Here’s more information on the Hawthorne Effect.  I was thinking of using some modern theory to ponder upon like a Zen Koan.  I remember discussing a couple Zen Koans with a couple engineers and they were very quick to explain the physics behind a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear its sound.  Their conclusion?  The impact of a tree’s fall will cause the physics behind sound to occur.  Although, a sound was never heard, physics proves that a sound did occur.

Okay, time to update some of these Koans.

This theme is looking more and more frankenstein like since I’ve been molding it into a webcomic like theme.  I’m slowly learning CSS and I should have a new theme in the next couple months.  My goal is to create one from scratch.

Here’s a sketch I did this morning.  I pulled up Flickr’s exploring the interesting photos from the last 7 days and looked for a picture that had just one light source.  I preferred an outdoor shot and I found Joining the Circus.

I’ve modified the existing theme to be more of a webcomic format which didn’t make much sense until I added the second comic yesterday.  Hopefully by April, I’ll have enough time to create my own theme from scratch.  Nothing fancy.  Most webcomics have a simple design.  I’m just tired of using other people’s themes.

I’m very impressed with Animoto.  It creates very cool transitions between your photos.  My only issue is that it gives you zero control over those transitions.  The only option you have is to click remix and hope for the best.

I used photos from my gallery.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Want to spice up your tea?  Try throwing in some sage with your tea.  I drink a lot of white tea and sometimes I do grow bored of it.  However, I just recently learnt that adding a sage leaf infuses the tea with a great new flavour.  Also, it looks like there are a number of health benefits to drinking sage.  Check out this article at herbwisdom for all the details!

I’ve played around with the IPEVO SO-20 Skype phone for about a week now and I gotta say, I’m very happy with the device.

The build quality is excellent with a button layout similar to most regular cell phones.  The phone is extremely light…  freakishly light when you compare its weight to a cell phone.  It comes with a charging station as shown on the image above.  IPEVO definitely had convenience in mind and modelled this phone after your typical wireless phones.

The sound is clear and I’m told that people can hear me just as well as on my computer mic.  However, it’s best not to put the sound on full blast.  The mic pics it up and produces a weird echo for the person on the other end.  Other reviewers have complained about no speakerphone capabilities and they’re right.  It doesn’t have a speakerphone.  It does come with an earbud and mic that plugs into the bottom side of the phone.  So, if you wanted hands-free it is possible.

If you’re familiar with the Skype interface, you’ll be familiar with this phone.  Simply log into your Skype account and all your contacts will appear.  It looks like all your regular Skype services will work on here as well (SkypeIn, Voice Mail, …)

I haven’t tried this outside of my personal wifi bubble such as an internet café but I have my doubts that this will work with cafes that require a user to log into a browser.  This phone has no such capability.

In Canada, the only place to buy it is from Merconnect.  Delivery was quick.  Merconnect emailed me the following day to let me know that they were shipping the device and it arrived a week later.

If you’re a regular Skype user and want the freedom to talk away from your PC then this would be an excellent purchase.