Coworking at NextSpace LA

Jelly LA held a free coworking day at NextSpace in Culver City this past Friday. I got a little tour of the place and was very impressed. I've been to a few coworking offices in LA already (CoLoft, BlankSpaces, and Kleverdog), and I can honestly say that this is my favorite to cowork in. One, it's conveniently located in Culver City, where I currently live in. Two, it's got a great amount of space, offices, and little nooks to work in. And third, there are a ton of people that cowork here. It just feels like a great place to be at, very comfortable.

NextSpace LA
9415 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232

Some pictures I snapped:

The outside of NextSpace LA


The entrance downstairs




Once you are up the stairs, some relaxing areas to sit.




The main area.


This is where I sat.




The who's who at NextSpace LA.


The back area.

Upcoming Summer Conventions

There are some conferences and conventions coming up soon that I'm pretty excited about. So far I'm definitely going to Anime Expo and Comic-Con, as I purchased tickets for those already. Recently announced is the G+ Photographers Conference, which includes a Photowalk on Monday, May 21st. I will most likely make my way up there for that-- about eighty-percent sure I'll go.

I plan to take my photography gear to take plenty of pictures too! It's really fun to check out conventions where loyal fans dress up in very elaborate costumes and show it off. Of course I'm speaking about the latter two listed below.

Google+ Photographers Conference
May 22-23, 2012
Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco, CA



Anime Expo
June 29 - July 2, 2012
Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA



San Diego Comic Con International 
July 11 - 15, 2012
San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA




The above are all in California, but there's a few in Chicago, that I won't be attending, that I  recommend:

Chicago Code Camp
May 19, 2012
College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL



Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
Auguest 9-12, 2012
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago, IL




Another conference I won't be attending this year is RailsConf.

RailsConf 2012
April 23-25, 2012
The Hilton Austin in Austin, TX


Some blog posts and pictures I've taken at previous events:

• San Diego Comic Con 2010
• Chicago Code Camp 2010
• Chicago Code Camp 2011
• RailsConf 2011
• Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 2011

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire

This past weekend I attended The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, California. It's been over almost fifteen years since I attended a Renaissance Fair, the last being the Bristol Renaissance Fair in the Midwest. I was a teenager then and really loved the tasty mushrooms! I also got my older sister to buy me a broad sword!

A selection of photos I took are below. Full set can be found here.

Orcs!








 



Mushroom!




















This is my first video clip using my Canon 5D Mark III with my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L II lens attached. I wanted to see how it would perform from about fifty feet away with moving objects.

My new lense and camera body

Recently I made some new camera gear purchases with the help of selling some of my older, unused equipment. Say hello to the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II lense and Canon 5D Mark III! Yes, after a few weeks after the Canon 5DM3 announcement, I decided to go ahead and make the purchase. It cost an arm and a leg, but now I no longer have to watch videos of other people unboxing and reviewing these products, I get to use them myself! So as you can tell, I am excited.

My HTPC Setup

A few months ago I blogged about my new purchase of the WD TV Live Streaming Media Player. I still enjoy it immensely, and a few people have inquired about what is needed.

So here's a list of what's in my setup:

1. WD TV Live Streaming Media Player
This is the heart of the Home Theatre PC (HTPC).

2. WD Elements 3 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
I don't recommend attaching more than one external hard drive via a USB hub. It's just too slow and cumbersome. So instead I recommend a nice big external USB HDD.

3. HDMI Cables
Assuming you have a nice and modern TV, you should really be using HDMI to carry the video/audio. Also applicable if you are using a receiver. Do not, I repeat, do not purchase HDMI cables at your local Best Buy-- they are ripping you off! These should cost no more than a few dollars ($4-6) each.

4. Belkin 7-Foot RJ45 CAT 5e Snagless Molded Patch Cable (Gray)
There are nice services such as youTube and social network plugins available with the media player, so I highly recommend you attach the device to your home network's router.

5. Belkin Pivot-Plug Surge Protectors
This is my favorite surge protector. The swiveling heads is a godsend if you have a variety of devices to plug in.


I will also add that the media player plays most movie files you may have. I've only come across a few files that it won't play correctly. Also, if you should come across some general problems with  any video file stopped working, just restart the device.

Hope this helps.

LADOTNET April Meetup

Yesterday I attended the LADOTNET April meetup on Building a Rich Web Experience with jQuery, Ajax and .NET presentation by James Johnson. Good meetup with a very decent turnout considering it was a nice day out and NCAA finals was on.

For full set of pictures I've taken at meetups I've been to this year, click here.