Disqus - Latest Comments for qrystal

Re: Review Requests

Qrystal — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:34:14 -0000

Thank you so much for your reply, and your valuable information on this! I will steer away from the Runners bike -- pun intended. :) Your advice on KinderBikes is much appreciated as well; I was considering one of them, and now I am considering it that much more.

Cheers~!

Re: Review Requests

Qrystal — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 14:57:40 -0000

I've been seeing a lot of balance bikes by a Canadian brand called "Runners", or "Runners Bike", and I'm having a hard time finding many reviews -- except the glowing reviews of people who may just be in awe of balance bikes in general.

It seems the company started with wooden bikes (sorry, I don't recall the price, as this wasn't what I was shopping for), but they have a steel-frame version ($100 Speeders, with moulded EVA tires, and $115 Speeders A Series, with pneumatic tires) and an aluminum-frame "Ultralight" version that is priced a tiny bit higher ($120) than the Speeders A style, but everywhere I see it, the weight is quoted as the same (3.6 kg = 7.9 lbs) so I'm not sure what's so "ultralight" about it (maybe compared to the wooden?). I've been seeing mostly the aluminum one, so I think the steel one is newer and has fewer reviews. For the aluminum, one complaint I've seen is that the bolts are exposed (and the steel one appears to be the same way). Another complaint is that the steering is a little stiff (but apparently some quality lubrication helps, but not WD-40 as it's apparently bad for plastic?). Some complaints are balanced by equally good raves within the same review, or other reviews nearby that are just excellent, so maybe there is some variance in quality or (perhaps more likely) people's standards.

Anyways, they seem to have a lot going for them (price, weight, geometry looks like it could be good in one video of the aluminum but can't tell if the steel is the same, no brakes or obvious foot rests to distract my little guy, there seems to be some cushioning on handles and seat, and I like the air tires), but I haven't figured out where I can see one in person, and I haven't really had any experience with balance bikes yet (except as far as doing online research). Every bike that I find easily available here in Canada, I look up at your website first, so... hi! :) Much gratitude for your buying guide and all your reviews, and would love to know if you have heard anything about Runners brand bikes. :)

Oh: another one that seems to be new this year around here: Supercycle, which I think might be Canadian Tire's bicycle brand, has come out with a $100 balance bike. But the tires look to be moulded, and the handlebars don't have those big cushy ends that look so smart on most of the others I'm considering, so I don't think I'm interested. Just thought I'd let you know this exists.

Re: Green Party FTW!

Qrystal — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:42:03 -0000

I finally sent a message to the NDP and Green parties today. Here's hoping they love the idea, and have time to merge before the impending election! Fingers crossed!

Re: Why A Geek Site for Women?

Qrystal — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:17:18 -0000

I've never felt discrimination for my geekdom either.

In fact, it boggles the mind to think that there are so many people who feel out of place in "ordinary" geek culture. Is it, perhaps, due to misinterpretation of what other people "might" be thinking? Nobody really knows how anyone else thinks, unless those thoughts are explicitly stated, in which case most forums will call attention to the offense and shut it down. I've honestly never seen it get to that point though. Stupidity is shot down way more often than femininity, and that's how it should be.

I don't know if I'll be back here much, if at all, because I don't see how it helps to encourage gender biases at all, even if it purports to be supportive. I'd much prefer supporting the idea of inclusiveness than segregation, because everything exists more as a spectrum than as a dichotomy. There are girly-girls who are also geeks, anti-girly girls who are geeks, geeky-girls who are just geeky and happen to be girls, girly-guys who are geeks, nice-guys who are geeks, douche-guys who are geeks, and everything in between, and all with varying levels of geekdom.

But, that said, I realize that it helps to select a target audience in order to become known for something, so I don't have anything against this site specifically. In fact, I hope it ends up breaking down some of the walls between genders, which might perhaps be better accomplished by portraying the awesomeness of some particular girls' perspectives: so, focusing on "hey, I'm a girl, and here's something geeky I like", rather than "hey, girls, check out this article that I think you will like because you're a geeky girl".

Luckily, it seems the site creators know we don't want to be pigeon-holed, and with that thought in mind, they will do just fine. They'll just have to accept that some of us will still feel pigeon-holed by the idea of hanging out at a site for girls, and there isn't much that can be done to cure that, since there are plenty of sites that aren't just for girls where we feel perfectly comfortable. For the rest of you, have fun here, and I hope that the confidence gained here helps you help us keep the playing field open to everyone. ;)

Re: Saying ‘Yes’ to Challenge

Qrystal — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:39:56 -0000

Hi kneil, and thanks for the thoughts! What I get from your comment (just beyond what you've actually said) is that if I practice in little bits, my body/intuition will be able to remember the flow better. This seems like an important idea, since my first response to your comment was going to be that I already feel like I "know" the steps, but it is implementing them that makes me fumble, especially if I try to go quickly. But if I really, truly, "knew" the steps, in more than just my head, I'd probably fumble less! :)

That said, I also really think it's important for me to get over my perfectionism, a pattern that has been causing me many difficulties. By moving through an entire sequence, allowing my flubs to be there without getting concerned about them, I get a sense of triumphant glee: my perfectionism doesn't always have a hold on me after all!

So maybe not everyone needs practice failing, but I do. I am usually quite good at most of the things I do, and I don't do the things I'm not so good at. It is extremely refreshing to be able to revel in something I'm not good at, because I have taken great comfort in the assurance that if I'm doing it badly, I'm still benefiting madly!

But still, your words will definitely remain in mind when I do apply myself to learning the movements for Level 2, since I'm sure I will want to move on at some point. Thanks for the assurance that if I do take the time to learn it well, I'm not short-changing myself in the epiphanies that might result! :)

Re: Passive Voice versus ‘We’ in my thesis

Qrystal — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:17:48 -0000

Hi Amit,

I've been doing what I feel most comfortable with doing: using passive voice. After all, when I say "it can be seen that", I really do mean that it can be seen, and it doesn't matter who is the one who shows it.

I have yet to show most of my work to my advisor, though, so there's a chance he might advise me to use words that give me more credit for things that I've done that are new. This might be more important if I was intending to submit my work to a journal for publication, though. Plus, I'm not entirely sure how much of my work is truly new, or if it's just a new way of looking at things that are already known.

Re: Hey Windsorite! Have recent events at Sandpoint Beach put off your plans for a ‘day at the beach’?

Qrystal — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:55:19 -0000

I wasn't aware of any issues with the beach (and is Sandpoint Beach the only local beach? I don't even know, because I don't do beaches).

Now that I know, my zero likelihood of going to the beach is going to remain at zero. So no, no changes.

Re: Hey Windsorite! Would you find yourself using Quality Way Street’s new bike lanes?

Qrystal — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:40:17 -0000

I voted before realizing that it's quite aways away from me, according to Google Maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps...

My question: is there anything interesting around there, such that this bike lane will help me get there?

Re: Hey Windsorite! What are you doing to keep cool during this heatwave?

Qrystal — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:52:46 -0000

No AC, no pool, just a lot of clever tricks. :)

Trick 1: taking advantage of the cooler evening air by bringing as much of it in my house as possible, with fans helping encourage the flow of air through the windows. I keep this going all night and part of the morning. By about 9am, the air outside my south-facing windows is just starting to get warmer than the inside air, so I close those windows and their curtains or blinds, but keep the rest open until I can tell that the air coming in is warmer (or more humid, see Trick 2) than the air that's already inside. Eventually, all the windows will be closed, and the fans can be directed onto people instead of just to encourage airflow.

Trick 2: keeping humidity down, by blocking it from coming inside and reducing it from inside wherever possible. Humidity is the reason for the humidex being included in weather reports: it really does make a hot day feel much hotter. So, if we keep our windows closed (as in Trick 1), we also block out the humidity. We can also reduce humidity indoors, using bathroom fans and externally-vented stove hoods; in fact, the primary purpose of those vents is to reduce moisture (i.e. from showering or cooking). I also have a dehumidifier in my basement, which probably only helps downstairs, but may be contributing to my comfort a little bit.

Trick 3: staying out of the sun: its radiant energy will be transferred to whatever it touches, warming it even more. (This is also why I closed the blinds and curtains in Trick 1.) If I must go out in the sun, I use an umbrella for shade, and I sure as heck won't stay out there for long!

Trick 4: letting water evaporate from my skin and hair, because evaporation absorbs energy from surroundings, cooling them slightly. If it's very humid, this is a difficult trick to pull because water can't evaporate well into air that is full of water vapour already, but this heat wave has mostly had only moderate humidity. A spray bottle can create a light water mist on the skin, and as it evaporates, the skin will cool; in fact, this is the principle behind why the body makes sweat in the first place, but external water sources will be cooler than body temperature and thus more refreshing. Wet hair is an incredible way to keep a cool head, or for those people who are follically-challenged, a wet hat can provide the same effect. An almost-cool bath can help lower body temperature a bit, and can be a nice way to dampen everything so that water can evaporate off. Placing a bowl of water in front of a fan will slowly evaporate the water, absorbing heat from the air as it passes over it.

Trick 5: drinking lots of cool water. (Bonus trick: using a thermos mug to keep the heat out of my water!) Tips for people who don't like plain water: add fruit or cucumber slices to add a little dash of flavour. Frozen fruit chills water just as well as ice cubes!

Trick 6: minimizing the use of all appliances and anything else electrical, especially computers (turn them off when not in use) and lightbulbs (even fluorescent ones). I even turn off some of the fans when I leave the house, because there's no sense in leaving a bunch of motors running if nobody is around to appreciate its air circulation. Tip: if something is warm to the touch, it is wasting a bit of energy by converting it into heat -- precisely the thing we're trying to avoid collecting. Don't cook food indoors, or at all; salads, fruits, and cold sandwiches are my staple foods on hot days. If warm food is desired, I'll use the microwave first, because its energy is directed only into the water molecules in the food, and not wasted into the air. Only run the dishwasher late at night, or when nobody is home. Hang laundry to dry, instead of using the clothes dryer. And so on... :)

Re: 25+ Android Twitter Clients

Qrystal — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:33:31 -0000

A picture says a thousand words, and this is especially true when trying to find an app whose interface you like. Thus, your list is exceedingly useful! Thanks!

Re: Where do bicycles belong, Windsorites? MONDAY POLL

Qrystal — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:52:41 -0000

I believe the best answer is 'both': we belong wherever it is safest and most conscientious to be. We cyclists must keep the flexibility to use either option, depending on the situation. It is much nicer to ride on the road, but sometimes it feels safer to stay on the sidewalk.

It's a relief to hear that cycling against traffic is recommended sometimes! I always worry when I do it, thinking I'm breaking some sort of law, and so when I do I tend to be rehearsing my defense that it is the safest place for me to be biking at the time. I do tend to revert to riding on the right side when there isn't much traffic (or parked cars) around, because it's more convenient for seeing stop signs and being more predictable by auto drivers.

Re: Scientific formula for perfect hourglass figure - Odd News | newslite.tv

Qrystal — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:29:58 -0000

This can't be right...

Firstly, cup size is not defined in a standardized way worldwide, which means the values given here may only apply in the UK.

Secondly, it doesn't include the band size (measurement around the chest, under the breasts) which would define the top part of the hourglass shape much more than the way the breast bulges outward from that point. After all, as band size varies, so does cup size, so a DD cup on a girl with a small band size is much smaller than a DD cup on a girl with a large band size.

Lastly, the definitions within the Body Curve Line are really unclear; what does "curve into each other" actually mean? How is the *lacking* of concavity a negative thing? The curves of waist/hips and bust/waist are convex, so concavity would be dents in that curve, so having those dents would break the line. Perhaps the researcher confused concave with convex, and meant that if those areas are straight instead of convex, there are points taken off. It's unfortunate that this value has such weight in the formula, with it being so unclear! If I'm uncertain of the value of this for myself, and scientifically record this as 3.5 +/- 0.5, my score ranges from 44.5 to 58.

I suppose the imprecision reflects the fact that the study is about people's perceptions, which is not an exact science anyways.

Re: The Seven Rules Of New Year’s Resolutions

Qrystal — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:50:45 -0000

You said what I was going to say! :) Your guessed conclusion makes sense though: share only with close friends, not with the whole world.

I picked something this year that isn't personal enough to worry about sharing publically, because it's more about the process than the details. My Resolution is to pick three Most Important Tasks (MITs) each day, and then do them. The details of each day, I'll keep those private, but the actual quantifiable part I'm totally cool with sharing. And I think it will help me to do it, because by telling people, I'm reminding myself that I really want to be working on my MITs instead because they're Most Important to me.

Re: Men don't read gadget instruction manuals - Odd News | newslite.tv

Qrystal — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:13:03 -0000

The reason I read the instruction manual is NOT because I'm "less technically inclined"... I read it so I can know *everything* about what the thing does, before I need to know.

Also, it's so I know what to do when my husband doesn't.

Re: marinelli's miscellany

Qrystal — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:40:57 -0000

You may say it's an act of desperation, but I can't help but feel excited for you in starting this. I have been watching the growth of small, personal-sized businesses for awhile, plotting my own eventual leap from the relative security of being a perpetual student. The thought of jumping into the workforce, such as it is, has become about as appealing as jumping into a heap of dung.

It is much more enticing to think that I (and you, with this new startup of yours) might instead be able to provide value to people without having to share a cut with bosses and shareholders. I also can't help but think that there must be a lot of people out there feeling stung by the big-business part of the economy, and thus more willing to pay an individual (or wife-and-husband team) for services instead of giving money to some company that has gotten too big for its britches.

Society is ripe for a change. The explosion of social networking, particularly the emphasis on people as individuals, combines ferociously with the crumbling of economic constructs that have really only been "the way of things" for about a hundred years or so (as I see it... and I could be wrong). This is an incredible opportunity to those who are ready to grasp it. You in particular are in a fantastic position due to the size of your existing audience, and I foresee great things from this new endeavor of yours.

The main reason I'm writing though is because I want to recommend a source of inspiration and advice: Naomi Dunford, who by way of http://ittybiz.com helps small businesses learn the art of kicking ass and taking names -- yes, that's an overused cliché, but it's so true in this case, I can't think of another way to put it! I also can't help but think you'd like each other as people, because of the way you both call things exactly as you see them, unafraid of using profanity to bring the point home. (I, on the other hand, felt the need to use 'dung' instead of 'shit' in my rant above... ) But seriously, there is so much useful information to be found on Naomi's site (and at the right price: free!) that I consider it a beacon of hope... and who doesn't like a healthy dose of hope every once in awhile?

Re: What’s The Most Underhyped Twitter App That You’re Using?

Qrystal — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:30:04 -0000

Oh, of course -- I can't believe I forgot how much I miss that feature when I try something other than Tweetree! I mean think about it: IT SHOWS WHAT PEOPLE ARE LINKING!!!

That means blog posts are shown (and are easy to scroll to read if you want or scroll past to skip if you want), YouTube vids can be viewed, some image sites will show the image so you don't have to click, blip music can be played directly from the feed... This is streamlining at its best, folks.

And so far, the ads have been for things like CDs (of bands I'd actually consider seeing), books, technology (I saw a nice-looking video camera recently), and a few others that have their images blocked by my ad-blocking plugin to my firewall (heeheehee, oops!). I'm surprised at how much the ads aren't bothering me, though: I'm the first to get annoyed at annoying advertising! and it's still new enough to their business model that they claim they're eager to listen to comments and complaints and make tweaks to it! :P

Re: What’s The Most Underhyped Twitter App That You’re Using?

Qrystal — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:46:54 -0000

I've been enjoying Tweetree for quite some time now, and yet I've never seen anyone else using it, ever. It helpfully shows the tweet to which someone was replying (so it makes more sense), displaying them in a tree structure (hence the name of the site).

Believe it or not, the tree structure is still useful, even after the "See all @replies" option was removed. I may see fewer conversations on my own profile page, but when I visit someone else's profile, I get to see all their @replies and the tweets that inspired them (if they were replies made via an actual "reply" link, anyways). Sometimes I end up surfing a few associations deep, adding followees all along the way, because of the conversation view in Tweetree.

Tweetree added advertising to their system recently, but I've been surprised at their ability to blend into my feed, easy to gloss over and yet just as easy to take notice if it's actually something interesting.

All in all, I find I just can't leave! Though Splitweet sounds tempting to check out...

Re: FussyFollowFriday

Qrystal — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:09:46 -0000

I left a comment on Matt's blog, but didn't want to deprive you of the credit where it's due! If you're both to thank for making this notion public, I'm thanking you both.

I love #followfriday, and I've always tried to lead by example by always giving context to my followfriday recommendations. I also speak up every few weeks and insist that people should include reasons if they want their recommendations to mean something.

It's important to note, however, that changing the hashtag might be detrimental to some of the followfriday trackers out there. One in particular is http://topfollowfriday.com, which tracks “endorsements”, as they call followfriday recommendations. I wouldn’t want to cheat anyone out of an endorsement if I really want to give it!

So what I'm doing (starting today) is using the #3F hashtag IN ADDITION to the #followfriday one.

Anyways, kudos on the idea, and happy 2nd-ever Fussy Follow Friday! :)

Re: Fussy Follow Friday

Qrystal — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:53:19 -0000

I am always glad to see others who are speaking out against the pointless lists of #followfriday recommendations.

Did you know there's a website that can help create pointless #followfriday lists? It automagically scans your recent tweets to find a list of suggestions, which it encourages you to tweet without context. Sad, I know!

I try to lead by example, always giving context to my followfriday recommendations. I also speak up every few weeks and insist that people should include reasons if they want their recommendations to mean something.

Anyways, I don't think I want to switch to a new hashtag to make my intentions clear. However, I'm sure there's room to include #3F in addition to #followfriday.

The main reason to keep using the #followfriday hashtag is because the website http://topfollowfriday.com tracks "endorsements", as they call followfriday recommendations. I wouldn't want to cheat anyone out of an endorsement if I really want to give it!

Anyways, off to tweet this idea, and I'll include your bit.ly link back to this page so you can track it. Cheers! :)

Re: tidbits.Qrystal.name - The spiritual task …[for] the deluded type [of...

Qrystal — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:03:11 -0000

Heh, I just went and found another test to do:

http://www.buddhanet.net/im...

This one says I'm 12 % greed, 13 % anger, 26 % fear, and 53 % confusion. It also says,

Everyone likes Confused types because they're so mellow, but this mellowness isn't the same as true equanimity, since you usually don't actually know what's going on. The meditation practice that is recommended for your type is Noting, to help you directly connect with the experience of the moment, rather than spacing out and going into daydreams or stories about what you think is happening.

Re: Dear Twitter support:

Qrystal — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:24:30 -0000

Well, the best thing to do would be to also submit a complaint about haikutwaiku to twitter support. All they've said so far to me is that they'll "keep an eye on the account", which I'm worried means nothing. (Unless they're just watching out for more complaints!)

If you block haikutwaiku, it just means that user can't follow you. It will still be able to read your tweets from Twitter Search. I think keeping the #haiku tag is a good idea, because it helps us haiku folk find other haiku folk, via a search that omits anything by haikutwaiku, like this:

http://search.twitter.com/s...

Of course, it doesn't fix the problem that people think haikutwaiku is some kind of poetic genius (which REALLY bothers me).

Re: tidbits.Qrystal.name - The first law of awesomedynamics would be the...

Qrystal — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:54:59 -0000

Hey Alex, good to see you, and I'm looking forward to discussing Awesomeness and Everything! :)

Re: The Twitter Week Starts on Sunday

Qrystal — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:08:46 -0000

I think it means a lot of people are spending Saturdays recovering from the week. This may entail catching up on chores that have piled up while being too tired during the week, or getting together with people who aren't on twitter and wouldn't understand, maybe avoiding the computer after spending so much time on it for work... all of this combines to give a result of less tweeting on Saturday.

By Sunday, the recovery is pretty much complete, and more normal tweeting habits resume. The addiction is too strong to stay away for more than a day or so, and Sundays are about relaxing, after all. What better way to relax than to tweet about relaxing? I doubt that Sunday has much discussion about work at all.

Meanwhile, I also suspect that Wednesday is the peak of this graph because of the humpday effect: halfway through the week is equidistant from two weekends, imparting a tendency for people to slack in their work. Thus, on Wednesdays, we turn to twitter for more social interaction and/or random comments than on other days of the week, because we are in more need of release from the pressures of work.

Re: Dear Twitter support:

Qrystal — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:02:39 -0000

I wasn't under the impression that the last "complaint" was ignored. They clearly told me that there wasn't any ToS violation that applied to the situation.

This is why I was so pleased when the ToS was adjusted to something useful for our cause. ;)

Re: tidbits.Qrystal.name - The Church of Reality is a non-prophet...

Qrystal — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:09:03 -0000

Now that I think about it, if the Many-Worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics is, in fact, real, then the Church of Reality will believe in it. Many-Worlds does not mean there are alternate realities, but that this reality is multi-layered. If that's real, and provable, we'll believe it. If it's real but not provable, is there any reason to believe it, or should we seek other answers? That is up to all of us reality-seekers to decide.