A Bunch of Photos

Kaleb!

I’ve posted a bunch of photos on our Smugmug account. The four new albums are: Visiting Kaleb on Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Getting Together at South First Billiards, and Genentech Holiday Party.

For me, taking photos has been a bit more fun the last several weeks. I’m not sure if it’s the holiday season that has gotten me snapping away, but I hope to have more updates in the New Year.

Also, I’m evaluating a few programs from Nik Software, so some photos may look as if they have better post-processing than others.

As always, most of the albums are password protected.  If you need the password please contact me. And, as always, if there is a photo of you that you want me to take down, let me know as well.

Motivation and Inspiration

I’ve been in an inspirational slump. Often, I would bring my camera to any family occasion to capture moments.  But even on those occasions, it’s been difficult to get up for taking photos.  I’m hoping for a change, a spark.  I would often find inspiration through photos people posted on flickr or on trekearth.  But I’ve even been lost in this method of motivation.  A new site is helping to spark motivation and inspiration.  It’s called dailyshoot.com.

I heard about the site while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, tacksharp.  The site’s concept was created by John Duncan Davidson and Mike Clark.  It’s a simple, helpful idea. Daily photo assignments are posted on the site at 9 AM EST.  The hope is for people to pick up their cameras and look for opportunities to complete the assignment.  Take one photo or ten, but choose the best to share with the community.  You use Twitter to let the site know you have posted a photo for an assignment.  It is then vetted by the site’s “magic”, then posted on dailyshoot.com.  You can see photos I’ve taken here.

I hope to go back through the twenty-five-plus assignments I missed. I’ll try to do a few during my work winter break. So you may see more photos from me here on the site.  I not only hope to take more photos, but also to be more creative, and more expressive in my photography.  

You know this will be one of my New Year’s resolutions.

Photography Websites and Forums

One of my sisters recently was given a DSLR as a gift. She went to the Canon side, whereas I’m a Nikon person, so we won’t be able to share lenses. But we can share the abundance of resources available on the Internet. I have a few bookmarked sites and podcasts that are focused on photography I can share. This should be good for a few blog posts.

First off, I’ll provide a few sites you might consider visiting for general photography tips and information. I’ll follow up with other photography websites I visit for both inspiration and information. And there are also podcasts to listen to on photography as well.

Websites and Forums

Photo.net - One of the first sites I visited on photography. It was easy to find - given the name. But the best parts of the site are the Learning and Community sections. You may want to create an account to post questions and comments.

dpreview.com Forums - The main part of dpreview has detailed equipment reviews. But I prefer the forums, where a variety of answers are given to many posted questions. Sign up for an account and post, or answer a question.

Flickr Groups - Flickr is a great photo community website. A large portion of the interactivity takes place in groups. You can find a group for almost anything photography related. You’ll need to sign up for a Yahoo! account in order to access Flickr.

PopPhoto.com - The how-to section on PopPhoto’s website has plenty of information. They provide tips on how to shoot a variety of photos, how to use that new photography equipment you just got, or how to navigate through Photoshop. You might also consider picking up an issue of their magazine, known as Popular Photography.

Photofocus - A well-put-together blog providing information, reviews, and resources on photography. They also have a podcast, one I listen to when I can.

Nikonians: A good site for information, not only on Nikons but on photography in general. I’m sure there is a Canon equivalent. They have a strong community but require a paid membership to access it. Luckily you can sign up for a free trial.

I’m sure I’ve missed some great photography websites for information. I’ll add more as I come across them.

Shooting in Low Light

My photography background consists of taking a few classes at the local junior college, and what I’ve read online and in books. All of these resources have helped me along my journey in photography. I’ve taken a handful of photos that I really enjoy. But I still lack the ability to take decent photos in low-light situations.

Kayla’s volleyball game.

When I shot on film, using my Nikon N90, I was always anxious when shooting in low light. I would dread that the photos I took would develop and show nothing at all. Shooting digitally I am less anxious, but I’m rarely happy with the end results I achieve.

I know part of the solution is having the right tools. If you don’t have a fast enough lens, then shooting action in low light will be a challenge. The photo above is from one of Kayla’s volleyball matches. I used the fastest lens I had, a Sigma 30mm / f 1.4. From the looks of it, the photo came out as best as it could. But the lens is wide, so close-up details are not possible. I wish I could move closer to the action. I guess I need a longer lens.

Kaleb sitting.

I used the same lens to take this photo of Kaleb in very low light. I shot this at ISO 800. You can see some blurring, as I had the aperture wide open. I didn’t take into account the depth of field I was working it. I need to pay more attention to this aspect of photography. I was simply hoping to get a photo without using a flash. I worked on the photo a bit in Photoshop, but it could have been much better if I had just a little more light.

So what do I know right now about shooting in low light?

  • If you have a fast lens, use it. As I understand it, a fast lens is f 1.8 or lower. If you have a kit lens it may not be suited for this task.
  • Use a higher ISO. If you use 800 or higher, you may get some grainy photos, so don't be surprised.
  • If possible, use a tripod. A tripod may not work, especially when your subject is moving.

There are plenty of good tips out there. I just need to read them and keep shooting. As they say, practice makes perfect.

I Wasn't Here

I wasn’t here during the Loma Prieta earthquake 20 years ago. I was out of California, doing my stint for God and country. I remember when the quake happened. It was my day off. I had set the VCR in my bedroom to tape the third game of the World Series. I brought back takeout from Whataburger. I’m pretty sure it was a double-meat Whataburger with jalapenos. I remember setting down the bag, turning on the tv a little after 7 in the afternoon, and then seeing just a green screen with the words “World Series” on it.

No audio, no nothing.

Then I heard Al Michael’s voice come on. He didn’t mention the word earthquake, but what else could it be. I had a feeling it was pretty big considering there was no video on the television screen. I tried to call home several times but wasn’t able to get through. The video finally came up on some channel, I’m not sure if it was CBS, NBC, or ABC. I think I switched back to ABC to watch the complete coverage. I still wondered if everyone was all right at home.

Later in the evening I finally got through to my parents. Everyone, for the most part, was ok. I think there were a few bumps and bruises, and something about the big mirror in the living room possibly coming down. But thankfully, everyone was fine.

Wow, 20 years ago, huh? I wish, just a little bit, that I was here.

I Don't Hate My iPhone

My online reading habits lean toward technology. I read a lot of blogs and newsfeeds, keeping up with what I find interesting. One way to get me to read an article is to mention the iPhone. Lately, there seems to be a lot of hate for the iPhone. I’m not really sure why.

I Just Like It My day is often filled with music. The first music-media-capable phone I bought was the LG Chocolate. Big mistake. From what I recall of the Chocolate fiasco, syncing and playing music was awkward. The music UI was also clunky. But worst of all, the touch-sensitive controls of the phone quickly turned into a nightmare. I grew to hate this phone. It would often dial phone numbers on its own. At first, my wife thought I was crazy until her LG Chocolate started to do the same.

When the iPhone became available, I wanted one immediately, but the cost initial cost made it prohibitive. When the price dropped, I was able to get an iPhone. I haven’t looked back since. It does what I need it to do: (1) make calls, and (2) play my music. The immediately added bonuses were visual voicemail, email access, easy texting, and calendaring.

I didn’t find the initial web apps interesting or useful for that matter. I never thought about how much I would enjoy or need natively running apps until they came out. When I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, the phone even became more useful. (I upgraded from the first generation, so we never experienced 3G speeds before.) Apps are now something I think I cannot do without.

Rejection and Upgrades

Apple receives plenty of flack for rejecting apps. High-profile rejections include Google Voice, Someecards and Ninjawords. I admit I understand the appeal of Google Voice, and I did try the GV Mobile app when it was available in the App Store. But not having a native app for Google Voice isn’t a deal breaker for me. I’m of the opinion that any added functionality to my iPhone is icing on the cake. If Apple chooses to reject an app - according to their rules - then so be it. Hey, it’s their playground. they can do what they want. Sure, I own the iPhone, and I should decide what I can put on my iPhone or not. And I do. I put on my iPhone whatever is available in the App Store.

Another problem cropping up is upgrading apps you’ve purchased. This problem is starting with the ever popular Tweetie app. I paid happily paid for Tweetie, and if I feel the features of the 2.0 version coming out are things that I would like, I will happily pay $3 to upgrade. Should it be cheaper to upgrade like regular computer software? I don’t know. Three bucks don’t seem like a lot to part with, for an application you - theoretically - use often.

It’s the Network

I don’t dislike AT&T as much as most people. I’ve had a few phone connection issues, mostly when traveling up to San Francisco. When my wife commutes home, she experiences at least two dropped calls while traveling on 280 South.

I also think the month-to-month cost of an iPhone is too high. You pay for the phone plan, plus $30 for an Unlimited Data Plan, and at least another $5 to have 200 text messages. I feel nickel-and-dimed at times with AT&T. I’m sure other cell phone carriers would charge similarly, but since AT&T is the only carrier that has the iPhone, the extra charges feel more obvious.

In The End

The iPhone is the best cell phone I’ve had, with the exception of my first cell phone. I have very fond memories of that Nokia, seeing how it saved me from being stranded several times. Even after reading all these iPhone-bashing stories, I’m still not looking to change phones or carriers. I think I just need to stay away from reading those stories - and the comments that follow the story.

Go Free When Possible

Rethinking

I am rethinking this new blog thing. Yes, it only took me two months to start rethinking this endeavor. What started me thinking was Nick Cernis’ well-written post called “Rise of the Tablog”. I discovered this via Merlin Mann on Tumblr. It got me rethinking why I blog.

The answer is the same: I enjoy writing - when I can. I want to put my thoughts down on a variety of subjects. I never enjoyed using pen and paper because my penmanship is horrible. My tool of choice has either been a typewriter or a computer. Sure, I don’t necessarily need to publish what I write on a blog, but I enjoy it. It’s something I’ve been doing since 1999. Plus I find putting what I write on a blog more liberating, even now more so since I don’t have comments enabled. If someone reads it, then great. If not, then so be it.

When I started this new blog, I had hoped to write more. I set a low goal of 500 words on any subject, with the hopes of posting once a week. I’ve done ok, posting almost every Thursday. But I really had hoped that I would write more often than I have. I’m sure it will come with more thought, time, and effort.

Cost per Post

Since I don’t write often (yet), it is difficult to continually justify having this blog on a web hosting service. There are many reasons why I wanted to use a web hosting service instead of WordPress.com or Tumblr. One reason is having full control of not just my content but the whole website. I have been using Laughing Squid as the web host. I’ve always wanted to try their service and it has been great. I also like that they are local to me. But in this economy, even their least expensive plan of $8 a month is difficult to justify four blog posts a month. After all, I could use that $8 for two Venti Mochas, which can fuel my brain for the day.

Where and Why

And so I have moved the content I generated over to this Tumblr account. Why Tumblr and not Wordpress.com?

As part of this rethinking process, I also wanted to decide where would be the best home for what I wanted to do now. It would seem Wordpress.com would be a natural choice since I use the WordPress CMS for the hosted website. But when I’m on Wordpress.com I realize how much “I can’t do” as far as customization or other tweaks that I can do with a hosted version of WordPress. This annoys me. I’m comfortable with what Tumblr can provide. Clean and simple. But the ‘Tumblarity’ score really bothers me. I need to not pay attention to that sidebar. I’ll hopefully get past this annoyance.

So right now I have two active Tumblr accounts. One is used for reblogged content, and the other is for content I (hopefully) actually create. I can envision these merging (Why have separate accounts?). But at this point, reblogging is an effortless task I prefer to keep separate. I would really like to have an account where I can post a long rant on a subject and not have it seem out of place with the rest of the posts. At this point, it makes sense to me to have two separate accounts for this.

Missing Link List #4

So much read this week:

Paolo Nutini at the Fox Theater in Oakland

Paolo Nutini - Candy from Nikke Osterback on Vimeo.

This past weekend, we attended our first concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland. The theater opened earlier this year. It’s located down the street from The Paramount, a theater we have been to too often. There is no dedicated parking for the show, but there are several parking lots listed on their website. We easily parked in a lot just down the street.

We passed by The Den at the Fox, a lounge connected to the theater. They offer drinks and some food, but we didn’t have time to look into it there. When we entered the theater, an usher promptly greeted us. Our tickets were for loge seating. But the usher told us we could also access the standing general admissions area on the floor. If we had a Visa Signature card, we could be seated in the limited seating area on the first floor. We opted to take our seats in the lodge. The lodge seating is unusual. The seats are grouped in pairs, with ample space between the next coupled seats. We were in the first row of the lodge, our view partially blocked by the railing, but still a decent view of the performers. The layout of the Fox is very similar to the Warfield in San Francisco, but the Fox is quite larger.

We were seated during the middle of the opening act, Anya Marina. She was roaring through her set, rocking with her electric guitar. She was very crowd friendly, talking and often interacting with the crowd between songs. At one point she asked if the crowd was an “all ages” crowd because she wanted to explain the origin of a song she wrote. The actual meaning of the song could only be described with profanity, which she chose not to utter. Later in her performance, she noticed a Brazilian flag in the standing audience. She asked the pair of Brazilian girls who were holding the flag if it’s true they like anal sex - meaning if Brazilian girls do. (I guess she never got the answer to the “all ages” question.) One of the most interesting songs she did was a cover of T.I.’s “You Can Have Whatever You Like”.

Paolo Nutini came out next. His set was a good mixture of songs from his first album, These Streets, and his latest album, Sunny Side Up. We were very familiar with songs from These Streets and were happy to hear them live. We haven’t listened to his latest album, so they rang as new to our ears and were harder to get into. But Paolo performs with such enthusiasm and passion. It would be difficult not to enjoy his performance.

The big letdown at the Fox was the sound. I don’t have golden ears, and rarely notice the bad sound at a concert, but from where we were sitting the vocals sounded muddled for both performers. At times it is hard to make out any lyrics at all, let alone the blend of instruments. I’m not sure if the sound sitting in the center lodge or on the floor would be better. I’ll need to go to another concert to find that out.

Overall it was a good first-time experience at The Fox. It looks as if several performances are coming up that we’d be interested in attending.

Missing Link List #3

This week’s Missing Link List includes:

  • 33 things you should stay away from.
  • Did you know Apple released a new iPod Nano this week?
  • You do have superpowers. You just don’t know you do.
  • If you’re in trouble, don’t forget to update your Facebook status.
  • An update for Snow Leopard already?

My Ratings Scale Revisited

A few months back I decided to change the way I rate movie reviews. Previously I used the old standard of assigning a letter grade to a movie. I then moved to a liked it slash didn’t like it scale. I didn’t find much flexibility in that rating system. Now, I’m moving the real-world scale I use when asked about a movie. The scale, which I am sure is used elsewhere, is based on how much you are willing to pay to see a movie. The scale is as follows:

  • Full Admission - Willing to pay for a full-price theater ticket, especially on a crowded Friday night.
  • Matinee - Must see the movie in a theater, but do it as cheap as possible.
  • Rental (DVD, Blu-ray, whatever media you choose) - See it right when it hits the retail market.
  • Cable TV - You can wait until it shows up on cable to watch.

I’m sure there are other ratings that can be placed in there (e.g. cheap theaters, broadcast television) but I don’t find those ideal situations to watch most movies. Plus I don’t have a cheap theater near me and broadcast television has too many commercials to suffer through. Here are a few samples of movies I’ve reviewed and how I would rate them on this new scale:

  • Full Admission - 300, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Juno
  • Matinee - Quantum of Solace, Grand Torino, Knocked Up
  • Rental - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Transformers
  • Cable TV - Nights in Rodanthe, Spider-Man 3

Let’s see how this scale works for me.

Missing Link List #2

This weeks list includes:

Underneath It All

I am not really a handyman, but for the past several months I’ve had the urge to fix. I’ve attempted to fix things that I normally wouldn’t think twice about hiring someone else to repair. For example, I replaced a car battery, changed our front and back door locks, and fixed a leaky faucet. I know, I know, I’m not rebuilding a car engine, but for someone like myself who is not mechanically inclined, these are quite surprising feats.

As I’ve mentioned before on Janella.com, we bought a new washer and in dryer. They both initially worked great, but the dryer stopped doing a great job in drying several weeks ago. By going through the troubleshooting steps in the manual, we figured out the problem was with the dryer exhaust hose. The hose connects from the back of the dryer, runs underneath the house, and exits through the side of the house.

No Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock here. Lucky me, I get to go under the house! The last time I was under house was four years ago. It was an unpleasant experience. I think I may still have a few scrapes from that last adventure. As a kid, going under the house was fun. When we had plumbing problems that required someone to go under and check on “the pipes”, I readily volunteered. Of course I was much smaller and slimmer back then. But now as a larger and more phobia-straddled adult, going under the house is not much fun. It was also once fun to climb up to the roof of the house to watch the Fourth of July fireworks. Now the only reason I go up on the roof is to clean the gutters before the next rainfall.

For this trip down below, I was intent on being prepared or as best prepared as possible. I bought a pair of coveralls at Sears (on sale!). I also bought a pair of hardy knee pads at Lowe’s, in hopes of counteracting any beating my knees might encounter. In hindsight I should have also purchased gloves, as my hands can take quite a thrashing under the house as well.

To make a long story short, with my wife’s help, we were able to replace the dryer hose and fix the problem. The dryer once again works as advertised! I know it’s not rocket science, but it just goes to show that all it takes is a little research and hard work to fix certain problems around the house. I’m not sure where this “urge to fix” has come from - perhaps from all the DYI shows on television. But with the help of the Internet, with all of its self-help websites and videos, you can do almost do anything. I don’t think I’d tackle rewiring the house, but as for the smaller jobs, leave them to me.

Missing Link List

A Missing Link List (MLL) is a weekly list of links, stories, photos, etc., I happen across during the week. The list will be things I want to share, but had no time to write a full blog entry. This week’s MLL is a build up of two weeks worth of web surfing. I apologize ahead of time if you’ve seen any of these before:

Starting a New Blog

I’m starting a new blog. The domain name, alex-is.com, wasn’t my first choice. It wasn’t even my second or third. I wanted the domain name to be short and related to me or a hobby of mine. The name was inspired by the status updates you make on Facebook or Twitter. For example, when updating my Facebook status via the iPhone it starts with “Alex”, then you often use a verb such as “is”. Hence alex-is.com.

What to write on an iPhone?

Why start a new blog?

I have nothing against my previous blog I had at janella.com. But that domain name was a gift for my wife. Long story short - she disliked her @yahoo.com email address. I thought a personal custom email address would be a great gift. It has been and continues to be, used more for email than for web content. But I co-opted the website portion for my own purposes.

I blogged there regularly. But I have run into a little writer’s block as of late. I am uncertain of the cause, but I believe part of the problem stems from a revelation I had the other week that I’ve been unknowingly blogging for two. While the posts there were ascribed to me, I always felt I was speaking for both of us. This was not necessarily a bad thing, but my wife has never agreed to blog. As far as I know, she has no such desire to do so.

I’ve come to this realization not through anything she has said or done, but by simply reflecting on how much I enjoy writing about what I do or have done. As with many unfocused personal blogs, I’ve chosen to write on a variety of subjects, like the movie or television show I just watched, the trip we just took, or how much I hate the neighbor’s barking dog. I chose to be transparent about my daily activities. I don’t believe I ever asked her if she wished to do the same.

When I first realized this, I tried to change the style of how I blogged on janella.com. But I kept hitting a wall. It’s because that site will always be associated with both of us. I came back to the thought of creating a new separate website, under a different banner, in the hopes it would free up this writer’s block. And so, I think starting my own domain name would shrug off the impediment I feel. After all, as I’ve said before, janella.com was a gift for my wife.

Janella.com has been through many iterations over the years, pointing to various types of pages and services. Currently, it’s pointed to all the photos we have taken in recent years. I think it will remain as such.

What Will I Blog About?

Same subjects as before: news, movies, television, technology, photography, and whatever subjects I care to comment on. I’ll try to stay away from subjects involving family and friends, deciding to keep this part of my life private. But it will be difficult to stay away from that subject since it is a large and important part of my life. I’ll definitely stay away from anything concerning work - that’s one hot potato I’ll always avoid - with the exception of job searching, a subject I’ve written about previously.

I would like to steer clear from reblogging as much as possible. I’d prefer to use my tumblr for this function. But you never know. Reblogged media may creep in. If I reblog, I want to provide some of my own commentaries, as opposed to simply republishing material without thought.

Ideally, I would like to make a blog post at least once a week. This desire is a goal. Let’s see how real it turns out to be.