Veronica Belmont
tech.gadgets.video.geekculture.gaming.kittens.
About.me introduction video!
2
All about about.me from about.me on Vimeo.
I love this video that the About.me team created as an introduction to the service (I’m an advisor to the company). Check out the service, if you haven’t already, and let us know what you think! My profile, which you see in the video, is located here.
DNA as art
20
I’ve become pretty fascinated with my own DNA lately. While I know a little bit about my background (Irish, Scottish, some sprinklings of various Germanic tribes thrown in for good measure) I’ve always been curious about what I’m made of.
Last year I joined 23andMe, and through testing was able to determine my maternal haplogroup (W1c) and my paternal one as well (R1a1a* — yes, I was able to convince my Dad to spit in a test tube from 3,000 miles away).
All very cool, and which brings me to the photo you see at the top of this post. DNA 11 is a company that makes art based on your own personal DNA. They offered to let me try their service, using my data from 23andMe (though they will send you a kit of their own if you haven’t done one already) to create a QR code portrait containing my ancestry info (maternal line only in this case) called an Ancestry Portrait. This is what you see when you read the QR:
Neat! The portraits aren’t cheap (the one they made for me retails for $440 [Edit: they'll knock off $150 if you bring your own DNA to the table like I did]) but it’s a cool way to have some (extremely) personalized art. I have it hanging in my den of nerddom, and it’s a nice reminder of where I came from.
The Amazing Brooklyn Mobile
111 months ago
Though it was freezing cold and in between snowstorms, I still managed to make my way to Brooklyn, NY to track down the Brooklyn Mobile, an amazing art project/social commentary/ridiculously fun video recorder on wheels.
What I love about this is that it gets people – old people, young people, people of all races and backgrounds – to stop for a moment and tell the world what they’re thinking. Folks have used it for everything from promoting their company to talking about politics or the weather. It’s all about exercising your free speech and making yourself heard.
From their YouTube Page:
Brooklyn Mobile is a internet videobooth. You can find it moving around in the downtown Brooklyn area. Mostly around Jay St, Fulton Mall, Livingston, Atlantic, Flatbush, etc but occasionally we travel further.
If you run into them, let me know! Tweet us @Cruzearati and send us the link to your video! They also do special events, so you can hire them to come to your next birthday party or wedding. 
Here are also some photos from the (freezing) day, and check out more videos over at Cruze-arati.com!
LG Speed Texting World Cup
111 months ago
On one of my recent NYC trips, I drove over to Gotham Hall to watch the LG Speed Texting World Cup! I consider myself a pretty fast typer on the iPhone ( bad autocorrects and all) but these competitors blow everyone out of the water. I say they have an advantage using phones with keyboards, but I’m biased.
I don’t want to spoil the ending for you too much, so check out my latest episode of Tech Unexpected for Cruze-arati.com. See what all the other Cruzearatis are up to on Twitter too!
And this should go without saying, but never text and drive at the same time!
Let me know on Twitter what kind of phone/keyboard you would use in a competition! Just use the hashtag #cruzearati.