Ruben A. Brito
Posts
March 08, 01:44 PM
I've started up a store so these pics and all that are to come will be available in several forms. Even as iphone skins! (Sqwair store) I'll make a store link on the blog so when this post rolls off into the sunset, you'll still have a quick way to shop. Here are two of the latest pics. I seem to be finding more time lately. : )
February 29, 12:56 AM
It has been a while since I've posted here. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback and I've set in motion an account that will help put up some of the best pics from this blog for sale. I hope to return to shooting photo's just for the sake of it, but I need to exhaust other passions first. I've recently designed and started selling a hybrid animal called Hammerander (Hammerhead Shark + Salamander). Got to use my Nikon for this and it was fun!!
It has been a weird two years (time since my last post). I've had a beautiful daughter, watched my son grow into an age where I still have childhood memories, and now I've been able to spend more time with my wife at music shows. It is a new normal as I've been told and I'm still learning to embrace and appreciate it.During that time I also got involved with quirky.com, which is a community driven product development company. They've released all sorts of products like flexible outlets, A Shower Station, ice scrapers, funky praying mantis shaped lights, crazy hangers, gadget docking trays,Bandits, wine corkers, food graters, wine glass accessories, and much more. They've moved into Target and will be selling from there in all Target stores by the end of their summer. I was fortunate to win a few rounds (and earn extra royalties), which made me really think about how I could use the money and where I wanted to apply my energy. I had been using Google Sketchup and Maxwell Render to make product submissions for quirky.com + edisonnation.com and ended up doing around 25 concept renders the latter half of 2011 into this month. On the side, I entered a makerbot contest to design a monster inside a small build space 100mm x 100mm x 120mm and I was up for the challenge. Entering this space was a lot more challenging than a concept render. Actually designing something to be made on a 3d printer meant the design had to be perfect. No holes, and geometry facing the right way. Here are some submissions I entered:
This process of staring at a blank computer screen and trying to come up with monsters helped me realize a couple of things. I have a lot to learn when it comes to making a monster, and I needed to explore one particular design a bit more. Enter Hammerander. I made some friends with some successful members of quirky.com and a subset got together to be an informal advisory board. Bring and idea and leave with solid feedback. I brought the idea of a hybrid animal and they gave it their full support. I even got a name out of one of the members, which is so cool. When you are so close to an idea that needs a lot of work, it is extremely difficult to think of everything that needs to be done. Which is why communities are so important. Especially those who help shove you in the right direction.
I have also been reading Seth Godin's blogs and books (We Are All Weird, and Poke The Box). And I've read Tim Ferriss' 4 hour workweek and 4 hour body books. Both have really taught me tons of new approaches to business and life that I had never heard of. I see this time now as a lab to experiment in the techniques they've suggested. I'll be continuing the Hammerander story at this blog.
August 17, 06:09 AM
July 28, 01:25 PM
See the exhibit here.
THE DOCUMENTATION OF AUSTRALIAN CREATIVES IN STEREOSCOPIC
A bit about us.
Alex Fry has spent the last decade working in motion picture visual effects. His current obsession with photography has grown out of his love for both the aesthetic and the technical.
Jamie Nimmo has worked in visual effects and advertising for 7 years. He is also curater and photographer of Oh Really Gallery in Newtown. Both Alex and Jamie have worked on such feature films as Lord of the Rings, Superman Returns, Batman Begins, Harry Potter, 300, 28 Weeks later, The Knowing and the upcoming Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, set for 2D and 3D release later this year.
July 26, 09:13 AM
http://www.calebcharland.com/
Check out his biographs. I'll attach one image here so you get an idea. He is an amazing photographer taking light photography to a new level, but his biographs and the story of their creation and his hands-off creativity is breath taking.
Check out his biographs. I'll attach one image here so you get an idea. He is an amazing photographer taking light photography to a new level, but his biographs and the story of their creation and his hands-off creativity is breath taking.
July 23, 06:40 AM
July 22, 08:59 AM
July 21, 11:13 AM
My old Canon 300d is on it's way out, and I've been heavily using my compact Nikon and my camera phone for my other blogs (especially sprout30d.blogspot.com). It is sad because the camera really helped me learn the manual mode and figure out how to take good pictures so I didn't have to spend too much time with post-processing.
The main camera I'm looking at is Nikon D5000. Mainly because it has the tilt and swivel lcd lens. The other thing I've noticed when using Nikon's is that they produce beautiful low light, hi ISO pictures and focus really fast.
We have a new child coming into the house and I want to have gear in tip top shape just like I did for my son.
Here are some links that I'm looking at to research my next SLR.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD5000/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD5000/page11.asp
After my 6 or 7 years of using an SLR I am definitely getting 2 high speed SDHC cards from samsung, an extra battery, a remote, macro lenses, a hood, and a telephoto zoom lens. On Amazon I am seeing all of this adding up to around 740 bucks with free shipping. During the week I'll be shopping around to see if I can snag a better deal.
May 28, 04:44 PM
Check out my new blog sprout30d.blogspot.com/. I've been reading about gardening and was advised to make a journal of the events that happen in my garden... so I could be a better gardener. The blog will have photos + little posts on different purchases and things related to my garden and yard. Twitter posts will be relayed here as well.
So take a look already! sprout30d.blogspot.com/ !
Peace,
- Ruben
February 27, 04:02 PM
Posts
July 23, 06:33 AM
June 30, 06:21 AM
The grapes here actually are from a 100 year old vine from my Portuguese neighbor's grandpa. I used them in a wine experiment and mixed with 75 percent concord grapes from Ferjulian's farm stand and the results seemed promising until they literally flowed down. I hope to attain a container with a one way air valve this fall.
This variety of cukes yield tons of flowers, but very little fruit.
I didn't take a pic of the corn, but the transplanted corn is down to 1 stalk out of 7. The non-transplanted corn seems to getting ready for upward growth as it's leaves are about 2 inches thick. :)
June 25, 12:06 PM
June 16, 12:52 PM
I was part of the development community that designed Keiro (the composting hero). I'm really happy to see it, but the price $79.50 is a bit high for me. I will admit that it would be helpful and get around having to lug my ceramic food scraps holder to and from the compost bin.
There is a small percentage of the sales that go to me everytime this product is purchased. : )
June 16, 12:52 PM
I highly recommend every casual or serious gardener have a copy of Steve Solomon's gardening when it counts. I'm just beginning to get into the portions available on Google Books, but I have the book in my amazon cart now and will have it soon.
I especially enjoy the section where he lists reputable seed companies. We've tried miller nurseries, and stark brothers, but we have settled on Johnny Seeds out of Maine thanks to a recommendation from my wife's coworker.
The book talks about how a good seed seller needs to have test plots to determine which seeds produce the best fruit and have decent germination rates. Johnny seeds passes on both counts.
I especially enjoy the section where he lists reputable seed companies. We've tried miller nurseries, and stark brothers, but we have settled on Johnny Seeds out of Maine thanks to a recommendation from my wife's coworker.
The book talks about how a good seed seller needs to have test plots to determine which seeds produce the best fruit and have decent germination rates. Johnny seeds passes on both counts.
June 14, 09:10 AM
June 04, 09:45 AM
June 02, 09:03 AM
May 28, 08:59 PM
Mad Mics Mulch
http://www.madmics.com/about-organic-mulch.html
This mulch has no dyes, and has compost. Double bonus! We have a huge pile in our driveway right now -- so large a few of the men in my tribe neighborhood stopped by to grunt talk about how I would get it distributed before the next rain storm.
Rain Barrel
The bottom of the rain barrel collapsed onto the metal stand we were using. The barrel wasn't punctured, but having to move around a 55 gallon barrel filled with water is something I don't want to do again.
We are very pleased with the rain barrel and didn't end up sealing the hole where the pipe from the downspout delivers water. It leaks right into the marigolds and safflower bed. :) It fills up every rain storm and I need to get to setting up the second rain barrel out back.
For now, we use it to fill watering cans and to dampen dirt for new sprouts.
http://www.madmics.com/about-organic-mulch.html
This mulch has no dyes, and has compost. Double bonus! We have a huge pile in our driveway right now -- so large a few of the men in my tribe neighborhood stopped by to grunt talk about how I would get it distributed before the next rain storm.
Rain Barrel
The bottom of the rain barrel collapsed onto the metal stand we were using. The barrel wasn't punctured, but having to move around a 55 gallon barrel filled with water is something I don't want to do again.
We are very pleased with the rain barrel and didn't end up sealing the hole where the pipe from the downspout delivers water. It leaks right into the marigolds and safflower bed. :) It fills up every rain storm and I need to get to setting up the second rain barrel out back.
For now, we use it to fill watering cans and to dampen dirt for new sprouts.
May 28, 10:34 PM
I recently bought an electric mower, because I was tired of using a push mower. I am the type of person who enjoys garden time and cutting grass is a waste of time.
First time I used the mower, I finished my small front yard and proceeded to work on my back yard, then the battery meter on the handle showed the battery was empty. I was angry, but a few days later realized that high grass (I was mowing 6"-8" grass) or wet grass causes the fuse to break and shuts off the circuit to the battery. When this happens a little button pops up on the fuse. I pushed the button down and mowed my .25 acre backyard and still had 50% battery charge left.
The major issue I have with the mower is the opening between the blades and the bag is too narrow. When I emptied the bag I also had to clear grass out in the opening. This could have been due to the long grass I was cutting.
The mower overall is fabulous. It is not self-propelled, but it is extremely quiet. When I mowed it sounded like a fan. My wife was inside the house and couldn't hear it until I was near the house. She said the mower sounded like a weed-wacker. I thout the 4" setting was fine for my lawn.
The body is made of plastic, but it is heavy enough to way down the tall grass I was cutting. I compared it to the Toro Ecycler Toro 20360 e-Cycler 20-Inch 36-Volt Cordless Electric Bagging/Mulching Lawn Mower and the Ecycler was heavier. The deal breaker for the Toro was the $200 battery that only Toro makes. The Neutron uses a duracell battery that costs around $100.
I will admit the conquistador in me wanted the Toro ecycler, but I'm glad with my purchase.
I used the grass clippings in my compost bin and used other clippings to cover over some weeds near the berry bushes.
I got the mower from the Needham Garden center [web] [map], and they were very helpful getting the mower into the trunk of my Toyota Corolla.
May 14, 11:12 AM
My buddies in Oregon recommended I read this book, and I've read some chapters, but hopefully I'll finish Teaming with Microbes this year. Essentially the book talks about the "life" from the soil level on down and the importance of incorporating organic matter (compost) into your garden.
[link to some pages in the book]
May 28, 10:35 PM
I put 9 Red Rubin plants in the ground yesterday and surrounded each plant with compost. I've read they are supposed to get lots of sun so I've placed them near the center of my garden.
The Red Rubin's were started from seed indoors in a 50 - 50 compost top soil mix I made and placed in a window soaking in 5 hours of sun each day. Out of all the plants I started indoors, The Red Rubin and the White Sage were the first to sprout - they showed up after being planted 5 days.
Yesterday was also one of the days I could water during the water ban, so I soaked the cukes, tomatoes, corn, and white sage.
- Ruben
May 06, 11:44 AM
This blog is a garden journal for my experience planting in Central Massachusetts (Zone 5-6).
I'm going on my 3rd year of gardening and so far this is what I've grown.
Year 1: Grape & Big Boy Tomatoes, Pickling Cucumbers, Dechaunac grapes, brocolli, peppers, romaine lettuce, sugar snap peas, basil, Asparagus, Dwarf Apple Trees
Year 2: Big Boy & Husk Cherry Tomatoes, Diva cucumbers, Oregano (from last year), Peppers, Basil, Golden + Regular Rasperries, Blackberries, Onions, Strawberries, Russian Red Kale, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Lavendar.
Year 3: !! TBA
Posts
October 14, 09:16 AM
I listened to this playlist thinking... oh it would be nice to make a
happy playlist for all the fellow october babies out there. I was wrong.
So wrong. It is just way to happy for 8am in the morning.
So the 4th song is to cut against the rose studded wall of happiness with the Smiths
"Unhappy birthday".
Anyways. I'm sure some will appreciate the wishes. We have Stevie Wonder to
Sufjan Stevens wishing you happy birthday. I hope this crisp month
gives you inspiration to keep warm and keep others warm as well.
Happy birthday to you, October babies!!
August 20, 09:57 AM
This list was made using Grooveshark's radio and weeding out any music where the instrumentals weren't 50% or more of the focus.
Some songs have a strong hip hop feel, but most have a electronic sound where a computer was heavily part of making music. The Books showed up, and would be the exception because they record all samples and mix the fresh sounds together. Enjoy!
August 17, 12:56 PM
This summer has been quiet. I've mostly listened to Animal Collective, then Tribe Called Quest. TCQ always always brings me back to jazz. So here is my JAZZ OD to clean the palette and warm things up one last time before Autumn.
July 01, 03:03 PM
I found out about Iron and Wine through a Audiophile article describing's IW's Our Endless Numbered Days as one of the cleanest and best recorded acoustic albums he had heard. It was all recorded on analog and the warmth complements Sam Beam's voice and song writing style in a perfect way.
Pandora.com introduced me to Jose Gonzalez with the song Deadweight on Velveteen. Unlike IW's warmth, Jose had a more cutting vocal tone at times, but it paired perfectly with his guitar playing.
Matt Pond PA was introduced to me via WERS 88.9FM, an Emerson college station. It was snowing that morning and I was driving up route 3, about to doze off, and I heard Snow Day. I actually heard "NH" through that song and I eventually found out Matt Pond lived in NH (my hometown sate). Matt Pond seemed to tap into the elements of NH I really enjoyed and bits and pieces of his observations and wisdom are spread out in the songs I've included. He departed from that woodsy feel when he moved to Brooklyn, but then returned to it again in his Freeep album from which #5 and #1 (end of the long playlist) originate.
I really enjoy the woods and enjoy this music, so there will be more playlist along the same theme. Enjoy.
July 01, 08:29 AM
I remember reading a Woody Guthrie book and he described a stone fight that he took part in. They were slinging stones at each other, then proceeded to escalate things by slinging hot stones. Guthrie got hit and ended up passing out.
It is sad to get to a place where you can no longer resort to using words to reason with someone.... when a relationship has gone so far south that you have to resort to violence.
However, there are times when violence is necessary to break oppression. I suppose the day
where America was legally separated from Great Britain opened up opportunity on all sides. So seeing the fireworks as a representation of freedom must have been a tear jerker. Here's a quote from John Adams.
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
I pray the chains of oppression remain far away from our hearts and minds + that we all continue to grow and move forward. And also pray that we really enjoy the freedoms that we have and engage in all the ways one could celebrate.
Happy 4th everyone. :)
quote is taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
June 30, 03:25 PM
Found out about Vijay Iyers from this post -> http://www.radioopensource.org/vijay-iyers-life-in-music-striving-is-the-back-story/
[Listening to Historicity]
I watched the public channel in Hudson the other day and they played a sped up video of
some high schoolers collaborating on a Martin Luther King Jr collage. It was a very spurratic video with one person coloring in a bridge here and black and white hands there, other people pasting in pictures of other civil rights leaders. Others adding accents that looked like sun rays, while one colored in the sun. The teacher would bop in and contribute materials and in the end there it was. A very youthful representation of freedom for all types of people. This is what Vijay Iyers songs remind of. There is a lot of stuttering a lot of venturing, but in the end the songs truly stand out on their own. I think of Monk when I hear Vijay, but only because he seems of the same "school" as Monk not because he copies his sound.
Great for listening right about a lunch as things are coming together and being set into motion again.
[Listening to Vijay's cover of Ronnie Foster's Mystic Brew]
So this is the song sampled in Tribe called quest's "Sex & Relaxation"! I promptly cued up Ronnie Foster's original and I am so blown away. Such willful restraint giving way to waves of soul. Simply beautiful.
[Somewhere cover from the West Side Story]
I love it. He really captures the hope of the song and somehow brings about the emotions of some
cross country journey. A journey where there aren't enough resources, but the main character finds a way to overcome. The cymbals in the first 10 seconds have a bacon sizzle and they made me smile.
[Age of Everything]
Very Latin Jazzesque Syncopated intro motif that is visited enough to not be a nuisence. At 2:15 Vijay plays a chord after the bassline that reminds me of those people who try to finish my sentance if they can see how the thought will end. I hate it when people do that!
[Mendhi, Threnody]
This song is like a master masseuse who comes out of retirement to give you one more massage. Every troublesome thought vanish and relaxation rushes in. At 4:05 sax notes reminiscent of John Coltrane walk in on your massage, but the massage is so good you keep your eyes shut.
[Segment for Sentiment #2]
Just the lonely bass up until 0:45 when the band shuffles into the living room, collapses and starts talking about how the day went. 1:18 Vijay answers the bass story with high register chord clusters. Very very well done. The song as a whole collapsing on the couch and just breaks down to chill in a very human way. The high register arpeggios at 2:40 shine like stars absent of light pollution. Very majestic song.
[other notes]
I'm aware that the playlists aren't making it out to the rss feed readers out there. Please come directly to tobaliblog.blogspot.com (I know it's a click or tap away...) if you want to hear the playlist for each post. I'll try to figure out a way to embed the playlist at some point.
June 29, 08:50 PM
(Movement #1)
Bear with me. There may be words or phrases that pass spell check, but don't pass on any other test. I've got a cold and when I get colds (thank God I don't get them often) I can think somewhat reasonably, but there are times when 2+2=4.1 or so the anti-logic I use to reason discussions would lead one to believe. If the group of friends is right, however, and the hour is late, it makes for free entertainment.
My oldest memory of classical music is a tape I recorded with a string of 10 classical songs that were equal parts stimulating and enjoyable... unlike anything I had ever heard before or have heard since. Before that wonderful recording, I would fall asleep to classical music in a very detached way. Nowadays, I probably skip past more songs on my Melodiously Clean Pandora station than any other station. [When I get the station I'll attach it to this post.]
The recording was very heavy on the strings and had motifs and discernible patterns. Enough so whenever I remember the music, I remember where I was when I heard the music... (On the way to Boston to visit relatives).
(Movement #2)
My son, Max, was being completely unreasonable, which is quite normal for a two year old. Alyssa, my wife, is currently 7 months pregnant and just couldn't give him a bath. I played some classical music on my droid and slipped it in my pocket. I talked to him for quite a while until he went from crying to laughing. The music completely mellowed him out.
June 28, 10:04 AM
I've gotten some evil looks for using bebop + hardbop names. Some people don't like to classify things and put them in boxes. Jazz is Jazz. The class (strange how it wasn't a friend) that introduced me to Jazz was Jazz Theory + Jazz Hostory from Mr. Falco @ Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He started out the class with the question, "What is Jazz?".
Well, I will define what I believe to be bebop and hardbop.
Take a tortoise and a rabbit, but the rabbit gets steroids, trains for 5 years in advance, and give the rabbit shoes that allows it to travel faster than light. With this comparison, the listener of bebop is the tortoise crawling up to the starting line and bebop is the lightning fast rabbit AND THEN SOME!
I suppose some musicians (like all generations of anything that can get bored with previous generations) got bored with big band music. So they met on the sly and started breaking and stretching the definitions of jazz. Very similar to how mothers redefine humanity by having children. This jazz child's name was bebop and definitely tired out it's parents. I'm told bebop eventually had two kids: one was hard bop and they other was cool bop. Hard bop tried to return to it's African roots and cool bop moved to europe and tried to get in touch with it's classical roots.
This playlist has elements of bebop and hardbop, and a playlist that's on the way will feature cool bop. An interesting aspect of bebop that Mr. Falco brought up was the diligence of bebop musicians. They even used classical music progressions and note combinations to enhance their solos.
June 28, 09:14 AM
Not my cup of tea. But the concept of a single mom + her son going from where they were to where they are now is interesting because it is rare. What is even more interesting is the response people are showing for this guy. I caught an interview on TV and girls and women alike were exploding with enthusiasm... (The type of enthusiasm that could end poverty for a lot of single moms with kids if harnessed correctly). The type of enthusiasm that was quite creepy. Mom's parading their romantic interest to some guy who could be their son?
Justin does have a good voice. I've heard him sing during a live performance and he spits his quarter notes pretty effortlessly. Also interesting is how he started on Youtube and not from the radio, or any other platform.
I suppose this all seems strange because of how disconnected people can be on the web. One phenomenon happens right on the same server as another phenomenon, but the groups of people that are effected don't know each other or about the other phenomenon.
I will most likely revisit cavity inducing pop a bit more, because it is literally on a separate continent from where I am (iron & wine, jose gonzalez, q-tip, bebop, hard bop).
June 27, 09:02 PM
Yeah! BAM! I got the list for ya. It's a bit short, but it does the job.
I've been to Seattle twice. The first time I went to tag a long with my father. I believe he was singing with his brothers or something. I remember being at amusement parks, and holding hands with some girl who was much older than me. I'm sure the holding hands meant more to me...
Anyways, the second time I went to Seattle was with my wife. I was a bit snooty during that trip for our 5 year anniversary, because all I remember was phenomenal food and wine. I also got to try many of Dry Soda's beverages. What's Dry Soda you ask? Well bounce over to their site, check the price and come back...
Yeah I know. That is quite a bit of money. But I recommend trying it once. It's supposed to be great for pregnant women who want "an experience" in a bottle without having to give their newborn early exposure to vino. For those of us who will never be pregnant, crack a couple open with your significant other and give them the experience outside of the bottle. They will thank you for it. Any of you who are into wine and make sure to have weekly tastings would benefit from a bit of information my wife and I found during our Seattle trip. Pasek Cellars is the bomb. Their blackberry wine shouldn't be shared with an acquaintance. It should be saved for the time someone saves your life, or does you a huge favor. They will owe you after the first sip (if you know what I mean). Their loganberry desert wine is still a mystery to me. Only because my wife will never share that darned stuff!
June 27, 08:41 PM
I remember getting rejected this day [ain't nobody gonna break my stride], then after moving beyond that rejection I had a lapse into my 6-8 grade years when a best friend introduced me to REM. "Their earlier stuff is best, man", said the friend, but I have always been a fan of that 2nd album. The one where the band cleans up a bit to ready themselves for the masses, but still has angsty undercurrents (i.e. Badmotorfinger, Nevermind). Those are old references, I know, but I honestly haven't bought a CD in a while. So much is just floating out there... no need to download, you just click and listen.
Unfortunately with this freedom comes what starts as a reckless abandon towards finding new music and slowly progresses to chaos. Not chaos like the extra song in Nirvana's Nevermind (old reference again!), but like a person who is flooded with abundance and blessing - so much swallowing that the meal has no substance or depth.
Don't get me wrong. I love all this music floating around, but I do miss the days where I could know the original order of an album. Where my hands could fumble through linear notes + lyrics so I could really see what the singer was saying. Where my fingers did very little and my legs pulled their weight and pulled me through the Newbury Comics doors so I could get my favorite bands newest album.
Speaking of which, I so need to make a Seattle 4 playlist. This will be a "grunge" playlist and should serve as a fine flight back to the time where I could be angry without resolution.
February 16, 11:12 PM
