Living in the Future

Category: Uncategorized

  • My 2016 (As of January 29)

    My 2016 (As of January 29)

    When I set out to make more in 2016, I did so with the goal of finding work and fulfilling my creative pursuits. It’s only been 29 days so far this year, but I have already learned a ton from this experiment.

    I’ve been taking more pictures, making all kinds of podcasts, and writing every single day. I said I would do this project every day for a year, or for as long as I need to. I put that loophole in there specifically because I knew how much work that would be, and if I started working anywhere near full time again, it’s unlikely I would have the energy to keep up a daily pace (of posting stuff, not of making stuff).

    So far this year, I have done a few really great things:

    1. I hit my weight goal from the middle of last year (that’s 210 lbs, down 40) at the end of this week.
    2. I started writing every day, taking more pictures of cool things I see, and with friends.
    3. I’ve found some work that should be starting quite soon.

    Given all of that, and the fact that my creative endeavours aren’t going to stop right now, I am going to stop posting something here every day.

    I’m planning on continuing to take more pictures (probably posted on Instagram), writing as much as I can (including on this blog), and dedicating my efforts to working more on being creative. It’s been a great year so far, and it’s only going to get better!

  • Ottawhat 89 – Mike Holuj (January 28)

    Ottawhat 89 – Mike Holuj (January 28)


    This week on the podcast, we met our new Ottawhat News writer, Mike Holuj. He’s a pretty cool, and seemingly very busy, dude.

  • 6 Months of Weight Loss (January 27)

    6 Months of Weight Loss (January 27)

    This week, unless something goes horribly wrong, I will formally hit the goal weight that I set back at the end of June. This doesn’t technically count as ‘making something’, but it definitely took a lot of work.

    Anyhow, writing about it and posting about it and talking about it all the time has been incredibly helpful. I don’t know if 210 lbs is where I’ll end up, but when I was 250 lbs just 6 months ago, it certainly seemed impossible.

    At this exact moment, I weigh 210.63 lbs, which is satisfying all on its own. When I started (although BMI is a horribly outdated measurement tool, I was about 15 pounds into ‘obese’ (about a 32 in BMI, 30 being obese). At the moment, I’m at exactly 27 (25 or less being considered ‘normal weight’). If you know anything about BMI, you’ll know it’s horribly outdated, but I have been using an online tool that attempts to make the calculation a little bit more useful for the modern world. By that metric, I’m almost exactly at the high end of healthy weight, and I’m happy already, because I feel so much better than I did.

    I don’t know what the next 6 months will hold, when I can ride my bike again, but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens now that food doesn’t have such a strong hold on me.

  • Damien bowls a strike! (January 26)

    Damien bowls a strike! (January 26)

    I missed a day. Well, I didn’t miss it, but I certainly didn’t post anything here about what I did. I don’t really feel bad about that, because I’ve been making so many things this year that I don’t feel the need (or sometimes, make the time) to write about all of my projects here.

    Anyhow, on Monday, I went bowling with some of my friends. I really like taking a set of photos with my phone, because Google Photos (on iOS and Android) not only backs up photos, but lets you create amazing GIFs like the one above, from up to 50 photos.

    If you don’t use Google Photos, you totally should, you can get unlimited photo and video backup, shared albums, and so much more. It’s amazing. And when I’m older, Damien bowling this perfect strike will be preserved in all its glory.

  • Future Chat 86 – We’re Taking on Vox (January 25)

    Future Chat 86 – We’re Taking on Vox (January 25)


    This week on Future Chat, I talked a lot about the latest stuff going on in and around space (there’s a lot), and Mike and Nick brought me up to speed about mobile news and CRISPR respectively.

  • My ‘New Media’ Obsession (January 24)

    My ‘New Media’ Obsession (January 24)

    These are just a few of the shows I used to watch.

    News broadcasts, TV shows, movies, podcasts, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, editorials, thinkpieces, press releases. There are so many different kinds of media, and there’s more than any one person could ever consume of any one of them.

    There are also sciences, sports, arts, technologies, crafts, cooking, celebrities, entertainment, and so much more to pay attention to. If you tried to absorb all the information out there about the tiniest niche subject, there would still be too much to consume to fill a lifetime.

    Most people have a few interests or hobbies that they spend time going fairly deep on. And those priorities are always changing and adjusting as lives change or circumstances evolve.

    For example, there was a time in my life where I watched 25 TV shows every week, in addition to re-watching some shows when I felt like it. Now, I have a hard enough time keeping up with just a few shows. Both It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Mythbusters, have started new seasons, but i’m at now 2-3 episodes behind on each since I missed their debuts.

    Recently, I have moved much of the entertainment I get to fully digital platforms. I listen to a ton of podcasts, and watch a whole lot of YouTube videos. Both of these media have a single spot where I can go (either a website or an app) and see what’s new since I was last there, or what I haven’t watched or listened to yet.

    Compare that to the experience of trying to watch a TV show, where even if I wanted to watch later, I would have to go figure out which TV network aired a show, open the app where the show is, find the TV show, and see if there was a new episode. That model works for Saturday Night Live, because I know it’s on Saturday night, but other than that, I have no idea when shows air.

    So I’m left with digital media consumption, and there’s more than enough of it to fill my free time. I would LOVE to watch Mythbusters, and It’s Always Sunny is something I will almost certainly watch eventually. But their distribution just doesn’t hold a candle to new media like YouTube or podcasts, where you can keep a running list of the things you like and get notified immediately when a new one comes out, and click a link to watch it.

    ps. keep in mind that I currently have a cable subscription, and all the powers that come along with that, and yet I *still* find it impossible to try to keep up with television.

  • I freaking love sunsets (January 23)

    I freaking love sunsets (January 23)

    I’ve mentioned before that I like sunsets. When I have a day where I’m not really making anything, sometimes I just have to look up and see the beautiful colours a setting sun can give me. If you don’t like sky pictures, I’m sorry, because I do. These pictures were about 7 minutes apart, as the sun gets lower, the colours usually get better and better.

    A photo posted by Rob Attrell (@robattrell) on Jan 23, 2016 at 2:02pm PST

    A photo posted by Rob Attrell (@robattrell) on Jan 23, 2016 at 2:16pm PST
  • Feedback 8 Video | Electric Love (January 22)

    Feedback 8 Video | Electric Love (January 22)

    For episode 8 of Feedback, which came out last week, Damien and BL played Electric Love by BØRNS! I really try to capture what it’s like to have these guys play for you from 5 feet away when I’m working on capturing sound and video, and it really helps that they’re just so good at performing!

    As we first announced last week, you can also go and check out the music from Feedback Season 1. Go check it out, you’ll be able to support Feedback, get BL and Damien on your iPod or anywhere on the go!

  • Ottawhat 88 | Kelly Ann Wilson (January 21)

    Ottawhat 88 | Kelly Ann Wilson (January 21)


    On the Ottawhat podcast this week, we interviewed singer-songwriter Kelly Ann Wilson. It was really cool getting a look at the process of performing and putting an album together in a musical family, and hearing from somebody who has spent her whole life in what I’ll call ‘rural Ottawa’.

    Kelly Ann also debuted her latest music video for the song ‘Clean’, which you can check out over on the podcast page.

  • A downtown sunset (January 20)

    A downtown sunset (January 20)

    I love taking pictures so much, and when I stepped off the bus yesterday, the sky looked absolutely gorgeous. I love looking at the sky, and around sunrise/sunset the colours are just unbelievable. I’m not normally able to capture the glory of the sky in such detail with my phone, but things just worked out here, and I’m getting a little better at making the phone work for me.

    Anyhow, this was one of the highlights of my day yesterday, and though you probably saw it, it’s my ‘thing’ for today.

    A photo posted by Rob Attrell (@robattrell) on Jan 19, 2016 at 4:44pm PST