New Year's Resolutions

I am not going to do it.  Even if I were going to do it I am not going to tell anybody.  Because New Year's resolutions are just something to set myself up for failure.  Since I don't want to fail so I don't want no resolutions anymore.  My resolution is to have no resolution.

Hooray.

PS:  I think I really suck.

iPhone on Steroid

On Jan 26, Apple is going to announce whatever i product that is going to rule the mobile space.  It's most likely a much rumored and anticipated tablet device or essentially an iPhone on steroid that's going to eat Amazon's Kindle for lunch.  If you need reading glasses like a lot of 40ish folks, iPhone may not be such a great ebook platform, but this thing will be.

Apple's stock closed at $211.64.  The stock is going to hit $250 by mid 2010.  You heard it here first.

Disclaimer:  If you lose your underwear by buying Apple stock AAPL, you can't blame it on me.  I own Apple stock and its products.

Yashica Mat-124 G

The re-birth.  I sent it for a quick fix and now it's back.  I have an easier time focusing with it than the Hasselblad.  I think it's a nice camera for medium format.

Summer 2007

Another 35mm Scan

The film is Kodak 400-2TMY, not developed by me.  Scanned using Epson V500, 2400dpi, 16-bit grayscale, USM at medium, Dust Removal medium.  I don't know if that's the optimum especially USM.  I probably should have turned it off all together and just use dust removal.

Ice Skating In The Frozen Pond

Skiing

Serial Number

If the product never ever needs support, then perhaps the serial number is not needed or it can be printed in the back of the product with a font size that needs an enlarging lens to read. Please for Pete's sake, don't ask the serial number or if you do, then put it in the front and have it printed big because not every one can read that 15 alpha numeric characters in minuscule font size.

A Tree On 42nd Street

Scanning film (on the Epson V500) is an exercise in frustration. Somehow I think scanning at 2400dpi and with all adjustments off except dust removal set at medium gives me the best look for black and white.

I can never really save any settings. Even I turned off the Unsharp Mask, it would creep back in automatically. So that's weird and buggy. You can't really name your setting it's automatically named like setting 1, 2 and 3 and so on. But it doesn't work anyway. After Preview, I have to uncheck the adjustment that automatically added by itself but I have to select all before doing that, otherwise, it would only apply on the selected image instead of what I really want which is all the images. I found the software buggy and annoying.

Yashica Mat 124-G

Here's what a graduated neutral density filter would help to give the sky a darker shade of blue.

update: 7/8/2010
GUYS:  Click on the related labels below for more Yashica Mat 124-G.  You have come a long way.

Film Scan

Scanned using an Epson V500, set a 16-bit gray scale and at 2400 dpi.  One thing about scanning is you have to deal with dust and scratch like forever.  Many years ago I scanned using an HP Photo scanner.

UPDATE:
I think the film holders of the V500 are pretty atrocious.  I mean they work but it's just not something you expect from a photo scanner.  For $160 or so is it the best they can do?  I mean people buy this for scanning film right?  It's supposed to be good not like an after thought because after all it's marketed as a photo scanner.  If you have 6x6 negative that got cut into 3 frames per strip, I am telling you, the contraption isn't all that great at all, you would have a difficult time putting into the 3-frame strip.  But again it can be done.   The 35mm strip holder is slightly better.  You got to scan two strips of 6-frame at the same time.  You will never get the film flat especially the medium format, but I am not really complaining if I can fit the negative just a bit more efficiently and easily.  On the other hand if you have uncut 120 negative I think it should be a bit easier, I have yet to try that.  If the mechanics of the V700 or the V750 is about the same as that of the V500, then I am glad I didn't go for the pricey ones.  I read some time ago there is some third party film holder I guess I will have to look for them.  OMG, I just checked the price is close to $80 and to pay by PayPal, extra as if the convenience on both sides of the transaction doesn't mean anything.  It probably worths every cent of the $80 but I will hold off for the time being.  The film holder is one half of the price of the scanner.  Does it make sense?  I guess it probably does.

The Fuji Acros 100 seems to be a winner, especially compared against the Kodak 125 PX.

Traffic

On I-87.  Slow moving traffic.

Christmas Breakfast

Robots Xmas

Go St. John's

Santa x 2

Developed Fuji Acros 100

This was the first 135mm black and white I ever developed in more than twenty years.  Everything went well.  I was afraid the roll might have bunched up so I unspooled once before accepting the second load.  I thought my finger could feel the edge but I guess it's just the way the reel was designed, a bit tighter than the 120 reel.  The film came out good.  I used the same formula I used for developing the 120 format PX125 film.

I think I really need a scanner now, probably a new souped up desktop as well.

Field Tested My Nikon FE

I brought my Nikon FE loaded with Fuji Acros 100 for a spin in Kissena Park under the bleak weather that was the first snow storm of the season.  While I almost froze under the punishing sub-zero temperature, my Nikon FE and the MD-12 motor drive were functioning properly.  I bought the camera circa 1984.

The List Shall Go On

The Best Blogs Ever.  Don't just believe any blog recommendations you find online.  They are all bull.  Except the ones here.

If next year you are going to visit one blog and one blog only here is the one
http://laichungleung.blogspot.com

And this one if you think you deserve something crazy, stupid, asinine, unbecoming, then his blogs are for you.  They are pretty revolting, the pictures mostly, so they may or may not be work safe.  You have been warned.

If you want something carefully and meticulously composed, try this one here, the last post was in 2007.

Merry Christmas

This is the handsomest, kindest, nicest Santa I've ever seen in my entire life.