Taiwan 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Data Recovery

The 857th picture recovered. Camping 2009. The Canon SD880 IS, though is not water proof, but it did survive our 4 hour grueling white water rafting trip on Lehigh River. (the grueling and white water parts are of course my exaggeration, but the camera did get wet inside my pocket)

I thought I protected the last 23 pictures before I erased all the pictures in my camera. But apparently I didn't protect any pictures at all. When I pressed Play, it said no images. I am now enjoying data recovery from my SDHC card. The data recovery is in chronological order so I am recovering my earliest pictures which I actually don't need. I just need the last pictures. I am letting the program runs its course, so far I've recovered some 300 jpeg files. Not bad at all.

UPDATE 8/31/09
I almost recovered all the jpegs. Of the 857 files, only the first picture got corrupted, the rest are all safe and sound. Here is my experience.
I inadvertently erased all the files from the SDHC, thinking that I protected some of the images. I did not.
I didn't do any write to the card, that is, I left the card alone once I found out I made a mistake.
I searched online and found a freeware, called PC Inspector smart recovery. It took a minute to download and install.
I ran the program, then plugged in the SDHC card. The program didn't see the card. I exited the program, and re-run it, then the card was seen by the program.
It took 7.5 hours to recover the 857 files from the 8GB SDHC card and wrote to my notebook HD. All the files I wanted to recover were recovered.

News From The Far Side: Lau Still Wants To Be Your Dream Lover

劉德華前晚與朱麗倩四手交纏返港，他保護女友行經被歌迷讚Man
picture and caption from mingpao.com

Holy cow, Lau still wants to be your dream lover.

I was having lunch at my desk and yes, you guessed it, I puked all over the keyboard when I read about it. I did not make this up. Lau said it himself as quoted by mingpao. In his blog, he says, as alleged by mingpao and I quote (being an irresponsible person, I didn't go and check Lau's blog, I simply don't have the stomach. OKAY, I finally did, but the navigation is just so blah, I would never find it even if I tried ....):

仍然可以夢中見嗎？？？？我收回這句、繼續夢中見..............zzzzzzzz

Gosh, the guy is like still living in his own little fantasy world I guess: Oh, I am your dream lover (gasp). Let's meet in your dream and .... Is there anything wrong with it per se? I am not sure ... it's just that some of his fans are mentally challenged or something? Or is he just so condescending, he talks to his fans like they are some 10 years old's?

What's "十指緊扣" evil twin sister? It's "四手交纏"

Anyway back to the caption. I applaud the caption writer of mingpao for coming up with this new (and improved?) "四手交纏" instead the usual tired, cliched "十指緊扣." At least nobody (it's just me actually) can accuse the caption writer for being lazy and keeps using the time tested "十指緊扣" whenever a couple is holding hands . Though it's not exactly accurate looking at the picture, at most there are only three hands tangled together. I know I am just nit picking. Let's see if this newly coined corny expression "四手交纏" have any staying power, co-exist with or totally dethrone the time worn and tested "十指緊扣." Or it will quickly go to oblivion and be forgotten.

News From The Far Side: Forbidden Love

華仔朱麗倩十指緊扣返港

24年情終破禁

Headline and picture via Mingpao.com, picture credited to (星洲日報). This whole silly misleading illustration by yours truly.

Look how happy, proud, contented the guy is ... I would be like that too if only my super duper idol Lau holds my hand like so ....

I thought the tired, overused, cliched expression "十指緊扣" is dead already. Well I guess it's very much alive, what can I say?
What is the deal with the face mask? Is it for the prevention of the swine flu? Or does it even matter? Or is it a way to protest the suffocating and worsening air condition? Or is it a silly way to stay anonymous? Is he losing it?

Pet Peeve

Don't you hate it when you need to print something and the printer is taking its sweet time to warm up? Everybody can pay lip service to environmentalism but when it really inconveniences us then forget about it. When I want to print I want to print now.

My Fifteen Movies

Due to a severe lack of talent and imagination and general indolence, I am going to write my own 15 movies kind of post. As I am writing it, more like dragging my feet on it, I really am not sure if there are 15 of them. You know it takes much effort to come up with a list, let alone a list of 15 items. Here they are, not in any particular order.

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)

I managed to sit through this master piece of random violence. It was a 90-minute relentless assault on humanity. After the movie, I wasn't the same sweet innocent person I was before. At the end of the movie, nothing redeems itself. People just die and the killer moves on. Shocking. Just like in the real world. I haven't watched it again ever since I met the movie in one rainy evening in September 1990. To me, actor Michael Rooker is forever Henry.

Ai no corrida (In the realm of the senses, 感官世界 1976)

Disturbing. If you want to be disturbed, check it out and watch it back to back with Henry: The Portrait of a Serial Killer. Your life will be destroyed.

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

When compared to Henry, The Silence Of The Lambs seems like a walk in the park. It is a good thriller, both the book and the movie adaptiation, they should have stopped making yet another sequel or prequel after that.

The Unbearable Lightless Of Being (1988)

I have a weakness for arty farty movies. The book is pretty good, I think I read it a few times. It has certain appeals especially when you are a arty farty college student. All men want to be Tomas, to a certain extent, smart, righteous, and above all, a chick magnet. Daniel Day-Lewis is a lean mean sex machine.

La Femme Nikita (1990)

Another silly film by Luc Bresson. The gun is big and sexy. And She is holding it in her hand. I saw it in Angelica on Houston. Another pretentious move trying to be arty farty.

無能情聖戲嬌娃
I never saw this fascinating sounding movie. But the movie title intrigues me. The one who came up with the title was pure evil genius.

望鄉 (Sandakan No. 8, 1974)

I don't remember the story, but watching Japanese movies, to a large extent, is about experiencing the sensibility. The title is by itself enthralling already. You don't even have to see the movie.

Basic Instinct (1992)

I thought there would be nude scenes every other minute. Alas, there weren't and I was hugely disappointed.

Caligola (1979)

I never really saw the whole movie. I shamelessly fast forward, pause, and rewind through the entire DVD. The movie is pretty disturbing and hard to watch.

E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

What can I say? I was young and innocent and I fell prey to Steven Spielberg's tear jerking exploit and Hollywood's propaganda machine. But I think the movie was pretty good. A friend of mine says ET means the extra testicle. It actually rolls off the tongue easier. Try it.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Same as above. I was at awe and thoroughly entertained. I don't think I could ever get that feeling back.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Orson Welles' seminal work. I saw the movie just so I can say I've seen this fine movie about rosebud.

春光乍洩 Chun Gwong Cha Sit (1997)

Does Wong Kar Wai ever wake up in the middle of the night, drowned in his own sweat, and say, "'I am such a fraud.'"? I think this is one of his better works. He tried so hard to tell a story of two persons trying to live together without killing each other.

The 400 Blows (1959)

If French cinema was ever the New Wave, then The 400 Blows was the crest of that wave. It finally hit me in 2008 when I saw it on DVD. It doesn't blow at all. The movie is mesmerizing.

獨臂刀 (1967)
Even you lose your arm, you can still fight like a man and kill them all. That's the message. I found Mandarin enormously entertaining and fun. The word "know" or "知道" sounded like "pig trough" to my young and playvil ear.

Across The Street

I like this picture.
Shot at ISO320, pushed 1 stop.

Soft Ice Cream

I like this picture.

Times Square, NYC

Shot at ISO320, pushed 1 stop. The color is muted and dull, oh well, I guess that pretty much reflects my life too. When I first arrived to this great city, I found it odd that cars can still turn right or left while it's WALK for the pedestrians who supposedly got the right of way, but I guess nobody would really think so. The taxi cabs always got the right of way.

Bikers

Boys

Summer of 2009

Canon G11

Canon introduces its latest model from the venerable G series, the G11. In a welcoming shrewd change of things, the mega pixel arm race actually reverses course. The G11 packs a 10MP sensor, 4.7MP less than its immediate predecessor the G10 while the physical sensor size remains the same. The new G11 is expected to have good performance on higher ISO, or a two-stop advantage over the G10 as far as noise is concerned. The G series is always good. It's really a no nonsense way of taking great pictures. If you are not into bokeh, high def video or interchangeable lenses. The G series is the way to go.

Backup Finally

I just gave myself an excuse to buy a sata harddrive and an enclosure ... so that I can finally do some backup as I don't want to spend some $800 like r&e did ....

I bought a discounted 500GB harddrive (I am too cheap to go for any bigger plus I really don't have much to backup) and an alumininum enclosure that has an internal sata connection and external sata, FireWire 400 and USB2 connection. I think I have pretty much everything covered that is with the exception of a FireWire 800 connection. Well I rather have sata instead of FW800, anyway I don't see that happening any time soon given how old or backward all my machines are and how unlikely I am going to go for a new desktop.

I don't know how long it's going to take as my data files are about only 100GB or less. Anyway, I am sort of testing the backup process from Ubuntu as I really have no idea how things exactly work. I am using Simple Backup via FireWire.

To get the massive harddrive ready, I used GParted to do all the grunge work so I didn't have to. I proceeded kind of slowly given that I really don't know anything about disk and stuff. But I got it done, I formatted the drive to three partitions, ext3, NTFS and FAT32. So I can go around and back up stuff if I want to. Boring.

What's Wrong With My Firefox

After all these upgrades and what not, it's my experience that my Firefox 3.0.13 is not running as smooth as before. It takes forever to fire up and the type down just randomly stalls. I am switching to Chrome for now.

Food On The Go

Untitled

Shot at ISO320 and pushed 1-stop in processing.

Untitled

This picture grows on me. For some reason I like it.

Untitled

Shot in the backyard at least a month or two ago.

Julie & Julia And Hurt Locker

[WARNING: SPOILERS ALERT]

Nora Ephron's latest feature "Julie & Julia" chronicles the lives of Julia Child and Julie Powell right up until they made it big. Meryl Streep plays the mildly demented but totally affable Child who turned herself from a housewife of a diplomat to a master chef of French cuisine. You would have thought Streep over-acted this role if you haven't seen what the real Child was like in person or in person on TV. She was bigger than life and I imagine if a turkey can talk, it would probably sound exactly like Julia Child. Amy Adams plays the neurotic, sometimes combustible but always likable office drone Julie Powell who decided to cook all the recipes of Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" all within the time frame of a year and blogged her cooking endeavor along the way. At the end of the movie and as in real life, Child became this iconic figure of gastronomy eclipsing whoever before and after her. Powell became a writer she was trained to be, got herself a book deal and now this movie adaption of her book. These two characters never shared any screen time, much like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in another Ephron's quintessential chick flick of the 90s, "Sleepless in Seattle." Julie & Julia is not so much about relationship though it's a theme, as both characters have very supportive husbands to help them through their lows--there is a man behind every successful woman. The movie is more about women making a career for themselves. Some critics think the movie is uneven being that Streep's performance and Child's story overshadowed Adams' and Powell's story. That's a fair assessment. But I do think Adams as a young actor holds her own pretty well and the Powell's post 9-11 story adds a contemporary narrative to the movie that would have otherwise lacked. Adams just did a fine job much like what Anne Hathaway did in "The Devil Wears Prada." Of course, Hathaway was luckier and with it faced more of a challenge and privilege of actually sharing the screen and acting with and against the one and only Meryl Streep. The movie is enchanting and enjoyable.

If "Julie & Julia" is about existential issues confronting and confounding women, then "Hurt Locker" is about the survival of the craziest. If you think Julia Child is nutty wait till you see Hurt Locker. Kathryn Bigelow is one crazy director who prefers characters that are as nutty as herself. Blue Steel (1989), Point Break (1991) and Strange Days (1995) are all movies even the good guys are crazy. Hurt Locker, set against occupied Iraq, is about a team of three EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) bomb specialists who go to places where others including soldiers flee. William James, played by Jeremy Renner, the nuttiest among the three bomb specialists depicted in the movie, would not let anything get into his way when dismantling a bomb; not his partner's direction, or even the one hundred bomb suit that meant to protect him if he thinks it doesn't allow him to die comfortable anyway. Bigelow aims to be realistic in this movie, and on many levels I think she succeeded partly because first I don't know much about war, second there aren't any coverage from the main stream media on the war in Iraq. What appears in the movie does look realistic maybe except a few scenes which I found just a bit over done or contrived. The very first explosion was done in super slo mo, according to Bigelow it was shot using a phantom camera that can capture 1000 frames per second. It gives a very intimate look of the detonation and yet it somewhat takes the edge and ugliness out of it. Then you have the thinly veiled homoerotic scene where James is drinking and almost gets himself killed when horsing around in the dorm with his teammates. I have my doubt that's all I can say. And then there is the corniest of the corny, James takes a shower with his uniform on. I don't know how many times I saw a similar scene like that before in other movies. Can his guilt and sorrow be expressed any other different ways other than taking a shower, and with clothes on? At the end of the movie, James is still alive and ready for another rotation in Iraq where every stranger is a potential enemy and every wrong move can mean death. I think I even see his faintly defined smile behind the shield of his helmet as he is on his way to dismantle yet another bomb. I don't know if the war needs James more or James needs the war more. What I take away from the movie is both the war and James are pretty messed up.

Nikon L Focusing Screen For F5

I got this from Buy.com's marketplace. The vendor is from Brooklyn and I immediately thought ... well well well. But I proceeded with the order as the vendor got pretty good ratings and the screen isn't too expensive as I guess nobody is really shooting F5 let along getting the focusing screen that helps manual focusing. Only a dude like me would do such a thing. As it turned out, the vendor is pretty speedy and the item arrived yesterday. I placed the order on Thursday after 5PM, vendor shipped USPS priority with tracking on Friday and the package delivered on Monday.

I put the new screen in and it is just as described. And to my surprise, the screen actually affects the DP-30 meter depending on the lens amounted. As I read the information sheet, I actually have to dial down the EV reading if I use the 24mm f2 lens. I have to go through custom function 18, and set it to -0.5. I could not totally wrap my brain around this adjustment but I guess I just have to do it. Given the latitude of print films I don't expect to see a huge difference should I not even adjust it. All other lenses I have don't need this adjustment. Note to self, if I mount my AI Nikkor lenses, the 50mm, 24mm and the 35-105mm, the DP-30 viewfinder will default to center weighted metering and when only the 24mm is used with the L focusing screen, the EV needs to dial back -0.5 from custom 18.

Mir has this crazy information documented. Though the first time I read it I didn't pay much attention to the EV adjustment at all thinking that there is no way a focusing screen could affect the exposure. Well it does.

Cash For Used Underwear

We have cash for clunkers, how about cash for used underwear? Bring your used, stained, loose, skid marked underwear, and you will get brand new briefs from American Apparel or Uniqlo. How about that?

Cash For Used Computers

We have cash for clunkers, why not cash for computers? Bring your Intel 486, Windows 3.11 machine and you got a souped up Windows XP? How's that?

Hong Kong 2009

Cash For Nikons

We have cash for clunkers why not cash for Nikons or Canons? Take your 6MP camera and get yourself a Nikon D3X.

Taiwan 2009

The lily pond outside the public library in Beitau.

Family On A Scooter

Relic From The Past

Pay phone on the street. I don't bother to shoot vertical anymore. Our LCD is horizontal. Second, the file doesn't actually flip. This vertical picture is an exception.

Taiwan 2009

Taiwan 2009

Clinton Is The Man

Photo: KCNA via Assciated Press via NYTIMES.COM

Clinton is The Man. Kim probably said forget about Al Gore, give me the man, I want Clinton. So Clinton is it. Clinton totally eclipsed everybody without even saying much of a word.

note: no mater what every man's magazine tells you, if you want to be taken seriously, dark suit and white shirt is the only way to go.

Feud Between Nerds

For those armchair photographers--yours truly included, who live and breathe photography in front of their monitors, you got to love this: nerd feud between dpreview and nikonrumors. Dpreview is accusing engadget for breaking the embargo, in this case, the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj, by citing source from Mongolia, a reference and a swipe at nikonrumors. Essentially dpreview's Mr. Phil Askey is saying they don't play by the rule while he does. While nikonrumors says Mr. Askey is arrogant.

Shooting F5 In Times Square

At long last, I actually shot with my Nikon F5 and my 50mm f1.4. I loaded up the thing last week but just shot one picture. Very typical of me.

I was shooting my way to Times Square. The first shot was hard but then it got easier but never better. It was a new Times Square that I have never seen before, with a so called pedestrian mall where people can lounge on beach chair in sort of a make-believe beach right in the middle of Times Square. It is an interesting idea that David Letterman likes to make fun of.

I think it really takes some courage to be a street photographer it's definitely not for everybody. Again there is no set rules, I guess or I know I am no good with people. I don't want to just snap around. I believe in getting close to your subjects, either by developing a rapport or doing the complete opposite--total disregard of your subjects and getting blatantly close them. And I am not good at either and I don't believe in long lenses. I guess I better off stick to abstraction or what I think is abstraction of inanimate subjects. Anyhow, it's just my futile attempt to engage in something that's kind of fun and kind of arty farty.

As usual I left one last frame just in case I have the shot of my life happen somewhere on my way back and I wouldn't get caught with an empty camera. It's just a habit.

This time around I deliberately shot my Elite Chrome 200 at ISO 320 and going to push 1 stop in developing, as suggested by some helpful folk at photo.net. I just want to see what the pictures look like.

I just found out I have a finished roll of 135 film sitting somewhere in my closet and I have totally forgotten about it. I like this kind of discovery. I have another finished 120 roll film as well. So all together I have three rolls to be developed. Probably going to cost me quite a lot to develop and scan them.

Clinton In North Korea

Clinton is trying to charm his way to get to the women he wants. This time for the safe return of two American news workers arrested and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea. I think it's about time the administration to engage North Korea and actually got the ball rolling. I believe North Korea is pretty desperate and look forward to engaging with the rest of the world as well. I have a feeling Clinton can bring the women back home. It's going to be a victory for everybody. If Clinton can achieve any accord with Kim, the ailing rocket man in charge of North Korea, in disarming the nuclear program, that would be the icing on the cake.

BREAKING:
According to the NYTIMES: Two American Journalists in N. Korea Said to Be Pardoned.

I don't know what Clinton did or did not. But apparently it didn't involve any shock and awe in securing the safe return of these two young women. Kim is crazy and sometimes for humanitarian reasons you just have to play along. It's pretty much an hostage situation.

UPDATE:
CNN just showed TV footage the two American news workers were boarding the same plane with former President Clinton. They are expected to land on LA on tomorrow morning. Mission accomplished.

Nikon Did It Again

Nikon just wouldn't stop. Following the heels of last week's ground breaking announcement of the Nikon D30000000, Nikon today introduced a slew of Coolpix cameras favored by the like of Ashton Kutcher and other socially active personalities. This time, the killer Coolpix is the S1000pj, a Frankenstein of a camera, the lovechild of a camera and a projector, a camjector. Why can't anybody thought of this before? I think Nikon is seriously and practically innovative. While other manufacturers seem deluded to make a so called serious P&S a la Leica rangefinder kind of digital camera, Nikon stays true to its Ashton Kutcher market and its definitely making a lot of progress and innovations. Well I am not saying Nikon is giving up on that well heeled and delustional market segment with amateurs who dream of shooting like Cartier-Bresson in digital and equipment that carries the price tag of a 2-family house. Not that there is anything wrong with it--I want to be in that market too if I have enough dough ....

Imported From The Past

Nikon F5, with 24mm f2 and HN-1 lens hood. I am a big fan of lens hood.

Nikon FE with MD-12 motor drive. Nikkor 24mm f2 with HN-1 lens hood.

Hasselblad 500C/M with Planar CF 80mm f2.8

Technical details that nobody is really interested except myself:-
All were shot using a D70 mounted on a ball head on a tripod. The lens was the 50mm f1.4 with the metal Nikon HS-9 lens shade screwed on, set mostly at f1.4 except the Hasselblad one which was set at f2 or f2.8, ambient light.

NOTE: Bending down and fiddling with manual focusing on the tiny LCD can be so tiring. I still have my Yashica Mat 124 G that's not taken yet.

Food In The Tree

I Cook Therefore I Am

One of the definitive attributes that differentiates humans from animals is the ability to cook. Out of the blue and into the supermarket I bought this over 2-lb dungeon crab. The thing looked pretty big and I was so afraid that it might actually be very watery inside. Because I just had that feeling. I torn the thing apart and cut it into pieces. As it turned out this was a male one and thank goodness the body was still meaty, though I could see it seemed to be losing its meat say in a week or so. That's the problem with buying dungeon crabs, you take a chance. Lobster, you don't have this problem. I just used ginger and scallion and be done with it.

On Kissena Boulevard

This is fresh off the camera. This is in 3:2 aspect ratio. Nikon D70 mated with a Nikkor MF 24mm f2. Guess estimate exposure and hyperfocus. Now after the SD880 screen, the D70 LCD screen just looks pathetically small. I carried in my bag my Nikon F5 and 50mm f1.4 and I didn't even use it once (the F5 is mostly for weight training, I just like to carry it around). I think even if I am going to get a "new" camera--to stimulate my create juice, I won't be using it much most likely sitting in the closet with the rest of the gang. Street photography is just hard in the sense that I feel embarrassed to pull out the camera and shoot things I find interesting. The best stuff I ever did in street photography was about some fifteen years ago.

In Taiwan

In Taiwan

In Taiwan

In Taiwan