My view of the world

Actually it’s diamond film from tequila.
From New Scientist Print Edition:
A team of researchers led by Javier Morales of the University of Nuevo León near Monterrey in Mexico have shown that ordinary tequila does the job nicely. They injected the heated vapour from 80-proof “tequila blanco” into a low-pressure chamber. Measurements confirmed that the carbon deposited on test surfaces had a diamond structure (www.arxiv.org/abs/0806.1485). “Some kinds of tequila seem naturally to have the right mix of atoms,” says Morales. Other forms of alcohol have also worked, although it’s not clear if this is faster or more reliable than using common precursors such as acetone.

You can download their paper in pdf form here.

They say that different kinds make better diamonds. — I hope it’s only Cuervo Gold they use and not Patron.

For no particular reason:
The Naked Mole Rat - Just about as ugly as they come.

Yeppers. The title is right. Wind Up Sushi is being sold at some Walmart stores.

I’m a bit of a gadget freak, so when I found them on this blog Tuccioholic.com I had to blog it.

As far as I can tell these serve absolutely no useful purpose except to make your co-workers think you’re even weirder than they originally thought.

You wind them up and watch them glide across your desk…. Maybe, if you had a hard floor in your building, you could wind them up and send them “gliding” across the floor just to watch people’s reactions.

— I just ordered my 5 piece set from Amazon.

I want one of these. It’s Hasselblad’s H3DII 39 megapixel Digital SLR.

Even if I can’t justify the cost, which at $33,995.00 is a mite pricey. — I want one. –Wipes drool from chin.

I have no idea what I would do with one. — Especially since at the price of anything to do with Hasselblad I couldn’t afford another lens to go with the 80mm included in the package.

From the Hasselblad website:
The H3DII: In a League of its Own

Achieving superior image quality with modern digital photography means finding a way to get the most from camera hardware, advanced optics, massive sensors, processing software, and the computing power of today’s computers. The H3DII’s unprecedented interaction between the various system components combine with increased lens performance and an unprecedented level of image sharpness to outperform any professional digital camera system on the market today, delivering outstanding pixel resolution, better colors, and improved detail rendering. The large format light channel provided by the H3DII and the H System lenses enables the use of the largest image sensors currently available – 48×36 mm - more than twice the size of even the largest 35mm camera sensors. These sensors hold more and larger pixels, ensuring ultra sharp images without gradation break-ups in even the finest lit surfaces.

What this shows is that the technology is available and given the way prices have fallen on any new tech, 21 megapixels will soon be the norm and 39megapixels will be available at a lot less than $33k. –Unless of course the body says Hasselblad.

In the mean time you can buy me one here.

I just posted these to show a friend that there are plants besides oleanders that bloom when it’s this hot.

The top two are low growing plants that thrive in full sun but die back in the winter.
The bottom two plants are shaded by a tall pine tree.

Canon SD800 IS, 06/23/08 Las Vegas, NV. — Temp 106° F

These are two shots of a small Praying Mantis on an off-white stucco wall, in shadow. The insect was about 3/4 of an inch long and was the color of dry weeds.

I posted these to demonstrate depth of field and to show that you can take macro shots without spending a fortune on lenses.

They were taken in natural light with a Nikon D300 at ISO400, F13 and the lens allowed to autofocus.

You’ll notice that the bottom shot, while far from the perfect mantis pose is a much better angle, but the wrong end of the critter is in focus.
This is the reason I prefer to manually focus macro shots.

These shots have been resized and the top picture has been rotated, but are otherwise untouched.
(If you click on the picture it will take you to a larger version)

Hand held 70-300mm Nikkor -300mm ISO400 1/640 F13 sRGB 300dpi


Hand held 24-120mm Nikkor -120mm ISO400 1/640 F13 sRGB 300dpi

After looking at these shots, because the subject was relatively stationary, I should have shot raw instead of JPG, used a monopod to allow a setting of F32, ISO100, and used a matte reflector to make the light more interesting.

FWIW: This is the result of opening the bottom picture in Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 and clicking Smart Photo Fix.

Cameras are just like motorcycles. The cost of the base unit is just a down payment for the accessories.

I have an old Nikon D70 that now sits in a bag as a back-up. When I bought it I got the Nikkor 60mm macro, a 70-300mm Nikkor and then purchased a 24-120mm VR Nikkor as a portrait lens.

Now I own a Nikon D300 and have added a 12-24mm lens by Sigma for wide angle shots. The Sigma is almost as sharp as the Nikkor and since I bought it used, about half as much money.

My dilemma is in my choice of glass.
I recently borrowed a friend’s Nikon D40 with a Nikkor 18-200 VR lens. Now I want that lens so bad I can almost taste it. (B&H has a demo model as of this morning for $599, as opposed to $679 for the USA model and $649 for the import -gray market)

The 18-200mm weighs nothing, has fast af-s autofocus, and gives me just enough more length over the 24-120mm to be noticeable. The other end, at 18mm is just about as wide I generally shoot. –There are not a lot of places to shoot really interesting wide shots around here without climbing on a roof.

The VR is worth its weight in gold. In the real world it gives me a legitimate 2+ stops and even takes care of those days when I’m not as steady as I would like. (The VR doesn’t like tripods, but on a cheap monopod in the wind it worked well.)

The problem comes from my also wanting a long macro lens. I want a lens that will give me some distance from bugs and butterflies, and still give me a 1:1 ratio (the object appears life size on the sensor).

The older 200mm f4 mf Nikkor is around $400 and will give me 1:2 ratio. The new af 200mm Nikkor f4 is currently priced at $979 used, and will give me my required 1:1.
I’m also considering a Sigma 180mm at about $799 that reviewers are saying is exceptionally sharp.

For macro shots the bells and whistles like autofocus and VR mean very little to me because I prefer to manually focus on very close subjects and the VR needs quite a bit of distance in order to work.

This just leaves the 1:1 ratio I’ve taken to obsessing on, good glass, and budgetary constraints.

This morning I compromised with myself and ordered a set of inexpensive Kenko extension tubes for $169, with free shipping, from B&H to try a bit more macro before I spend a small fortune on lenses and exotic flashes/flash brackets.

In the mean time I need to buy a good ball head for my tripod. My current head is great for studio work but it’s too slow and cumbersome for field work.

As of this morning I’m leaning towards the Kirk BH-3 at $255 direct. This means I will also need plates and soon a carbon fibre tripod, etc, etc, etc.

As an aside:
The Nikon D40 combined with the 18-200mm lens feels like it weighs less than my D300 body alone. —In reality its 36.2oz with lens as opposed to 29.2 oz for the D300 body.
The D40 takes superb pictures, it’s light, fast and at the end of a long day the difference in weight is noticeable.
So unless you need the advanced feature set of the D300 buy the D40 and save enough money for a plane ticket to Vegas.

This is what I saw as I pulled into the gas station this morning.

The price is changing so rapidly that the station employees are having trouble keeping up.

I half expected to see a sign that read:
“None of our employees can count that high. Our prices will be posted just as soon as we can hire a math major.”

The price was $4.29 9/10. it cost just over $43.00 for a fraction over 10 gallons.
(The 9/10 is a con, but it works. Any number of people will quote the cost of fuel at $4.29 instead of $4.30 which is much closer to the truth.)

What struck me was not the price but my reaction. I looked at the total and thought “that’s almost $50.00.”

I get approximately 30mpg on the highway and over 20mpg on surface streets so it’s not a big deal.
The psychological effect on the other hand is a big deal.

I’m already starting to make adjustments to my lifestyle.

I now know about how far I can drive after I see the yellow fuel warning light come on.

I no longer drive across town to see if there’s anything I want (want, not need) at some store or other.

I buy more groceries at the neighborhood market that is closest to my house and cook fewer dishes that require “exotic” ingredients.

Because the rising fuel costs are driving the cost of groceries up at a rate that exceeds normal inflation, I eat more chicken, providing it’s on sale.

I eat less fish because it has become prohibitively expensive. The last Ahi Tuna I saw at Albertson’s was “wild caught” and cost 16.99 a pound.

When they have it Thresher shark is 6 or 7 dollars a pound, so I can indulge my weakness for shark and bake.

I find the produce that is imported from places like Chile is not only expensive, it’s picked so green that it never gets ripe and what little flavor it has just plain sucks. -So much for eat your vegetables.

I use canned tomatoes and canned corn for a lot of my cooking, so far they’re cheaper and have a better flavor than the so-called “fresh” produce.

I buy a lot of canned goods on sale, providing I can find any that don’t have a half a pound of salt or sugar added.

I do most of my shopping for books online instead of driving to a brick and mortar bookstore.
It actually saves me money because I’m less likely to buy something based on the pretty pictures, but I also buy fewer books because I can’t read bits at random to get a feel for what it is I’m buying.

If there’s something I need I find myself saying, “I’ll stop and pick it up tomorrow, because I have to go out anyway.”

I make fewer unnecessary trips and I shop online. This is becoming common place.

Unfortunately, this effects the local economy because there are fewer people casually shopping. Instead of making multiple trips, people are planning ahead and making single trips in order to reduce the amount of money they need to spend on gas.

This is going to be the norm from now on. The price of gas is unlikely to fall much below $4.00 in my lifetime.

In Europe the cost of gasoline is lower than it is in this country, but the taxes are much higher, so they pay more per gallon.

But most of their cities have much better public transportation than we do here in Vegas and people are used to the inconvenience of waiting for the train or bus.

Since WWII America has been enamored with cars and the independence they provide.
Out here in the west, the car is what allowed places like Las Vegas to flourish. Now with the price of fuel escalating daily fewer people will be able to afford to drive or fly here or to any other vacation destination.
We have been spoiled by relatively cheap fuel, supply and demand have always driven the price of gas. Now hedge funds and speculators are driving the market and it’s out of control.

Unless some sort of regulation is put in place, we will soon be unable to afford fuel for our personal vehicles or for the transportation of goods.

I have been playing with Digg since January, I have yet to send a shout and I’ve had 2 popular.
I have 223 friends and 222 fans.
I’ve dugg 7,812, left 73 comments and submitted 119.

I now know my way around fairly well, but I still don’t know little things like, why the word submitted appears in yellow or red (I don’t really care). Nor do I honestly understand how some of the outright drivel gets to the front page while good information dies on the vine or gets buried. –Digg’s explanation uses words like diversity, but doesn’t give you a clue about what it really takes.

All I know is that a picture of ugly kittens gets more diggs than an article on how Bush and company behave.

I have started thinning out my friends based on how long since they were active, what they shout and when possible how many different names they use.

I have started blocking fans so I don’t have to wade through so much junk to get to my friends shouts. –They really need a way to un-fan someone.

I have several “friends” who shout well over a dozen times a day. In spite of a fair a percentage of interesting articles, this leaves me trying to find a way to deal with the shear volume of shouts.

There are a number of Diggers who’s stuff I automatically digg without reading, and there are some who’s shouts I consistently follow and read.

Most of the rest are boring. For instance, someone sent me a shout asking what color Bugatti I would buy. I don’t care what color a Bugatti is. I can’t afford one, wouldn’t fit behind the wheel if I could buy one and haven’t really liked them since they went mainstream.
I’m certain that this post seemed important to the person shouting, but I dugg it as a courtesy and will not likely digg the next one.

It seems silly to digg what you have no interest in.

Now I have to decide if I’m going to fully participate in this time waster or if I’m going to find other things to do.
If I continue to participate I’m going to have to do some radical pruning of my friends list and block even more fans.

If I do this I’ll probably never make popular again but I won’t have to wade through so much culch and clutter.

Somebody sent me this and I fell on the floor laughing.

Notice the strategic placement of the trigger and the ummm…plug.

Is it just me or does it look like you’re supposed to squeeze the trigger until the plug flies out and Batman flies across the room?

This is from Hakes.com that had one and sold it for $180.00

This is an Italian issue and was made in Hong Kong circa 1970’s.

Now we can say that it really exists and the picture wasn’t some sort of prototype.

And remember children. Somebody got paid big bucks to design this wonderful device.