from their own website.

Attempt number 2: Shaw, who plays this show apparently.  (http://vod.shaw.ca/details/109972/The_Walking_Dead/#)  Result: the episode I want appears to be free; attempted to access it, got put through some loops to register, but halted when it became apparent I had to be a Shaw cable subscriber.  *sigh*

So it’s not available on their distributer’s website.

Attempt number 3: iTunes.  Found it!  Purchased it for $3.49.  Success!  Cool beans.  I was tempted to get a seasons pass; I’ll do the math later.  Good job iTunes.

I’ll keep updates on other shows or movies as I try my best to get people to SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.

Update: seriously iTunes?

Your competition is THIS fast:

*sigh*

And that’s downloading the torrent while iTunes is downloading too; usually torrenting is much faster.  :/

(I deleted the torrent after I took that screen shot- I just wanted to get the comparison.  Still have 6 minutes to wait on iTunes.)