The iPhone Cameth

In recent months, I've found myself using my personal phone for communication with my work. While I didn't mind this too much, part of the hassle was that we only had one family cell phone, which wasn't always in my possession when I was needed. So if work would call me about a server outage or other tech issue, there was no guarantee that I could be easily reached.

This situation led me to request to get a dedicated "work phone" so that I could be available to the staff 24/7. As crazy as it sounds, I wanted to be at reach for these issues. Part of my job is to fix problems, and it is helpful to be able to know about them as soon as possible. The phone would also allow me to help staff with their computer support issues as well. A good investment in school money, in my opinion: tech support at their fingertips with a quick call or text.

When deciding on getting a phone, I noticed that we were on the AT&T plan. I went to the business manager of our school and she told me that I could get any phone that I wanted that is supported by AT&T. I made a joke about the iPhone, which she replied, "Al, if that's what you need to do your job, then I don't see why you shouldn't. We get a good rate through our educational/government program, so get one if you want it." At first, I was hesistant. I didn't want to take advantage of the schools finances, especially in challenging financial times, however, a smart phone with a data plan would prove uber-useful to me in keeping connections to the school at all times. It would also allow me to test wireless access without lugging around my laptop, and eventually, once figured out, I could remote into the school's servers and do basic support and mainentance of our network. So to curb my desire, I began looking at other phone offerings. No luck. I had no idea what I should get. So I called some friends who either had an iPhone or had extensive knowledge of smart phones, and they all said the same thing: "Get an iPhone".

Last Friday, the shiny phone came to the school. My iPhone. I'm already finding myself more productive and reachable to the staff. Having my e-mail, calendar, todo lists, and other features right at my fingertips. Now comes the real challenge: losing the obssessive desire to play with it every minute. :-)

The Switch to the Mac...one year later.

It has been a little over one year since we ordered our Mac Mini and made "the switch" to Apple. In that one year we've learned a lot about how our Mac works and a lot of how we work. We've also discovered that Macs don't "just work" and that they can be prone to freeze ups and application crashes just like any other computer. So let's break down the year in review. First the Pros:

1. No more worrying about spyware and malware (although recent articles in the news may be changing that)

2. No more being locked into Microsoft Products...uh, nevermind we ended up purchasing Office for the Mac anyways.

3. Simplified computer management.

4. Many things do actually "just work" given the right hardware and circumstances.

5. Nifty little niceties built into the operating system that I'm still trying to figure out why Microsoft hasn't gotten the idea of yet.

6. Installing software is rediculously simple. I wish it were this easy on Windows.


And now the Cons:

1. Our laserjet printer, which we have loved for years does not play well with the Mac. I had to find a workaround to get it to work. From what my friends say, this is very "un-mac" like, but it still happened.

2. I had to purchase a new wireless router, as my former netgear router slowed our internet down to a crawl when we used OSX. In bootcamp, running windows xp, the internet worked as normal, so I attributed this to the OS. Once I bought a new linksys router, everything worked fine on the mac...yet another situation where things did not "just work".

3. Despite what people say, there is a lack of free software for the Mac that is easily available for the PC. I am not going to go into specifics, but there had been more than one time when I needed to perform a certain task and there was a free way of doing the task on windows, but I had to purchase something to do the same task on the Mac.

4. One of my main reasons for thinking a Mac would be useful was the iLife suite. I had hoped that I could make use of iPhoto and iMovie and Garage Band, etc. So far, I've found that I hate iPhoto (the organization is too weird and plus I use Adobe Lightroom), I can't make music in garage band because I don't have a usb mic (not a issue on any pc I've ever owned), and I have yet to find a huge reason to use iMovie or iDVD so far, since I'm not a huge video buff.

Even though my list might have more pros than cons, I'd have to say that, for me and my family, there is really no advantage at all to owning the Mac (thus far). In some ways, its been more of a royal pain, in that we've had to learn a new operating system and change some of the ways in which we worked with our computer. Even so, I'm in the midst of an upgrade to our Mini, adding in a much larger hard drive and a new dvd burner, which should allow us to do more with video and dvd authoring. Even with those features, I'm still finding anything to really make a big deal out of. Macs are just another kind of computer...that's pretty much it.

Thanksgiving 2008

This year we made Thanksgiving a 2-day affair with an opportunity to spend the holiday with all of Meg's siblings in one place (x2). First, we headed out to Waynesboro, PA (near Gettysburg) to enjoy Thanksgiving day with Ted and Carol. Megan's brother Jordan and his family were up this year with their new son, Brandon. We had the opportunity to meet with him for the first time. Audrey and Ashley had fun together, as usual, and I spent most of my time following the kids around for photo opportunities. Liam also provided several shots of cuteness. Here's a link to the photos of Thanksgiving day in Waynesboro:

Thanksgiving 2008

The following day, after still recovering from all of the yummy food, we gathered together at Megan's mom, Bev's house for another tasty feast together. After the meal (and dessert, of course), we headed downtown to watch the Lancaster City mayor do the annual Christmas tree lighting. To warm up, we all made a walk over to Tim and Cherie's house for some hot cocoa. Below is another link to the photos taken for that day:

Thanksgiving 2008 Part 2

Shooting the McCain-Palin Rally...with a camera.

On Tuesday our high school received an invitation to attend the McCain-Palin rally in Hershey, PA's Giant Center. It was a neat experience. While I took over 300 photos at the event, here are a handful of some of the better shots:

A "Different" Photographic Experience

Each and every day I bring my camera to school. If someone were to ask why, I'd say that common reply of "you never know when that photographic moment will happen." Well, today happened to be one of those days.

Today we had missionaries from JAARS, an aviation missions organization associated with Wycliffe Bible Translators speaking in our Chapel. These people are known for their big entrance of landing their helicopter outside of the school on the day that they come to speak. Today when they came to speak, they also offered to take one of us in their helicopter to take some photos of the school and students from the air. The school chaplain heartily volunteered me, and so I grabbed my camera and headed out to the challenge.

We would be circling the school from about 1000 feet up at some points to get photos of the students forming the initials "HCS" for our school. Now, I had never before ridden in or even touched a helicopter before, so I was naturally kind of nervous. Of course, when the men then removed the door from my side of the helicopter so that I could get a more 'clear view', then things got interesting. Most of my experience for the next 15 minutes was from dangling on the edge of a tiny helicopter hundreds of feet above the Earth with only my seatbelt and God's mercy keeping me from falling to my death. I ended up taking about 200 photos as fast as my camera could fire them (gotta love 5fps on the 30D, right Dave?). Below are a few of the best ones.


(Here's a nerdy pose in front of the helicopter)





(just a quick shot from the cockpit at the controls)


(The students did their best to form the school initials for Hershey Christian School...not bad)








(This shot was taken from probably the highest point we flew that day, you can see a view of the school property looking Northwest)

As I've gotten older...

As I've gotten older, I've learned a few things about myself:

1. I used to hate drinking coffee, and now each year I prefer it stronger.
2. I get injured doing something one time that I used to do repeatedly all day long.

As I've gotten older, I've learned a few things about news and media:

1. News has been thrown out the door to make room for political bias and agendas.
2. Everyone has a right to do and believe anything that they want as long as they are not Republicans or Christians.

As I've gotten older, I've learned a few things about my family:

1. My wife is the only reason I'm not currently lying dead in a ditch somewhere.
2. My kids are obviously going to be better looking than I ever have been or will be.
3. A 1-year old male child can easily eat just as much, if not more than a 4 year old female child on any given day.
4. No matter how many photos I take and how much I study photography, my wife will always be able to pick up the camera and randomly take a photo (with little effort) that will exceed in quality to anything I've ever taken.

As I've gotten older, I've learned a few things about my job:

1. A properly working computer is always just a temporary condition.
2. Things don't break unless you're busy.
3. Teachers have more patience for kids than they do for technology.
4. When a teacher says, "I have a huge problem", that means that its an easy fix. But when they say, "I know that this is probably not a big deal but...", that means I will soon be facing the biggest technological challenge of my life and career.

Liam Turns 1!

Fresh off of a 4 year-old birthday party, we were back in the saddle again for a 1 year birthday party for our little Liam. This party was a small gathering of just family members, however, the company always manages to make it feel like a lively and exuberant celebration either way. From homemade pizza and baseball cupcakes to duck-duck-goose games and tango dancing, there was plenty of fun to go around. Check out the photos from the event below:

Liam's First Birthday

Audrey is 4!!

Recenty, our Audrey turned 4 years old. We decided to have a modest little party at our place where she could invite all of her friends. The party included homemade ladybug cupcakes, a waterslide, and the usual presents and decorations. Below are some photos from the event:

Audrey 4th Birthday

Unexpected Surprises

This past weekend we went camping with some friends of ours out near Gettysburg. We had a lot of fun and had some good food too. I had brought my camera and was prepared to take a load of photos to document our good time when I hit a wall of frustration: my camera lens was not a zoom lens, and I had great difficulty recording the events without stepping way back from the scene and losing some of the details I was looking for. I did take some shots, but spent a lot of time with my camera in the bag, talking with my friend and Meg about my desire to get a wider angle lens to be able to capture these events easier.

Fast-forward to the time that we arrive home and we're unpacking everything:

Meg: "Honey, what's this 'image-stabilizer' thing?
Me: "Oh yeah, I was researching that lens I was talking to you about..you can just close that page if you want.
Me: "No, I mean THIS thing on the desk!"

I stopped what I was doing only to come over and see a box sitting in front of the keyboard containing the EXACT lens I had been researching for weeks. After inspecting my house for Santa or magical gnomes, I figured out the identity of the benevolent gifter and after a gracious conversation of thanks (well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I did thank them), I took the camera downtown to try out my new lens.

The first Friday of each month is known as First Friday (go figure) in Lancaster City. This is a monthly event in which many of the small art galleries and shops open their doors to visitors from all over. The city is bustling with activity all evening. Meg and I decided to go for the first time with some of our friends, and after a while, I convinced everyone to go to the top of the Prince St. Parking Garage to catch some birds-eye view of the city with my new lens. Here are a few of the first photos with this lens:

Yet another funny

Tips for Stunning Camera Phone Pictures

I recently found an excellent article on how to take great photos with a camera phone. I figured that you all would appreciate what the article had to say, so here it is:

Camera phones have become very popular these days and a lot of people take them everywhere they go. So, how you can take great, amazing, stunning, jaw-dropping pictures using your camera phone?

1. Pick up your camera phone and turn it on
   
2. Walk three steps to the left
   
3. Walk three steps to the right
   
4. Put the camera phone back in your pocket or purse
   
5. Pick up a DSLR or a real digital camera
   
6. Adjust the camera settings for your environment
   
7. Compose the picture
   
8. And shoot

We hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial :) Copyright (c) 1001NoisyCameras.com

RAW vs JPEG Shooting

Warning: Camera geek post below. If you do not know what either RAW or JPEG is, then you probably should ignore this post.

A few months ago, a friend and I were discussing the tremendous size that RAW files can take up for storage. We were both feeling overwhelmed by the amount of photos we were taking and the amount of demand from our wives (who like to scrapbook) for JPEG files that they need to be able to upload and order them. For both of us, the majority of the reason we shoot in RAW is because of the tremendous flexibility that it gives you for processing the photo later on the computer. Shooting in JPEG allows the camera to do most of the image processing, and leaves you with little room for corrections or changes without degrading the quality of the image. Essentially, if you're going to shoot any images in the JPEG format, you're probably not planning on doing any processing to the photo after you get it on your computer.

We both agreed that it was probably in our best interests to shoot both RAW for our own fine art work, and then JPEG for more informal events such as family get-togethers, etc. This would ensure that we can keep up with our insane amount of storage needed for our photos (JPEG's are smaller than RAW files), and allow us to make the photos our wives would want readily available for their scrapbooking.

So the other day I decided that I would shoot our entire visit to the National Zoo in the JPEG format, which would allow me to shoot more photos (since they take up less space on the memory card), and since I figured that we'd be outside most of the time with good lighting. Needless to say, I was both right and wrong. I only shot about 100 photos (yes, that's not much for me), so even had I shot in RAW, I would have had plenty of room on the memory card. I ran into many situations where the light was less than ideal, and I ended up regretting it when I had to go through my images and try to correct them. Some shots were taken indoors where a flash would have ruined the photo and other settings would have caused me too much blur. Thus, I had to underexpose a few images. Generally, if you shoot in RAW you can lighten the underexposed images enough to fix the photo. JPEG is nowhere near as forgiving. I ended up having to discard several images that were good shots, but too dark in important areas.

On the bright side of this story is that because I was limited in what I could do in JPEG for processing, my processing time on the computer was much shorter, and many of the images came out great without needing much help. In any case, I think that the conclusion is that from now on, I'm going to give up on JPEG shooting unless I have no choice. The lack of control over my post-processing options makes me a little nervous in thinking that that one great image I may one day get might be tanked due a complicated lighting or color issue that could have been easily been adjusted in RAW.

Its Zoo Time Again!

We spent a VERY HOT Friday at the national zoo in D.C. The trip involved all kinds of adventure for Audrey and Liam, including a ride on the D.C. Metro and an 8.5 mile hike all through the zoo in temperatures nearing 100 degrees. We met up with Jordan, Ashley and Bev and had a fun time surviving enjoying the sites. Click the album link below to view some of our favorite photos from the trip:

National Zoo 2008

Skateboarding Photo Shoot

Ever since about 8th grade, my cousin Ryan has been into skateboarding. He and I grew up skateboarding together all over town, and although we never really got that good, he continued to pursue it as a pastime even to this day. Recently, we went up to visit my family for Independence Day, and we found the time to go out and get a quick photo shoot of Ryan still on his skateboard at a local skate park. I had a lot of fun shooting this and some of the angles actually made him look like a pro (even he will admit that he's nothing near that good). Below are some of the photos from that shoot:

Skateboarding Photo Shoot

8 Years of God's Blessing

In the past, I have normally come to approach anniversaries with the stereotypical male attitude of "oh boy, here comes another gift I need to get!" Not so these days. As we grow older together, Meg and I enjoy looking back at the long road that God has brought us down and we find that it has gotten more and more enjoyable along the way. I think that many of us will always long for those days "when we were young", but I don't think that way much anymore. God has show me that He makes my marriage more and more special each day, and to me my wife becomes more and more beautiful as well. Its never an easy task to be married. Two people with sinful and selfish hearts shouldn't just plain get along all of the time. But its a major world of difference when you have two people who look to the same Savior and God for the grace that is needed to love each other more. So, 8 years of marriage to the woman I love is now here. May God grant us many more!

Woops, a wee bit hasty...sorry. :-(

The more I started posting on my new photoblog site, the more I began to feel a little less focused on my art. I started posting more for the sake of getting an image up there, and from it I felt less satisfied with about 50 percent of it. I want my art to have significant meaning to me, and recently, I've been feeling like I have been mass-producing it. For that, I would like to apologize.

I have also been noticing that the new photoblog hosting site degrades the image quality of my images, unless I pay for some sort of "plus" account. After reflecting on it all, I realize that the former photoblog, jurina.wordpress.com allowed me more flexibility and no degradation of my images. Therefore I am going to return to my first location at wordpress, and continue posting there. I have also found a new blog template that is more suitable for photoblogging. I hope you all like it, and again, I apologize for the flip-flopping and any confusion.

The Problem with Human Nature

One of the things that I can say I benefit from in having children is seeing the reality of how early Sin manifests itself in our lives. Our children are perfect examples, since their lives are still lacking a lot of the complexity of psychology and neurosis that we adults would attribute to.

Take my son Liam, for example. Liam is about 9 months old. He's finally discovered how to crawl and explore his world. One of the things we are discovering about Liam is that nothing is off limits to his curiosity. This is particularly true when it comes to areas of the house that we would rather him not visit, such as the shoe rack (where he loves to put all of our shoes in his mouth, one at a time), under the computer desk (for obvious reasons), and near bandit's dog dish (again, for obvious reasons). These rules just don't seem to apply to him in his mind. But that's not really the point. Liam is 9 months old, and we don't expect him to yet grasp the concepts of bacteria, viruses, and the imminent dangers of electric shock.

The amazing thing is when we put a whole lot of toys in front of him, he still seems to show less interest in them (even new toys, at times) than in the "off limits" areas we have designated. This kind of reminds me of the Garden of Eden in Genesis Chapter 3. God gave Adam and Eve paradise. He gave them love and everything they could want. They had full reign to anything except one tree. I can't imagine what was appealing about the that tree that the other trees didn't have. There was even a tree of life, which God didn't leave off limits. However, they were drawn and then ate from the forbidden tree, despite all the other things that God had given them.

Now, let's look at Liam: This morning I went downstairs to our basement to bring up a whole bin of toys, the likes of which Liam had never seen before. Our hope is that these toys would be a good distraction to Liam from the forbidden areas of the house. While it seemed our plan had worked, it wasn't more than 10 minutes later that I found this:


Where was Liam? Why wasn't he playing within the "toy paradise" that we gave him? Because his little sinful heart would rather be here:


Our hearts are always drawn to disobey our authorities as well as our God. Even before sin, Adam and Eve did it. Why should we be any better off than they? We have the curse of sin. Even little Liam at 9 months has this. Thankfully, he has parents who know of a Savior who can rescue him from this problem. Oh, it won't make him sinless (at least not in this life), but at least he will know that God loved him enough to give him a cure for it.

We have a lot to learn about ourselves, and sometimes I think children are great reminders along the way.

Thank you, God for reminding me each day that I need You through my children, because I know that my sinful heart would like me to forget.

New Photoblog address

I recently decided that it was time to move on to a different format for posting my photography. I was using a complicated method of using Flickr.com and Wordpress.com. These sites have their limits as well as made it tedious just to post 1 photo. The new site can be found at the following address:

http//jurina.aminus3.com

I hope that you will continue to come and view my work and photography there, and, as always, I welcome your comments and thoughts.

A shout-out to the little guy

Conventional wisdom states that while a large chain store, such as Walmart may offer lower prices and other extra conveniences , the small shops and stores lend a personal elegance to their business with quality customer service and a good trust-relationship between the employees and the consumer.

Usually, I just gloss over this sort of thing. I'm kind of a fickle person when it comes to parting with my money and ike to keep most of it, while at the same time have the convenience of quick-and-dirty "buy and fly" shopping. This can also be done online these days as well.

Recently, however, I took the opportunity to try out a local camera shop in my town. I had to get my camera's digital sensor cleaned and was faced with the choice of sending it away to a manufacturer, buying a kit and doing it myself, or taking it to the local shop and having them do it. After reviewing my options, I figured that sending it to the manufacturer could be both expensive and also separate me from my camera for too long. The cleaning kit was another option, however, I have never cleaned a camera sensor, and from what I gather, doing it wrong will cost you dearly in repair costs if you mess up. Being a bit skeptical about my abilities to clean my 1-week old camera myself, I chose to try out the camera store in town.

I arrived about 5 minutes after the shop closed and for the sake of persistence decided to knock on the door anyways. The shop owner eventually came to the door, heard my pitiful excuse on why I'm standing there after hours and decided not only to treat me with dignity, but to quickly allow me to drop off the camera and explain the cleaning process to me for reassurance. I was extremely grateful for his help and expertise. My camera was ready early the next day and when I check it, it appears the the service made things as good as new.

So to conclude, my experience with "the little guy" camera shop was a great one. They offered exceptionable customer service, proved to be efficient (and not too expensive, either). I can hardly expect that a larger camera shop would have opened their doors for me after hours, and my experience with larger stores certainly pales in comparison to how I was treated and respected at this place. Here's to the Little Guy!!!

Mom-o's Day

Each year, I'm finding that Mother's day becomes more and more special to me. Not because of my own experiences with my mom, but actually from watching another mother in my life grow in grace, wisdom and beauty each day: My wife, Megan. I remember how the first few months had been rough for her, and how the struggles of motherhood can be overwhelming. I think of how much she's grown since then, impressing me with the amazing work she puts into being a mom each day. I have to say that I know it's not easy being a mom. In fact its harder work than I could ever do. God makes special people when He makes mothers, and my wife is evidence of that in so many ways. Happy mother's day, Megan. I love you!

Ladies and Gentlemen:The Canon 30D has just entered the building

Ever since I've really gotten into photography in a serious way, I've been wanting a real Digital SLR camera. My work has given me ample access to the school's Digital SLR cameras, and I've been able to make lots of images using them, but the fact that the cameras were school property, and that my using them would sometimes be subject to their availability was somewhat bothersome. Also, I felt bad about "making art with someone else's paintbrush".

Well, the opportunity for me to earn some extra money came and I've been saving up for months and months to get a camera. After spending days and hours contemplating the brand of camera (Nikon or Canon) and they type of camera (entry-level SLR or pro-sumer SLR), I finally came to a decision and made my purchase. The camera came yesterday afternoon. With much joy and anticipation, I've already taken several photos with my new Canon 30D. Here is a test shot I've taken just today.

Little Buddy

Since my wife has been writing her own blog, I haven't really been mentioning too much about my kids or anything these days. Meg does a pretty good job of keeping everyone informed on how they are growing and changing and the silly little things that they say or do. However, being the "man with the camera" around my house, I figured that it should be only fitting to say that lately, I've been pretty invested in capturing a lot of photos of Liam, aka: "Little Buddy". He's just perfect for the camera, in that, unlike Audrey, he's not moving every 2 seconds at 100mph (probably because he's still learning that part). It also helps that he's an extremely handsome little guy (note the parental bias). In any case, here are some recent photos of his cuteness in action:

A Special Request

As my daughter would say: "Okay, here's the deal.". So I am a photography enthusiast. This is probably obvious if you know me or read this blog at all. Part of what I do is try to improve on my skills as much as possible. I take pictures as much as I can. Despite all of my practice and learning, it skids to a dead end if I can't really get any feedback on my images. This is where you all come in. I currently keep a photoblog, where I try to regularly post my better images. Part of the reason I do this is so that I can get feedback on what people like or don't like about these images. Hopefully, with that feedback I can continue to improve how I shoot for both my own enjoyment and perhaps yours as well. So if you have a little time, or if you already subscribe to this blog through an RSS reader or anything, consider also checking out my photoblog too. I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether positive or negative, about my work. Here's the link:

http://jurina.wordpress.com

In the future, I hope to improve the photoblog layout, and, of course, the photography there as well.

BTW, thanks to those few of you who have already been commenting on my photos. Your thoughts are always welcome and have helped me greatly.

Your Tipical American Idol Show

If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you might be aware that I've already posted a breakdown on the whole American Idol show experience from the first episode on. What I still feel compelled to write about is what goes on this late in the season of a typical show when the contestants actually sing. Its so easy to predict, and almost every week ends up like this:

1. If the contestant sings badly:

Randy: "Yo Dog, here's what's up. I really like that song, but uh, it was kinda all right for me. There were some pitchy parts here and there and it just wasn't your best performance. But it was all right."
(Translation: It wasn't good).

Paula: "I just think that you are a wonderful person full of life, and I love how you come out on stage each week and show us what you've got. You are special and you look absolutely gorgeous today."
(Translation: I just took a bunch of illegal drugs before the show and wow do I feel good.)

Simon: "Well, if I'm going to be honest with you: I thought that it was absolutely terrible. It kind of reminded me of a baby kitten being skinned alive by a 6-year old autistic penguin, and I think you might be in trouble this week with that performance."
(Translation: Find another career, because you just can't sing.)


2. When the contestants sing well:

Randy: "Yo, yo. Listen up. Yo, yo, I have to tell you that I was kinda scared at first when you started singing that song cuz I was like, I don't know if they can pull it off, but guess what? You did it! You rocked the house, baby! Dat was da bomb!"
(Translation: Good job!)

Paula: "I just think that you are a wonderful person full of life, and I love how you come out on stage each week and show us what you've got. You are special and you look absolutely gorgeous today."
(Translation: I just took a bunch of illegal drugs before the show and wow do I feel good.)

Simon: "If I'm being honest with you, I'd have to say that it was probably your best performance on this show to date. Well done!
(Translation: None needed)

And so there you have it. The contestants sing, and this is pretty much what the judges say each time. What is sad is that there's very little deviation from this. My only concern is that Paula Abdul is making me dumber each time I hear her talk, but that's another matter. Hope this helps.

Some "Handy" Quotes by Jack Handy

Not that these are new, but a recent conversation with a colleague of mine had me thinking about them. So here they are, a few good (and random) Jack Handy thoughts for you:

I guess I kinda lost control, because in the middle of the play I ran up and lit the evil puppet villain on fire. No, I didn't. Just kidding. I just said that to help illustrate one of the human emotions, which is freaking out. Another emotion is greed, as when you kill someone for money, or something like that. Another emotion is generosity, as when you pay someone double what he paid for his stupid puppet.

I remember that one fateful day when Coach took me aside. I knew what was coming. "You don't have to tell me," I said. "I'm off the team, aren't I?" "Well," said Coach, "you never were really ON the team. You made that uniform you're wearing out of rags and towels, and your helmet is a toy space helmet. You show up at practice and then either steal the ball and make us chase you to get it back, or you try to tackle people at inappropriate times." It was all true what he was saying. And yet, I thought something is brewing inside the head of this Coach. He sees something in me, some kind of raw talent that he can mold. But that's when I felt the handcuffs go on.

If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.

If you're robbing a bank and you're pants fall down, I think it's okay to laugh and to let the hostages laugh too, because, come on, life is funny.

Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.

The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw.

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmm, boy.

Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

if you're a young Mafia gangster out on your first date, I bet it's real embarrassing if someone tries to kill you.

As the evening sky faded from a salmon color to a sort of flint gray, I thought back to the salmon I caught that morning, and how gray he was, and how I named him Flint.

To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.

When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges.

If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid looking in a mirror, because I bet that will really throw you into a panic.

Those Crazy Google People!

As usual, Google comes out with an April Fool's joke every year. This year its centered around Gmail, Google's web e-mail service. Basically, its advertising a new feature where you can send your e-mails and change the time that they were sent, to make it look like you sent it days, weeks, or even years ago. My favorite part of the whole thing are the testimonials to the right. Particularly, this quote:

"I used to be an honest person; but now I don't have to be. It's just so much easier this way. I've gained a lot of productivity by not having to think about doing the 'right' thing."

Todd J., Investment Banker

Here's the link to check it out yourself:

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.html

It's a Zoo Out There!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to take the kids to the Maryland Zoo of Baltimore. The weather turned out great and we had a really fun time. It was a first not only for Audrey and Liam, but for me too, as I've never been to the Baltimore Zoo. Its one of the few times that I absolutely love our Canon Powershot due to its ability to zoom up to 432mm (that's optical zoom, too). Thanks to the great zoom range, we snagged some really good shots of the animals. Below are some of the photos we took.

Baltimore Zoo 2008

Easter in Western PA 2008

This Easter we decided to pack up the whole family and travel out to the western part of the state to visit my parents for Easter, and to allow them the chance to meet Liam. After a wonderful trip up in which both kids were amazingly behaved and content, we finally made it to our destinate. And then came the snow. And then went the snow. Its hard to believe that the Saturday morning of our visit came with about 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. Enough snow for Audrey to get her first (and only, probably) chance to sled ride this year. Later that day, all of the snow was melted and replaced with sunshine to the point where we were outside blowing bubbles in my parents back yard. The weekend concluded with a magnificent dinner prepared by Carol and some Easter egg coloring for Audrey. Special thanks to our friends Chris and Lindsay Ramage, who, as always, provided us with food and shelter for the trip. Check out the album below for some highlight photos of our trip.

Easter 2008

What can you do with Windows XP and Windows 98?

How about make a song? This video plays a song using only the sounds found in both windows 98 and windows XP.

American Idol for the Newbie

My wife and I have been watching American Idol since its first season. We enjoy the show for its simple entertainment value: a singing competition. Not that we're the best critics of how to sing, but we know what we like. Over the years of watching, I think I've come to a good idea on how to break down the show for the newcomer. Here we go:

The series first begins with about 2 or 3 weeks of interviews and ridiculous auditions by idiots who just want screen time. Somehow, among the thousands who audition, Randy, Paula, and Simon (the show judges and contestant critics) find people who can actually sing. This section is probably the most entertaining for most people, since there are so many weirdos who get air-time, it makes to be a sort of Jerry Springer feeling of superiority over the nuts who try out. Clearly, this section is popular because of its humorous slant, and less of the actual singing.

The next section is another competition in Hollywood with the judges still weeding out more people to get down to about 24 contestants. These 24 are pretty good singers, but I'm sure that, for the sake of entertainment value, they allow a few nuts to get through even from here. These people can usually sing just fair, but have serious personality or other flaws which keep them from getting far in the competition.

The next section is about eliminating people week by week. They start with 24 singers and they go to the "final 12". These people are usually performing live on a stage in front of a live audience and the judges. However, in this stage of the competition, the judges are now only critics, and America (read: teenage girls) vote for their favorites, with the singers with the least votes getting eliminated. Let's break down the roles of the critics, since this is the most interesting aspect of the show, in my opinion:

Randy is a producer, former musician and some other stuff. He's usually trademarked by calling people "dog" and using terms such as "pitchy", "pitch problems", and "yo-yo-yo!" His judgments on the contestants are usually on their vocal control, but sometimes his "isms" take over and he's really hard to understand. In most cases, he's pretty positive.

Paula is a former singer and choreographer who had her own pop career in the 90s. Her judgments hold no value for anything. She pretty much justs wastes time telling people how they have good spirits and how much she likes their personalities. Most of the time people become dumber listening to her talk. Nevertheless, she's the one ace that every singer can bet on, since she lacks any spine to say anything that would be remotely negative. I'm quite positive that she's worthless on the show as anything other than a trademark at this point.

Simon Cowell is the opposite of Paula. He's the person who actually makes any sense, tells it like it is, and makes enemies in the process. He's known usually for using words such as "Appallingly awful", "Cabaret singer", "No relevance", etc. He's really the only judge that most of the singers care about impressing, because he's the judge that 1. speaks coherent English (unlike Randy), 2.) speaks coherent English (unlike Paula).

Throughout the show, these three critics battle with each other and also with Ryan Seacrest, the absolute shortest show host I've ever seen. Ryan is known for picking fights with Simon to stir up the crowd or defend the battered singer who just went through Simon's critique.

Once the show gets down to the final 12, they make the "big" hollywood stage, where they perform in front of huge audiences. The final 12 makes the American Idol tour after the season is over, despite anyone's elimination. In this case, the next 12 weeks are pretty much the same process of 1 person eliminated each show by "america" voting.

Somewhere, near the end of the season, there is a huge controversy, as one of the contestants who clearly has amazing talent and should wipe the floor with everybody else gets voted off unexpectedly. This stirs things up among everybody, and then we go from there to the final decent contestant.

Well, that's American Idol in the nutshell. Please pray for me.

Dear Windows Vista...

Dear Windows Vista,

We've been together for over a year now and it has been quite an interesting relationship. Since day one you've done your little song and dance. You've bragged about your new features and improvements to me. You've shown me that you can run as reliably as the other guy. I was almost impressed.

Then one day you decided that you couldn't live with some of my friends. You scoffed at my printer when I just wanted him to work with us both. You told me that you'd not ever plan on being friends with some of my favorite applications that the OS in my previous relationship got along with so well.

You've also decided to nag me constantly when all I wanted to do was my normal routine. You are so paranoid about the simplest of security issues. It's practically all you think about. Then there was the day that you let me down completely. I was attempting to help some people at work with their networking problems. You did all that you could to confuse me and complicate everything. You haven't costed me my job, but I'm thinking that if things continue with you, my reputation at work might be jeopardized.

You are so demanding. You want the best computers and you require so much more than anyone else. You are already getting ready for major therapy for a bunch of issues. Rumor has it that the therapy could make you worse.

It is therefore sad that I have to end this relationship. I gave you months to change. I waited for you to get along and I tried to get used to your idiosyncrasies but to no avail. Therefore, I've decided that its time for us to go our separate ways. I was much happier with my last OS. He might have been a little clumsy with security, and maybe he doesn't have your bells and whistles, but he's reliable for me and he never complains. Don't take it personally. Okay, maybe you should. We're through.

-Albert

The Picture who?

Several months ago my wife and I took our two kids to get their portraits done at the mall at a place called "The Picture People". I have been there several times before getting pictures of our daughter, etc, but I had never known anything about photography or cameras. That being said, I didn't really have any problems with their photos. They were "ok", however I wasn't the kind of person to question the "professional talent" that surely existed there.

Fast-forward to my most recent experience: After engrossing myself in tons of literature on cameras, photography techniques, etc I started wondering about Picture People gear. What kind of cameras did they use? Did they use portrait lenses? How are they making their prints? Armed with this curiosity, I decided to drop some questions on our designated Picture People photographer (PPP) who would be shooting Liam and Audrey. The following is a paraphrased dialog of our conversation:

Me: So what kind of camera do you use here?
PPP: What?
Me: Is that a Canon SLR?
PPP: Uh, I think so. I really don't know.

(At this point I'm shocked. These people charge stupid prices for portraits, and yet they have people taking pictures who can't even tell you what kind of camera they use)

Me: Do you mind if I take a look at it?
PPP: No, go right ahead. (hands me the camera)
Me: Oh, its a Canon 20D with a Tamron Zoom Lens (The exact specs escape me now).
PPP: Oh yeah, our boss uses the newer one. I think that its the Canon 10D?
Me: Oh, do you mean the Canon 40D (which had just come out about 2 months ago)?
PPP: No, I think that its the 10D. Its really really nice, I guess. I don't really know much about the cameras.
Me: (Feeling a little cheated by the fact that this person makes money shooting photos of my kids with gear that she can't identify)Soooo, Do you use Epson printers for your prints?
PPP: Oh, I have no idea. We have this big machine in the back that prints them out. I can show it to you, if you like?
Me: Sure, can I see it? (She leads me behind the counter to the printing room).

What I saw was a huge monster of a machine that looked like it could have pushed out Ford F150's. It was cranking pretty loudly, and I felt kind of weird and nosy, so I stepped out.

Me: Wow, that's a big machine for prints.
PPP: Yeah, it prints them really fast too.
Me: So how large can you print on that thing?
PPP: Oh, I don't know...I can look it up if you'd like.
Me: No, that's fine. I was just curious. Thanks for your help.
PPP: No problem.

Needless to say, the portrait of Liam was stinky. What made it worse was that we were able to choose from about 10 different shots and couldn't find any that we liked. The pose were mediocre and the composition of the photos weren't great either. My feelings were that, with a bed sheet, some good natural light, and one of the Digital photography Class cameras from school, I could definitely do better than this person.

This past Sunday, I had the chance to try out that theory. Below are some shots taken of Audrey in a fancy dress that she got from a friend from church.












To be honest, I think that perhaps I just got an airhead of a person at the Picture People. Maybe somebody who just filled a gap for them. On the other hand, it made me wonder how much they actually train their staff if the people can't even identify what camera they use. If they can't do that, then how sure can I be that they even know how to USE the camera?

Just in case you were wondering what to get your sweetheart for Valentines Day...

CMOS or CCD? Which is King?

(Nerdy photography technical topic alert! Please skip this post if you don't care about this stuff)


I find it curious to know whether or not it is valuable to go to CMOS over CCD. I've not really gotten a clear message from previous sources on what is the best technology for the digital image. However, I think that the following article does a good job of shedding some light on the subject. Read on if you're curious:

http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9860021-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5

A quick quote for the photography enthusiast.

I was reading a post from Scott Kelby's blog today and he mentioned an ad he saw for the Canon 40D. The photo was of a woman with a sunset behind her with the following words printed on it:

“I gaze at the sunset with the woman I love, and think….f/8 at 1/250.”

To quote Scott Kelby: "You just gotta love that."

My side job as an Apple Evangelist

Well, I wouldn't exactly say I'm and evangelist, I guess. However, I've already given 3 recommendations to people to buy a Mac when they asked my advice on getting another computer. One person actually took my advice and came walking into work two days later with a new MacBook and a big smile on their face. Fast-forward one week and the smile is still there and she's pushing her own evangelism for Steve Jobs around the place.

Despite our family's switch to a Mac about 2 months ago, I can't say that I've been blown away by the system. It pretty much does the same thing that my PC did. Other than not worrying about viruses anymore, which wasn't a huge concern anyways, I'd have to say that the adjustment to our computing life might even be a bit more annoying than when we were with our PC. The new computing platform requires learning how to do similar things somewhat differently.

So why have I been recommending Macs? I think that its the confidence in their reliability and the fact that most people with limited computer knowledge will find them a bit less daunting to use. These days, Macs can do most anything a PC can, without the issues of antivirus software, spyware, and hardware compatibility issues (unless you have my luck). Another reason that I now recommend a Mac is because I have one, and am feeling a bit more confident about answering questions about them.

This doesn't mean that I've given up on the PC. I actually still think that people with a tad more experience using PC's should stick with it if they've got a lot of software commitments to Microsoft, or if they don't want the restricted hardware options and prices that Apple offers.

Chuck Norris

I've grown up watching Chuck Norris movies as a kid. He was certainly an impressive actor and martial artist. His reputation even caused some satirical lists which were quite humorous. Unfortunately, Chuck didn't think so. Now he's suing some of the people who are attempting to making money on these tall tales. While I'm pretty neutral on that whole deal, I'd have to say that the lists are pretty funny. Below are some of Chuck Norris facts that I though were funny enough to share:

The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It failed miserably.

Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.

When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes, ever.

There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allows to live.

Police label anyone attacking Chuck Norris as a Code 45-11.... a suicide.

A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Chuck Norris and that you will be handicapped if you park there.

If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever.

Chuck Norris has two speeds: Walk and Kill.

Someone once tried to tell Chuck Norris that roundhouse kicks aren't the best way to kick someone. This has been recorded by historians as the worst mistake anyone has ever made.

Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.

In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Chuck Norris could use to kill you, including the room itself.

When Chuck Norris was denied an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's because it was 10:35, he roundhouse kicked the store so hard it became a Wendy's.

A Chuck Norris-delivered Roundhouse Kick is the preferred method of execution in 16 states.

When taking the SAT, write "Chuck Norris" for every answer. You will score over 8000.

Chuck Norris and Mr. T walked into a bar. The bar was instantly destroyed, as that level of awesome cannot be contained in one building.

Chuck Norris played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.

If at first you don't succeed, you're not Chuck Norris.

It is believed dinosaurs are extinct due to a giant meteor. That's true if you want to call Chuck Norris a giant meteor.

When Bruce Banner gets mad, he turns into the Hulk. When the Hulk gets mad, he turns into Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris uses a night light. Not because Chuck Norris is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Chuck Norris.