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The Uncommon Life

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Jessica Baltazar

November 26, 2013
Jessica Baltazar, UncommonGoods
Jessica Baltazar, UncommonGoods Outbound Warehouse Team Lead

My hometown is…
Brooklyn, NY

What I love most about life is….
The beauty of it. No matter how bad things get, there is always something beautiful to keep us going forward.

My relationship with my mother nature is…
Uncertain. The shifts in climate temperature are off the radar these days.

My favorite process in the warehouse is…
Training seasonal employees. I love the fast-paced environment and the loudness the atmosphere brings. I get the opportunity to teach and train people about our operations, plus meet some amazing, unique individuals.

My style is…
Effortless. Effortless in a good way though. I don’t put too much thought into what I choose to wear, but one thing’s for sure: I make sure I look good once I step out the door.

An uncommon fact about me…
Someday I would like to vacation in a forest and learn to live a hunter-gatherer lifestyle for a month.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
That patience is a virtue and people respect you more for having that quality.

Would you rather… be a movie star, or a successful CEO (or neither)?
I’d absolutely rather be a successful CEO! Owning my own business is one of my long term goals. I would not want paparazzi ruining my life. No thank you.

The Uncommon Life

UncommonGoods Intersection of Love Pinterest Contest | Official Rules

November 25, 2013

UncommonGoods Intersection of Love Pinterest Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility: (the “Contest”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry and who did not purchase any equipment for the purposes of entering this giveaway. Employees of UncommonGoods as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. Sponsor and Administrator: UncommonGoods, 140 58th St, Building B, Suite 5A Brooklyn, NY 11220.

3. Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in this Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s and Administrator’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest.

4. Timing: The Contest begins Monday January 27, 2014 12pmm Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends Friday February 7, 2013 11:59pm ET (the “Contest Period”).

5. How to Enter:
1. Follow UncommonGoods on Facebook
2. Share a link to your Pin of a romantic place on the online form found on the UncommonGoods Facebook page.
One (1) winner will be chosen by our social media team.

Content Restrictions as defined below (collectively, the “Guidelines and Restrictions”).

Individuals can enter this Contest more than once.

By entering the Contest, constitutes an entrant’s consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such submissions in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, including for promotional or marketing purposes. Released Parties (as defined in Section 9, below) are not responsible for lost, late, stolen, damaged, incomplete, invalid, un-intelligible, garbled, delayed or misdirected Submissions; all of which will be void.

6. Winner Determination: At the end of the Contest Period, UncommonGoods will select one winner at random. The winners will receive $100 each to UncommonGoods.com.

7. Winner Requirements: The potential winners will be notified via email from UncommonGoods. If the potential winner cannot be contacted, or do not comply with these Official Rules, or the prizes are returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits the prizes. If potential winners are disqualified for any reason, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up, if any, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Only two alternate winners may be determined, after which the applicable prize will remain un-awarded. Acceptance of any prize shall constitute and signify winner’s agreement and consent that Sponsor may use the winner’s name, city, state, likeness, photo, and/or prize information in connection with the Contest for promotional, advertising or other purposes, worldwide, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, including the Internet, without limitation and without further payment, notification, permission or other consideration, except where prohibited by law. Without limiting the generality of these Official Rules, winner shall irrevocably grant, transfer, convey and assign to Sponsor the entirety of the rights in and to the Submission and all renewals and extensions of copyright, and the right to secure copyright registrations thereto in perpetuity including, without limitation, the rights to use the Submission for any and all purposes in any and all media whether now known or hereafter developed, on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity. The winner accepts and acknowledges that Sponsor shall not be obligated to use the Submission and that Sponsor in its sole discretion shall have the right to refrain from using the Submission. Sponsor shall not incur any liability whatsoever to the extent Sponsor chooses to refrain from any exploitation of its rights hereunder. Winner will indemnify Sponsor, Released Parties (as defined in Section 9, below) and any licensee of Sponsor against all claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and legal expenses) arising out of any breach of these terms. Prizes will be fulfilled 3-5 weeks after winner determination.

8. Prize: 1 PRIZE: One winner will receive $200 to UncommonGoods.com. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.

9. Release: The winner agrees to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, Administrator and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. If terminated, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, determine the winners from among all eligible Submissions received up to time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the Submission process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and void all associated Submissions. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

11. Limitations of Liability Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrant, printing, typographical or other errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Submission process or the Contest; (4) printing, typographical, technical, computer, network or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest, the uploading, the processing or judging of Submissions, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize (including any travel/activity related thereto). Released Parties are not responsible for misdirected or undeliverable Submissions or for any technical problems, malfunctions of computer systems, servers, providers, hardware/software, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or any combination thereof. Released Parties are not responsible for any unauthorized third-party use of any Submission.

12. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the appropriate New York State Court located in New York; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. All rights reserved.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Solomon Ademuwagun

November 24, 2013

Solomon Ademuwagun | UncommonGoodsSolomon Ademuwagun, Quality Assurance Analyst
My hometown is…
New York City

I’m inspired by…
Seeing others persevere even when life seems to tell them to give up.

My guilty pleasure is…
Watching action movies at an extremely high volume. I’m a home theater buff. You would think my neighbor would complain, but he’s an action buff too. He’ll just knock on my door with pizza and a six pack and we’ll just enjoy the show.

The best customer interaction I’ve had at UncommonGoods was…
When I answered the phone and the customer said I sounded so proper and I had a lovely British accent. (I’m from New York!)

My style is…
Low key.

An uncommon fact about me…
I memorized the entire NYC subway map at the age of three.

Working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
How to make beer with one of the fabulous beer making kits we sell! I am also more creative and learned that there are usually several ways to successfully solve a problem.

Would you rather… travel in space for a week, or in a submarine (presuming there will be great sightseeing in either mode)?
I’d definitely travel in space!! Knowing that it takes several thousand years for the light of some stars to reach us is fascinating. What if there are civilizations that orbit those stars? Do they still exist?

The Uncommon Life

Gift Lab: Flip & Tumble + Wine Tote + Bentgo: A-leftovering we will go

November 22, 2013

Research

I hate waste. I’m really OCD about it. Disposable shopping bags, takeout containers, and water bottles really bug me. And yet, I do shop, eat on the go, and need H2O. Thus was born my quest for the perfect personal food transport equipment.

3-ItemCollageHypothesis

Our Flip & Tumble Reusable Shopping Bags are light and small and hold a lot. Sounds promising. Our BentGO Lunch Box is good looking. Most of its lunch-toting brethren are decidedly not. It’s also a good size, and except for the lids, microwaveable (for warming up, not cooking), and dishwasher safe. Also promising. Our Wine and Beverage Tote, with its tough canvas outer skin, seems a lot sturdier than fold-up plastic bottles I’ve used before.

Experiment

Step 1: Shopping.

This was mostly accomplished at the Park Slope Food Coop, of which I am an enthused member. A sustainability-minded organization since forever, the coop doesn’t give out shopping bags. Flip & Tumbles are perfect for shopping there. They weigh virtually nothing, open up in a jiffy (faster and easier than any shopping bag I’ve ever used), hold a lot, and are strong and sturdy. The even have a non-slip patch on the inside top of the shoulder strap.

Giftlab food-bags 016-CROPPED

Here’s how they look full of groceries.

Giftlab food-bags 019-CROPPED

Here are most of the ingredients, spread out. (The bags actually held a lot more than this.)

Step 2: Cooking.

I bought a spaetzle maker no less than 6 years ago, and until now, had never used it. Sound familiar, gadget lovers? I saw this recipe in the New York Times, and knew this was what would make spaetzle happen in my kitchen.

To round out the meal, I decided to make mashed sweet potatoes with lime and honey (the recipe calls them yams, but they are NOT; shame on you, Saveur!) with broiled grapefruit for dessert.

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 004-CROPPED

I put the sweet potatoes in a casserole dish and stuck them in the preheated 350 degree oven.

I then sliced the leeks and cabbage (separately) very thinly in the food processor. I melted a bunch of butter in a big frying pan and sauteed the leeks. But I forgot to take photos of all that, so you’ll have to use your imagination.

CabbageCookingCollage

The savoy cabbage, sauteeing on top of the already-sauteed leeks.

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 021

Above is the mixed white all-purpose, whole wheat, and whole rye flour (yes, I ground it from the berries, here’s why), to which I added an egg and whole milk. It’s supposed to end up like cake batter, not bread dough, so you keep adding milk until it feels right. Because I used whole wheat flour, which the recipe doesn’t call for, I used more milk than recommended, because whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid.

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 001

My spaetzle maker in action, at long last. You pour the batter gradually into the white hopper which you then slide along the holey stainless steel part that’s straddling the pot of boiling, salted water. The dough slips through randomly, drops into the pot, and cooks very quickly, rising to the top.

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 022

It’s pasta…it’s dumplings….it’s spaetzle!

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 027-CROPPED

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 017

The recipe calls for thyme, which I conveniently have growing in one of my kitchen windowboxes.

Now it’s time for it to be topped with grated Gruyere cheese, put in a casserole dish, and baked. But wait–where’s that dish?!

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 044

Oh yeah, it was baking these. When I took them out, I didn’t bother cleaning it, because sugary, gooey sweet potato ooze can only improve a dish. I did mix it in, though, so it wouldn’t just burn on the bottom.

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 032-CROPPED

The casserole in a state of baking readiness.

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The sweet potatoes, mashed with a fork and mingling with their new BFFs: butter, fresh lime juice, and honey.

11-18-13UG-giftlab-cooking 051-CROPPED

20 minutes after being put into the 425 degree oven: Done.

11-19-13UG-giftlab-cooking 018-CROPPED

Now for the broiled grapefruit. Easiest thing ever: cut in half, top with brown sugar (or not), turn broiler on, pop in citrus.

~An interlude, during which I eat this delicious dinner, and sleep. A new day dawns.~

11-19-13UG-giftlab-cooking 025-CROPPED

The true and ultimate destiny of this food, of course, was being consumed as leftovers. I added some homemade kefir I put into a can that I’d fished out from the recycling and washed (see above re: “OCD about waste;” also, it was the perfect size), because I thought it would go well with both the casserole and the grapefruit.

11-19-13UG-giftlab-cooking 038

Stick a fork in it–it’s done.

Step 3: A) Eating and B) Drinking

A) The spaetzle dish, like most casseroles, was even better the next day. It nuked up beautifully in its spiffy BentGO container. I ate it in about two minutes flat. No, I will not show you what that looked like. My mother might be reading this, and it would make her cry to see that all those years of table manners lessons were wasted on me.

UG giftlab-wine tote 004-CROPPED

B) The Wine and Beverage Tote, alas, was filled only with water, because I was at work. (You think I can write all juiced up? No. I leave that to pros.) For purely scientific purposes, I did fill it with wine the night before. Miraculously, it holds an entire, normal-sized bottle, though you have to make sure the bag is poufed out all the way while (carefully) pouring. I recommend red wine, because the Tote isn’t insulated, so the wine will be at room temperature before long.

I really appreciated its sturdy canvas exterior, because it freed me from the nagging worry that something sharp in my bag might gouge it. If there’d been red wine inside, I would have appreciated it even more–no, not because of the alcohol; because of the potential for mess. (OK, the alcohol, too.) Note that I swapped out the original petite black carabiner with a larger one of my own, partly–but ONLY partly, I swear–because mine is pink.

Recipe links:
New York Times: Rye spaetzle gratin with savoy cabbage, leeks and caraway
Saveur: Mashed sweet potatoes with lime and honey
TheKitchn: Sweet and smoky broiled grapefruit

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Peter Mazelis

November 20, 2013
UncommonGoods Drop Ship Team Lead Peter Mazelis
Peter Mazelis, UncommonGoods Drop Ship Team Lead

My hometown is…
Spanish Harlem, NYC

The best customer interaction I’ve had at UncommonGoods so far…
Pia Zadora (yes, she called in to place an order).

I enjoy working with custom orders because…
The variety of items and kinds of requests–especially like the map items (Map Cuffllinks, Pillow, etc.)

I’m inspired by…
Truth and Beauty.

The word that best describes me is…
Impossible.

An uncommon fact about me…
I know all of the words to every Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Planet Rose Karaoke bar.

When I’m not working I’m probably…
Eating, reading, sleeping (take your pick).

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
That the supply of useless, beautiful objects in this world is simply endless.

With a pile of stuff in front of me I would build…
You’re given an Alphabet Factory Blocks set, a package of pipe cleaners, wood glue, a paper towel tube, and box of miscellaneous nuts and bolts.

Hmmm–sounds like the Tower of Babel.

The Uncommon Life

UncommonGoods Celebrate Family Photo Contest Rules

November 19, 2013

UncommonGoods Celebrate Family Photo Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility: (the “Contest”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry and who did not purchase any equipment for the purposes of entering this giveaway. Employees of UncommonGoods as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. Sponsor and Administrator: UncommonGoods, 140 58th St, Building B, Suite 5A Brooklyn, NY 11220.

3. Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in this Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s and Administrator’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest.

4. Timing: The Contest begins Monday November 25, 2013 9am Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends Sunday December 1, 2013 11:59pm ET (the “Contest Period”).

5. How to Enter:
1. Follow UncommonGoods on Facebook
2. Take a photo of your family celebrating Thanksgiving together.
3. Upload your photo to the Instagram Challenge tab on our Facebook page directly or through Instagram or Twitter with #CelebrateFamilyUG.
4. If you submit via Instagram or Twitter, you must return to the Celebrate Family tab to claim your photo.
1 winners total will be chosen by our social media team.

Content Restrictions as defined below (collectively, the “Guidelines and Restrictions”).

Individuals can enter this Contest more than once.

By entering the Contest, constitutes an entrant’s consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such submissions in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, including for promotional or marketing purposes. Released Parties (as defined in Section 9, below) are not responsible for lost, late, stolen, damaged, incomplete, invalid, un-intelligible, garbled, delayed or misdirected Submissions; all of which will be void.

6. Winner Determination: At the end of the Contest Period, UncommonGoods will select one winner at random. The winners will receive $250 to UncommonGoods.com.

7. Winner Requirements: The potential winners will be notified via email from UncommonGoods. If the potential winner cannot be contacted, or do not comply with these Official Rules, or the prizes are returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits the prizes. If potential winners are disqualified for any reason, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up, if any, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Only two alternate winners may be determined, after which the applicable prize will remain un-awarded. Acceptance of any prize shall constitute and signify winner’s agreement and consent that Sponsor may use the winner’s name, city, state, likeness, photo, and/or prize information in connection with the Contest for promotional, advertising or other purposes, worldwide, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, including the Internet, without limitation and without further payment, notification, permission or other consideration, except where prohibited by law. Without limiting the generality of these Official Rules, winner shall irrevocably grant, transfer, convey and assign to Sponsor the entirety of the rights in and to the Submission and all renewals and extensions of copyright, and the right to secure copyright registrations thereto in perpetuity including, without limitation, the rights to use the Submission for any and all purposes in any and all media whether now known or hereafter developed, on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity. The winner accepts and acknowledges that Sponsor shall not be obligated to use the Submission and that Sponsor in its sole discretion shall have the right to refrain from using the Submission. Sponsor shall not incur any liability whatsoever to the extent Sponsor chooses to refrain from any exploitation of its rights hereunder. Winner will indemnify Sponsor, Released Parties (as defined in Section 9, below) and any licensee of Sponsor against all claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and legal expenses) arising out of any breach of these terms. Prizes will be fulfilled 3-5 weeks after winner determination.

8. Prize: 1 PRIZE: The winner will each receive $250 to UncommonGoods.com. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.

9. Release: The winner agrees to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, Administrator and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. If terminated, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, determine the winners from among all eligible Submissions received up to time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the Submission process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and void all associated Submissions. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

11. Limitations of Liability Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrant, printing, typographical or other errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Submission process or the Contest; (4) printing, typographical, technical, computer, network or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest, the uploading, the processing or judging of Submissions, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize (including any travel/activity related thereto). Released Parties are not responsible for misdirected or undeliverable Submissions or for any technical problems, malfunctions of computer systems, servers, providers, hardware/software, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or any combination thereof. Released Parties are not responsible for any unauthorized third-party use of any Submission.

12. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the appropriate New York State Court located in New York; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. All rights reserved.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Jonathan Medina

November 18, 2013

Jonathan Medina

Jonathan Medina, UncommonGoods Security Engineer
My home town is……
Brooklyn, NY

I’m passionate about……
Innovative technology advances and the open source community.

I’m inspired by……
The open source and scientific community as well as anyone who has ever made a mistake while trying to succeed.

My guilty pleasure is……
Ordering more food than I can eat at a restaurant so I can take it home and eat it later.

The most amazing thing I’ve ever seen is…
Autonomous drones the size of a small birds. We are a few years away from have fully autonomous robots in our everyday lives.

An uncommon fact about me……
I can juggle.

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned……
How to make more with less waste.

Would you rather…… use off-the-shelf computer software and hardware without modifying it for a year, or never again play ping pong with your teammates (or anyone else)?
I would be able to give up ping pong to modify something.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Dom Ramirez

November 18, 2013

Dom Ramirez | UncommonGoods

Dom Ramirez, UncommonGoods Outbound Warehouse Team Lead


My hometown is…

Brooklyn New York.

An uncommon fact about me…
I eat all my food with a spoon. Even spaghetti.

I’m inspired by…
Jim Jones

My best trait is…
My honesty.

The trait I most appreciate in others….
Their honesty.

My favorite process in the warehouse is…
Supply replenish and inventory, in Outbound.

Working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…

How to be a team player.

Would you rather… Live in a house that looked absolutely horrible on the outside but stunning on the inside, or a house that looked amazing on the outside but mediocre inside?
I would be happy if I lived in any house. (I live in a apartment but I would love to live in a house.)