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djay by Algoriddim

By
Edel Alon
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2

I was stuck in a bind the other day…needed to create a DJ solution. I was helping out friends with their wedding. They gave me a USB stick with all the songs they like (by the way, this is great if you can do this for your DJ).

I didn’t want to buy a full DJ package to handle this. The next solution I found was djay by Algoriddim. I remembered this product from MacWorld last year. I was instantly transformed into a DJ…at least to the attendees and more importantly the bride and groom.

While you can do the cool things like swipe to scratch, djay has a feature where you can view the waveforms to help you cue the music. My favorite feature is automix. Automix will take all the songs from an iTunes playlist and mix them with different transitions between like echo, fade, backspin, and more.

Thanks Algoriddim for saving me!

Probability vs Impact

By
Edel Alon
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0

I’ve been thinking about how I do things in my life and found out that I have a built in mechanism on how I deal with risk. For those of you who don’t know, risk is, as defined by dictionary.com, “exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance.” I’d like to throw in that risk can also have a positive impact but that’s another post I need to do.

Here’s my internal mechanism for risk. Will it work, yes, do. Will it work, no, don’t do. These are my simple rules of risk and now that I think about it, I’m pretty risk adverse. Here’s how real project managers handle risk.

Project managers make a list of risks, the probability of hit happening, and the impact it will have in the overall project.

The list will probably look something like this:
Location: Tropical Island
Date: September to December

Risk
Probability
Impact
Total
Tornado
0
.9
0
Typhoon/Hurricane
.5
.5
.5

In this list you’ll mark down what the probability of it happening. A value ranging from 0 to 1, so .1, .2, .3, etc… And then you’ll do the same for the impact. Impact is how much damage is done if the risk actually happens.

Let’s take a look at the risks above:
Tornado: The probability is 0 because we live on an island. The impact is .9 because if there ever was a tornado on an island it would case a lot of damage.
Typhoon/Hurricane: The probability is .5 because it’s definitely possible. The impact is .5 because people living on island are generally ready for typhoons/hurricanes.

The next step is then to multiply the probability and the impact and then place it on the chart. If you have a lot of dots in the red zone you might want to put more effort in planning how you’re going to respond to them.

Valentine’s Cake Pops

By
Edel Alon
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0

I decided to make these cake pops to hand out as Valentine grams. Chocolate cake center, candy outer layer.

Just wanted to add some lessons learned from this batch:

  1. Wait for cake to cool before adding icing.
  2. Don’t wait too long before forming into pops.
  3. Don’t make the drizzle too hot or else it will melt the original layer.
  4. Double check what you’re buying from the store before you leave.

Burn Baby Burn, a Revolutionary Hot Sauce

By
Edel Alon
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1

I’m a collector of hot sauce and welcome anyone who wants to help add to my collection. Burn Baby Burn, a revolutionary hot sauce, came to my desk a few months ago. One of the first things you notice from the bottle is the black panther on the label. Burn Baby Burn and Black Panther…yes, you got it, the Black Panther Party helped sponsor a hot sauce.

To clarify, Burn Baby Burn is part of the Black Panther Party’s Service to the People program where they improve the quality of life for the economically disadvantaged. This program is sponsored by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and profits from this product help their efforts to fund anti-violence and educational programs for the youth.

I test all my hot sauces on scrambled eggs. At first taste, this sauce has a good, rich, thick flavor. The consistency is great. More importantly, it doesn’t use a lot of vinegar to break up the taste. Usually vinegar is also there to try to artificially boost the level of heat but there is none needed here. The ingredient list calls for “organic”. In fact, all the ingredients are organic and is certified by Organic Certifiers.

The only downside to this sauce is that it is a little on the salty side of things. However sometimes I need that kick of salt.

New Traditional Filipino Money Dance

By
Edel Alon
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2

Are you Filipino? Are you going to have a wedding soon? Do you think you’ll do the money dance? Do you think you’ll do the money dance even if the answer to the last question was no? Don’t want to get stabbed with pins? I have the perfect solution for you.

iPhones have paved the way for in innovative technologies. There’s a device out there called Square which enables anyone to conduct credit card transactions for a very low fee. The fee is %2.75 per swipe. Now sure if you’re a business and you own retail store the transaction fee is lower than that but we’re talking about the ability to mobilize and remove yourself from the register.

The Square gets you paid. It sure does. What does this have to do with the traditional Filipino Money Dance? Instead of doing the traditional money dance where you pin money to the bride or groom for a dance, have the Square handy and swipe away.

Here are my problems with the traditional money dance:

  1. Pins hurt – Yes they do and sometimes you don’t have a place to pin things. Also, imagine putting pins on your expensive dress.
  2. No pins or using the wrong pins – Pins run out. Although, I’m an avid wedding crasher and I bring my own pins…not straight pins, safety pins. Also, someone might forget the pins.
  3. No Benjamins – Guess what, you get dollar bills because people forgot or didn’t think you’ll do the dance so they didn’t hit up the ATM before heading to your wedding.

Visit Square for more information.

Pocket Coffee

By
Edel Alon
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0

Pocket Coffee is on my list of top 5 candies. In fact, if given a choice, I’d probably rank Pocket Coffee as #1 because of rarity. Pocket Coffee is made in Italy at the Ferro factory in Alba, Piedmont, Italy and is sold mostly in Italy and Germany.

So what is it? Italian Espresso covered in bittersweet chocolate. I’m not sure how else to describe it but it’s chocolate candy with an espresso (liquid coffee) center and I think there’s some kind of wafer/praline something.

This candy wakes you up or keeps you awake all day. At first, it’s very unusual taste/sensation where you’re expecting a chewy or soft center but after the first bite a release of espresso fills your mouth with coffee goodness.

The taste of coffee is pretty intense so it’s not for the faint of heart. However, the chocolate creates a nice balance to the coffee.

Guitar Center – Emeryville

By
Edel Alon
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1

I take pride in visiting Guitar Center stores all over the nation starting from San Francisco to Hollywood to Las Vegas and all the way to New Hampshire. In fact, I frequent Guitar Center stores like they are national monuments.

Today marked the grand opening for Guitar Center – Emeryville

They closed their El Cerrito store a few days ago. That was a sad day for me because that store was only 2 miles away. Now I have to make a 6 mile journey. My family and I were able to attend their grand opening and we had a ton of fun. They had a great line up of fun and entertainment. In fact, the neighboring stores stayed open to feed off the crowd. Well, more that the crowd fed off of them.

Guitar Center – Emeryville is located at 5925 Shellmound St. in Emeryville. If you are familiar with the area, it is in the Public Market area next to the food courts.

I’ve been waiting for this opening for at least a year now and it turned out to be a lot more than what I expected.

First of all, it’s Guitar Center so they have their regular setups of guitars, basses, proaudio, and drums. However, this is the first Guitar Center to have a Studio aka “GC Studios”. “This is a state-of-the-art destination that offers music education, professional rehearsal studios and certified Pro Tools and Logic training. Here we will offer our customers the chance to learn guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, vocals and develop their recording skills in Pro Tools and Logic.”

I was reading about the studios a while ago but didn’t expect what I saw. These are fully equipped rooms where you can book at a really great rate and at the end of your session you’ll get a full recording of what you played while in session.

Believe me, you’ll find me booking these rooms daily.

I can’t rate the store just yet. When I left at 9PM there was still a line around the building to get in and some of the staff came from other stores in the Bay Area. For now, I can say:

  1. There’s great parking.
  2. The store is clean.
  3. They have stations where you can test pedals in a sound proof room.
  4. GC Studios!!!!

5925 Shellmound St.
Emeryville, CA94608
Phone:  (510) 559-1055

Resources:
http://www.guitarcenter.com
http://www.gcstudios.com
https://edelalon.com/blog/2010/10/bay-area-guitar-center-review

 

2012 New Year Resolution

By
Edel Alon
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0

I don’t have much planned this year for resolutions. The main thing I need to do is spend more time in the wood shed. Oh, I guess I need to work on my cookbook too.

2012 Goals

  • Practice Bass Guitar
  • Make Cookbook

Resume 2.0

By
Edel Alon
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0


I’ve been watching the unemployment rate drop and wonder what the cause of it might be. Could be the seasonal jobs or that the economy is really picking up. The current unemployment rate is 8.9%.

At the same time, I’ve been reading articles on how to interview and how to make a resume. There’s a little trend on making resumes that I find interesting. The trend is to make your resume fancy with a bunch of pictures and a trendy layout. I did this about 12 years ago. I had a “traditional” resume and then on the side were graphics of things that relate to the job: computers, servers, webpages, etc… It was frowned upon.

Today, we’re seeing more resumes out there that do not follow the traditional styles. The new, trendy, funky layout resumes that companies like LinkedIn and Monster are showing are cool…but if dig deeper into them, these resumes are made by those in the graphic design/marketing industries.

I decided to jump in and make one. Here it is: Edel Fancy Resume

I like to call this style Resume 2.0 after Web 2.0. My fancy resume models my website. I guess the idea is to make a business card that matches the resume so I have a complete package: resume, website, and business cards. The clean look of this resume is easier on the eyes because you don’t have to wander too far to get information.

Let me know what you think about these new style resumes…well, old style for me but are now acceptable by the public.

Weekly Calendar Template

By
Edel Alon
-
0


I’ve been searching for a ‘weekly calendar template’ out there and haven’t found one that suits my needs. I ended up making this template in MS Excel. This calendar template features 30 minute increments from 6am until midnight. 6am to midnight is my general awake time.

I would like to make a 24 hour calendar but those don’t fit neatly on paper.

Here’s the calendar: Weekly Calendar (XLSX)

Enjoy!

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Welcome to the curated chaos of curiosity and creativity—brought to you by Edel Alon: maker, thinker, and hands-on problem-solver. This blog is part journal, part resource hub, and entirely dedicated to the art of doing. From culinary experiments and car tinkering to tech deep dives and DIY builds, you'll find stories, guides, reviews, and reflections designed to inspire, inform, and occasionally make you laugh (or at least raise an eyebrow). It's a celebration of learning by doing—with a few detours along the way.

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