The Uncommon Life

UncommonGoods Goes to Washington

June 24, 2010

(Ok, not really, but we are getting involved in New York State politics!)

Hot off the press — the bill for benefit corporations (UncommonGoods was a founding member) was passed in NY state! This bill makes room in state corporate law for a legal middle ground between nonprofits and ordinary businesses. Hip hip hooray!

Here’s the catch, though, the bill still must pass in the Assembly and then go to the Governor before becoming law. If you want to help make this happen, please call Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office at 518.455.3791 – bill # is A11498 – we’re hoping to get it passed before the session ends next week!

Read more about benefit corporations and the bill.

The Uncommon Life

Gift Lab #7: the Tara & the Diana

June 23, 2010

1) Product Name: Diana F+ Camera by Lomography

2) Background Research: I’m an avid camera collector. Medium format and 35mm are my favorite films to shoot. After acquiring a Holga (also by Lomography) 2 years ago, I soon after became interested in the Diana F+. My Holga has never failed to capture beautiful, soft, surreal images. Once you become familiar with the camera, depending on your artistic style, it can become a very expressive and fun toy. The Diana F+ is very similar in that it’s very lightweight, purely plastic, and uses medium format film.

3) Hypothesis: From images I’ve seen, I expect the Diana F+ will produce some super saturated images – hyper bright colors. With experience with my Holga, I also think there may be some light leakage around the frames. As far as shutter speed and aperture are concerned, the Diana F+ appears much more complex and unpredictable, so I’m pretty sure quite a bit of my first roll will be blurry, over-exposed, and/or under-exposed.

4) Experiment: One of the beauties of this camera is it’s easy to take with you everywhere, so I kept it either in my purse or strung from my neck for the entire month May.

5) Results: I was very concerned with brightness, fearing my images would be over-saturated when shooting outdoors in very bright light, but I was proven wrong. Many photos were much darker than I expected. There was light leakage in some images, but not enough to distract. The worst light leakage was from from my first roll – I didn’t take very good care of it before having it processed (I know, shame on me). The best example of this leakage is actually an image of Larry Murr, Uncommon Goods’ Inbound Auditor! There’s a nice big KODAK right over his head!

Most of my second roll was shot in Coney Island – these images were brighter, and the colors richer. They were also very dreamy and soft – objects and people look as if they’re floating in the images. Although they were a bit blurry as well, I thought it was a nice effect.

An issue I had with my images was overlapping exposures, so I should have installed at least one of the additional frames that comes with the camera. The Diana F+ is also very delicate. I recommend acquiring a protective case of some sort. The shutter release is very sensitive and the film spool advances more freely than one would like it to. The lens cap wasn’t too secure either – mine disappeared after a week.

5) Conclusion: My second roll came out better than the first, so using the Diana F+ well involves a great deal of practice and becoming familiar. If you prefer super sharp images, a tripod is necessary, sometimes even when using the fastest shutter speed. I will definitely continue to use the Diana, as it appears there’s still a lot to learn about the camera. It’s a fun, lightweight, and I love the dream-like quality of its images.

About the researcher: Tara is Accounting Liaison to Operations and Return to Vendor Coordinator at UncommonGoods. She’s an aesthete and enjoys photography, inventorying, urban exploration and technology.

The Uncommon Life

Don’t Forget The Sunscreen!

June 23, 2010

After years of being a tan-a-rexic where I sunbathed religiously in the summer and jumped in a tanning bed in the winter, I realized I was looking more haggard than goddess. Since the day my dermatologist showed me how bad the damage was, I’ve turned into a sunscreen worshiper.

The higher the SPF — the better! And since I constantly preach to everyone I know about the dangers of the sun, I might as well preach to people I don’t know (all you lovely readers) as well! So here they are: the best of the best in sun care starting with my personal favorite La Roche-Posay. Continue Reading…

The Uncommon Life

SproutRobot: Your Gardening Reminder

June 22, 2010

Wanna be a garderner but your busy life seems to always get in the way? Get seeds delivered to your door and friendly reminders of when to plant and what to do! Thanks to San Diego-based SproutRobot, you just need to enter your ZIP code and the site will send you a personalized planting calendar for your area based on historical weather data.

The seed service starts at $19.99/year or you can receive the updates 100% free of charge! The site currently only serves US customers but hopes to expand soon. Visit SproutRobot today and spread the news!

The Uncommon Life

Alfresco Dining: Pistachio Pasta

June 21, 2010

I chose this dish because the recipe was only three sentences long. Hello, easy! Best of all, my guests raved about the unique combination of ingredients and fresh basil taste.

What You Need:

3/4 cup basic basil pesto, room temperature

1 cup shelled pistachio nuts

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

12 ounces fettucine (or your favorite pasta), cooked al dente and drained

What You Do:

In a large bowl, combine pesto, pistachios, basil and turkey. Add hot pasta and toss. Garnish with whole basil leaves and enjoy outdoors!

The Uncommon Life

Au natural

June 20, 2010

It’s the biggest makeup trend this season. Nope, not minerals, waterproof mascara or budge-proof lipstick. The talk of the town is actually going bare. Recently the hosts of the Today Show took it all off for the cameras and had the media and viewers buzzing. My foundation is my security blanket, so I am in complete awe of the women who are bold enough to take this plunge!

Check out more of the movement on the Beauty Bean which features Makeup Free Mondays (a good way to ease into the idea). Not only can you see photos of foundation-free women, but you can also get the scoop from BB founder, Alexis Wolfer, on how to look and feel your best.

What are your thoughts on this movement? Do you dare to go bare this Monday? What are your skin tips?

The Uncommon Life

Ready to Run

June 18, 2010

Every few months I decide I am going to “become a runner.” Then I go to the gym, run/walk a mile and vow to never run again. It just seems too hard and I have a million excuses. This time, I want to be held accountable for my big goal. So let it be blogged so let it be done.

Now, let’s not get crazy. I’m not vowing to run a marathon (or even a half marathon for that matter). I just want to incorporate a few miles into my weekly routine. To get started, I’m getting motivated with Runner’s World tips. No excuses! Who’s with me? Can I get a virtual running buddy out there?

The Uncommon Life

Becoming a Domestic Diva

June 16, 2010

There is nothing Molly Homemaker or Betty Crocker about me. And before, I never cared. However, as I get a little older I realize that I probably should know how to at least sew on a button or make a decent meal. So as a summer project, I’m taking small steps to turn into a domestic diva.

This week my mission is: clothes. Continue Reading…

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