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I’m so torn in commenting on the energy for change in Iran. This article got me there finally.
Gauging Obama in Iran - NYTimes.com
This isn’t George’s or Obama’s country, it’s ours:
"On one side, a handful of supporters of President Bush said Iranian protesters had taken to the streets because they were emboldened by President Bush’s pro-democracy stance, and the example of Shiite democracy he set up in Iraq. On the other side, some of President Obama’s backers countered that the mere election of Barack Obama in the United States had galvanized reformers in Iran to demand change."
This is what makes America great - while I don’t agree with many of the approaches and policies of our current administration I accept his election and love my constitution and country. For no other country can have such debate, transformation and consideration for freedom. The fringe in our country is simply the fringe - while it rules in other countries as there is no mechanism for changing leadership so. Look at what we have done. This is why the world loves Americans, and what our constitution represents.
So Jobs has been in Memphis, TN for a while now, it seems. A blog posted this speculation months ago, an update appears there now:
"Apple CEO Steve Jobs lives at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in a swank part of downtown Memphis in a yellow house with white trim and a pool in the backyard. Or maybe he doesn’t."
Many articles like this one in the NYTimes about Jobs’ liver transplant.
Apple Chief Reportedly Had Liver Transplant - NYTimes.com
Most have been without much information and much reference to direct sources. The reader comments on these articles show that the topic inspires incredible, irrational passion for some. They have no idea how long he was waiting or really why it was done. Or really if it was done. They simply assume. Other articles speculate on the timing of the news release in relation to the new iPhone 3G S and "distraction". Maybe but who really knows?
I was particularly disappointed in the extrapolation of this event to be the manifestation of the common social challenges we have in medical treatment and the plight of the poor. Some even seem to “hate” him for his wealth and success. To trash the iPod, the Mac and the things Apple create as "useless gadgets." I don’t get this scorn. Speculation on time to get a liver has led many to this odd spew against capitalism and an entrepreneur that has created more jobs and wealth to so many people. My life is easier, my investments healthier, my ability to give to charity more likely because of the tools he has in part created as part of Apple, his ability to inspire me to invest in his company.
Without companies like Apple or the people who create them we would not be the country we are. And if you don’t like this country or the capitalism that created it, then you really don’t get it. Move to Cuba or China. Oh, wait, they are changing too. I expect that it’s all of our responsibility to create a better way for people to get healthcare in the US. I’ll wait for the article that uncovers his pay-offs to Memphis hospitals and the donor with the cash that saved him to make speculation. The reality of it is unknown so all of this speculation is based on emotion, not facts. I’m sorry that some are self described “poor and insolvable,” but I believe the angry are bitter and missing the idea that he wasn’t raised with a silver spoon or given any of this. I value every life, even the ones that I admit I sometimes envy. I’m sorry for these angry souls’ distress and I hope that they find something in the news that inspires them to build a small business, find work or a social organization to help. But this may not be the place to look for it. The key is to let the billionaires in these pages inspire you and with that inspiration help you find a way out of the poverty of the mind as well as the poverty of the wallet.
Why arent my tomatoes turning red?
Here is a web-page that makes some pretty strong comments about garden-center grown Tomatoes and the challenges they present. Lucky for me I planted mine early and have a long growing season here in Atlanta. I hope my tomatoes do turn red soon - I have plenty growing now. Will take his advice next year and plan on building a hot-house in the basement under artificial light for Tomatoes and other seedlings.
you must start your plants from seed eight weeks before your last frost date. Even if your local garden center carries the variety you wish to try, it will be weak and spindly, and considerably behind schedule. Finally, the manner in which you bring your seedlings up to the setting-out stage is of critical importance. Ideally, the plants will be about 14 to 16 inches tall with dark green leaves and sturdy stalks almost 5/8 inch diameter so that no protection or staking is required to insure initial survival. The roots of the plants ready to set-out will be in a phase of rapid growth. How is this possible? These seedlings need strong light at least 14 hours per day. The tops should be gently brushed on a daily basis to persuade them to grow hard outer cells on their trunks. Ventilation should be constant 24 hours per day, but you do not want to see actual leaf movement. Seedlings must be potted-on when any portion of their leaves extends over and beyond the sides of their pots. At the time of setting-out, my seedlings are always in 8" pots. They are dark green and very sturdy. When I give a few plants to other people, they are always amazed at the size and shape and health of the plant.I do not pinch suckering growth. Keep in mind that tomatoes ripen in the heat from the sun, but not in direct sunlight, so a lot of pruning prevents the plant from shading its fruit. My plants are spaced on 36" centers for good air circulation and grow straight up inside 24" diameter cages of concrete reinforcing mesh. When they reach the top of the cages, I trim them a little bit so that the plants do not become too top-heavy. I allow the plants to do pretty much as they please as long as they stay inside the cages where the fruits will be shaded. More…
Besides my permanant page on Photography, A few cameras to look at:
Nikon P90 - around $370. This is a new Coolpix point and shoot with near SLR quality optics. Its big features are the specifications - super zoom and fast burst speed. Nikon is know for sport shooting so this all makes sense. I have to say, this camera was built for the feature wars though - it matches stats but may not be as wonderful in practice.
They are selling the range of the zoom lens here - its an amazing 24x zoom equal to a 26-624mm lens on an SLR. That won’t get you the widest of angles (I still rely on my 18mm for a panorama or when I’m close to the action in a crowded room) but the distance is amazing. It has ED glass but the optics are fewer and are smaller then a standard Nikkor lens. The specifications are good f2.8 to f5 max Aperture. Reports show pretty obvious fish-eye distortion and pincushion at either end of the lens - as with all max zooms this is a problem. Its going to be a problem with most in this price range. You lose some detail at long range as well. But you are going to capture the moment and often that is what is most important.
The sensor is a CCD 1/2.33 in with 12.7 million pixels. Startup time is less then 2 seconds from turn on to shooting. Burst shooting gives you the ability to shoot up to 45 frames in one session at low resolution. This all comes down to two things. The processor and memory. If the camera has a fast processor it can move between frames with little to no startup. If it has a good memory buffer then it can store pictures before they go to the memory card; the more memory, the more it can store. Also - get a faster memory card to enhance this feature. The thing I didn’t see was HD video and RAW format here.
Raw format gives you the chance to mess up. I’ve often accidentally set my White Balance to flash and then gone outside - all my pictures are blue and ugly. But with Raw - It stores all of the data for any white balance setting - so I can fix it in Apple Aperture, Adobe Photoshop or the software that comes with the camera. Without RAW, you are stuck with your mistake. Like shooting with the wrong film in the "olden days." The KEY is you have to have the computer software to take advantage of RAW. iPhoto can now process RAW but it doesn’t give you the control that Aperture or Photoshop do. Otherwise - Raw only takes a lot of space on the card - shoot most things in Auto White Balance and set the white balance when you time. Having said that - I shoot everything in RAW and use lots of memory cards. Be realistic with what you think you will do and plan for that.
Video is a convenience thing too. For most video you want a camcorder. But for incidental things this is very useful. There is reportedly noise on the microphone and zoom is not fully functional but it does give you a option not available in my D200 and most DSLR’s. Nothing like the D90 but very useful. So is the tilting LCD screen for viewing at an angle.
DMC-FZ50 - $1,000. Panasonic appears to have updated the DMC-FZ50 my mom bought. She loves it. I reviewed it briefly here. This is a terrific camera matching Panasonic electronic know-how with a terrific Leica lens. Its got all the manual control you would ever want - similar to my D300. It now has this Venus III engine that promises quicker response time and less noise. From the company website: outstanding response time with an industry-leading level of shutter release time lag of as short as 0.009 sec*. minimum and the shutter interval of 0.8 sec*. Together with the fast startup time of approx.0.7 sec.* Based on CIPA standard.
The Panasonic DMC-FZ28 is a more affordable option at $300. This is a terrific option with much less manual control but still boasing a Leica 18x 27-468mm lens and quality specifications. It has the Venus IV engine: this slashes the release time lag to around 0.006 second minimum with a Burst Speed of 12MP per second at a lower megapixel range. Maximum of 5 images in Standard mode and 3 images in Fine mode. The Image Sensor is 1/2.33", 10.7 Mega Total Pixels CCD, Primary Color Filter - the key here is that its bigger then the average point and shoot but half the size of a Nikon DX CCD. So for the same megapixels you get more color depth on a larger CCD or CMOS. This camera’s sensor is about the same as the P90.
With all of the main features of the Nikon P90 It adds HD Movie and HD Output options. Its got all of the auto focus and image stabilization features you would expect. Focusing options, low noise, etc. JPEG, RAW, etc. I’ve seen what Mom can do with her FZ50 so I have to think this is a great camera. With RAW if you do go to digital editing software, you are ready. Just be ready to buy more memory cards.
So the processor and shooting/format options are better then the P90. Draw back is less zoom range on the lens and lower megapixels. Exactly what Nikon was looking to do in wining the comparison matrix/statistic wars.
Sony A200 - Around $500 with an 18-70MM zoom lens. This is a Digital SLR born of the Minolta acquisition. I would put this camera on par with any of the Nikon or Canon entry level Digital SLR’s - so what’s different. Sony style. Its got a lot of very user friendly electronics. Professionals might say too much but I’m looking at a really nice viewfinder with a lot of information in it; a comfortable rocker switch to control it all and traditional Minolta style dials on top for quick access to important settings like aperture and speed, ISO and Image Quality. It doesn’t have the LCD on the top though - I like that quick look. Personally I would stick with the Nikon line - because I have the lenses. If you are a Minolta fan - this is a great entry level camera.
The sensor has advanced features for low light an image quality. 10 megapixels and raw support. Good depth on the CCD sensor. The computer chip? I cannot tell. I would say it is as good as the NIkon D80 comparing 10.2 MP - not sure what the startup is; Nikon has a .18 sec start-up with fast response and 3FPS. The A200 is improved over the A100. Here is a review by imaging-resource.com
| Power-on Time | 1.5 sec |
|---|---|
| Shutter Lag, Full Autofocus |
0.189 sec |
| Shutter Lag, Prefocused |
0.088 sec |
| Shot to Shot time | 0.51 sec |
| Continuous Speed | 2.82 fps (8 shots) |
| Best Macro | 3.19×2.13 in 81×54mm |
| Viewfinder accuracy (Optical) |
95% |
| Distortion (Wide Angle) |
0.8% |
| Distortion (Telephoto) |
-0.1% |
| Battery Life (CIPA standard) |
750 shots |
What about lenses? Minolta AF lenses, so if you are moving from a Minolta Film camera you get to use all your old auto focus lenses. The Alpha-Mount lens is the oldest in the business with lenses available going back 28 years. I
Update to the Nikon DSLR entry level models:
Nikon D40 - Ken Rockwell prefers it, even though its discontinued, to the D40x and D60. Today, its the Costco camera of choice in a kit with two lenses. It just goes to show you that the number of megapixels doesn’t matter as much as the quality of each pixel. 6.1 on the D40 is often better then a point-and-shoot 12 MP camera. it has a 15.6 x 23.7mm CCD sensor. DX format 2.5 FPS How often are you blowing something up to 23×30 anyway. And if you have the lens to get close and frame the shot you don’t need to crop later.
You can go to Costco, spend $599 and get a D40, an 18-55 wide angle to portrait zoom and a 55-200 VR telephoto zoom for sporting events and other things that are far away and fast. Same deal on Adorama - either in the store if you live in NY or online. I still prefer my 18-200mm VR for one simple reason, One lens - with kids anything can happen so its nice to have one that can do it all. One to carry, one to put on, etc. Otherwise the elements are very similar and you get less distortion at the 55mm focal point. Both will give you pincushion distortion at the top end. So in the end - if you aren’t lazy like me you save money (like $400) and still have two great lenses. If you really want to get an SLR and you are just starting out then I really think this is it. Look here at Ken Rockwel’s site. If this becomes your thing - then you can always upgrade later. Piece by piece as I have. If you aren’t thinking this is your hobby - and you have other things you spend on like gardening, cooking, sports, KIDS - then consider the point and shoot options above. Good glass is the key though - a convenient small lens point and shoot will be good for candids - to keep in your pocket or purse but without the glass of a real lens you will never have the quality shots.
I don’t want to talk about the D90 and D300. I’m envious of both. But I’ll just mention two key points here. The addition of Digital Video, viewfinder option and larger format CMOS sensor. And just when I got over that they introduced the D5000!
The Nikon D5000 reminds my of my first film camera purchase the Nikon 6006. 12.3MP DX Format CMOS with fast processing. D Movie Mode 720p HD movie clips with the quality of Nikkor lenses! variangle color LCD monitor. 4 FPS fast shooting. Looks like they go for around $800 on the internet - with an entry level lens.
The D300 is a nice replacement to my D200 - it keeps the rugged magnesium alloy body and much of the stored custom settings. The body is out there for $1,600. I have to say the D90 is a really good option though. Today I’d probably have bought it instead. The lure of video and still having DSLR quality in a terrific 12MP DX format CMOS is enticing. Most places sell it with the VR 18-105 lens - Amazon has it for 1,150 for both. I’d prefer if they did a deal like the D40 above and those two lenses - you will always want that extra 100mm for sporting events. In fact I’ve seen it packages with my 18-200 VR lens for $1,739.
My Gut Feeling:
Entry Point and Shoot: The Panasonic DMC-FZ28
Entry DSLR: Nikon D40 with the 18-55 and 55-200VR lenses
Cool New DSLR: D90 with the 18-200VR lens
But remember - I’m partial to Nikon lenses - the Sony is a good option for Minolta lens owners. For example, the new Sony a900 is a freaking work of art - they haven’t damaged the Minolta legacy at all.
Also - I didn’t look at the Canon SX10 IS - its also a very popular camera in the Panasonic DMC-FZ28 category. It appears to be the best of both but it will cost $75-100 more then the Panasonic.
For mor Digital Photography Information
Today’s rant - spurred on by a friend’s insightful rant on an email list I maintain. Jack made some very poignant comments about the economic state we are in and I wrote the following response - edited for clarity in this forum.
- and this along with NASA lead to really cool technology. I’m a little worried that Obama may not buy new stuff (then we will get blown up and it doesn’t matter does it). If he spends money on bridges and power plants that is okay too. The one thing I like about France is their embracing nuclear power (well two things - I dig their women too, maybe three - their love of art.. but that’s it). We should do that. But we don’t need to prop up old industries that nobody wants to work at for the wages they pay. We don’t have a billion Chinese that are willing to work for peanuts to pay for our car companies (its complex - another rant). Further, I don’t think healthcare reform or investing in education will pump up the economy - that’s all feel good politics. Don’t mix the twoDaniel just got a really cool flip camera from his grandparents and has been enjoying it as he is into video and pictures. Its an Insignia 5.0MP Digital Camcorder with 2.4"Swivel LCD Screen.
Problem is - its video is: MPEG4 (DivX) in AVI wrapper. This would not play on his eMac and isn’t supported in Mac OS X Quicktime. Enter a few smart developers named David Conrad, Alexander Strange, Augie Fackler, Allan Hsu, and Graham Booker. They developed the Perian - Quicktime Plug-in: Perian - The swiss-army knife of QuickTime® components
This is extremely helpful and has made it possible for Quicktime to not only play DivX format but many others. So if you get this camera go to their website and download the compenent. It installed directly into the System Prefrences control panel and gives you the ability to not only play the video in Quicktime but also use it in iMovie as iMovie uses native quicktime components for its file conversion.
Good article in the NYT today that points out - Hamas ended its six-month cease-fire on Dec. 19.
Not Israel. But the world has a short memory. The world will forget that Hamas has launched over 10,000 rockets into Israel since 2001. That they are smuggling arms in from Egypt every day preparing for a ground war. The article points out that Hamas wants the "status as the Palestinians’ principal resistance. Its secular rival, Fatah, sits on the sidelines, marginal to the violence."
News Analysis - For Hamas, Logic Led to Cease-Fire’s End - NYTimes.com
"The key issue is whether Palestinians will blame Israel for raining fire down upon them, as Hamas hopes. Or blame Hamas for provoking it, as Fatah, Israel and its Western allies hope."
"Right now Palestinians are blaming Israel, loudly."
About the Mac OS X 10.5.6 Update
Lots of fixes in this one. It appears to have fixes for both the Airport issue with 802.11N networks and the Address Book sync issues on Mobile Me. Also the mail not quitting and junk mail staying problem. All issues my Mom has had with her new iMac.
If you are having problems with the update - such as a start-up loop (never stop restarting) or issues with Bluetooth then check out these suggestions at MacFixIt http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=2008121622093232
Raining, cool 42 degrees, 8:30AM PST - not a bad day to run. Started out and saw a double rainbow - it was between rain’s and the sun was rising opposite the rainbow - beautiful. So I decided I simply had to run. Pace was smooth at first - running with my iPod so I was fighting the beat with my own rhythm. I expected to feel it around the mile marker - felt it at 3/4 of a mile - so I slowed a bit from 8 to 9 minute miles. Felt stronger at a mile so took it back up to 7.5-8.0 min miles and then back down.
Mile 1: 8:57 max 8.1mph AHR: 153BPM
Mile 2: 9:25 max 7.5mph AHR: 174BPM
Mile 3: 9:31 max 7.9mph AHR 173BPM
Total - 3.14 miles 30 minutes 9.37/mile avg pace 166 avg heart rate
