Block out work time with the All Good Great Pomodoro Timer. Set the timer for 25 minutes and feel free to concentrate on whatever you want. You can also see the number of pomodoros you’ve achieved and track your harvest for the day. Have a great time!
Set the timer for 25 minutes for one pomodoro, or tomato.
Pomodoro Timer
Today’s harvest
Add or remove tomatoes collected elsewhere.
How to use the Pomodoro Timer?
In the Pomodoro method, work is divided into a work phase and a break. The work phase always lasts 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. After four 25-minute periods, or pomodoros, you can take a longer break.
Press Start on the timer and the displayed time will start to run. Remember to reset the timer by pressing Reset if the time has elapsed. You can also press Stop to stop the time from running.
The timer works best on your computer. When using the phone, you may not hear the completion tone.
Tips for using the Pomodoro method
Here are some tips on how to use pomodoros for productivity.
Choose one topic to focus on for one pomodoro, or 25 minutes.
Remember to take breaks in between. You should also take a longer break after the four pomodoros, for example 15-30 minutes.
If you think of something that needs to be done, write it down on paper or on your computer. But don’t start doing it yet.
If you find that you don’t finish many pomodoros during the working day, it could be a sign that you’re not getting the chance to do the tasks that require concentration. Try reorganizing your day a bit.
The intention is not to collect tomatoes for the whole village. The days are different and some days there are more tomatoes than others. It’s part of the job.
Is there still room for improvement in the Pomodoro Timer?
This counter is built on top of Andy Roche’ s counter and modified to fit All Good Great. Do you need a feature for this tomato calculator? Write it in the comments.
There’s no wrong time to visit Finland, but there are definitely some times that are better than others. Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding when to visit the land of a thousand lakes and million mosquitos.
The short guide to visiting Finland is this:
In the summer it’s beautiful, with long days and moderate temperatures
In the winter it’s cold and dark (but there can be snow)
In the fall, it’s chilly and dark (and there won’t be snow)
In the spring it’s chilly and wet (because the snow is melting)
The best time to visit Finland depends on what you’re after, but generally speaking the best times are either the summer months (June–August) or the winter months (September–May).
Bear in mind that Finland is a long country, so the conditions will change radically between Helsinki and Rovaniemi (the Arctic Circle).
Helsinki has two seasons: summer and the rainy season.
Rovaniemi has three seasons: winter, spring and fall (and 1–2 summer days)
What seasons do Finns prefer?
According to research, Finland is the happiest country in the world. And well it should, because otherwise no one would choose to live here.
Finns have found a way to survive through all the four seasons – and even found ways to enjoy them. When you’re planning your trip to Finland, it’s worthwhile to examine what seasons Finns themselves prefer.
Summer: Between June and August, Finns do just about everything that people in other countries do all year round: see friends, enjoy nature, go outside, go to the sauna and swim in the lakes.
Fall: Between September and November, Finns cozy up in their homes and wait for Christmas. The bravest may take a trip somewhere to enjoy the fall foliage.
Winter: From December to March, Finns enter a sort of hibernation. When they wake up, it’s dark. When they go to work, it’s dark. When they get off work, it’s dark. Christmas comes and goes.
Spring: From April to June, the days get longer and the temperatures start to rise. You can finally do all the outdoor sports you waited for all year. There are no mosquitos and the warmth of the sun feels divine after the cold dark winter.
Many Finns will tell you that they enjoy all the seasons, but they’re probably lying. Summer is the best, spring is possibly even better, and the nice winter days are really nice.
But realistically, fall, winter and spring mostly suck.
What’s unique about Finland?
If you’re reading this, you probably have your own notions about Finland. The Northern lights, Santa, sauna, snow, dog sleighs, beautiful Finnish people (no, that’s Sweden, sorry)…
What’s truly unique about Finland is more along these lines:
It’s really quiet (in a good way)
It’s really clean
It’s really spacious
The winter is real and there’s snow
The summer is bright and the temperatures are mostly moderate
People you meet will be either very rude (when sober) or extremely interested in you (when drunk). Reindeer will not be interested in you (whether sober or drunk).
What’s the best that Finland has to offer?
If all the stars align, you’ll have a magical time in Finland.
In the winter, you may get to experience the Northern lights blazing in the clear night sky – while the trees around you crack from the cold. You’ve just had hot cocoa and the sauna is getting ready.
Or in the summer, it’s midnight but it’s still light as day. Maybe you’ve been hiking and you’ve rented a cabin near Lake Saimaa. You’ve just had ice brewed coffee and the sauna is getting ready.
What’s the worst time to visit Finland?
Or it could be that you land in June/September/November/February/April/August and it’s wet and miserable. The food’s not great, everything’s expensive and going to the sauna is giving you a headache.
Not to mention the mosquitoes. When we Finns dream about summer, we always forget the mosquitoes. There’s enough of them to drive you crazy and have you itching in places that civilized people do not scratch.
What the travel brochures are not telling you
It can be really quiet. Like eerily quiet. Like I’m-about-to-be-stabbed-with-a-dirty-needle-quiet. Some people like that, some don’t.
The forests can feel scary. Finns are mostly okay with going to the woods for a stroll or a little hike and you should too. It’s mostly safe to step into the woods here – you won’t get jumped for your Airpods.
It can be dark, damp and miserable – at any time of the year. Except in the summer it’s too bright, damp and miserable. You have been warned.
But yeah, Finland is a magical place that welcomes you with natural wonders whenever you decide to visit. You also won’t be killed, mugged or spoken to.
Generate a random number in the range you want by putting the numbers in the random number generator below. In the default mode, the generator generates a random integer between 0 and 100 (both extremes are included).
Random Number Generator
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Your number
The numbers you've generated
How can I use this random number generator?
This random number generator is suitable for many everyday needs for example games, raffles and quizzes. You can hold a raffle for 10 people to decide who gets the prize. Just assign a number for all participants and press generate.
However, this generator is not suitable for demanding tasks that require truly random numbers, such as cryptographic encryption.
How does this random number generator work?
This generator draws a random integer between the numbers you enter. If you enter the values values 1 and 3, the possible results are 1, 2 and 3. The generator also shows the history of your draw in the number log. There you can check which numbers you have drawn in the past.
The generator does not save anything you type into it.
Random numbers or pseudorandom numbers
This random number lottery is based on Javascript’s Math.Random function. Different browsers have had different ways of generating Math.Random random numbers, but all are basically pseudo-random numbers. That is, before long, after a very long time, it will become clear with which formula the figures were produced.
In most everyday situations, however, the numbers given by this random number generator are random and evenly spread between minimum and maximum. That is, you can use the generator without worries when you don’t need, for example, real random numbers that affect state security.
Latin – the mother tongue of Cicero, Caesar and your local Latin teacher – is a dead but living language. Its words resonate in many modern languages and in the specialized vocabulary of various fields. Is Latin a difficult or an easy language? Can Latin be learned?
Latin as a language: dead math
This article is based on my own experiences of studying and teaching Latin. I have studied Latin in high school and university, so I can say that Latin can be learned and it is not necessarily very difficult. On the other hand, playing the violin is also not terribly difficult once you know how to play it.
The advantages of learning Latin are:
Latin lives on mainly through written texts
Latin is mostly very logical
Many words are familiar, e.g. from English
If your own language has inflected words, it’s not totally foreign
My impression of Latin is that it’s like a logic or math task. Word endings are combined with word roots and the meanings of sentences need to be solved like Sherlockus Holmeniensis. The pace is slow and enjoyable, because in Latin you don’t have to buy ice cream from a disgusted kiosk seller in Venice.
Is Latin a difficult language?
Latin resembles its daughter languages like Italian and Spanish. Words are inflected and one inflection contains several meanings. Here it differs from English:
Veni, vidi, vici (i contains both the perfect tense and the first person singular)
I came, I saw, I conquered (I + verb + ed (past tense))
If you are used to the fact that single words can contain multiple meanings, it is easier to start learning Latin.
What makes Latin difficult?
Latin can also be an extremely frustrating language. Often the texts to be read are old and ambiguous. Translating sentences is like a logic problem: who does what, to whom, at what time…
Conciseness
Latin has many ways to condense complex meanings into a few words. Depending on the sentence, the same expressions can often be translated in different ways: someone did something, because someone did something, after doing something…
Inflections
In Latin, there are many conjugations for verb conjugation, words have genders and there are several declensions. So the same root word can appear with very small changes and mean different things. This is familiar to speakers with highly inflected languages, but that doesn’t help when you don’t hear Latin on the TV and have a natural ear for it.
Culture
Latin texts mostly tell about a world that is no longer so familiar to us. Even if you understand the words and their inflections, you still may not understand what the sentence means.
How useful is Latin?
The difficulty of language learning is mostly due to motivation. If you’re interested, even a difficult thing will be easy before long. If you have enthusiasm and dedication, you can definitely learn Latin.
Latin has been helpful in studying Romance languages and even Swedish. Many terms in specialized vocabularies feel opaque until you see which Latin parts they’re made of.
And even if you start studying and drop out, it doesn’t make you a worse person. Someone goes to ice hockey practice, someone reads about giant cones in the old Latin textbooks. Still, not everyone has to become NHL players or Latin-speaking newscasters (that used to be a thing here in Finland, believe it or not).
Where can you study Latin?
You can start with Latin e.g. at the open university, community college or online courses. When you search for “”Latin (your location)”” on the Internet, you will surely find the best places to start.
Electricity and water don’t go together, but what about a shower and an electric toothbrush? Can an electric toothbrush be used safely in the shower?
According to the manufacturers’ websites an electric toothbrush can be used in the shower, depending on the model and condition of the toothbrush. Not all models are recommended to be used in the shower.
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How do I know if my electric toothbrush can be used in the shower?
If you want to make sure whether your electric toothbrush can be used while showering, you can try searching by model or manufacturer name. For example, the Oral-B manufacturer’s website says that all their their models are waterproof and can be used in the shower.
Is an electric toothbrush safe in the shower?
Most electric toothbrushes are waterproof. They are charged by induction, so the entire brush can be covered with plastic and there is no need to leave charger holes.
In addition, the battery of the electric toothbrush has a low voltage, which makes it safer even in the shower. However, you shouldn’t try to charge an electric toothbrush from an outlet and use it while singing about raindrops under the shower.
Small dogs, in particular, require a little extra warmth during the colder months of Finland – namely autumn, winter, and midsummer. This post has a variety of dog knitting patterns for various skill levels, from simple to difficult.
If you’re interested in knitting patterns in English, have a look at:
You can also purchase knitting instructions in Finnish (it’s not that difficult to learn!) from Aalho’s store and have them sent straight to your e-mail address.
The popularity of Icelandic knitted sweaters has continued for several years and will continue. We’ve also seen a huge demand for the stylish, gray Archipelago Sweater. It’s breathable and warm – and makes any dog look like an experienced seafarer.
Why buy a knitting pattern from Aalho?
Clear instructions with images
Easy to print in A4 format
You can also read instructions on your tablet or phone
Designed and tested: Nappi is the best test audience
How to Identify a Good Knitting Pattern for Dogs?
We’ve discovered that a great knitted sweater is, of course, stylish, but most importantly, dog-friendly. You can ensure that the design fits your dog by knitting the garment yourself.
The durability and washability of a good sweater are two additional characteristics. These are based on the yarn’s properties. The yarn used in our instructions is Icelandic, which also stands up well to harness usage.
The shape of the back part of the sweater is also significant: Aalho’s designs emphasize the rounded rear, which doesn’t roll up and stays in place even when playing.
What Kind of Yarn for Knitted Dog Sweaters Should You Use?
An average of about 100 g of yarn goes into a small dog’s knit. Our instructions use e.g. these yarns:
Wool, 100% Finnish wool, 100g, 180 tex x 2
Istex Lettlopi, 100% Icelandic sheep wool, 50 g
Tips for Sizing the Sweater
Our model, Nappi has a chest size of 36 centimeters and a back length of 30 centimeters.
Modifying the sweater according to the instructions in the leaflet can make the garment smaller or larger, depending on the dog’s body structure.
Beginner’s Knitting Guide: First Time as a Stylist?
Knitting for dogs is an excellent way to get started with a new pastime. At least our Nappi has never complained about the style or colors of their sweaters, and she’s always thrilled about them. To get started you need:
Knitting patterns
Needles (according to handwriting and instructions)
Yarn (usually about 100g)
Time (about 4-8 hours or 2–3 evenings)
If you’re interested in getting started with some Nordic designs for your dog, check out the Icelandic Sweater knitting instructions:
Nappi the toy poodle recently got a stylish Icelandic sweater for the cold days of autumn. It was the most recent iteration of our dog sweater knitting patterns. In addition to the Icelandic pattern, it comes with a comfy collar and a curved hem that doesn’t roll up but stays in place.
This knitting pattern is also available if you want to make your own. The downloadable pdf has all the information you need to get started on making this stylish Scandi-style sweater for your furry friend.
Nappi has a full collection of sweaters both based on our own designs and patterns picked up from popular Icelandic knitting patterns.
The colors in this sweater represent the Nordic winter sunsets with their deep purples and smoky blues. Wearing it Nappi is reminded of her ancestral days of running with the wolves.
The light brown Icelandic sweater pictured below is inspired by the windy days of the Scandinavian autumn.
What You Need for This Knitted Sweater for Dogs
The knitted sweater is fairly simple. It works best for smaller dogs. Nappi’s chest circumference is 36 centimeters and her back is c. 30 cm long.
The yarn used for the sweater is 100% Icelandic wool, called Léttlopi. For the sweater, you’ll need 4 x 50 gram balls.
As you can see in the picture, the sweater fits nicely around the neck and front paws. The shape of the back covers the back without rolling up.
Icelandic Knitting Patterns for Dogs
Icelandic knitting patterns have been really popular in the last few years. Despite their intricate details, they’re easy to knit and won’t go out of fashion for the next… few hundred years.
If you’d like to start working on one, get the knitting pattern on Etsy and start make it your own!
The new KIDE Hotel at the foot of the Iso-Syöte skiing resort invites adventurers to stay over for an active vacation. We stopped on our sweltering roadtrip in July 2021 for one night at the KIDE Hotel. Here are our experiences at the apartment hotel that’s focused on sustainability.
Other accommodations in Iso-Syöte
If you want to live in your own cabin, there are several cottages in the Iso-Syöte area, which can be booked through Lomarengas. See available cottages. *
Hotel KIDE: Pros and Cons
At the time of our trip, Finland was undergoing a heatwave. The night before our stay we had slept in nature, so the thought of a cool hotel night sounded great.
This is what we liked:
Room is suitable for the active traveler
Cooking facilities and utensils
Ecological and wood construction
Pets welcome in pet rooms
Close to Iso-Syöte’s sports facilities
We didn’t like this:
The rooms didn’t have air conditioning, so the night was fairly uncomfortable
Designed for winter use mainly
The KIDE Hotel deserves special thanks for its very comprehensive website, which provided both the necessary information and tourist tips for the surrounding area.
Experiences from the KIDE Hotel in Iso-Syöte
We traveled to Iso-Syöte in the summer heat. Iso-Syöte is familiar to most people as a ski resort and the KIDE hotel seemed designed for the active winter travelers. The hotel is at the foot of the slopes of Iso-Syötte, behind the car parks.
Modern Check-In
There was no need for the traditional reception dance: watching receptionist tap something behind his screen and then hand out the key cards. It was all electronic, done with the booking code received in the reservation email.
Check-in was at 3 pm and check-out at 10 am, which is a bit earlier than most places. Additional hours for check-out could be purchased one hour at a time.
Room, Features and Beds
The KIDE Hotel is an apartment hotel, which combines the best of hotel and Airbnb experiences. The room had the necessary cooking utensils, dishwasher, stove and microwave, so a skier or mover can refuel whenever appropriate.
The beds were high and quite comfortable. There was storage space under the beds for larger items. There was no air conditioning in the room and during the day the sun had beamed through the large windows and made the room quite hot. This made sleeping uncomfortable, but in the winter, fortunately, this problem is not a problem.
KIDE Hotel Breakfast
Breakfast was served at the other end of the hotel. It was a traditional Finnish hotel breakfast, which also included local specialties. There was croissant and nutella, porridge, yogurt, bread and much more to eat. Breakfast could be eaten either indoors or on the covered terrace.
Special Points of Interest at the Iso-Syöte KIDE Hotel
The KIDE Hotel was clearly designed especially for the active winter traveler. The room is well suited for skiers, for example: clothes can be dried in the bathroom dryer, your own food prepared in the room’s kitchen and the slopes are very close. You can check in quickly, so you can focus on the what’s most important.
When visiting in the summer, the room was uncomfortably hot. The interior and harsh lighting are also better suited for the snowy time of year rather than for bright summer nights.
Summary: A Winter Hotel in Iso-Syöte Designed for Active Travelers
The KIDE Hotel may be the right choice for the winter traveler: close to the slopes and well-equipped for winter activities. Special thumbs up about ecology and wood construction!
As a summer traveler, I might try another hotel or even a cottage – especially if your trip is during the worst of the summer heat.
An additional monitor makes work easier, especially on a laptop. You can move the source document or a web page to another screen, for example. We were recently looking for a small display for a remote workstation at home: the goal was to find a monitor that looks good, fits in a small space and doesn’t cost a lot.
Surprisingly, we found a great display whose only downside was the lack of a decent stand. So if you’re looking for a little extra monitor, we may have what you’re looking for.
Smaller than a 24-Inch Display for Remote Work
Most monitors are 24 inches or bigger. Prices have fallen in recent years and you can get one for a few hundred euros. We are looking for an even smaller screen than 24 inches for a remote workstation.
The best answer to this problem turned out to be mobile screens, i.e. small additional monitors of about 15 inches. We ended up buying a Blackstorm MobileMonitor 15.6″ Full HD screen from Verkkokauppa.com. See lowest price in Finland*.
What we like about this monitor:
Lightweight (about half a kilogram)
Gets power and image via USB-C
Comes with all the required cables (USB-C-USB-C and USB-A-USB-C and HDMI-mini-HDMI)
Does the job
What we didn’t like:
The case is flimsy and the magnet is too weak
The bottom of the screen is thicker than the top. If you want to set the monitor to portrait mode, it will have balance issues
Hands-On with the Blackstorm MobileMonitor 15.6″ Full HD Screen
The Blackstorm monitor costs a couple hundred euros. And gets the job done beautifully for that money.
It is portable and receives both power and image signal via a single cable (USB-C). The image quality is more than good enough for office work. The investment of a couple of hundred euros in a remote workstation has definitely been worth it. In addition, the screen is thin and convenient to take with you when you telework away from your teleworking office, to a summer cottage for example.
For the display stand, the monitor comes with a magnetic cover – practically speaking, a black, folded rubber mat. If you have pets, children in the household or open windows, the monitor will be on the floor before long. I also had to take Mensa’s intelligence tests before I learned how to fold the protective cover into a stand.
We ended up buying a ten euro Mozi Portable tablet holder (compare prices in Finland* ). It works reasonably well horizontally, but is unfortunately unbalanced in an upright position.
I’m dreaming of attaching some Velcro to the back of the screen, but haven’t got around to it yet. Despite the wobbly stand, I give this monitor two thumbs up.
Forest lounging is both totally ancient and totally new. The aim of forest lounging is to enjoy the forest and nature by lying down somewhere green.
When was the last time you lay down in nature? Watched the clouds, listened to the sounds of the forest and felt the earth beneath you? Recently I went picking lingonberries and tried forest lounging.
What is Forest Lounging?
Forest lounging is just that: lounging in the forest for some time. Someone somewhere is probably still working for the dictionary definition for it.
Being in nature restores the body and mind, but could resting in nature restore you even better? We sat down for lingonberry picking coffee break and I saw my opportunity: a bed of soft moss. I have often tried meditation, but as a Stressed Out Office Raisin, I find myself mostly hoping that the meditation session would be over as soon as possible so that I can “relax” by staring at my smartphone.
Testing the Effects of Forest Lounging
Relaxation is a full-body phenomenon: heart rate, heart rate variability, and whole cardiovascular system. I’ve been wearing the Oura ring before I started working there, so Oura’s Moment meditation mode was already familiar to me. Moment measures the body’s responses to breathing exercises or meditation, for example, for a certain period of time, say, 10 minutes.
So I lay myself down among the lingonberries and let Oura record the effects of forest lounging. I watched the clouds, I felt the earth under my palms. A few mosquitoes came to say hi, but luckily September had already dulled their thirst for blood.
Watching the clouds, it occurred to me that an enterprising Finn could combine a floating tank and watching the clouds. Someone else could add the northern lights. Northern Float. Aurora Floatiensis. OK, you might want to hire a brand agency to brand it better.
Forest lounging felt good, but as usual, after twenty seconds, I was already starting to think when 10 minutes would be full. I began to imagine the results: would my heart rate decrease, would my heart rate variability increase?
Relaxation Takes Practice
In elementary school, I started practicing cross-country skiing the day before the race. I walked around the apartment and did biceps curls with a 1.5-pound dumbbell. I came in last usually, although one Italian exchange student one time beat me to that.
But there I was, 23 years later. Ten minutes of forest lounging was up and I looked at the results from Oura’s app: my heart rate had started quite low but soared towards the end. Heart rate variability had dropped. Skin temperature had risen, which can be thought to be due to relaxation. Or from the sunshine that had started halfway through.
So forest lounging was no panacea. I felt cheated. Then again, my expectations probably had been too high. That I could undo years of laptop angst with 10 minutes of looking at the clouds.
The fact is that relaxation takes practice. Nobody thinks that one run will make them ready for a marathon. So why would I be zen after my first try at forest lounging?
Forest Lounging: 4 Stars
Despite the fact that I was not able to fully relax during the forest lounging, I give the experience 4 stars. Staring at the clouds on my back, soft forest floor under the back of my head… It made me think that there’s more to life than deadlines, roadmaps, or the need to align with
I recommend giving forest lounging a shot. If you do try it, come back and share your thoughts in the comments!
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, released for Nintendo Switch in 2020, combines the ambiance of old Mario Kart games with the possibilities of new technology. With the game, you can race on tracks built into your own home by means of augmented reality. In this article, we’ll go through what it actually feels like. Is it any good?
Summary: Mario Kart Home Circuit in a Nutshell
No need to race circles around it. Home Circuit is more fun than I initially imagined. The go-karts are fast, augmented reality is a fun addition, and the game itself is entertaining.
We liked:
Remote-controlled go-kart responds quickly
It’s easy to set up
The tracks are fun if you put a little effort into them
Driving is fun and earning faster go-karts is rewarding
We didn’t like:
The distance of the Switch from the go-kart has to be quit short, otherwise the game gets laggy
With one Switch you can only play in single player mode: for a two-player game, both should have their own Switch and their own go-kart
Pets may take offense
What Exactly is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit?
Home Circuit is a Mario Kart race on tracks built in your own home. The game on Switch itself is free, but to play you need a remote-controlled Luigi or Mario gokart and gates made of cardboard to build the track. The car with accessories costs about 120 €.
The go-kart has a camera that streams video to the Switch screen. Effects, other competitors, and everything else that Mario Kart tracks usually have are added to the screen. The go-kart reacts to changes in the game by stopping, slowing down or accelerating.
The video below gives you a good idea of what driving is like.
How Fast Are Mario Kart’s Go-Karts?
Before buying, I mainly wondered what driving actually feels like. When I opened the package, I was surprised by the size of the remote-controlled car: it’s 20 cm long and 11 cm wide, which is bigger than I imagined.
The go-karts have four different speeds (50, 100, 150 and 200 cc), the first two of which can be chosen right from the start. The other two must be unlocked by getting a trophy in at least 5 or 10 races.
If you follow the cars in real life, they will move quite slowly. However, the pace on the Switch screen is quite different and even at the slowest pace quite challenging. At 150 cc, the car’s battery lasts about 90 minutes, according to Nintendo.
At faster speeds, the car also starts to move faster also in real life. You can feel the speed. Winning enough cups to unlock the faster go-karts is worth it. In this Reddit thread someone calculated the speeds:
50cc = 0.54 m / s or 1.9 km / h
100cc = 0.78 m / s or 2.8 km / h
150cc = 0.99 m / s or 3.6 km / h
200cc = 1.18 m / s or 4.3 km / h
Thus, at top speeds, the car goes doubly as faster as at its slowest.
Tips for Building Tracks in the Home Circuit
At first, I made a very simple figure 8 in the kitchen, drove a few laps, and was ready to conclude that the Home Circuit was a reasonably boring game. The car worked just fine, it was nice to see my apartment from a new perspective, but driving was confusing in a small space.
You get the most out of the Home Circuit by accepting the fact that building tracks is as important as racing. The game comes with four gates, which is enough to make all kinds of tracks. The game got exciting as soon as I built a track that went under the kitchen table and under a row of bookshelves – then between the cardboard boxes stacked on the hallway rug and back to the long straight finish line in the kitchen.
Space is Needed to Feel the Speed
I wouldn’t buy this game for a very small apartment. It’s true that the range of the Switch is only about 5 meters according to the box, but the floor plan of the apartment and the available squares are what makes the difference.
The best tracks can be built in an apartment with a hard, flat floor (parquet or laminate) and a spacious floor plan. For example, our kitchen-living room has enough space for a complex and zig-zaggy track, even though the apartment is otherwise just an ordinary 3-bedroom apartment.
Low Carpets Are Not a Problem
The go-kart does surprisingly well on low and tightly-knit carpets. Going over, the car jumps, but it doesn’t slow down the pace that much. Heavier, thicker carpets will be a problem, though. As well as hair and anything extra you’ve got hidden under the bed.
Build Your Own Track from Stuff Around the Home
Beating my own personal bests in the time trial mode proved to be the most exciting game mode. I found myself enjoying the challenge of getting better at one track – especially if I had put effort into making it challenging.
Use anything and everything you have lying around: dog toys, boxes, chairs, books… If you build the track so that it passes underneath the sofa, for example, use colored lights to add extra punch.
Is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Worth It?
The go-kart costs about 120 euros, which is fairly expensive. Or cheap. Depending on how far in the future you’re currently living in.
The augmented reality works really well and the game is definitely enjoyable. It’s also a whole new, almost magical way to experience your own home.
If I had had something like this as a kid, I would’ve been building tracks from sun-up to sun-down. Making the tracks adds a nice real-world flavor to the game. Also, from the point of view of anyone not playing, a car speeding around the house is more interesting than a go-kart only moving on the TV.
However, the game requires certain conditions: enough space and a suitable floor. For a studio or a small room, I wouldn’t necessarily buy the game because good tracks require space and the signal deteriorates quickly if there’s even a thin wall in between. That said, with a little ingenuity, you can make small spaces work too.
Home Circuit is fun, challenging and novel. The occasional hiccups don’t interfere with the joy of Mario Kart from the days of yore.
A smart scale, a smartphone, a smart home … How much sense does it have that a scale – a fairly simple thing – be a smart scale? In this article, we’ll review my experiences with the Withings Body Plus smart scale and what kind of information you can get out of it compared to a regular scale.
The name of this smart scale is also written as Withing Body+.
In summary, a smart scale under a hundred euros be many times worth the price – but only if you like measuring and tracking things. I’ve been measuring different things about my body and hobbies for a long time, so measuring my own weight and body composition is just a natural continuum.
I liked
Stylish design
A functional Healthmate app
Easy data sync to the app
I didn’t like
Slightly expensive price tag
What is a Smart Scale?
A smart scale is a scale that transfers the measured data via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to an application. In addition to weight, Withings Body Plus measures body composition, such as fat percentage, bone mass, muscle mass, and the amount of fluid in the body.
The Withings scale was easy to set up and the data has been transferred to the application after the morning weighing without a hiccup. The only break was when the wi-fi was off one morning and the data couldn’t be transferred.
A smart scale is practically as smart as pen and paper. Withings Body Plus costs around € 70, so the price is right below too expensive (from my POV). However, I specifically wanted to buy a smart scale that automatically syncs data into an app where I can track it. The Withings scale does what I needed it to.
Smart Scale Reliability: Can the Results Be Trusted?
One evening I did ten pushups and the next morning I had dropped 0.7 kilos of fat – according to the scale. I was planning my bestseller (The 10-Push-Up Training Regimen, or similar) but then decided that any individual measurement of the smart scale is not the absolute truth.
That doesn’t mean they’re not useful. They just need to be treated the right way.
The Healthmate app makes it easy to see changes over time
I have measured my weight every morning after a trip to the loo, wearing the the same clothes, i.e. boxers. (Or should I say, the same type of clothes, I change boxers every day.) This is how I have standardized what the scale measures and what is stored in the application. The variation between days is substantial, but that is to be expected. The most important thing is what happens in the long run over weeks and months.
I chose Withings Body Plus as my smart scale precisely because of its body composition measurement. It was different enough from the standard scale, i.e. the stupid scale, and I felt that because of the body composition measurement, it was worth the investment.
Tips for Measuring Body Weight
If you don’t take into account the mental aspects of weight measurement (for example, the fact that weight measurement can become a burden or anxiety) and talk specifically about getting the most reliable measurement you can, then here are some tips for measuring body weight:
Always measure at the same time of day
Always measure in similar clothing (barefoot)
Measure no more than once a day
You can also measure whenever you want, for example once a week or once a month. Personally, I’ve found that when I add a morning weigh-in to my routine, it slips well into everyday life. It also results in a long series of information that I can return to later. If I measured only once a week, there would be significantly fewer data points.
Experiences with the Withings Body Plus Smart Scale
This review is based on the use of only one smart scale for a few weeks, so there are no reference points other than a standard scale. The Withings scale was easy to set up and the device could be easily connected to an iPhone. The Healthmate app is available on both Android and iOS.
Check the weather with the Withings Body Plus smart scale
The scale looks good, but we keep it under the bed, so in our case, so appearances don’t matter too much – except for the monsters under the bed.
The application allows you to specify what information you want to see on the scale screen during weighing. You can choose from e.g.
Weight
Weight change trend
The amount of fat
Waterweight
BMI
Bone Mass
Muscle Mass
Weather
Showing the weather seemed pointless at first, but now that I’m used to it it seems to fit my morning routine really well. In addition, my favorite data point is the weight change trend, that is, how much my weight has changed since the previous day.
Smart Scale Information in Healthmate
The data is viewed in the Healthmate app, which is a bit bland for my taste, but reasonably easy to use. Weight data and body composition can be seen on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis or for the entire period of use. The most important thing is the trend in the long run and the application seems to be quite good at showing it.
The data has been automatically transferred to the application. It works as it should and I haven’t had any Bluetooth induced bouts of tech rage.
Conclusion: Smart or Not?
The boring answer is that the usefulness of any smart scale depends on you and your goals. It alone does not improve anyone’s health and may even cause anxiety.
My goal was to drop the weight closer to 70 kg and I changed my diet in the direction of intermittent fasting. I eat reasonably healthy between 11am and 7pm as before. I endure hunger well anyway, so fasting hasn’t felt bad at all.
Withings Body Plus costs about 70 €.
I wanted a smart scale so that I could accurately measure the effects of my lifestyle change. I also knew that I would be motivated by seeing the numbers change. And I also knew that I wouldn’t be seriously affected if the numbers didn’t go down. Therefore, I was happy to buy a smart scale. I also feel that it’s been well worth it.
If you’ve been thinking about buying a smart scale, first ask yourself: Am I at a point in my life and soul that a smart scale is right for me . If you like data, applications, and measuring life then I can recommend getting a smart scale.
Withings Body Plus has been the answer to what I was looking for. I wouldn’t get hung up on exact body composition measurement but rather look at the long-term trends.
At the time of writing, I’ve been using the lens for about a month on Canon EOS RP. (Update: Lately I’ve also been using it with the Canon R6). I’ve been shooting mainly interiors, events, nature and products.
Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8: Extremely Good and Really Valuable
First things first: I haven’t done a full technical review of the lens and I don’t have experience with other wide angle lenses, so I can’t say how well the lens is technically doing. The Ken Rockwell review has more test images and technical information for those looking for it.
However, the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 lens can be summed up like this: really good and really valuable (expensive). If money is not an issue and you need a RF mounted wide-angle lens, there’s nothing to stop you from getting this lens.
I liked:
Bright wide angle (15 mm is wiiiiiide)
High-quality build
Quiet and focuses fast
Image stabilization saves you from blurry images
I didn’t like:
Nothing I didn’t like (my wallet disagrees)
Hands-on Review: Canon’s Wide-Angle Lens in Action
I have been using mostly the Canon RF mounted telezoom (RF 70-200mm F 2.8L*) and this wide angle. Both are fast L-series masterpieces that are nice to hold and admire even when you’re not taking any shots.
The 15–35 mm lens has opened up my photography to new areas. With this wide-angle lens, I have mainly taken product and nature pictures. Switching between this and the 70–200 F2.8 you can manage almost any situation encountered in non-professional situations. Or even some semi-professional shoots. I personally have not missed the third Trinity lens, i.e. the 20-70mm F2.8L lens.
Focus is fast, quiet, and accurate. Usually, it just snaps into the right object from the get-go.
Image quality is not an issue. I’m not a good enough photographer to miss anything on lens quality. I believe the same can be said for many other photographers. The lens quality won’t be an issue.
What you shoot affects how often you need this. I’ve enjoyed the 15–35 mm especially in cramped interiors where it does the job brilliantly. However, the 70-200mm telephoto zoom is more familiar to me so I tend to gravitate towards that.
To sum up: if your wallet is thick enough and you need a wide-angle lens, then the Canon L-Series lenses are a sure choice.
Canon RF 15-35mm with Canon R6
Since first getting started with this lens I’ve upgraded the body to a Canon R6. It features in-body image stabilization and even though it’s a bit heavier than the RP, it’s on a whole new level in terms of dependability.
I’m not really a pro photographer, even though I do some product and event photography on the side. That said, I feel a lot more confident with my two L-series lenses and R6 than I did with my RP.
It feels like I can’t fail.
The autofocus is snappy, the stabilization is great and more often than not I get the shot that I want. I shoot in RAW so that gives me the ability to fix things in post (yeah, I said it) that I didn’t get right in the camera.
So, while gear doesn’t make anyone a great photographer it has helped be succeed more often.
Product imagesThe fast F2.8 15-35mm is great for making cramped interior shots feel spaciousIt’s not a macro lens but you can get close if needed.Go wide. Go spacious.
Remote recording allows you to bring guests to your podcast from around the world – even from the International Space Station if you wanted! In this article, we’ve gathered the best tools, applications and gear for recording your podcast remotely.
The best program depends on e.g. the following factors:
How many guests are coming
What sound quality you want to have
What hardware you have available
What equipment is available to your guest
Of the apps in this article, we have tried and used Zencastr, Cleanfeed and Squadcast ourselves. We’ve also recorded Whatsapp over Zoom H6.
Programs and Applications for Remote Podcast Interviews
Many of these apps offer a free trial, so you can try to see if the app would suit your needs. Here are the popular programs with their pros and cons.
Popular. An extended trial period during COVID, in which the number of guests is not limited. Only mp3 recording in the free version. You can also capture video.
This is the option we’d recommend. We’ve used Zencastr in remote recordings to capture the guest track both in the cloud and locally during the interview.
Microphones from two hosts directly to Adobe Audition to their own tracks
A guest track from Zencastr to Adobe Audition via Loopback (Mac) as the third track.
Well-known but somewhat questionable application in terms of privacy. Easy to use, but the sound quality is not the best. In the settings, you can turn off automatic audio processing and record speakers on their own tracks. Props for the video connection which makes it easier to connect with your guests.
Praised for its sound quality. Simple interface also for the guest. No video connection. We’ve tried this but in our setup we had some problems with audio quality.
Really easy-to-use! Specifically designed for remote interviews. Sound can be captured as wav – and also video is available if desired. We would probably use this, but the monthly fee with the video is in the $ 100 range and a bit too expensive for us.
For business and money-making podcasts, it’s still a great choice. The process is really easy, specially from a guest’s perspective. In addition, editing is made easier by the fact that all tracks and videos can be downloaded to your own computer separately after the interview.
Skype or Whatsapp or Facetime and Zoom H6
Audio over the Internet is usually compressed and processed quite roughly which narrows the editing possibilities. That’s why Skype, Zoom, or Google Meet, despite their ease of use, aren’t necessarily the best choices.
We have recorded many episodes on Zoom H6 and a Whatsapp call. It requires a bit of hardware and the sound quality isn’t the best, but it has worked for us. However, we would not necessarily recommend this system if the Zoom H6 recorder or similar is not already something you have.
My Pickups for Zoom H6
From your phone, a 3.5mm hook to the Zoom H6’s XY mic
Attach your headphones to the Zoom H6
This way you get all the participants on their own tracks. In principle, you could also use, for example, Facetime’s video connection during the interview. However, it may be laggy and distorted, especially if the connection is weak.
Bonus: Have the Guest Record Their Own Track
Sound quality problems can be solved when the guest records their own track on their own computer. However, this requires hardware and technical know-how, so it won’t work for all situations. When we’ve visited other podcasts, we’ve recorded our own mic track on Audition and later shared it through Google Drive, for example.
If your guest is up for recording their own track, make sure to capture a backup track for yourself in case the file is lost, corrupted, or guests forget to press record.
Summary: The Best Apps for Remote Interviews
Give these apps a shot and see if they solve the remote recording challenges and opportunities for your podcast. I have tried all these three and they get the work done.
Zencastr : When it comes to getting things done at a reasonable price.
Cleanfeed : When there’s one guest coming and you want to use something free. Make sure you have plenty of time to test your setup.
Squadcast : When you have money or are spending someone else’s money.
The short answer to the question is: There are currently no Disney Plus (Disney +) gift cards available in Finland. Online search results look fairly suspicious and we do not recommend trying them out.
Disney Plus gift cards are available in the United States, but you can’t use them in Finland.
Disney Plus as a Gift?
If you want to give away a Disney Plus gift card, you could create a Disney account normally and share its login information with the gift recipient. Charges will go to your card, but the account will be used by someone else.
This is neither the easiest nor the most secure way, but the only way currently to pay for someone else’s Disney streaming service in Finland.
In this situation, it doesn’t make sense to use your own email or especially your own passwords. We recommend that you create a new Google Account just for the gift.
Also be mentally prepared to solve connectivity issues, login issues, payment issues, bad TV series issues, and that’s-not-my-favorite-actor issues.
What Are the Other Options?
Although gift cards are not yet available on Disney+, you can give a Netflix gift card as a gift. The same series or movies are not available on all platforms, so donating an alternative service may not make sense.
In this article, we’ll go through the different types of UV radiation, their side effects, and ways to protect yourself from the sun. For those who are looking for a candidate for the best sunscreen, the summary is this.
The best sunscreen is:
SPF30+ protection factor
Broad-spectrum (protects against both UVA and UVB radiation)
Suits you so well that you actually use it
Here are a few of our own favorites that meet those three requirements:
There are other good sunscreens out there, and the most important thing is that you protect yourself. If you’re wondering if you should put sunscreen on, that’s how you know that you should.
Tanning doesn’t protect you from the sun. Rather, it’s a sign of DNA damage. The sun is not as harsh in Finland as in other countries closer to the Equator but it can still harm your skin if you stay out for long without protection.
Why Protect Yourself from the Sun?
UV radiation from the sun causes cancer and ages the skin. To protect yourself from the sun:
Avoid direct sunlight
Protect yourself with clothing
Use sunscreen
Ultraviolet radiation is invisible to the human eye. You can get sunburn on a cloudy day, too. The UV Index is an easy-to-read way to estimate the amount of harmful UV radiation. When the UV index is above 3, you should protect yourself. In Finland, the UV index is higher during the day than from 3 May to August between about 10 am and 5 pm, in northern Finland for a slightly shorter period.
At the end of this Duodecim article, they summarize the reasons and tips for protecting yourself from the sun:
Ultraviolet radiation causes skin cancer and aging
Avoiding the sun and protective clothing are better ways to protect yourself than sunscreen
A good sunscreen is broad-spectrum, meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB radiation
Sunscreen is a great extra layer of protection when you apply it it properly
Here are some tips: Use quality sunscreen in fair amounts and don’t rely on it for doing all the protecting.
What Does the Sunscreen Protection Factor Mean?
Sun protection factor 15. Sun protection factor SPF 50 + … Sunscreens almost always have an SPF protection factor somewhere on the label, usually between 10 and 50.
The SPF ( sun protection factor ) reflects the protection provided by sunscreen against UVB radiation, which causes reddening of the skin. The SPF protection factor does not yet indicate protection against UVA radiation, i.e. protection against skin aging.
The SPF protection factor is easier to understand when looking at the protection it provides against UVB radiation.
A cream with an SPF 50 lets through 2% of UVB radiation.
SPF30 lets through 3%
SPF15 lets through 10%
A cream with no SPF at all can transmit 100% of UVB radiation (at least close to 100%)
The difference between SPF30 and SPF50 is thus quite small (letting through 2% vs 3% of harmful radiation). Whereas the difference between SPF15 and SPF50 is considerable (letting through 10% vs 2% of harmful radiation). The difference between unprotected and even small factor (SPF15) is huge (lets through almost all harmful radiation (100%) vs only 10%).
When sunscreen rubs off it no longer provides protection and should be added at regular intervals (every other hour) and more often if you sweat, swim or otherwise rub off the protection.
Here is the price difference between SPF30 and SPF50 as actual products:
Thus, the difference in price per liter may not be very large even if the product provides slightly better protection.
UVA and UVB Radiation Are Not the Same
The ultraviolet radiation of the sun has two significant wavelengths: UVA and UVB. UVC radiation filters out in the earth’s ozone layer, so sunscreen is not needed to protect against it.
Most of the energy in the sun’s UV radiation is UVA radiation. As we saw above, the sun protection factors indicate the effectiveness of sunscreen against UVB radiation. Therefore, a good sunscreen is broad-spectrum, meaning it also protects against UVA rays.
UVA Radiation
UVA radiation is long-wave (320–400 nm) radiation that penetrates deeper into the skin than short-wave UVB radiation. UVA radiation ages the skin and causes wrinkles.
UVB Radiation
UV radiation is (280–320 nm) medium-wavelength radiation that affects the surface layer of the skin and causes DNA damage and thickening of the skin. UVB radiation causes sun burns.
UVB radiation in particular increases the risk of skin cancer. Tanning is a sign of DNA damage.
The Best Sunscreens for the Face
Good sunscreens applied to the face are light, inconspicuous and also suitable for the skin around the eyes. Other good properties include non-gloss, good spreadability and the fact that they do not clog up skin pores.
The same general guidelines apply to sunscreens for the face: that is, protection against both UVA and UVB rays should be provided, as well as an adequate protection factor (at least SPF30).
Sunscreen Under Makeup
Makeup alone does not protect you from UV radiation, so it’s a good idea to apply sunscreen before you put on makeup. Light and easy-to-apply sunscreens are suitable for this.
It is also good to protect the lips from the sun. There are sunscreens and lip balms specifically made for this purpose. Sunscreens for the skin are not designed to taste good, so a lip balm or lip balm is more comfortable to use.
The effects of UV radiation accumulate on the skin during life, so protecting children’s skin from the sun is extremely important. Sunscreens are not recommended for babies, so avoiding the sun in other ways is the way to go. Sun-protective clothing and sunscreen are recommended for play-aged children.
Enjoy the Outdoors – Safely!
Summer is my favorite time in Finland and Scandinavia. Enjoy the outdoors more by protecting yourself from the sun!
This article is not medical advice. Consult an expert if you have any questions related to your skin and sun protection.
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The difference between SPF30 and SPF50 is thus quite small (letting through 2% vs 3% of harmful radiation). Whereas the difference between SPF15 and SPF50 is considerable (letting through 10% vs 2% of harmful radiation). The difference between unprotected and even small factor (SPF15) is huge (lets through almost all harmful radiation (100%) vs only 10%).