The Greening of Gavin

Cheese Studio in Action

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I know that many of you follow my cheese video tutorials on YouTube, so it would probably come as no surprise that they do take quite a bit of effort to create.

Lets go behind the scenes, and check out my cheese studio in action shall we?

Cheese Studio in Action

Cheese Studio Set up

As you can see, I use LED studio lights, with rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries so that I am not tethered to a power cable.  These lights are energy-efficient and are perfect for the kind of work I am using them for.  The lights extend up to 2 meters tall.  Rarely do LED’s blow, so I should get a long lifespan out of these lights.

You will also notice the very tiny camera on a tripod.  I managed to pick up the tripod second-hand on Ebay, but the camera itself is a GoPro Black Hero 4.  I chose it because it too has a rechargeable battery and it takes the most amazing video and photographs and has a small environmental footprint.  As it is waterproof down to about 130 metres, I will also be using it around the garden when I get a bit of sunshine to take footage for the Greening of Gavin channel.

What I also like is that all the batteries are charged using my Solar PV system or using GreenPower.  Keeps it all pretty green except for the manufacturing of the individual components.

Certified Curd Nerd

My new organic cotton T-shirt. I love it!

For the talking head part of the videos, I use my iPhone on a small tripod which does pretty good video as well.  In fact all the photos that I take for the blog are taken on my phone.  There is certainly no need these days to purchase a fancy camera, unless you really want to get into the art.

It’s all very easy to set up and pack away to get started on the evening meal.

Even if I make a cheese for the first time, I still film the process in case it turns out as per the recipe, which more often than not it does.

Even if it doesn’t work out, I can show others not what to do!  This saves a heck of a lot of time and doesn’t add any more time onto the cheese making process.  So it is win-win for me and you the viewer.

However, I do make mistakes quite often.  Here is a rare blooper snippet from an upcoming cheese tutorial complete with background noise, mispronunciation, Kim offering sound advice, and a retake!  I’m not normally that snappy, but this was about the fourth take, so patience with myself was wearing thin.

 

Once the footage is in the can (so to speak), I then edit it using software called Pinnacle Studio 19, which has some rich features including picture-in-picture, montages, and tile overlays.  I use most of the features during editing, which can take up to four to five hours per 15 minute cheese video.  I do enjoy the creative part of editing and the time just flies when I’m in the zone.

Anyway, that is how I make my cheese videos in my kitchen.  If anyone has any questions about the production aspect, I’m happy to answer them in the comments section.

Like the t-shirt says; Keep Calm and Make Cheese!

TGoG Podcast 098 – Sustainable Living Events

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Listen to the Episode Below (00:22:14)
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Firstly, I would just like to let you know that Episode 100 is rapidly approaching.  It is going to be a massive show, and it will focus on listener questions.  So don’t be shy.  Send in a sustainable living question or a message for Kim and I using the widget below, and we will play it and/or answer the question on the 100th show.  I am really looking forward to this milestone event in two weeks time.

This episode is a roundup of sustainable living events that I will be speaking or manning a stall at or visiting in the next two months.  I also talk a little about the yearly Sustainable Living Festival here in Melbourne.

I talked about the following events;

Little Green WorkshopsI also chat about some of the happenings around here, and new products in our shop www.littlegreenworkshops.com.au.  We have been so busy making and putting up new products lines, including preserving kits and equipment, handmade soap, and soy melts.  Add that to all the other kits, supplies, and equipment that we have available for Cheese, Soap, and Soy Candle making, we haven’t had time to scratch ourselves!  Starting a small business is not for the faint hearted.

So, we hope you can get to some of these sustainable living events and drop in and say gidday.  Most are free and very educational.  I would love to meet you.

February is the busiest month in the sustainability calendar here in Victoria.  I love it, because it recharges my internal green batteries, and puts me on the path again for another year of our journey.  Without these types of events, I think I would feel a little lost, and a little alone.

Wireless Solar Keyboard – Logitech k760 Review

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Roughly once a year, I review a piece of green technology that I have bought or been given to review.  It is not easy maintain my media empire 😉

This is such a review, and features the Wireless Solar Keyboard – Logitech k760.  The review unit was kindly provided to me by Mobile Zap, who are located in Sydney.

You may have seen in my recording studio video that I have a refurbished iPad that I use for podcasting, and I have found that I just cannot type anything of substance on it.  I definitely would not attempt to type a blog post using the iPad’s onscreen keyboard.  I have tried and the result is not pretty.

I had been looking for a keyboard, but it had to have one special feature.  It had to be solar-powered, and have replaceable batteries if the rechargeable ones failed.

There are not many on the market, as most of these types of keyboards need to be recharged from the mains.  Thankfully Logitech had the foresight to design this model.

So on with the review.

The Good

Logitech k760

The keyboard arrived via a courier, so I unboxed it and put it to good use.  It has a small area footprint, and is slightly larger than my iPad.  The big black panel across the top of the keyboard is actually six separate solar cells that charge the two 1.2 volt Ni-Mh batteries located in the rear of the unit.  These can be replaced and recycled if they fail, unlike the apple devices (iPad, iPhone) that it connects to.  I like this feature a lot.

Logitech k760

It is lighter than my iPad, which is a bonus, because I have been carrying it around for three weeks and have been using it on the train as I travel to work.

It it easier to use on a table than it is a lap, but certainly beats the on-screen keypad.

This keyboard can also connect to three bluetooth devices at the press of a button, but not all at the same time.  It does make swapping between devices a breeze.

The Bad

The only feature that I do not like on this keyboard is that due to its compact size, the left hand shift key.  It is way too small, and I keep hitting the wrong keys.  It is something I am getting used to.

Also, it can only be used with specific Apple devices, including those running Mac OS X and iOS 6 and above.

I could not find any mention of it working with Android tablets, and unfortunately have been unable to test it with one.

The Ugly?

I would love to say that it is made from post-consumer recycled plastic and that the packaging was recycled cardboard, but I cannot, because I cannot find evidence that it is.  I wrote to Logitech and asked them the following question;

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing a product review on my blog, The Greening of Gavin, for this keyboard, and am trying to clarify this statement from the product page;

“Small steps, bright future
From the PVC-free construction to the fully recyclable box, the K760 is designed to reduce its environmental footprint.”

What are the full environmental features of this model. Surely it has to be more than just that it is PVC free and the box is made of cardboard. It is made of post-consumer recycled plastic and the box is recycled cardboard?

Please expand on this statement so that I can write a better review.

Kind regards,

Gavin Webber

After two weeks, the only response I received was that they would investigate my request.  I pestered them twice with the same response.

As I have not had a proper response to my question, so I guess that the environmental credentials are just that it has a solar panel, is not made from PVC, and that all the packaging is made from cardboard.  If they do eventually respond with an answer, I will update this post.

Summary

When I look at some technologies that I purchase, is not a bad effort.  The fact that it self charges and needs no external power supply is its biggest feature.  That it only works with Mac OS X and iOS 6 and above is a downside.  You think that you would be able to connect it to any bluetooth enabled tablet that needed a keyboard.

Typing this blog post using the k760

Typing a blog post using the k760

The lack of packaging that came with the Logitech k760 was a pleasant surprise, because I have unpacked computers with so much styrofoam and other plastic paraphernalia that it would make this green IT guy cry.

Would I recommend it?  Yes, but only if you have a need for this type of device.  As I already had a refurbished iPad for use in my studio and as an eBook reader, it was a logical addition.

By getting this keyboard, I did not need to buy a laptop or notebook so that I could write on the train, so it filled my need.  It saves me time having to transcribe from my recycled paper notebook into my PC at night-time.  In fact, it has saved me about 2 hours a day.

So if you are ever in the market for a wireless keyboard, you could do no worse by buying the Logitech k760.