Tag Archives: real world

Golf Ball Video Camera

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Hello, Fluffsters! It’s a bit past my bedtime when I’m writing this, so my apologies in advance.

You know, if you don’t have an Idea you could always let me write your Fluff…

No, no. I’ve got an idea. It just might not be a very good idea.

You see, my idea is this:

What would happen if you were able to turn a miniature video camera into a golf-ball?

…You’re right. Not a very good idea.

But it is an idea.

By rough definitions, yes.

So going back to the question. I think that one or more of several events might occur.

First, the video camera might break. That would be sad. So whoever was using it would need to be fairly careful with it, to make sure it wasn’t hit too hard.

Second, it might make watchers queasy. After all, flying through the air (and possibly spinning?) at such high speeds is sure to be disconcerting…

Third, it would prove that we can call anything science. “Why did you design a video-camera golf-ball? SCIENCE!!1!”

Fourth, it could be used as a spy device by the Rainbows. Don’t ask me how, but I know they could hack into the video system somehow.

How about you, Fluffsters, any other thoughts?

Sometimes residential colleges are a pill.

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Sometimes, living in the college dorms can be a real nuisance. Most of the time not, but sometimes…

If you’re going to expand on that, you’re going to have to do so on you own. I am not asking you if you’d care to elaborate.

Ooh, “Care to elaborate”? Yes, I would care to elaborate!

Hey, that’s no fair! You changed my punctuation!

Ah, but I didn’t quote your punctuation. That means that it’s ok. So yes, I will elaborate. In fact, this elaboration will also help with one of the mission statements of the website!

We have official mission statements? When did that happen?

Well, not official mission statements. But it’s on the front page. This explanation will help our valued Fluffsters procrastinate!

Ah, by making them read through all of your topic-changes before getting to the end of the post? I thought I did that anyways.

You’re sidetracking me on purp- Wait, no. I’m not falling for that this time.

Falling for wha-

No.

I am going to explain to you about

A craft that looks epic but that I can’t do thanks to dormitory restrictions.

Ha.

Darn. There went that tactic.

So, I recently came across a fantastic craft tutorial for making hand-decorated candles. Basically, you take some white tissue paper, draw on it with markers, melt it into the candle, and voila! Instant decorated candle.

But alas, lamps with shades, coffee-pots with open burners, fabric in front of windows, candles, and pretty much any other form of flammable material or things that can start fires (except for cigarette lighters) are strictly forbidden at my school.

…But cigarette lighters are allowed?

I think so. You know, I haven’t actually checked on the flint-and-steel regulations recently…

But candles, as I was saying, are very strictly forbidden. That means that I cannot use any candle that I would consider decorating in such a fashion. Alas, such is the tragedy of dorm life.

Such a hard life you lead.

Alas, indeed. Woe is me, alas, and alack!

Wait, did you just switch roles on me? I thought I was supposed to be the overly dramatic one here!

I think the difference is that when you do it, you’re acting.

That’s a scary good point.

Well, Fluffsters, happy Monday! I hope that tutorial helps you procrastinate a bit.

Days of the week: Sunday

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Hello, Fluffsters! Happy Sunday!

You know, why do they even call it that?

…What?

Sunday. Why is it called that?

It’s frequently cloudy. Or rainy. So why is it “sun” day?

I guess that if you look at the frequency of how often it’s sunny, the distribution would be such that probably about 1/7 of the sunny days are Sunday… right? I mean, if they’re evenly distributed?

Uh, yeah…

And why only sunny days? Why don’t we have Rainiday? Or Cloudiday?

Wouldn’t it be Randay or Cloday? Just going from the rules the rest of the days of the week lay down?

Huh, you might be right! Which would explain why we don’t use them: It just sounds unnatural!

Thanks, Fluffy! You really helped clear that up.

Uh… right. Sure. You’re welcome?

But yeah. So, happy Sunday to you all! I hope there’s a lot of brightness in your day today. And have a wonderful week!

Qualifying for a Qualifier Competition

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Hello, Fluffsters!

Happy Saturday! As usual this month, that means there’s a new design in my CafePress New and Now section.

…”If you use enough qualifiers, you’re usually right”? Where did that come from?

Heh. Funny story, that…

In real life, I sometimes have a tendency to use what some people consider to be a few too many qualifiers in real-life speech.

Oh. Just in real life, I see.

…What?

Anyways, a few people may have mentioned this a time or twelve. Per day, it sometimes seems. So my usual reply is that with my use of qualifiers, I’m seldom wrong. After all, I’ve mostly just said that certain things might be true under some circumstances.

Huh. Are you working on a thesis of some sort?

Not as far as I’m aware… Why do you ask?

Oh, no reason…

Hm. Yeah. Back to the topic. You see, I thought that it might be amusing to create a shirt design that explained my logic.

…Yeah. Looking back at this post, if there was a competition for abusing qualifiers, I’d bet on you.

Uh… Thanks?

Anyways, happy Saturday, Fluffsters!

Ganache: Magic

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Hello, Fluffsters!

I was doing a bit of stuff with a nearly magical substance today. It’s something called “ganache.” It’s just cream and chocolate, and amazingness. It’s one of my two favorite cake frostings at this point. (The other is cream cheese frosting.) I mean seriously. Cream and dark chocolate: Where do you go wrong?

So the direct recipe is about a half-cup of cream to 3.5 ounces of chocolate. (About 3/4 cup of chocolate.) Heat the cream until it starts to bubble or boil, and pour it over the chocolate. Whisk together. (Optional: Add about a 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract for flavoring.)

The real magic, though, comes in whisking it together. It’s seriously amazing. First you have your cream over your chocolate chips. As you whisk it together, you get more chocolate shreds, and it starts to look like an oreo-cookie milkshake.

Doesn’t it look a bit like oreos crunched up in cream?

Within about 5 more strokes, though, the real ganache starts to appear.

Ganache forms in the center of the ingredients

Ganache forming in the center of the ingredients.

It’s really very astonishing how quickly it happens. And it’s a total change, too! There’s no way to separate the ganache back out into its cream/chocolate parts. (At least not easily, as far as I’m aware.)

I seriously think that making ganache should be a science experiment for kids just starting to learn about chemistry. It would be a “sweet” way to learn science.

Do I want to know if you wrote this post just to be able to use that pun?

…Probably not. But happy Friday, Fluffsters! And just a reminder, my current new design in my cafepress store is on sale until sometime either today or tomorrow. Check the New and Now section for the current low prices, and the other part of my store for all my other designs!

Have a great weekend!

DIY Letter Holder in a Book

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It. Always. Happens.

Please. Don’t tell me. I’ll be happier not knowing, I’m guessing.

No wait, let me guess: Your stalker rainbow appeared again?

Ha ha, very funny. No, that’s not it. It’s actually relatively simple this time.

You see, I journal. Every night, for the past 2 and a half years or so! And frequently (but not regularly) for the year and a half before that. But I digress.

Good, inexpensive journals are limited. I really like ones that have card and letter holders in the back, just on the off-chance somebody will send me something. (I’m a bit of a pack-rat when it comes to things like letters. And things from people.) So the journal that I used up most recently had one in the back, and nobody sent me something worth keeping during that time.

And this current journal? It’s lovely. I really like it! But it doesn’t have a card-holder in the back. So, naturally, this is when people start mailing me things. Now don’t get me wrong, I love mail! I’m thrilled at the mail! I’m annoyed at the journal.

So I decided to add a letter-holder.

DIY Book Cover Letter Holder

What I did was I found a piece of cardstock that was a suitable color. I then folded the two shorter sides to have a double fold. (It makes a zig-zag; the edge points in.) I then glued it to the inside back cover. It’s not the tidiest I’ve ever made, but it should be functional. And if not, I’ll probably be able to take it out and start over.

Top of the letter holder

Front of the holder. See how it opens?

One thing of note: if you can cut at a bit of an angle, that would probably be better. You want the most “height” (so the most folded-under-ness) to be at the part where you open it. So, you glue down the two shorter sides and one of the longer sides. You make sure that the other larger side has extra fold-space, so that it can open further.

If you have any questions, let me know! Happy Thursday, everyone!

Silver Linings

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“Every cloud has a silver lining.” That’s some sort of common expression, right Fluffsters? And it’s supposed to be “happy cheery yay goodness sunshine and flowers!” in sentiment. Right?

Well I don’t get it. If every cloud has its silver lining, that is just scary.

Is this another of your “rainbows are out to get me” style conspiracies? If so, I’m leaving.

Is that a threat, or a promise?

Threat. You can’t get rid of me forever, you know. And who knows what mischief I could get up to? I might assassinate your 404 page, for example!

That… would be totally ironic.

But I digress. No, it’s not in the same exact style as the rainbows. I mean, in this instance I’m genuinely confused. Clouds with silver linings? And that’s a good thing?

I mean, there are two ways that that could happen.

1) The clouds have gaseous silver in them. If anyone came in contact with a cloud, then, they’d die. Painfully.

2) The clouds have genuine solid silver linings. In that case, the silver linings won’t stay up for very long. And instead, they’ll fall out of the sky. And probably hit some poor old granny on the head, and send her to the hospital! Or a child. Or a puppy. Any of those options would be horrible! Don’t you agree? I mean, isn’t it just a bit more than a bit disturbing?

…I thought you said this would be different from your rainbow post.

It is. For several reasons.

Oh no. You’re going to list reasons why this is different?

You asked! So here you go.

1) This is about clouds. Not rainbows. QED, it’s different from my rainbow post.

That does not count as a reaso-

2) This isn’t nearly as bad as a direct parallel would be. A direct parallel would be something like “the silver follows me everywhere I go.” Or “The NSA put the silver up there to amplify its abilities to spy on the American population.” No. This is genuine confusion, not paranoia.

So, wait. You admit that your fear of rainbows is paranoia?!

Hey, simply because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you!

…You got me there.

Yes!!

Anywho, happy Tuesday, Fluffsters! I hope your week has started well.

DIY Flower Hair Wreath

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Hello, Fluffsters!

In case you hadn’t picked up on this by now, I enjoy arts and crafts. Tonight I made a flower wreath for my hair. (Out of fake flowers, so I’ll be able to use it for an upcoming event.)

It’s not entirely finished yet, but it’s close! (I need to trim some ends, and decide whether or not to add glittery stuff. It’s going to be for a semi-earth-fairy-ish costume, so I’m potentially going to sparklify it. Regardless, I needed a flower circlet for the character, so I decided to try to DIY a flower wreath. 🙂 )

First, I went to Michaels and looked for some mini rosettes. The original plan had been to braid some of those lovely wire-stemmed miniature rosettes into a wreath. That didn’t happen, due to lack of rosettes I was looking for. So I improvised.

I instead went with these flowers:

purple and white fake flowers to be turned into a DIY hair wreath

Purple & White fake flowers

Fortunately for me, they were on a good sale, so I got them for a decent price. I actually took that picture after removing a number of the flowers (with stems) for the wreath. But that’s getting ahead of myself…

So as I was saying. I got those flowers. And then I used some wire cutters to cut individual strands as long as I could. I removed leaves and extra bunches that were at extreme angles.

I then laid about three stalks together, and somewhat braided them. The stems were not that malleable, so I used some ribbon (and later some long synthetic leaves from the white bunch of flowers) to tie the stalks together. When I got towards the end of a bunch, I put the next set on. And kept tying.

As I was doing this, I measured the wreath around my head to make sure it would fit. (That had the added bonus of building the curve into the wreath.) As I tied and measured, I did bend the stems into the proper form. They can hold the more gradual curve; they’re just not good for braiding.

When it got long enough, I tied the beginning to the end.

Here’s what I have of the wreath so far:

Top view of my hair flower wreath

Front view:

Front view of my flower circlet

I’m fairly happy with how it turned out. 🙂

How about you, Fluffsters? Have you created anything interesting lately?

“Queen” Elizabeth I?

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Greetings, Fluffsters! Happy Sunday!

I read an absolutely fascinating article yesterday. About Queen Elizabeth I. It turns out, she might not have been a “she” after all! At least, not upon coming queen. Oh, I should just let you read it.

Wasn’t that fascinating? I never would have guessed!

Uh, Webmaster, you don’t actually believe that article, do you?

But it’s from a .uk ending.

…So?

That means it’s from the United Kingdom.

Right. And the relevance of this…?

Everybody knows that if you speak in a British accent, you sound authentic. Since this is from the United Kingdom, it must be written in a British accent. Which means it’s authentic!

…No. Just, no.

But… It’s a British accent.

Anyways, Fluffsters, I hope you have a wonderful Father’s day!

Purple Dancing Elephants

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Hello, Fluffsters!

So, I’ve noticed this odd trend on Facebook recently. A number of my friends spontaneously declare that they are Purple Dancing Elephants. Odd, right?

There are about two things wrong with your previous paragraph, Webmaster.

First, the fact that people refer to themselves as… what?

Purple Dancing Elephants. Or occasionally Purple Prancing Pachyderms.

Ah. Right. Yes.

So what’s the second problem?

YOU calling something odd.

Oh, come on. Surely I’ve called something odd before. And anyways, isn’t it a bit unexpected?

I’m not entirely sure what it even means!

Alright, so I do have a theory. Several possibilities, actually.

1) It’s a secret password. Post “I’m a purple dancing elephant” on your wall, and people will know you’re one of them. And you can now show support and solidarity for your fellow Purple Prancing Pachyderms!

2) It’s a sign of the upcoming invasion of the trans-dimensional Orange Surly Kangaroos. And it’s their secret password. You see, the Orange Surly Kangaroos, (just like you, Fluffy,) are somehow in a different dimension from ours. And the only way they can communicate is through Facebook accounts, and the users thereof! So every time someone posts that they’re a Purple Dancing Elephant, it’s a sign that the orange kangaroos have gained one more member. And before you ask, yes, it’s the Orange Surly Kangaroos. Because it’s the opposite of what people would expect! And if the kangaroos are from a different dimension, and they’re speaking in this dimension? Clearly they’re smart enough to know about reverse psychology and stuff.

Clearly.

3) Everyone who posts has spontaneously turned into a purple dancing elephant. With some sort of telepathic ability that allows them to post on Facebook, of course.

Of… course.

So, Fluffy, what are your thoughts? Why do you think people post that they’re purple dancing elephants?

Well, given that I’m inclined to doubt that people in your world spontaneously transform into large quadrupeds of abnormal coloration, I imagine your third option is out. Of the other two remaining, I think the secret password is far more likely.

From what I know of your world, though, I’m inclined to think that none of the options mentioned above are quite accurate. I think it’s far more likely that it’s just some sort of prank people pull on each other. If one person forgets to log out on another’s computer, for example, I could imagine the owner of the computer posting something ridiculous on that person’s wall.

…

Nah.

Anyways, Fluffsters, happy Saturday! Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?

Oh, and before I forget, check out my new “I’m a purple dancing elephant” design on my CafePress store! Please? I’m really happy with how the illustration turned out, the products are at a discounted rate for a week, and I’d love any feedback you can give!