31 Oct 2013
Month: October 2013
31 Oct 2013
Snaps for a Snapshot
31 Oct 2013
Electronics Can Stay “On” During Flights
It was announced this morning that the FAA has finally given permission to passengers to use their personal electronics throughout the duration of their flight. I didn’t always understand why I had to shut off my phone at the beginning and end of my flight, but I did it because it was just a rule and I didn’t think to question it. I will say, however, that my pet peeve with it was having to shut it off right in the middle of my songs. Now I’m glad to learn that I just don’t have to.
The decision couldn’t come soon enough.The ill-conceived electronics ban started back in 1991 when both the FCC and the FAA restricted airplane cellphone use, largely because no one actually knew what a cellphone was, much less how they actually worked. Better safe than sorry. A year later, though, they ran actual tests to see if there there was any valid argument for their blind terror. Surprise! There wasn’t.
To read more on this story, click here.
31 Oct 2013
Song of the Day
spotify:track:1PNHWJ3Ex0lbaBdhtQW0vn
Zak Waters – Sleeping in my T-Shirt
My co-worker Nadia introduced me to this song the other day and I basically haven’t stopped listening to it since. Sure, sometimes we just really like our cheesy pop songs, okay? At some point, I’ll probably check out the whole album, but for now – I’m pretty happy leaving this song on repeat.
30 Oct 2013
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth
Chris Hadfield has popularized astronauts and space through social media making him a celebrity. From one of the most well known Reddit threads to over 1 million Twitter followers, the retired Canadian astronaut is also an author. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth was published this week and details Chris’s life as an astronaut.
To welcome you into his world and new book, Chris made a clever video that you can check out here:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPw8C1fID80]
29 Oct 2013
Virgin America Debuts Safety Video
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtyfiPIHsIg&feature=youtu.be]
The airline debuted a new safety video this morning and we’re not exactly sure how we feel about it. It’s similar to an episode of Glee in some ways, but it is definitely a little bit more exciting than the presentations we have to sit through on any other airline.
Thoughts?
29 Oct 2013
Jonas Brothers Confirm Break-Up
This is really not the kind of news that I like to wake up to…even if I did just wake up in Sonoma and that alone is pretty great itself. For quite a few weeks, rumors have been swirling as to what exactly is going on with The Jonas Brothers. First, they missed a few dates – then they were on a longer term hiatus and now it is coming out straight from People that the boy band who were on brink of promoting their latest album has broken up. Even though I wasn’t going to make it, I was invited to see The Jonas Brothers in November in Seattle and now am just sad for all of their younger fans that won’t have that chance either.
…and yes, I’m dead serious about this post.
[Source]
29 Oct 2013
Song of the Day
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/112272296″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Bored Nothing – Let Down
29 Oct 2013
National Novel Writing Month
November marks the beginning of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Beginning on November 1st, participants beginning working towards writing a 50,000-word novel by November 30th.
The novel can be for any genre so it’s open to literally anyone who wants to give it a go. There have been people in previous years who have won over publishing companies and published their very first book thanks to the competition.
A lot of the time, the most difficult part of writing a novel is finding an excuse to spend so much time and effort into something you’re not sure will go anywhere. But, with this competition, it gives you a reason to start work on the novel idea you’ve been putting off for so long.
If you’re new to this then you need to plan out the plot, learn how to start writing a novel effectively, and just keep the story interesting. A lot of the most successful novels leave the ending open to interpretation so it might be worth attempting that to impress the judges.
A non-profit, NaNoWriMo aims to inspire writers and spark creativity. If you’ve ever felt as though you have a story to tell, whether it be one of your own or a fictitious tale, this may just be the site for you!
You can sign up and take on the challenge here.
29 Oct 2013
Kuma Coffee
For years now I’ve worked hard on getting to know Seattle via its coffee. From Stumptown to Caffe Vita to Herkimer, Seattle’s coffee choices do not disappoint. I’m happy to say I’ve recently discovered another local coffee roaster!
Kuma Coffee can be found in Ballard with owner Mark Barany. Inspired by African coffee after living in Kenya for several years, the blends are direct and fair trade. Mark makes it a point to be present with his clients and I absolutely recommend checking Kuma Coffee out based on their attention to relationships alone, and of course, the quality coffee.
After having an Americano with their beans, it’s safe to say, I’m a major fan already.
To find out more information about Kuma, check out their site here.