Archive for the ‘Things’ Category
Jan
29
The Scotch Tape Ball – 2009 Status
This is something that I started making shortly after 9/11/2001, as a result of spending quite a bit of time on hold with other vendors (the company I was working at had lost their internet connection, and other bits of infrastructure).
I really need to weigh it. I am guessing there is something like a hundred and seventy rolls of tape in there. Most of it is the same Office Max clone scotch tape so determining the weight of a roll of tape minus the ring and extrapolating should be fairly accurate.
The ball currently has a circumference of about 18″.
These days it accumulates tape at a fairly uneven pace. Sometimes here, sometimes there…
Dec
3
Bounce It Off My Head
Dec
2
Overrated Battery Capacity & Other Gotchas
When shopping for some new loose AA rechargeable batteries I found myself bemused by the number of vendors that lie a little bit or flat out lie about what their cells can do in order to generate some more sales. Surprised? Not really. I guess in some way Captain Obvious should have been shouting in my ear ‘DUH!!!’… but then again I might just be a bit too idealistic.
Having had some experience with original equipment vendors, and being that it is indeed shopping season, I felt like spreading some tips for those out look for rechargeable cells and packs as well.
Nov
21
Let American Automakers Go Bankrupt
They want in on a share of the bailout money? Heck no. Let GM, Chrysler, and Ford go down.
A combination of factors have led the the invariable decline of the American automotive industry.
My opinions as just another freaking observer on this? Keep reading if you’re so inclined…
Nov
20
Smoothie Sale
Yeah. This is how i feel right about now.
Nov
19
Don’t Use Crappy Memory Cards
I was shooting a Kunqu Chinese opera some time ago and was at one point shadowed by someone using a nice midrange DSLR. He was copying my angles and at times I could hear the autofocus motor of his lens whining as it was right next to my head. It was also apparent that he was trying to shoot as many frames as possible by the way his shutter was machine gunning off a few shots… and then left to agonizingly wait as his camera’s storage buffer were being written to the camera’s memory card. I could hear him silently cursing under his breath. Was it at me?
Nov
11
Canon 1D Mk.III Versus Canon SX110
This will be a bit of an ongoing comparison between one of Canon’s pro-level cameras (the 1D) and a convenient point-and-shoot camera that was purchased on a binge at a bankruptcy sale of a large retailer- the Canon SX110.
This is not meant to be a joke. It’s part of my way to try and be a better all-around photographer and get used to equipment from both professional and casual shooter territory. I’ll be posting more of these types of comparisons as time permits. It’s actually rather fun and isn’t meant to be a put down for the more expensive camera- and definitely not a situation where a rinkydink point-and-shoot is being fed to a tiger den.
Nov
10
Pixel Peeping Absurdity – Brand vs. Brand Color Rendition
I’m generally for the practice of pixel peeping, as long as it is done in moderation. In case you don’t know what pixel peeping entails, it’s real simple and roughly goes along these steps:
- Get two or more cameras that you want to compare. Let’s use one that you love, and one that you hate.
- Pick a subject to photograph, preferably a still life or something that won’t move much or change colors between shots.
- Set one camera up on a tripod, and take a shot.
- Set up the other camera to replace the first, using the same settings, and take a shot.
- Load the images from both cameras to your computer.
- Zoom into one section with high detail and compare the hell out of both images side by side.
- Linger around at step 6 or repeat EVERYTHING until you feel that the camera you love and always wanted to ‘win’ all along gets better results than the other one that you hate.
Okay, i’m being a bit sarcastic. But seriously, this is how pixel peeping usually ends up happening.
It’s not that pixel peeping isn’t without its merits, but if you have taken more pictures of $20 bills taped to a wall compared with actually interesting subject matter, you have chosen the wrong hobby. Perhaps chainsaw juggling would be a more suitable endeavor instead.
Oct
29
The Canon EF85mm f1.2L Mark II Lens
This and the EF 35mm f1.4L are my favorite lenses. If I had to choose only two lenses to use, it would be those two.
If you’re reading this you most likely stumbled here because of a Google search or something similar, and are looking for sample shots or a review. Welcome! Glad to have you here. I hope this post helps your decision making process. I’m not going to list the good and the bad like a typical review, because certain ‘bad’ things are actually ‘good’ the way things panned out.
Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
19
Super Peanut – A Nitro Conversion Tamiya TLT-1
Shown here is the stock, electric-powered version of the Tamiya TLT-1 truck ‘Rock Buster’.
Construction updates can also be seen here at the full construction thread on scale4x4rc.us.
Overview
This project sort of started by accident. I was bored, waiting for raw materials for something else and decided to use what i had lying around.
What started off as a stock Tamiya Rock Buster TLT-1 1/18th scale electric monster truck is shaping up into an interesting, compact nitro-powered machine.