Web App

I'm currently en route of creating an Online Community on ActiveUnity.com check out the site and let me know what you think!

Main Page!

Mainly working on main site!

http://www.activeunity.com

Check 'er out!

Update on Concept

So some of my ActiveUnity fans have some very reasonable questions on what exactly this whole project is about. What exactly is the ActiveUnity concept? Is it something other people will be able to get involved in? Are you actually going to finish any of these ActiveUnities that you've started?

Alright already! :P I only got the brass tacks put down a few months ago, and those have been changing and updating weekly! With that bit of information out there, beware, this concept could very well change again. 2008 will see many big things coming in the pretext of ActiveUnity, and those may vary from the ideas of concept of today.

ActiveUnity is being created as an online community for active people, and people looking to become more active. The very basic concept is to have a community of people with the goal of getting away from the TV, computer, and books to actually go outside or grab a pencil and some drawing paper and create something! To be an active participant and this oh so short thing we call life, and enjoy it! Find things you've always wanted to do, make a plan to do them, meet other people who have done them or are doing them, learn about other things that you'd like to do.

Keep track of all the big activities you've done. Wanted to do something that no one else has yet done for ActiveUnity? Create your own ActiveUnity writing about all the required sections an ActiveUnity requires. Have something to add to a current ActiveUnity? Post it for other people to read and have it voted on to be an everytime part of the project! This will be an ever expanding and growing online community of knowledge, sharing, and participating in the things you've always dreamed of! Get out there and do it.

Furniture Design Part I

Why do this ActiveUnity?
For many a year have I had the dream of designing and building my own desk. One of those items you find on your todo list that is so cool and close to home that you never want to take it off, but feel bad that it's been there for so long that it's not very motivating to see it still there, staring at you...unchecked. But before I get into the real deal desk of my dreams I decided to start with something just as fun and just as useful. A portable desk! Using the same concept of the larger desk except in smaller sizes and some new ideas on portability in design.

Designing and building your own piece of furniture is a fun and worthwhile project for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that everything in the world (yes, even you) has the ability to be even better. To have a sleeker design, more leg room, deeper pockets, hidden compartments, ergonomic corrections for bad backs, better portability, more cushioning, enhanced durability, better materials, increased functionality, a built in sleeping area for your cat, etcetera. The possibilities are truly endless, and who better to customize that new shiny piece of furniture? To hold in consideration all of your most intimate desires and needs? Oh, I think we all know who that is, you silly goose you.

Some of my own personal reasons for wanting to design my own desk:

• to have a workspace fit for a continuous multi-project work life
  
• ergonomically made for design work and writing projects
  
• fun secret compartments!!@#$
  
• the ability to have references and inspirations on the desktop without it getting in the way of my current papers and designs on the desktop (less clutter with the benefits of clutter!)
  
• something I could call my own baby when people got impressed by it.

The portable version of the desk will have many of the same abilities as my original desk idea, except some tampered down a bit and some added features that would make sense of a small portable workspace. With the added benefit of me being able to take more advantage of the spring and summer months with a desk that will allow me to sit on the grass in Wash Park and enjoy the day outside while I get my ideas on paper.

Active Connections

Have you ever noticed how seeing and experiencing something new can completely change your daily life? Sometimes you don't get a true appreciation for it until you see that change in someone close to you. Perhaps someone that doesn't get out as much, but right after they do, you notice changes in them right away. That's what ActiveUnity is all about!
I'm currently home in NJ for Christmas to see my folks. I remember just last year in December how their morning routine was rather unorganized and bulky with multiple types of large and small coffee machines going and little in the way of a standard breakfast routine.

Later in the summer though they made their first "couple trip" to England, experienced a new culture, saw things from a different perspective.
Now I've come home to a completely different morning routine! And one I'm very impressed with (and a bit jealous of as well). My dad wakes up and is in charge of coffee: electric water heater, 2 french presses, one with half-caff, one decaf. My mom wakes up and cuts up fresh fruit puts them into two bowls with homemade yogurt on the top! Talk about an organized treat of a morning! I was so inspired I had to post about it!

This is the very essence of what I'm trying to prove with ActiveUnity. There is just so much out there in the world that you are doing yourself an injustice by not experiencing it with your own two eyes (hands, feet, self)! Once you see it and experience it and actively participate in it your life instantly changes. Even if you don't incorporate it into your daily regime you now know better why you do the things the way you do or that you have a better understanding of the mental barriers you need to overcome in order to get out of your rut. My parents taught me that anyone is able to make a change in their life which can make things more enjoyable, easier, and efficient! Try something new and share it with the world!

External Network Drive Part I

Why do this ActiveUnity?
Hard drives are nice aren't they? They allow lovely virtual storage that we hold so dear to our hearts. It serves many functions but one that we think of and utilize the most is the function for holding files like music, videos, and pictures. Our lifeline of virtual entertainment and creativity. The issue we're looking to solve with this ActiveUnity though, is the fact it's just all so god damn locked up and private!

What we really need is a way to share everything with our families or co-workers without the risk of having to open up our personal computer up to the world of the internet. Thus, the concept we are here to actively setup and leap head first over this issue: the external network drive.

Now we can have all of our music and movies and pictures and be able to access them from any computer in the house! Or allow your good buddy co-workers to listen to your music, and have them upload theres so you can listen to theirs as well. Of course there are many options of listening to each others music, but not when their computer is off, and not in the way of downloading and burning those said songs for your listening pleasure *anywhere*.

As far as my own personal experience in these types of activities I do have a big background in IT. I understand the fundamentals of how both hardware and networks work. I have undergone many IT troubleshooting activities in the past and do not fear them!!

Wine Marking Part I

For my first activity (now known as activeunity) I have stumbled upon Wine Making! An amazing activeunity that truly anyone can participate in, and one that I have will be spending plenty of time perfecting in the future.

Why the activeunity of wine making? First of all, gimme a break, anyone who enjoys wine has at least thought about making some of their own at one point or another. But let's dig in deeper! Picking grapes; stomping grapes; playing with fermentation: so many new and amazing experiences all drawn together within one activity that comes with a bunch of amazing finished products you can show off to your friends! (not to mention give as gifts being that it tis the season)

One of the greatest parts of this activeunity is the fact you don't need to a lot of time, money, or talent to do it and do it well. Don't let the time thing make you think the wine will be done in a month though. This one is fun since you start out with a fun afternoon and evening combo, wait a few months and spend some more hours, wait a few months then spend a few more hours! I'm currently in my second waiting phase. 5 gallons of Chardonnay in the near future!