In order to make sure that I don't forget the following I've decided to make them a part of a public article. By showing myself and the world the proposed solutions to my problems I can stay on target. See, there is one problem solved.

1) The Loop - Car to get a job, job to get a car.

Basically this is an easy one, the job comes before the car. I've already dedicated myself to either finding local work that I can make use of public transportation or my own physical ability to get to. In lieu of that I will also be looking for positions outside of Niagara that remedy this situation in a number of other ways. Examples include public transit elsewhere (Toronto, Japan, etc.), living on the work site (armed forces/environmental jobs), or loans on guaranteed income.

(Note: even though I used to own an Aerostar, that has no bearing on my current situation)

2) Finding work (to pay down debt/living expenses)

I'm not joking, it is difficult to find work related to my degree. So at this point I've also expanded my search to non-related positions with two limiters: Pay must either be above 11.25 CAD an hour or I need 40 hours guaranteed every week. This is a strict rule with only one exception - bankruptcy. So the job hunt continues.

(Note: an internship is an option since unpaid work in order to guarantee future paid work will not immediately damage my financial plan - but it would test the patience of my family)

--- Thats about it for now, I've gotta jet ---

The first of my graduation gifts have come in from friends and family and it came just in time. People have asked me what I need now that I've graduated from University. I figure I'll outline my simple list online for anyone that passes by the ol' KMcom. Here goes:

1. Financial contributions to my student debt. (Money)
   
2. Parts for my solid-state/off-grid energy projects.
   
3. ???

Truthfully I place debt elimination among my top priorities. I'm managing to enjoy and make the best of life on little to no money during this job hunt thanks to the creation of bike safe lanes (for my bicycle), public wireless internet access at public libraries (for my computer), and photovoltaic recharging from my solar panel. I can maintain a digital lifestyle without difficulty on a lower budget. So the elimination of my debt load is a top priority, it is among the only restrictions remaining on my freedom.

Not that I'm looking to be a "Technobo" (Techno-Hobo), because if anyone knows about a great job in public admin, journalism, entry level project management, or just about anything else to make use of my skills - please let me know.

If you are like the majority that cannot help me find a job then please consider the gift that keeps on giving for my graduation. Money.

In my recent travels there have been a couple of opportunities to enjoy the local farmers market - many of the vendors in Welland are noticeably lacking any kind of discount. This doesn't change the fact that they provide high quality local produce and your money is going to people that seem like local growers.

It is a little mind boggling to think that our local market is lacking, but as it turns out nearly all of the Farmers Markets in the Niagara Peninsula suffer from the same problem. Blame it on regulations, exposure/turnout, or some other factor - we can do better to draw people toward the market.

It is nearly impossible to advertise in flyers due to changing stock - but a notice could be sent out about what fruits and vegetables are in season. The weekly guide can be coupled with a recipe, tips for canning/pickling, and of course hours of operation. The hours of operation were among the harder things to find outside of the market itself. More information will lead to more people showing up and supporting the local produce resellers.

I'm sure most of these things have been tried before and someone will suggest them again despite the failure. Some things are worth repeating even if they don't show immediate results. Check out the Welland Farmers Market... but you'll have to find the hours of operation on your own.

Why bother with complicated solar panels and grid tie paperwork when you can power your device independently. That is exactly what I was looking for with the Weighted Dynamo Light - and I will describe how it works.

You will need the following:

• Efficient Light Source (3W or less LED)
  
• Capacitor
  
• Standard Crank Dynamo
  
• Mini Gear System
  
• Small Chain (between gears)
  
• Long Chain (for Gear2 and weight)
  
• Weight

Luckily you can cannibalize an existing crank light to do this - messing around with calculating energy consumption and production can be tedious. Instead we move the math to the gears and weight.

Think of the gear system like a bicycle, but the goal is to reduce the slowdown of the crank to your needs. After all, this can be a 5 minute light or a two day light depending on the gear settings and weight.

A simple two gear system has one connected to the old hand crank, and the other gear is connected to the weight mechanism. Someone had suggested completely taking a page from cycling and including a "dynamo dérailleur" - but that is complicated, you can change the gear more easily by hand.

This project is not difficult, but it does require some common sense. Your lamp, gears and whatnot will only handle so much weight - so a brick may be too massive. Elegant design involves copious amounts of simplicity and balance, a better weight may look like the brass pine cones from traditional Black Forest clocks - again, no bricks.

I do hope to see these kinds of LED lamps in retail stores - until then it is DIY time.

This is a follow-up to the last blog post. Photos can be found HERE

Anime North 2009 was great. More attendees, more vendors, and more volunteers were in attendance over the course of the weekend. I'll break it down into my focus interests for the weekend.

Vendor Fair - It was much easier to find everything I was looking for over the course of this weekend. Part of this I attribute to improvements in the vendor fair, and some of it is because events outside the vendor zone drew more people away from the shopping crowd. Anime North is more than just a glorified shopping mall and I am glad people are catching on to this concept.

Avatar - After experiencing the ongoing hate against Avatar from fellow anime fans it was amazing to see more Avatar fans coming out to major events - including a special screening from Nickelodeon of a feature enhanced Avatar DVD set. My 'Avatar Weekend' ended on a low note after attending a panel on the Avatar movie that was hijacked by other people angry that the actors were not 'racially correct'. On the plus side, leaving early left more time at Ikea that afternoon.

Cosplay - Cosplay turnout was exceptional this year, and I was able to find plenty of my favourite characters. Highlights this year include more Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyoshi Warriors, and non-Anime cosplay. Photos will be in my Picasa albums under the heading Anime North 2009.

Anime Hell - a critical view of Anime, Anime culture, and all other things that are weird. Basically the cost of admission to the con is almost completely worth it just for this event. It was packed from front to back and that was after the room was expanded to more than twice its original size.

Rave No. I didn't attend the rave, it attended me - while taking a nap outside the TCC a swarm of ravers migrated through causing all kinds of hilarity. Hilarity is fine, but I just wanted a break before heading back to overnight viewing. Thanks ravers!

There are potentially hundred of other smaller stories to be told about Rick-rolling, Nintendo DS events, the sentence game. discovering Tora Dora, Free Burger Day at Harveys, Alie and her reaction to con-stench, paddles. and much more...

Chek out the photos - and do a barrel roll.