New Apps, New Me

Friday, 4 March 2016Friday, 4 March 2016 StarrLeave a comment

I am a bit of a latecomer to the smartphone game. Even as everyone around me actively tried to convince me to get one, I stuck by my slider phone to the bitter end. All I needed was phone calls and text messages, with the occasional blurry photo. I really did not want to be connected to the world 24/7, and plus, those smartphones were not going to fit in the sad excuses for pockets that clothing companies sew into women’s pants.

But alas, even my trusty slider phone couldn’t hold out forever. Around the time that I had my wisdom teeth removed, my phone stopped working and our provider offered to give me a new smartphone for free because I had not upgraded my phone in so long. When I tried to replace my phone with another not-smart phone, I was asked to fork over money. 😦

So, fast forward 2 years to the present day. I am still using the same phone but my phone habits have changed a lot. I use Twitter enough to have downloaded the app. I have several photo-taking and -editing apps. Some apps have been with me since the beginning, but yesterday, I decided I needed a change.

Previously, I was using WeatherBug for my weather, Any.DO for to do lists, and Cal (by the makers of Any.DO) for my calendar needs. I still like them, but I found myself wanting something different (and – dare I say – just a bit better?) by means of UI (user interface). WeatherBug had a great widget and notifications bar status, but the app was starting to feel cluttered to me even though it had a lot of information. I had recently switched to Any.DO and Cal about a year ago because I liked the design, but I was tired of it and getting frustrated with some of the features or lack thereof.

So, a few months ago, I decided it was time for a change. Here are the apps I’m using and loving right now that replaced the above 3 (which I would still recommend, by the way):Read More »

Currently

Saturday, 4 April 2015Saturday, 4 April 2015 StarrLeave a comment

When my life isn’t too eventful, the Internet steps in to be exciting for me. When my life does get busy, well the Internet doesn’t sleep. Here’s a few things I wanted to share!

Dancing along to this incredible lip sync video through the ages

Reflecting on the the implications of the crazy ride that is the now-viral Brother Orange story. (Not going to lie, I cried a little by the end.)

Trailer for the upcoming documentary based on the whole ordeal

On a similar note, learning about how technology is changing China, as with this story of how people use the “Shake” feature on WeChat to find love

Chuckling at how passionate this redditor is about keeping grilled cheeses and melts as separate entities on /r/grilledcheese

Excited that Cards Against Humanity is releasing a science-themed card pack to benefit women in STEM

Disappointed in how cruel people can be, as attested by a TED editor after Monica Lewinsky’s excellent talk about public shaming

Giggling a bit that the new AP Stylebook changes include that BLT is acceptable on first reference

I’m going to be changing up how these little posts look, but do you like them? Do you want to see more/less of a certain kind of thing I share? Please let me know and happy Saturday!

Currently

Friday, 27 March 2015Friday, 27 March 2015 Starr3 Comments

I just realized I missed a day in my Tuesday/Friday update schedule for the first time since I started, without being on hiatus, and without even noticing? Sometimes time just slips away from you.

So I thought I’d just check in, share some of my finds from the Internet with you all, since I am definitely plugged in way too much.

Planning on making super flaky scallion pancakes from scratch soon

Trying out healthier living with a fitness tracker, tracking my food & water intake, and some exercise apps

Putting off training for another 5K though…

Dancing along to this dance compilation video:

Finishing my first attempt loaf of homemade banana bread

Thanking the weather overlords for giving us one warm day yesterday and not having it snow today

Thinking critically about Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a great show that has gotten several dialogues started

Preparing for a lot of fun to come in April

Reflecting on what Kazuo Ishiguro said at his book reading & signing, and my conversations with my friends from that day

Feeling intrigued by the new Sriracha snack line, as a casual fan of the famous spicy sauce

Congratulating my friend and NoVa Yelp community manager Gretchen on her engagement!!!!!

Just a super quick little update to let you all know what I’ve been up to these days. A March favorites round-up will be coming, and I have planned things out for this little space of mine. I hope you all like it (and that it pans out!).

Happy Friday all! How have you been lately?

Spotlight: JL8

Tuesday, 24 March 2015Thursday, 26 March 2015 Starr4 Comments

On my 12th birthday, I received a graphic novel from a friend. This was at the height of my manga-loving days. (Heck, it was not the only graphic novel I received that year.) But this one was different because it was the a hard copy of a web comic.

That was my introduction to the world of web comics. I’ve read several over the years, and maybe I’ll spotlight a few more, but today, I want to talk about my favorite. A few years ago, I definitely would not have been table to tell you what my favorite was. I have several web comics on my RSS reader that I read daily.

JL8 is my favorite by far.

JL8 is written and drawn by Yale Stewart. The title means (I believe) “Justice League 8”, as in it is a comic about the Justice League characters as 8-year-old children. The description of the comic as found on the official comic Tumblr is:

“JL8” is a side project of “Gifted” creator Yale Stewart. A weekly webcomic, it follows the adventures of popular DC comic characters as children in elementary school. Mostly funny, with a dash of pathos, it should be an enjoyable read for any fans of DC Comics characters as well as people who enjoy the traditional syndicated comic strip.

Confession: I have both laughed out loud and cried while reading this comic. And while re-reading it. That’s how good it is.

One of Yale’s commissioned pieces, featuring the JL8 gang, their teacher Mr. Schwartz (likely for Julius Schwartz, editor at DC) and gym instructor Mr. Darkseid

If you never read the comics, like myself, you’ll like this. Yale does a great job of writing the comic in a way that the important characters and their personalities are introduced to you. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t know anything about Superman or Batman prior to reading this comic; a few strips in, you get that Clark (Superman) is friendly and optimistic while Bruce (Batman) is broody and a bit of a darker character.

If you are a big fan of DC comics, you are going to love this web comic. Although Yale writes the comics in a way that a complete stranger to the DC comic universe can still enjoy them, the comics are his source material. From reading the comments on the strips as he uploads them to the Facebook page, fans love how characteristic of each person the actions in the story are. There are little nods to events and characters in the comics. If you’re familiar with the comics, you’ll be able to spot foreshadowing and Easter eggs. While I’m not able to enjoy these, the DC comics fans on the Facebook page seem to really love them, and even I’m able to see how much thought and forethought goes into incorporating the source material on Yale’s part.

#15, showing our Justice League cuties during reading hour and already letting us know a lot about each character very early on in the comic

I love how much of each character’s personality comes through, especially in their interactions with each other. This is easily one of the most well-written web comics I’ve ever read, and the art is great as well. Yale has even worked for Marvel, drawing for Nova #100!

I cannot recommend this comic enough. It is updated the least frequently, at once a week when Yale isn’t doing conventions, but it’s really worth it. I like to go back and just reread it from the start, that’s how good it is. (Also, if you didn’t know who Karen Starr is when I mentioned her in my sidebar, she’s in this comic!)

All images belong to Yale Stewart.

Find Yale at Facebook, Tumblr, deviantART, and Twitter
Follow JL8 at Facebook, Tumblr, limbero (smoother comic reader but unofficial so not always up-to-date), and Twitter

Do you read JL8 or other web comics?
What are your favorite web comics?

Feeling French Music

Thursday, 19 February 2015Friday, 20 March 2015 StarrLeave a comment

Happy first day of spring! It snowed here (because of course it did) but I hope you are enjoying free Rita’s and warmer weather without suffering from allergies.

Lately, I’ve just been really feeling French music. Not necessarily French by nationality but French as in the language that is being sung. I think I can trace this kick back to seeing a Stromae music video for the first time. It was this one:

Tumblr was a big fan and I was, too. I had first heard of Stromae through Pentatonix, actually, when they did a cover of his hit song “Papaoutai”. Their cover was really good, but I love Stromae’s video.

First of all, freaky fresh dance moves. Second of all, I really love how weird but not too-weird his music videos are? I get pretty easily waaaaay weirded out by music videos. Call me provincial, but the “artistic message” behind really “avant garde” music videos is very frequently completely lost on me. With Stromae’s videos, I am really engaged by the interesting video but I am also listening pretty closely to the music.

Even though I know French, I don’t really listen to the lyrics too closely when I listen to French songs. It’s like when I had my kpop phase; I listen to the songs because they sound good, and very rarely do I pay attention to what the words themselves mean. In fact, I rarely listen for the lyrics in English songs the first few listens. I have never spent much time on lyrics when it comes to listening to songs.

Anyway, French music keeps following me about so I thought I’d share a couple of music videos with you all. I made a Paris playlist ages ago, intending to release it with my Paris blog. That won’t be out for a while, since I spent a long time in Paris and… I am putting it off knowing how much I need to put into it. Also, these are mostly contemporary songs. Before this current music phase, I liked listening to a lot of older French music and was not at all familiar with anything from the last decade or two. (Or really any decade, let’s be real.)

Besides Stromae (who I am seeing in September!), I have also been listening to these artists on-and-off for the past few years: