tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19623179778438641502024-03-12T23:37:06.069-04:00Meandering MindAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-78228884768950165342014-04-04T05:32:00.002-04:002014-04-04T05:32:34.855-04:00Starting to write as freelancer today?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These days,
I’m not sure anyone who started freelancing when I did—1968—can really offer
much useful advice, but I'll try. Keep in mind that until recently, I had no interest at all in writing fiction. I wrote, and still write, non-fiction, usually in the do-it-yourself fields that most interest me--cars, photography, woodworking and home repair and remodeling. Along the way, I photographed and wrote feature articles on specific older cars for several magazines, some of which no longer exist and one that now believes my lowest rate is too high.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The successful freelancer spends as much time checking
markets as he, or she, does researching and writing articles. Markets come and go, and the Internet has created massive weaknesses in the print market so market checks are even more important today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Current freelance markets are almost all on a downward slide, producing a sense of futility in
those of us who have been doing this for years. Getting $20 to $50 for 400 or 500
words is not a sane option for anyone looking to make a living turning out
useful words. This is the primary reason, in my opinion, that there is so much
half-assed nonsense published on-line as either news or do-it-yourself
material, or, for that matter, as essays on various subjects. About 98% is
poorly written, and even more poorly thought out. All is poorly researched, if researched at all.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That said,
there remains some areas that still pay at least half decently—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Atlantic</i> comes to mind—while demanding excellence all around.
Some of the still existing semi-technical magazines, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Popular Mechanics</i>, take freelance
material and pay decently for it, as do some of the car and
woodworking magazines. I’m sure there are others with which I am not familiar
because of a lack of interest in the subject matter. I don’t much like the
direction the current <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Popular Science</i>
has gone, but for years, I picked up appreciable chunks of money from them. <i>Extreme How To</i> is an interesting magazine that pays decently.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, the
ability to work fast and accurately is even more important than in the past:
for most of my busiest years, I could make a decent living writing from three
to five articles a month. Today, it is difficult to find five sensible
assignments in any one month, and the requisite numerical need seems closer to
eight<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(assuming a max of $500 per
article).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ten years
ago, I usually wrote two $500 articles, one or two for $800 to $1800 and, if
luck was good, one for $3000.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was able to add a book most years, though for a period of
time, I did flat fee books (usually a mistake) for a publisher at the rate of
two a year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I had to
begin as a freelancer today, I wouldn't. It is more crowded, less enjoyable,
and pays less. Still, if anyone wants to write today in the arenas in which I
worked in the past, I’d suggest checking the magazines on newsstands, and going
through various writer’s publications that offer market listings as part of
their fare.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve some
very modest success recently with short material on Amazon. Such things as “How
To Build A Birdhouse” sound simple minded, but I’ve kept the price very low, so
it sells a few copies most months. I’ve also put a couple of books on Amazon,
but they don’t do as well as the simpler articles, at least so far. From what I
understand, sales are enhanced in two ways, one of which is extensive on-line
marketing by the writer, not one of my strengths, and by having at least five
publications listed. I haven’t gotten there yet because I spent the last year,
or most of it, either in hospital or rehab centers recovering from botched knee
replacement surgery.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m not
going to give writing instruction beyond saying the avoidance of clichés is
always good and clarity is even better. You obviously need to be able to
construct sentences that make sense. In the process, avoid what is known as
purple prose, the inflation of descriptions with too many, and too vivid adjectives. Hemingway is
a good example there, though a bit extreme.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Otherwise,
read good writers as often as possible and try to follow their examples—without
plagiarizing.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-27025863996526934862014-03-28T11:15:00.004-04:002014-03-28T11:15:59.691-04:00Back in Action--sort ofAfter over a year of mostly being an invalid, I'm stumbling along in a slightly more active manner these days.<br />
<br />
I'm updating a book I wrote nine years ago, for Fox Chapel Publishing. That's a tight deadline I probably won't make.<br />
<br />
I'm having fun trying to load an ebook on Smashwords. Evidently they are
overloaded right now, so I've wasted over an hour waiting for something
that isn't going to happen this morning...maybe never. This is an update, and shortening, of my 1994 "Woodworker's Guide to Selecting and Milling Wood", brought out originally by Betterway Books, a company that was soon bought by Popular Woodworking Books (now owned by F+W Publishing). It should be useful for woodworkers from beginning levels on up to intermediates, and might interest a few experts. All I have to do is get it on-line through Smashwords. It is available as an Amazon Kindle book already.<br />
<br />
The car show season for those outside California and Florida is about to crank up, and I hope to be in shape to hit some of south central Virginia's usually large group of smaller local shows. I'm hoping the town of Bedford is still going to be running their Main Street version, though it may mean more walking than I'm capable of at this point.<br />
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In another couple of weeks, I'll be attempting to install windows in a basement for an article for "Extreme How To", assigned over 18 months ago. I hope Matt's sense of humor is still intact (and he still wants the article).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-65978694357398890772013-07-24T13:45:00.000-04:002014-04-07T05:38:57.990-04:00Oof!The best laid plans seem to go off the track more often for me than for many others. My expectations for 2013 left out the possibility of intense problems. Intense problems hit.<br />
<br />
My knee surgery on January 27th seemed to go well, but within a few weeks I was informed that there was a massive infection, presumably created by the prosthesis. Within a short period of time, the new knee was removed and replaced with concrete spacers, which are still with me months later. These were not blocks of concrete as I envisioned, but slender rods of resin, helping me to keep my leg straight. They are fragile, though, so I've been wearing a chic leg garment called an immobilizer since the second surgery.<br />
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I'm still bedridden or wheelchair bound...it is hard to believe how desirable a simple shower becomes after five or six months of bathing, or being bathed, out of a bowl of tepid water. Take my word for it. As soon as the next replacement is in place and the scar healed enough, I'll drain our hot water tank every day for a week or more!<br />
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To add to our fun, just as we were about to move me from a rehab facility to our home so my wife could take over caring for me, lightning struck the house. That was a real blip on our screen. Fortunately, we've got good insurance, so we're currently living in a rental paid for by State Farm.<br />
<br />
It took until about ten days ago to pry my computer out of the restorer's grip, and we've been up and running for about nine days.<br />
<br />
The decision to change home pages was primarily brought on by Google's announcement that iGoogle was to be shut down on November 1, 2013, and laziness prompted using <i>Meandering Mind</i> as the landing site. Whether this will make any difference to a seldom updated and mostly unread blog, I have no idea.<br />
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With luck, I'll post more, though until late October, gaps will happen as I go through more surgery and physical therapy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-64002109926757401112012-12-29T08:51:00.001-05:002012-12-29T08:51:41.000-05:00Snowbound Dreams<h2>
<span style="background-color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm watching the snow--intermittently, because there's no window in my office--while thinking of the next step in my current work. With winter upon us, outdoor projects have ceased. Actually, they'd stalled before this as my bad knee got worse. That begins to change next month when the knee gets replaced.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've actually applied myself to writing a novel: <b><i>Big 50 </i></b>is to be a thriller--I hope--and swings around a retired Marine who supplements his retirement by writing about the outdoors, guns and whatever interests him at the moment. There are bank robberies and weaponry and antique and new cars and other things that blend my interests and knowledge into a whole that I hope will interest many thousands of readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've written nearly 50 non-fiction trade books, so assembling words is not something that is a problem, but assembling them into interesting fiction is a different kind of work than is writing non-fiction. At this stage it is a lot more difficult.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The writing goes in fits and starts, but I hope to have it done late in February or early in March depending partly on how long and difficult the knee rehab is. I've done that before, and while it isn't a whole lot of fun, after a month or so, getting around is fairly easy with a cane. With this right knee replacement, though, I won't be driving until the end of March. Living where I do, that's going to be a challenge. I'll probably re-read everything on our bookshelves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The big problem with books published on the Internet, whether just popped up as a PDF on a web site, done as a Kindle or Nook book, or anything else that crops up before I finish <i><b>Big 50</b></i>, is marketing. Regardless of the joy found in researching the characters--yeah, really, you do need to know your characters--and following them on the pages, the intent of any genre novel is to make money by pleasing the largest number of people possible. So far, I've been ineffective on the Internet at this in non-fiction, with most of the suggestions available being either unaffordable or plain stupid. I'm aware that latter judgment is too harsh so I'm looking for new ways that aren't stupid--in my mind.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the meantime, I'll check in here and drop a word or six on the writing process, stumbles in research and similar enjoyable pastimes. At the moment, I'm approaching 40,000 words in the first draft. I'm not sure what total we'll see, but double that seems a likely number, especially the way my characters are pushing me now. Once everything is written, I'll rewrite, then edit, then proofread. I'll probably do another rewrite after that, so the final book may be 60,000 words--or 100,000.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-2079662430659217152012-12-10T12:15:00.001-05:002012-12-10T12:15:31.488-05:00A Lot of Want Tos<br />
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This isn't a Christmas list: I've been hampered more than a little in the past eight or nine weeks with my old bugaboo, a miserable knee. The knee in question, my right one, has already had two surgeries, so next month it goes in for replacement. Unfortunately, I've got to go with it.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, my physical activity is pretty much limited to a stationary bike and a couple of light dumbbells.<br />
<br />
The left knee replacement went well last year, though any kind of surgery when they have to knock you all the way out is less fun than most other things. Too, there is no time wasted between coming out of the ether (or whatever anesthesia they use) to starting rehab. Leg motion starts on day 1, and you're out of bed the next day, if memory serves...memory doesn't always serve well, because they started pain medication (Fentanyl...never again!) that interacted with anesthesia too early and I hallucinated for what Frances says was four days. I guess I was in and out because I can recall learning to use a walker--there really <i>is </i>a right way!<br />
<br />
Rehab is no fun, but is a little better than the horror story many guys pass along. Yes, it hurts a bit. Yes, it aches a lot. But in the end, if the surgeon has done his job, which Dr. Larry Lipscomb had, you end up with more range of motion in your knee than you've had in a good number of years. The rehab person is also important. You have to get along, appreciate the effort she--in my case--was putting into getting you active.<br />
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In the meantime, check out Amazon.com for my most recent Kindle book:<br />
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http://www.amazon.com/Woodworkers-Guide-To-Wood-ebook/dp/B0098I7BHK/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1355157517&sr=8-20&keywords=kindle+charlie+self<br />
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And for you bird lovers, here's an easy to make birdhouse:<br />
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http://www.amazon.com/Woodworkers-Guide-To-Wood-ebook/dp/B0098I7BHK/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1355157517&sr=8-20&keywords=kindle+charlie+self<br />
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Come next year, I expect to produce a birdhouse based on scrap materials and stuff that is normally tossed in the dumpster. At this point, I foresee it being another Kindle book, as print publishers are still running scared. I've got most of the methods worked out, all the tools I can think of needed ready to use, and plenty of scrap. I just can't stand for long enough to do the real work. That will come.<br />
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Shortly after that, I'll be finishing photography for a beginner's guide to car photography. Short and to the point, with lots of photos. In the meantime, I've got a photo book that is useful for those who want to shoot and organize their photographs in story form. It's what I do, and it's easy, but...<br />
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http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=kindle+photography+charlie+self&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Akindle+photography+charlie+self&ajr=0<br />
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And a hearty Ho, Ho, Ho, just in case I don't get a chance to get back on here before then. Merry Christmas to all.<br />
<br />
Next up, Peace on Earth, though I'm afraid we'll need to stick with Semper Fidelis for the foreseeable future.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-36872553564778420282012-11-13T10:17:00.001-05:002012-11-13T10:17:29.966-05:00After Election Thoughts<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">No one asked me, so here it is: </span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Going Back To Failure Ain't A Grand Idea</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> My belief is that re-instituting George Bush's policies would have brought on
an almost instant depression instead of a recession that we seem to be
stumbling our way out o, too slowly but gaining. The recession wasn't wholly
Bush's fault, but his emphasis on deregulation certainly helped the banks get
too big to fail, very fast, while he stared on in
incomprehension while Darth Cheney did whatever Cheney does—pull the strings?
Financial affairs absolutely must be regulated, and no bank can be allowed
to grow too large to fail. Supposedly, we learned that in 1929, but that
generation is mostly gone now, and the lesson has trickled down and disappeared--about like the good from Reagan's trickle down effect. Those banks already in that category need to be forced into more elemental business structures so that a failure doesn't present a row of dominoes that continue to fall.<br />
<br />
Bush's reactions included stimuli and TARP, for which Obama has already taken
the heat, but neither was truly big enough to give instant relief. Romney was, like
WalMart, a roll-back type. And as at WalMart, rollback was mostly bullshit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
<b>Why The Republican Loss</b><br />
The Republicans, at least according to current conventional wisdom, have twice
now been voted down because they refuse to admit that our society is no longer
made up of mostly white people with a few blacks tossed in to pepper the stew.
Some of those peppers are now chilis, and the LBGT community has grown in
power, so that's three large, and growing, groups that went the other way. Add
to that Romney's arrogance--his 47% remark was meant only for the elite, and
helped to destroy his candidacy when it was released--and his wife's similar
attitude: "You people have enough information", which, "we"
generally agreed we didn't. Us peasants. I still believe Romney's refusal to
release more than two years of tax returns was a sign that he was hiding things.
It wouldn't have looked fantastic for a super-patriot to have paid no income
tax for most of eight or ten years, so he refused to release his returns. Yes,
it would be legal. But the lack of patriotism, the actual anti-Americanism, it
would show would have destroyed his campaign on day one of the release. So, no
release. The counter-arguments about Obama's college records was asinine.
When on earth have school record releases been a requirement for the
Presidency? Only in the minds of the Tea Party. That particular argument again
hurt the Republicans. It does seem, too, that a great many Republicans are
afraid of women, to the point of disliking them and making it evident where
they can be overheard, after passing laws many women feel intrude on their persons in ways not done to men.<br />
<br />
The best event of the entire election cycle: Karl Rove's on-air meltdown when
Obama was declared the winner early by Fox. The little worm deserved everything bad that
went through his mind then, including wondering if the Kochs would hire a hit man
for the guy who pissed away 300 million Republican generated bucks on a
"can't lose" proposition and then lost. He's so oleaginous, it won’t
be surprising if he finds a way to reinsert himself into the party, though. And
now, Gingrich is stumping around wondering how it happened. It strikes me as
odd that the Republicans who attacked Romney the hardest during the primaries
don't understand that those very facets of his personality they pointed up were
the problem. Hell, the Democrats could have won going away if they'd just
re-aired the Republican primary commercials and speeches about Romney.<br />
<br /><b>Prognostications..But Not from Me </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As to what the future brings fiscally, no one has any real ideas. We all have a
lot of hope, but until he of the orange face, Boehner, manages to form some
kind of working relationship with both President Obama and the rest of his
party, we're stuck with what we've had for too much of the past four years: maladroitness
and something very close to the gridlock DC residents face driving to work
every morning. Eventually, they get there, though, and I won't know if the U.S.
will. If we get two more years of "Party of No" from the Republicans,
I'd almost bet half will be voted out of office in 2014.<br />
<br />
Of course, term limits provide at least a partial solution. Unfortunately, the
very people who would implement term limits are those who are staying in
Congress and becoming professional politicians. I don't believe that kind of
political scene was what the Framers intended, but there's nothing to prevent
it in the Constitution. Probably the only way it can be done is a grassroots
movement that allows the incumbents to remain as long as they are reelected.
The next elected officeholders get out in a single term. Of course, that poses
another problem for the incumbents: what happens if people pay attention and
vote them out! If they came back two or six years down the road they'd only get
a double term or whatever is allowed. Personally, I'd like to see a three-term
limit for Congressmen, two terms for Senators and a single six year term for
President. That would stir some stumps.<br />
<br />
I don't expect anything like that to be enacted in my lifetime, even if I live
to my Aunt Eugenia's age of 97. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b>Tough Times </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I disagree on
the times currently really being all that tough for most people, though many of
us are in—er, reduced circumstances. Thinking back to what I've been told of
the Depression, our Great Recession has been a minor inconvenience for many and
a disaster for very few, relatively speaking. I go into VA and almost no matter
the time of day, the roads flow with vehicles, restaurants are busy, malls are
overflowing, and money is moving. I pulled into a Hardee's (a regional fast
food chain with great biscuits) last week to get a biscuit and some coffee, and
the line circled the building and went into the street. We still don't go out
for dinner on weekends because of the crowds at decent restaurants. I look
around and the vehicles I see today are still those no one with a grain of
sense buys and drives any more--which shows how few have a grain of sense, I
guess. SUVs and four door pick-ups in abundance. I know there are those out
there who cannot afford to change--hell, I'm one of them, with this damned
Taurus POS station wagon. We owe too much on that to get rid of it for another
year, while it continues to drink gas at a 23MPG clip. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Certainly I'm more cramped for cash than I'm used to. My 2008 book on woodshops
never came close to paying back its advance...the timing was terrible as
everyone was worried about every buck, and few people wanted to spend time
dreaming of, or building, a hobby woodworking shop. No trade publishers since
have been up for my ideas. I have two books and an article plan up on Amazon.
So far, sales are abysmal, at best. That is mostly my fault. I have yet to find a key to selling the books
that doesn't make me feel like a charlatan or jackass or both. I realize that
with the Internet, I need to put my personal feelings aside, and do the clown
act, the door-to-door sales bullshit, but I thought I had bailed out of that
after an abortive few weeks selling encyclopedias in NYC. In 1962. Like a great
many people my age, I've been brought up to be reticent about most of my
accomplishments. I didn't even realize that my middle nephew didn't know I'd
been in the Marines until I asked him something about his local Marine Corps
League detachment. Marty was born during my last year in the Marines!<br />
<br /><b>Messing with SS and Medicare </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I paid into Social Security from the time I was 14 until some time maybe 52
years later, plus a couple years since I "retired". Yet that is one
of the programs Boehner and his ilk wish to tear apart, that and Medicare are
on their chopping block. There certainly need to be changes, with the foremost
being a removal of the top income limits for the deductions. That's nearly a cure
alone. Medicare needs to be allowed to do as the VA does: bargain for prices on drugs and services. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /><b>Losers and Winners </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Tim Kaine beat up pretty well on George Allen. It is to be hoped that Allen
will now go back to practicing corporate law where he might actually do some
good, if good is what corporate lawyers do. He was one of the least fiscally
responsible governors we've had in recent years: I guess he inherited that from
his father. George Allen Sr. was touted by the then owner of the Redskins (Jack
Kent?) as having been given an unlimited budget which he then exceeded. The nut
doesn't fall far from the tree. Allen was a pissant Senator for his term, too,
voting for expensive program after expensive program.<br />
<br />
We've been behind on education, but, so far, no one has tried to get much of a
tax passed. It wouldn't make it in our current climate. Of course, we've got
Republicans all over the place touting a new voter ID card, with photo and
laminated, for all eligible voters in the country. I think that's maybe 200
million people. It strikes me as nuts that the party that wants to save money
around the clock is wildly in favor of doing something that would be very
expensive for a problem that barely exists. It's a little like replacing all
the plumbing in a home because one faucet is dripping. At a rough estimate,
each ID would cost about six bucks. That's includes hiring people to shoot
photos, take in the info and print it out, then laminate it all. I mean, what's
a billion bucks between friends? The saying--Sam Rayburn's?-- that "a
million here, a million there and sooner or later it adds up to real
money" may be changed to "a billion here, a billion there" today. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It all beats an added two or three cents gasoline tax to improve our roads...doesn't it? I don't think so.<br />
<br />
<b>Electoral College</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This time around, we had no real reason to complain
about the electoral college <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">after</i> the
election, and, while Romney led, Fox was delighted with it, as was Rove. I'm
not really convinced one way or the other on this one. It does provide for some
neat moments, as with Rove's babbling breakdown on Fox, but otherwise, it's
probably not necessary. We do need to do something about those areas where it
takes too long to vote. Places around the country, all urban though often small
urban like Roanoke, had waits of upwards of 90 minutes, some many hours. If
that continues, election day needs to be made a Federal holiday (and we really
don't need any more Federal holidays, though this one would be once every four
years, because the lines do not build as badly for other elections). </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-68261143318700777442012-11-03T11:41:00.001-04:002012-11-03T11:44:30.729-04:00Acrimony for AllI've voted in a lot of Presidential elections, but the mean-mindedness this time around is close to unbelievable.<br />
<br />
I'm not talking about the candidates themselves, but about two things coming from different angles: PACs and citizens (and certainly more than a few non-citizens) on the Internet. I've just been reading through a series of responses that detailed Romney's ministerial service in France during the peak of the Vietnam War; some of the responses were rational, but others not so. I did get a kick out of several who chastised President Obama for not serving during 'Nam. Considering his age ranged from about four to about fourteen during that war, he would have been a real phenomenon. Romney had college draft deferments before he got ministerial deferments; college deferments were the norm for students in those days.<br />
<br />
Romney, though, was something of a war hawk, carrying placards in support of the war. That reminds me somewhat over everyone's favorite action hero, John Wayne: he got through WWII without serving because his studio had him declared 4F. During the height of the Vietnam protests, Wayne was a war hawk, verbally abusing the young men who dodged the draft by going to Canada.<br />
<br />
Then, and now, the U.S. seems to have developed a trend towards fighting wars that are less than imperative, making serious, and costly in terms of lives and materiel, attempts to bring democracy to those who neither want it nor have the cultural background to use it. The wonder of seeing purple thumbs on voters in places like Afghanistan wears off when one sees that one form of dictatorial government is replaced with another that quickly moves towards similar practices.<br />
<br />
The level of acrimony during the Vietnam War years was nothing compared to what it is now. I've never been called as many names as in recent months. I do wonder sometimes just how many people change their minds because an anonymous poster verbally abuses them. A hint of a rational reason for changing one's vote might help, but being called a Libtard or Repugnican doesn't seem the way to make great progress.<br />
<br />
As I've written before, the anonymity of the Internet is responsible for this freedom to cuss others out with no retaliation beyond a few easily ignored words. It's probably my age, but I do miss people standing up and personally taking responsibility for what they say and how they say it.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tMhN2wYfwU0/UJU6LdBWIeI/AAAAAAAAAr8/aQbSBRDlMg4/s1600/USMC+league+logo+sig+size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tMhN2wYfwU0/UJU6LdBWIeI/AAAAAAAAAr8/aQbSBRDlMg4/s1600/USMC+league+logo+sig+size.jpg" /></a><br />
In the meantime, consider the two logos here. Christmas is coming. The Marine Corps League and the Marine Corps Reserve are accepting donations for children for this season's coming tree.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0__atETAWzg/UJU6VsyRfPI/AAAAAAAAAsE/p-mkjPjSxj0/s1600/Toys+For+Tots+round+decal+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0__atETAWzg/UJU6VsyRfPI/AAAAAAAAAsE/p-mkjPjSxj0/s200/Toys+For+Tots+round+decal+small.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-33355692029530284712012-10-25T11:31:00.003-04:002012-10-25T11:54:39.284-04:00Lack of courtesy...At this point in the political season, it's a wonder that the mass of insults hasn't caused more problems than is the case. The Internet itself seems to release the inner meanness of a lot of posters on both sides of the coin.<br />
<br />
It's probable, at least in my mind, that the access to Internet anonymity is the primary villain in the piece, but added to that is the discomfort too many people often evidence when thought that goes beyond the level of bumper sticker-isms is needed. Anonymity, though, is the primary culprit: people who are in essence ashamed of, or afraid of, their own opinions find it easy to create a new on-line identity to use in order to stir the pot without burning themselves...the anonymity serves as a long handled spoon with which they can ladle out opinions without having to worry about consequences to themselves. This is designated as a need for free speech, but free speech as described in the U.S. Constitution was never designed to protect those who speak freely from non-governmental consequences for that speech.<br />
<br />
The utter inanity of many of the comments is one thing: that's a symptom of laziness combined with a lack of reading comprehension and is usually quickly evidenced by an inability to form coherent sentences. Selfishness is another feature of too many comments and quotes, as is stereotypical thinking. Sometimes it seems the old idea of painting many people with a broad brush has given way to using a powered paint roller to collect even larger numbers, pro or con.<br />
<br />
I don't believe I've ever before seen the number of putative quotes from our Founding Fathers as is the case in the current election cycle. Almost every one is pulled out of the air by someone, then repeated a few hundred times by others, after which it is believed to be real.<br />
<br />
Silly statements about what a politician will or will not do that are not based in the real and legal possibilities of whatever job is up for grabs also abound. People running for state government offices make claims about how they will affect Federal legislation, while those touting Federal candidates scream that their candidates will improve things in arenas that belong entirely to the states.<br />
<br />
It's enough to make your head ache. Enough to make you want to shout "Shut the hell <i><b>UP</b></i>!"<br />
<br />
It will be over in something under two weeks, for this cycle. Be glad. I sure will be.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-32449101731869097882012-05-13T18:10:00.002-04:002012-05-13T18:10:50.831-04:00More of a wandering mind<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EsYZ7dmFE70/T7AvBY94hVI/AAAAAAAAAq8/kVdjWMuqDN4/s1600/Dead+tree+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EsYZ7dmFE70/T7AvBY94hVI/AAAAAAAAAq8/kVdjWMuqDN4/s320/Dead+tree+2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Ridge Parkway tree: shot last week for my own use and pleasure.</td></tr>
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<h3 class="MsoNormal">
More wondering and wandering</h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Memories crowd in, to the point where description is
unlikely to be accurate, as the memories themselves are surely tainted by years
of storage without use. Then, my mind makes the jump to many of the “What ifs”
of life. I have a feeling this may be the course of many minds at a certain
point in life, but that, too, is irrelevant. As long as I continue to realize those
alternate lives are shadows, that they did not occur, and that current memories
of those peopling the daydreams are figments of my imagination, or of my
sleeplessness, there's no problem.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Some of the memories are wonderful, while others are less
so, and some would be terrifying if I were still a child. As a rather elderly
adult, I find terror less easy to come by than I did in the days when I
delivered newspapers to all of the movie houses in New Rochelle, NY. One
theater specialized in Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi films: Chaney, for those who
are too young to know, was the original Wolfman of horror movies; Bela Lugosi,
the most famous of the Count Draculas of that era. Special effects were
laughable by today’s standards, but many was the late afternoon when I got
chills traveling my spine as one or another of those characters metamorphosized
into less, or more, than human title characters. The next time I was that
terrified I was at Parris Island, with my first drill instructor looking at me
while hollering, “Your ass is grass and I’m the lawn mower”. And he was for 13 very long weeks. Finally, on April 14, I
joined most of the rest of my recruit platoon in boarding a bus heading north
to Camp Geiger and our Infantry Training Regiment month of fun in the sun…when
there was any sun. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">All I solidly recall is sweat, chiggers, Nissen huts, and
shelter halves. The Nissen huts are variants of Quonset huts (or Quonset huts
are variants of Nissen’s design, depending on who you ask). Major Peter Nissen,
a Brit, designed the basic half tube huts during World War I.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Life in the hut was not pleasant. Fortunately, true cold
isn’t much of a factor in North Carolina in April and early May, nor is true
heat, but those metal half-tubes were cookers when the temperature rose above 70.
I’d hate to have been there in January.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5zRxxeyVT2E/T7Avm1RsKEI/AAAAAAAAArE/Kmvlf6eS-yA/s1600/1966+Cobra+low+black+and+white+small+file.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5zRxxeyVT2E/T7Avm1RsKEI/AAAAAAAAArE/Kmvlf6eS-yA/s320/1966+Cobra+low+black+and+white+small+file.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Replica of 1966 Cobra. I shot this some time ago for a magazine article...and my own pleasure.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> I can remember exactly one name from those of my hut-mates
during that month: Shanahan. His first name is long gone from memory, yet his
photo sits next to mine in the Parris Island, First Battalion, Platoon 105,
book that was sent to my mother later.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Today, I have to wonder if I would have more friends from my
Marine Corps years if I hadn’t been so socially inept (that is a condition that
changed, though not an immense amount). The path never taken looms up, though
without urgency. I’m not young enough to believe there is some magical way to
go back and try again. I never was, at least after I quit believing in the
tooth fairy.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve always been a step to the side of the crowd, usually on
the opposite side from those who work to be apart, who consciously work at
being different. I just stumble along, at least if my memory is at all correct, always standing aside, often scratching my head in wonder.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">As a writer and photographer with too many
decades of experience, I also wonder just how different my life might have been
if cameras had been my earliest interest, rather than words. My current
photography skills have built up quickly with digital work, but I believe I’d
have been at or close to this point 50 years ago if…</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-60307610259831550292012-05-04T09:59:00.000-04:002012-05-04T10:14:30.065-04:00A New Day Dawns<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One Has To Wonder</b><b style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> </b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In those tossing moments before sleep comes, many thoughts
run through my mind. Whether or not they are of any value to anyone else is
irrelevant: they may have value for me in determining the course of the
remaining time I spend above ground.<br />
<br />
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Having spent an entire day attempting to get an electronic
device working is a catalyst. Waiting on a so-called help line for actual
assistance leaves the mind fully unoccupied, except for the hand movement
needed to get through various games of electronic solitaire. My thoughts turned
to an old song, as I recall, by Peggy Lee: “Is That All There Is?”Let's hope not.<br />
<br />
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I haven't posted here in a long time. Other things occupy my mind, but with an election year in progress, I'm beginning to find signs of stultification setting in. The Republican selection process was a real disaster for that party, but I think I'll move on to other items. Presidential election years always make me yearn for the British system. With a vote of "no confidence" the election cycle begins. It ends 90 days later. In the U.S., the Presidential cycle is now taking more than 18 months. Predicted cost is running at a billion bucks a candidate. It's hard to believe, but true, that a guy like Mitt Romney, worth on the upper side of a quarter-billion bucks, couldn't finance his own campaign these days. That's not just wrong, it's insane.<br />
<br />
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We may need a Supreme Court that can tell the difference between you, me and the people nearest each of us, and General Electric, Ford Motor Company, Monsanto, 3M, Chrysler, Apple, Intel and similar outfits. Anyone with a grain of sense must particularly realize that multinational companies, no matter where they are headquartered, do not necessarily have the best interests of my country at heart.<br />
</div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Vapidity On-Line</h3>
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After being up for a short time and touring the Internet,
I’m starting to wonder—again—about the vapidity of modern life as depicted
on-line. So far, the major outlets, specifically Yahoo and AOL, haven’t learned
how to separate news from celebrity-hood blather. The lack of respect for the
average reader’s intelligence also seems lower than the 12 year old norm for
television, which would have been hard to envision, never mind believe, as
recently as a decade ago. TV was as stupid as it got in those good old days.
Today, that award goes to the Internet.<br />
<br />
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Editorially, there is little to choose from for vapidity,
though Arianna Huffington’s ode to riches comes close to award-winning status
for inanity, “Becoming Fearless Goes Viral:…”. Money is the answer. Naturally enough, Ms Huffington
requests reader input, with the usual lack of pay. She has become
wealthy using the work of others, and continues to build her fortune in the
same manner. Nothing, though, can alter the final, a tie between AOL and Yahoo. According to Yahoo, J. Lo has given her new
boyfriend a job, after also giving him a truck. Oh, whoopee. Prior to that was
a bit on appropriate wearing of bikinis while pregnant. Important information
for all. Whatever happened to maternity clothes?<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’re then notified that Newt Gingrich still believes Mitt Romney lied
during their campaign. That deserves another “Oh, whoopee” award, I believe.
There should also be some kind of world-class chutzpah award for people like
Gingrich who have the audacity to accuse others of such actions. This is the
guy who was getting blow jobs from his current wife well before he informed his
second wife he wanted to dump her.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For real mindlessness AOL steals the cake. They let us know that Arnold Schwarzen-ego’s son had a marvelous prom
date, that Mick Jagger is going to host an "iconic" TV show (sic: they probably mean “symbolic”). Oh, whoopee, once again. I couldn’t stand to look at the Mick 40 years ago. Today? Not a
chance.<br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
AOL pops up HuffPost Weddings’ headline article about
showing up at a friend’s wedding in the wrong shoes. As my old mentor used to say,
“Sufferin’ succotash!” Truly, Daffy Duck is right at home in this collection.
The writer was berated for wearing a pair of six inch tall heels. I’m not sure
whether writing an article on the subject is worse than the behavior the mother
and sisters who did the berating or not. It doesn’t matter. Then there’s the
article, “The 7 Worst Reasons To Tie The Knot”. Sorry, I didn’t read it. My gag
reflex takes only so much before reacting.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up, a do-it-yourself piece: “Sparkly Wine Glasses Are
Easy To Make”. I’ve spent more than 40 years writing do-it-yourself articles
and books. I hope never to descend to the depth of describing how to add
glitter to wine glass for entertaining. That's especially true for the rates that almost all on-line publications draw.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Should we wonder why so many responses on the Internet are mindless, or mindlessly rude. Much of what is published there deserves nothing else. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-55895868641693701852010-08-21T12:42:00.000-04:002014-04-07T05:43:35.382-04:00More politics, plus car show reportOur July 17 car show battled adverse weather reports for nearly a week, and, before it was over, got caught in a pretty fair deluge. The result for Toys for Tots, though, was a large enough net to add more children to our list for the coming year.<br />
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An old friend sent me the attached poster. It states the case about these entertainers as well as anything I've seen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-34083268526585280332010-07-29T16:19:00.002-04:002014-04-07T05:44:11.105-04:00PoliticsPoliticians and diapers need to be changed often--and for the same reason.<br />
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Oddly enough, though, it's the guys who depose those who were in place for a long and incompetent tour who get the blame for all the incompetencies and nonsense. That leads to another change, and puts the fecal matter right back in the same old place.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-41755893796218425542010-06-09T09:52:00.000-04:002010-06-09T09:52:43.674-04:00New tools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/TA-cTWSbA-I/AAAAAAAAApc/uGUu5dYGS8E/s1600/Ridgid+Job+Site+saw,+2007+version.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/TA-cTWSbA-I/AAAAAAAAApc/uGUu5dYGS8E/s400/Ridgid+Job+Site+saw,+2007+version.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>Over the years, I've written a lot of tool reviews and tests. As time has passed, I've whittled my own shop down to a bare minimum, which is still unwieldy in some ways.<br />
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I'm working on a new small project book, with possible break-outs for a couple of magazine articles as the book progresses, so I recently got hold of a new tablesaw of a type that might possibly interest the space-challenged weekend project builder.<br />
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The saw is a Ridgid Job Site saw, with a folding stand, with wheels that allow for easy moving when the stand is folded. The only lack I can see on the stand is of a brake: if you tilt it against the wall so the wheels rest on the floor, you need to block the wheels to keep it from sliding down. Otherwise, it operates easily and quickly.<br />
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Some years ago, I wrote an article on job site saws for a contractors' magazine. Of the saws I checked, most of those on the market at the time, the Ridgid turned out to be the most feature laden and best built, though it was a pretty tight battle for the top spot. Bosch was a very, very close second place.<br />
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It pays to remember with this type of saw that you're not buying a Delta Unisaw or a Powermatic 66, though. If you go into it with the expectations of getting all the benefits of a 500+ pound, 230 volt, light production cabinet saw, you'll be disappointed. If you buy a saw such as the Ridgid with an expectation that you can build small projects quickly with the tool, you're closer to the center of the bullseye. The Ridgid weighs about 110 pounds, an aid to portability. It has a composite table that extends for wider cuts (up to 26"), and a fence that is accurate and holds settings well. The miter gauge is surprisingly good for a saw of this class, too.<br />
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On the portability front, the stand rides on 8" diameter wheels, a real help whenever the saw is off of a paved driveway or a floored shop.<br />
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I'm not wild about the standard blade. It's serviceable, but not great. In the good old days, many saws came without saw blades, and those that did include blades, came with cheap steel versions that were invariably crappy. This carbide tipped blade isn't bad. To see an apparent improvement in power, and an actual improvement in cut quality, try a Freud, CMT, Infinity and similar blades. I wouldn't buy a Forrest blade for a job site saw, but if you have one on hand, and want to see an improvement in the saw's speed and accuracy, give it a try.<br />
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The shot of the Ridgid Job Site saw that you see here is of a saw that is about three years old. It's in my shop, but isn't the new saw I just got. There are some minor differences, largely in the realm of the blade guard, which is now well enough made I'll actually use it. The new guard has a two part lift so you can work close to the fence from either side, along with a removable splitter/riving knife assembly that accepts anti-kickback pawls for through cuts.<br />
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Blade height and tilt are controlled by a single wheel/lever combination, with a bevel locking lever to make sure everything stays the same once it's set.<br />
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On-board storage for an extra blade, the miter gauge and the fence are easy to use, while the cord wraps easily around its prongs at the back of the saw. <br />
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The package is complete, and is useful for the beginning craftsman, and for carpenters and others who don't want to be hoisting a 300 and more pound "contractors" saw on and off their trucks to start and end the day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-61565193879718799512010-05-14T14:35:00.003-04:002010-05-14T14:48:13.071-04:00July 17 Car Show Entry Forms ReadyThere's not a whole lot for me to add to the above.<br /><br />Currently availability is just on-line,which Blogger doesn't allow me to paste in here. Sigh. For Pete's sake! Email me and I'll send you the PDF.<br /><br />Soon the forms will be available at participating merchants in Bedford County, City and environs. We don't want to pass them around so early they get covered by other material.<br /><br />Looks for the posters, too, which will go up within three weeks.<br /><br />We're really looking forward to this one. Our meeting last night has a team heading out to search out some really great awards for winners.<br /><br />We're also just about ready to send out news releases to as many local publications, radio and TV stations as we can find. If anyone has any questions, we're ready to answer them.<br /><br />Here's the text:<br /><br />On July 17, 2010, the Bedford, Virginia detachment of the Marine Corps League is presenting its first ever Car Show. Starting at 9:30 a.m., the show will run until 3:30 p.m.<br />The MCL Car Show will greet the public from the Mayberry Drive-In theater grounds, directly in front of the Mayberry Diner, in Moneta, Virginia. This '50s style stainless steel diner/movie complex offers a superb site for a car show as well as a meal and a movie. Rows are already in place, with slightly elevated fronts to making movie viewing easy. The elevation does just as well for the cars, helping them show to their best effect.<br />There are eleven classes, overall, with a Best In Show People's Choice being the final judgment of the day. <br />Classes are: antique; classic; custom; hot rod; light truck; modified light truck; motorcycle; modified motorcycle; muscle car; modified muscle car; sports car; street rod.<br />Each class receives three awards, while People's Choice brings a single award. <br />Spectating is free, while early entries (on or before July 16) are $15.00. On site registration the day of the event is $20.00. Each entrant gets a free 5" x 7" photo of his or her car in front of the diner (by mail, a few days later). Larger sizes are available at nominal cost.<br />Food, drink and Tee shirts commemorating the event are available at the diner, or on the grounds.<br />The show is a benefit for the Bedford Area Toys for Tots and the Detachment.<br />Rain date: July 24, 2010, same times and place.<br />Contacts: <br />For the Marine Corps League: Charlie Self, 540-297-7535, charlies@charlieselfonline.com<br /><br />For Toys for Tots: Robin Mills, rhmills14@gmail.co<br />or<br /><br />Bob Craig, 540-296-1480, info@mayberrydrivein.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-4976255993294682012010-05-11T09:45:00.005-04:002010-05-11T09:56:36.421-04:00Marine Corps League Car Show<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/S-lhxQRAL-I/AAAAAAAAAok/ZyQNLgbskus/s1600/Car+Show+small+poster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/S-lhxQRAL-I/AAAAAAAAAok/ZyQNLgbskus/s400/Car+Show+small+poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470010721225945058" border="0" /></a><br />We're almost ready. My Marine Corps League Detachment, Bedford, Virginia, has been preparing for a July 17, 2010 first time ever car show. We are supporting both our detachment and our local chapter of Toys for Tots with the proceeds from the show. It's a double whammy folks: you get to help area veterans help kids who might otherwise not have much of a Christmas. We've already supplied thousands of toys to hundreds, maybe thousands, of children over the past decade or so.<br /><br />Bob Craig, owner of Mayberry Drive-In & Diner in Moneta, offered his theater site. Today's drive-in movie theaters are also ideal car show sites. The stanchions for speakers no longer exist (sound is radio broadcast), but careful rows with slightly elevated front are in place, making it easy to show and judge all kinds of cars and motorcycles.<br /><br />An entry form is available at www.charlieselfonline.com and www.mayberrydrivein.com.<br /><br />Here's the show in poster form. In a couple of weeks, we'll be posting this, with fliers also available, at various Bedford area merchants.<br /><br />All cars and motorcycles and light trucks are welcome. Trophies will be awarded to winners in each class, plus a Peoples' Choice winner. Food and drink is available. We'll know more about music in a week or two or three.<br /><br />Come. Watch or show. Enjoy.<br /><br />As always, spectators enter free.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-91287590797408546802010-04-09T17:33:00.006-04:002010-04-10T03:57:17.004-04:00News for Bedford (VA) area car nuts.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/S7-mIdcl58I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/fbsoKX3nJRE/s1600/Car+Show+small+poster.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/S7-mIdcl58I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/fbsoKX3nJRE/s400/Car+Show+small+poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458263937670047682" border="0" /></a><br />Things got a touch hectic around the edges by the end of summer last year. They now seem to have settled in, with no major twists and turns expected, outside of the political arena where such things are always to be expected.<br /><br />My mind meandered off to an area where it stayed busy with things other than posting blogs. I hope at this point, I can pull up the small amount of time that's really needed to sustain a site like this, making it interesting at least for a few.<br /><br />We've (my local Marine Corps League Detachment and some friends) settled almost all details of a car show we'll be producing on July 17, at the Mayberry Diner in Moneta, VA. This '50s themed diner is a great place to have lunch or dinner, or breakfast, but it's an even better place to have a car show.<br /><br />Why? Part of the theme includes a drive-in movie that opens on weekends. Today, there are no speaker stanchions to gouge expensive paint, but the rows still are clearly defined, and have elevated fronts that make for better viewing. That means there is plenty of space for upwards of 100 vehicles in various classes to line up neatly, while presenting excellent views of each vehicle.<br /><br />All in all, we're expecting an experience worth having for entrants and spectators alike. Part of the profits, if any, go to support the Detachment, but as large a part goes to support our particular fund eater, Toys for Tots. Trophies are award in 12 classes with #13 being the "People's Choice."<br /><br />The diner is easy to find and is central to much activity in the Smith Mountain Lake area, on the Bedford County side. Visitors from all around are welcome all the time, but especially so when the "Marines Have Landed" will ring out over the entrants' cars.<br /><br />Our advance notice poster tells it all. This is the first view outside of those who had to approve it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-68636547651604614532009-08-18T09:21:00.015-04:002009-08-18T10:52:06.628-04:00Ryobi's New Tool Is A Camera<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/Soq8aNsiwWI/AAAAAAAAAms/c8Prr917p2Y/s1600-h/Ryobi+size+compared+to+Canon+A460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 110px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/Soq8aNsiwWI/AAAAAAAAAms/c8Prr917p2Y/s200/Ryobi+size+compared+to+Canon+A460.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371312664131846498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/Soq8Jc04Z3I/AAAAAAAAAmk/P0RFdl_dFCM/s1600-h/Ryobi+front.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 255px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/Soq8Jc04Z3I/AAAAAAAAAmk/P0RFdl_dFCM/s320/Ryobi+front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371312376135575410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ryobi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tek</span>4 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Durashot</span></span></span><br /></div><br />Now, you can find your new camera at Home Depot. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ryobi</span> has long been known as a power hand tool maker, and one of the most innovative around. You can find their tools at Home Depot, alongside a new camera, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ryobi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tek</span>4 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Durashot</span>, or RP4200.<br /><br />I've used <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ryobi</span> tools for over 20 years, generally with great satisfaction. I was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">skeptical</span> but curious when I heard of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Durashot</span>. It is designed for people who are apt to knock it around more than the average point and shoot user: there's a protective cover over the lens, and much rubber-like covering over the rest. It appears to be exceptionally well-sealed for a P&S, though I didn't leave it out in the rain or toss it in the tub to test. I also didn't test their one meter impact resistance. Water <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">protection</span> is supposedly good to a meter as well. At least partly because of the lens protector, it is most definitely not a pocket camera.<br /><br />I haven't asked a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Ryobi</span> rep, but my guess is that the camera is directed at builders, contractors, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">DIYers</span> and others who want a rugged camera to bump around a job site or a shop, something that can be tossed on a pick-up seat without worrying about scuffing and scarring and too easy breakage.<br /><br />It feels fine in the hand, though it's close to twice the size of my wife's Canon A460 S&P. It's also almost twice the weight, at about 12.5 ounces versus just under 7 ounces for the little Canon.<br /><br />For me, handling the larger camera is easier. For others, it won't be.<br /><br />The directional arrows on the back have been moved off the OK button for easier operation. That works nicely. All of the controls work well. The control ergonomics appear well thought out, though after using a Pentax <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">DSLR</span> for more than half a decade, I had some fun getting used to--as I did with the A460, though.<br /><br />The menu is simple and easy to follow. The LCD is 2.5 inches. There are eight effective <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">mega pixels</span> (8MP).<br /><br />The camera comes with a battery and a charger, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">plus</span> a one gig SD card, and a case. The battery is a lithium ion four volt, designed specifically for a line of small tools <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Ryobi</span> is now manufacturing--items like the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Tek</span>4 Laser Distance Measure, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Tek</span> 4 Audio Plus noise suppression headphones (I'm really ready to try 'em an attempt to retain what's left of my hearing), and a self-leveling plumb & cross laser. All come with a battery charger and battery, but for fast charges, there is a dual battery 36 minute charger available. There's also a neat, small flashlight that's going in my camera bag.<br /><br />Various scene modes are easy to use. I dislike the camera's dropping to the default setting whenever it is turned off. I have no idea what the default setting is, though it seems to work for many scenes.<br /><br />Effectively, the lens, a 3X optical zoom, starts at 38mm (in 35mm terms)and screams outwards to 152mm (actually, it's 6.75mm-27mm). Digital zoom brings the total to 18X, with its 4.5 multiplier--my suggestion is that you forget about the digital zoom and just crop the photos. Same thing.<br /><br />The macro setting works decently, as the license plate logo shows. Fastest aperture is f/3.5, dropping to f/5.15 fully racked out in telephoto.<br /><br />In a few days, I'll post some more photos. At the moment, my lack of experience with P&S cameras is showing: almost everything is at least mildly blurred from movement. It would be unfair to post that as a sign of what this handy little camera can, or will, do. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">The</span> sensor is a P&S, tiny at 1/2.35", but appears to be a good one. ISO ratings are Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600. I haven't tried the two higher ranges--but I will. So far, I've never met a P&S that was any good at over ISO 400, though.<br /><br />I may even try to work out the movie mode, which is claimed to give VGA resolution at 30 frames per second. Two frame modes exist: 320 x 240 and 640 x 480. With the included one gig memory card, you probably can get a decent length movie. Stick in a larger SD card for longer movies, though I doubt you'll expect to make a full length feature with the RP4200.<br /><br />So far, I like the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Ryobi</span>. My biggest complaint is that the SD card doesn't pop far enough out when it's ejected. My clumsy fingers won't grab it. Otherwise, it's providing some fun, and may be useful shooting a couple of projects at other times.<br /><br />More interesting features include a self-timer (2,5 and 10 second intervals) with time lapse intervals of 5 or 15 minutes, or one hour. You may also stick an audio memo on a photo if you think you'll forget some details.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-4552518997443603602009-07-30T11:00:00.004-04:002009-07-30T11:25:36.202-04:00ENTRY LEVEL DIGITAL SLRs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/SnG3Xt3UBHI/AAAAAAAAAl0/WdnDPlrL0tE/s1600-h/K2000_white.bkgrd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/SnG3Xt3UBHI/AAAAAAAAAl0/WdnDPlrL0tE/s320/K2000_white.bkgrd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364270249251439730" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >How Low Cost Are They?</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >My first idea, that of a $500 DSLR ready to go, faded quickly. Camera bodies are available under $500, but complete camera kits with a lens are more like $600, including the newly announced Nikon D3000.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >The D3000 epitomizes the entry level DSLR camera: it is low cost, offers a series of settings that can totally automate the picture taking process, but still give a photographer access to a sensor that is much larger than that in a point & shoot camera, providing assurance of better photos, while still providing the utility of interchangeable lenses. The D3000 is to be introduced at $599, with one 18-55mm lens. The LCD is 3”, while shake reduction is in the lens. Like most lower cost DSLRs, it offers an array of settings that automatically do the figuring so that most photos come out fine, with little or no input from the photographer. ISO ranges from 100 to 3200, with me editorializing that you’re better off keeping it close to 800 tops, but with the good news that 800 and 1600 give useful photos, which is not the case with P&S digital cameras. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Recently, Pentax introduced its K2000 (K-M in Europe), their most recent stab at keeping some hold on the entry level camera market. It shares a sensor size with the Nikon D3000 at 10.2 MPs, and both have pentamirror viewing systems, as well as LCD backs. The lowest current price for the body alone appears to be about $440. The kit for this camera has two lenses, an 18-55mm and a 50-200mm, and comes in at $600 at a reputable mail order house. It comes with an in-body shake reduction system, plus a dust reduction system. The body is light, and compact, making it an excellent step up from a very light P&S camera. The Pentax offers the same wide range of ISO as does the Nikon, but a slightly smaller 2.7” LCD for viewing photos. The Pentax weighs only 625 grams, ready for bear—that is, with batteries and the SDHC loaded. It also has ten scene modes—night, surf & snow, pets, kids, food and on and a 3.5 frame per second burst rate, handy when shooting active children or pets or sports.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Sony presents their A230 entry level with similar features and their versions of the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses as a package. Price is close to both above, as are features. Sony has in-body stabilization similar to that used in the Pentax, thus reducing the cost of future lenses. It also has a 2.7” LCD like that on the Pentax. It uses a pentamirror, and weighs only 490 grams with the lithium ion battery inserted. It has a 2.5 frame per second burst rate, handy when photographing action, though far from up to professional standards (none of these are, but a pro camera, at the very least, adds about $1,000 to the camera body cost).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Canon’s entry level DSLR is currently the EOS 500D, shifted out of its alphabetical spot because it is pricier than the others by nearly $200 (with an 18-55mm IS—internally stabilized) lens. That’s a significant extra swat in the wallet, so anyone wanting to move into Canon early is going to spend more at the start. Is there enough extra to warrant the cost? That’s an individual decision, but, first, the D500 has a 15.2MP sensor, so that’s one very large point in its favor. It may well be the deal maker for many people. The ISO ratings are the same. It has a pentamirror and a 3” LCD, tying it with Nikon here. <span style=""> </span>The D500 also has live view, something the others do not. For some people, this is a big plus, for others a small plus. Weight is 480 grams, without a battery. It has dust reduction, but stabilization has to be built into the lens. It records movies. The D500 has the features to make its price reasonable.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >If you don’t already have lenses for a Nikon, Pentax or Sony, and do have the extra couple of hundred bucks, the Canon is a great choice. Personal likes and dislikes enter the fray, so camera handling, the variety of lenses available, the way the camera handles colors in finished photos, the way it looks, how the LCD looks, regardless of its size.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >These are the lowest priced DSLRs ever, with features that the costliest early DSLRs didn’t even dream about.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Keeping an eye on deals and sales, a beginning DSLR photographer can get everything needed, including a modest bag and a very good 8GB SDHC card, for under $600 in most cases. There are other models with prices below original MSRPs. Many make excellent first-time digital single lens reflex cameras, but the four listed above are specifically designed for the first time user, with many small aids built-in. Easy access to the flexibility of controls that made SLRs in general the camera of choice of millions since the mid-1950s, after the Contax S in 1949 introduced the pentaprism SLR.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Next time around, I’ll kiss the snake—take a look at used DSLRs and how to buy them for the lowest possible cost.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-85664288303141359622009-07-03T07:15:00.016-04:002009-07-03T08:00:42.497-04:00Looking For A DSLR?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/Sk3xSDF9NwI/AAAAAAAAAdE/g2hIidCvRxs/s1600-h/Pentax+K10D+wTamron+24+to+135.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:180%;">How Much Camera Do I Really Need?</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">This question is useful for people who believe they may sooner or later become serious about photography. If you want snapshots of your kids, family events or vacation locations, then a good quality point and shoot is the camera for you.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I am not about to poke<span style=""> </span>fun at point and shoot users, who often get more downright enjoyment out of their vacation, backyard holiday and kid pictures than any serious amateur gets from his or her best attempts. There’s no rule, law or commandment that says a P&S user is a lesser person than someone who gets serious about picture taking, thus begins to use a digital single lens reflex camera, or other more expensive picture grabbing box…and some of the digital medium format cameras are almost unbelievably costly, while the higher end full frame (35mm frame) digital SLRs aren’t far behind.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I shoot professionally, primarily for magazines, but the thought of spending $4,000 to $8,000 for a camera body, plus many more thousands for a set of lenses to use, makes my Scots-Irish blood pressure scream upwards. Such cameras are excellent for the box photographer—that’s the pro captured in a small box with 20 to 50 other shooters trying to get the same action shots at the same time at football games, baseball games and similar tightly confined events.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">My high speed shots are usually confined to racing automobiles or motorcycles. That kind of shooting always leaves enough space to wander, so you’re not rubbing elbows with other pros. Amateurs can’t get through the access gates to get close to the track,<span style=""> </span>but even shooting from outside the fence, most of today’s DSLRs will render unto you some mighty fine photographs.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">At this point, there’s not a whole lot of sense in spending more than $1,500 for a DSLR and a couple of lenses to get you started in high end digital photography. It’s quite possible to get a start shooting less demanding subjects for under $500, including a single lens. This is for new gear.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">The $500 DSLR/Lens Combo</span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Nikon’s D40 with an 18-55mm zoom lens has an MSRP of $500 with a $50 instant rebate applicable (at least at one camera store). Olympus E520, with a 14-42mm lens is on the rolls for $460 at the same store. Pentax’s K2000 with an 18-55mm lens sells for $480 at that store. The closest Canon comes is with the Rebel XS, selling for $530.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The cameras and lens listed above are not the only ones available under $500, but generally are noted as useful for less demanding photographic situations and events. That means that the shutters will probably last for aout<span style=""> </span>40,000 actuations, and the other features of the bodies are sufficient to allow a good bit of photographic learning, though there are also plenty of step-up features to make it easier for those just graduating from point and shoot cameras.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:85%;">Durability</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you want to guess how long 40,000 shutter clicks might last, think of how many rolls of film you shot in the past decade.<span style=""> </span>If you shot more than 1,112 thirty-six exposure rolls of film, you need to move up a camera grade.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Understand that materials in these cameras are not quite the quality you’ll find even in $750 cameras, and that some features are not available. We can step through the features of two cameras to see the differences. I use a Pentax K20D in my work. It’s not the best camera available, but when I bought it, the price was $800, delivered. Today, that price is about $675. The Pentax K2000 is a beginner’s camera with enough features to keep most users quite happy for years. It will do most of what my K20D will do, but it won’t last as long, nor will it do as well in some more difficult arenas. The photo you see above is of my K10D, which I used last year, but turned in on a K20D.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:85%;">$500 Camera Features</span></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">The K2000D offers shake reduction, a five area focus, a pop-up flash with a guide number of 11 at ISO 100, CCD shake dust reduction, a 10.2 MP sensor, 2.7” LCD, 3.5 frames for 5 frames continuous shooting in best JPEG, 4 frames for raw (because of the larger files). With batteries and SDHC card, it weighs only 22 ounces. It uses AA batteries, giving as many as 1,600 shots per set of lithium batteries, and can accept rechargeable AAs. This provides the ability to shoot all you want anywhere in the world, because AA batteries are a standard, and available almost everywhere. The K2000 is plastic over a stainless steel chassis. It is not weather-sealed. The viewfinder provides information on AF frame, spot AF frame, shake reduction, flash status, shutter speed, aperture, focus indicator, manual focus, EV compensation, AE lock indicator, ISO warning. The LCD monitor at 2.7” wide has 230,000 pixels.</span><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you want the camera to give you settings, there are scene modes for Night Scene, Surf & Snow,<span style=""> </span>Food,<span style=""> </span>Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting, Night Snap. There are a host of other settings, many of which you can quickly glean at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk2000/, in my view the current champ of camera reviews and other tech info for digital photography.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:85%;">Compared to...</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Pentax K20D is a high end amateur/low cost pro camera that offers many more features than the basic K2000, or, until the K-7 came out, than any other Pentax camera. As a start, there’s a 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor, live view mode (not the best, though), 2.7 inch 230,000 dot LCD, burst mode, allows 21fps shooting at 1.6MP resolution (up to 115 frames, dynamic range expansion mode, X-sync flash socket, image parameter settings (Custom image), color adjustable LCD monitor, compare mode in playback,32x zoom in playback, adjustable levels of high ISO noise reduction, sensitivities up to ISO 3200 (can be extended to 6400), rather than ISO 1600, dust alert for locating particles on the sensor pixel mapping to identify and correct for dead pixels, AF fine-tuning for as many as 20 chosen lenses. The K20D offers two dials on its right side, front and rear, for much more complete control of commands. It does not offer scene modes.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Look to dpreview.com for detail information on almost all cameras.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">You have to select between models (and there are many), as well as brands, which is really all that makes the selection complex. I’ll trek further into the forest of lower cost DSLR cameras next time around.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-25528527954762563762009-06-29T06:22:00.008-04:002009-06-29T07:20:43.158-04:00CARTING CAMERAS: MY PERFECT BAG<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" >Bagging It</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />An ideal camera bag is something all photographers search for; so far, mine is hiding. A recent on-line question brought some ideas forward, though. I've currently got six camera bags, only two of which get extensive use. Both are shoulder bags, one fairly small <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lowepro</span> worn as described below, and one medium-sized <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tenba</span> for times when more lenses are needed. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tenba</span> is a well-made bag, but the strap is not changeable and is too short for cross body use.<br /><br />One that doesn't get much use is a sling bag, with a sling that's too short and another is a backpack, which I dislike intensely. The rest are shoulder bags, with a cheap <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Lowepro</span> seeing the most use, as I like its features more than the rest, though it has its faults. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Lowepro</span> meets many of the below specs quite nicely, including a shoulder strap long enough to be used as a cross-body strap.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Age As A Factor</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />As I get older, I find less desire to carry a lot of gear when I have to walk. In the past, when I was shooting in the field, I'd have two bodies and five lenses, plus a fairly large pile of film canisters, filter wrenches, filters, and similar accessories. Today, on a race course or similar venue, I prefer to leave any back-up body and lenses in a bag in my vehicle, and carry two or three lenses and one body. Lighter is better.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Less Bulk Today</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />Of course, film is no longer a bulky item, as a 16GB <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SDHC</span> card gives me about 700 frames of shooting on my Pentax K20D's raw setting. That's equivalent to about 20 36 exposure rolls of film, and sufficient for most days. I carry one more 16GB card and three 8GB cards for weekend assignments, and just in case something interesting happens. The five cards, in their cases, take up about as much space as a single film box used to take, while letting me collect almost 2,500 images, about 70 rolls of film worth.<br /><br />For a personal bag design, I'd completely lose the backpack idea. Shoulder bags allow more utility, or so I think. Add a cross-body strap instead of a standard shoulder strap, and you've solved the single worst shoulder bag problem: strap slippage. The primary differences are strap length and the shape of shoulder pad.<br /><br />I started hating backpacks more than 50 years ago, at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Parris</span> Island. I've since come to believe that carrying expensive photo gear on one's back in certain areas of the world is a great way to enrage your insurance company. It's also hard to get to when you're shooting ever-changing action.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Materials & Color</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />Neutral colors are best, nothing bright so olive drab, dark gray, dark khaki, dark green are all good. Blaze orange isn't, nor is light blue, pink or similar light colors that show dirt and attract attention from the wrong types. Some photographers go so far as to use diaper bags for their gear, but I'm not interested in that kind of misdirection--I do not let my bag out of my sight; it's usually not far out of my reach.<br /><br />Use good, heavyweight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Cordura</span> nylon for the exterior, with a lightweight water proof inner liner. Some bags have stowed plastic/nylon rain covers that work well.<br /><br />Give the lid a quick access zipper for travel and a resin-based snap fitting for in-the-field use, so it's easy to open, but stays closed and keeps gear inside.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Sizing The Bag</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />A photographer who uses shorter lenses than I do will like the bag designed to take a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">medium</span> sized <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">DSLR</span>, with a 24-875mm or similar lens mounted, and room for extra lenses, maybe two, plus a flash and some small accessories.<br /><br />I normally carry an f/2.8 50-150mm lens. I'd also like room for three additional lenses, including a 70-200mm f/2.8, so I'd like a version sized for that use.<br /><br />Add a couple of internal compartments and two external end pockets (flash, batteries, that sort of gear).<br /><br />Reinforce the bottom with abrasion resistant outside, but soft surfaced so it won't scrape vehicle or other finished surfaces.<br /><br />Internal mesh pockets for CF Cards / SD Cards, filters, cleaning cloths.<br /><br />A comfortable shoulder pad, shaped correctly, is essential. It might help to make several pad shapes and thicknesses available.<br /><br />Some photographers like loops to attach a medium sized tripod. That might be an option.<br /><br />A cell phone pocket either permanently attached or snap-off, on the shoulder strap is handy.<br /><br />I'm set to go with the above, if I ever find it.<br /><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-47177319848011121272009-06-17T10:08:00.006-04:002014-04-07T05:47:38.816-04:00Shrinking mailing numbers<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Earlier today, I stopped at a small local post office branch to mail a couple of magazines. The magazines contained an article I'd photographed and written; the magazines went to the current owner of the car photographed, and the guy who did the restoration. Cars & parts July issue, 1930 Ford four door phaeton.<br /><br />I mentioned that the envelopes contained magazines. I was informed that I couldn't use media mail, then. That struck me as asinine, because, as I told the clerk, I'd been sending periodicals by media mail for 50 years or so with no problems whatsoever. She said, "You've been lucky, then, because it has always been this way."<br /><br />Maybe.<br /><br />According to the clerk, our beloved U.S.P.S. is now opening mail which they suspect contains magazines and, supposedly, returning the mail (any bets on the return?). No wonder postal rates keep rising. All of this takes time, which is why so many small and medium sized branches have only one person manning the desk when lines wrap nearly round the building, I'd guess. Making sure no one mails a magazine media mail is much more important than selling stamps, money orders and passports.<br /><br />I'd recently run into another example of asininity when I mailed out about a dozen copies of my latest book to people who had let me photograph their woodworking shops for the book. I mailed all but three through a local post office branch. There were no problems. I stuck two up in my mailbox for pick-up. Both of those were returned to me because they weighed more than 13 ounces.<br /><br />Any package that weighs more than <span style="font-style: italic;">13 ounces must be presented in person, by the mailer, at a post office branch</span>. Then you're asked if it contains anything fragile, explosive, or hazardous, all during which the clerk looks anywhere but at you.<br /><br />That truly must contribute to our safety, giving a statement to a person totally untrained in explosives or reading personalities.<br /><br />One book disappeared completely. That was sent through the Philadelphia P.O. to a friend who lives just outside Philly. I got a note back saying that the enclosed wrapper was all that they could find; I was to contact the Atlanta branch to see if anyone anywhere had located the book.<br /><br />Yes. Sure. Really. There was<span style="font-style: italic;"> no wrapper</span> enclosed. The book sells for about 20 bucks. Postage was $2.58. I mailed Tom another book, Priority Mail, and it made it through. Yup. Total mailing cost for one book, $27.53.<br /><br />But wait. I mailed those books against U.S.P.S. rules.<br /><br />Out of curiosity, I checked the last four books I'd written, and discovered every single one of them carried at least one page of advertising for the publishers' other books.<br /><br />To make sure this wasn't a new phenomenon for publishers, I checked a book I'd written in '77. The back cover of the book listed about 40-50 other titles from that publisher. Ohmigawd! An ad.<br /><br />Back in March of 1959, when I arrived at Kaneohe Bay MCAS, I made it into Honolulu fairly quickly, where I grabbed a newspaper or two. After reading them, I stuck them in a manila envelope and mailed them to my mother in New York, using media mail, something I'd just discovered, at the ripe old age of 20. Actually, I was all set to pay Parcel Post or even First Class, but the clerk at the Honolulu Post Office informed me that media mail was for just such mailings, plus books and magazines and manuscripts. At the time, I was an avionics tech, so manuscript mailings weren't of interest.<br /><br />Now, in 2009, a postal clerk informs me that such use has <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> been against the rules because newspapers carry ads.<br /><br />She showed me a rule sheet from '99. Well, OK, but a decade doesn't seem anywhere near "always", to me, so one fine day I'll see what kind of history media mail has, and what its intent was. I seem to recall a founding statement for the P.O. itself that involved "dissemination of information." Another recollection, quite possibly inaccurate, involves media mail making it cheaper for Joe and Jane Average to ship books, newspapers and similar material around the country.<br /><br />Thomas Paine would weep.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-91881124149257611832009-06-14T05:23:00.005-04:002014-04-07T05:48:59.893-04:00What Makes A Photographer?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/SjTHe9xHcLI/AAAAAAAAAbs/8AXofeYjeQU/s1600-h/Into+the+valley+email.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BJaV1m03_18/SjTHe9xHcLI/AAAAAAAAAbs/8AXofeYjeQU/s320/Into+the+valley+email.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347117992386195634" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
My wife's statement that I had already shot photos of several scenes got me wondering how the photographer's mind may differ from the minds of most other people.<br />
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We were looking over a valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the time, but my first thought was about the possibilities in smaller scenes. Photographers do see the world a bit differently, as do other creative types who train, or are trained, in different ways...artists, engineers and similar people. My mind brings larger sites into view as a solid whole, producing the scene I want to show. Obviously, this doesn't always work for any of a variety of reasons, but when it clicks, the results are often quite viewable.<br />
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Somewhere in my head, the many years of shooting film and digital mesh to produce the scene, with subconscious consideration of light intensity and direction, and color of that light when I look at a scene.<br />
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Only a photographer can look at a rusty hinge and see a composition of interest that appeals to a number of people. Storm gratings become geometric patterns of varying appearance as the light angle and intensity varies. Barn siding creates a visual tone poem with its different colors and textures.<br />
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Those are close-ups available in most places where I live, with echoes around the world.<br />
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It's possible to look at a barn, and see a thousand close-ups of interest, isolating a half dozen or fewer for capture. Looking at the entire scene, glancing around to note the position of the sun and the variety of cloud formations gives me an idea of what a building, or car, or motorcycle, or person--though I'm not a good people photographer--might look like in a half hour or two hours or the next day when light rain or heavy mist is predicted.<br />
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Other drivers on the road have to worry about distractions from cell phones, children in the vehicle, coffee in the lap, or a hamburger sliding out of a bun as they drive. I worry about the distractions I get from changing scenes, the realization that what I'm seeing will change forever before I can return and catch it in a photo to share the effect. This is not just a distraction while driving, though. It's a distraction on a walk, or just sitting in the front yard, hearing a hummingbird living up to its name, and wondering why I left my camera indoors, watching a leaf falling from a tree, see a power line fuse that I hadn't noticed in more than 20 years in the same house.<br />
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In essence, the photographer sees the same postcard effect, the overall scene, that others do, but with a mind that breaks that scene down into its elements, then rebuilds it quickly, so that much more is available.<br />
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Whether that photographic mind is good, bad or indifferent is up to the viewer. It does seem to be different.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-7408304403284786962009-06-08T08:04:00.002-04:002009-06-09T05:53:38.132-04:00Digital Photography: Good Or Bad?<w:cachedcolbalance> </w:cachedcolbalance> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" 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class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Web sites for pro photographers brim with posts from worried business people who see their livelihoods threatened by the influx of digital cameras.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It’s possible any pros in a craft that becomes easier may be threatened if the general public realizes that Uncle Mike can actually catch the same images, or close to them, as the far more costly pro. It’s also not probable that Uncle Mike is going to do that consistently. Consistent excellence is what the pro gets paid for, creativity added to sweeten the mix.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The pro photographers problems extend across the craft, starting with wedding shooters, moving on portraitists, and from there to landscape artists and others who sell their prints to the general public. It has crept in photojournalism, too, though its presence there is nothing new: the guy with the 35mm point and shoot has long provided free or low cost photos for newspapers and TV. PJs aren’t able to be everywhere there’s a breaking story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >On a personal note, I’m a pro photographer in part—half my work is words, half is the photos that illustrate those words. The photography has certainly gotten easier, and in some ways less costly, since the onset of the digital era.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >There is some impingement on my income that is not directly related to the current recession, though. Amateur photographers, some of whom are truly excellent, often supply shots and facts for articles in the magazines for which I write and shoot. That simply cannot be helped. It was always there. The bite coming out of my work, and the work of others in my field, is a bit larger, because currently editors are looking for lower cost material. I think—hope?—that bite will shrink, at least in proportion, as the recession ebbs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The people hurting the most are the people who make their livings based on locally based photography, weddings, portraits, senior photos and what I call rites of passage shots, bar mitzvahs, graduations, and similar events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >For some of the work I do, the automatic features of even the best cameras can defeat the aims of the photographer. Shooting races, no matter what kind, is not easy, regardless of camera type, though it is definitely easier that it was in film days. Let’s face it: blasting away at 3 to 6 frames per second allows a lot of leeway, producing shots where it is more likely even the unskilled will catch a great piece of the action. That’s especially true if a camera allows 40 or 50 frames before the camera’s buffer fills and it slows down, or stops. Huge flash memory cards can hold an awful lot of images. My 14.6 megapixel sensor shooting in one type of file can store more than 2000 frames with a 16 gigabyte flash memory card. Even at the largest file size, it still holds onto more than 700 files.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Sure, it’s easier, and it is going to create some pain for all pro photographers. But this type of technological change is not new: medium format took over from large format view cameras, which themselves had taken over from glass plate negatives and so on back. Classic 35mm was a miniature format when first introduced, and wasn’t accepted as worthwhile in editorial terms until well into the ‘50s, with some magazines demanding medium format or larger negatives or transparencies right into the 1990s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Photographers will adapt. Amateurs may pick up a few more dollars to allow them to buy another lens or better camera body, while professionals learn to change their marketing emphases, so that a larger group of customers can be reached, those who want the real, but sometimes elusive, difference that a real pro can make to a portrait or wedding series or senior shots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="font-size:85%;">All in all, digital photography seems to me a good thing, maybe even great. The appreciation of good photography of all types of photography can now reach a wider audience, at lower cost, than ever before.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >***For other old people who learn slowly, do NOT attempt to write your blog in Word, for copy and paste to Blogger. I've spent over an hour trying to straighten this HTML out, with damnall for results.***</span><br /><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span></p></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:brkbinsub></m:brkbin></m:mathfont></m:mathpr>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1962317977843864150.post-44978654020581691092009-06-05T06:38:00.000-04:002009-06-05T06:59:53.087-04:00Where My Meandering Mind Is GoingThis blog is going places. What those places are, or where they are, will differ almost daily, with the only concession to organization being my interests. I'm not a musician, so don't look for much commentary on that subject, nor do I consider myself an artist in a true aesthetic sense, so there is likely to be no commentary there.<br /><br />Please note the escape words in those phrases, though.<br /><br />As I read about the contemporary scene, my mind meanders through the 70+ years I've hung around on this globe. Sometimes the comparisons are odious, sometimes they are riotous.<br /><br />You'll read the <span style="font-style: italic;">Meandering Mind</span> thoughts on a variety of subjects, ranging from local politics and politicians and political commentators to national and international politicians and commentators. Somewhere in there, you'll also find comments on writing and reading and the value of both, now, in the future and in the past. My interests extend to digital photography, so you may see some photos, often of classic cars and motorcycles, none of which are mine.<br /><br />Along the way, we may touch on surgery and geography, and surgeons and police, and actors and cartoonists, and action and light, and about anything else that impinges on my areas of interests, or shows signs of increasing those areas of interests. I may comment often on language, largely because I've been a professional writer for more than 40 years now, and am distressed by the deterioration of the English language around the world. My political bent is very close to centrist, though probably somewhat to the left. If that distresses you, pass on by, whether you are a hard cord right winger or nutcase left winger. I don't like what Eric Hoffer classed as "True Believers," nor am I impressed with people who follow a party line too closely, regardless of party.<br /><br />This started with an email to a friend a few days ago. Rich has been after me to post such letters for a wider audience to read, so this is my response:<br /><br />I read that Al Quaeda claims Obama is not welcome in Egypt.<br /><br />The effrontery of these international thugs is incredible. Only a few are Egyptian, and they share a religion with no one, though claiming to be Muslim. Their statement came at about the same time another group of Muslims beheaded a British citizen, evidently for the crime of being non-Muslim.<br /><br />In all of this, the putative Muslim world demands that Obama present to them all their desires, political and otherwise. Given that he's not an idiot like George W., he appears willing to make some major changes, but we'd best hope that he's also ready to politely tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine for a good part of their demands. Sure, there's a need for a Palestinian state. That might, given 500 years, quiet some of the hatred that flares every time a Palestinian views a Jew. At the same time, I can see absolutely no convincing evidence that Israel owes the Palestinians a state. Hell, every time Israel gives up a portion of its land, land won with blood, they get further defamed by Palestinians and all other Arabs. There is no sensible path for the Palestinians to a Christmas stocking filled with wonders, and there shouldn't be. This is a job that needs the entire Middle East's participation; Israel should not be the only supplier of concessions.<br /><br />Certainly, Israel flares up easily when the Palestinian groups such as Hamas create problems, usually by firing rockets to kill Israeli citizens. The cure there is simple: stop sending the damned rockets! Instead, the world goes through the animated idiocy of Israel offering peace to Palestinians who can't control their own people enough to stop them from killing, or trying to kill, Israelis. Then the Arab world screams when Israel retaliates. Incredible.<br /><br />So the beat goes on as Obama visits. He wants to mend fences, which is a great idea. The Muslims demand it all be done their way. They've dealt with "My Way Or The Highway" Bush and his entourage too long, possibly. Whatever the basis, the Arab/Muslim way or no go is not a great idea. We have to expect that Obama is not going to give away the store to make the sale. He'll get berated by the far right here as if he did no matter what happens. If the crises of the Middle East aren't cured before New Year's Day 2010, I expect Obama will be excoriated by those now running the Republican Party--Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney.<br /><br />I'm very curious about how all this is going to turn out, how his speech will be reviewed here and accepted there, as well as here.<br /><br />There are entire days, though, when I wish we lived in less interesting times.<br /><br />This was written two days ago, so we now have the opportunity to see how many of my wishes Obama met.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15898451790791769900noreply@blogger.com2