Also, in areas where digital TV service is fully functional, NBC is providing a 24/7 HD feed, but that is only available to you if you have a digital TV decoder.
Yeah, and after turning on the HD coverage every so often, all I've seen so far is either (a) the opening ceremony (b) some stupid Sony commerical, or (c) generic greek scenery played over and over and over and over and over again. I haven't seen one event on HD yet (although I've been busy this afternoon). I'm really disappointed in the HD coverage.
Even more than bad judges, I vote against judges who don't even attempt to campaign for their election. I try to be reasonably informed, but half the time I go to a ballot, I haven't even heard of half the judges running for their seat.
If they don't make the effort to get elected, I simply will not vote for them. I'll bet judges like the one who made the parent topic decision does the same thing...
In a nutshell, someone in Saddam's Fedayeen was attending al Qaeda meetings prior to 9/11. Um, can't get more connected than this. Or is this just more psy-ops? If it is psy-ops, then how are we going to be able to discern the truth when we see/read it?
Although Saddam and al Qaeda are polar opposites when it comes to philosophy, I don't think it's totally out of the question that Saddam could have "looked the other way" towards al Qaeda as they shared a "common enemy". I do agree, though, that the al Qaeda connection should have been the thrust of the invasion argument instead of WMDs.
First, you get to hold the item in your hand and see that it exists. You can see that the item is actually what you thought it was. Can't do that with fraud ridden Ebay.
Second, you get to talk immediately to the vendor if you have a question, not having to wait for an email that may never come
Third, don't have to worry about shipping issues (breakage, costs, delay) like you do with Ebay
Fourth, don't have to include iffy escrow services such as PayPal, as you do with Ebay
Fifth, you can get a sense of the type of dealer by talking to him (emotional reactions, knowledge of subject) face to face vs. having ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA who you're dealing with on Ebay
Sixth, you can tell if vendors are legit if they come back to the same place week after week, as opposed to some that show up for one week and then never return. Ebay? Um, yeah.
Ebay being "just like" an open market? Don't think so... I've seen people get ripped off in SO MANY WAYS on Ebay that I'll NEVER buy through them, no matter how good the deal
(BTW, I Vote) Vote? Vote for WHOM? For example, in the upcoming presidential election, do you think either Kerry or Bush is going to have the interests of P2P users or the MPAA/RIAA at heart? Then you have the hundreds of millions who say "duhhh, well I HAVE to vote for Kerry or Bush, or my vote won't count... In order for a vote to COUNT, an underlying assumption is we actually have a CHOICE, instead of two republicrats.
Hell, things have gotten so bad, Bush is now spending like a socialist and not doing anything about the borders! You have some right-wingers scratching their head wondering if this goofball is really a Republican at all (never mind the usual Rush apologists for this behaviour) aside from the terrorism stance. And of course you have Kerry, whose a multi-millionare, so yeah, he's REAAALLLY going to look out for the little P2p downloading guy or girl! Right!
Right now, I'm really stumped as to who to vote for in many elections because I really don't see too much of a choice nowadays...
I thought the wilderness act didn't allow any vehicles at all. I can't even ride a mountain bike through a wilderness area. Yet, they allow this race with unmanned vehicles?
Ironically, I wouldn't be allowed to test my own USV, if I were in the process of developing one, in the same area. Even if I were testing a UAV, the UAV would not be allowed to land on any wilderness property!!! I shouldn't even ask about riding a motorcycle through here...
Yet, they're going to let these vehicles rip through a supposedly fragile ecosystem? I ask, where is the fairness in all of this?
Wasn't the Barstow to Vegas motorcycle race cancelled due to declaration of these same wilderness areas? How is DARPA ensuring these vehicles aren't going to run over some tortoise?
Dont' get me wrong, as I'm no tree-hugger. However, it seems the Wilderness protection act only applies to people who cannot afford a congressman...
I agree with pretty much everything you say, but when it comes to printing beyond 8x10, medium format consistently does better than the current DSLRs, IMHO (except for the Canon 1Ds, which costs as much or more than a medium format camera). For 8x10s and below, or any digital based displays, digital cameras are it.
Same goes with printers. Up to and including 8x10s, photo printers are great. However, go beyond that and then you're talking cost of inks and paper for printing. There's also an issue with fading (except for certain Epson pigment printers) and Epson inkjet head clogging (which I'm going through right now). The clogging issue is making me go through very expensive ink like water.
I have another issue about "digital convenience". Film had a "built-in" resolution and color space, so the operator did not have to worry about it. With digital cameras, people now have to be concerned with which resolution setting is on the camera, what color space is used, printer settings, installing the right driver, etc. Not a problem for the typical Slashdotter, but for most of the population, this is a real issue that is just coming to focus (so to speak). OTOH, give the same person a film camera, just push the button, hand the film to the 1 hr photo dealer, and get your pics back in 1 hr.
Don't get me wrong, I love digital cameras too, but it will not take the place of high end photography just yet. As for printing, home photo printers work great to 8x10 and maybe 11x14s, but larger prints still belong to shops with Epson 9600s, Lightjets and Chromira. Beyond 8x10s, hardware and media costs go up exponentially. Even good home 8x10 prints (Epson pigments) are still somewhat expensive...
If kodak film is to survive, it should just forget 35mm film as newer DSLRs and some P&S now pretty much kick 35mm's butt. DSLRs can consistently print at 8x10 (if all conditions are good, up to 11x14) and we all know how much more convenient and flexible they are over film. And no, interpolation for larger prints (over 11x14) doesn't count as interpolation (sharpness) != detail.
However, medium format film and cameras, such as Fuji Velvia can still kick digital's butt all over the place in terms of resolution and color gamut. I've bought a used Mamiya 645 for $400, shot with Velvia, massively crop it (try that with digital) and scan with a $200 Epson 3170, and print on a cheap Epson 820(!), and amazed Canon 10D and digital P&S owners with deep color and sharpness they haven't seen on their cameras. I can then take the same neg and have it drum scanned and printed on a Durst or Chromaria up to 30x40. All for a package (camera/3170 scanner) less than a Canon 300D.
For digital to catch MF, it's going to take a while as MF digital backs require a 2nd mortgage to purchase for 22-40 Mpixels. Even a Canon 1Ds is what, $8000? Meanwhile, I can scan film Velvia at 6000x5000 pixels with no loss in detail for less than $1000.
That's where Kodak should be heading and forget the low end, it's gone.
If the Mindstorms product is discontinued, are there any alternatives? I agree with other posters that having only three motor controllers is somewhat limiting (you need two to drive/steer a vehicle, so only one motor socket is available for mobile robots). Furthermore, my son thought Knex had more building potential than Legos...
I think there's room for a "advanced" Mindstorms. What about third party bricks that have expanded capabilities (licensing issues?) What about a kit based on the metal version of Legos, Erector? Anyone know of any expandable robot kit alternatives that are out there already?
I know this isn't a "Maestro" help area, but I'll post anyway...
I've loaded Maestro and tried out "Go to ISIL test facility" with success, but when I go to "Go to "Spirit's Landing Site", I get "you have not yet loaded data from Spirit, return to Maestro website to download...". What do I do now? Where do I get the data?
The first thing you should do is sit down and ask yourself "what kind of photography are you going to do"? Family outings, travel, scenery, sports, ??? Then pick the best (beginners) camera / lens for the job. For example, sports or photojournalism photographers lean towards a 35mm / digital SLR with a telephoto or zoom lens. Same with bird / animal nature photography. OTOH, scenery photographers tend to either lean towards 35mm with low grain film or medium format cameras. When I take pictures on a family outing, I want to travel light as possible (ie, don't want any clunky 35mm when an ultralight digital point and shoot (P&S) will do). So the first question is "what do you want to shoot"?
IMHO, based on the type of shots you want, choose the lens(es) [brand name and focal length], and that will dictate what body you will get. Try to get a quality lens. Once you buy the camera, it doesn't make sense to have to immediately resell the camera body AND lens when you want to expand and find out your options are limited, so think of it as buying into a family.
IMHO, you may want manual control when learning, but you will eventually want some automation down the road. This is especially when newer camera automated metering systems (such as Nikon's N65 or N75) do so well nowadays. Whatever you do, go to a camera store and check out the "user interface" to see how easy it is to do something in manual mode...
Here's a site that I believe has good advice on cameras in general and all the newest cameras. Don't forget to check out his gallery as well!
Film is another important choice. IN GENERAL, higher film "speeds" allow more opportunities to shoot, but lower film speeds tend (I say TEND) to have finer grain (read sharper) pictures. High speed film has gotten much better nowadays, grain wise. Slide film has more vivid colors, but is more contrasty, so it's harder to shoot in areas with bright/shadowy areas. Print (negative) film has more "latitude" or less contrasty, but generally doesn't have the visual impact of slides. Portrait photograpy tends to use print film, nature or scenery tends to use slides. Digital tends to be vivid like slide film, depending upon the camera / sensor, but it's "latitude" is generally less than film (here come the flames!).
I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I totally disagree that film is better to learn photography on than digital. You would be right in saying a film SLR is better than a digital point and shoot, but a digital SLR (Canon 300D) would allow you to see what shutter speed and lens aperture does for the shot just as well as any film. Plus, you don't have to wait day(s) to see what the results of your settings are. I only caution you to check out the user interface of the digital SLR to see how easy it is to shoot totally manual.
What did I do? I started with a Nikon FM with 24mm and 20mm lens for scenery photography a long time ago. I use a Nikon CP700 for family outings. I recently bought a used Mamiya 1000s system for $400 at KEH for scenery photography (totally MANUAL). I use Fuji's Velvia 50 slide and I also bought a Epson 3170 scanner to digitize the photos. It's been trial and error, but I love the eye popping color and resolution when I get it right! I can also get my pics drum scanned and professionally printed if I choose, so I like my setup...
Do you think Chinese involvement with the European GPS project Galileo a reason for this perceived threat?
If you can't connect the dots... China supports alternate to GPS. China blows up our GPS satellites. China retains GPS capability, while we go blind
Anyone who doesn't think this is any big deal doesn't realize just how much we rely on GPS in the military today. Take a look at UAVs, for example. How do they navigate? Chances are it is not dead reckoning...
Granted, she's got the nerdy young male vote, but when I looked at her stand on issues, I had to do a double take to make sure that she wasn't Cruz Bustamante in drag!
No thanks for me... I want someone who will attempt to cut the ultrafat budget that California has now.
> The fact is, deregulation allowed the energy companies to put a gun to California's collective head.
Davis could have gone to the federal gov't for help AT THAT TIME, instead of declaring on TV that this was a "good deal" for Cal., signing the contract, and then LATER going to the federal gov't to cry for help.
> Sure, it was and is expensive, and there might have been better solutions (if you know any, please let me know what he should have done instead).
Um, negotiated a bit better or declare AT THAT POINT we were under gunpoint, NOT declare that this was a great deal then after signing the contract going to the feds for help. It generally doesn't help when you sign a contract and then cry about it after the fact.
This one was even better, although OT (http://catb.org/~esr/writings/unix-koans/zealot.h tml):
Master Foo and the Unix Zealot
A Unix zealot, having heard that Master Foo was wise in the Great Way, came to him for instruction. Master Foo said to him:
âoeWhen the Patriarch Thompson invented Unix, he did not understand it. Then he gained in understanding, and no longer invented it.â
âoeWhen the Patriarch McIlroy invented the pipe, he knew that it would transform software, but did not know that it would transform mind.â
âoeWhen the Patriarch Ritchie invented C, he condemned programmers to a thousand hells of buffer overruns, heap corruption, and stale-pointer bugs.â
âoeTruly, the Patriarchs were blind and foolish!â
The zealot was greatly angered by the Master's words.
âoeThese enlightened ones,â he protested. âoegave us the Great Way of Unix. Surely, if we mock them we will lose merit and be reborn as beasts or MCSEs.â
âoeIs your code ever completely without stain and flaw?â demanded Master Foo.
âoeNo,â admitted the zealot âoeno man's is.â
âoeThe wisdom of the Patriarchsâ said Master Foo âoewas that they knew they were fools.â
I agree with having a long term goal of going to Mars. If it takes 100 years to solve the problems, so be it. However, if we're ever going to do anything noteworthy in space after going to the moon, we need to start getting today's kids excited about space again. I remember how much I was wrapped up in all things space as I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, but I don't see any kids today being engaged the same way.
We need as many as possible to buy a telescope and use it, show what's there to our kids. Share it with the local elementary school (I did this last year and 99% of those attending we're just astounded with seeing what's up there). Attend local astronomy star parties. We need to buy rockets from the hobby shop and launch those things with our kids. Take them to see real rocket launches (like we did recently at Vandenberg) and show them what's happening when they go into orbit (via a space sim like Celestia). Go to see IMAX 3D space shows. If you're in Southern California at the right time, take the kids to JPL's open house or to Vandenberg's open house. Launch ballons with a camera on it and take pictures from the edge of space!
Just do something to get more and more people excited about space and going to Mars. Don't let kids think that Star Wars is the true model of space flight. Don't let people think we know everything there is to know about space. Just do something. Everyone who gives a crap about space should do something, and not just sit there.
How about sending a robot out to inspect shuttle?
on
Columbia Coverage
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I was thinking about the process followed after the launch and the discovery of insulation hitting the shuttle. Couldn't someone make a softball sized robot (USV?) that is remote controllable and has a camera? The astronauts can send the robot outside for inspections in case questions arise. I would assume this robot can perform a far better inspection than other techniques currently used (ground based cameras, satellites not in same orbit, etc)
Yeah, they can't fix the shuttle, but can't they send another shuttle up in an emergency time frame to rescue the others? Is there absolutely no contingency plans at all when the astronauts go up...
1. I would assume there is some type of "black box" that records shuttle data and voice comms, isn't there? That could help figuring out what happened if they get it.
2. Not to play monday morning quarterback, but couldn't NASA look at the Shuttle from the ground using high resolution cameras to inspect Shuttle damage? Didn't they inspect a shuttle like that once before?
3. Although I would assume a missing heat tile caused the destruction, and I don't feel comfortable hitting the conspiracy button, isn't there the possibility of sabotage from within? How many people have access to the Shuttles?
4. What happens to manned space flight now?
This is a very sad day for all, especially the astronauts and their families.
You seem to have left "American consumers" out of your list. Are these people unimportant in your political view?
Let's see. After you export steel workers, coal miners, automobile assembly workers, electronics parts builders, (now) programmers, fiduciary or financial people, etc etc etc and import illegal labor for landscaping, plumbers, carpenters, various clerical positions, etc etc etc, then will you please enumerate exactly who are these "American consumers" that you are referring to? I my area, the only "American Consumers" we have left are firemen, policemen, and federal government workers or contractors.
If some smoke-belching plant across a border can pay people $10/day and work them for 12 hour shifts
And yet, strangely, there are workers who are willing to work under these conditions. It's almost as if this is the best choice that they have available to them and their families.
I guess all those years of fighting for a better environment means nothing to either those people or you.
My grandparents (who were immigrants) and my parents worked in low-paying-long-hour jobs that today are done by other (legal or illegal) immigrants. But ALL people want their children to achieve a more fullfilling life than what they may currently have. I see the exporting of all these jobs (high or low tech) to India, Mexico, etc. as a reversal of this dream. All the things my parents and grandparents have worked for are now being flushed down the toilet by a few people changing the rules of the economic game.
(big time rant on)Everyone keeps spouting off about economics, but the issue is how can we Americans compete where we set ourselves over the decades up in a sheltered economic environment, with our tons of environmental laws and layers upon layers of government and regulations. We take that and now say "here, compete against a country that has no environmental laws to speak of, no industrial safety regulations, no truckloads of government slobs with their hands in your pocket, people who are living hand to mouth, and compete with them." Um, yeah. Sure, the US economy will be rosy afterwards, but what about YOU? Why don't you get your fat geeky asses from behind that fucking computer and go to cities such as Detroit, Pittsburgh PA, and Johnstown PA and find out just what benefits the economy has for them after factories are moved overseas? And how does this relate to high tech jobs going to India? "First they came for the Jews. But I was not a Jew, so I did nothing." etc. God, if you were around these areas when the local economy tanked, you would see just how ringing these words are...
All you economics majors and Monday morning economics wanabees can just kiss my fucking ass. Damn... (rant off)
The truth is we import 68% more from Canada than from Mexico. What a spectacular failure for your theory.
You've obviously ignored importing cheap services due to illegal immigration. You obviously don't live in Texas or Southern California if you don't see what I mean. Last time I read an economics textbook, services rendered rank up there with durable goods in terms of contributing to the economy. Therefore, your conjecture is invalid. Next.
The reason wages are so high in the United States and that we can afford the niceties of pollution and safety regulations is that we are so much more productive.
If (1) is true, then why would corporations invest in the USA (7)? In fact, corporations are sinking money into facilities overseas where they can get a greater return in their investment for dollars spent. This reasoning implies (8) and (9) are invalid also.
I know I'll get beaten up for this, but how about Java / Swing? One project I wrote had to work on W2K, Solaris, HPUX, and SCO. Plus, I had to use a C library to boot. Had to develop a client with tabbed pages, trees and grid controls with drop down lists within cells. What did I use? Java with the Swing GUI library. Although it had some limitations, I was able to successfully port the app across all machines with virtually no code change! I liked the Swing architecture much more than other libraries I've used.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, and after turning on the HD coverage every so often, all I've seen so far is either (a) the opening ceremony (b) some stupid Sony commerical, or (c) generic greek scenery played over and over and over and over and over again. I haven't seen one event on HD yet (although I've been busy this afternoon). I'm really disappointed in the HD coverage.
Even more than bad judges, I vote against judges who don't even attempt to campaign for their election. I try to be reasonably informed, but half the time I go to a ballot, I haven't even heard of half the judges running for their seat.
If they don't make the effort to get elected, I simply will not vote for them. I'll bet judges like the one who made the parent topic decision does the same thing...
Then can you explain why this article is wrong?
In a nutshell, someone in Saddam's Fedayeen was attending al Qaeda meetings prior to 9/11. Um, can't get more connected than this. Or is this just more psy-ops? If it is psy-ops, then how are we going to be able to discern the truth when we see/read it?
Although Saddam and al Qaeda are polar opposites when it comes to philosophy, I don't think it's totally out of the question that Saddam could have "looked the other way" towards al Qaeda as they shared a "common enemy". I do agree, though, that the al Qaeda connection should have been the thrust of the invasion argument instead of WMDs.
Oh, but there is a BIG BIG difference...
First, you get to hold the item in your hand and see that it exists. You can see that the item is actually what you thought it was. Can't do that with fraud ridden Ebay.
Second, you get to talk immediately to the vendor if you have a question, not having to wait for an email that may never come
Third, don't have to worry about shipping issues (breakage, costs, delay) like you do with Ebay
Fourth, don't have to include iffy escrow services such as PayPal, as you do with Ebay
Fifth, you can get a sense of the type of dealer by talking to him (emotional reactions, knowledge of subject) face to face vs. having ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA who you're dealing with on Ebay
Sixth, you can tell if vendors are legit if they come back to the same place week after week, as opposed to some that show up for one week and then never return. Ebay? Um, yeah.
Ebay being "just like" an open market? Don't think so... I've seen people get ripped off in SO MANY WAYS on Ebay that I'll NEVER buy through them, no matter how good the deal
Sounds a lot like this article.
This has got to stop somehow. Hey, maybe California should make a proposition to stop this! Wonder how far this would go?
(BTW, I Vote) Vote? Vote for WHOM? For example, in the upcoming presidential election, do you think either Kerry or Bush is going to have the interests of P2P users or the MPAA/RIAA at heart? Then you have the hundreds of millions who say "duhhh, well I HAVE to vote for Kerry or Bush, or my vote won't count... In order for a vote to COUNT, an underlying assumption is we actually have a CHOICE, instead of two republicrats.
Hell, things have gotten so bad, Bush is now spending like a socialist and not doing anything about the borders! You have some right-wingers scratching their head wondering if this goofball is really a Republican at all (never mind the usual Rush apologists for this behaviour) aside from the terrorism stance. And of course you have Kerry, whose a multi-millionare, so yeah, he's REAAALLLY going to look out for the little P2p downloading guy or girl! Right!
Right now, I'm really stumped as to who to vote for in many elections because I really don't see too much of a choice nowadays...
See, that's what confuses me...
I thought the wilderness act didn't allow any vehicles at all. I can't even ride a mountain bike through a wilderness area. Yet, they allow this race with unmanned vehicles?
Ironically, I wouldn't be allowed to test my own USV, if I were in the process of developing one, in the same area. Even if I were testing a UAV, the UAV would not be allowed to land on any wilderness property!!! I shouldn't even ask about riding a motorcycle through here...
Yet, they're going to let these vehicles rip through a supposedly fragile ecosystem? I ask, where is the fairness in all of this?
If they have to route through this, then all I can say is "good luck"...
How will these robots be routed around wilderness areas generated by the California Wilderness Protection Act?
Wasn't the Barstow to Vegas motorcycle race cancelled due to declaration of these same wilderness areas? How is DARPA ensuring these vehicles aren't going to run over some tortoise?
Dont' get me wrong, as I'm no tree-hugger. However, it seems the Wilderness protection act only applies to people who cannot afford a congressman...
I agree with pretty much everything you say, but when it comes to printing beyond 8x10, medium format consistently does better than the current DSLRs, IMHO (except for the Canon 1Ds, which costs as much or more than a medium format camera). For 8x10s and below, or any digital based displays, digital cameras are it.
Same goes with printers. Up to and including 8x10s, photo printers are great. However, go beyond that and then you're talking cost of inks and paper for printing. There's also an issue with fading (except for certain Epson pigment printers) and Epson inkjet head clogging (which I'm going through right now). The clogging issue is making me go through very expensive ink like water.
I have another issue about "digital convenience". Film had a "built-in" resolution and color space, so the operator did not have to worry about it. With digital cameras, people now have to be concerned with which resolution setting is on the camera, what color space is used, printer settings, installing the right driver, etc. Not a problem for the typical Slashdotter, but for most of the population, this is a real issue that is just coming to focus (so to speak). OTOH, give the same person a film camera, just push the button, hand the film to the 1 hr photo dealer, and get your pics back in 1 hr.
Don't get me wrong, I love digital cameras too, but it will not take the place of high end photography just yet. As for printing, home photo printers work great to 8x10 and maybe 11x14s, but larger prints still belong to shops with Epson 9600s, Lightjets and Chromira. Beyond 8x10s, hardware and media costs go up exponentially. Even good home 8x10 prints (Epson pigments) are still somewhat expensive...
If kodak film is to survive, it should just forget 35mm film as newer DSLRs and some P&S now pretty much kick 35mm's butt. DSLRs can consistently print at 8x10 (if all conditions are good, up to 11x14) and we all know how much more convenient and flexible they are over film. And no, interpolation for larger prints (over 11x14) doesn't count as interpolation (sharpness) != detail.
However, medium format film and cameras, such as Fuji Velvia can still kick digital's butt all over the place in terms of resolution and color gamut. I've bought a used Mamiya 645 for $400, shot with Velvia, massively crop it (try that with digital) and scan with a $200 Epson 3170, and print on a cheap Epson 820(!), and amazed Canon 10D and digital P&S owners with deep color and sharpness they haven't seen on their cameras. I can then take the same neg and have it drum scanned and printed on a Durst or Chromaria up to 30x40. All for a package (camera/3170 scanner) less than a Canon 300D.
For digital to catch MF, it's going to take a while as MF digital backs require a 2nd mortgage to purchase for 22-40 Mpixels. Even a Canon 1Ds is what, $8000? Meanwhile, I can scan film Velvia at 6000x5000 pixels with no loss in detail for less than $1000.
That's where Kodak should be heading and forget the low end, it's gone.
If the Mindstorms product is discontinued, are there any alternatives? I agree with other posters that having only three motor controllers is somewhat limiting (you need two to drive/steer a vehicle, so only one motor socket is available for mobile robots). Furthermore, my son thought Knex had more building potential than Legos...
I think there's room for a "advanced" Mindstorms. What about third party bricks that have expanded capabilities (licensing issues?) What about a kit based on the metal version of Legos, Erector? Anyone know of any expandable robot kit alternatives that are out there already?
I know this isn't a "Maestro" help area, but I'll post anyway...
I've loaded Maestro and tried out "Go to ISIL test facility" with success, but when I go to "Go to "Spirit's Landing Site", I get "you have not yet loaded data from Spirit, return to Maestro website to download ...". What do I do now? Where do I get the data?
The first thing you should do is sit down and ask yourself "what kind of photography are you going to do"? Family outings, travel, scenery, sports, ??? Then pick the best (beginners) camera / lens for the job. For example, sports or photojournalism photographers lean towards a 35mm / digital SLR with a telephoto or zoom lens. Same with bird / animal nature photography. OTOH, scenery photographers tend to either lean towards 35mm with low grain film or medium format cameras. When I take pictures on a family outing, I want to travel light as possible (ie, don't want any clunky 35mm when an ultralight digital point and shoot (P&S) will do). So the first question is "what do you want to shoot"?
IMHO, based on the type of shots you want, choose the lens(es) [brand name and focal length], and that will dictate what body you will get. Try to get a quality lens. Once you buy the camera, it doesn't make sense to have to immediately resell the camera body AND lens when you want to expand and find out your options are limited, so think of it as buying into a family.
IMHO, you may want manual control when learning, but you will eventually want some automation down the road. This is especially when newer camera automated metering systems (such as Nikon's N65 or N75) do so well nowadays. Whatever you do, go to a camera store and check out the "user interface" to see how easy it is to do something in manual mode...
Here's a site that I believe has good advice on cameras in general and all the newest cameras. Don't forget to check out his gallery as well!
Film is another important choice. IN GENERAL, higher film "speeds" allow more opportunities to shoot, but lower film speeds tend (I say TEND) to have finer grain (read sharper) pictures. High speed film has gotten much better nowadays, grain wise. Slide film has more vivid colors, but is more contrasty, so it's harder to shoot in areas with bright/shadowy areas. Print (negative) film has more "latitude" or less contrasty, but generally doesn't have the visual impact of slides. Portrait photograpy tends to use print film, nature or scenery tends to use slides. Digital tends to be vivid like slide film, depending upon the camera / sensor, but it's "latitude" is generally less than film (here come the flames!).
I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I totally disagree that film is better to learn photography on than digital. You would be right in saying a film SLR is better than a digital point and shoot, but a digital SLR (Canon 300D) would allow you to see what shutter speed and lens aperture does for the shot just as well as any film. Plus, you don't have to wait day(s) to see what the results of your settings are. I only caution you to check out the user interface of the digital SLR to see how easy it is to shoot totally manual.
What did I do? I started with a Nikon FM with 24mm and 20mm lens for scenery photography a long time ago. I use a Nikon CP700 for family outings. I recently bought a used Mamiya 1000s system for $400 at KEH for scenery photography (totally MANUAL). I use Fuji's Velvia 50 slide and I also bought a Epson 3170 scanner to digitize the photos. It's been trial and error, but I love the eye popping color and resolution when I get it right! I can also get my pics drum scanned and professionally printed if I choose, so I like my setup...
Do you think Chinese involvement with the European GPS project Galileo a reason for this perceived threat?
If you can't connect the dots... China supports alternate to GPS. China blows up our GPS satellites. China retains GPS capability, while we go blind
Anyone who doesn't think this is any big deal doesn't realize just how much we rely on GPS in the military today. Take a look at UAVs, for example. How do they navigate? Chances are it is not dead reckoning...
Granted, she's got the nerdy young male vote, but when I looked at her stand on issues, I had to do a double take to make sure that she wasn't Cruz Bustamante in drag!
No thanks for me... I want someone who will attempt to cut the ultrafat budget that California has now.
> The fact is, deregulation allowed the energy companies to put a gun to California's collective head.
Davis could have gone to the federal gov't for help AT THAT TIME, instead of declaring on TV that this was a "good deal" for Cal., signing the contract, and then LATER going to the federal gov't to cry for help.
> Sure, it was and is expensive, and there might have been better solutions (if you know any, please let me know what he should have done instead).
Um, negotiated a bit better or declare AT THAT POINT we were under gunpoint, NOT declare that this was a great deal then after signing the contract going to the feds for help. It generally doesn't help when you sign a contract and then cry about it after the fact.
Master Foo and the Unix Zealot
A Unix zealot, having heard that Master Foo was wise in the Great Way, came to him for instruction. Master Foo said to him:
âoeWhen the Patriarch Thompson invented Unix, he did not understand it. Then he gained in understanding, and no longer invented it.â
âoeWhen the Patriarch McIlroy invented the pipe, he knew that it would transform software, but did not know that it would transform mind.â
âoeWhen the Patriarch Ritchie invented C, he condemned programmers to a thousand hells of buffer overruns, heap corruption, and stale-pointer bugs.â
âoeTruly, the Patriarchs were blind and foolish!â
The zealot was greatly angered by the Master's words.
âoeThese enlightened ones,â he protested. âoegave us the Great Way of Unix. Surely, if we mock them we will lose merit and be reborn as beasts or MCSEs.â
âoeIs your code ever completely without stain and flaw?â demanded Master Foo.
âoeNo,â admitted the zealot âoeno man's is.â
âoeThe wisdom of the Patriarchsâ said Master Foo âoewas that they knew they were fools.â
Upon hearing this, the zealot was enlightened.
I agree with having a long term goal of going to Mars. If it takes 100 years to solve the problems, so be it. However, if we're ever going to do anything noteworthy in space after going to the moon, we need to start getting today's kids excited about space again. I remember how much I was wrapped up in all things space as I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, but I don't see any kids today being engaged the same way.
We need as many as possible to buy a telescope and use it, show what's there to our kids. Share it with the local elementary school (I did this last year and 99% of those attending we're just astounded with seeing what's up there). Attend local astronomy star parties. We need to buy rockets from the hobby shop and launch those things with our kids. Take them to see real rocket launches (like we did recently at Vandenberg) and show them what's happening when they go into orbit (via a space sim like Celestia). Go to see IMAX 3D space shows. If you're in Southern California at the right time, take the kids to JPL's open house or to Vandenberg's open house. Launch ballons with a camera on it and take pictures from the edge of space!
Just do something to get more and more people excited about space and going to Mars. Don't let kids think that Star Wars is the true model of space flight. Don't let people think we know everything there is to know about space. Just do something. Everyone who gives a crap about space should do something, and not just sit there.
I was thinking about the process followed after the launch and the discovery of insulation hitting the shuttle. Couldn't someone make a softball sized robot (USV?) that is remote controllable and has a camera? The astronauts can send the robot outside for inspections in case questions arise. I would assume this robot can perform a far better inspection than other techniques currently used (ground based cameras, satellites not in same orbit, etc)
Yeah, they can't fix the shuttle, but can't they send another shuttle up in an emergency time frame to rescue the others? Is there absolutely no contingency plans at all when the astronauts go up...
1. I would assume there is some type of "black box" that records shuttle data and voice comms, isn't there? That could help figuring out what happened if they get it.
2. Not to play monday morning quarterback, but couldn't NASA look at the Shuttle from the ground using high resolution cameras to inspect Shuttle damage? Didn't they inspect a shuttle like that once before?
3. Although I would assume a missing heat tile caused the destruction, and I don't feel comfortable hitting the conspiracy button, isn't there the possibility of sabotage from within? How many people have access to the Shuttles?
4. What happens to manned space flight now?
This is a very sad day for all, especially the astronauts and their families.
You seem to have left "American consumers" out of your list. Are these people unimportant in your political view?
Let's see. After you export steel workers, coal miners, automobile assembly workers, electronics parts builders, (now) programmers, fiduciary or financial people, etc etc etc and import illegal labor for landscaping, plumbers, carpenters, various clerical positions, etc etc etc, then will you please enumerate exactly who are these "American consumers" that you are referring to? I my area, the only "American Consumers" we have left are firemen, policemen, and federal government workers or contractors.
If some smoke-belching plant across a border can pay people $10/day and work them for 12 hour shifts And yet, strangely, there are workers who are willing to work under these conditions. It's almost as if this is the best choice that they have available to them and their families.
I guess all those years of fighting for a better environment means nothing to either those people or you.
My grandparents (who were immigrants) and my parents worked in low-paying-long-hour jobs that today are done by other (legal or illegal) immigrants. But ALL people want their children to achieve a more fullfilling life than what they may currently have. I see the exporting of all these jobs (high or low tech) to India, Mexico, etc. as a reversal of this dream. All the things my parents and grandparents have worked for are now being flushed down the toilet by a few people changing the rules of the economic game.
(big time rant on)Everyone keeps spouting off about economics, but the issue is how can we Americans compete where we set ourselves over the decades up in a sheltered economic environment, with our tons of environmental laws and layers upon layers of government and regulations. We take that and now say "here, compete against a country that has no environmental laws to speak of, no industrial safety regulations, no truckloads of government slobs with their hands in your pocket, people who are living hand to mouth, and compete with them." Um, yeah. Sure, the US economy will be rosy afterwards, but what about YOU? Why don't you get your fat geeky asses from behind that fucking computer and go to cities such as Detroit, Pittsburgh PA, and Johnstown PA and find out just what benefits the economy has for them after factories are moved overseas? And how does this relate to high tech jobs going to India? "First they came for the Jews. But I was not a Jew, so I did nothing." etc. God, if you were around these areas when the local economy tanked, you would see just how ringing these words are...
All you economics majors and Monday morning economics wanabees can just kiss my fucking ass. Damn... (rant off)
The truth is we import 68% more from Canada than from Mexico. What a spectacular failure for your theory.
You've obviously ignored importing cheap services due to illegal immigration. You obviously don't live in Texas or Southern California if you don't see what I mean. Last time I read an economics textbook, services rendered rank up there with durable goods in terms of contributing to the economy. Therefore, your conjecture is invalid. Next.
The reason wages are so high in the United States and that we can afford the niceties of pollution and safety regulations is that we are so much more productive.
Try because corporations are exporting pollution and move factories to more forgiving countries to work around safety regulations.
Hint: read in an economics textbook about wages and productivity.
Um... Yeah.
If (1) is true, then why would corporations invest in the USA (7)? In fact, corporations are sinking money into facilities overseas where they can get a greater return in their investment for dollars spent. This reasoning implies (8) and (9) are invalid also.
I know I'll get beaten up for this, but how about Java / Swing? One project I wrote had to work on W2K, Solaris, HPUX, and SCO. Plus, I had to use a C library to boot. Had to develop a client with tabbed pages, trees and grid controls with drop down lists within cells. What did I use? Java with the Swing GUI library. Although it had some limitations, I was able to successfully port the app across all machines with virtually no code change! I liked the Swing architecture much more than other libraries I've used.