I decided to create a gallery just for my favorite photos. I'm amazed at the number of photos I've taken over the last few years. It's also nice to look over all the events I've attended. In the next few weeks I hope to add to my portfolio with a set of night shots in downtown Charleston. [smugmug url="http://dpack.smugmug.com/hack/feed.mg?Type=gallery&Data=11127980_xL28h&format=rss200" imagecount="100" start="1" num="12" thumbsize="Th" link="image" captions="false" sort="false" window="false" smugmug="true" size="L"] … [Read more...]
First steps into video
January 31, 2010 by
I honestly lack any skill in the area of video capture and editing. Mom bought a video camera sometime during my teen years for me and my father. The two of us unanimously agreed that she should return it. That ended my family's experiment into video equipment. In our defense, we were very big photography nuts at the time. Since then I've been a hold out when video creation was concerned. This weekend I opted to change my status to an extremely late adopter. The situation causing the change was a few hundred photos from various campus ministry events. I could either create another … [Read more...]
Dusk and Dark
January 21, 2010 by
Photography has long been a hobby of mine. I started learning as a teenager using one of my father's 35mm cameras. Those older camera could last forever, and he actually purchased the camera around the time I was born. Since that time I've grown up and moved on to digital photography, but I still enjoy taking pictures and expanding my abilities. Having fun and learning pretty much sums up this set of pictures. In order to take them, I had to stand out in shopping malls and yards at odd hours with a camera on a tripod. The odd looks from people passing by was almost as interesting as … [Read more...]
The media revolution
April 15, 2009 by
Ok. I'll admit I'm a history buff. That's not really embarrassing. What I tend to hide is that I enjoy pretty much any history. I'll spend annoying amounts of time learning how an organization works; and then, I'll try to determine how it used to work and why it changed. You're probably confused at this point. What does my facination with minutia have to do with a 'media revolution'? It means that instead of observing an overarching trend in human society from the present backwards, I get to experience it firsthand and try to guess what the end result will be. As background I was in … [Read more...]
Digital scrapbooking
March 25, 2009 by
Talking about scanners made me think of a project this last summer. I made a scrapbook on a family event. Counter to my usual policy, I'm not going to make fun of physically making a scrapbook. It requires you to get pictures developed, buy material and meticulously laying out your scrapbook. If you can do it, I applaud you. This post is only presenting a computer based method to create a book of your favorite family memories and have it printed into your choice of hardback or softbound book. What do you need for digital scrapbooking: Digital photographs or a scanner (to make … [Read more...]
Quick Tips — On Reviews
March 25, 2009 by
This blog contains articles about solutions that I've found and liked. You may wonder how I make a decision. Well, if post-it notes on a dart board fail, I start looking at review sites and user comments. Reviewer sites fall into two categories, review sites with one focus and sites covering a whole scope of technology. My current new favorite is toptenreviews. Interestingly enough, I don't like it because I agree with it all the time. I like it because it provides a list of ten things in a category. Probably why they named it top 10 reviews. Sometimes your biggest obstacle in making a … [Read more...]
The fax machine of the 21st century
March 23, 2009 by
If you actually think this post is about fax machines, you are going to be horribly disappointed. If you still use fax machines, I fervently pray that you'll switch to a technology that was invented all the way back in 1957, the scanner. I admit that most modern offices in major corporations still do have fax machines, but many of those same corporations still have typewriters and hand dug water wells with buckets that are used to bring fresh water to their employees. So if you haven't noticed, I have a low opinion of fax machines. They provide a transmission mechanism for a poorly … [Read more...]
Making that PC purchase
March 16, 2009 by
We don't even need to discuss the fact that PCs in an office have become as common place as staplers. Actually for me (and many others), they have become more commonplace than staplers. I use a stapler maybe once or twice day at most. I'm using a PC or several PCs continuously. In fact, I may look at finding a PC that comes with an integrated staple function. That way I'll have one less thing on my desk. So what are the critical things to know before making that PC purchase? These are the questions that typically run through my head: What is the purpose of this PC? I have a … [Read more...]