I’m constantly impressed by what you can do with a GoPro camera.
What did you do on your lunch break?
One Summer weekend, one GoPro, edited on a one-hour Southwest flight.
Muzic by Surf City – Free the City
#DIY – #JustGoAndFilm – #Filmmaker – #LunchBreak
Today, I’ve been thinking a lot about the “passion bucket”.
The term comes from Rick Neuheisel, former football coach at my alma-mater UCLA. Back in 2008, he was on The Dan Patrick Show and said, “When you’re at UCLA, you have to have your passion bucket full when you play the Trojans.” Since then it has gone viral, big time:
Not only in sports, but as a band name, in urban dictionary, as a blog. Everyone is having a field day with it.
I think that’s because it presents such a clean metaphor, “you gotta fill up your passion bucket.” Those days when everything is flowing and you’re feeling good. Also, it leaves room for those days when the energy is gone and you found a way to get back to that high level.
The definition from Urban Dictionary:
That’s all, just wanted to share this term as I look around the interwebs for something to fill up my passion bucket.
Facebook has finally answered the question that’s been bugging Wall Street and the rest of us, “when are you going to get mobile?”
Yesterday, the answer came as Facebook launched major upgrades to their iPhone and iPad apps. From the N.Y. Times Bits blog:
Those who have suffered from the sluggishness of the current apps can breathe a collective sigh of relief: these new versions are much faster.
The apps look nearly identical to their predecessors. The main difference is that most of their old Web-based code has been replaced with the native programming code used for iOS
Even more, Facebook has gone all Google Plus on the issue (you know Google making social everyone’s responsibility):
In recent interviews, Facebook executives said they have retooled the organization so that every product team is working on mobile, and the company holds weekly training courses on programming for Apple and Android devices.
The Verge is reporting that these updates make the apps twice as fast:
In building a native Facebook app for iOS, the company looked at improving three key places, “the app’s largest pain points” all relating to speed: launching the app, scrolling through the News Feed, and tapping photos inside the News Feed. “We’re twice as fast in all these areas,” Mick Johnson says.
I’ve been playing with the app and the claims appear to be true. This is good news for Facebook fans (and stock holders) because slow apps can be killer for growth.
**Sorry for the “native” joke, but I couldn’t resist 🙂
Continue reading “Facebook goes native! Releases new apps that are twice as fast”
If you want to be a politician then you have to get online. Not just with a website but a million social media personalities and a smartphone app. To put it another way, you have to be cutting edge.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Obama campaign is open to accepting donations via text message:
Marking the beginning of what could be a revolution in U.S. campaign finance, the Obama campaign said on Thursday it is wrapping up agreements with (all major carriers) to open the floodgate for donations by text this week.
In the coming days, voters are likely to start seeing a message on video screens at Obama rallies, at the end of ads or on fliers, encouraging them “to contribute $10 to Obama for America, text GIVE to 62262.” The numbers spell out “OBAMA.”
Don’t worry Republicans you too can join in the fun, by texting 466488 or “GOMITT”.
If you ask me this could be the ultimate strategy for Obama. Have you seen how crazy people get at his rallies. They will pull out pop starts and hip hop artists, add a little punk artwork, and then boom, Obama is on stage. People will be texting away their life savings before they leave the place.
It finally happened, the telecom’s have given up their silly (and greedy) attempts to charge us through the roof for voice and text messages. All you have to do is switch over to their new family plans. It’s the new buy in bulk Costco business model.
A few weeks ago, Verizon released their Share Everything Plan, and now AT&T has answered back with the Mobile Share Plan (T-Mobile too).
Both marginalize making phone calls and sending text messages. Allowing you to send unlimited of both while switching the focus to data plans, where they have established tiers to charge you per gigabyte.
On a side note, it appears that both companies want to put the screws on individual plans. Most of which are still at $100/person while the family plan rate is $50-70/person. Even more so now that they removed the 5 device limit on the plans; now with a 10 device limit allowing even greater bulk savings.
One reason for this big family-push is possibly a strategy to prevent defections, after all it is much harder to move to another company when that also means leaving your family.
But does the new plan save any money?
For my family, no, unless we can pull in more family members.
My family is on AT&T and currently has four out of six family members on one plan. The current cost for the four of us is $240.00/mo. We have one extra feature, unlimited messaging, for $30/mo. This ends up costing each of us $60/mo.
The break down:
Phone #1 (primary line)
- Family Talk, 700 minutes – $60
- Text messaging unlimited – $30
- Unlimited data – $30
- Total = $120
Phones #2, #3, #4
- Family Talk, 700 minutes – $10
- Unlimited data – $30
- Total = $40 (x3)
Under AT&T’s new plan, our total cost would be – $260 and that breaks down to $65/mo per person.
- 6GB – $90
- Smartphone – $35 x 4 = $140
- Unlimited talk/text – $30
Which means we won’t be making the change…unless we add another phone to our plan. With five phones our total cost would be $295 and that would cost $59/mo per person.
- 6GB – $90
- Smartphone – $35 x 5 = $175
- Unlimited talk/text – $30
And, in case you’re wondering if we add that sixth line the cost person would go down to $55/mo.
Maybe it’s time to wrangle together the whole family under one plan.
Continue reading “Buy in bulk and save – AT&T and Verizon offer big savings through family plans”
Mac OS 10.8.1 Mountain Lion released
Apple just released OSX 10.8.1 Mountain Lion via Software Update. The delta update weighs a paltry 7.28MB on my Retina MacBook Pro, but your mileage may vary. Apple did not confirm reports that 10.8.1 improves battery life but many other issues appear to be resolved.
A rather intelligent friend of mine told me that when Apple comes out with something new it’s always best to wait for the stable release. That usually is the next release and typically means the point-one (10.8.1) package.
In this case he was definitely right. My computer has been slowing down like a hog in mud. It’s good to have this release.
Continue reading “Apple releases Mountain Lion 10.8.1 – now’s a good time to update/buy”
The Mattson2
From the Mattson2’s website:
If you could soundtrack the brooding ocean and the jazz of the surf, the Mattson 2 would most certainly be the composers. The foot stomps of a shoe-gazed salty air meets the tight groove and polished shake of the night with each of the duo’s multi-layered tracks.
Tighten that tie, turn up the volume, dig your toes in the sand and soak in the shimmery whitewash of the Mattson 2.
A sampler with five more songs.
They have two albums out, Introducing the Mattson2 (2009) and Feeling Hands (2011).
Continue reading “The soundtrack of the brooding ocean and the jazz of surf”
One of the keys to living Zero Waste is to find those genius products that reduce your waste and offer a superior product. I’ve found just that for my coffee and it’s called the Moka.
I like this coffee maker because there are no filters to change or pods to throw out. There are only a few moving parts and it lasts forever (4 years and counting). In fact, it is such a genius design that it was first patented in 1933 and hasn’t changed all that much. Over 200 million of them have been sold, making it one of the most popular coffee makers ever.
Here it is:
It comes in several sizes and starts at $20 for the 1-cup version. This is the one my family uses because it serves one person perfectly. We occasionally run into trouble when two people need coffee at the same time, and there is a 3-cup version for only $22. Which sounds like a good deal, but maybe not.
If you’re going to buy one, start with the 1-cup version. If you find that everyone is wanting coffee at the same time (this rarely happens in my household) then go for the bigger one. We actually own both but never use the larger one. Whenever we did a lot of coffee would be wasted and we would always switch back to the 1-cup.
Now, for those coffee experts out there, comes the taste. In my opinion, the Moka offers a superior taste and consistency to any other home coffee maker on the market. The coffee is a blend between drip and espresso, giving it a creamy consistency with a little extra water that enhances the flavor. The only thing that beats it is a professionally prepared espresso, though, many times I find those are inferior as well (the quality depends on the barista).
The Moka is a heat based system, meaning you will have to put it on your stove. The process of setting it up is real easy. You unscrew the bottom and add water and coffee. Screw it back together and then put it on the stove. The water will steam up and then shoot through the coffee (like espresso) as it rises and then condensing in the top. During which a nice smell of coffee will waft through the house and it is ready to serve when the bubbling sound stops (like popcorn in a microwave!).
I have fallen in love with my little Moka and I bet you will too. It is the perfect Zero Waste coffee machine for the eco-minded, or even the coffee snob. And, for the price it can’t be beat.
I’m the radical sitting next to you. I do things the American populace would consider crazy and yet nobody seems to notice. I slide by without a peep from the authorities. What am I talking about?
I live a completely Zero Waste lifestyle. It’s hard to believe and you should see the reactions I get from others. Everyone goes wide-eyed, then the judging starts, and the skepticism. I don’t look like a radical, I’m not tied to a tree or wearing hemp clothes. I’m just an average looking guy.
To explain all this let’s start with what Zero Waste means. The concept isn’t about throwing things away, like most think, it’s about sustainability and recycling. We are all consumers and will continue to be, and the goal isn’t to get rid of consumption but to modify it. To create a system where everything we use ends up someplace other than a landfill.
Largely, this means recycling the hell out of everything, and a lot can be recycled. In fact, one of the most powerful things you can do right now is go look up your trash company’s rules for recycling. I guarantee you will find new things to recycle. In the world of waste, the trash companies are, generally speaking, the most advanced green groups you will find.
It’s such a simple move and yet so powerful, which helps because the next step is the hardest thing you will have to do. Eat better. I’m serious. As a man obsessed with trash I can tell you that the majority of our waste comes from our food. It’s also true that the more waste you create the worse you are eating.
After all, a McDonald’s happy meal comes with like 16 things to throw away, while a homemade sandwich with an apple create very little waste. An obvious comparison but you will find that as you dig into this, eating healthier and healthier, it just gets better…and tastier, cheaper, greener, more social, and more interesting.
Don’t take my word for it, just go out and try it. It will be one of the greatest things you ever do and also get you nearly to Zero Waste. Give it some time and you will reduce your waste by 90% or more. After that, all that is left is a lot of minor things. Like finding a restaurant that serves healthy food in recyclable containers or where can buy a recyclable toothpaste tube.
That’s it, pretty simple and yet so radical. Like I said in the beginning, I don’t look weird but I am possibly the weirdest person you know. I’ve been trying this stuff for three years now and I’m not living in a treehouse yet. I blend in completely with the normal folk and yet I’m a citizen of the future. I live in a sustainable way in a normal American household. Now if we can only get 300 million people to try this…
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the best beach and sport sunscreens for your skin, products free of the wrong chemicals and containing the right ones. A solid way to avoid those nasty sunburns.
In the spirit of Zero Waste, and avoiding those plastic bottles, here is an even better product – homemade sunscreen.
In this episode (of Surf Sufficient) we teach you how to make your own high spf, water proof sunblock from organic and natural ingredients for pennies on the dollar compared to buying it off the shelf. Ingredients include- zinc oxide (sunblocking agent), coconut oil (soothes and conditions skin), bee’s wax (waterproofing agent), and tea tree oil (soothes and repairs skin and smells good too).