Kaise ho ?

That's "how goes?" in Hindi. Thanks for joining me for another week of all things random. One of the big things that seemed to come out from the survey and chatting to people is that the emails should be called something else. Here's my first attempt at rebranding so I'm going to change the name to... the Sunday Summary! What do you think?

It seems like it'd be easier to explain what the email is about. Have a read of this weeks and let me know if you like the changes!

Also, if you think a friends would like this newsletter, send them the link below which puts YOU in the running for prizes...

In this weeks email:

• Week in the Life - read on the blog
• Read - What you need to know about plant-based plastics
• Gadgets & things - Brave & Bissell SpotClean
• Watch - How to make the best scrambled eggs
• Quote - Terry Pratchett quotes
• Truly random

Week in the life

After a relaxed start to the year, it's all systems go again for 2021! It's going to be another week of work EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! Ah well, I suppose random gadgets wont pay for themselves!

In between work, I have to say the weird Melbourne summer weather has led to some AWESOME sunsets. Here's another timelapse from just 2 evenings ago...

Despite the weather, I have been on a few more walks/runs around the city to get some pretty decent night shots. They'll be edited and up on my Instagram later, but here's my favourite one from the last week below (unedited).

One interesting thing last week was that Skylum Software, the guys that make Luminar AI emailed and wanted to chat to me about mobile photography! So I ended up chatting with their product development manager a few days ago. Turns out they're at really early stages of seeing if they want to move into mobile photo editing. Considering almost everything I do these days is on mobile, you can guess which way I answered...

It was quite interesting to see the different ways they look at the problem before they go try to build a solution. Very eye-opening to realise that a lot of effort goes into the groundwork before an app even gets built. So the next time you're using a convenient little app, consider just how much thought went into getting it "just right" from a blank canvas.

PxR & Kickstarter update

PxR Store

https://www.photosbyraffy.com/shop

Essentially, ALL the puzzles to be mailed out have had their shipping itineraries done by the time you're reading this! As always, getting the couriers to pick them up is another issue, but at least all the things I can control are sorted!

I'm going to try and be a bit more regular with Youtube videos and tutorials this year. Is there anything photography related you want to see? Let me know and I'll try to work on it ASAP!

(Had to sneak a cat photo somewhere in the newsletter, didn't I? Luna has her own Instagram too now).

Gadgets & things

Brave

https://brave.com/

With all the attention on social media and tracking across the internet, here's a simple thing you can do to protect some of your data: change your web browser!

Brave is relatively new browser built on the framework that Chrome uses, but it's infinitely more secure. By default it blocks a lot of the tracking cookies and ads. It even defaults to DuckDuckGo, a Google search competitor that's not bad!

For businesses that really on ads as their form of revenue, Brave has it's own anonymised token system that is much more private. Overall, it's pretty simple, familiar and an easy way to improve your privacy.

Bissell SpotClean

https://amzn.to/3sF9P9g

Ok, so this one will seem a bit random, but I saw this on someone's social media and knew I had to get it. Essentially, it's a carpet/upholstery cleaner that's excellent at removing stains. Currently with 2 cats around the apartment, I've noticed a lot of new stains here and there and this thing is awesome at getting rid of it.

One thing I didn't realise is just how much fur the Bissell picks up even after using a Dyson and a Ecovacs Robot vacuum routinely! If you've got pets, this maybe a random gadget that helps keep things clean.

PREVIOUS PRODUCTS...

Some people keep asking about previous recommendations etc so I'm going to link a few that have come up in conversation in the last week below:

• Luminar AI - The simplest (but very advanced) image editor out there. If you want the best 1 button improvement, this is it (but it still has advanced features if you feel like tweaking). Use code RAFFY for 10%ish off
• DJI Mini 2- Currently on special at about ~$100 off on Amazon! Probably the best starter/travel drone. For something only 249g, this is one feature packed drone and the one I'm using the most currently.
• Zens Wireless charging pad - My current wireless charging pad of choice. Works with iPhones and most Android devices and it's GREAT to not have to line up the charging coils!

Watch

How to make the best scrambled eggs (~5min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9r-CxnCXkg

Has this email proved random enough yet?! He might've been roasted by Uncle Roger, but Jamie's technique for scrambled eggs does produce some impressive results for breakfast.

I was looking this up since the lockdowns etc meant that I was trying my hand at cooking a bit more and started with something simple. It definitely improved my scrambled egg game!

Read

What you need to know about plant-based plastics

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/are-bioplastics-made-from-plants-better-for-environment-ocean-plastic/

I've been trying to reduce my environmental impact for a little while now and have been thinking that plant-based plastic maybe a better alternative.

Looks like (as always!) things are a bit more complicated than that! This is a quick read of about 5mins that summarises the pros and cons of these new products and what's needed to create less pollution.

About last week's read:

• Elon Musk biography - I finally finished this a few days ago and holy moly! Who knew there was so much drama and near disaster for Tesla and SpaceX? The book also gives a very good insight into Musk as a person and just how much he's motivated by his vision rather than profits. I'm not really one for biographies, but this was actually REALLY good.

Quote I'm pondering

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty.

The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: ‘What’s up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don’t think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass! And at the other end of the bar the world is full of the other type of person, who has a broken glass, or a glass that has been carefully knocked over (usually by one of the people calling for a larger glass), or who had no glass at all, because they were at the back of the crowd and had failed to catch the barman’s eye."

– Terry Pratchett, The Truth

So that was emailed to me by a reader (thanks Chandra!). Allegedly the I'm the one who asks all the questions. I'm not quite sure what to make of that quote, but reading it, it DOES seem like something I'd do...

Here's some selected ones that Gizmodo collected. They're definitely thought provoking!

Have you heard any good quotes lately? Let me know!

Truly random

Here's some bits and pieces I saw this week that I thought was amusing on the internet...

• How I survived a "re-education" camp (~6mins) - This is NOT a light hearted read, but I genuinely can't believe things like this happen in the current day and age. I feel as though we'll all look back and wonder why we didn't do more...
• How China is going green - Given everything gets polarised these days, here's something to show the positive changes the country is making. If you dig a bit deeper, it's very clear that China is trying to transition to reduce environmental impact with much more gusto than most Western goverments.

Anyway, that's all for another week! Hope you liked the small tweaks! If you have any suggestions or comments on it, please fill out the survey or drop me an email.

Stay random and stay safe!

- Raffy

PS- I'm thinking of spending an email or blog post going through all the gadgets and recommendations to see what I liked and what I didn't. What do you think of that idea? Email me!

Sunday Surprise uses affiliate/referral links in the newsletter. While this does not influence the product recommendations or verdict, if there are any that are likely to lead to Photos by Raffy receiving any sort of compensation from, they will be marked in orange. Non affiliate links will appear as blue.