BlogBloghttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011-11-16T18:07:58ZSquarespaceScience Is Fucking Amazinghttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/10/22/science-is-fucking-amazing.htmlChewbode2011-10-23T02:39:24Z2011-10-23T02:39:24ZFlux Pinning:

]]>Life, Work, and Funhttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/10/19/life-work-and-fun.htmlChewbode2011-10-19T23:48:44Z2011-10-19T23:48:44ZSo, a lot has been going on lately. I've been working a decent amount (yeah, big surprise there), but I've also been getting organized in a lot of ways on the personal front too.

We went through a new logo redesign for Suncoast Studios a few months ago and recently we've printed up new business cards as a result. The next step is to do a website redesign, which is (kinda) underway right now. Actually, I'm building a development server, which is a first for SCS. Normally I make changes to the live server, but since this is going to be an entire redesign, I didn't want to potentially mess up the live box. The dev environment should be complete this week, and the goal is to have the new site live by November 1.

I've also been making headway on app development. I've recently signed up to be an iOS/OSX developer, and have managed to get a new Mac Mini (i5/2GB RAM/500GB HD) to write XCode on. I've created a little app for the iPhone to play around with, and will eventually be working on a real project.

And speaking of projects, I've been working on a new lighting system for the fish tank. Arnold and I have been brainstorming on a new LED lighting system that incorporates fiber optics, as well as a micro-controller that contains a web server that allows you to configure the lights. More on this to come.

Oh, and speaking of fish tanks... It's currently empty. I had a system mishap a few weeks ago where I woke up one morning to find all the fish dead. The water temperature was 110 degrees, and come to find out the heater shorted out and the thermostat never turned off all night. All the fishies died. :( So, I have some work to do to the tank now, including getting new pets.

And lastly, I've decided to get healthy. For the next two months, I'm going to be on a juice fast to lose weight, reboot my metabolism, and get a huge amount of energy.

]]>L.A. Lighthttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/8/6/la-light.htmlChewbode2011-08-06T21:40:45Z2011-08-06T21:40:45Z

LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

]]>Fun & Foodhttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/7/2/fun-food.htmlChewbode2011-07-02T13:37:31Z2011-07-02T13:37:31ZThere's a lot to be happy about this weekend. First, it's the weekend. On top of that, a long holiday weekend. Another point: the project I've been working on for Allison is finally done and it went extremely smoothly.

Last in the list, but the part I'm most excited about is what is to come: going to Alex and Nel's tomorrow for a 4th of July cookout. I'm bringing a pork and pineapple skewer dish, a fig jam/apple/cheese appetizer, and will be making a trifle. So today is grocery shopping day (Alex cancelled our trip to Miami). I'll be prepping food tonight and finishing everything up with Nel tomorrow.

Monday I'm most likely going to Jeff and Lauren's for the day to hang out and have more food.

All this is so relaxing when you don't have to worry about work.

]]>Casualtyhttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/6/9/casualty.htmlChewbode2011-06-09T13:39:19Z2011-06-09T13:39:19ZWell, I lost the red-tailed shark last night. Two nights ago he decided to find his way into the inside of the fake white rock. I thought he might just be exploring or hiding for some reason, but I think he got stuck in there. I finally got concerned last ngiht and got him out, but he was looking rough. His tail fin was really shabby - about half the length it used to be, his color was washed out, and there was a large white rash on his side. I tried to feel him, and noticed he had trouble swimming, and would rest on the gravel a lot which he never did before. Around midnight, I noticed he wasn't moving any more, so he got the Royal Flush treatment.

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Guess I need to find a way to plug up that big opening in that rock so no one else gets stuck.

]]>The Move-Inhttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/6/5/the-move-in.htmlChewbode2011-06-05T15:55:09Z2011-06-05T15:55:09ZI re-tested and the tank is now at a good 7.0 pH, so I decided to move everyone in. All 33 inhabitants are now testing out the new crib. The current roster is: 

  • (1) Snail (*Unknown species)
  • (2) Dalmation Molly
  • (1) Lg White Molly
  • (2) Sm White Molly
  • (5) Neon Tetra
  • (1) Lemon Tetra
  • (2) Lg Plecostomus
  • (5) Cory Catfish
  • (1) Lg Red-Tailed Shark
  • (5) Serpae Tetra
  • (7) Orange Tiger Barb
  • (1) Indigo Betta 

 I also planted the 2 Sword plants and the 5 Money Wort plants.

 

]]>The Final Tankhttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/6/5/the-final-tank.htmlChewbode2011-06-05T14:15:50Z2011-06-05T14:15:50ZI've been sick since Tuesday night, and finally started feeling good enough yesterday afternoon to go out and get some fresh air. My wandering found me at Pet Smart where I decided to finally make the leap: I bought a new freshwater tank.

I picked up a Top Fin 37-gallon Starter Kit which came with: 

  • The tank (30.25" L x 12.5" W x 22.75" H)
  • Hood with a 20-watt, 30" fluorescent bulb
  • Glass canopy
  • Adjustable 200-watt heater
  • Strip thermometer
  • Top Fin Power Filter 40 with cartridge
  • Sample fish food, water treatment pack 

I also bought: 

  • Black stand with doors
  • (4) new Money Wort plants
  • (4) Neon Tetras
  • Glass thermometer
  • Blue background
  • Extra carbon pellets 

After getting home, I drained the 20-gallon temporary tank that was on the kitchen counter and relocated the fish into a plastic tote, then did the same with the 10-gallon tank and put those fish in a different tote (alone with the new tetras and plants).

I was then able to tear apart the 10-gallon tank and move the old stand from it's resting place. I built the new stand and put it in place, then placed the tank on it. After mounting the blue background and properly trimming it, I pushed the entire system against the wall, mounted the filter and heater, and prepped all the electrical.

After emptying the 10 and 20-gallon tanks, I cleaned all the gravel and got the 25-lb. bag of gravel from the closet and rinsed it too. That all went in the tank, and then I added the fake rocks and plants, and mounted the thermometer.

Lastly, I added the water in. After starting up the filter and heater, I tested the pH and found it to be higher than 7.6, essentially meaning it was off my chart. I added some pH balancer before going to bed. After waking up this morning, I retested and the pH was still at the 7.6+ level, so I added in another batch of treatment as well as some balancing pellets. I'm hoping the water is ready for the plants and fish in the next few hours.

 

 

]]>New Residentshttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/5/26/new-residents.htmlChewbode2011-05-27T01:56:53Z2011-05-27T01:56:53ZArn swung by tonight and brought me a whole bunch of fish, a ton of fake plants, a pump, and some scenery. I finally took the 20 gallon tank out of the back of the truck (it's been in there for about a month), cleaned it out and filled it with water and threw some fake plants. Even though this is just a temporary setup, I still treated and pH balanced the water. I'll tear this and the 10g tank apart next weekend and then everyone will live happily in the same tank.

 

Tomorrow I'm heading up to Alex and Nel's to watch the kids for them for the weekend while they go off to St. Augustine to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. I'm so happy to be able to do this - I've even lined up a little surprise for them.

I should be at their house around 3:00pm, and then they're out of there soon after not to be home until Monday afternoon. I have a TON of activities planned with the kids. I'm SO excited to be spending time with them, acting like a kid, and just having fun and relaxing. And, I'm able to give Alex and Nel a great time by themselves on a special weekend to boot. Love them all!

]]>Discshttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/5/21/discs.htmlChewbode2011-05-22T00:38:12Z2011-05-22T00:38:12ZStopped at Best Buy this morning and picked up a copy of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: Game of the Year Edition and started to play it a bit. Gotta say: I didn't think this franchise could get any better. I've only made it three chapters into the game, but it looks and plays amazing. I hope Naughty Dog continues this series beyond Uncharted 3 (due in November). Added it to the Museum too.

Got a copy of National Lampoon's Vacation on Blu-ray too.

Think I'm going to watch Kick Ass on NetFlix in a minute.

]]>WTFhttp://www.chewbode.com/blog/2011/5/20/wtf.htmlChewbode2011-05-20T21:14:13Z2011-05-20T21:14:13Z

]]>