giornale :: a day in the life of snarko!

Miracle Products that Actually Work

posted by snarko on Thursday, August 26 2010

snarko's top 10 for 2010

Some your mother told you about. Some you read the advertisement. Some, well, just curious. But none are believable, until you tried them. This year's top ten go to:

10. Charcoal tablets. My medicine cabinet wouldn't be without them. If someone starts vomiting even water, give them charcoal. It sounds weird, but does nothing to the body except absorb toxins and excess gas, and passes it. An absolute flu savior.

9. Grapefruit seed extract. Also GSE, for short. Actually does clean laundry better, makes teeth whiter, kills bad intestinal bacteria, and the 100 other things it claims to. Also won't leave my medicine cabinet. While not cheap, it IS also as concentrated as it states. I only need a bottle a year.

8. Avalon Organics CoQ10. Holy way to get rid of wrinkles. CoQ10 is actually used by every cell in the body, but depleted easily by pollution, smoking, blah blah blah. A tiny dab of the firming lotion will erase non-creased wrinkles in three days.

7. Thayer's witch hazel. This is the only astringent that also isn't DRYING. Get non-scented if you can; the others not only smell like your grandma's toilet paper, but you can't use them for as many purposes. Like, will kill a yeast infection completely in three days, no kidding. Can be used for most minor irritations without adding the irritation of dry on top of it.

6. Matisse Clear Sealer. Artist and artisan tip: keep it around. Sounds like a topcoat (crazy Aussies!); it's a base coat. Non-toxic and seals all undesirable things that mess up your work: tanins from new wood, water through concrete, name it. Makes acrylic and latex stick to plastic, glass, metal, things they shouldn't. Works ONE COAT like a dream: on wood or stone, can't tell it's there, at all, but does the job it's supposed to. Doesn't plastic coat it.

5. Kombucha. I grow my own, but want to smack Coca-Cola right now. Pasteurized means IT HAS NO VALUE. That's like yogurt with no active cultures. Virtually no calories despite brewed with sugar, high in vitamin B, great for the immune and digestive systems, this tonic is worth fighting for and should NOT be left to a corporation.

Alcohol? BULLSHIT. VINEGAR HAS MORE ALCOHOL. Minor amounts of alcohol is nothing but a by-product of fermentation: anything fermented contains SOME. In fact, this is the #1 preferred drink of recovering alcoholics, because it replaces most the nutrients alcohol destroyed, and has tons of micro-nutrients . Coca-Cola will produce more alcoholics, if they are allowed to destroy the market.

Do you realize how much kombucha you'd have to ingest to get drunk?! I think an Asian would need a gallon in one hour. Argument holds NO water, yet alone alcohol.

If it's not in a refrigerator at purchase, YOU DON'T WANT IT. That's just tea. It won't do spit for your health.

4. Glad Rags menstrual pads. I know what you're thinking. Reusable? YUCK! It's LESS yucky.

First off, kiss yeast infections goodbye. And bleach from most products--even organic ones--make it look redder on purpose, so it looks yuckier and you change more often than needed.

You won't even know you're wearing them, they are so comfortable. I've done the math, and in total in two years, they've saved me $480+.

3. Rainshow'r bath ball. Who in the world would believe what amounts to a teabag in the bath removes chlorine? IT DOES.

Wanna know why you prune in pools and bath, but not lake water? CHLORINE. I used to bathe with coconut oil, but don't have to. Lasts about six months: you'll know when you either start pruning or it refuses to float.

2. iRobot Roomba. You'll pry Sophia (they get names) from my dead, cold hands. Costs the same as a normal vacuum, and lasts about as long before you need a new battery (I wish they'd make better batteries: but still cheaper than a new vacuum). Cleans far better than me on my hands and knees. Will not drop down stairs; I tested it off a two-story drop. Nope. It knows better.

1. ShamWow. Go ahead and laugh. Nothing has ever made cleaning surfaces easier. Get it damp, it'll do the rest. Mine are a year old, and still kick butt over every rag, scrubber, and sponge in the house.

I LOVE Artwanted.com

posted by snarko on Tuesday, June 29 2010

It's Facebook for Artists

Animators and digital and graphic design too: this website has at least a dozen features, if an artist, similar websites and social network sites don't have.

[a real review, and I'm IN LOVE! 9/10 + KICKASS]

Main interface is geared towards SELL YOUR ART; that's a good thing, but unlike others they're also kind to newbies because they DO want you to sell, not get lost in mix.

My recommendation is only upload three pieces of art a day, so you stay "new" for a while until you earn enough comments/respect to do otherwise, and get good feedback from the awesome community here.

Other "sell art sites" do not allow so much help for a newbie. My other recommendation, since on topic, is absolutely make friends with your fellow artists. I did say it's kinda like Facebook for artists: difference is, you CAN make money off your art here. Or even just referrals.

You promote someone else's art and it sells, you still get paid if member. Membership is $39/year (not horrid; a lot of similar sites are like $300+); I'm not yet a member, still testing basic, which is free.

This is a fantastic artist online collective. I'm still trying to find the hitch and I regularly read the four-point type; none. If you pay membership, now it's more like CafePress (you can sell PRINTS and they do all the work), but without the bull we artists put up with on that kind of a website and a far better cut of money for YOUR work.

Cut is better than Etsy.

The upload tool rocks. It works with my old computer (most don't), and will let you decide later (saved) if you want to publish or not.

If you've ever done the 50+ photo at once upload but don't have time for all titles, keywords, descriptions, blah, you know what I'm saying here. Come back later, and it's still sitting there, just not published the way you didn't want it to look. Love it.

The photo-swap function is also an artist's dream. You DO NOT have to delete old photo and start over with it's data content if you get a better picture later. All data stays; just swap photo. So if you've a bad picture just for comments and free version but wanna swap better file later to sell prints, no problem.

Community is friendly; if you think your art sucks and put it up there, people will critique to give you help, but not criticize you. You can turn comments off, but why would I?

Statistic reporting is also above any other site tested. Unlike Facebook, I've driven people to my main artist site in only two days.

Commission for real art sale is 15 percent. Compare that to up to 60 with some galleries, and they ARE pushing your art (some physical ones are LAZY and still want 60).

Your set price includes shipping; bump it $100 for this. I'm not kidding.

I actually HIGHLY recommend Art Wanted, and have been researching a good "virtual gallery" for months.

You also get automated code for your whole portfolio, transferable to other sites/your email. Invaluable.

They DO want you to sell, and the community of artists are awesome.

Black Screen of Death

posted by snarko on Sunday, June 20 2010

Mac OS 9/X Monitor Help Needed; history/current error report

From 9, I needed to switch my monitor resolution. This is something I do nearly daily; I missed my mark, and accidentally selected the resolution just under it, which apparently is "out of range" for the monitor. Now it's just black.

It's a Viewsonic VX2025 flat screen. Which I'm fairly sure I was running analog; I messed with the cords (cord's a "Y" so back of computer won't tell me anything), and now don't remember. I already know from experience if BOTH are plugged in, which SHOULD be okay (you're supposed to able to choose via software), it won't work at all.

Sure, I could change the setting back, IF I COULD SEE WHERE I'M CLICKING! It's not the computer (I can hear all normal sounds that tell me it's actually there); it's the signal to the monitor.

From 9, an "extensions off" reboot will allow me to see everything, but not change setting, as Monitors is an extension.

From X, a "safe" reboot allowed me into that system's monitors and change it; 9 will launch from X and I can access files, but there's still daily reasons I have to launch to 9. Like ftp transfer to websites I work on from Dreamweaver fail otherwise, and my workaround's a pain I don't want in my ass.

The buttons on the front of the monitor itself have no such control; the only one related just tells me I'm using the wrong resolution. I already know that. Thanks.

MY LAST DITCH IDEA which is partly working:

1. Launch 9, no extensions. Open Control Panels as it's own window, make it size of whole monitor. Reboot.

2. Now without seeing I can click that folder to activate it. I can't miss. Use keyboard to find "mon...", then "open". Audio cues say that's working.

3. Attempt to hit a resolution that WILL work. I think if I miss, though, the Control Panel folder's now on top.

Is this theoretically possible, or am I mad? It's the last logic I have! I can now actually find most positions starting from the Apple using only audio clues, including the Restart.

Oh, and "zap pram" isn't working. By that I mean, I can't do it? It restarts itself when you hit it, right? Either I'm forgetting part of a trick (like you have to wait for a certain part of boot), or it's the keyboard, which acts half PC. Some commands wind up PC and not Mac ones.