This is possibly my favorite YouTube video ever!
While I don't actually wear makeup often, I sure do like to buy it. I like to browse the aisles of Sephora or even Longs to look at all the pretty colors. Part of what holds me back (in addition to wasted money) is that many of these companies test their products on animals. I've felt limited to a few brands that I know are cruelty free because their packaging says so: Urban Decay and Smashbox. Both companies post the PETA cruelty-free bunny logo. While I love Urban Decay, they don't always have everything I want.
On a recent trip to Sephora, I asked an employee if she knew of any other cruelty-free brands. I was basically given a blank look. Scouring package after package, I didn't find the answer I was looking for. If it doesn't say "not tested on animals," I have to assume they do test.
I decided on a whim to look at PETA's Caring Consumer database. It's a handy tool--you can search by product type. The resulting list of cosmetics companies was far longer than I expected.
I found that MAC Cosmetics makes the cruelty free list, as do many others. I love MAC for their incredible variety of colors, but I'd been forcing myself not to go. They're not perfect--some of their cosmetic brushes are made of animal hair.
What I don't understand is why many of these companies fail to let the consumer know that they do not test on animals. It's not on their packaging, and in MAC's case, I just scoured their website and found no mention of it. I would think companies would want to advertise this. Maybe it's become common enough that they don't think of it? Maybe their target market doesn't care? I would hope the consumers care. There's no need to test cosmetics on bunny rabbits.
Not a ton of drugstore brands made the list, but there are more than I expected: Almay, Bonne Bell, Jane, Physician's Formula, Prestige, Revlon (that surprised me!), and Wet n' Wild.
Quite a few more high end brands make the list, but many of them have animal-hair brushes (Stila's squirrel-hair brushes? eww!). I like Urban Decay's synthetic Taklon brushes, but they are pricey. I picked up a set of Taklon brushes at Walgreens for $10. They're not as fancy, but I think they're okay.
I'm pleasantly surprised at the number of cosmetics companies on the cruelty-free list. I just wish they'd market it more. Until then, check out caringconsumer.com to make your own list.
I've actually had the Mac Mini Home Theatre going pretty good for about a month now, but I haven't posted. Here's a revisit of the gear:
Mac Mini 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, UPGRADED to 2GB RAM and 320GB hard drive (I did the upgrade myself for about $150)
Acomdata Mini-Pal 500GB external drive
Apple Bluetooth keyboard
Microsoft Bluetooth mouse (it was half the price of the Apple one)
Elgato EyeTV Hybrid with Clear QAM tuner
What I purchased:
Samsung LNT2353H 23" LCD TV refurbished from Amazon
We were able to run a cable from the 1980s antenna on the roof to my room. I have split both the cable and the antenna in two, so they run to an A/B switch for the EyeTV and straight to the Samsung TV. What I love about last year's Samsung models are the two coax inputs.
Once the antenna cable was run, presto! HD on the Mac Mini and the Samsung! Recording HD on the EyeTV looks fantastic, but the files are around 6GB. That just isn't practical, so if I want to keep files, it's better to record them from cable in standard def instead. The EyeTV simply records the MPEG-2 stream for HD broadcasts--no conversion needed.
I figured out how to disable the Mac Mini's start up chime (aka the voice of God). On the Mini, the sound comes through the internal speaker, even if you have something plugged in the headset jack. By the way, I did split the audio so it runs to both the stereo (for iTunes) and the TV (for...uh, TV).
To disable the internal chime, unplug any external audio devices and go to Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup. Select properties for Built-In Output, then select mute next to internal speakers. Ta-da! Now the chime won't play when the Mini starts. Some people like the chime because it tells you things are working, however, I have the EyeTV scheduled to record Angel at 6am every day and I prefer to wake at 7am. You can see the problem.
The EyeTV only records to the internal hard drive, and it got annoying having to transfer things to the external drive on a daily basis, so I upgraded the Mac Mini's internal HD and RAM. The hardest part of that is getting the case apart. The plastic putty knife recommended as the tool of choice was too thick to get in the seam. I did end up scratching the bottom of the case a little, but not too bad.
Now I can record like a fiend...except the TV season is over.
As an added bonus, I learned that watching Hulu.com through my setup is amazing! I've been watching the first season of Bones on there, and it fills my 23" TV screen perfectly, and the quality is surprisingly good for streaming video. It's not HD, but it's pretty darn good! If you haven't checked out Hulu.com, I do recommend it. The TV shows available are hit and miss, but you might find something you like, and it's free.
The only downside is that my old TV was actually a TV/VCR combo, so now I have no way to watch VHS tapes. I'd like to find a small VCR (though I suppose a full-size one would fit behind the TV) and maybe one day, I'll try to transfer some stuff to digital.
Spoiler Alert: Before I begin this essay, if for some reason you have not seen the Angel episode "I Will Remember You" (1x08) or the Moonlight episode "Fated to Pretend" (1x13), please be aware that I give away the endings to both. Go watch and then come back.
I recently got into the TV show Moonlight, which was unfortunately cancelled by CBS last month. Having previously been a fan of Angel, it was interesting to note the parallels between the two shows. Sure, there are surface similarities - the protagonist is a vampire detective who lives in present-day Los Angeles (even some of the nighttime establishing shots are similar), but the actual protagonists are quite different, as is the specific vampire lore adopted by each show. (Those familiar with the Buffyverse will be perplexed with the vampire rules of Moonlight.)
What I find most interesting is that both vampire protagonists--Angel and Moonlight's Mick St. John--yearn to be human again. Even Spike (another Buffy alum to transition to Angel) eventually wants in on the possible return to humanity. However, this desire is not shared by the other vampire characters in either show. Angel and Mick's respective vampire counterparts enjoy the perks of vampirism and in most cases fail to understand this motivation.
So why would writers make a character who has nifty super powers (with some downsides) want to return to the mortal coil? In the fairly black and white world of BtVS/Angel it's straightforward: good vs. evil. Vampires by nature are evil--they kill and torture for fun as they have no souls. Angel (and later Spike) are the exception: they have regained their souls. Apparently with a soul comes enormous guilt for all the bad things one has done. If the soul is removed (as happened a few times throughout the Buffy and Angel series) the vamp becomes evil again. Simply put, vampire plus soul equals good; vampire minus soul equals evil.
So is a vampire with a soul just as good as being human? For Angel, it isn't--no sunlight, no food, and most importantly no girl for fear of accidentally achieving "perfect happiness." (If you're not familiar with the exploits of Angel, "perfect happiness" means bye-bye soul.) On the other hand, Angel is able to use his vampire strength to fight evil in the world. As Angel does penance for his past, he hopes to fulfill the Shanshu prophecy, which states something to the effect of the vampire with a soul will save the world and then become human. It's all very mystical, as there's no cure for vampirism.
In Moonlight, there is also no known cure, but life as a vampire isn't quite so bad. Mick won't burst into flames by getting too close to a window and he gets a steady stream of blood from the local morgue (none of the pig's blood that Angel drinks). Souls are never specifically mentioned, but Mick is a good guy whether he has one or not. Apparently he wasn't always quite so good, but he was probably never the terror Angelus was, and it didn't take being cursed with a soul to change his ways. However, it did apparently require his vampire spouse kidnapping a little girl to make him actively become a do-gooder in the world. Mick has strong morals and a desire for justice that are not shared by his fellow vampires. Like Angel, Mick uses his vampire abilities to help others. However, unlike Angel, he is not working towards any sort of reward.
When Mick's vamp spouse, Coraline, reappears as a human, Mick becomes obsessed with discovering her cure. As with Angel, this desire for humanity is partly motivated by a girl (a blonde named Beth rather than Buffy). Mick also continually reminds us that he was made a vampire against his will (perhaps saying "bludgeons us repeatedly with this fact" would be more appropriate). Immortality is lonely, and Mick's morals don't always let him fit in with his vampire peers. They aren't outright evil, but they're not entirely good either. Good and evil are not black and white here as they are in Angel.
Each protagonist's desire for humanity is granted briefly in the first season of their respective series (Angel 1x08 "I Will Remember You" and Moonlight 1x13 "Fated to Pretend"). There are striking similarities in the plots: a foreign substance introduced into the blood causes the reversion to humanity, the protagonist enjoys food, sunshine, and quality time (sort of) with his lady, and he eventually has to choose to become a vampire again. The outcome for each is inevitable, not surprisingly, for the same reason.
Each episode also has its heartbreaking moment. In I Will Remember You, it's Angel's last few moments with Buffy, who won't even remember their sole day together as humans, before the day is erased and Angel is a vampire once more. In Fated to Pretend, it's Mick's realization that he cannot protect Beth as long as he's human and his pleading with fellow vampire Josef to turn him again. Both protagonists realize they can do more good as vampires than as humans. Perhaps more importantly, it's their need to protect their loved ones that makes the return to vampire form inevitable. It is ironic that what makes them good is also what prevents them from fulfilling their desire to be human.
While the themes are similar, I don't see Fated to Pretend as a ripoff of I Will Remember You. The individual characters are sufficiently different as are many of the plot details. In terms of storytelling, I prefer Fated to Pretend--it's less tragic as Mick's "cure" was known to be temporary, so it was only a matter of time before he reverted. He might even have the chance to test out the cure again at some point in the future. It lacks the sense of loss Angel experiences (which to me is a good thing) and has a positive ending. I Will Remember You doesn't hit me the same perhaps because I'm not a fan of the Angel/Buffy relationship. Fated to Pretend is bittersweet while I Will Remember You leaves more of a feeling of bitterness (especially because of Buffy's bad attitude when the day plays out again). Joss Whedon is a fan of the heart-wrenching after all.
Because Fated to Pretend has a fairly positive overall vibe, it makes the decision scene all the more powerful. Mick is determined to rescue Beth, despite his fragile human form, though his odds of survival would be slim to none. It takes the intervention of his vampire friend Josef to realize just how ineffective he will be as a human against a vampire. With this realization, Mick makes a difficult (but inevitable) choice and begs Josef to make him a vampire again.
Angel's decision is less urgent. In fact, he probably could have waited before approaching the oracles to help him be a vampire again as there was no imminent danger. Instead, Angel was warned that another apocalypse is coming (how many have there been in the seven years of the Buffyverse?). Angel knows he can only be effective as a vampire and thus asks the oracles to swallow the day so he will be a vampire again. While it is a difficult decision, the scene itself is dispassionate in comparison.
Will either vampire hero ever achieve his desire to be fully human again? I believe this is unlikely, as their desire to do good is too strong. Their longing for humanity may be viewed as selfish compared to the greater good. Their overwhelming protective natures also make such a choice unlikely in the long term. However, would either jump at the chance were it offered again? I think they would...it just wouldn't last.
It's round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sharks lost the first three games in their series against Dallas. In game four, the Sharks face elimination, but pulled off a 2-1 victory to prevent a Dallas sweep.
Game 5: Sharks are down 0-2 going into the third period. Finally, they get one past Marty Turco. Then another. Regulation ends, and we go to overtime. This is the third overtime in five games--the Sharks lost the first two OT sessions. It's truly sudden death. If Dallas scores, the Sharks are done for the season. If the Sharks score, they become only the 10th team ever to force a game 6 after being down 3-0. At just over 1 minute into overtime, the Sharks score. We're going to game 6!
The San Jose Mercury News Sharks blog pointed out this week that only two teams ever have won a series after an 0-3 start. Those teams were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders. 33 years apart. It's now been 33 years since the Islanders series, and the Sharks only need two more wins.
via Working the Corners
My first Mac Mini HTPC attempt was half successful. But let's start at the beginning.
Core setup:
Mac Mini 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, MacOS 10.5 (Leopard)
Acomdata Mini-Pal 500GB external drive
Quasar 13" TV/VCR as monitor (can you smell the upgrade coming?)
Apple Bluetooth keyboard
Microsoft Bluetooth mouse (it was half the price of the Apple one)
What I purchased:
Terk HDTVA powered indoor antenna
Elgato Eyetv Hybrid
various cheapo R59 coax cables
The goal:
Turn the Mini into a hard-drive TV recorder for both over-the-air HD and standard cable
Accomplished: 50%
The search for HD is frustrating. Obviously cable and satellite providers want to push their HD paid packages, but why, when there are OTA HD signals for the cost of an antenna? For some, this is a simple task, but I wasn't that fortunate.
I live about 30 miles southeast of the majority of the TV towers in my area. There is an old 1980s antenna on the roof that does receive good signals, but there isn't an easy way to route the signal to my side of the house. I purchased the Terk HDTVA antenna, which is a powered directional indoor antenna that has good reviews on Amazon. The thought was a separate antenna would be the easier solution if it worked.
I also picked up an Elgato Eyetv Hybrid at Fry's. Unfortunately, it's the older version (version 2 SW, no QAM tuner) so it will have to go back. I hooked up the antenna to the Eyetv and my Macbook for the initial test. Sure enough, the system picked up 20 digital stations on the antenna! Unfortunately, some of them could not actually be watched--the signal wasn't strong enough.
I moved the setup to the Mac Mini and tried again. With some antenna adjustments, I actually got up to 25 stations. However, they had a tendency to drop every so often. I was also missing two of the Big Four networks: Fox and NBC. With the help of Antenna Web I realized that my NBC affiliate was on VHF rather than UHF, but I still couldn't get Fox.
The next day I picked up an in-line signal amplifier from Radio Shack, but that unfortunately did not boost my signal strength. Most stations were somewhere around 50 on the signal meter, which meant they came in but would drop periodically. Also, I had to rotate the antenna slightly to get ABC vs CBS.
After a day and a half of trying everything I could think of, I took the antenna and the amplifier back to their points of purchase. I was, however, able to split my standard cable feed to route it to both the Eyetv and my television.
I don't blame the antenna for this failure. I think the Terk HDTVA is a fine antenna in the right situation. I live in a one story house and I just couldn't get the antenna high enough to get an adequate signal.
Here's what I'd like to try next:
Route the roof antenna OTA signal to my side of the house (probably a dirty mission)
Return the Eyetv Hybrid for the new QAM version
Replace the 13" CRT TV with a 22" LCD (a Samsung LN22A450 would be perfect...if I can just find one that's not so expensive!)
I'll provide a review of the Eyetv Hybrid in a future installment. Until next time....
Is it wrong to blog about a blog? Someone sent me this link, and it's just too cute...a teeny tiny sweater knitted for a pet rat.
http://community.livejournal.com/knitting/500242.html
My cat loves to walk all over my keyboard. I'm not sure if it's because it's warm (the laptop seems to vent head through the keys) or if she just likes to be the center of attention. While I don't think it would actually work, here's a cute kitty in-box. It clamps on your desk and gives kitty a nice place to sit while you work. It's a nice idea, but I don't think it'll satisfy my cat's urge to instant message.
Check it out for yourself at
The Refined Feline
Via Popgadget
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