Ultranormal

Category: photos

  • My Boys

    My Boys

    Jen told you about the root canal, which means I’ve been home the last two days playing with the boys. We’ve had a lot of fun, and I’m exhausted. Here’s what we’ve done so far:

    • Played lots of Wii
    • Drawn pictures
    • Happy hour with folks from work yesterday
    • Went to see Meet the Robinsons (fantastic, recaptures the lost Disney spirit).
    • Went to work to pick up the Chumby someone was kind enough to send me.
    • Got cookies\
      Now, we’re going to take a break for a little while, and then I think maybe we’ll go out for pizza.\
      Jen’s doing OK. She’s locked in our bedroom with the other laptop, watching movies and TV DVDs hopped up on vicodin.

  • The Amazing Mr. Chipman

    Ultranormal

    The Amazing Mr. Chipman strikes again. First, it was his great sculptures (OK, before that, it was all his javascript toys). Now, he’s gone and turned Cindy’s frightening portrait of me into an almost more frightening drawing. You can see the whole thing progress, which is even cooler than the final product.\
    I have amazing friends.

  • Camera Update

    I asked for advice earlier about cameras and here’s what I decided:

    • I did a little research on different digital SLRs, features, prices, etc and then went to eBay and looked for those cameras on auction. I bid low on a Digital Rebel XT, and Nikon D50 and an Olympus Evolt E500 (hoping I would get one, but not more than one).
    • I figured if I got a digital SLR with a lens for less than \$500, I would get a new point and shoot camera that’s better than what I have now but not top of the line.
    • I’ll play with the SLR, get the hang of it and have fun, but I’ll have the point and shoot as a backup.\
      So far so good. I lost the D50 and the Digital Rebel XT and won the Evolt! So, as soon as they ship it, I’ll join the ranks of digital SLR owners and see where that takes me. I haven’t decided on the point and shoot yet, but I’m in no real hurry. The Powershot A640 that Porter mentioned is the current leader, but I’m going to see if I can find something smaller. I really like Tantek’s little Canon SD400 that I saw at the last CSS meeting. It’s ridiculously small and takes decent pictures in low light (just look at his photos, they’re almost all in low light). There are plenty of newer ones to look at, and other models to compare. That task starts after I play some Excite Truck!

  • The Mississippi Pictures

    Skyanne, Brian and Max onthe train

    The pictures from the trip are up and organized into sets. Here they all are:

    • Day One – This included sledding, and dinner at Leatha’s: the Temple of Pork.
    • Max Takes Pictures – I let Max use the camera and iPhoto to take pictures around the house. He loved tweaking all the settings on pictures, and trying out crazy stuff. He really got into macro mode, as you’ll see. There’s some really good stuff in there.
    • Dinner Out, and the Lights of Tylertown – Little tiny Tylertown, Mississippi puts on a great light show. Unfortunately, the batteries in the camera died before we could document the whole thing.
    • Christmas Eve and Day – Including the requisite tree shots.
    • Jen Takes the Boys for a Walk – Some really funny Max and Brian moments in this one.
    • The Hattiesburg Zoo – We went to the zoo! It was small, but the kids had fun and got to ride on a train.
    • Around the House and Out and About – Random stuff from the trip that doesn’t fit anywhere else. See little Brian pig out, ride a tractor and the Great Sundae Massacre of 2006.\
      Enjoy!

  • Needin’ a Little Camera Advice

    My little Kodak 4 megapixel point and shoot is showing its age. It’s never been particularly good at using the right flash mode indoors, and it’s getting worse. The more I look at photos from Cindy, Jason, Elsa and Rannie, the more I want a DSLR. Cindy and Jason go on and on (without stopping, honest) about their rebels. Elsa loooooves her Nikon. With all this love going around – what do I choose? Do I go all out with a digital SLR, or do I go with something easier, but not as full-featured like a Fujifilm Finepix S9000 or 9100? Digital SLRs are expensive, and you then get sucked into buying all the extras like flashes, new lenses, extra special battery packs, etc. Is it worth it?\
    The Fuji looks good on paper, and the reviews are solid as well, but the reviews don’t match the love spewed forth about the Rebel XTi. How much should I expect to spend to get the XTi or comparable digital SLR set up? Is it really worth it? Should I start with one step beneath an SLR? Come on, all my photographically inclined friends, help me out here!\
    Update: Here’s what I want out of a camera: good in normal indoor situations, preferably without needing the flash. My Kodak is crap in normal indoor light, and the flash turns my pale little boys into ghosts, and I haven’t found a way to “rescue” those pictures in iPhoto. I like taking pictures, but I don’t go out of my way to set up picture-taking outings. I’m usually going somewhere, and happen to document it. So, lugging around an SLR is probably not wise (although little tiny Cindy does it). The G7 looks good, and I’m finding the Flickr camera finder really useful. I’m uploading photos now, and will point out some of the problem shots I want “help” with (thanks, Jeff!).

  • Merry Christmas!

    Merry Christmas

    We’ve got limited bandwidth here in Mississippi at Jen’s parents’ house, but we’re having a good time anyway. Max has been taking lots of pictures and playing in iPhoto, there are lots of pictures of the boys playing with Buddy, being goofy, opening presents, and hanging out. We’re having lots of fun eating good food (don’t tell my doctor) and playing games. Max and I have been playing chess every day while Brian stacks up checkers.\
    Expect the pictures and more frequent posting when we get back, but for now – Merry Christmas!!

  • EVDO is OK

    Instead of paying for the hotel’s network connection, I decided to give my brand new EVDO card a shot. I was talking to one of AOL’s VP’s about my presentation and trying to find the time to write demos and she asked what I would do if I had a budget. Of course, I told her I’d get an EVDO card so I wasn’t held hostage to crappy hotel networks. Well, here we are, and I’ve got one, and it works!\
    I checked my mail at the airport, worked on my presentation and fixed a couple bugs in the demos last night in the hotel, am uploading pictures to Flickr and it’s going OK. It’s not as fast as a wired connection, or even a solid wi-fi connection, but it’s fast enough to get things done. E-mail’s no problem, and even uploading photos is going smoothly. Connecting using Verizon’s expresscard modem is pretty seamless as long as you remember that it’s more modem than wi-fi card (and remember to disconnect before you put your machine to sleep.\
    If you can get work to pay for it, I’d do it. If you work for yourself and are on the road all the time, I’d do it. It made the flight delay bearable because I could get work done while sitting in the terminal, and it gave me an option when the hotel network was unacceptable. I would bet that I’ll probably use it to give a presentation here at some point (hopefully not today, my demos are kind of bandwidth intensive).\
    I woke up at 4AM, probably because I didn’t eat dinner last night and I’m hungry. Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn’t open till 6. So, I took some pictures in the bathroom. Enjoy.

  • Up Early With Photo Booth

    Fun With Photo Booth

    Fun With Photo Booth\
    Sitting on an install call this morning, I couldn’t help playing with Photo Booth.

  • Orcagirl Reels In The Shots

    _MG_6129.JPG

    One of my other new favorite Flickrers, Orcagirl takes spectacular (and frequent) pictures of killer whales. They’re not always this dramatic, but they’re always worth looking at. It’s like getting a slideshow from National Geographic every day. Enjoy!

  • Why I Love Mr. Smokler

    Kevin Smokler Is A Superstar

    He’s on stage, and he owns it. Not in costume, not in character, but he owns that stage. Kevin, you’re a star.