Category: Idle

Categories
Travel

Germany… several days in

Paula and I have been having a great time in Germany over the past few days We flew into Duseldorf on Saturday morning and met my parents at our hotel.

When I was in elementary school (fourth, fifth and sixth grades) my family lived in Duseldorf for three years. It was fun to get a chance to revisit some of the places we used to frequent. We even went by our old house… it’s now an Italian restaurant. 🙂

After a brief time in Duseldorf we drove east into the Harz mountains to stay in Ilsenburg. From our hotel in Ilsenburg we took a short drive west to visit Goslar. Besides being a wonderfully preserved old German town, it’s also where Paula’s great-great grandfather lived and died (though we didn’t do any family history research this trip).

We just finished our second day in Hamburg and are off to Lubeck tomorrow. Here’s a quickie picture of the town hall in Hamburg (sorry for the cell-phone quality, better pictures when we’re back home).

Categories
Photography

New Nikon gear announced… Reeves considers a life of crime

Nikon announced some rather drool inducing product today.  The new bodies and lenses have me looking into my camera bag and feeling rather inadequate.  I turn my gaze into my wallet and find myself lacking there too.

We’ll discuss my failing self-image later… on to my wish list… (someone pass Santa a note in gym class please):

New lens please – Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8

nikkor14-24

My absolute favorite lens for my Nikon N90 was my Nikkor 20mm 2.8.  The 20mm when used on a film camera was just shy of fish-eye and gave me a view of the world which almost matched what I saw with my eyes.  Even today I’ll put on this fixed lens because it produces such great images.  I do have a wide zoom, an 18-55 hand-me-down lens… but it just doesn’t go nearly wide enough (and the quality is, of course, questionable).

Now, at the very wide end of Nikon’s new lens announcement is a lens which gets very close to the 20mm images I got on my N90.  The 14-24mm translates to 21mm on my D100… close enough.  I’ll once again be able to get the interior perspectives I see in my head… but not until I come up with a spare $1,800.

New body please – Nikon D300

D300 Back in 2002 I made the switch to digital and have never regretted it.  The release of the D100 gave me a DSLR I could afford and a size I could stomach.  I’ve always drooled over the D1 & D2 cameras and the new D3 is no different.  The features are incredible (view and take pictures remotely from your laptop: sweet) but the size is still for the pros. 

When Rob bought the D200 I was certainly tempted but I’m glad I waited.  Nikon’s new prosumer body, the D300, has some really great features and twice as many pixels as my D100.  The most interesting thing I’d like to try out is the new “liveview” mode which allows you to use the LCD for confirming framing and focus before taking the picture.  The reason I didn’t get the D200 was I didn’t have the scratch… at $1,800 I don’t think I have the means for the D300 either. <sigh>

Categories
Life

Clever: brush & rinse

Every once in a while, when I’m rinsing a spoon, I manage to put it in the flow of the tap just right and spray myself.  What a pain.

What if, however, someone clever stuck a spoon on the back of a toothbrush?  Well, you’d get the Brush & Rinse, of course.

br

Categories
Photography

Nikkor 105mm micro – 2 months in

Back in May when Paula and I were state-side for her graduation we picked up a couple of presents for ourselves: a Nikon D40X for Paula and a Nikon 105mm macro lens for me.  Like most photographers with a new lens I have spent most of the past couple months shooting almost exclusively with my new toy.

What’s the dealeo?

Early in 2006 Nikon updated their popular 105mm Macro lens with the addition of their VRII vibration reduction system.  Used by many as a multi-purpose lens, Nikon’s 105 produces roughly a 1:1 reproduction ratio when used for Macro photography and the shallow depth of field make for a passable portrait lens.  While I’ve found I can use it for a lot of different types of photography, I must state: it’s not quite a Swiss Army lens… and it certainly won’t fit in your pocket.

VR on macro lenses?  Genius

Well, perhaps “obvious” is more apt than “genius”.  Having the image stabilization functionality for close up photography is really a bit of a forehead slapper.  Why hasn’t anyone done this before? 

Our backyard has some wonderful flowering bushes which draw in a happy little cloud of bees.  Having the VR allowed me to grab my camera out of my bag and hand-hold some close-ups of the bees with their pollen saddlebags, something for which I would certainly have needed a tripod.  Electronic Quaaludes… nice.

Say cheese… okay, again… wait…

Macro lenses can be roped into duty as a portrait lens, their shallow depth of field providing wonderful blurring of background elements.  There is, however, a catch: their focus is manageable when tight into subjects but getting a subject properly focused at 10 yards away can be a touchy operation.

That said, it still does a decent job in the role of a portrait lens.  As your lens collection grows you’ll want to have both portrait and macro lenses (I assume).  My priority was macro first, portrait second… and I’ll be able to press this lens into portrait service until Santa brings me one of those 30mm f1.4 lenses Rob’s been raving about.

So, what is it? Whine or roses?

I love the lens, but there are a couple things to note: the touchy focus I’ve mentioned and the size.  The addition of the VR mechanism has turned the 105 into a beefy lens.  The barrel is thicker and the weight has gone up over 30%.  It’s a good thing they added the VR, your arms may get shaky after shooting with this beast all day.

Break it down for me

Pros: great optics, VR
Cons: touchy focal throw at distance, hefty

Bottom line: get one

Categories
Dogs

I’m talking to you… you little girly-dog

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What type of dog is this?  Nope.  No, not that either.  Want to call a friend?

This is a picture of Wendy, she’s a whippet so I’m sure she can run faster than you as well as kick your butt when she catches you.  But, while she looks like a pit bull on the juice, apparently she’s a sweetheart.

 

Big Wendy the muscular whippet

Rare genetic mutation increases muscles, weight of sleek breed

People mistake her for a pitbull with a pinhead, but Wendy the whippet is one rare breed.

So rare that the Central Saanich dog recently graced the New York Times. She also had several of her photos shown on The Today Show, all because of a rare genetic mutation that has led to her being the Incredible Hulk of dogs.

 

Read the full story from the Victoria Times Colonist.

Categories
Life

Some fashion advice for men

As we age, men slowly gain an understanding of what and what not to wear but some never get it.  As someone who’s figured out some of the dos and don’ts in life I thought I’d pass on some info which is self-evident to most… but not obvious to all.

Wearing things on your belt does not make you look like Batman

Trust me here, there are very few situations where you can safely wear something on your belt and not look like a dork.  Things you shouldn’t hook to your belt include compact cameras, leather man pocket tools, pagers and cell phones.  I know, wearing a cell phone on your belt makes you kind of feel like you have a holster… but honestly, it doesn’t make you look like Han Solo.  

Speaking of cell phones, here’s another one:

Unless you’re talking on the phone, take off your Bluetooth headset

If your cell phone holster makes you feel like a cowboy then your Bluetooth headset must make you feel downright special forces.  Sorry, it doesn’t look like a military-issue comm set and people aren’t giving you extra looks because you’re so ultra-manly cool.  Here’s a quick tip: if you’re eating dinner in a restaurant, enjoying a meal with your date… take off the ear-tumor.  First, you shouldn’t answer a call during a romantic meal out.  Second, you’re not so important that you should answer a call during a romantic meal out.  But it probably doesn’t matter… if you’re wearing an ear piece during meals you won’t be eating with company long… she’s already planning on breaking up with you Sgt. Rock.

And while you’re taking off that silly earpiece…

Not even movie stars look cool wearing sunglasses inside

I suppose there’s one exception, Jack Nicholson… but that’s all I’ll give you.  Everyone else who wears sunglasses inside is just kidding themselves.  This goes double if the sun isn’t even up.  Stevie Wonder, you’re on notice, you poseur.

Coming soon

In my next men’s fashion advice column please look for additional gems such as:

  • If you’re over 40, make sure your shirt has sleeves
    and
  • Only .1% of the population can get away with wearing bike shorts (even fewer, a Speedo)

But wait… there’s more

My new teen fashion blog will debut shortly.  Here’s a teaser:

  • Leave your PJs at home, why advertise you’re lazy and your parents have no control over you?
    and
  • No, your “Spoiled Princess” T-shirt isn’t cute, but until the FDA legislates warning labels for brats, keep wearing it.
Categories
Life

One year gone

It’s July 14th… hard to believe we’ve been in Ireland for a year already.  My official first day at work was the 17th (a Monday) but Paula and I arrived the Friday before to start getting settled in. 

Time has gone by very quickly and we’re still having a blast.  Here’s to another great year (and to getting our friends from California to come visit ;)).

Categories
Photoshop

You will buy an iPhone!

Reading Trina’s story of how she went out and bought an iPhone, a product she originally dismissed, got me thinking again about how much of a marketing and branding genius Steve Jobs really is.  Apple creates great products with slick interfaces and wonderful customer experience.  The key, however, is how their products are not just tools… they are fashion.  Jobs et al have a commanding grip on the minds of the young and hip.

And then I opened up Photoshop…

Categories
Life

So… who decided that?

This is the type of really, really important stuff I spend time thinking about… 

As I was hanging our new shower curtain I wondered… who decided there should be 12 holes in the curtain?  Someone, at some point, decided to make a shower curtain with 12 holes… who were they?  Why did they pick the number 12?  Why did everyone else say “12? That’s genius! I’ll put 12 in mine too.”  Our shower curtain from Pottery Barn has 12 holes, the liner we bought from Target has 12 holes and the set of curtain rings we bought in Ireland came in a pack of 12.

Categories
Video Games

Warranty goodness from Microsoft

After seeing the same hardware failure bite me, several friends an cause heaps of discontent on the net I’m super-pleased to see us (Microsoft) step up and fix the problem by extending the hardware warranty “for certain general hardware failures which are indicated by three flashing red lights on the console.”  Did you already shell out the 130 clams to fix your box?  No worries, Uncle Bill is also going to be issuing refunds for the covered cases (the estimated cost to MS is one billion dollars.  URK!).

I’d agree this should have not taken this long to correct… but I’m glad it’s getting sorted in the end.  It makes me happy not just for my own sake (my box broke and I can be a bit of a skin-flint at times) but also for the sake of our company image.

For more details, check out the Expanded Xbox 360 Warranty Coverage FAQ.