An Idiot Abroad

In the mood for some good British comedy? Doesn't get better than "An Idiot Abroad". I binge watched Seasons 2&3 last weekend on Netflix.

3D Printing

I find the technology of 3D printing fascinating. 3D printers can now make body parts and are being used to correct gene mutations. And, it turns out, to make replicas of World of Warcraft characters. So, I joined the ranks of the super nerdy and had a 3D Figureprints replica made of one of my 4 characters, a druid troll named "Drpongo".

Below: my WoW character "Drpongo" as he appears in-game & Figureprints Drpongo replica:
                      

                              

  

Pandamania

As the curator of a different area, I often find myself wondering why more of the giant panda excitement doesn't spill over into other areas. Then again, I grew up in a suburb of DC and remember being part of the city's Pandamania. So the other day when I had a chance to spend a little quality time with Bei Bei before the visitors arrived, I immediately reverted to a younger version of myself.

Bitmoji Fun

Back when I was still on Facebook over 2 years ago, I came across an app called "Bitstrip" and made an avatar of myself, which interacted with the avatars of some of my friends. I recently discovered a phone app called "Bitmoji" that allowed me to re-create my avatar, even though I am now Facebook-less. My avatar is no longer social since I have no way of connecting my avatar to my former virtual friends, but she can still be texted to others through the phone. Pretty nifty and a little creepy how much my avatar looks like the real me. Though this photo of me is a little dated, taken in Zurich in 2007 (how is that nearly a decade ago?!) when I wasn't wearing my glasses, check out the uncanny resemblance! 

Snowmageddon 2016

Wow. Looks like we may end up with up to 3 feet of snow here in Washington, DC. It is 3pm on Saturday and the snow has been falling steadily since yesterday afternoon, heavier than ever at the moment and not forecasted to stop until midnight.

As the curator of a different area at the Zoo, I do not typically post about the pandas, but I must admit that the panda snow video shown in this news footage is pretty great: Tian Tian in the Snow

...Update: it is now the Monday after the weekend blizzard and the federal government and zoo both closed. We spent the day shoveling/snow blowing. So much snow!

Etsy, Oh Etsy, How Do I Love Thee?!

While I am also a big fan of Amazon.com and Amazon.uk, I absolutely love Etsy.com, which I discovered just over 2 years ago when I moved back to DC. I have bought all sorts of creative things, many customized.

Here are some of my favorite past purchases - a unique oak table and two spectacular customized orders:

My most recent orders:

Realizing that this will be the third wood spirit carving I have purchased, two from Etsy.com and one from the MD Ren Faire, I have decided to take up a new hobby...currently reading books on the subject of wood carving to figure out what supplies I need and I have ordered some wood blanks so I can start making carvings myself. I have attempted whittling projects before, but will need to get some proper knives if this is to become a real hobby! 

Kindle!

I recently decided to give my mother my Nook Color and get myself a Kindle Paperwhite. I never could get used to the Nook's glossy screen and just wanted to use my e-reader for reading. Also I find more titles of interest at a lower price through Amazon, whereas my mother can use the Nook Color to view her color photos from which she makes watercolor paintings.

I haven't yet decided if it is worth it to pay for the $9.99/month Kindle Unlimited service, but as an Amazon Prime Member there are a long list of books that I can borrow for free 1 book a month--also not bad. 

I'm not sure which I love more, the hard magnetic protective Omoton case ("Magic Forest" design seemed most appropriate for many of the Sci Fi/Fantasy books I read), or the customized soft zippered case I bought from a store on Etsy, which was customized to perfectly fit my Kindle in its magnetic caw  when on the go.

 

         

The Kindle Paperwhite (newest version) is in my opinion the perfect size for an e-reader. It's screen is also ideal for reading in all situations, thanks to adjustable light levels and a matte screen. 

Until purchasing my Kindle I read e-books using the Kindle and Nook apps on my ipad and iphone. Though I no longer maintain a current Barnes & Noble memberships, mostly because I live in DC and not near any stores, I am happy to be able to use the Nook app, which allows me to access the many e-books I purchased when actively using a Nook. 

I have a lot of great e-books on my Nook account that I have been re-reading recently, one of the more interesting and unusual finds being: "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms"

I still love physical books and have several that I keep meaning to read but haven't yet picked up. The difference with e-readers is that they are so easy to read and transport multiple titles. I wish I had one of these when I was in Indonesia for years, hauling with me as many books as I could when we always had a generator so could have powered up an e-reader. I also like the ease with which it is possible to read multiple books, going back and forth among them and for some reason I find more easily than doing the same among multiple hardcopy books. Oh well! 

Here are a few useful links for Kindle Users:
Kindle Store on Amazon
Free Kindle ebook Sites
Unique Sites for Kindle ebooks
goodreads Kindle ebooks