Mobile Templates!

Blogger has released mobile templates and I think it looks great.
So if you go to this blog site on a smartphone it will automatically display formatted content.
Good stuff, thank you Blogger.

David Ziser Seminar

I had a great time at the David Zizer Seminar in Sacramento a couple weeks ago. The title was 'Captured by the Light'. It was a lot of information but it was so informative to hear Mr. Zizer talk and share his techniques and talents. I really learned a lot, especially in regards to off camera flash placement for lighting styles, such as loop lighting. David talked a lot about underexposing the background and lighting the subjects up with diffused flash for some really dramatic images.

I learned about some new software of which the best I think was Foto Fusion by LumaPix. Just really excellent collage and photo collection software. I think it would save a lot of time in making books and contact sheets. I wish I could have bought it that night because of the discount.

I hadn't been to Sacramento in a long time and it was cool to be downtown. Kind of reminds of Portland. I did happen upon a really good deli called Tony's Delicatessen and I highly recommend them.

Links:
David Ziser http://www.davidziser.com/index.asp
David Zizer's Blog http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/
Luma Pix http://www.lumapix.com/index.shtml
Tony's Delicatessen http://www.tonysdelicatessen.com/

Verizon Droid X Wifi connection issues...solved!

D  R  O  I  D 

I was stoked to get a brand spanking new Verizon Droid X today but when I got home I quickly found that WIFI was not working and I was really frustrated and disappointed. I of course scoured the net in search of the solution, but it was all a dead-end with hapless people like me wanting a quick fix. And as is so common with technology the personal response to the lack of perfection can be that "I got screwed' or "I made a wrong choice, I should have gone with...."

Well after spending some time trying to figure this out I thankfully found a solution and now it seems very trivial but I hope this help you out.

1) Be sure you are updated to 2.3.15 (Android 2.2)
      a) Settings > About Phone > System Update


2) Go to Settings > Location & Security


3) Ensure that 'Use Wireless Networks' is turned on. It is turned off by default (yes an apparent oversight)


4) Also turn on 'Use GPS satellites' and 'Enable Assisted GPS' while you are in there.


5) Droid Army

Stress Does not Kill Us - But it makes everything that does much worse.

Inside the search for a cure... for Stress.

I have to reiterate, and am so compelled to evangelize an immensely important article written by Jonah Lehrer in the latest WIRED (August 2010 page 131). Lehrer writes very engaging prose that provides excellent backstory to the issue at hand being dealt with on the front lines by Professor Robert Sapolsky, the man with the mind to see things in baboons that others did not, and are ever present in we humans being.

I highly recommend the reading of this article by everyone, whether you have anxiety, are depressed, or have concerns for other friends and family suffering from stress. There are so many factors that can lead to life being overbearing and we must control ourselves before it is too late to make a difference.

The main points from the article in controlling stress are:
1) Confront Your Fears. 2) Make Friends 3) Drink in Moderation 4) Get enough Sleep
5) Don't Fight 6) Meditate 7) Don't Force Yourself to Exercise.

These points are all gone over in detail both in the story that leads up to this, and then what the future holds for the way medical science presents itself as a solution.

Less is always so much more.

Book Report: Deep Storm by Lincoln Child

Lincoln Child is best known for his co-authorship of 'The Relic' with author Douglas Preston. They have a shared website with all their shared and solo work.

So, Deep Storm. Wow! this is a really fun read. It is fast, really fast. I am a pretty slow reader and I read this in 3 days. I just could not put it down because I HAD to find out what was going to happen because the character development was so engaging right off the bat. This is important because the characters are not fully, or detailed in their development as some readers may like, but they are extremely engaging.

A quick synopsis of the story. The novels protagonist is named Peter Crane and he is naval doctor summoned to investigate and explain an outbreak of disease on an oil rig. Well there is more to the disease, and the oil rig staffed by military personnel. There is a lot of unknowns and it builds and builds. Child does a great job of keeping the reader wanting more with sharp, or I should say crisp writing. This book feels like a movie though, sometimes even like it was written to be a movie. That is not necessarily bad as this would make a killer movie, it is just apparent.

This is great book for a flight to the other coast, or for a couple days of commuting, or if you just like a exciting thriller. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 7.5/10

Fear Itself

Have you ever seen this show?! These are some very well written stories with excellent direction, acting and photography. Some shows are really, really scary, man they really pack some punch in 40 minutes. The show has been canceled unfortunately but 13 episodes remain available on DVD, and I am streaming them on Netflix.
More info: NBC Website , Wikipedia

Book Report: Anthem by Ayn Rand

I thought it would be fun to write about the books I am reading, or rather books I have finished reading. Then I give a  report on the book, a review if you will. I did write 'books' because I typically have a few going at the same time, especially with devices like the Kindle. I just love having books with me wherever I go, so I tend to be reading something different at night versus what I am reading in the day,  at work, commuting or whatever.

These book reports will be really short and to the point. For real heavy duty book reviews by professionals on current new books it is best to read something by the NY Times. What I want to do is have something short that people can consume really quick. I will also tweet a link to the report when it's on Blogger.

On with the first review!

Anthem by Ayn Rand


I really did not know much about Ayn Rand when I picked this up at Half-Price books in Concord other than my Uncle Clark really liked her writing, that she was the proponent, even the protagonist if you will; for a movement called Objectivisim and that she had a cool looking first name. I saw Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged but they looked so long that I opted for the old Signet paperback of Anthem (pictured), and wow and I glad I did. This little book is just a wonderful testament to the individual, to the person who is beaten down, or subjugated, or corned into a certain way of thinking. This book provides a lot of relief for disbelief. A lot of hope for knowing that what we feel inside is real, not matter what other people are telling you, especially groups of people, and even more at governments; as in 'we the people' has been replaced by "we the decider's" leaving the freedom to the brave, those courageous enough to keep the light burning in the darkest of tunnels.  And that is what this little book is about. Burning a light in darkness, against all the odds, and all the fear, and all the unknowing to find that from a small light can burn a mighty flame, the flame of personal freedom. To know that "I AM" is okay. And then if I am okay, so can you. Equality.


I will not go into any details of the plot or summarize any of the story because it must be read first hand and consumed like a coal on your tongue. Let it burn and let the water of your body cool your mind as you enjoy a really great story. 


Rating: 9/10

Pentax P3!

I am so excited! I helped a friend move last week and she gave me a Pentax P3 (pictured) she no longer needed. I used to shoot some film with my Mamiya-Seko MSX 500 but it degraded to the point that repairs placed it in "the museum".

Having this "new" camera has me inspired to shoot film again and there is nothing like it. Knowing I only have 36 shots before I load another role makes a huge difference in composition, and then knowing (or rather hoping) that what I see will appear on the print makes a much more creative way to capture a moment or a scene. And then to that, when the moment is captured on film, there is a very special feeling, or communication rather, that means a lot.

When I received the camera I took it right down to my favorite camera shop which is Camera West in Walnut Creek, CA. Ben and Dan checked it all out and all was good. The camera came with a Vivitar, and Albinar-ADG zoom lenses so we discussed it and the shop found and ordered me a used Pentax 50mm f/1.7 smc-m which I am picking up this weekend.

What it also very cool is that if I decide to buy a Pentax K7, these lenses will all work. Thank you Pentax.

When I get some photos developed I will post them to my Flickr 

Get Busy Living

I know this news is about a month old but it is still cool. Element skateboards has a released a free movie called 'Get Busy Living' featuring Element's European skate team. It is really sweet  film that has 26:10 minutes of  awesome photography, excellent music of course just epic skating, epic! These guys have mad skills.

Pegasus Bicycle Works

http://pegasusbicycleworks.blogspot.com/

This is a phenomenal bike shop! And what makes phenomenal?...in my opinion it is good people that are always welcoming and encouraging. I used to be really into mountain biking and used to ride with some of the guys that made this shop. You know, riding five days a week, lots of miles, totally into it. Well things change indeed, jobs, children, life happens and I haven't been to the shop in years, I don't even look the same. I got my bike out the shed last week and whoa! that thing needs some work. I did what I could but I had to go to the shop. I had to get a skewer, and my front wheel needed to be rebuilt. Honestly I was a bit nervous, you know that feeling of going to back to people you have not seen in a long time? Well I walk in the door and Brian "Tino" was like "Hey !! :)"..it was great and my bike is on the road to recovery; with me along with it!

So if you are in the SF Bay Area and need a great bike shop, this is best place...it's not all about the bike, it's about the people.

Why I like my Kindle

Kindle 2

So I have been using an Amazon Kindle 2 6" for about three months now and I really like reading on it.
I have found that I actually am reading more and I think this is because there is less text per page, and also that there is only one page. Since I am typically such a slow reader having less to initally view keeps the book accessible and it doesn't seem so daunting like  "uhh..that is a lot of words"

I also love how thin it is and how there is no back light. It is very easy to read.
And having so many books in one device is excellent for trips.

What I do miss about a real book is the thumbing through the pages, the art work and the smell.
There will always be something special about holding an old book.

Amazon just lowered the price and the new 2.5 firmware upgrade is sweet with noticeable speed increases in page turns, and having collection is cool. Facebook and Twitter posting is cool too for sharing types.

Guinea and Former President Dadis

I just finished reading an excellent article in the latest New Yorker by Jon Lee Anderson titled Downfall: The end of a West African Dictatorship. On the New Yorker website there is an audio-slideshow. This article should be required reading for all concerned people. I for one had no idea about the horrific massacre that occurred in Guinea, and that it led to international embargo and the eventual removal of then President Dadis. Anderson prose is so descriptive and tells a horrible account of the worst of humanity that again begs the questions how and why people can treat each other with such hate and violence. In reading the article I also was amazed at how the author was able to have such direct access to the President and his staff. Jon Lee Anderson is a brave soul indeed.

God on Trial

'God on Trial' is quite possibly the most important movie I have ever seen. I am just speechless.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/godontrial/index.html

Black and White

I have switched my camera to only shoot black and white and I am finding this to be just the best idea in a long time. Light dances so sweetly in the shadows.

Spring

So today I woke up and WHAM, super sore throat and messed up sinus. Sure enough the Dutch Elm tree in the front yard is going off with pollen. My auto was pretty much yellow this morning.

Avatar!

Really!! Astounding! WOW!!! All expected reactions from a truly incredible film.

The creation of this world Pandora and the technical display of it all in 3D is almost too much to behold. It conjures up thoughts like "Is this what Eden was like?" , or "Could there really be a place like this?" or "I wish I could be there." It is like seeing a coral reef lit up and alive on the ground, with a cross between the magic of Tolkien's Lothlorien and the proud tribal spirit of the Huron.

Then there is the introspective "How could the "company' be so ruthless?" And in it's most important telling is the bottom line. What is the bottom line? What is your bottom line? There are many distinct parallels to life on Earth and life on Pandora with Man.

If you have not seen the movie, you should and if you have you probably want to see it again.

...Love your Mother

Patience is a Virtue

Look not for gold when you hold it in your hand

If you love - share it

If you care - show it

When someone's in need - give to them

Greed only makes you lonely

If someone is angry - listen

If someone's distant - have patience

If someone is happy - be also happy

When there is sadness - speak wisely

When you argue - think about what you are saying

If you forgive - forget

If you promise - keep it

If you dream - live it

If you seek only to attain - you will lose it

When there is stability - pray for stability

If you see - look again

When you can't - have faith

If you take a step - take another

When you can't - wait

Patience is a virtue

© 1993 Jim Hawksworth

Happy New Year!

May this new year be a spring board to imagination, a fresh piece of paper, a lump of clay...

let us all learn from the past.

I took a two week break and spent some time in Northern California on the coast.

Indeed the importance of drinking from a calmer brook cannot be understated.