Books, books, books, books. One big advantage to commuting to work via train is a guaranteed time each day that you are going to be able to read, assuming you bring a book. One disadvantage to commuting to work via train is getting 20 to 30 minutes into a good book and having to stop, assuming you bring a book with you. However painful it may be to tear yourself out of the book at the proper stop, it all hinges on having the right book with you. I’ve made it through quite a few books that I read primarily in my commute time.
When I first moved to DC I was living in La Plata Maryland with the Milster’s and had about 45 minutes (1hour plus on bad days) of train ride both ways every day. During that time I read all three of the Lord of the Rings books. My commute is shorter now, but I’ve read books from Agatha Christie (Then There Was One), to C.S. Lewis, to Heat (a cooking book about Mario Batali, sort of), to my most recently finished book Every Earthly Blessing. Reading all these books happens naturally when you have the time set aside each day; the hard part is building up a good reserve of books to choose from.
Choosing books is much easier when you have a running list you can refer to. That’s probably my favorite thing about Goodreads.com. By having my “to read” list online I can access it from anywhere I have internet connectivity. Also, by using Goodreads, I’m able to pilfer ideas from others people whether like minded or more diverse.
I just used Goodreads to put together a book order, together with Amon, from Amazon using a gift certificate we got by sorting all of our spare change from last year. I’m pretty excited about the incoming new books, it feels like a slightly self-indulgent Christmas in August.
In the meantime I’m re-reading some parts of the Old Testament (any favorite sections I should check out?) and considering reading Pride and Prejudice. Amon’s got the Jane Austen Book Club thing going on, and it’s a good “excuse” to read some books I might get thrown out of the Guy’s Club for reading.
So now I’m waiting for Amazon and the US Postal Service to get my new books to me so I can ensure that daily hour of commute gets put to good use. You hear me Amazon? I’m talking to you!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Attention Span
Interesting commentary on male attention spans? I sort of feel bad for the two blondes decked out in their skimpy bikinis, relegated to the boat's stern and obviously very bored while the guys are all in the front of the boat so engrossed in the airshow they seem to have forgotten the other two members of their party. I'm sure that once the last contrail had dissipated the proper center of attention was restored.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Back in the States
So long out of the States, but we crossed back into Michigan on the 12th. Pictures will be posted once we get home but Tobermory was beautiful.
We've been staying with friends for the last few days and will head to Amon's Mom's tomorrow. I've heard good things about the parks in Ft. Wayne.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Mike
Saturday, July 05, 2008
4th and 5th of July
After dinner we headed over to see fireworks. I got some pictures I was happy with that will be posted to Flickr as soon as I have computer access.
Right now I'm in a boat on Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Bay, heading from Omena to Traverse City to watch the Blue Angels air show. Attached is a picture taken with my work phone. Sorry for the quality.
Will update again soon.
Mike and Amon
Friday, July 04, 2008
En-route
Mike and Amon's
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Oncoming Odyssey
Although it seems pertinent to avoid writing about our up-coming trip in Odyssey-esque terms, I have to say it is very tempting. If you don’t hear from Amon or me for a week or two, it’s probably due to our long road trip.
As if anyone needed more reason to take a vacation than the beginning of summer, Amon and I decided that the culmination of the Independence day, our anniversary, and my birthday combined with a friend’s wedding was pretty good reason to cast off on our own many Odyssey.
We’ll leave for Michigan and be in Omena by the 4th of July, be on Mackinac Island by the 7th, and in Tobermory Ontario by the 10th. From there we’ll make our way to Indianapolis to see Amon’s mom, and St. Louis to see my family. Finally on the 19th I’ll be in my friend Andrew’s wedding, and the 20th will see us driving all day back from Missouri to Maryland.
I just bought 6 Gigabyte more flash memory for my camera, so hopefully armed with that and some amazing landscape I’ll have a few pictures up on this blog or Flickr along the way.
Any prayers you’d like to send our way for safe travels, cheap gas, and good weather would be much appreciated.
Stay tuned for updates when we have internet access.
Mike
As if anyone needed more reason to take a vacation than the beginning of summer, Amon and I decided that the culmination of the Independence day, our anniversary, and my birthday combined with a friend’s wedding was pretty good reason to cast off on our own many Odyssey.
We’ll leave for Michigan and be in Omena by the 4th of July, be on Mackinac Island by the 7th, and in Tobermory Ontario by the 10th. From there we’ll make our way to Indianapolis to see Amon’s mom, and St. Louis to see my family. Finally on the 19th I’ll be in my friend Andrew’s wedding, and the 20th will see us driving all day back from Missouri to Maryland.
I just bought 6 Gigabyte more flash memory for my camera, so hopefully armed with that and some amazing landscape I’ll have a few pictures up on this blog or Flickr along the way.
Any prayers you’d like to send our way for safe travels, cheap gas, and good weather would be much appreciated.
Stay tuned for updates when we have internet access.
Mike
Monday, June 30, 2008
Test Picture
Test body 123.
This was sent from my cell phone while on the train. It managed to actually post to the blog properly, which means that you're significantly more likely to actually get updates and pictures posted here while I'm on vacation. Excellent.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Desert Suburbs
New pictures up taken during my flight back from Infocomm 08 in Las Vegas, plus some other updated photos. Go check them out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcolburn
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcolburn
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
DSLRs under $600
Seriously folks. If you’re looking to start exploring DSLR photography, this is a great way to do it.
A quick google search for reviews of this camera ought to reveal many indepth camera reviews including a couple of great sites, dpreview is more brief and factual, and Ken Rockwell is prolific if nothing else and loves his Nikon D40. Trust the technical information Rockwell gives, but keep in mind that he is pretty opinionated about preferences between one camera and another. I’ll give you the nitty gritty of it here:
Nikon D40 Quick Review:
Body: Compact and Light (for an SLR)
Lens Compatibility: ONLY AF-S lenses (Autofocus drive built into lens)
Memory: Accepts SD and SDHC
File Format: Raw, JPG, or Combination
Sensor: 6 Megapixel
Personal Experience
I’ve been using the Nikon D40 for a few months shy of a year now so I can officially tell you something useful about it. The Nikon D40 is not a Hasselblad H3DII-39MS, it is not a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR nor is it a Nikon D3. If you don’t know what any of those specific cameras are, or even recognize the brand Hasselblad, then chances are you don’t need a $44,000 39 Megapixel camera, an $8,000 21 Megapixel camera, or even a $5,000 12 Megapixel camera (top Hasselblad, Canon, and Nikon DSLR respectively).
I’ve written before about the right way versus the wrong way to chose a digital camera. It was a long drawn out article that may or may not have been useful. Quick synopsis: if you just want a camera to make a good looking image for you anytime you pull it out of your pocket, then stick with a point and shoot. If you are looking to have maximum control over the look and feel of the image (how bright/dark it is, what’s crisp and what’s out of focus) and the ability to change the zoom range of your camera without buying/learning about a whole new camera then consider a DSLR. As far as megapixels: look for something with at least 6 Megapixels and then forget about it (unless you plan on regularly printing posters larger than 11 x 14).
So IF you think a DSLR might be worth playing around with AND you don’t plan on regularly printing larger than 11x14 consider the Nikon D40.
You can check out my Flickr site to see pictures taken with it, both casually as well as more intentional “photography”. You can also check out any number of groups on Flickr that are composed entirely of D40 photos.
Look into it and if you decide to get a DSLR, use it. Don’t just stick it on a shelf somewhere. If you don’t decide to get a DSLR, then get your point and shoot and go take photos of the world and people around you. Either way, it’s up to you. Just don’t waste the technology you are lucky enough to have.
A quick google search for reviews of this camera ought to reveal many indepth camera reviews including a couple of great sites, dpreview is more brief and factual, and Ken Rockwell is prolific if nothing else and loves his Nikon D40. Trust the technical information Rockwell gives, but keep in mind that he is pretty opinionated about preferences between one camera and another. I’ll give you the nitty gritty of it here:
Nikon D40 Quick Review:
Body: Compact and Light (for an SLR)
Lens Compatibility: ONLY AF-S lenses (Autofocus drive built into lens)
Memory: Accepts SD and SDHC
File Format: Raw, JPG, or Combination
Sensor: 6 Megapixel
Personal Experience
I’ve been using the Nikon D40 for a few months shy of a year now so I can officially tell you something useful about it. The Nikon D40 is not a Hasselblad H3DII-39MS, it is not a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR nor is it a Nikon D3. If you don’t know what any of those specific cameras are, or even recognize the brand Hasselblad, then chances are you don’t need a $44,000 39 Megapixel camera, an $8,000 21 Megapixel camera, or even a $5,000 12 Megapixel camera (top Hasselblad, Canon, and Nikon DSLR respectively).
I’ve written before about the right way versus the wrong way to chose a digital camera. It was a long drawn out article that may or may not have been useful. Quick synopsis: if you just want a camera to make a good looking image for you anytime you pull it out of your pocket, then stick with a point and shoot. If you are looking to have maximum control over the look and feel of the image (how bright/dark it is, what’s crisp and what’s out of focus) and the ability to change the zoom range of your camera without buying/learning about a whole new camera then consider a DSLR. As far as megapixels: look for something with at least 6 Megapixels and then forget about it (unless you plan on regularly printing posters larger than 11 x 14).
So IF you think a DSLR might be worth playing around with AND you don’t plan on regularly printing larger than 11x14 consider the Nikon D40.
You can check out my Flickr site to see pictures taken with it, both casually as well as more intentional “photography”. You can also check out any number of groups on Flickr that are composed entirely of D40 photos.
Look into it and if you decide to get a DSLR, use it. Don’t just stick it on a shelf somewhere. If you don’t decide to get a DSLR, then get your point and shoot and go take photos of the world and people around you. Either way, it’s up to you. Just don’t waste the technology you are lucky enough to have.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
First Lightning Photo
My first time catching a lightning bolt in a photo. I'll have to keep working on this one.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
OK A Little Wet
Went to the National Zoo with our friend PT who is in town this weekend. It was a blast, though a wee bit wet. OK. Honestly it stormed (thunder, lighting, and torrential downpours) for the better part of the visit but it was still lots of fun. Probably resulted in some more unique photos. I can say this in such good spirits because my camera survived. Somehow.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Too Bluetooth or Not
Given the massive market penetration of this device and associated service, what do you know about your phone? Do you know how GSM works? No? How about terms like 3G or Edge networks? No? Ok, something simple, Bluetooth. Ah, at least you’ve heard of that one. Last term: SAR? Nothing? Well this one might be worth learning about: Specific Aborption Rate. SAR is the amount of radiation your body is exposed to from any given device.
Cell phones are largely taken for granted. There are a few who resist the technology either out of some fear of consequences to health or society, or out of a longing to maintain some distance or boundaries. With the exception of these remaining 2 or 3 people the rest of the world’s population, are eating it up. According to the International Telecommunications Union, in 2006 over 90% of the developed world’s population subscribed to a cellphone service. Oh, sure but no one in the developing world has a cell phone though, right? Well the ITU statistics estimate that in 2006 more than 1 in 3 people had a cellphone in the developing world.
Well all these people out there talking on their cellphones, the FCC is looking out for us with a rating that says whether a device can be sold in the US. In order to get FCC approval, a cellphone has to have meet a level deemed safe by the US, a level that corresponds to a SAR of 1.6W/kg. This measure of radiation is a measurement of how much energy from your mobile device is getting into your body. For comparison purposes Europe has the SAR capped at 2.0W/kg and Canada has the SAR capped at 1.6W/kg as in the US.
The level reported on the phone manual or a given website is likely to be the maximum value, with lesser values being possible on phones that offer multiple signal strength levels for battery performance issues, or based on how the phone is used. Even given this allowance, the maximum values for some of todays phones range from (10 lowest) .14-.4 to the 10 highest at 1.5-1.6. My phone, the Samsung Upstage falls in the high range of “safe” at 1.4W/kg.
The goodnews is that, if the FCC is right and 1.6 is a safe level, everyone in the US is safe, right? That assumes that the FCC is right on about what a safe level is. Whether I should or not, I trust that the FCC is making the most educated decision they can, however since cellular phones have not been around terribly long, anything they do is going to be best on projections, analysis of similar themes from previous knowledge bases, and other very scientific methods. The problem seems to be that we just don’t really know right now, and that we are making a very educated guess but it is ultimately a guess, a guideline.
For today’s cellphone users, you can either rest assured that any device sold is below the threshold of radiation that the FCC has deemed safe, or you can take a further step in considering the SAR of the various phones you are considering purchasing and weighing that data along with all the other. Another option is Bluetooth, again a new technology but similar in concept to cellular. You have a radio transmitter in your cellphone and one in the Bluetooth headset. The difference between cellular and Bluetooth is the distance and the associated power levels.
It takes significantly less power to send a radio wave 5 meters than it does 5 kilometers. As a result it shouldn’t be surprising that while the typical rating of the 10 lowest SAR values for cellphones is 0.2W/kg, the typical rating of a Bluetooth headset is closer to 0.002W/kg. That translates to a Bluetooth device having approximately 1/100th the SAR level of a “low” rated cell phone.
So save some money while avoiding the lunatic/cyborg look of the Bluetooth headset and rest assured that the FDA is doing their best to look out for you. Or, conversely, pick up a Bluetooth headset for anywhere from $20-$120 dollars and add a bit of peace of mind to your potentially paranoid arsenal of ways to live a longer happier life. I’m happy to have a Bluetooth headset now, and quite glad to have my wife using one.
Links
How Stuff Works – Cellular Radiation:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation3.htm
FCC SAR Page:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar/
Cell Phone Radiation Levels Discusion and Charts:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020355-1.html
ITU Statistics:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/maps.html
Bluetooth SAR Information:
http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/strahlung/00053/00673/03571/index.html?lang=en#sprungmarke3_5
Cell phones are largely taken for granted. There are a few who resist the technology either out of some fear of consequences to health or society, or out of a longing to maintain some distance or boundaries. With the exception of these remaining 2 or 3 people the rest of the world’s population, are eating it up. According to the International Telecommunications Union, in 2006 over 90% of the developed world’s population subscribed to a cellphone service. Oh, sure but no one in the developing world has a cell phone though, right? Well the ITU statistics estimate that in 2006 more than 1 in 3 people had a cellphone in the developing world.
Well all these people out there talking on their cellphones, the FCC is looking out for us with a rating that says whether a device can be sold in the US. In order to get FCC approval, a cellphone has to have meet a level deemed safe by the US, a level that corresponds to a SAR of 1.6W/kg. This measure of radiation is a measurement of how much energy from your mobile device is getting into your body. For comparison purposes Europe has the SAR capped at 2.0W/kg and Canada has the SAR capped at 1.6W/kg as in the US.
The level reported on the phone manual or a given website is likely to be the maximum value, with lesser values being possible on phones that offer multiple signal strength levels for battery performance issues, or based on how the phone is used. Even given this allowance, the maximum values for some of todays phones range from (10 lowest) .14-.4 to the 10 highest at 1.5-1.6. My phone, the Samsung Upstage falls in the high range of “safe” at 1.4W/kg.
The goodnews is that, if the FCC is right and 1.6 is a safe level, everyone in the US is safe, right? That assumes that the FCC is right on about what a safe level is. Whether I should or not, I trust that the FCC is making the most educated decision they can, however since cellular phones have not been around terribly long, anything they do is going to be best on projections, analysis of similar themes from previous knowledge bases, and other very scientific methods. The problem seems to be that we just don’t really know right now, and that we are making a very educated guess but it is ultimately a guess, a guideline.
For today’s cellphone users, you can either rest assured that any device sold is below the threshold of radiation that the FCC has deemed safe, or you can take a further step in considering the SAR of the various phones you are considering purchasing and weighing that data along with all the other. Another option is Bluetooth, again a new technology but similar in concept to cellular. You have a radio transmitter in your cellphone and one in the Bluetooth headset. The difference between cellular and Bluetooth is the distance and the associated power levels.
It takes significantly less power to send a radio wave 5 meters than it does 5 kilometers. As a result it shouldn’t be surprising that while the typical rating of the 10 lowest SAR values for cellphones is 0.2W/kg, the typical rating of a Bluetooth headset is closer to 0.002W/kg. That translates to a Bluetooth device having approximately 1/100th the SAR level of a “low” rated cell phone.
So save some money while avoiding the lunatic/cyborg look of the Bluetooth headset and rest assured that the FDA is doing their best to look out for you. Or, conversely, pick up a Bluetooth headset for anywhere from $20-$120 dollars and add a bit of peace of mind to your potentially paranoid arsenal of ways to live a longer happier life. I’m happy to have a Bluetooth headset now, and quite glad to have my wife using one.
Links
How Stuff Works – Cellular Radiation:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation3.htm
FCC SAR Page:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar/
Cell Phone Radiation Levels Discusion and Charts:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020355-1.html
ITU Statistics:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/maps.html
Bluetooth SAR Information:
http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/strahlung/00053/00673/03571/index.html?lang=en#sprungmarke3_5
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Amon and Mike with Liberty Bell
Just got back from Philly seeing Patti, and the various sights. I think my favorite part was the food. Marathon Grille was a nicer place, Lemon Grass was the best curry I've ever eaten (and at a Prix Fixe $9.95 for appetizer, soup, and entree very reasonable), and the cheesesteak was decent.
Click through HERE to see my 32 favorite photos from the weekend.
Click through HERE to see my 32 favorite photos from the weekend.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Amon Odessey
Got a picture of Amon so I could at least prove SHE was there ;)
It was her time to chaperone the 2008 Prom for her school. It was a good opportunity to get the camera out. You can see more pictures at my Flickr account:
Prom Kids
A few kids at the Prom. Thought the colors and ghostly images of the fluttering dresses were nice against the uniformity of the white rails.
Balcony scene by Night II
Amon was required to chaperone the 2008 Prom at her school. Fortunately the Prom was on a dinner cruise boat, giving me some opportunities to take some interesting photos.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Cooking Healthier
Audio quote of the day:
“Because I like to eat, is that such a crime?” – School of Rock (click above for audio)
Yeah, I’m sorta on a diet. I really want to go on a diet, but unfortunately, I’m at this point where I’ve really started loving to cook. I sit at work and when I’m not drafting in Autocad, writing up meeting minutes, or walking around the US Capitol, all I can think about or talk about is cooking. I just read Soul of a Chef, which was probably not the best book to read if you're wanting to stop cooking so much.
For the first time in my life I actually have good things to cook with AND someone to cook for. I had to have the basics of oven cooking and sautéing down from when I cooked for 50 guys every week in college. Now that I’m scaling back the cooking though, I’m learning about pan frying, starting things on the stove and finishing them in the oven, broiling, making pan sauces and gravies, seasoning, and all sorts of other fun activities.
Cooking is actually relaxing for me, assuming I’m not trying a recipe I made up for the first time with 20 people eating. I like that when I’m cooking my brain doesn’t start thinking about work, bills, or any of life’s other little attention grabbers. I’m focused on the done-ness of the meat, whether the water is boiling yet, when I should start steaming the vegetables and making sure the pasta isn’t going past al dente. The kitchen is full of the fragrance of onion, garlic, oregano, chilli powder, or whichever other aromatics are being used in the nights meal.
And absolutely best of all, when it's over I get to enjoy a nice meal and the satisfaction that “I made this.” Honestly, it’s a great feeling knowing that the meal your eating might cost you 20 or 30 bucks in a restaurant.
However, it’s also a great way to NOT lose weight. Originally, I would make too much, and then it would all get eaten because it tasted good and was there. The last few weeks though, I’ve started portioning out the “left overs” before I even plate up the meal, this makes it less tempting to eat too much.
Now, I’m trying to come up with recipes that are fun to cook (lots of chopping, cooking, seasoning, etc.) but are healthier. Amon isn’t a big fan of fish, which would be one easy method for making things healthier, but she does like quite a few vegetables so I’m going to start trying to feature the vegetables more prominently with the carbs as more of an accent and make sure to use chicken and turkey more than fatty cuts of beef. I noticed that ground turkey seems to be much cheaper than ground beef so we’ve been using more of that recently.
So now you all know, my evil secret’s out. I like to cook, is that such a crime? Now I just need to balance loving to cook, with cooking healthier.
“Because I like to eat, is that such a crime?” – School of Rock (click above for audio)
Yeah, I’m sorta on a diet. I really want to go on a diet, but unfortunately, I’m at this point where I’ve really started loving to cook. I sit at work and when I’m not drafting in Autocad, writing up meeting minutes, or walking around the US Capitol, all I can think about or talk about is cooking. I just read Soul of a Chef, which was probably not the best book to read if you're wanting to stop cooking so much.
For the first time in my life I actually have good things to cook with AND someone to cook for. I had to have the basics of oven cooking and sautéing down from when I cooked for 50 guys every week in college. Now that I’m scaling back the cooking though, I’m learning about pan frying, starting things on the stove and finishing them in the oven, broiling, making pan sauces and gravies, seasoning, and all sorts of other fun activities.
Cooking is actually relaxing for me, assuming I’m not trying a recipe I made up for the first time with 20 people eating. I like that when I’m cooking my brain doesn’t start thinking about work, bills, or any of life’s other little attention grabbers. I’m focused on the done-ness of the meat, whether the water is boiling yet, when I should start steaming the vegetables and making sure the pasta isn’t going past al dente. The kitchen is full of the fragrance of onion, garlic, oregano, chilli powder, or whichever other aromatics are being used in the nights meal.
And absolutely best of all, when it's over I get to enjoy a nice meal and the satisfaction that “I made this.” Honestly, it’s a great feeling knowing that the meal your eating might cost you 20 or 30 bucks in a restaurant.
However, it’s also a great way to NOT lose weight. Originally, I would make too much, and then it would all get eaten because it tasted good and was there. The last few weeks though, I’ve started portioning out the “left overs” before I even plate up the meal, this makes it less tempting to eat too much.
Now, I’m trying to come up with recipes that are fun to cook (lots of chopping, cooking, seasoning, etc.) but are healthier. Amon isn’t a big fan of fish, which would be one easy method for making things healthier, but she does like quite a few vegetables so I’m going to start trying to feature the vegetables more prominently with the carbs as more of an accent and make sure to use chicken and turkey more than fatty cuts of beef. I noticed that ground turkey seems to be much cheaper than ground beef so we’ve been using more of that recently.
So now you all know, my evil secret’s out. I like to cook, is that such a crime? Now I just need to balance loving to cook, with cooking healthier.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Cherry Blossom Kiss
Yes, the pandamonium that is the yearly Cherry Blossom Festival is upon us. This means that it's time for people who never come into DC to break out the bikes, the strollers, and the group T-shirts and clog the metro system. Smithsonian is once again hung with the banner, "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here (have ticket ready when entering and exiting, stand back - doors closing)".
Little bit of cheesy romance for the sheer fun of it.
As usual, head over to my Flickr account (a link now lives permenantly over on the right hand side of this page with the other links) to see the rest of the pictures from this year's Cherry Blossom Festival outing, as well as all my other pics I've posted to Flickr.
CHEERS!
Jefferson Airplane II
I also never realized that the flight path from DCA (Regan International Airport) took the planes in such a great route. I'll have to keep this in mind for future night photographs.
Abstract Cherry Blossoms II
Ok, you don't say that, but when you see what you accidently did while playing around with the white balance settings, and you realize WHY it did it, you start tweaking things a bit and get the resulting picture. And now you've answered your original question. "There's at least one more way to photograph a cherry blossom."
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