May 26, 2012

Gear review | The Clip by LittleBonsai

This is actually my boyfriend Andrew’s latest EDC acquisition, but he let me check it out so I could do a write-up. The Clip is essentially a multitool keychain that works as a money clip, bottle opener, earphone holder, and yes, keychain. It’s made by LittleBonsai, a new company that held a Kickstarter fundraiser for the Clip. I like that they make environmental sustainability a priority, too.

First impressions: this is a pretty sleek little keychain. I’m always amazed by great engineering–making a tiny item so versatile and useful. I also thought the packaging was simple and well-designed, which aligns with their sustainability mission.

The clip is made out of stainless steel and feels both light and durable. I’m a big fan of titanium so I would love a titanium version, but the stainless steel works well. I don’t wear jeans very often so I would probably clip it to my bag or maybe to the band of my skirts, and on LittleBonsai’s website there is a picture of someone wearing it on their pants while jogging, which is pretty clever since I hate bringing bags with me to the gym. This would also be useful while travelling, since the clip holds tight around material but not so much that it will tear through pockets (which some knife clips are known to do).

Summary:

For just $15, this is a nicely designed keychain multitool and great for those who don’t like to carry a lot of things in their pockets.

Leave a Comment

Filed under everyday carry, gear

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 25, 2012

4 web-based social DJing experiences

I really enjoy listening to music using digital tools–I’m a frequent user of Pandora and Spotify, but I also like to branch out and try new services. The internet is a perfect venue to listen and view media with friends, or with like-minded strangers around the world. Here are four projects you might want check out if you’re looking for some new music–and some new people to share it with.

Turntable.fm

I found Turntable.fm pretty randomly but I love it, especially the “chill out” station. Basically, Turntable has a bunch of different music rooms labeled by genre, and you can create a little character and “hang out” in the music room. You can listen to other DJs or be one yourself. The website has music you can choose from, or you can upload a file from your computer. Other listeners can like or dislike the songs you choose, and you earn points. If someone likes your song, their little character will start dancing, and you can earn some DJ points which eventually allow you to upgrade your character. Also, if you like a particular DJ, you can become of fan, and an email will be sent to you whenever they are playing in a particular room. Turntable.fm has an iPhone app but since I don’t have an iPhone, I can’t really review it. I’ll check back soon to see if they come out with an Android version. I think this is a cool website to use on a tablet, and I often pull it up on one of my monitors while I’m working since it’s a nice way to be both a passive listener or an active one, depending on your preference.

Rolling.fm

I don’t know much about this one since it’s still in beta, and it seems to be very similar to Turntable. Also, the name “rolling” seems to have drug connotations–which is fine, but that may give potential users the wrong impression. Betabeat did a good write-up about how it’s different from Turntable, but I’m not quite convinced. The idea of the virtual “restroom”– “where users can DJ, chat and spraypaint graffiti on the walls” according to Betabeat’s article–is kind of interesting. We’ll see. I do like the graphics, but I am kind of already sold on Turntable’s cuteness. You can sign up for beta to check it out in the meantime.

TuneTug

This is a newer app I just heard about, and it’s only available for OSX, iOS and Android, which means that I can try it on my smartphone but not on my computers. I haven’t tried it out yet–couldn’t find it in the Play store–but from what I’ve seen, it’s a collaborative playlist that your friends can add to at a party or social event, and listeners can vote on the songs played. This is definitely an app to use in person with people you know or are actually hanging out with, rather than people on the internet like Turntable, so it’s nice that there are different options available depending on what kind of music person you are.

PixelJunk 4 am

I’m a big fan of PixelJunk games, so I was intrigued to hear about their latest project, 4am (formerly called Lifelike, but I think 4am is a way cooler name). 4am is an interactive game-like project in which the player uses the Play Station 3 Move controller to mix music live with people on the internet or with a live audience. Players can also tune in to other people’s sets. It was just released on May 15, so download the demo if you have a PS3 and let me know what you think. I’m still playing around with it but I do like the concept a lot. I wish there were more music options, but the graphics are beautiful. It would be a great addition to a party, and if I were a DJ I would totally incorporate it into my sets.

What’s your favorite web-based music service?

Leave a Comment

Filed under art, technology, web

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 21, 2012

Dandelions

1 Comment

Filed under art, photography

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 20, 2012

The Battleroom | Phase II: Mini-hackerspace

I was going to make some stupid Limp Bizkit “Nookie” reference but I refrained. Anyway, I’m making progress on The Battleroom. I’ve had a few set backs, and have completely reimagined parts of it, but overall I’m pretty happy with how it’s coming along.

One of the areas I was stuck on when we moved in is this little nook in the corner of the room. It’s not quite big enough to put a desk or anything substantial, but it’s not small enough to just ignore it. Originally I had planned to build my bookshelves there, but I opted to put them in my closet instead (more on that later). Luckily, I have a smart boyfriend who suggested making it into a crafting/hacking area, which is what we did.

I had originally bought the yellow paint for the inside of the closet, but this worked out better as an accent wall. The color I chose is Valspar’s dandelion chain.

I chose a pegboard since I plan to use this area for building things, and I didn’t want to shove the tools in my filing cabinet. Plus I think they look cool.

The surface is made out of fence posts I bought at Home Depot, and also used on the bookshelves I built. I like that they look unfinished, and I also don’t mind if they get scratches or paint on them (because they most likely will).

I’ve had the filing cabinet for a while, as well as the chair, which we got as a pair at a thrift store a few years ago. They were supposed to be our kitchen table chairs but we got a new dining table and chairs last year, so now they serve miscellaneous purposes. When we got them, we painted them and reupholstered the cushion. It fits pretty perfectly in this spot.

I want to use the wall on the left for project ideas, but for now I put some Portal stickers and some pages I liked from National Geographic. :)

I’m pretty happy with how this area turned out. It’s nice to have another surface in my office besides my computer desk.

Leave a Comment

Filed under interior design

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 16, 2012

San Francisco, pt. 3

I realized the other day that I totally forgot to post the rest of my pictures from my quick trip to SF last month. Here are some I took with my real camera (i.e., not my smartphone).

Leave a Comment

Filed under art, photography

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 14, 2012

Cool websites for cool EDC gear, part 1

I guess it’s safe to say that I’m officially hooked on researching EDC (everyday carry) gear. I find the whole subculture fascinating, because EDCers take so many forms—some are outdoor enthusiasts, others are in the military, some are techies or fashion nerds, and some take it very seriously as choices that could be the difference between life and death. I consider myself to fall into the “urban survivalist” niche, but more on the style/practicality end, and because I daydream about the apocalypse in a romantic sense. However, I do think that preparedness is extremely important and something that more people should think about.

Luckily, some of my favorite websites make being prepared easy and pretty freakin’ stylish. The websites featured here are publications that cover more than just EDC stuff, but they often have products, reviews and info that I think you fellow EDCers will enjoy. In part 2, I’ll highlight some specific webstores to find particular pieces to add to your kit, and part 3 will discuss forums.

1. Popular Mechanics

I’m a huge PopMech fan—it’s actually one of my dreams to write for them someday. (They actually published a letter I wrote to them a while ago.) PopMech is a great EDCer website and magazine because they often do great reviews on new gadgets and tools, and they have a lot of articles about preparedness. Great writing on great topics = win win for me. It’s a good resource if you’re actually looking for specific items, but I like that they explore preparedness in depth. Their website is for the most part nicely designed, but sometimes their slideshows can take forever to load.

2. Gear Patrol

 

This is a fairly recent discovery, but I go on it at least once a day. GP is definitely great for stylish, outdoorsy people. They feature a lot of high end gear for people with different interests—fashion, technology, sports, interior design, etc. Often they have cool watches or wallets or things like that. The writing is fresh and succinct and the website has great photos. Everything is so shiny! It’s intended for men, so I hope they don’t think I’m crashing the party, but there are no good EDC websites for women. Maybe I should start one. And nothing will be pink! Although I kind of like pink, as you can probably tell by my website. I may change that though, just to stick it to gender roles. Why the heck does EDC have to be gender specific anyway? Everyone should own a sweet knife. Okay, I’ll get off the soapbox.

3. Cool Material

 

This is actually another website for men, but I don’t care, because the stuff it has on it is awesome. The interface of CM is very similar to GP (I suspect they are part of the same company or something) but they have different enough content that it doesn’t feel like the same website. They seem to have different focuses, too—GP feels a bit more oriented for outdoorsmen or avid travel, or just general “adventure” as their tagline mentions, although much of CM’s content could be applied to those interests as well. In any case, “cool” is an apt adjective for this site (and they have a webstore).

4. Uncrate

 

Uncrate is also new to me, but I’m so glad I found it. Once again, intended for dudes, but that’s okay. I’m kind of getting used to that. They have a rad selection of items. Just today they had a cool Moleskin pen and a super sexy vaporizer. And those ultra slick Corter Leather bottle hooks that I’m pretty infatuated with. What’s fun is that they have a “Your Stash” section so you can save items you like. Awesome idea. And, they have some good articles on movies, music and games, too. Their book list has some intriguing titles that I’m going to have to check out.

5. Cool Hunting

Another website that has earned its “cool” title, Cool Hunting seems to be more of a creative website rather than just gear-oriented, but it does feature some neat finds. This is definitely for the artsy EDCer, but don’t let that dissuade you if your tastes are a bit more rugged/tactical. Their web design is pretty snazzy, too.

What are your favorite gear/gadget websites? 

Leave a Comment

Filed under everyday carry

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 12, 2012

The Battleroom | Painting

The “Planning my battleroom” series is now “The Battleroom.” Follow progress on my workspace here! 

I present to you… the battleroom!

Okay, it doesn’t look like much now. But it’s getting there. (Also, it’s not yellow. I think I took those pictures around midnight yesterday.)

The first thing I needed to do before I did anything else to this room was get the accent wall painted. If you remember the pictures I posted for inspiration, nearly all of them had a grey wall, and I’ve been hooked on that idea ever since.

I picked Dark Mink for my wall color, since it felt more on the warmer side than some of the other greys I browsed.

These pictures really don’t do it justice, but it really looks great.

Phase 1: Complete!

Leave a Comment

Filed under interior design

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,