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What a mess
I’m redesigning the website, so it may look a bit odd for a short while. Hopefully I’ll have something more presentable very soon. The white text on a black background just wasn’t doing it for me anymore.
Posted in Uncategorized
Screwed up priorities
Hey, this 17 year old girl may have just found a cure for cancer! What should we give her?
Let’s give her $100,000 and a round of applause.
Hey, this guy just ran a leather egg-shaped ball from one side of a large field to the other! He also had a bunch of dogs kill each other for the fun of it. What should we give him?
Let’s sign him up for a $100 million dollar annual contract and a million screaming fans.
Humans are a silly lot.
Posted in Politics
Firesold
I’m now one of the thousands of schmucks that recently purchased an HP Touchpad during the latest crazy fire sale. I’d explain what that was all about, but I already did, and the browser on the touchpad crashed before I could post it. I also had a minor review about the pad, but that was also lost. As you can probably figure, my opinion about it just changed a little.
Now it’s time to get back to hacking this thing so it performs better.
This was posted, again, on my touchpad.
Posted in Technology
I’m not Dead yet. Well, minus the site name.
Since this ‘blog’ has been pretty much dead over the last year, I’ve decided to dedicate some more time towards it over the coming months. I have a bunch of photos and overly opinionated topics that I’d like to bring up.
That’s all for now, really. This place needs some nice house plants. It’s looking rather drab.
Posted in Uncategorized
Photo Gallery is finally on line
Since I’ve been a lazy bum and not updating the blog, I figured it’s time to get it rolling again. I got the photo gallery completed and ready to go. I’ll be uploading photos in large batches on a weekly basis. I’m starting with some of my older photography, and I’ll move towards the more recent shots.
Full resolution of each photo is available, but you’ll have to email me for copies.
These photos are not public domain — they’re copyrighted. However, you can use them as long as it’s for personal use and you give me a little credit.
Posted in Photography
More Canon T1i sample shots
I had a couple of great days to take some good photos. My wife finally took control of the Canon this time around, and she wanted me to be sure to inform the readers that “it’s the most amazing camera she’s ever owned.” I think she likes it.
Here’s some of the shots from yesterday’s outdoor adventure. Click the pictures for full resolution (15mp) images.
Focal: 55mm, Aperture f/5.6, Shutter 1/500, ISO 1600
47mm, Aperture f/5.6, Shutter 1/640, ISO 160
43mm, Aperture f/5.0, Shutter 1/640, ISO 250
Cropped View of a wasp that tried to eat me. Click to open cropped high-res image.
Posted in Photography, Technology
Canon T1i (EOS 500D) Final Review
Read the Pre-Review first if you want my initial thoughts about this camera.
I’ve been using the Canon T1i extensively over the past week. At first, I was having a hard time taking decent shots due to lousy weather conditions, but it was a beautiful day today and I finally had a chance to really get down and dirty with the T1i. Pretty pictures at the bottom.
Some things to note: I am not a professional photographer, but am a photo hobbyist/enthusiast. The T1i is designed for someone in my category, so this may be a good thing. My previous Digital SLR was a Minolta Maxxum 5D 6.1mp, so you may see me comparing the two cameras on a few points. Also, I read the Canon T1i manual from cover to cover, so I would be well prepared to go over every aspect of this camera and make sure I am using it properly before thinking about reviewing it.
I strongly recommend reading dpreview.com’s first look at the T1i to get a really good idea of how the camera looks and it’s capabilities. While they don’t have a hands-on review at the time of this writing, they have a great rundown of every part of the camera. EDIT: I found that they do in fact have some sample photos of their own, viewable here: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos500d/page13.asp
So let’s get to it.
Posted in Photography, Technology
Canon T1i (EOS 500D) Pre-Review
EDIT: See note at bottom
I recently purchased Canon’s latest Digital SLR, the Canon T1i. After i give it a heavy workout, I’ll post a full review here in the next day or two. So far I’m loving this camera, and it has definitely lived up to my expectations. I took it out yesterday for some test shots, but the conditions were pretty frustrating to get decent photos. The area had overcast clouds, and the sun kept coming and going. I’d get the shutter and aperature set, and then the lighting would change, making it tough to get the settings where I wanted them.
Here's a shot from yesterday's test run. Not the greatest since there's little color and it was incredibly windy (blurred slightly), but you can still check out the resolution. Click for a full 15 megapixel view.
My next post will be a dedicated page with full resolution photos as well as the review. Stay tuned!
EDIT: I took extensive photos yesterday, but we were having 30 to 40 mile-per-hour winds, which made the conditions even worse than the day before. No matter how hard I tried to keep the camera steady, I had to fight the wind blowing my target subject, my camera (even on the tripod), and myself. These pictures do not do the camera justice, as they appear blurred when it wasn’t the camera’s fault.
Here’s a good sample – this bee was blowing around so much that it was nearly impossible to get a focused shot. I’m also including a half-resolution cloud shot to show the contrasting of the sensor.
Click for full resolution image
Half-resolution clouds - Contrast Example
Today is supposed to be a relatively calm day with no clouds, so I’ll try to get some better shots to show. If you have any requests of shot types you’d like to see, let me know and I’ll see what I can do on my next photo shoot.
Posted in Photography, Technology
Free software – Helping companies through a crumbling economy
At my old job, we did whatever it took to save the company money, and this ended up as extra cash in the employees’ pockets in the form of bonuses. One way we saved thousands of dollars was to set up a Linux server, and kept our Windows 2003 server simply for file storage. We installed open source software such as GIMP and Inkscape on ten workstations, and in the end, it saved us over $14,000 for the first year.
You could literally save over $7000 per new employee or software upgrades by utilizing open source software. This isn’t including a Linux operating system. I realize that it is difficult to integrate Linux into the mainstream operations of a business since few people know how to utilize it (or are simply afraid of it), but there is other software that could still save thousands for a company.
In this economy, I would figure that companies would swoon over the idea of free software versus spending thousands of dollars. If you are such a company or just an everyday computer user, then you should check out this excellent list of free software alternatives.
http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/blog/2008/11/8-linux-apps-to-save-you-money/
I know the link above mentions that this is all Linux software, but many of these programs have Windows versions as well (Gimp, Blender, and OpenOffice are a few good examples). I have personally tried most of the software in that list, and can say they are downright awesome. The average person who uses Photoshop can find GIMP to be just as powerful, and free. Now you don’t need to pirate…er…buy Photoshop if you’re doing basic to moderate photo editing.
Also, check out this rocking site: http://www.osalt.com/
You can find free alternatives to almost any program out there, for both Windows and Linux alike.
Save a few bucks during these bad times — it may be good for your sanity. Now to work on an open-source oil product…
Posted in Software, Technology
So who’s at fault for the economic crisis?
Honestly, I think both sides of the political spectrum have it wrong (one side blaming the other and ignoring the facts). However, after watching this video, I do have to question the decisions of the Democrats back in 2004 to ignore the corruption going on at Freddie Mac. The Republicans request to have more regulations imposed on Freddie Mac due to corruption, and the Democrats promptly claim the Repubs are nitpicking.
[Youtube removed the video. D'oh.]
Democrats claim there is nothing wrong with Freddie Mac, 2004
No, I’m not a registered Republican. I’m a registered Independent. It’s crap like this that keeps me independent. You see it on both sides — there is corruption in both parties. I admit that I probably do lean more to a moderate-right stance on most topics, but both parties royally piss me off. How do the Democrats explain this, anyway? You can read the Youtube comments, and there are still hard-core political left-wingers who defend this. How can you defend this with an honest face?
Posted in Politics
