The Utah State Fair 2011
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Canon Rebel T3i Starter Kit
Are you brand new to Digital SLR cameras like me? If so, this post will be your life saver! I have searched the web far and wide to find out the optimal starter package for someone looking to buy a Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR camera. Here you go!
Rebel T3i Dream Kit:
1 Canon Rebel T31 Body and Lens Kit – $735.95
1 Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Lens – 345.95
1 Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone – $229.00
1 SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ SDHC™ Card – 16GB – $59.96
1 SanDisk ImageMate® All-in-One USB 2.0 Reader – $24.79
1 Aktiv Pak 200 SLR Camera Sling Bag – $39.15
Total: $1,434.80
I’ve listed all of the details and links for the Rebel T3i “dream kit” below. There are also a few, more expensive options for the 50mm lens and the SD Card, but what I have above would be ideal for most people.
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS II lens
from $735.95
Kit Includes:
- EOS Rebel T3i Body
- EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Type II Lens
- Eyecup Ef
- Wide Strap EW-100DBIII
- USB Interface Cable IFC-130U
- AV Cable AVC-DC400ST
- Battery Pack LP-E8
- Battery Charger LC-E8E
- EOS Digital Solution Disk and Instruction Manuals “Great Photography is Easy” Booklet and “Do More with Macro” Booklet
50mm Lenses:
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
from $345.95
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.2
from $1,469.00
Audio:
Normally, the built-in microphone will record monaural sound. Stereo sound recording is possible by connecting an external microphone equipped with a stereo mini plug (3.5mm dia.) to the camera’s external microphone IN terminal. When an external microphone is connected, sound recording will switch automatically to the external microphone.
Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone
$229.00
SD Card:
Large-Capacity Speed Class 6 or higher (class 10 for shooting 60 fps)
- SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ SDHC™ Card – 16GB
from $59.96
- SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ SDHC™ Card – 32GB
from $120.00
SD Card Reader:
SanDisk ImageMate® All-in-One USB 2.0 Reader
$24.79
Camera Bag:
Aktiv Pak 200 SLR Camera Sling Bag
from $39.15
Lucid Dreaming Techniques
This lucid dreaming techniques video tutorial is all about how to dream lucid. I teach you a lucid dream induction for beginners, share with you my lucid dreaming experience, and if you didn’t know this already, I answer the question, “what is a lucid dream?”
Lucidity FTW ;)
I wanted to share this information with all of you because I’m super interested in dreams and lucid dreaming. I threw in some of my own humor to keep it fresh as well. Hope you like!
I’ll see you guys next Wednesday!
This is Wally signing out for Wally Wednesday’s.
Dream well and dream lucid :)
PS — Don’t forget to share your own lucid dreaming experience as a comment or a video response!
Let’s Start Rewarding Our Drivers!
What it is! This is Wally signing on for Wally Wednesdays. In this vlog I take you along with me while I repair a flat tire and discuss the possibilities of introducing a reward system rather than our current fear-based law enforcement system.
The Ballroom Script – Hypnosis
As probably none of you know, I am a Certified Hypnotist through the NGH. During my certification courses, I was required to write my own hypnosis script, hypnotize one of the other students, and use my script on them in front of the class. Below is the script I came up with. I just recently discovered it on my music computer and had to share it with you guys.
A few things to know:
Below is only the body of the script. If I were performing this script on a subject I would first use some pre-talk, suggestibility tests, and finally a hypnotic induction before diving into the script. Also afterwards I would implement some post-hypnotic suggestions, an awakening, and some convincers. Although I’m not going in-depth on those aspects in this post, I felt many people could greatly benefit from this script.
You will notice that hypnosis is very similar to meditation or “grounding.” Give this a shot on someone you know. Calm them down, bring them to a place of relaxed focus, and begin reading the script. I have left blanks where you should fill in the subject’s name. You will probably notice that reading this script to yourself will bring a sense of relaxation and peace. (Am I hypnotizing you right now?…)
Here it is, The Ballroom Script:
Take a deep breath in and exhale for a longer period of time… As you do this, allow yourself to let go and go even deeper into hypnosis… Now I want you to imagine yourself standing in the middle of a grand ballroom… You are wearing your best formal attire… Go ahead and take a look around… The immaculate marble floors… The beautiful hand-crafted statues and fountains… The enormous staircase blanketed with the most vibrant red carpet you have ever seen… Notice the large bouquet of flowers behind you… Go ahead and breath in their wonderful aroma… Perfect… There is an older man playing softly on the grand piano… Listen now as you hear the warm, calming sound… Every note that comes from the piano allows you to feel peaceful and light… Just take a second now and listen to the music… Feel free to walk closer so you can hear and feel the music more clearly… Perfect… Now, notice the large gold and crystal chandelier hanging above the direct center of the ballroom… Notice the craftsmanship and fine intricacies of the chandelier… As you look at the chandelier, things begin to get very calm and quiet now… The man on the piano stops playing, and all of the lights begin to dim except for the center chandelier… The chandelier begins to glow brighter now and emits a heavenly spot light directly beneath it… You are drawn to this light… The closer you get to the light, the more peaceful and secure you begin to feel… Go ahead and walk completely into the light… When you are there, just let yourself basque… When you feel completely peaceful and secure, give me a sign by moving your right index finger… Perfect… I want you to imagine now all of the people in your life that you love… Anyone that has impacted you in a positive way… Now, look out onto the staircase… The five most important people in your life are standing at the top… Don’t worry if you can’t quite see them, they will become clear to you in just a second… “LADIES AND GENTLEMAN”… You hear an announcement over the speaker system… “TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE EXISTENCE OF __________”… One of the people from the staircase begins to walk towards you and the four others follow in line… As they continue walking towards you, prepare to listen to what they have to say… Take in a nice deep breath and exhale for a longer period of time… You are now completely relaxed and confident, ready to be loved… Person number one steps forward into the light now and you are able to recognize them instantly… Only you need to know who these people are… Now listen to what they have to say… “_________ I AM PROUD OF YOU”… Feel the connection you share with this person… Now onto person number two… “_________ YOU ARE PERFECT”… Number three… “_________ YOU ARE ENOUGH”… Continue noticing and connecting with each person… Person number four steps into the light now… “_________ I LOVE YOU”… And now the last person steps into the light… Notice… Connect… “_________ THANK YOU”… Take a deep breath… Breath in all of the love and gratitude you feel from these people in front of you…
Something interesting to notice is that most everybody this is performed on will say that the people they saw in their mind would have said those exact things.
I challenge you to use this script on somebody and let me know how it went in the comments section below this post. You don’t have to be a certified hypnotist to guide someone through a relaxing experience. If they have an imagination, they will do just fine. As for you as the guide, be confident and conscious of the subject. Read at a pace that is appropriate for the moment and you will be able to provide a very powerful experience for someone.
I hope you enjoyed this post and took something valuable for yourself.
The Zany World of Benarius Sphincter Character Sneak Peek
Today I’m going to give you a little sneak peek into The Zany World of Benarius Sphincter!
The Zany World of Benarius Sphincter is a cartoon idea that my buddy Andy Hendrickson and I have been throwing around for a long time now. The cartoon is a “zany” twist on actual experiences we had as kids. There is still much work to be done before we actually come out with a full episode, but in the meantime I want to show you some concept designs of the main character, “Benarius Sphincter.”
FRONT VIEW
PROFILE VIEW
BACK VIEW
All of the character design was done by me in Adobe Flash. I would love to hear what you think :)
Cadence – Anberlin Acoustic Cover
On the way to and from camping with my buddies over the weekend, I had the opportunity of listening to lots of music. The acoustic version of Cadence by Anberlin came up and I remembered how much I love not only that song, but Anberlin in general. In that moment I decided I wanted to record an acoustic cover of Cadence. Here’s my version:
Click this link to listen: Cadence – Anberlin Acoustic Cover
Bull-shitting Your Way Through Anything
It’s day 2 now of the 7 in 7 project. The goal is to create 7 valuable pieces of content to post on the web in 7 days. I’ve been working on projects all day for other people and now it’s my turn to pump something out. For my post today, I’m going to teach you guys “How to Bullshit Your Way Through Anything.”
Not everyone wields the unique power of bull-shitting. It either takes lots of hard work, or you are like me, and was graciously handed the gift at birth. With a little guidance, I can have you gushing loads of bull like the pros in no time!
Tip #1 – Be the Bull
If you’re going to come up with a bunch of crap on the spot and expect people to take the bait, you have to be confident. This confidence is what I like to call “being the bull.” If there is even the slightest hint that you don’t know what you’re talking about, you will lose all respect and rapport that anybody may have previously had for you.
Tip #2 – Don’t Hesitate, Elaborate
When talking or writing the bull, quantity is much more important than quality. Start simple and on topic, and then, just let your imagination flow. Some people while attempting this elaboration method tend to veer too far from the original topic being discussed or written about. The trick to elaboration is to be unique and creative while maintaing a smooth chain of bull.
Tip #3 – If You’re Trying, You’re Trying Too Hard
Bull-shitting isn’t something that can be forced. If you find yourself stuck and searching for what to say or what to write, chances are the material you come up with will feel unnatural and will easily tip-off any suspicious listeners that you’re completely full of shit. Whenever I catch myself searching, I stop, take a breath, and allow my mind to provide me with more precious nuggets of bull. Fact is, true bull is never forced, it can only be inspired.
Following these 3 bull-shitting tips will have you on the fast-track to success!
Ha! Oh man. I’m so full-of-shit it’s ridiculous. Although I was completely talking out of my ass, I think there were some good lessons here that could be applied to other aspects of life. Even if you didn’t learn anything at all, it’s ok, I hope I was at least able to provide a few good chuckles. Never underestimate the value of a good chuckle.
Have a good night everyone!
Text to Speech – Mac OS X Lion
I just made the update to Mac OS X Lion. It’s insane how much easier it is to update your operating system on an Apple than a PC. It was only $29.99 and I installed it right from the App Store on my computer. There are tons of cool new features. Especially one in particular I just stumbled upon tonight, “Text to Speech”. I’m pretty sure Macs have had this feature for a long time, I just never noticed it until now.
I was just perusing the plethora of options within the Text to Speech feature on my Mac and came across an option that allows you to have your computer “speak” whatever text you have selected, simply by pressing a simple key-combination.
Here’s How!
- Go to System Preferences (You can get there by clicking the little black apple at the top-left of the screen)
- Click on Speech (It’s the little microphone on the bottom row)
- Inside of the “Speech” feature there are 2 tabs at the top of the box, go into the Text to Speech tab by clicking on it.
- Select the checkbox that says, “Speak selected text when the key is pressed“
- Close out of System Preferences cause you’re all set!
Quick Tip: To close out of any currently open program, press and hold “command”, and while holding, click the “Q” key (command+Q)
Now you can highlight any bit of text, press [option+esc], and the computer will read back to you whatever you have selected.
Practical Uses:
- Highlight an entire article on the web and let the computer read it for you. — Hey, why don’t you test it out on this page ;)
- Highlight your friend’s Status Updates on Facebook and let the computer read them back. You could even go back into the System Preferences and change the computer voice to female and match your friend’s gender… lol
- Open up a “Text Edit” document, write a bunch of funny stuff and make your computer read it back. For some reason this is so freaking entertaining! I have spent a good few hours writing profanities and funny sentences and making Alex (my computer voice) read them back to me.
I work in an office where everyone sits on their computers for hours at a time. I can’t wait to hook my computer up to the Bose wireless speakers and type something hilarious. Maybe something like, “My name is Murphy, I am your Bose speaker system. Karson, you are looking pretty fat today…” I think it would get some good laughs.
I’m excited to hear what cool stuff you’re able to come up with using the Text to Speech feature on the Mac. Be sure to post any conversation down below as a comment.
I’ve got an idea… How about in the comments, you guys write little chunks of funny text that we can all highlight and make the computer read back? That could be pretty cool.
Catch you later!
Match Moving – Matchmover and Maya – Furry Duck Ball
For the longest time I’ve wondered how people put 3D models into 2D footage and make it look real. Well, I’ve finally unlocked the secret… It’s called match moving. Using special software, I’m able to 3D track 2D footage and re-create a 3D environment that moves seamlessly with the original 2D video footage — So cool.
If enough people are interested (maybe 20 people or so) I would love to share more in-depth how this is actually done. There are so many dumb little details that must be perfect in order for this to work properly and I had to learn them all from research, trial, and error. If you want to learn from me without the run-a-round, leave a comment below and let me know. I will share with you so many valuable little tricks that will make your life soooo much easier.