Picture time

Went yesterday driving and looking for places to take pictures. The driving part was hilarious, raced an old guy in a truck. I wasn't expecting him to jump off the line, so I wasn't ready for a quick launch myself. I noticed he floored it when the light turned green, so I did the same. 1st gear, around 4k RPM turbo kicked in and I started to pull away. Had a perfect shift to 2nd and was gone. It was fun, and the first time in a long time I've actually had somebody try and race me. Thank you, old guy in a blue truck.

On the the pictures. I got some good ones, in my opinion, but they were unexpected. Let me explain...I remember taking the pictures, not because I thought they would turn out good; just to take the picture. Not looking at the picture as a final product, but rather the act of taking the picture as my goal. I expected, as has happened so many times, that I would take a bunch of pictures, then load them on the computer, and never do anything else with them.

Last night, while sitting in the living room surrounded by 5 speakers and 1 sub, I turned on some music and played a slideshow of the pictures I took (raw, unedited, straight from the camera). This blew my mind, and gave me some ideas...expect something great to come from this in the future (I'll link back to this post when it happens). Ok, ok, on to the pictures...

Wait, ADD kicking in once again. One more thing I wanted to mention. I never really appreciated my wide angle lens (16-85mm f3.5-5.6) until now. I've always found it difficult to get interesting wide angle shots. I feel like, usually, they just turn out to be 'bland' pictures anyone can take with any camera. I'd say this is probably the most difficult area of photography for me right now. It's shots like this bridge picture that help me appreciate wide angle shots, and give me inspiration to try and improve.

RP1: Been busy

So this is a post in which I don't really have anything to talk about. RP1 stands for random post 1. I have been really busy with work, trying to get a machine finished and out the door. But that is not the reason I haven't posted anything in a while. Honestly, I've just wanted to relax, catch up on some TV shows, some games, etc. I have been waiting for something meaningful to post, but have not come across anything.

I took a few pictures of my car, after walking out of work one evening (it was after dark obviously, and a Saturday). I had my D90 with the 'nifty fifty' in hand and thought this might turn out pretty nice. I was correct, it looks cool with all the parking lot lights. Glad the 50mm has f/1.8 for it's largest apaeture...I needed all the light I could get. I like how the lighting highlights the fender flares!

I've been playing a lot of Starcraft 2, Minecraft, and F1 2010. All awesome games, I just don't have the time to play all of them as much as I would like. When I try to throw blogging into that mix, it is a little difficult. The question recently has been, which game should I play, not what can I write on the blog. Hence, random post 1; hope you enjoyed it. I'm just happy to get a post out. I'm going to keep trying for an average of 3-4 posts a week, as I mentioned in my first ever blog post...but that is easier said than done.

Starcraft 2 - Game changing tip

If you saw my previous few posts about Starcraft 2, you know that I am not very good at it. To try and improve my game, I have been watching a lot of videos and replays of really good players. Yesterday, I found the tip that changes the game; always be making workers. Literally always. Workers = money and money = army. This is much easier said than done, but at least it's something to work on with the game. Prior to this, I didn't have any goal in the game except not die (which is pretty difficult). It really turns the game around, and it is obvious now that this exactly how the best players became the best. All this being said, I still suck at the game, but I now know how to get better.

Lusting after home decor

First off, I'm the type of person who prefers function over form. I appreciate something that sacrifices form to be more functional much more than something that sacrifices function to look good.

With this in mind, imagine my shock when I set my eyes on this beautiful home decor. Sure, the smallest, cheapest thing in the collection would probably cost me my right leg, 3 fingers from my right hand, and my left arm. However, that being said, I have never wanted any home furnishings so badly (and I'm right handed, so I could probably give up my left arm). Look at these lamps!

This floor lamp is an exhaust from a Red Bull Formula 1 car. As in, it is an actual exhaust manifold that was used in a race. At one point in it's life, this thing was glowing red hot, funneling gases from an engine revving to 19,000 RPM (You read that write, nineteen-thousand RPM).

This smaller lamp is made up from various components out of a gearbox. At one point, these components were trying to rip themselves apart getting 900 horsepower from the engine to the tires. 

Weight is everything in every form of motorsport, and this is taken to the extreme in Formula 1. You can be sure that these components were exactly as strong as they needed to be and absolutely no stronger. They weren't designed to look good, they were designed purely, 100%, for function. This makes them even more beautiful...they were designed for function, and they still look absolutely incredible. In the words of the great Brick Tamland, "I love lamp."

If you're in the mood for your jaw to hit the floor, check out the rest of the collection here (it's not all lamps).

Formula 1 - Singapore

This is shaping up to be an amazing weekend. With only 5 races to go, and 5 drivers still in the hunt for the 2010 title, this race could make or break for a few driver's hopes. It's a fantastic spectacle, at night under the lights, with downtown Singapore lit up in the background...it's a beautiful race to watch. The track is a pain to drive though. Every corner is slow speed, and to be quick, you need to be right on the limit of destroying your car. We'll see how it goes, the tension is definitely in the air! I can't wait! Qualifying tomorrow live at 10am eastern time!

Twitter

I started up a twitter account this weekend. I didn't think it would be something for me, but it's actually pretty awesome. It makes it easier to see really popular people as real people...not some larger than life persona. I'm not sure if I will post much on there, but we'll see. Follow me! haha. Not really. Well, you can if you want...it actually might inspire me to put relevant stuff up there.

This...is...coffee!

French press before the press

Whole bean french vanilla coffee --> grinder --> french press. So much better than the pre-ground crap I put up with for so long. This is one of the great things about the weekend...I have time in the mornings to make and enjoy an amazing cup of coffee. Now if only I could convince myself to wake up early enough during the week to do this before work. Haha, yeah right, I can't see that happening anytime soon. For now, I'll save it as one of the luxuries of the weekend. Weekends are awesome!

Artificial intelligence vs. intelligence

Tonight I played about 4 games of Starcraft 2 on hard difficulty (against the computer). I won with no problem, all 4 times. This was the first time I have ever beat the computer on hard....and I did it 4 times in a row! I was feeling confident, so I tried to play online. The first game was a training game, so the settings were on easy, and everything was pretty much in slow motion. I destroyed this guy. My army of 40 just walked all over his army of 10. It was clearly one of the first games he had ever played.

Sweet! Alright, so I'll skip the rest of the training sessions...the opponents don't seem to be on my level. I played my first game in a legitimate match. My opponent didn't seem to be able to speak good English, and I thought he was trying to say he was new to the game. Again, sweet! Maybe I can win my first legitimate match. It started out good, but then he had a small army that took me forever to kill. While I was trying to kill that army, he was busy building up a bigger one. Long story short...I got destroyed.

The easy thing about artificial intelligence is it's mostly predictable. With anything predictable (in real life or otherwise), it is easy to anticipate patterns and plan the best approach to any situation. Humans are unpredictable...much more difficult!

New poster!

I got this poster printed today at Walgreen's. 20" x 30"! I absolutely love it.

The reason I love this picture so much...

Carl Sagan

How have I not seen this interview before?!? Carl Sagan is the man.

"To live in the hearts we leave behind is to never die"

Part 1




Part 2



Part 3

Come on Motorola...really?

This past weekend I rooted my new phone. For those who don't know, it gives you access to everything in the phone. Now I'll be able to uninstall crap that I don't want (stuff that Verizon and Motorola didn't want me to uninstall). The biggest benefit so far is that I'm now able to run a new version of the operating system (Android 2.2, aka Froyo). Froyo has been awesome so far. When I got home from work today, my battery life was still at 80%! Normally I was getting about 50% battery remaining after work (with Android 2.1).

<rant>

The main reason to root though...the way Motorola handled the leaked version of Froyo. They sent cease and desist orders to all websites that had uploaded it. ANDROID IS AN OPEN SOURCE OPERATING SYSTEM!!! What does Motorola gain by alienating the most passionate members of their consumer base? The members that want to use the phone to its fullest extent. What do they have to gain by holding back an update that will benefit everyone. Moreover, what do they have to gain from wasting money on cease and desist orders? The update will always be out there. Once a file like this is on the internet, it will never (and I mean, NEVER) be removed. This is the reason I rooted my phone. Motorola handled this poorly, so I feel no remorse when I went behind their backs, hacked (rooted) my phone, and am now running the latest and greatest from Google. This is what an open source operating system is about....the community is thriving, and it won't be stopped by 'the man' trying to control everything.

</rant>

Digital vs. Analog photos

I picked up about 5 pictures that I had printed. AMAZING! I'm going to go into a picture printing frenzy. So far I have made only 8" x 10", and 4" x 6"; but I will be making a lot more, and a lot larger. Walgreen's just got a new printer which will make up to 20" x 30" prints. I can't wait to get some really big ones...I have ideas already. Check out the first 8" x 10" 's that I had printed, then framed by me.

And the one that I will make a huge poster of...

This is a picture from the end of my business trip to Aachen, Germany. Looking back on this trip, I think it really changed my life (I know it sounds corny and cliche, but it's true). I went to Germany by myself and with the extra day I had there, after all the work was done, I took a train to Amsterdam to spend a day there. It was by far the coolest thing I have ever done. I'm going to print a big copy of this (I printed an 8x10, but it's not big enough) and mount it somewhere on my wall. Not only is it an awesome picture, but it marks a big change in my life; when my self-confidence increased massively, and my ambition to achieve something great returned. No one will ever appreciate this picture as much as I do...period.

HD video with manual focus

Take a look at this video...by far the best video I've taken with my camera so far. The D90 doesn't have autofocus during video recording. So, with a short depth of field, I was able to maintain focus manually on Caleigh as she walked towards me. Good stuff.

30 seconds

Not the band (30 Seconds to Mars, I already did a post about them) but the shutter speed. Below is a picture I took while on vacation with the family off of our deck. The shutter speed was 30 seconds (it was completely dark). It looks so peaceful...I love shots like this.

1/2000th of a second

A picture from vacation, doesn't need too much explaining. That's Adam, my brother-in-law, gracefully ending his ride on the tube. Really fast, and really slow shutter speeds are my favorite...they show things that you can't see with the naked eye.

Making life a game

I saw this TED talk not too long ago, and it inspired me to do something new; and realize the reason I enjoy something I've been doing for a long time. The picture below is of all the data I have on my finances since January 2007 (without the scale for obvious reasons...although you could scale it by the linear fit in the top right corner.........if there weren't multiple Y axes....haha, I win). Ever since then, at a minimum of once per week, I have recorded all credit card balances, bank statements, savings, loans...everything that has to do with me and money. Now I have this great spreadsheet with past data and future projections. I think only an engineer would get excited by having something this detailed containing so much data.

3.5 years of data...AWESOME!

As for something new, I have started making lists for getting things done (thanks to my new phone and apps). I want to do the thing on the list just so I can cross it off the list. For the same reason that I want to get Xbox achievements or PS3 trophies...I just want to cross it off the list! It's made me more productive and it gives me another reason to use my phone (which keeps getting awesomer (yes, Firefox spell check, I know that's not a word)).

Coffee grinder

 

That's right...whole bean!

I picked up a coffee grinder last weekend and it makes amazing coffee. The best pre-ground coffee is nothing compared to a cup of freshly ground. I was surprised how much better it is. For someone who cannot go a day without coffee, this grinder was one of the best $15 purchases I've made in a long time.

The Phone

I love the FedEx guy. My phone that required an indirect signature was signed by a non-existent person at a non-existent address...which allowed him to leave it for me Thursday.  You sir, are the man...thank you!

I was afraid that I over-hyped the phone to myself and that i would be disappointed when I got it. NOPE!! This thing is amazing. This is the kind of thing that you would see in Sci-Fi movies 6-8 years ago. I have all the information I could ever want at my fingertips all the time. I've just scratched the surface of what it will do....I'm so excited about it is because I can see the potential. The hardware is so powerful, it is waiting on software to catch up. Man, so much potential......it's hard to even imagine how it will be in 2 years when it's time for me to upgrade the phone again.

I literally could not be happier about the purchase. I love this phone; period. And I've only had it 2 days!!!!

I can't wait for the future! It's going to be awesome!

New phone!

Ok, well, not yet...but it has been shipped and will be here either Thursday or Friday. It will be here Thursday, but I won't be home to sign for it, so I don't know if the FedEx guy will leave it or not. Maybe I can go to the FedEx place after work and pick it up (like I do with UPS). Anyway, the new phone is a Droid X and it's going to be awesome.

"I shouldn't do this joke because it will ruin my cover, but I like the FedEx guy; 'cause he's a drug dealer and don't even know it!...And he's always on time." Mitch Hedberg

The drive

The drive to and from vacation was awesome. The way back was more fun. On the way back, I was moving for a total of 12 hours and 34 minutes and stopped for 18 minutes. I had to get gas 3 times, otherwise I think I could have made it without stopping. I tried to take pictures of the state signs as I crossed each border, but that didn't work out so well. I got a few of them...

This is North Carolina's sign; my aim wasn't too good with the camera.




Notice how crappy New Jersey looks. Are there people that actually want to live in Jersey?


What is in this FedEx truck? Scary...it was raining at that point in the drive too.