To talk about my thoughts of the excellent documentary “Stories We Tell” in any detail would be robbing you of the joy of seeing it for yourself, of letting its layers unfold like slowly blooming petals.
Author Archives: Rob
Dell OptiPlex motherboard repair
My office was liquidating a bunch of old computer equipment. In the heap, my eye was caught by a Dell box. “Hmm, what’s wrong with that computer?” And so began my next big obsession.
Frozen vs. Watchmen
It seemed obvious to me that the character of Queen Elsa from Disney’s excellent Frozen had glimpses of similarity to Dr. Manhattan from Snyder’s excellent The Watchmen. Both had nearly infinite power, which detached them from their humanity and fellow humans. Each secluded themselves far away in a self-made palace as a way of both …
Sparked interests and water analogs
Today, on the way to visit friends, my daughter asked me probing questions about one of my favorite little obsessions: traffic signals.
Before there was Netflix…
“… the world was without form. And it was not good.” For the past 6 months, I’m not entirely sure how we could have survived without Netflix. I’m aware that I tend to overstate many things and this is no exception. But humor me.
The STEM gap
There’s a great info-graphic and article on Adecco, concerning the widening gap between available Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) candidates and those job vacancies waiting to be filled. I have much to be thankful for this year. In particular, I have Adecco to thank for placing me at a great, international science-based company — …
Failure analysis on the HoMedics Lullaby Soundspa
We have one of these little do-dads for our kid: HoMedics SS-3000 Soundspa Lullaby. It’s a nifty little product, makes different simulated white noise sounds and projects these images from a spinning disk apparatus. Like I said, nifty. But also fragile, and prone to breakage. The company, HoMedics, replaced our first one because its little motor …
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DIY mamma
When my washing machine breaks down, do I call a plumber? No! I text my wife.
cell phone plan switcheroo, part 2
Here’s a triumphant update to the last post on switching cell phone carriers. It’s been a long road, but we finally got there. As of now, we are now truly paying $80 per month for two cell phones (with about $10 tacked on for taxes). If you too want to try to make the switch, …
The hunt for the perfect cell phone plan
I am nothing, if not occasionally obsessive. I get fixated with certain projects, plans, or life goals Well lately (as in the last 6-9 months), I’ve been rather preoccupied with finding the perfect, affordable cell phone plan. The last time I was this worked up about hacking my status as a cell phone user, it was …