Categories
deep thoughts work

Work in pyjamas

This morning, I started working wearing my pyjamas. No big deal, I’m working remotely. I thought about all the articles and blog posts that came up recently about remote work. “Get dressed as if you go to an office”, they said. I giggled. How stupid, I thought. I’m working online for years now. I can work in my pyjamas, no problem.

A few minutes later I got up, brushed my teeth, got dressed, went back to my desk as continued working.

So much better.

Categories
photo

Sheepish neighbour

Categories
movie

Movie: Trollhunter

I knew nothing about this movie when we started watching, not that it’s a Norwegian movie nor that it’s a mocumentary. I’m not the biggest fan of found footage horror movies, I think it’s a bit silly. But: This one was fun. And I would like to think that it was all real, that trolls are roaming around Norway, unnoticed by the general public.

My verdict: 3.5/5 trees.
🌳🌳🌳🌲

Categories
photo

Gull

Categories
outdoors photo

When in doubt, go for a walk

Virus and pollen proof outfit. Yes, it’s that season again. 🤧

Usually I try to leave the house and go for a walk every day, even if it’s only 15 minutes. Recently, I didn’t manage to actually do that – due to work and bad weather. Not so today. Rosie and I went to one of most stunning areas on the island for a Saturday morning walk, enjoying the sun while it lasted.

Flower child
Categories
technology

My Kickstarter journey

I took out my weird-swirly-bokeh lens recently (remember?) which reminded me about the time I backed quite a few products on Kickstarter in 2014-2016. I’m only talking about tech products and clothing, but I also backed a couple of films and a font.

Lima

This was supposed to be a Dropbox alternative, but all self-hosted. The idea sounded good, and I backed it. The campaign was successful and raised $1.2m. I remember finally receiving my Lima device – and I never even unpacked it. The box probably still sits in my parent’s attic. The company went out of business in the beginning of 2019, and made all Lima devices virtually useless.
★☆☆☆☆

The Dash

Wireless in-ear headphones with a charging case, how cool is that? Before AirPods were a thing, I found this Kickstarter campaign that claimed they have developed smart in-ear headphones. I was hooked. No cables, waterproof, heart rate monitor, ear bone microphone, all of this and more. The campaign raised $3.3m. As many Kickstarter products, shipping started late, and Melly was so kind to bring them with her when we met in Thailand where I was living at the time.
The experience was rough, the Bluetooth connection dropped even when I put my phone in my pocket. Battery life was bad. I can’t remember using them a lot, but I feel like if seen them recently in the bottom of a box.
★★☆☆☆

Ably Shirts

Me being a tourist in Malaysia

As you may know, in 2016 and 2017 I travelled a lot in South-East Asia with a carry-on backpack. The Ably shirts promised less odour, and therefore less washing. I actually really liked them. I received 5 t-shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts and a hoody and I still use them. Good quality and feel. Not the best I’ve ever felt, but really nice. I’d buy them again, but the prices outside of Kickstarter are quite high, especially the shipping costs to the UK.
★★★★☆

Silvertech Underwear

Similar idea to the Ably shirts, different technology. I received underwear, socks and a t-shirt. I wasn’t too excited about the quality and I don’t use any of the products anymore. I still have some of the socks, but most of them have holes by now. No photo of me in underwear, don’t worry.
★★☆☆☆

DU/ER travel pants

Sports goth wears DU/ER travel pants, Ably hoody, Minaal backpack and Keen shoes.

As a man of the world, I needed these travel pants (or trousers, depending on your dialect). I got the jogger version I and really liked them. A bit tight in the beginning, but after a couple of days of wearing, they fit perfectly. I probably wore them for nearly a year as my primary trousers, including some bigger walks. I liked them so much, that I bought similar trousers from the same company.
★★★★★

Primoplan 58 lens

Nice bokeh, great subject, no sharpness

Oh boy, where to start here. This campaign was about the “Fabulous Wonder Bokeh Lens: Primoplan 58 f1.9”, a modern version of a vintage camera lens from the German manufacturer “Meyer Optic Görlitz”. I pledged $785, what was I thinking? I liked the idea and the example photos looked amazing. Little did I know. The company selling the lens had multiple other campaigns with similar lenses, one of them turned out to be a rebranded, way cheaper lens from China. Long story short: After many delays, I received my lens. Shortly after, the company went out of business. Many people never received their products. My promised lens cap never arrived.
How’s the lens, you ask? It’s not good. Yes, the bokeh is beautiful, but I’m not able to get a subject actually in focus.
★★☆☆☆

I haven’t had a look at Kickstarter or other crowdfunding sites in a long time and I back another tech product. Maybe some sweet shorts.

What’s your experience with crowdfunding? (A question at the end boosts the engagement, I learned that in my Youtuber days)

Categories
fitness

WOD

This one wasn’t a particularly hard workout, I felt quite sluggish today and didn’t want to go all in. No super high weights or reps this time. It got my heart pumping, though.

I’m glad I bought a set of basic kettlebells last year to be able to work out at home. Surprisingly, there are two gyms close-ish, but unsurprisingly, they are not very well equipped. And they are now closed anyway.

Recently, I found Mark Wildmans YouTube channel quite helpful. For kettlebell workouts, Pavel Tsatsouline is also a great resource.

Rosie joined me for this workout, and I put on this dance playlist ironically – but I actually enjoyed it way too much. The stupid dancing was definitely the highlight.

Click here to display content from embed.music.apple.com

Rosie also took the photo and wrote down the workout.

Categories
baking deep thoughts

An Ode To Bread

I’m German, that means I like beer, cars and … bread. Unfortunately, the bread we can buy here on the island is not good. After a couple of sad, flat and boring loaves of super-easy-no-knead-bread, friends gave me some of their sourdough starter (called Lucretia). What a revelation. So much flavour.

Not gonna lie, not every attempt was successful. Yes, I’ve yelled and cursed while trying to shape way too sticky dough. But it was worth it. I’m still not completely happy with every single loaf, but I’m getting there. And along the way, I’m baking sourdough focaccia, sourdough pizza, sourdough pancakes, sourdough cheesecake – ok, the last one was a lie.

I’m mostly following this recipe from Joshua Weissman, but I’ve watched many more videos and read many more recipes about sourdough bread. I’m looking after my starter meticulously, feeding it in the evenings, tucking it in it’s little blanket and giving it a little good night kiss.

Now, after many attempts, it’s a nice ritual at the beginning of the week. It doesn’t take up much time anymore, I know the steps and the measurements. And the next morning, I’m rewarded with two delicious smelling loaves of fresh bread. Is that how new parents feel? Probably not, but it must be close.

For the record: I started baking at the end of last year when the coronavirus wasn’t a thing that we knew about.

Categories
photo

Gorse. Like horse but with a G

Why shouldn’t I start this with a photo of some gorse in bloom. I took this photo the other day on my government approved exercise walk using a weird, overpriced-and-kinda-crappy lens I got on Kickstarter a few years back.