nuoN
I bought a new ping pong paddle today. The one I already had still works perfectly fine, but I wanted to get another one that I could bring to work and leave in my locker to use during my breaks. Everyone who plays there went out and bought better quality paddles that actually have some good stats to help with control, spin, and speed. The generic ones in the breakroom that I would typically use aren't terrible, but they pale when compared against better quality ones like the one I bought from Dick's Sporting Goods at the Freehold Mall. Some people would call me crazy for having spent $40 on it, but this isn't your typical paddle that comes in four packs with flimsy rubber that peels off. No, this is the Stiga Hammerlite, not to be confused with a Hammerite from the Thief computer game series. The paddle's surface has such strong grip. You can barely drag your fingers over it. That means that I can pull off some very strong spins with this sucker, which is fantastic because my play style relies very heavily on spins. I played against Dad using it tonight just to see what it could do. As I thought, the spins were quite nasty. Poor Dad: he can barely catch on. This new paddle has a bit more rubber than the paddle I usually use at home, though, so more of the ball's impact is absorbed into the paddle, which means that my shots are slightly weaker and/or slower. No matter; I'll just have to hit the ball harder. It's certainly light than my paddle, which means that I can move the paddle to where it needs to be slightly faster. And that's it, really. I also bought a set of 6 professional quality ping pong balls. Chances are that I won't use them for ping pong too often, hahaha.
Earlier this week, my coworker Sean and I went to the Wal-Mart in the Hamilton Marketplace to get some wiffle balls because the ones that we had previously have been pretty much destroyed. So, we got a sack of 8 or so. Yes, a ball sack. Laugh. Also, we bought some pins for an airpump because there is a football in Sean's car that needs to be inflated. And finally, we got Dewey some of his Copenhagen Long Cut chewing tobacco. It's one of the few times I've ever bought any kind of tobacco product ever. Hell, I've purchased marijuana more often than I've purchased tobacco, and tobacco is addictive, cancer-causing, harmful in general, and yet legal. Marijuana? Uh.... impossible to overdose, not addictive because there is no addictive chemical within it, has no carcinogenic properties, and yet illegal unless you live in Colorado or Washington in which case, I envy you guys so much. But that's a different story.
Later that same day we played wiffle ball in the field behind our warehouse. Around then is when it occurred to me that Sean and I are probably friends. It's perfectly reasonable to think that he's just palling around with me because I'm the ONLY other person there who is the same age as him, and that may still yet be true. But this realization hit me because, even though I know very little about sports and am sadly underexposed in terms of music, movies, pop culture and so forth, he still actively seeks me out to chat, play ping pong, or whatever. I think too much.
As with every week, I've got a Drawception game to show you. As always, I'll pick my favorite from the time that passed between my most recent entry and today. And I only look through games that I had a hand in creating. Usually, I try to find an artistically pleasing game. This time, while the game is certainly impressive to look at, I chose this game for its humor. So, enjoy the game called 'Smokey the Bear says "YOU DONE GOOFED!"'
I was responsible for drawing panel #10, obviously. There are certainly better samples of art in this game, but I love the notion of how Smokey sets fires instead of stopping them.
And I guess I should mention the money I'm using to support those projects on kickstarter. I forgot to mention that I've backed a project called 'gStick.' It's a mouse for your computer that you use just like a pen. For me, holding a pen feels much more natural than a bulky mouse in my hand, so I think it will be more precise. Plus! Just imagine how much better my Drawception drawings will be once I start in with an actual PEN instead of a clunky mouse interface! Unfortunately, the kickstarter has ended, but you can still visit the site and see what it's all about.
Another project I've backed is called 'Whipped and Beaten.' It's the name of a bakery that's trying to get on its feet way over in California. One of the rewards for backing them is two dozen cookies sent straight to your door. How could I resist- especially for just paying $25! That's less than a dollar per cookie (if we're talking baker's dozens...) Sadly, their kickstarter has ended, too. But they reached their goal, just like the gStick! However, you can still go there and admire the goodies.
If you're looking for a cool project that still has time left before it closes, then let me show you Spirit Steels. Spirit Steels are the ultimate beverage chilling devices. Ice is cold, but it melts kind of quickly and dilutes your drink. Whiskey stones (soap stones) are better, but they can't absorb enough heat to cool your drink sufficiently. These Spirit Steels work using the property of phase change. That is, a specialized liquid inside the capsules turns into a solid once you leave them in the freezer for long enough. Once you place the objects in a cup and add your beverage, the capsules get right to work absorbing the heat so the solid within the steel can turn back into a liquid. The thing is that they require a TON of heat to do that, which means that they will continuously keep your beer/wine/liquor cold as they try to reach equilibrium within themselves! Here is the kickstarter. $45 bucks gets you four of them!
That just about does it. Now I think I'll ask this week's question. Would you rather be forced to key your best friend's car or your favorite family member's car? If it makes the situation any easier, neither one of them will know it was you (unless you choose to tell them), but you must choose one car to key. Will it be your friend's or family member's? I think I would choose to key my family member's because, even if it somehow gets out that I was the culprit, they'll still love me- even if they never let me near their car again. With a friend it's different. Keying a person's car is a serious offense in the social sphere. It's a massive insult or whatever, and I have very few friends as it is. So, I'd key my favorite family member's car. Now I just have to figure out who that it...
I hate car alarms.-
Bryan
Earlier this week, my coworker Sean and I went to the Wal-Mart in the Hamilton Marketplace to get some wiffle balls because the ones that we had previously have been pretty much destroyed. So, we got a sack of 8 or so. Yes, a ball sack. Laugh. Also, we bought some pins for an airpump because there is a football in Sean's car that needs to be inflated. And finally, we got Dewey some of his Copenhagen Long Cut chewing tobacco. It's one of the few times I've ever bought any kind of tobacco product ever. Hell, I've purchased marijuana more often than I've purchased tobacco, and tobacco is addictive, cancer-causing, harmful in general, and yet legal. Marijuana? Uh.... impossible to overdose, not addictive because there is no addictive chemical within it, has no carcinogenic properties, and yet illegal unless you live in Colorado or Washington in which case, I envy you guys so much. But that's a different story.
Later that same day we played wiffle ball in the field behind our warehouse. Around then is when it occurred to me that Sean and I are probably friends. It's perfectly reasonable to think that he's just palling around with me because I'm the ONLY other person there who is the same age as him, and that may still yet be true. But this realization hit me because, even though I know very little about sports and am sadly underexposed in terms of music, movies, pop culture and so forth, he still actively seeks me out to chat, play ping pong, or whatever. I think too much.
As with every week, I've got a Drawception game to show you. As always, I'll pick my favorite from the time that passed between my most recent entry and today. And I only look through games that I had a hand in creating. Usually, I try to find an artistically pleasing game. This time, while the game is certainly impressive to look at, I chose this game for its humor. So, enjoy the game called 'Smokey the Bear says "YOU DONE GOOFED!"'
I was responsible for drawing panel #10, obviously. There are certainly better samples of art in this game, but I love the notion of how Smokey sets fires instead of stopping them.
And I guess I should mention the money I'm using to support those projects on kickstarter. I forgot to mention that I've backed a project called 'gStick.' It's a mouse for your computer that you use just like a pen. For me, holding a pen feels much more natural than a bulky mouse in my hand, so I think it will be more precise. Plus! Just imagine how much better my Drawception drawings will be once I start in with an actual PEN instead of a clunky mouse interface! Unfortunately, the kickstarter has ended, but you can still visit the site and see what it's all about.
Another project I've backed is called 'Whipped and Beaten.' It's the name of a bakery that's trying to get on its feet way over in California. One of the rewards for backing them is two dozen cookies sent straight to your door. How could I resist- especially for just paying $25! That's less than a dollar per cookie (if we're talking baker's dozens...) Sadly, their kickstarter has ended, too. But they reached their goal, just like the gStick! However, you can still go there and admire the goodies.
If you're looking for a cool project that still has time left before it closes, then let me show you Spirit Steels. Spirit Steels are the ultimate beverage chilling devices. Ice is cold, but it melts kind of quickly and dilutes your drink. Whiskey stones (soap stones) are better, but they can't absorb enough heat to cool your drink sufficiently. These Spirit Steels work using the property of phase change. That is, a specialized liquid inside the capsules turns into a solid once you leave them in the freezer for long enough. Once you place the objects in a cup and add your beverage, the capsules get right to work absorbing the heat so the solid within the steel can turn back into a liquid. The thing is that they require a TON of heat to do that, which means that they will continuously keep your beer/wine/liquor cold as they try to reach equilibrium within themselves! Here is the kickstarter. $45 bucks gets you four of them!
That just about does it. Now I think I'll ask this week's question. Would you rather be forced to key your best friend's car or your favorite family member's car? If it makes the situation any easier, neither one of them will know it was you (unless you choose to tell them), but you must choose one car to key. Will it be your friend's or family member's? I think I would choose to key my family member's because, even if it somehow gets out that I was the culprit, they'll still love me- even if they never let me near their car again. With a friend it's different. Keying a person's car is a serious offense in the social sphere. It's a massive insult or whatever, and I have very few friends as it is. So, I'd key my favorite family member's car. Now I just have to figure out who that it...
I hate car alarms.-
Bryan