Hobbies – Page 6 – Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

Unpacking the Loot Crate

June 4, 2013September 4, 2021 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

So, like I said before, I was tipped off to a new service called “Loot Crate” by an old blogging buddy that writes Jamaipanese.com. I haven’t had much time to dive into my favorite hobbies recently because of school obligations. As I’m sure you’ve seen (if you’ve been suffering through the recent posts on my blog with any regularity) I’ve been working overtime churning out papers for classes. I’m trying to get my degree as soon as possible, so I’ve been taking more classes at one time than is probably advisable, but I’ve been managing to maintain a high GPA, so why not? The faster I get done with school, the sooner I can move on to working.

Loot Crate sort of fills a niche for me. I don’t have a lot of time to devote to gaming, anime, manga, comics or any of the other geek things I used to enjoy. I have a stack of comics and manga just waiting to be read. I have games I’ve bought that I haven’t even installed. But, Loot Crate is just a little thing each month that can put a smile on my face. It’s a low time investment way to have fun and gives me something to look forward to every month. Since I don’t know what’s going to be in each box, it’s sort of like getting a present every 30 days, except of course I’m paying a bit for it. The price isn’t bad, though, at $20 a month, counting shipping. (Disclaimer: this is not a paid advert, but the preceding link is a referral link that will get me a free Loot Crate for every 4 people who sign-up after clicking through).

I was so busy last month, between final papers, final exams, and then rushing off to visit friends in Mississippi that I didn’t have time to post about my Loot Crate until now. So, what was in May’s Loot Crate?

As you can see in the image above, the packaging encourages just what I’m doing now. But, who wouldn’t want to share information about neat novelty items on their blog anyway?

Loot Crate Close-Up. The box is pretty sturdy.

Another Loot Crate Close-Up, minus the information card.

The Loot Crate was, expectedly, a bit of a mixed bag, but to be successful it has to be. Not everyone has the same tastes, after all. There’s a Batman figurine. Not bad, but I never really cared for Batman. The Ironman papercraft origami thingamabob could be fun to put together, and I’m sure I’ll find a use for the stickers. The little dude that holds cords is pretty cool. I’m definitely going to use that once I finish installing my blinds (I just moved). The items that really stood out to me in this Loot Crate are the one-year subscription to a digital Nintendo magazine (the yellow card in the image above), the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy towel, the 8-bit Space Invaders tie, and the Super Mario Question Block.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Towel — Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Towel

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, was one of the first books I read when I was a teenager. For some reason, the dry British humor really appealed to me. I loved that book so much that I pushed it on friends, one of whom borrowed my leather-bound, gold-page-edge edition and never brought it back. I wonder if she still has it on a shelf somewhere?

Anyway, the significance of the towel is that the book is about hitchhiking through the galaxy, and there are certain things that a successful hitchhiker just can’t do without, one of which is a towel. A good quote from the book is:

Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in “Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.” (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)

I guess I know where my towel is, now.

Also fairly cool is this 8-bit tie. I’m definitely going to find an excuse to wear this. For the Lulz.

Finding the Super Mario Brothers Question Block was one of those nostalgic moments, since the first console game I ever played was Super Mario Brothers (1985 Nintendo Entertainment System version).

Opened Super Mario Question Block With Gold Coin Candies

Inside the Question Block are some candies that I haven’t tried yet that resemble the gold coins that would pop out of the boxes sometimes when you bumped them.

It took me a while to get around to posting about the Loot Crate, but not because it wasn’t interesting and fun; I just had too much stuff to do. Hopefully, that won’t be the case later this month, because I’m already looking forward to receiving my next Loot Crate in the mail.

The Loot Crate

May 29, 2013September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless1 Comment

I’ve always been a bit of a geek, so when a friend of mine (at http://www.jamaipanese.com/) recommended that I try out a service called Loot Crate, I didn’t hesitate. I wasn’t disappointed. This program was a great way for me to remember to have a little bit of fun. These college semesters are grinding the life out of me. I will post more about what I found when unboxing my first Loot Crate later, but for now I want to share this image of one of the items I received.

Excuse Me. Have you seen these droids?

September 23, 2012September 4, 2021 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Stormtrooper Mask at Toys R Us — Have you seen any droids around here lately?

The missus and I have been so busy over the last few weeks that it seems like we’ve hardly had a moment to just sit down and stare relax. I think about it sometimes. Just going out to the park, sitting down and watching people walk by, watching the squirrels, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. I think fondly about the time we spent wandering around in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But then, I start thinking about the long list of things that just have to get done, and I put aside thoughts of having fun and relaxing for another day. Except for last Saturday.

Last Saturday, we decided that we needed some time to just relax and have fun, so we went to Times Square, stuffed ourselves with the all-you-can-eat shrimp dinner at Red Lobster and then spent about two hours wandering around in the Toys ‘R Us store, also in Times Square.

It was a lot of fun! Some of the toys were pretty cool, like some Hex Bug things I saw. If I had the time and space, I wouldn’t mind setting up one of those tracks myself. Some of the toys also sparked some good conversations, where my wife and I reminisced about the toys we had as kids and how they’ve changed.

I’ve always enjoyed games, puzzles and video games. That was a great way to spend the afternoon.

As for the picture above of me in the Stormtrooper mask, well, I put it on and asked a store employee if he’d seen any droids in the area. He said it was funny, but his eyes weren’t laughing. They should have been laughing. No, seriously though, he didn’t seem as amused by my lame joke as I was. That’s ok, though. The joke was more for me anyway.

I Believe I Have Your Stapler

June 20, 2012September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless3 Comments

When I saw this red Swingline stapler on Amazon I just couldn’t resist ordering it. I absolutely loved the movie Office Space and this stapler is one of the memorable items from the film. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. It’s a comedy and it’s hilarious!

The Original Angry Birds? – AMNH Exhibit

June 8, 2012September 4, 2021 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

A few weeks ago my wife and I went to the American Museum of Natural History here in New York City. I’ll post more about that later, but I just wanted to share this image first. When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was the Angry Birds games. I think Rovio (the makers of Angry Birds) is based out of Finland, or at least that’s what their site says, but maybe the person who came up with the concept was thinking of this display window in the AMNH. It has the whole idea in one scene: broken eggs, angry birds, and the hogs (pigs) who are responsible.

Please, Put Crappy Writing Here

May 15, 2011September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless4 Comments

Please, put crappy writing here.

This sign, above this trashcan, is located in the Compton-Goethals hall at City College of New York. I’m not sure who put it up, but it’s a good reminder that if you’re not going to write well, you shouldn’t even bother to turn your paper in. With the end of the semester upon us, and many papers due, this sign has a lot more meaning than usual. I’m doing pretty good. I only have one more to write and then I can completely focus on studying for finals.

My wife tells me all the time that I write well. I figure she’s biased, but I did always get good grades on writing assignments in high school and in the college level courses I took online. Now that I’m physically attending classes, I thought maybe the ‘truth’ about my writing ability would come out. I guess I just underestimate myself, because the papers I turn in always come back with good grades.

I’ll try to not let my ego blow up too big, but I’ve even had people come to me for help with their papers, and after guiding them through revisions I’ve been thanked profusely. I was even told I should be a teacher. That’s kind of funny, because another guy at the school mistook me for a teacher. That could just be because I’m older than most students and have a beard though. Ha! If you’re wondering, I was in the Army for nearly a decade and now I’m using the Post 9/11 GI Bill to complete my tertiary education. That bill is a godsend. I’m really enjoying the whole college experience, and it’s only possible because of that bill.

Anyhow, summer’s coming. I thought about taking a break, but I just don’t think I want one, so I signed up for summer courses. For the first session, I’m just going to fill a graduation requirement, Speech Foundations. I hear it’s a fun and worthwhile class, though. For the second session I’m going to take World Civilizations: Pre-History to 1500 AD. I’m pretty sure I’m going to wind up majoring in History, so that should help me out. I haven’t officially matriculated yet, so I don’t know exactly what the degree requirements are. I’ll find out when Fall semester starts.

The Japan Society and “Bye Bye Kitty!”

April 10, 2011September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless8 Comments

Yesterday I went to the Japan Society on 47th Street here in Manhattan. They were having a Concert for Japan, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Japan Relief Fund. I knew I wasn’t going to get there early enough to secure tickets for any of the shows, but the admission fee for the building was only 5 bucks, and it included full access, including the Bye Bye Kitty! art exhibit, which was my main reason for going there anyway.

When I showed up, they had speakers set up outside so you could hear the concert from the street. It sounded pretty good, so I sat down on one of the benches across the street for a while and just enjoyed the tunes.

Then I noticed there were food stalls, so I had myself some takoyaki.

Once I got inside I went to the area called the “J-Lounge”, and got a bottle of Pocari Sweat. It’s better than it sounds! It’s a sports drink, which is why the word “sweat” is included in the name, but the girl gave me a weird look when I asked for it. I had to explain what it is to her, then I shared the story of my reaction when I first saw it in Singapore. She agreed with me that if they really want to market the drink in English speaking markets, they should change the name. The J-Lounge also had a big screen TV in it that was showing the concert on the lower level.

After I finished the drink I went up to the art gallery. The works were, for the most part, pretty impressive. The one that catches your attention first, and most, is called Ash Color Mountains, by Makoto Aida:

The idea behind this is that he’s expressing his disgust with the conformism and lack of individualism of the gray-suited “salaryman”.

From Aida’s War Picture Returns series, the first two images: Beautiful Flag.

These are just a few other images I enjoyed.

And I’m not sure what this is supposed to be exactly, but it was interesting! The ‘blood’ in the tubes was being pumped, and you could hear the motor and the suction sounds. I don’t know if I’d want to come across this in the night.

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and I’m looking forward to going back when they have future events. It also has me interested in going back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art sometime soon, which is sure to happen, since I have another paper due for my Art History class!

Donation Point For Japan in Union Square (Manhattan) Today

March 20, 2011September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless3 Comments

New York Japanese-American Lions Club in Union Square requesting donations for Japan.

Earlier today, on my way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I saw members of the New York Japanese-American Lions Club in Union Square, asking for donations for relief efforts in Japan. I made a donation myself, directly to the Japanese Red Cross through Google’s Crisis Response page. Even so, I found myself wanting to donate more, but I had just gone to the bank and only had big bills on me. I know that sounds cheap, but I have a budget I have to follow too, so I don’t wind up looking for handouts. I wish I had more to give, but it’s encouraging that companies and prominent individuals are also giving donations to Japan.

New York Japanese-American Lions Club in Union Square requesting donations for Japan.

I saw a Tweet a few days ago that was reminding people to not forget that the tsunami in 2005 (?) killed about 230,000 people. I wonder why it is that this earthquake and tsunami in Japan is eliciting such a greater response? Or am I misremembering what happened in 2005? I might have missed the outreach efforts. I spent part of that year in Kuwait and the rest of it in Singapore and I just don’t remember it being reported on much. I had actually forgotten about it until I went to Phuket in Thailand with my wife and saw a memorial there for the people who had died on that beach in that tsunami. Is it because Japan is important economically? Is it because it’s a world power? Or is it because of the character and history of the people? Personally, I’ve always been fascinated with Japanese history, the ancient history more than the recent history, and I do enjoy Japanese anime and I’ve been toying with learning Japanese for some time.

New York Japanese-American Lions Club in Union Square requesting donations for Japan.

Anyway, if you haven’t taken the time to donate money to the relief efforts in Japan, there are still plenty of ways to get it done. They’re a wholly deserving people in a time of great need.

Why I Love My Kindle, And Why I Don’t

March 16, 2011September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless7 Comments

Last year in October, I was given a Kindle 3 by my aunt in return for doing what turned out to be a LOT of yard work. Well, a lot more than I expected anyway. It’d been quite a few years since I’d lived anywhere that required yard work, so I wasn’t able to judge it properly.

Since then, I’ve used my Kindle fairly regularly. Whenever I commute here in the city, I keep it with me so I can spend my time doing something constructive, instead of staring blankly at the wall like so many of my fellow commuters. I’ve come to rely on it for entertainment, something I was reminded of today when I realized I left the house with a dead battery. My commute is about an hour both ways, so … ya, I was bored. There’s no cell phone signal in the subways here, so that meant I really had nothing to do but stare at the walls.

The Kindle 3 is light, very easy on the eyes, and makes reading fun again, especially since there’s so much available for free, but some recent events have caused me to see a few shortcomings.

The first problem is that there are still plenty of books being published that don’t have Kindle versions. Even worse, some books are published and the price of the Kindle version is higher than the price of the physical book. I understand that there are some costs that can’t be negated by simply producing a book as an e-text, but there should never be a time when an eBook costs anything near what the physical book does, since you’re cutting out the cost of the paper, printing and distribution. It’s obscene. An insult even.

The kicker that made me write this post, though, was a visit to Barnes & Noble at Union Square. I’ve been going there frequently looking for particular versions of books I need for classes I’m taking at CCNY. I don’t know what it is about physical books, but every time I go in there I find myself wanting to hold and touch them, and maybe just ‘adopt’ them all and bring them home. The cover art is something that can’t be reproduced well on a Kindle, or any eReader. You can’t touch it. You just can’t appreciate it the same way. I’m reminded of something my art history teacher said in class yesterday. He was talking about how people go to an art museum and instead of stopping to appreciate the art, they take a picture and move on quickly. He said that if that’s what you’re going to do, you might as well have just looked the images up on Google. It’s not the same experience. It’s also not the same experience as holding the book in your hands, or putting it on your shelf when you’re done with it. I suppose that desire to collect books is something that not everyone has, but I like to see my books sitting on a shelf, so I can be reminded of how good they are and maybe pick them up and leaf through them to my favorite parts again. Speaking of that, it’s really hard to scan through books on a Kindle, going back to re-examine material you read the a few days ago.

My conclusion is that a Kindle is still an awesome device that will encourage more people to read more often, myself included, but it has drawbacks. I think my Kindle is best suited for ‘light’ reading. You know, those books that you read purely for entertainment, the ones that you’re not worried about looking at again, because when you’re done with a Kindle book it gets lost in the list of available books on the device. For those books that I consider my favorites, or anything heavier that might require thought and retrospection, the books that I would want to flip back and forth through to better understand the ideas being expressed, a physical book can’t be beat.

Is It Worth It To Get A Kindle 3? Why, Yes. Yes It Is!

November 4, 2010September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless2 Comments

A backyard ready for raking!

A few weeks ago I was just arriving in Georgia to visit family and when I got there, my aunt made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. A Kindle 3 in exchange for yard work. I didn’t have to think about it hard, or for too long. Her back yard is pretty big, and it wound up being a good bit of work, but I think it was a more than fair deal. I’ve loved reading ever since my dad put my first Hardy Boys book in my hands as a kid. My taste in books has changed a lot since then, but I’ve wanted a Kindle since I first heard about them. Now I finally have one and I’ve been using it for a month, so I decided I’d share my thoughts about it and how it stacks up to the traditional reading experience.

Amazon Kindle in the box. That's not a paper. That's really the screen displaying a 'page'.

The Kindle 3 itself is a very elegant looking device. I like the dark graphite coloring of the sturdy plastic shell. It in no way feels cheaply built. The buttons to turn the ‘pages’ are located on either side to accommodate right and left handed readers, as well as various ways of holding the device. The keyboard buttons under the screen are slightly raised and feel good when you push them. I know that sounds weird, but they’re sturdy and the texture is very comfortable. I went ahead and got one of the leather cases that Amazon made and sells specifically for the Kindle 3. It’s a perfect match and connects to the Kindle 3 using little slots built into the left side of the device. There are no bands and no adhesive to cause damage to your device. Together, the Kindle 3 and the leather case have a very professional, classy look that I very much enjoy. The leather case also has a band to hold it closed with a tab on one end so you always know which way is up when you’re opening it. Nothing about the way the device is designed disappoints me. It’s stylish and functional.

The reading experience itself is exceptional. I thought that reading on the Kindle would be a second best experience, and wouldn’t stack up to reading a real book. I’ll always remember curling up on a couch or bed with a paper book in my hands fondly, but this is a better way to do it. The Kindle 3 is a lot lighter than most any book I’ve ever held, meaning I can hold it longer without having to rest it on my legs or a table. The shape and size is easier to manage, and it’s nice to not have to hold back pages, like you do on a new book with a fresh spine. If something happens and you have to set the Kindle down suddenly, you won’t lose your page like you would with a real book. You also won’t have to worry about any bookmarks slipping out. When you’re done reading, you just slide the power switch to the right and one of a set of inspiring screensavers pops up, showing classic authors and scenes related to reading or book printing. The e-ink screen is everything it’s made out to be. When I first saw the device I thought I was looking at a paper card stuck in the screen as an example of how it would look, but it actually was the screen itself. I’ve read for hours straight on the Kindle 3 without any sign of eye fatigue.

The Kindle 3 in Amazon's official leather cover, showing a standby screen.

The one thing about the Kindle that’s a bit disappointing is the availability and pricing of titles. When the Kindle first came out, book titles were locked down to about 9.99, which is reasonable if not as low as they could be. E-books don’t require paper, printing, physical distribution or any of the costs associated with those things, so they should really cost a fraction of what a physical book does. Lately, though, it’s not uncommon to find e-books priced the same as the physical version, and in a few cases even higher. The reasoning behind it is that we’re paying extra for the convenience of having a digital version instead of a heavy paper version. I say we should get a discount for the convenience of not costing the publishing company all of those extra fees that come along with printing paper books. We should also get a discount for not being able to lend (in some cases), give away or sell the book that we bought. With e-books, they say we’re just buying a license to read the book, and not actually buying the book itself. That’s just crap. The digital book I buy, the file, should be mine to do whatever I legally want to do with it, the same way a paper book is mine to do whatever I want to with.

Overall, though, the Kindle is an incredibly worthwhile purchase for anyone thinking about getting one. I’m glad I have mine!

*Note: This post is not sponsored in any way by Amazon.com, and I was not paid by anyone to write it. These are legitimately my opinions on the device. The links in the post will, however, take you to Amazon product pages.