In the News: Mitt Romney Okay* With Being Wealthy. “If people think there’s something wrong with being successful in America, then they better vote for the other guy. Because I’ve been extraordinarily successful, and I want to use that success and that know-how to help the American people.” — Mitt Romney
Another year in which I’ve not seen most of the movies that won Oscars. (List of nominees and winners.) Rango was the only winning movie that I’d seen, and I’ve seen Bridesmaids, which was nominated but didn’t win anything.
I hear a lot of amateur photographers complain that they’re having trouble finding their inspiration or (as one person put it) “lost my mojo”. They’re sitting around with free time and a camera in their hands and can’t think of anything to take a picture of. Ignoring for a moment the sociological implications about modern[...]
This post isn’t about comparing sensor capability or lens sharpness. It’s just silly to compare a budget point-and-shoot camera to a “prosumer” (half-pro, half-consumer) DSLR. I’m only comparing field of view here. When I bought the Nikon Coolpix S6100, I noticed that its 5-35mm lens paired with such a tiny sensor gives the 35mm equivalent[...]
Regularly, I’m asked about photographing sports, the equipment required, settings to use, and techniques to learn. Most people want an easy one-sentence answer, like “Buy X lens and you’re good to go.” If you’ve received that answer, you’ve been cheated. If someone answered you with specific settings, like “Set your aperture to…” then you’ve been[...]
For me, a battery grip is a necessary extra expense, but I cut off as much of that expense as possible by getting third-party grips. In this case, the Vello BG-C6 Battery Grip for the Canon EOS 60D camera. Related entries: • Review: Canon EOS 60D • What’s the Point of a Battery Grip? (5[...]
“Should I get a battery grip?” is a question many new DSLR owners ask at some point. And if they ever decide to get one, the next question is “Are third-party grips as good as the OEM * grips?” I’ll answer both of these questions below. (3 images after the jump)
(For my full review of the Canon EOS 60D click here.) When I initially reviewed my 60D, I didn’t even realize that the camera had a “face detection” auto-focus mode. After reading more in the manual (looking for something else), I saw the reference and decided to experiment. (3 images after the jump)
For some job types, it’s pretty obvious to everyone else what you do and how you spend your time. For others, it’s not so obvious. Police officers and lawyers might be good examples: most of us think we know what they do, because we’ve seen it on TV. But then when you actually see them[...]
It’s always bugged me when a reporter (either in print, on the web, or on TV) uses himself or his/her news organization in the story — except for the rare case where it’s actually part of the story. And of course, when I actually got a job as a reporter, I learned it’s generally a[...]
Following are some passages I underlined during a reading of To Sail Beyond The Sunset (1987) by Robert A. Heinlein, the last novel he published before dying in 1988: “I remember Earth. I knew her when she was clean and green, mankind’s beautiful bride, sweet and lush and lovable… It is futile to mourn over[...]
There is a school of thought, albeit a relatively unpopular one, that poor grammar or punctuation on printed signs should be corrected with a Sharpie or other tool, vigilante style. In the News: Vigilante Copy Editor (New York Times) And there are older instances, such as this one (The Virginian-Pilot).
Following are some passages I underlined during a reading of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners (1985) by Robert A. Heinlein: “It does not do to encourage bad banners; one should retaliate, urbanely but firmly.”
In The News: Adobe starts subscription for Photoshop and Dreamweaver (BBC News) This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; many software companies are moving in this direction. Instead of having to ship millions of boxes and discs every year when they upgrade the software, they’re just going to add the updates to the online[...]
Following are some passages I underlined during a reading of I Will Fear No Evil (1970) by Robert Heinlein: “…most people think of money as something to pay the rent. But a money man thinks of money in terms of what he can do with it.” “…it’s impossible for a woman to lay it on[...]
For about $5, I made this measuring cup holder that’s hidden inside a kitchen cabinet: (Copyright © 2013 by Wil C. Fry. All rights reserved.)
My wife and I invoked our “30 minute rule” when watching this movie. The rule is: if the movie can’t interest either of us in 30 minutes, then we turn it off and quit wasting our time. According to Wikipedia, this film is based on a 1974 novel and “the story follows the hunt for[...]
Following are some passages I underlined during my 2002 reading of Stranger In A Strange Land (1961) by Robert Heinlein, of which I wrote on Nov. 14, 2002, “Perhaps the best book ever written.” (I no longer feel that way, but it’s still a pretty good book.)
There’s a new White House Tumblr page, and the first entry includes an image with this lettering: “ANIMATED GIFs (HARD ‘G’)”. First, let me say I’m proud that they didn’t put an apostrophe in “GIFs”, as so many on the internet seem to do these days.
Because I assume everyone wants to know my opinion (ha!)… In the News: Is Handwriting Still Important? The Digital Generation Skips Penmanship (BBC News) While I’m admittedly old-fashioned in many ways (for example, I don’t have a “smartphone”), I can usually argue practicality (for example: there’s no point in me having a smartphone). But the[...]
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