There's still a bit of snow on the ground from yesterday.
Hope EVERYONE has a Safe and Happy Holiday!
Yesterday afternoon I checked the mailbox and there was my package from http://www.fine-silver-productsnet.com/! Yay!
Opened it up and it was chock full of every imaginable size of conductive thread, from gossamer to multi-ply sewing threads. TOTALLY worth the $15 plus shipping ($11 shipping for both kits together)!
I was disappointed to find the conductive fabric samples weren't in the package and have posted an email enquiry... which I'm sure they'll take care of soon as they can after the holiday.
Here's a piccie of the loot, uh, contents of the sampler...
The closeup lets you see just how much of a 'sample' you get...quite a bit actually! I could use these to knit up some conductive patches quite easily, or even try weaving a Soft Circuit... Click on either piccie to zoom it bigger.
Here's a start on uses for conductive threads over at Instructables:
http://www.instructables.com/tag/?q=conductive&limit%3Atype%3Aid=on&type%3Aid=on&type%3Auser=on&type%3Acomment=on&type%3Agroup=on&type%3AforumTopic=on&type%3AforumTopic=on&sort=none
Things have been busy getting ready for the holidaze and I haven't posted in forever, ah well!
What have I been up to? I've been wanting to learn more about 'interactive' pieces, so I've assembled my goodies and will be playing with them during the Holiday break:
Switch Craft: Battery-Powered Crafts to Make and Sew - This is what REALLY got me off my duff. I already had the Fashioning Tech book (see below) and was mildly interested. Then I saw THE PROJECT: Interactive Voodoo Doll... OMG! It 'shivers' when you stick a pin in it...what fun! I've already gotten a dozen or more "I want one when you make them" responses... we'll see how many I feel like making before it's on to the next project... I already have several mods I want to do to the original project.
Here's a pic from her blog:
http://iheartswitch.com
GADGET GLOVES, VOODOODOLL, & PETAL SHUFFLE
Dave Mendosa's blog on Living with Diabetes is chock full of info that can give you a much better Quality of Life, or even save it. And that's not hyperbole. I get his monthly newsletter and highly recommend it to anyone who is diabetic, pre-diabetic, or has a family member or friend who is.
The current newsletter has an article that caught my eye and justified a long held belief of mine that we should just ignore the majority of today's nutritional 'experts' and go with what Grandma (or Great-Grandma, for you chillins) used to provide: a balanced-diet of minimally processed protein, fat, carbs, and fiber. Balanced here means not too much of any one thing, and not too little either!
I've copied out the two paragraphs that really caught my attention on this. Take THAT Low Fat diets!
http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/90729/comparing-glycemic
Foods high in carbohydrate are the main stimulus for insulin secretion. But protein-rich foods also elicit a significant insulin response. On the other hand, adding fat to a carbohydrate-rich meal limits how high our blood glucose level goes, while not affecting the insulin response.
Those meals with the highest protein and carbohydrate content -- and therefore the lowest fat content -- produced the highest insulin responses. The fat content of the mixed meals used in the study showed a significant inverse relation with the insulin responses and "was a more reliable predictor of insulin demand than the amount of carbohydrate."
Comparing the Insulin and Glycemic Indexes
by Dave Mendosa
The food insulin index is a valuable supplement to the glycemic index and glycemic load. But nobody knows yet whether it will replace the glycemic index and glycemic load.
Some foods have little effect on our blood glucose levels but a big effect on the amount of insulin in our blood. This could be good, because the rise in insulin can bring down our blood glucose levels. But maybe not, because it could lead to beta-cell burnout.
Years ago I reviewed the first article about the insulin index on my website. At that time only 16 peer-reviewed articles in MEDLINE even mention the term "insulin index." By comparison, 244 peer-reviewed articles mention the glycemic index. Now, MEDLINE says that 71 articles mention the "insulin index" and 1,372 the "glycemic index."
But scientists have published only two peer-reviewed papers on the insulin index. The first one, which my earlier article summarized, came out in 1997. This month the second paper appeared. Both are the work of Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller of the University of Sydney and her team. At the same time, Dr. Brand-Miller is the world's leading researcher on the glycemic index. (Full disclosure: She was the lead author of The New Glucose Revolution: What Makes My Blood Glucose Go Up...and Down?, which I co-authored.)
Only the abstract of the new insulin index study is free online. But Dr. Brand-Miller sent a PDF of the full-text to a correspondent, who thoughtfully sent it on to me.
"We are still trying to prove (one way or the other) that an insulin index is superior to the glycemic index or glycemic load," Dr. Brand-Miller wrote my correspondent. "It may not be. We have just published a second paper on the subject. There is nothing else published as far as I'm aware."
Generally, glycemic and insulin index values are close -- when we can measure them. However, the methodology of glycemic index testing doesn't let us measure the GI of foods that have little or no carbohydrate. Consequently, it can't give us a guide to the insulin response of a large majority of the foods that we eat, including high-protein foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and cheese.
Foods high in carbohydrate are the main stimulus for insulin secretion. But protein-rich foods also elicit a significant insulin response. On the other hand, adding fat to a carbohydrate-rich meal limits how high our blood glucose level goes, while not affecting the insulin response.
The new study included only 21 subjects and 13 different meals. The subjects were all lean and young. These are significant limitations, and as usual the study concludes that, "Further research is needed."
But it may drive the last nail in the coffin of carbohydrate counting, which medical professionals commonly recommend for matching insulin dosage to insulin demand for people who take insulin injections. This is because, as the study says, "Mixed meals with similar carbohydrate content produced widely disparate insulin responses."
Those meals with the highest protein and carbohydrate content -- and therefore the lowest fat content -- produced the highest insulin responses. The fat content of the mixed meals used in the study showed a significant inverse relation with the insulin responses and "was a more reliable predictor of insulin demand than the amount of carbohydrate."
We met at a sort of Open House for the forthcoming Neighborhood Workshop, which will be debuting in 2010. There will be a lot of standard large equipment, as well as some more exotic offerings like a Laser cutter, Vinyl cutter (as in vinyl signs, wall words, custom cut vinyl graphics for cars, etc), and a computerized embroidery machine.
The star attraction today was the laser cutter. Many of us brought materials to try out and I had some plywood blanks, samples of countertop laminate, leather scraps and aluminum samples.
I forgot to take the camera, so I have no action shots, but here's the laser 'etching' on leather and polyester moleskin fabric. The laser burned away the fuzzy moleskin part and left the underlying knit fabric. It is totally usable as a clothing fabric even after this! Note, both were photographed at an angle.
I also forgot to eat before I went over there, so when I left I forgot to bring the other box, leaving behind my samples etched on wood and countertop laminate... I'll show them tomorrow after I pick them up!
With the launch of 100kgarages.com, we now have an ad hoc community of digital makers ALL OVER THE WORLD. Ponoko.com has formed an alliance with a network of owners of Shopbot CNC routers worldwide to make this happen.
This means I can upload a digital file and make the design available to customers worldwide via in the 54 different countries where Shopbot digital tools have been set up (to-date).
For fabrication in their location.
No shipping charges from here to there, only from the local fabber to the end customer. How green is that?
Soon the coalition will extend to laser and 3D printers.
From the 100kgarges website:
During the 2007 US Presidential debates, Tom Brokaw asked candidates Obama and McCain whether our challenges would be best solved by ... "funding a Manhattan-style project or by supporting 100,000 garages across America to encourage the kind of industry and innovation that developed Silicon Valley?"
From WIRED magazine:
Just received this from my neighbor on the other side of the 'cul de sac.' I didn't realize what a jungle my balcony has become. The Virginia Creeper, now on its second year with me, has gone absolutely berserk!
Biddles obviously approves of the cover...
Seeing some really exciting stuff happening over at Spoonflower.com... the textile DIY company that allows you to upload your own textile designs and have them printed and shipped to your home...and they're starting up their Beta Marketplace testing (sorry, it's not public...yet!). I signed up as a guinea pig and ordered a yard of the cutest little skully fabric. Can't wait to see it when it gets here!
While I intend to design some of my own patterns, many artists have already done some amazing work. There are also a lot of really, really awful patterns posted, so don't blame me if your eyes start bleeding!
Two of my current fave designers are Victoria Lasher and Arcana-j.
Victoria does sweet, beautifully rendered repeats (that's a big thing!) and her "raining hedgehogs" are the cutest. She's a mom, so I have to wait patiently while she makes time to create some coordinating fabrics we've discussed (me? patient? HA!)
Arcana-j has the cutest Skully, Halloween, and Goth type patterns (as well as purple hippos with hearts). She's even adding some coordinating fabrics that will let you mix and match patterns on a garment/bag/pillow/quilt...be still my heart!
If you're interested in all of this, get on over to Spoonflower and get signed up. Even if you can't draw, you can use any of the Dover Publications Electronic Clip Art designs, as well as personal photos you've taken. Check out their Flickr site to see what awesomeness has already happened.
SHWEEET!
There are times when Family (capital "F") will absolutely get on your last nerve and make you contemplate having to hide a body or two. You want to spew your frustrations at whoever comes into range...rant and rage until even casual acquaintances will cross the street to avoid you.
And you get tempted to blog those feelings too - but should you?
You may have guessed it, yes, I am caught in the tines of that devil's pitchfork. And when it comes down to it, I may even go so far as to draft a snarky post or two and save it.
However.
I then apply the 90 day rule: Would I cringe at strangers reading this 90 days from now? Or worse, the Family in question reading it, Ever? So, I sigh and hit the Delete button.
On the other hand, I'm totally OK with them finding out that I WANTED to post some snarky comments!
I just hate it when the voices of the old farts start playing in my head:
"The older you get, the faster time flies by!"
Meh!
I've been roasting for the last few weeks - it's amazing how many days of 100+ weather we've had...this year has been a total scorcher. I'm watering my potted plants twice a day in some cases, and the allysum just doesn't like the heat and is pouting until October. The virginia creeper is ecstatic...I think it's growing inches by the hour. The morning glories are abundant...
I love lots of green on the balcony - even if I need to have a fan on me to even consider sitting out there. The cats love going out to roast too.
Okay, I HAD to pull the front back for work...tried it loose all weekend and had enough! The cut DEFINITELY brought out my waves!
Okay, here's my post about "the haircut," which is my first in two years. To start with, the salon is in a cool, older part of Dallas, upstairs from the La Madrid restaurant. I didn't check them out, but they are probably a Tapas restaurant, from the name.
Here's the Goggle Maps link. Facing N/NW, the salons upstairs are accessed via the door with the curved top.
My appointment was at 2pm Friday, April 9, and when I got there the parking was still full, so I snuck in across the street to the shared parking for Grange Hall/some swanky Spa
Grange Hall location
I've had Ski (aka Demonspawn) since right after I moved back to Texas in '92. I was in a pet store picking up some ear mite medicine for Mom's cat and there he was, in a rescue display, top crate, looking me square in the eye. Handsome devil; slim, black, sleek. Another gal pulled him out and cuddled him, but he never took his eyes off of me (I'd swear he was saying "It's about TIME you got here!). I was still couch surfing with Mom and Dad, so I had no business even looking at a cat, and I had lost my beloved Ski the previous year to Feline Leukemia on Labor Day weekend. I got the medicine and left.
Two weeks later I was unpacking in my new apartment and kept feeling the most annoying "something is just out of sight, right at my heals" feeling. I called the pet shop and asked if that black cat was still there? He was. Hold him for me, I'll get him tomorrow. So, after work I drove over to get him. The shop boy says "I'm so glad you're here. He hasn't shut up all day." I asked if he was always like that and the boy replied, "No, just today." I pulled him out of the cage and held him for a while. He clung to my shoulder and purred like a freight train. Yep, he was mine. Put him back in the cage and went around the store getting supplies, chatting with the shop boy.
An enraged yowl broke out from the front of the store and we rushed up front to see this VERY angry black cat with his arm stretched as far as possible out of the cage, claws fully distended, waving madly, "Get me the F___ out of here NOW!"
I looked at the shop boy and said, "We're done, ring me up." As he was finalizing the transaction, I looked at the papers. Name: Moonshadow (okay, I can live with that). Birthday: Labor Day weekend, '91. (slightly creepy feeling between my shoulderblades.) Over the next few weeks, try as I might, the only name that came out of my mouth was Ski, so he became Ski Too. He was nothing like the original in his temperment - he was cranky, short tempered, and threw up hairballs all the time. Over time he acquired the nickname of Demonspawn, which truly fit him for most of his life. But he would drape himself over my shoulder and chest, purring madly. And he forced me to pet him in the mornings, when my Fibromyalgia made every movement an excruciating ordeal. He was mine.
So when he was diagnosed with a hyper thyroid, I shelled out the bucks for the surgery. And when the other one started swelling, even though I'd been laid off, I got that one done (but only could because Dr. Fred did it at cost and let me pay it out). And when they swelled again and he was too old for surgery, I pilled him morning and night, because he was MY Ski and I wasn't going to give up on him just because it was inconvenient (yes, I'm stubborn). And he did well for another 8 or 9 years.
But he was doing pretty poorly this winter, so I've been working hard to get him back in shape; his fave canned foods, extra feedings if he was interested, even a pill to help his appetite. But he was still acting feeble and frail, and wasn't grooming himself, so I took him in last Friday to get checked up again. I was crying while I was waiting for the test results. fully expecting bad news and thinking that I really, really didn't want this to happen on the weekend before my birthday (the next Monday). Instead, he got a clean bill on the set of tests for his thyroid and kidney functions, so I thought that we were good to go for a while. But Sunday he cried weakly all night, and didn't stop till 4am, so I took him back to the vet's to get checked out again.
When I got to the vets after work they said Dr. Fred wanted to meet with me in the surgery. At first I just thought that meant the other rooms were full. He's that good of a vet. But, as I waited, I realized that there was probably another reason. One of the helpers brought Ski out to me so "we could visit while we waited for Dr. Fred." That was when I knew what had to be up. When he finally came into the surgery, the look on his face, I knew I was right.
He told me that the thyroid was malignant and had metastasized, filling Ski's chest cavity, making it difficult for him to breathe and swallow. There was no outwardly visible sign. Up until now, none of the vets ever acted like the thyroid might have been malignant. He'd had two surgeries on them and they weren't malignant then, but it's been 8 or 9 years since then. I thought his weight loss was just 'skinny old dude' syndrome - after all, he was 17 years old. When I think about it now, at the end he really looked just like some poor end-stage cancer patient, all skin and bones. Dr. Fred offered to give him a shot that would calm things down a bit, so I could have a few days to say goodbye, but I told him that I've been saying goodbye for the last year or so, when he started doing poorly, and it wasn't fair to him to keep him over just because it was my birthday. I was selfish with my first Ski and kept him long after I should have let him go. I wasn't going to make that mistake this time. So Dr. Fred gave him the shot and I stroked him as he left. I wasn't surprised that he gasped a few more times after Fred said he was gone. Ski wasn't a quitter by any means.
I'm having a tough time adjusting to not having him around. He's been with me since '92 and he saw me thru some very tough times in my life. I'm sorry that I've lost him, but I'm happy that I was able give him a good, long life and to let him go when he needed to go, instead of being selfish and trying to hold on longer.
I've been rather amused over the last year, watching the changing face of the spam in my junk folder.
This time last year I was primarily being offered various pharmaceuticals, mostly for enhancing body parts I don't even have, as well as job offers from Mr. Vincent (whom I am pointedly ignoring). Then I was getting offers of discount gas. For a short time Brazilian property was the new investment opportunity, and my Timeshares have always been in top demand, but then I started seeing ads for reworking my mortgage, lots of those, to the point that the pharmaceutical offers were practically shouldered out of the way (amazing). Then I started getting lots more job offers (Criminal Science! ack) as well as offers of mortgage assistance and low interest loans.
Most recently the junk box was full to brimming, twice as much spam as I usually get in a day. And it covered the full spectrum, though with a large percentage of job offers and mortgage advice. Maybe even the Spammers are feeling the pinch?
I wonder if anyone is doing a thesis on the correlation of spam subject lines to current events?
Looks like a come-on line, doesn't it?
Well, I came across this phrase yesterday at the local Joann supershop...
Remember those cute little Gocco screen printers that used a photo flash bulb to develop the screen design that was only big enough for a greeting card or some such? Yah, the ones that are going the way of the Polaroid and everyone's going all WAAAAH about... 
Well, Yudu is a slick big-boy version that can even print on Ts. It's put out by Provo Crafts, the makers of Cuttlebug and Cricut scrapbooking die cutters. At $299, it's got a big-boy price compared to a Gocco setup. 
For a little perspective, a Speedball beginning screen printing kit for either printmaking or fabric will only set you back about $75 (on sale I see it as low as $34!). Now, this kit uses a film emulsion that you spread on the screen, let dry, then expose to a bright light with a black and white pattern blocking the light and will give you exactly the same results, it's just not in a slick little chassis that's gonna get shabby looking real quick once you print on it...it's starting OUT looking a little shabby! Oh, and the consumables (ink screens, etc) are about the same price.
For $299 vs $75($34) and a little extra effort? I'll stick with Speedball...but I might check out Yudu's inks and other consumables!
Oh, and if you just HAVE to skip the messy smearing of liquid emulsion, you can buy photo emulsion sheets...which is what the Yudu uses!
Very articulate blog, this is one I've added to my RSS listings.
http://www.openthefuture.com/
PS: what he's got to say also scares the pants off me.
Bio
Jamais Cascio writes about the intersection of emerging technologies, environmental dilemmas, and cultural transformation, specializing in the design and creation of plausible scenarios of the future. His work focuses on the importance of long-term, systemic thinking, emphasizing the power of openness, transparency and flexibility as catalysts for building a more resilient society. Cascio's work appears in publications as diverse as Metropolis, the Atlantic, Technology Review, and ForeignPolicy.com. He was featured in National Geographic Television's SIX DEGREES, its 2008 documentary on the effects of global warming, and on History Channel's SCIENCE IMPOSSIBLE, its 2009 series on emerging technologies. Cascio has spoken about future possibilities around the world, at venues including South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas, FuturShow3000 in Bologna, Italy, the Singularity Summit in San Francisco, and the TED 2006 conference, "The Future We Will Create," in Monterey, California.
I have always loved a good bumper sticker. And Pegasus Publishing is my favorite place to get some.
The site's been unavailable the last few times I checked and I was afraid they were defunct, but a new check shows my old fave is still here!
http://www.pegasuspublishing.com/
These guys are an institution at any N Texas Con or other such function. They started out selling bumper stickers and T's and have branched out to Hats (Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Monty Python, Pirate, etc.), Lab Coats, Steampunk goggles and other apparel, Books, Lyric sheets,music and videos, patches, pins, mugs, etc. Oh, and plushies! How about an Elvis Cthulu? Or a Vorpil Bunny (Holy Grail)? Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch? They have it!
Their bumper sticker racks are amazing, especially considering that each time they are customized to the show, be it Trekkies, Anime, Irish Fest, whatever. This is where I get my "Ladies Anarchist Sewing Circle" and "Who says Goddesses Have to be Anorexic?" stickers, which are due for replacement, which is how I found out the site had been down...
The online bumper stickers are arranged by Categories:
