Notes from an Australian

G’day, my name is Marc Bruce, 28 and I was born in Sydney, Australia. I recently moved to Helsingborg, Sweden. Some may say that was a terrible mistake but I like the cold. My career has revolved around IT Support but I’ve also worked abroad as a Camp Counselor (MN, USA) & Volunteer English teacher (Xi’an, China).

Here are a short series of notes that I would like to share with you all.

The types of people I enjoy:

The go-getters, the wild ones, the spontaneous, the courageous and the brave, the thinkers and the doers, the optimists and the non-conformists and above all else - the ones that know themselves.

OTP22: Cryptography, Svalbard & Dead Drops:

Almost a year to this day I started working with a small team to try and solve the mystery behind OTP22. OTP22 is an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) that has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep its MO a secret. We still do not fully know what it is all about. The latest dead drop is in Bulgaria at location 42.0552, 25.5927, if you are near please email me. More info can be found on our Wiki or through our IRC Chan: freenode.net #ARG

Board games:

I feel like board games have fallen out of the mainstream now that we have computers. I recently got back into them and you know what? They are great fun! It really brings a great social aspect to any evening. My favorites at the moment are: Elder Signs, Settlers of Catan and Pandemic. I also want to try Formula D, Game of Thrones & Twilight Struggle. For anyone interested, you should really check out Wil Wheaton’s series on Youtube called Tabletop.


Apps I use (MAC):

- QuickCal: Hotkey: Ctrl + Shift + R. This allows me to quickly add things to my calendar or reminders list.

- Alarms: Hotkey: Cmd + E. Reminders that I make with QuickCal are displayed in a panel dropdown with this app.

- Screenfloat: Hotkey: Opt + Shift + W. Extremely useful for keeping stuff onscreen.

- Snagit: Hotkey: Cmd + Shift + W. Screenshot app that copies to clipboard (Pro tip for Retina Displays: This app fixes the huge screenshot issue)

- Cloud: Hotkey to auto-upload screenshot and copy the link to your clipboard: Ctrl + Opt + C. Perfect for fast sharing.

- Airmail: Similar to Sparrow but still in development.

- Clocks: Hotkey: Cmd + D. I’ve disabled my normal clock; this allows me to see the time anywhere in the World (useful in OTP22).

- Notefile by JuneCloud: Had some issues with Apple Notes deleting my stuff so I switched to this and haven’t looked back!

- Zoomit: Hotkey: Opt + Z. Finally, a Loupe for your Mac.


The Future:

At our current rate of consumption and with the world’s population growing exponentially I fear the tipping point is near. The greed of men has got in the way of sustainability. This planet is all we have, letting corporations ruin it solely for profits is like letting a bully get your lunch money, and your parents worked hard for that money damn it! Don’t feel as though you are powerless to do something. I have a soft spot for the underdog and I know others do too. Winning a battle that may seem to you like David vs. Goliath will soon turn into 100,000 David’s, and one of those David’s is bound to have a stone that hits hard.

Parting thoughts:

Pay it forward and always remember how far you’ve come.

Marc Bruce
marc[AT]marcbruce.com
Helsingborg, Sweden

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