Ever heard of the “Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK)”? If you have, I bow before your superior geekiness. I had never heard of it until I decided to research how I might be able to use my Canon PowerShot S95 to shoot in time-lapse mode. Out of the box, this otherwise highly competent point-and-shoot (P&S)… Continue reading The photographer’s equivalent of “Hey, watch this!”
Category: Photography
Making a Stop Action Video
Note: After I posted this, I realized that what I’m referring to as a “stop action” video is more correctly called a “time lapse” video. Pardon my lazy usage of terminology; I’m still learning this newfangled moving pictures thang and I’m not yet convinced it’s not just a fad. I tested the stop action feature… Continue reading Making a Stop Action Video
Bicycling 22 miles in 11 minutes
The post title is a little provocative but not technically inaccurate. See, MLB gave me one of these for my birthday and I finally figured out how to work it well enough to wear it on our tandem ride today through north Midland this morning. While the actual footage of the 22 mile jaunt is… Continue reading Bicycling 22 miles in 11 minutes
Light Field Cameras: Another Segway?
Remember how the Segway was going to revolutionize our lives and rock our worlds? I guess the little teeter-scooter has done that, if your life revolves around leisurely touristy tours of certain major city downtown areas. Anyway, we’re now on the brink of yet another life-changing technological breakthrough, the Lytro™ light field camera and while the… Continue reading Light Field Cameras: Another Segway?
Throwing Green
I don’t know what category this goes in, but I picked “Art” because it’s the sort of thing that probably draws big bucks in a Manhattan gallery. Heck, for all I know it really is a piece of performance art: It wasn’t until I imported this photo – which, incidentally, was shot in the parking… Continue reading Throwing Green
Overheard Bird
All afternoon, while puttering around in the front yard, we’ve been hearing this odd bird call, kind of a plaintive “squawk,” not harsh like a grackle’s, but a bit more melodic. It sounded familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place it. Nor could I discern its source. Then, a few minutes ago, the call… Continue reading Overheard Bird
Random Holiday Nature Scenes
We had a rather uneventful Memorial Day, without much to report. We did go on a couple of walks around the neighborhood, and I thought I’d share a few sightings of local flora and fauna. The first was actually last night, and not local at all, at least not in the “neighborhood” sense of the… Continue reading Random Holiday Nature Scenes
Front Porch Update (or, “Doo doo doo, lookin’ out my front door”)
It’s important to keep the Historical Records up to date, so here’s what’s happening in the front part of la hacienda: Barn Swallows – When last we checked in on the little #@*%& fellows, their nest was almost complete. It’s now finished and positioned so close to the ceiling that we can’t see inside the… Continue reading Front Porch Update (or, “Doo doo doo, lookin’ out my front door”)
Stationary Hummer
So, say you’re a hummingbird trying to cope with 40mph+ winds, blowing dust and smoke from wildfires on the north and the south, temperatures in the 90s and humidity around 5%. What would you do? Probably the same thing this little guy is doing…perching on a tomato cage sheltered by a concrete block wall, and… Continue reading Stationary Hummer
Barn Swallows 1, Us 0
If eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, we’ve just been enslaved due to inattention. I stepped onto the front porch this morning, just before daybreak, and this caught my eye: I swear, that nest was not there yesterday at noon, when Debbie and I did our usual lunch hour tour of the front yard… Continue reading Barn Swallows 1, Us 0