It's been a busy week at work this week. I spent some time this morning de-stressing and avoiding spreadsheets for a few minuets and found a great channel on you tube. Philip DeFranco has a great way of editing his videos and thoughts together. I'll let you be the judge. -enjoy :)

My wife and I recently went back and discussed getting rid of our HD DVR from Charter "Moxi". The DVR id as advertised but we missed the features that our Tivo's had bundeled. The main one was the ability to transfer shows from on room to the other. In our case it was from the living room to the bedroom. But that wasn't the biggest deciding factor, although it weighed in. The content available now with the Tivo Priemere HD boxes is exceptional. I can dowlonad my favorite video pocasts, listen to Pandora, use my Netflix account and much more. The one feature that will be coming to the Tivo premiere, with is what I would assume would be via a software update is the ability to link your Hulu account. I think that with Hulu and and just a basic over the air antenna we would be set.

I know they are pushing for the same change that happened to cable modems a while back. Letting the subscriber choose to rent or buy there own personal modem at a local electronics store such as Best Buy. The same would be true with cable set top boxes. But I would expect the price of cable cards to increase as the cable companies loose revenue. I wish that a person could choose the channels that he/ she not have to pay for the several hundred other channels that you don't watch. For us it would be (hgtv, tlc, discovery, national geographic, etc..)

The much anticipated Little Big Planet 2 release has been postponed from November 2010 to January 2011. Little Big Planet has to be one of my top game picks. My wife and I enjoyed Little Big Planet when it first came out and still do to this day. What can I say we are addicted. With time slowing down as it get cooler outside here in Duluth Minnesota I find my wife playing more and more in her spare time.

For me the game has a very unique look and feel to it that sets it apart from other games out on the market. Playability is infinite. There is a very large community of designers that are constantly creating new fun and challenging levels with stories. If there is one game I would recommend for your library it would be Little Big Planet.

My wife and I have been looking into adoption agencies and were very overwhelmed by the fee's involved. Average price was $18,000 - $20,000. But today I made a call to our local social services and found out that adopting a child from within the county is more or less free. This got our blood pumping and brought our goal to adopt within our reach. We have a Meeting at the end of November to discuss the process. As far as we are concerned the end of November couldn't get here sooner :). I will post more on our adoption hope as it unfolds. IMMD

My less than a week old Netgear router crapped out on me yesterday. So I ended up running to Best Buy and picking up a Linksys. I should have gone with the Linksys in the first place. I have never had a major issue with them. But I wanted to try and save a buck or two.

My wife and I bought our first set of Tivo's several years ago. After just a few short days we were hooked. The menus are very easy, intuitive, and the ability to transfer shows upstairs to our other Tivo box in our bedroom was a nice feature.

We took our 2 boxes off line when we upgraded to HD cable a year ago. But it has never been the same. My wife and I talked it over and with Tivo.com currently selling the HD Premiere boxes for $20 a month with service included it was the perfect fit. So we ordered 2 of them at that price. The new Tivo Premiere boxes are loaded with features and content. I opted for overnight shipping and they should arrive sometime tomorrow so I have time to set up and play this weekend. I'll write up a short review once I have had time to adjust to the new boxes and their software.

I have been with Clearwire for the past several years. But lately was having some speed concerns. So I opted to go with Charter and their 16mb service. The speed difference is night and day. This was a good choice since we have a Plastation 3, 2 Tivo's and I enjoy the occasional online game. Especially with winter coming up with in the next few months.Nothing bad to say about Clearwire. I really never had a connectivity issue. But it was time to upgrade our service to broadband.

Fresh coffee and a morning fire next to our pond. Is there anything better? I love fall!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

    I went out tonight to Best Buy. I was frugal for once. I bought a new Bamboo Wacom tablet for my business and a new dual g/n band wireless router. The old router had seen it's last days. Tablets are a must when you use photoshop to texture your 3D models. I couldn't live with out one.  The rule is when buying a tablet, if you usually do small strokes use a smaller tablet. If you prefer larger strokes then buy the biggest one you can afford.

Here is a link to the Wacom tablet I purchased Bamboo Pen with Multi-Touch for $99.00

I watched this movie last night. Wow. This movie is a definite must see for anyone who loved Gladiator or Spartacus. Great action followed by a nice storyline. There was never a still moment. They were always running and hiding from the "Picts". I am a big fan of anything that involves the Roman Army.

I have been working afternoon and night to complete my portfolio site. I have the home & portfolio pages laid out 99% of the way. Tomorrow work on the blog page and then a custom theme from my bolg site. I'm haven't decided if I will use Wordpress or not yet.

Been working non stop as my ideas flow on my portfolio site since the start of the short weekend. I am very happy with the way the design has turned out. I am now in the tweaking process to get all the content laid out in an organized manner. I consolidated my Home/About me page into the index page. The blogs page will have to re worked a tad. Right now since I won't be going with a three collum look I will need to find some creative ways of adding content or design elements to the empty white space.

Here are the page designs thus far. Hope you enjoy.

-Kassun


Related articles by Zemanta

I have been diligently sketching out new ideas this week in my sketch book on how I want to layout my portfolio site. I have decided on a simple classy design. I want something that is easy to update and doesn't feel heavy. Since my last design several years ago things have changed. Twitter updates, YouTube channels, Blogs and Facebook have all been incorporated into the design and content of most sites. I'm not much for twittering as I really don't see why someone wants to know what your doing every minuet of your life. Besides how do you unplug if your constantly updating people on your whereabouts and activities.

I have also been toying around with the idea of starting up a site along side our adoption site where couples could interact in a forum to share there thoughts, ideas, and heartaches. It would be nice to have a place where people in our similar situation could meet. If it did work out, there could be an adoption fund that could be set up and we could help other couples see that their dreams become reality. I just have to keep reminding my self one step at a time.

Haven been a PC user for all my life this video couldn't be more true. Usually the process of setting up a newly purchased PC requires that you spend at least a few hours updating windows through windows update. Then downloading a program like pc decrapifier to get rid of all the 3rd party trial software that comes pre-installed. Where as the mac is ready to go out of the box.

I have set up an online store featuring several of my "Dairy Moo's" character designs. I will have more designs uploaded in the near future. If you have any ideas as far as an outfit, please leave me a comment. All are designed and edited with Illustrator.

Here is a list of the software that I use for my freelance work. I will link them for you to see what the software features and if interested download a demo and try it out.

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Dreamweaver
• Adobe Flash Professional
• Adobe Indesign
• Autodesk Maya
• Autodesk Mudbox
• Pixologic Zbrush

I will try and expand on my work flow for 3D design, Graphics, Print, Web and Video. If you have any questions please email me at kassuns@me.com

Came home yesterday to find that my iMac had been delivered to our house all safe and sound. As you can see I couldn't wait to take a photograph of the box. I let the dogs out, cleared a space for my new machine and started the un-boxing and wrapping process.

I was very please with the care Apple uses in it's packaging. After a few minuets I had her all set up and booting up. The one thing that stood out right away, is the fact that there is one cord used. Just the power cord. The keyboard and magic mouse are wireless. It made my day. Gone are the mass of cords connected for this and that. I will be spending the next few days install several software packages and organizing my folders to set back up my freelance work and work flow. Till then a thanks to my loving wife's support.

Computer Specs are as follows: link to apple store.

• 3.20GHz Intel Core i3
• 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
• 1TB Serial ATA Drive
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 512MB GDDR3 SDRAM
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive
• Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
• Magic Mouse

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however.. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.

That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't smoke or drink,
(7) don't want to wear your clothes,
(8) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(9) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ..

Simply Put one of the coolest ideas I have seen to date. I will update my blog as more information becomes available. Check out the SeaBird

 "iMac in near future"



 So I stopped in at the online Apple Store and did some comparisons. I have always owned a PC. Custom built with my own two hands from separately ordered parts online.



Over the years I have grown tired of windows, os bugs, hardware compatibility and upgrading. I just want my digital life simplified. So I decided this time around I was going to do it right and buy a mac. So I filled out the online credit app with my wife's approval :)  and bought myself a new iMac. I ordered the middle of the road iMac i3 and opted for overnight shipping since it was a basic build that they sell with out upgrades. Delivery is set for today. Can't wait to get home.

I have a certificate in Maya, graphics design, web and multimedia but ceased my freelance shop several years ago because life and my day job became increasingly busier. It's been my focus to return to freelance for quite some time. I have a lot of ideas on paper in my head that need an escape. After browsing some of my favorite sites CGTalk & 3D Total and a conversation with the wife I have decided to jump back into the world of freelance design with both feet.

Harry and Murphy just relaxing on the couch.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Here is Teddy showcasing my wife's new knit hat.











- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Between yesterday and today I have exhausted all avenues of paying to go back to college for my Bachelors Degree. Financial Aid helped but there was quite a large nest egg left after that. So I have decided to sell my boat to buy a new Mac and start back up doing freelance graphic design, web design and some 3D content. It's a hard blow to take to be honest. I think starting up freelancing again could prove to be very rewarding. My wife felt bad and treated me out to Starbucks to brighten my day.

After a long week of scanning and data entry I am looking forward to a weekend free from excel, spreadsheets and databases. I was looking forward to going out fishing; however, my parents borrowed all my fishing gear for a trip to the cabin and it doesn't look like the weather will be cooperating any time soon. Nothing worse than being soaked and cold while trying to hook that next big fish.

This was my spring project. The Pond took about a month off and on of hand digging and moving the massive amount of dirt to complete. The pond measures 12 x 10 and is 4 1/2 to 5 feet deep in one area. We have 35 feeder fish in total. It was a lot of work, but well worth the end result. I have a larger waterfall to install, but I am not sure if I really want to work in cold water at this time of the year.

I am looking at adding on to my 3D design degree with Full Sail online. I currently hold a certification in Autodesk's Maya from the Renaissance Center in Tennessee. I completed a modeling and animation reel, did some freelance, but never really perused a career path. Instead life got in the way. Before I knew it, I'm married, have a house and I'm back living in Duluth. I love Duluth and Lake Superior, but now I want to try and start up a successful freelance business.

Most of us never get a chance to see the northern lights for real, as they only tend to be visible in the far north - but now there's an alternative.


http://www.tgdaily.com/space-features/51635-northern-lights-to-be-streamed-nightly-online

My wife and I spend the majority of the fall, winter and spring months apart. I work mornings and she works evenings. We have only a short time together it has been very rough. I was thrilled to see the innovation of Facetime for the iPhone. So when they went on sale my wife bought her 1st iPhone and I ungraded from my 3G. Although technology can be a crutch at times, Facetime will definitely help us see one another and share some new experiences. Sometimes it's just nice to see a familiar face.....

I was driving home this evening and noticed a group of teenagers sitting around together. All of them were fixed on there cell or smart phone. Time was passing them by but they stayed motion less fixed on a new text message, email, or a photo had just arrived. I am just as guilty as they are. In a day and age where my iPhone keeps me linked to everyone and everything, it's hard to unplug and just put the phone down, turn on vibrate or silent and just walk away. Maybe we should occasionally slide the slider bar to off and just look up for a moment or two.

You may look at my title and wonder why? A card board box, that's unusual. Or is it? A cardboard box could be that special delivery you have been waiting for, a prized eBay item, a care package from a loved one, it could be the contents from moving into your fist place or your imaginary airplane or fort when you where younger. My box contains a variety of gadgets, but most importantly my box is my life. So here is a view inside me and my box.