Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Film Processing

I live in NYC, yet I send my films elsewhere for processing and scanning.  I still haven't found the one with the price point and the quality and the convenience I like.  I thought I did, but it didn't quite work out.  I am not even aware if B&H or Adorama process any film any longer.  If I were to develop my film then I very much would limit myself to black and white processing.  But to make a print I'll have to either scan it or get an enlarger.  As an aside, when I typed enlarger in eBay for a search on photo enlarger I got something totally different from what I have in mind, photographically.  The turn around of any mail order develop and scan has been painfully slow, always to the tune of a week or ten days counting shipping.  So there is really no instant gratification.  One time I was at a local CVS, I asked a youngster manning the photo developing machine if they scan film while developing he says yes but when asked how big and what dpi, he was just like me, clueless.  I thought he looked nerdy enough to know the in and out of his photo processing but no.  I thought I might get lucky to get my film developed at CVS but I guess not.  Also, I found out films are pretty expensive, a roll of 36 Tri-X at CVS is selling more than $6.  I think that's pretty steep.

What Camera To Buy

Usually nobody asks me for any camera recommendation.  Because people are generally smarter than what I give credit to.

In the rare circumstances when people did ask me I usually didn't know what to recommend.  Or I seriously afraid I would recommend the wrong ones.  And they will forever think lowly of me.  Contrary to what most people think, I do care what people think of me.

I was at a birthday party in a roller skating rink, doing double axels, triple loops and the quad salchows to the tune of I Gotta Feeling and You Belong With Me, the crowd went nuts and was cheering and clapping for me.  I was the center of attention.  While I was enjoying the spotlight, my wife pulled me aside and introduced me to this lady who wanted to get a camera.  I was flattered but I really didn't know where to begin.  So I just handed my lowly Nikon D70 and 18~70 kit lens and asked her to shoot.  I told her to shoot using P, and tried to explain ISO and flash (I wonder if I would be that generous and easy if that was a $7000 M9 with a $2000 lens attached, but I am afraid I would never find out).  Anyway, I was a bit lost as I don't know what she likes or not likes.  I told her if she can put up with the weight then sure a DSLR with changeable lens is good if action and flexibility are what she is after, otherwise any point and shoot will do the job just fine.  She seemed quite satisfied with the shooting and my explanation.  I hope she enjoys whatever she gets.

For me, I just like cameras, any good cameras.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

My Misadventure of Simple Back Up

I knew it. I knew I am the kind of person who should never do any backup or anti-virus kind of protection. It's just not me.

I thought I got everything covered after I bought my external enclosure and a 500MB hard drive. I run the Simple Back Up program on schedule. And one day I found out my harddrive was full 100%. To make the long story short, Simple Back Up is just as smart as me, which is to say not very smart and rather erratic. The time I didn't turn on my external hard drive, Simple Back Up still wanted to backup, you know kind of over enthusiastic in its work ethic. Instead of backing up to my designated partition, it just went ahead and backed up to /media. On some nights I notice under the top command that gzip is running even though my external hard drive is off. But I never thought too much about it because I thought the program might be checking for content for incremental backup. Seriously, what do I know? At first glance it seemed the gvfs-fuse-daemon was at default. So I was tempted to just remove the /.gvfs. Good thing I did more Googling before I did something I would later regret even I have a serious death wish. In the end, I could safely confirm that Simple Back Up is dumping stuff to where it shouldn't be. It took me a while to figure out things got dumped to /media, yes, I was that slow. I proceeded to delete them and delete them again in the root trash folder.

In the end, it wasn't all bad. Just a few hours of frustrations.

So I am not backing up anymore, at least not automatically.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Random Post

I had no idea Clinton and Letterman are the same age until Letterman mentioned it on the show. I don't know why Letterman keeps wearing the brown plastic frame that he is wearing. The frame keeps fogging up. It fogs up whenever he wears it and it has become a distraction; I would pay attention to his right lens looking for signs of mist to form instead of paying attention to whatever funny stuff he has to say. Ditch the frame or redo the lenses.

Like Letterman said, Clinton is extremely smart, still. And I like how he philosophizes and breaks issues down. Clinton talked very little about his North Korea trip and only said that it was at the journalists' families request that he takes the trip. And he was very respectful to the present administration, in part, I guess it's his nature and in part his wife is with the administration. His role on the North Korea trip was pure humanitarian and therefore should be construed as such. He is not going to express any more opinion on Kim or North Korea than he already had, so as not to influence the present administration or the sitting president's policy on North Korea.

Monday, September 21, 2009

President Week

This is like president week for Letterman. Tonight, Obama will be on Dave's show, the first sitting president ever to be on a Late Show. Then tomorrow, Tuesday, it's Bill Clinton's turn. Clinton has so far never made any comment regarding his North Korea trip. So it's interesting to actually see him talk about it in his own word. At least I am not aware he ever talk about it. I assume Letterman is going to ask him questions regarding his rescue mission in North Korea.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Recession Is Over ...

... for Apple. Apple is hitting some 52-week high in the stock market, just days after the one year anniversary of the financial market meltdown. Some analysts even go on to say this 52-week high can become 52-week low in anticipation of even better performance from Apple because of robust growth attributed to iPhone and the App Store sales or what have you from Jobs and his team. Apple is now $179 or about, up more than $4 from yesterday's close.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Reading Leica M9 Reaction

Dante Stella's Surviving the horrors of 9/9/M9
Philip Greenspun's The Leica M9, one for the marketing textbooks.

Del Portro

It took another Spanish speaking, sleeveless T-shirt wearing young man to beat Federer.

Del Portro ended Federer's winning streak in the US Open by securing a five-set victory in Flushing Meadows. The 20-year old Argentine had a shaky start on the first set but stood his ground as the match progressed. Too bad the match began around 4 in the afternoon and my VCR wasn't set up to record the match in its entirety. So by the time I found out rather serendipitously by surfing to channel 702 as the match was still playing. But it was match point number 3 on the fifth set already. On his quest to the US Championship, Del Portro beat Nadal and and in the end 5-time US Open Champion Federer, a feat that legitimizes him as a rising talent.

As a side note, Serena finally issued another statement apologizing for her behavior yesterday and re-iterated her apology in the post match interview after the Williams sisters won the Women's Double. Man, Venus Williams just acted surly and all that. I think I used to like them better. Now it's like wow, they can't be bothered. With talks of suspension and prize money forfeited and tons of bad press, I think an apology is definitely the smart thing to do.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Clijsters Won

Big mama won it all. Not only did she win the US Open Championship, she also won the hearts of tennis fans. Best come back story of 2009.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

US Open

The weather finally cooperates.
The women's semi is underway.

Clijsters is leading Willams one set to none. Serena finished the first set by smashing and breaking her racquet. Kim Clijsters is such a silent killer though out this tournament.

update:
Serena has cranked up her game in the second set. But Clijsters is just fearless and extremely composed. Serena's grunting and anger don't bother her. She is pounding the ball with depth, speed and enormous power. Serena is in unfamiliar territory now.

update:
Clijsters is leading 5-4 on the second set. Serena is serving to live another on the US Open. Clijsters is able to get Williams running and out of position. A feat that most players can't do.
Now it's five all. Clijsters leads 6-5. Serena serves to survive.

update:
That is outrageous. That's going to tarnish Williams reputation as a sportsman. She was called for foot fault by a line person. Then led to match point. Then led to her verbal abuse of the line person. Through out the match, Williams had been outplayed by Clijsters. And Williams just somehow stole Clijsters glory by walking off the court. She was booed by the crowd as she waved and walked off the court. Losing is not easy but by cursing the line person not once but twice just made it worse than it's already been.

update:
If you thought Serena's on court antics was bad, wait till you see her post match press conference. She acted if that was no big deal and very dismissive of the whole thing. OKAY, she is intense, she is good, she gives 200% on court, McEnroe is her idol, she is the world real number one even though Safina officially is, but can she at least say she is sorry for her on court misbehavior? She just made it worse by acting nonchalant when she was given the chance just to show maybe a tad of contrition.

update:
I think what's so offensive, in addition to her on court misbehavior, was her after match press conference, when given the time and distance to reflect and to explain herself. The New York Times' Liz Robbins says Williams appears "eerily composed" after the matcd. I think that's too generous of her. I think Serena was just being smug. She can't possibly defend the indefensible as what (her idol) John McEnroe says probably referring to his past behavior as much as Serena's. She was wrong on the court, and she was wrong again in the post game interview.

update:
Serena Williams got fined for $10,000 for I guess conduct unbecoming as in going berserk during the semi final on Flushing Meadows. And she was fined another $500 for smashing her racquet. Pocket change for Williams as she is a millionaire many times over. Today she issued a statement via a PR firm which probably cost her more than the measly fine. The statement is just a statement trying to I guess to avoid any lengthy suspension from the USTA or whatever governing body. Of course, the statement offers no apology to anybody whatsoever, not the lineperson, not the audience, not the youngsters who look up to her. Because, she is Serena, she can say anything she wants. She was wrong on the court, she was wrong in the news conference, and she was wrong again in the prepared statement.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

US Open

It all began inauspiciously when Oudin's youngest sister, Christina, apparently not a spelling bee, spelled "BELIEVE" as "BELEIVE" when asked by Pam Shriver, one of the female commentators, to spell the catch word Oudin has been using to propell her all the way to the quarterfinal of this US Open, before the beginning of the match. Oudin proceeded to play the match against 19 year old Wozniacki from Denmark. She was tight and nervous and never got herself in the zone. In the end, Wozniacki didn't break much of a sweat to win the match in two sets. Oudin was visibly disappointed and on the verge of tears. As if it wasn't bad enough for Oudin, Shriver did the unthinkable, she went to interview Oudin right away as in "right now" as Oudin was overheard asking her back. Shriver got her on court interview in front of everyone in the audience and at home and prefaced it with an opening "We don't usually interview the loser ..." immediately followed by "but you are not a loser ..." blah blah blah if that will kind of make it right. Why choose the word "loser" to begin with, it's such a bad word choice. I think Pam Shriver should be suspended from interviewing for the rest of this tournament. She needs to go to one of those sensitivity workshop.

The Unstoppable iPod Evolution Continues

iPod nano now has video capture capability and can receive FM radio. iPod touch is positioned more than a glorified mp3 player, it's a pocket PC, no I mean Mac, and a gaming device that competes head to head with platforms like Sony's PSP and Nintendo DS. That's pretty much what I got away from browsing the usual Apple mongering sites. Oh, one more thing, surprise, Jobs was back on stage. Apple stock went down more than a dollar so far.

090909

dpreview Leicalized logo cropped from dpreview.com

The camera that you have been waiting for all your life: Leica M9. The camera is announced today but in reality days ago the specification of the camera has been leaked like an old man who has problem controlling his bladder. Bits of specification have been dripping off from those rumor sites unabated.

Dpreview of course, played by the rule and, surprise, totally Leicalized themselves probably for the day, and only has the hands-on preview out today. I don't know if the logo was done for fun or paid for. In any event, it's pretty clever.

The price? Okay, it's a measly £4,650 or US$6,995 over here. But since you ask, you probably can't afford one anyway. By the way, the Leica websites are crashing and burning probably under heavy traffic, hopefully their Internet performance or lack thereof is not a reflection of the quality of the M9. Well it really doesn't matter to me anyway. What I actually want to find out is Will it blend? My guess is it won't.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Leica M9

If you have to ask the price, you can't afford one. It's destined to be the most coveted and adulated camera for this year. Owning one, people will resent you for as long as you live.

Monday, September 07, 2009

US Open

Some crazy game is going on on Flushing Meadows now. Teenager Woznacki is battling against veteran Kuznetsova who is grunting and pounding the balls with searing force and depth. So far she has saved like a handful of match points. Now she is forcing a tie break. Kuznetsova is unbelievably tough and yet sometimes, she just hit some stupid shots to send the ball to the net, it's weird. As to the teenager she got an all round game and she is not intimidated by all the gruntings by Kuznetsova.

UPDATE:
19 year old Caroline Woznacki from Denmark is going to the quarterfinal. Kuznetsova hit some what-was-she-thinking shots which I am sorry she regretted very much. Moving forward Woznacki will be facing Oudin. Oudin is competitive but I have to give the edge to Woznacki just because she sort of got the height. Oudin has a lot to do to make up for her physical disadvantage, so far she has proved she has done an excellent job on the court despite her 5'6" frame. On the other hand Caroline Woznacki is 5'10", it going to help her pound the ball and placing the ball.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

US Open

Venus Williams is in a state of shock and disbelief. Kim Clijsters is forcing a third set from Venus' bad knee and her oversized crest. Well it's now match point number one from Clijster and the crowd is cheering on ... Clijsters delivered the bomb and won. Through out the match she has remained calm and collected, and let her skills do the talking. Well at least we don't have a two Williams final, that's for sure. Apparently Clijsters is well liked here in the Open. Big Bad Mama still has it in her, a wife, a mother and a great tennis player even after a two year hiatus.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

US Open

It's Saturday night and all the major networks or cable TVs have stopped broadcasting the US Open. CBS is playing 48 hour mystery while ESPN2HD is playing NASCAR, so much so for the US tennis. To watch the match live, I have to go to the usopen.org which is not all that bad considering the alternative is no match at all, thanks to Big Blue and Akamai.

Andy Roddick dug deep and pushed to have a fifth set against fellow American player John Isner. In the end, he wasn't good enough to move to the round of 16. It's disappointing. It will be good to see he capture one more Grand Slam, just one more. I think there is still enough left in him to do just that.

Surprise

Surprise, the kids are listening to popular songs already via Z100. So pretty soon they will be asking me for those glorified mp3 devices, actually it's been brought up once but I just happily ignored it. It seems like overnight. And they have a presence online. I think it's just the way things are. I have no intention to turn back the clock or demonize all online activities.

US Open

I think we have found a feisty female dog in Oudin, the new hope of American women's tennis. Her quickness, deep forehand are giving Sharapova a lot of troubles, of course compounded with her self-inflicted countless double faults, Oudin is leading the third set three games to one. Sharapova is digging deep despite her erratic serves. Once she got into a rally she can be dangerous, her two-handed backhand is still as lethal as ever. Both women are extremely competitive. Right now, Oudin got the edge being the one with nothing to lose, I mean she is only seventeen. Two female dogs are throwing everything they have at each other. What a game to watch.

UPDATE
Sharapova put up a good fight but not enough to deter the meteoric rise of young Oudin. Oudin is taking flight in this US Open ... with the help of her funky tacky and what look like sized 11 "Believe" Adidas shoes.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

I Gotta Feeling


warning: risque content

Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling totally dominated the airwave this summer. The amount of airplay is just phenomenal, I think everybody is brainwashed at this point unless you have been living under a rock. I heard it at least twice on TV during the US Open. The first time I heard the song was when the group performed on Late Show with David Letterman. Ever since that, it has been non-stop.

Panasonic GF1

Panasonic announces its GF1 the much anticipated micro 3/4 answer to Olympus EP-1 which some questioned an epic fail. Leica on 9/9/09 is going to announce another camera most likely an upgrade to its M8.2 model which of course I have no idea.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

US Open 2009

Serena Williams decks out in an exceedingly smart outfit by Nike--black on the outside purple on the inside one piece skirt with oversized purple headband to match. Looking sharp. And her outsized talent can only be matched with her supersized ear rings. Her opponent, Czink wears similar ear rings only ten times smaller, as if an apt indication of their relative tennis talents.

US Open 2009

Federer, in a break to usual scheduling, got to play first in the evening matches before Serena's women's match. I don't know if there are any reasons to this change of scheduling. Is it a one time thing, a Federer thing or just a random thing? I have no clue.

Federer is back to black with contrasting red placket and collar. Nike really got the fit right, the rest of the sponsors are still making shirts that can double as tents for camping, way too big.

Federer is dictating the game from the get go, looks like Serena doesn't have to wait too long to show off her night outfit.

US Open 2009

Nadal is versing Gasquet. So far Nadal is winning, leading two sets to none.

None of his knees are taped and the guy is returning serves and hitting forehands ten feet behind the baseline. Odd. I don't know what it means except it shows his knees are well enough and he has big biceps which I think is pretty well established long time ago. He is also sliding and gliding on hardcourt as if he is on clay. Crazy. Nadal's attire, yellow form fitting tennis shirt and black shorts, is so normal, compared to his archenemy, he seems oddly abnormal in the US Open. Perhaps he should reunite with his clam diggers and sleelveless muscle Tee to at least look the part.

UPDATE:
Gasquet is going to enjoy the rest of the summer as Nadal just sent the guy home after a straight three-set victory. I don't think Nadal played particularly well, just well enough to defeat Gasquet.

US Open 2009

Mattek-Sands is rocking a pair of tubesocks in the US Open. Instead of taking the tried and tired route of super sized crest and monogram, Mattek-Sands puts on a pair of knee-high tube socks, kind of counter programming in this Grand Slam tennis fashion event. Let's see if we will see more of the tubesocks. Right now, Venus Williams' crest and her bandaged knee took the first set.

update:
So big crest sent tubesock home early. Oh well, perhaps Mattek-Sands can model for American Apparel or something.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

US Open 2009

Thousands and thousands of emails are flooding my inbox asking me why I don't have any US Open pictures for the opening weekend free admission event. If you are an avid reader of this blog, then you would have known I was away doing some daredevil whitewater rafting in Pennsylvania. Anyway, there won't be any pictures for that weekend. And even more unlikely any pictures of any real matches there. If you want to see pictures, I am afraid you have to resort to the official US Open website or the likes.

Venus Williams almost lost it. Dressed in pink and with a gigantic crest on her back that would make Federer jealous and put Polo's big pony to shame (and the rest of us mildly disgusted), Venus was struggling until she realized she would be on her way out on the first evening of the Grand Slam event. Anyway she dug deep and pulled herself out despite her knee problem compounded with an awful crest on her back. Nothing Dushevina could do once Venus was on fire. The End.

Cabin


The camera doesn't come with a square format. So I did it in post production.

Rafting


ImageMagick

 I don't remember if I installed that via Homebrew or MacPort. I might have installed using MacPort.  But it's kind of messed up as ...