Jon's Blog

Psych

zelaskjd — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:56:23 +0000

The summary of conflicting advice I’ve received from two different psychological studies: Being optimistic will definitely yield better results in all situations, but the people with the most clear understanding of the world–capable of making the best predictions–are more pessimistic than average.

zelaskjd — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:01:21 +0000

Holy crap, I’ve gone Tyler Durden and started a band: http://ping.fm/DMqI9 and begun writing music critiques: http://ping.fm/j3sOu

zelaskjd — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:26:45 +0000

I thought Seth Green was a douche until I saw him reacting to Spencer Pratt on the Tonight Show. Totally put things in perspective.

zelaskjd — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:53:34 +0000

RRoD’d the living room Xbox (the only one with HDMI). Thankfully, the portable one will sub until Microsoft fixes the other one.

zelaskjd — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:55:28 +0000

Just finished a helpful (and simple) mod to the COD:MW2 Xbox 360 controller: Used the Dremel to give the thumbsticks more friction/grip.

Inventions – iPhone Macro Lens

zelaskjd — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:46:41 +0000

Discovered 3/28/09: I’ve been wanting to get/make a macro lens for my iPhone’s camera for a while now. (A macro lens lets you take pictures of small things up close.) I actually started assembling pieces to make one sometime last month (I took apart a broken digital camera for all of it’s lenses). But while I was straightening up my apartment this evening, I came across something that would work perfectly: a credit card sized magnifier meant to be carried in a wallet. I had picked it up during my time working at the bookstore but never really used it for much. It seems to work perfectly for taking pictures of small text (sorry, no samples included) and perhaps the absolute best part is that it’s ultraportable because it can actually fit in the back of the hardshell case that I use for my iPhone. Unfortunately, I’m not including pictures of the lens because I would need the lens to take a picture of itself. But anyone looking for a similar item can probably pick one up at the local Barnes & Noble.

Entertainment – Guitar Hero: World Tour

zelaskjd — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:44:12 +0000

I bought Guitar Hero: World Tour (the whole kit). I also picked up Rock Band (just the game disc) used. GHWT comes with a wired mic for the singing parts. So I got a spare windscreen and mic stand from my dad. The mic didn’t fit in the clip easily, but a little electrical tape fixed that. And the mic stand is a boom stand so it lets me sing and play drums or guitar at the same time. And the instruments fit easily in the coat closet when not in use. Good stuff.

Home Decor – Fog Machine

zelaskjd — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:30:20 +0000

Put up 3/14/09: DJ gave me this old fog machine when he moved from Canton to Cleveland back in 2007. He had it from the now legendary 2005 Halloween party at his apartment. I’ve had it in a closet since he gave it to me, but with my recent purchase of Guitar Hero: World Tour it seemed time to put it up. I added an over-the-door hook to my bulletin board in the living room (with padding as a spacer) and used a bungie cord to hang the machine up.

Inventions (Catching Up) – Road Cone (Pylon) Lamp

zelaskjd — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:57:01 +0000

Made Winter 2006/2007: I made this lamp from a pylon (road cone) that I found in the hallway of my college dorm during my freshman year. I had a spare light socket laying around, so I secured it through the top opening of the pylon. Then I used an additional light socket extension with a pull chain (designed to allow extra electrical plugs run when the light was turned on) so I could easily turn the lamp on and off. The lamp shade was a cheap purchase from the local Value City. The lightbulb I now use in the lamp is a compact fluorescent bulb that has a blue gel sheet wrapped around it.

Inventions – iPhone Volume Booster

zelaskjd — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:31:11 +0000

Made 2/22/09: This is a volume booster for my iPhone. It is made from a plastic cup with a slot cut into it. The iPhone slides into the slot and the cup acts as an acoustic resonator for the iPhone’s built-in speaker. I attached a pencil to it for support so it could sit in the basket of a wire shelf in my bathroom. Then, I’d be able to hear music (or incoming phone calls) from my phone over the sound of the running shower water.