While visiting other people’s blogs today, I ran across Chasing Daisy’s post regarding a Create Your Own Avatar Flash application.

It was really fun and passed the time. I especially liked the style of the avatars. I ended up creating an avatar in my likeness that can currently be viewed in my bio. I was a little confused early on with the email link and why it wouldn’t work. I figured clicking the email link would allow me to email myself the avatar. Nope. Happens that the Flash application is actually from this site that has used up all its bandwidth. Luckily, someone is mirroring the Flash application.

Just a warning about this fun application: if you get attached to your avatar, make sure you know how to take screen captures (so you can take it home with your) and have some graphic editing software for resizing.

Enjoy.

I became introduced to WaterField Designs when waiting in line for the launch of OS X Jaguar. I was not only waiting in line for the OS, I was waiting in line to order my new mac. The person in front of me had a WaterField Designs Sleevecase that he used as his laptop bag. I loved the minimalist design and felt that I would have to find this bag when I got my laptop. I ended up finding the site and buying the bag when I got my iBook. I have had that bag for two years and it still looks great. Other being used as a laptop bag, I would also use it when I went to class with my REI Grad Daypack as an extra level of protection when I put the laptop in the laptop pocket.

With my new laptop, I decided again on the Sleevecase (eventhough I was considering the Cargo Bag). Since school is over, I wanted to retire my backpack and have a nice bag for my laptop with space for my camera gear and maybe a technical book or two. I don’t think the Cargo bag could handle my needs. Anyway, this post is about WaterField Designs and not about my bag fetish.

I ordered my new laptop bag on December 26 and about one hour later, I got an email that my order was being shipped. Wow, that was fast for the day after Christmas. The postman delivered my bag today and it is great. They made one small modification since the last one I ordered. The sleevecase now has a pocket on the back which is just enough space for my Diablo II and WarCraft III disks.

I can not recommend WaterField Designs enough. Their products are well made and very stylish. If you are looking for a laptop bag, I ask you to look at what they have first before checking out conventional bags.

You should be aware of which parts of your town are thought dangerous. Sometimes city lines are well recognized within the locals, check out online forums and internet websites to best inform you of the spots to not visit after hours. Know all the possible contact numbers you may need to call in an unexpected emergency. If you are going out on your own and you also wish to drink a little during the night, make certain someone at your house knows of your plans and you also might want to make it easy for them to get in touch with you by having a mobile.

Some people’s ideas of security precautions could differ based on the gender of the individual in question, but I believe overall common-sense and playing it safe is a good advice for anyone. Don’t drink drinks that a stranger hands you, be sure the bartender opens bottles before you, don’t go home with a person you don’t know, don’t start fights, etc. Overall your city is a wonderful spot to party, just use good sense when you are out and about.

If there were such a thing as an urban psychotherapist, the good doctor might diagnose our malaise as a citywide case of chronic, low-level depression. Sadness? The faces you see on an average day on the A train look as if they’re auditioning for cameos in a Walker Evans photo. Free-floating angst and rage? I’d bet that if the average household were bugged (which they very well may be, before too long, in the interests of national security), you’d hear a startling number of New Yorkers yelling at their unresponsive TV screens as the network anchormen intone the evening news.

Those nightly wig-outs may turn out to be the key to our diagnosis. Because my guess is that we’re not all simultaneously being flattened, through some miracle of synchronicity, by the recovered memories of our unhappy childhoods. It hardly requires a board-certified psychoanalyst to read the signs and manifestations and to conclude that our malaise is not about past history, but rather about the present historical moment.

Only thing is, local color aside, this isn’t just a NY story… But a major change in barometric pressure…

What do we make of the fact that the declarations of the end of history always come when time seems to be rushing forward, while at times like we’re living in now, when “history” is ostensibly restarted, everything seems to have come to a halt.

If you’re looking to find less pricely pair of these boots, there are a few tips you can consider:

-Try shopping online. Major online retailers such as Amazon, Ebay and shoes.com can offer a great selection of underpriced uggs

-Look at big chain stores in your neighbourhood, stores like Target, Walmart or Costco sometimes sell uggs

-Check out local stores, many may have similar style boots in stock at a much lesser cost

-Do an online research to find a similar brands. Sure they are imitation but who cares if they look stylish

-Wait for a Sale, there are usually plenty of sale events during the course of the year when you can get a great deal

Uggs usually come in 5 types or styles – Cove, Mini, Short, Tall and Crochet. The most popular is the Short design, where the shoe goes up to about the middle of your calf. There are usually no ties and it comes in gray, brown, cream or black.

If you’re not sure if the shoes you’re buying are fake or authentic, its a good idea to do a good research before making a purchase. Avoid buying them from small third-party places. Check out the user reviews, or if you’re shopping at the local store, try the material to make sure its the one that should be, and also read the tag on the boot itself.