Go where the love is (day 147)

bacterial update: The kombucha scoby appears to have survived.  I tested the pH and it decreased a little bit.  I got a bit more brave (stupid?) and took the scoby out and added sugar.  It foamed like yesterday but then reverted to a normal state.  This is my last ditch effort at saving this batch.  I'd say if by the end of the weekend it's not approaching a 3.5 pH, I'll let it go.  I'm looking forward to starting from scratch.  It would be a bonus if I could get some tea out of this batch though!  I haven't even been optimistic enough to buy some bottles.  Many kombucha tea brewers recommend getting a heating pad.  I'm intrigued by this idea but I would rather do without mostly because I can't think of a location with a plug nearby that would also be appropriate for brewing tea.  I may try putting a hot water bottle near the brewing container and see if that helps.
The Kefir grains woke up with a new zest for life and I knew I was in trouble when I saw the fermentation was almost done as I was leaving for work.  There was no way I'd be back to strain it at the optimal time.  And I wasn't.  When I got home it had separated into a thick layer of curd with whey at the bottom.  So I decided to make Kefir-Leban, the kefir equivalent of "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade".   It's currently straining through cloth and should be ready in about 20 hours.  It can then be used like cream-cheese, or made into a harder more mature cheese.  I'm intrigued by cheese-making but not enough to make my apartment smell like a cheese factory.

I know that a few days ago I said that I would keep going to the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference.  Now I'm not so sure.  I did come away with some new insights about stereo technologies but considering the cost of attending, it doesn't seem like a good trade.  For the same price I could go to SIGGRAPH and be much more satisfied.  It dawned on me that my interest in stereoscopy centres around two topics: the art of making stereoscopic movies, animations and artwork; and the hardware and software people are using to create these on the cheap.  In other words, I am interested in stereoscopy for artists and amateurs.  I don't think this will ever be a central part of the SD&A conference.  But it could be part of the new Stereoscopic 3D Centre currently being developed at Emily Carr in partnership with Kerner Optical.  In fact, I will make sure it is.  With that in mind, here is a piece of information I picked up at the conference.  Colby Systems has created a relatively inexpensive stereo video camera that records at full HD resolution.  The cost is $699 USD, plus an extra $99 for a camera stabilizer.  I will purchase one for the Breath I/O project and put a review on this blog once I try it out. 

A song for this post.