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Finished putting the new grill together I owned two original Weber kettles previously and loved how they performed as grills. But the original had two major problems. First, the ash collection was simply awful it was exposed and removing the ash tray was an ordeal. No longer … Both the original premium and the Master-touch have the new and improved ah collection. The second problem was adding charcoal during the cook as you had to lift up the main cooking grill. That is no longer a problem on the Master-touch with side panel hinged grates It also has the gourmet BBq system that allows you to remove the center section and replace it with another option such as the griddle a wok, pizza stone or sear grate it also has a removable heating grate So all-in-all it is a pretty nice upgrade from the last Weber kettle I used.

Nice Weber Kettle. There is a company called Spider Grills that sells an attachment for the Kettle 22'' that turns it into a pellet smoker. They are backordered at the moment. If I didn't have a Solo Grill, I would probably grab the Weber and add the pellet smoker attachment. Enjoy!

My ex used to do rallies like that when she was young. She had a real knack for that sort of thing (she could guess most dinner bills to within a dollar, and usually got it closer). Also, billiards (the whole thing about rebounding and getting it as close as possible, but not touching... Sounds like a blast! Do get someone who is good at simple math like that. You can speed, but only if you're making up for lost time.

I picked up this tin can a few months ago to learn how to turn....LOL. It's a '91 (aka NA model). Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. It's going to be about 100 degrees when I track it this week. I need to get a Cool Shirt system installed or my butt may turn into a puddle in the mean spirited race seat... HS

Congrats on the '91 NA Miata. She's a beauty! Dedicated track rats usually modify the suspension (tires!), brakes, and cooling first before touching the powerplant. The Miata has huge aftermarket support and a bunch of official Spec Miata racing series as well as decades of excellence in grassroots racing. If I was going to tinker on one (with some money), I'd get the older 2016-2018 MX-5 RF, as Mazda increased engine power in the 2019 onwards cars. Upgrading to forced induction and coilovers would increase speed and flatten the body motion Mazda engineered into the ND MX-5 suspension. The MX-5 RF is generally considered a hard top at least for lapping days, so you wouldn't need to install a roll bar or cage until reaching higher levels of competition.

Great points again. That chassis can handle a good bit more power but it is very balanced stock. There are a few guys I’ve seen at the track with power adders and/or built motors in their Miata’s and they are a lot faster. I expect they beefed up braking too. HS

That’s a great point. The HP rating on my Miata is nothing short of hilarious. It forces one to not over drive the car as one learns (eg braking and reaccelerating. HS

I've been a passenger around the racetrack in both the Mazda Miata and a Porsche Cayman... you can go so deep into the curves and out very fast. Great cars for lapping and competing. Obviously, the Miata has the advantage in cost and weight, but it doesn't have enough power for some.

Halibut Risotto

Test post to see how the forum handles the Tak Tik: (Ed: looks like it works - sound on)

I survived my first HPDE track weekend with the Audi Club up at Thunderhill Raceway. What a cool track. Way out away from the Bay Area but lots of interesting elevation changes. Coming over the hills on some of the blind corners requires guts when you can't see what is ahead of you. My goodness, that was fun. I was so glad to have explored my limits and my car doing autocross before getting out there on the big track with other drivers. Knowing what my tires and brakes can and cannot do helped a lot. Audi Club was really accommodating to us first timers. Only the most advanced drivers and the instructors are allowed to go out solo. Every one else has an instructor riding along in the right seat. I really enjoyed the coaching and we were able to pick up pace each session out there. Unlike autocross, you get a ton of seat time doing HPDE. There were 4 26-minute sessions each day split between the morning and afternoon. 26 minutes goes by in a blink when you are locked in and focused. Driving on a race track at pace... oh my god is it fast. I was very nervous to start and only started to relax after a few sessions. Driving in traffic on track was also new to me. The speeds you can get up to out there are no joke. I hit 130 on the front straight before I started to be a bit more judicious and easy on my brakes by coasting a bit once I hit triple digits. I used to wonder how people memorize all the corners, but after two days on track and a bunch of study time I could recite them from memory with my eyes closed. Lots of fun... also very expensive. I bought a full track day policy just in case, and my tires and brake pads are pretty well used up and will need to be replaced this week. They call them consumables for a reason, but the butchers bill from my mechanic shop is not going to be pretty. Can't wait to get back out there in the fall!

I've been watching the Fujifilm X-Series cameras for years... the new X-S20 and the older X-T30 II are the kind of cameras at the top of my list. 📷

Both of those also show as discontinued on BH Photo and elsewhere. Do you know if there current models that are equivalents? Also, if somebody here has an X100V they want to offload, let me know. My daughter has been trying to find one and luckily dodged a FB Marketplace scam.

But it's also great, as it allows you to use the full power of the engine and drivetrain when you can (i.e., full pedal travel). I think Mazda kept the basic power of the Miata engine the same for very good reasons (yes, they released the turbo Mazdaspeed in 2004-2005), because it works for the chassis and the intent of the car. Fun, but not overpowered like modern sports cars. People have certainly increased engine power in the Miata with turbos, superchargers, and engine swaps (including rotary engines), but it's important to be mindful of the overall balance of the drivetrain... putting a 500 horsepower engine in a stock Miata is just asking for trouble. A few competitors have risen to challenge the Miata, but none of them beats the Miata at its brief: an inexpensive, reliable sports car for everyone (Miata Is Always The Answer). The Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ is certainly a great coupe, adding passenger space and practicality, but it lacks the reliability and fuel economy of the Miata. Likewise with hot hatches like the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai Elantra N, Volkswagen Golf R, Subaru WRX (sedan), and Toyota GR Corolla... they are fast and fun, but not rear-wheel-drive like the Miata, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Camaro (heavier cars).

thats close to what I used and should work fine. I used 190Vac 0.18A for the 220VDC rail

^^^ Fancy.

So I'm on 128kbps internet for the next 10 or so days. It's like a certain 1994 FSOL album up in this piece. With that said, here's a paradoxical sounding Quick Slow:

Milo and I reorganized my van. It's tough to see from the pictures, but we built a box under the existing shelf/table I built over 4 years ago. It's divided into 2 large cubicles on the bottom, and a shallow open shelf above those. It holds a lot of tool bags! And we made it just deep enough that there's room for my Makpac boxes on the other side. Then in the back, we built a shelf between my metal shelves. It sets over the metal shelves with angle iron on each side, so it can be removed if necessary. Lot's of tool storage under and on that shelf. And now I can just slide my chopsaw stand and saw horses on that shelf, instead of having to strap them in upright. So much easier. Especially putting tools away at the end of a long day.

Took the S.M.A.R.T. train from Larkspur to Santa Rosa For the Railroad Square Music Festival https://www.railroadsquaremusicfestival.com/ Where there was plenty to enjoy. And a variety of bands On multiple stages. We also enjoyed food and drink in other Santa Rosa locations. But now we are heading home on the last southbound train of the day. Overall, I'm impressed by the system, the ride quality and the quietness of the (Japanese) Rolling stock. The system has been several decades in the making, and I wish it well. The sad part is what we have lost, and are unlikely to see again, If you consider the electrified rail network that existed previously.

I'd watch those guys wherever they went, nothing like some good ol' drinking game camera comedy. I just hope the wealth of info on DPR doesn't disappear forever. Between the forum, sample galleries, studio tests, there is so much useful knowledge there that deserves to be preserved. It's the single best archive of information of the digital photography era.

It's pouring rain here on MV today, so I'm doing the logical thing and avoiding housework by teaching myself about iOS camera apps. At this point I am outright allergic to the pseudo-HDR tone mapping the default iOS camera app produces. The initial problem I'm encountering is how many apps are video focussed. IDGAF about video beyond the most basic functionality. I'm a still photographer. Also some of these apps have a subscription model. There are quite a few iOS camera app reviews on the YouTubes. For some reason, ever single one I've watched so far has been by somone with an impressively thick accent. This poses a problem for me, as I'm dyslexic and have poor auditory processing of language. (That backwars R thing is a pop culture trope. Not being able to understand WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE ON ABOUT because of background noise is very real.) So my top choice is Pro Camera by Moment. It's reasonably priced and has the basic features I want (manual controls mostly.) There are a few iAPs (as are present everywhere it seems) but they're not expensive. I also bought Hipstamatic Classic. Now that we're upwards of a dozen years past the faux retro plague that took over mobile photography and lead to ...Instagram, I figure it's high time for me to buy a toy camera app. To be fair, I was making fake lo-fi images before it was cool. There are of course many other camera apps out there, but it takes me a while to get familiar with things, so I'm going to limit myself to those two for a while. I am curious about Halide, which has very good reviews. I have some doubts about their iAPs so I'm passing for now. Also I swear I'm either going to buy a either Canon mirrorless and EOS adapter or a fucking Leica before I turn 50.

I should do a second post on 2009 at some point. With that said, Couple Finds Trove of 2,000 Cameras and Lenses in Storage Unit. Right here in MA.

2009 was one of the craziest years of my life, paralleling 1996. I should do a photo essay on it. That'd take more time than I have, so here's a Cliff's Notes version. The year started fairly inertly, with snow and ice: I took a photo of my room that was utterly unrepresentational of its cleanliness: That's my then-new late 2008 Macbook. Then I had some vintage Mac gear restored: I pestered a sleepy cat with a Canon 85mm F/1.8: I let my friend use my 17-40L with his 5D Mk II: I experimented with sun stars: I got my first (of 3) IR-modified digital cameras: I experimented with zoom bursts: ...with mixed success. I mucked about with HDR, as I had done for years: I met a pretty German woman who worked as a waitress in the local diner I haunted throughout the 00s: Then things got interesting, but that tale is going to have to wait for a later post.

I've been going over some photos I took in October 2009, when I got my filthy paws on an 85L for a day or so. Even with my 30D's never particularly good sensor, I am amazed at what that lens can do. Any HCers who have a Canon body, you owe it to yourself to rend an 85L for a few days. It's among my list of things that lived up to the hype, which includes HD-650s (in 2004 terms), Ardbeg Uigeadail, Tapatio hot sauce, Citizen Kane and Biosphere's Substrata. These are some of the lesser shots I took in '09. I rejected them at the time, but I'm much better at editing photos now than I was then. I made heavy use of Topaz DeNoise AI, Luminar 4 and a totally paid for copy of Photoshop 2022. Not a very good shot. The vinetting is caused my OOF, unlit people in the crowd. They make an interesting framing device. It's just a mirror ball. Did I ever mention I took an 85L to a jello wrestling event at goth night? This shot was moments before this woman pulled the announcer into the pit with her. Unreality. Heavily processed with Topaz, Luminar 4 and a lookup table. This is is a very silly edit, but it does show off the 85L's wafer thin DoF but also it's glorious redition of OOF areas. That aspheric element is Japanese magic. Another not very good shot. The 30D sucks at ISO1600. Also the framing is awful. Again, the OOF areas are excellent. More unreality. I'm having fun with the 85L's tiny DoF (notice the Apple logos are not in focus, as is most of the laser.) I ran this one through Topaz, Luminar 4, then Topaz again. Lumianr's pseudo HDR processing really amps up the luminance noise. The woman who founded the NoHo goth night announcing the winner of the jello wrestling event. I denoised it and applied a lookup table, but the end result actually doesn't look that different than the original. I will win no awards for framing here. I've got a dozen or so more shots to go through and finish editing.

In the off chance anyone is curious about the above shows, hit both today and experimented a little with the 14 Pro Max, 48MP (then downsized on output), and ProRaw. The Fraenkel show I had to myself.

I was explaining to my (sainted, octogenarian) mother the different focal length lenses for 35mm cameras and their usages. I quoted a famous and incredibly pithy piece of writing from Mike Johnston of The Online Photographer. In early 2009 (almost 14 years ago to the day) Mike went over every common focal length for 35mm lenses. A worrisome facet of the Information Age is that things are a lot less permanent than we thought. In spite of massive tech companies indexing and archiving goddamn everything, there's a lot fairly recent internet content that is gone or nearly gone. It took me entirely too long to find Mike's list, which is related to both its current scarcity and how crap Google search results are in 2023. With that said, I repost this here for posterity's sake: USES AND APPLICATIONS OF 35mm LENSES Fisheye: No known uses, except to illustrate fisheye effects in photo how-to books. Ultra-wide rectilinears wider than 19mm: Occasional interiors. Also used to stump gearheads trying to find stuff to photograph with the things. Ultra-wide-angle (19, 20, 21, or 24mm): One of the four of five essential lenses for pros, broadly useful for artists and accomplished amateurs. Used for landscapes, interiors, street shooting, crowd shots, etc. Also used by bored amateurs as the next thing to covet for purchase. Despite the ubiquity of this focal length, relatively few photographers are practiced enough or visually acute enough to use this type of lens effectively; lots more people own these than do good work with them. See Brian Bowers’ Leica books for a rare example of a scenic photographer who actually sees well with a 21mm. Ultra-wide-angle zoom (wide end 20mm or wider): Useful for when the photographer would like to carry one heavy lens instead of three light ones, or has a breezy, devil-may-care attitude towards flare effects. Secondary “CYA” lens for pros who aren’t great with wide angles in the first place. (Exceptions do exist.) Also sometimes paired with a fast 80-200mm zoom as a professional’s only two lenses. Wide angles: Now that 24mm is more often lumped with 20mm and 35mm has become an alternative “normal” focal length, this class has contracted down to one fixed focal length, 28mm. Useful as a do-anything lens (especially for street and art photography, photojournalism, faux photojournalism, and environmental portraits) where a wide “look” is desired, and/or to complement a 50mm main lens, and/or for pressing into service in place of a super-wide when the photographer does not own same. Shift lenses: Buildings. Used for the overcorrection of convergence caused by perspective. Ditto, but with tilt: Ditto above, plus landscapes with tons of foreground and tables laden with food. All-purpose 28-200mm zoom lenses: Bad snapshots. Also great for making five rolls of film last a whole year. All-purpose = no purpose. Wide normal primes (35mm): Alternative normal. Often, the thing replaced by a zoom. Easiest focal length to shoot with. Best focal length for Leicas. Not really "wide" by today’s standards, 35mm is an alternative normal. Leica M6, 35mm pre-ASPH., Ilford XP-2. “Pancake” Tessar-types, usually 45mm: Good for lightening the burden of photographers who would rather not carry an SLR at all. Normal/standard (50mm): Useful for taking photographs, if you have a thick skin. When used exclusively, classic “hair shirt” lens for disciplining oneself needlessly. Strangely, when in skilled hands, can mimic moderate wide angles as well as short telephotos. According to one far Eastern expert, lower yield of usable shots than 35mm lens, but higher yield of great shots. Second best focal length for a Leica. Standard 55–58mm: Shows you use a really, really old camera. Macros/micros: Flowers, bugs, eyeballs, eyelashes, small products, tchotchkes. Dew-covered spider webs, frost patterns on windowpanes. Great hobby lenses, as macro photographers are among the only happy photo enthusiasts. Also much utilized by photography buffs who like to test lenses. Superfast normals (ƒ/1, ƒ/1.2): Used for people who like limited depth of field, as well as for people who like to complain about limited depth of field. Also, especially when aspherical elements are involved, an effective way to vaporize excess cash for almost no good reason. Standard zooms (35-70mm, 28-105mm, 35-135mm, etc.): Used for taking pictures in bright light — mainly snapshots, scenics, cars, travel pictures, semi-naked women, underexposed pictures, and pictures blasted by uncontrolled on-camera flash. Evidently very useful for clichés. Sometimes used to remove interchangeability feature from interchangeable-lens cameras. Fast medium zooms: For pros, bread-and-butter lenses. For amateurs, often left at home rather than lugged around all day. If very expensive, big, and heavy, may be almost as good and almost as fast at any given focal length as cheap fixed primes. Good for making both hobbyists and their portrait subjects feel self-conscious. Short teles (75, 77, 80, 85, 90, 100, or 105mm): Portraits, tight landscapes, headshots, beauty and glamor. In skilled hands, can be used for general and art photography, photojournalism. Essential. 135mm prime: Little owned, less used. Became a standard 35mm focal length when rangefinders were the main camera type because it’s the longest focal length that is feasible on a rangefinder. Now vestigial, like a male’s nipples. Fast 180mm or 200mm prime: Longest general use lens for photojournalism. Sports, beauty, auto races, surveillance in film noire. Slow 180mm or 200mm prime: Lightweight and easy to carry. May project a certain “image,” i.e. that you are poor or cheap. Standard telephoto zoom (70 or 80 to 180, 200, or 210): Whether slow or fast, indispensable for most photographers, amateur or pro. Used for all kinds of action, activity, fashion, portrait, headshot, reportage, sports, wildlife, landscape, and nature photography. Covers all the telephoto range most photographers ever need, at least until they become afflicted by the terrible urge to photograph birds. IS (Canon) or VR (Nikon) standard telephoto zoom: Same as above, but for photographers who drink lotsa coffee and/or do crank. Fast 300mm: Fashion, catalog, runway, sports, nature, air shows. Important lens for pros, also for nature photographers. Tough for amateurs unless shooting surreptitious faces in crowds or critters. Status symbol. As fashion, looks grand when accessorizing a photo vest. Super-telephoto zooms (to 300mm or more on long end): For adjusting FOV when standpoint is constrained. Replaces several heavy primes. Sometimes pressed into service by amateurs who have burr up ass about having all focal lengths “covered.” 400mm: Critters, sports, and birds. Landscapes, if you’re a nut. Also good for photographing football games when you don’t want the picture to show a dang thing about what’s going on. 500mm: Critters and birds. Money laundering: can be bought and sold to placate wife about questionable expenses. “But I sold one of my lenses to pay for it, honey, honest.” 600mm: Critters. 1200mm: No known uses. — Mike Johnston _____________________________________________________ "Uses and Application of 35mm Lenses" is taken from Issue #7 ofThe 37th Frame, which I hope to send in early September. There are two companion articles, "Choosing Lenses: What’s Seeing Got to Do with It?" and "Why a 35mm is the Best Lens for a Leica." The Issue also contains a number of lens reviews, plus a long article about the new Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH. To subscribe, go towww.37thframe.com.If you’re already a subscriber and haven’t gotten Issue #6 yet, please don’t despair — I’m making steady progress in contacting people and setting up accounts. If you do not receive an e-mail from me, you will receive a letter. Thanks for being patient! --- The frequency with which I use the expression "the terrible urge to photograph birds" defies probability.

Just about every full frame digital camera ever made is still worth using to this day. There are a few exceptions, the original Leica M8 was more or less a steaming pile of garbage. It had a host of dealbreaking problems, from exposure inconsistency, UV sensitivity, color rendition, to a very slow and clunky UI. It was an insult to buyers of a $5500 (in 2006 dollars) digital camera that bore the Leica name and could mount some of the greatest 35mm glass in the world. Fortunately, the M8 is an exception. Most full frame digital cameras (SLR or otherwise) are still a blast to use. Even older cropped sensor cameras with swappable glass are still good for subjects that are far away. I have an OG Canon 5D (that is, ahem, IR modified) that I am going to dig out, clean off and fire up this spring. 12MP is still plenty for my purposes and a full frame sensor plus a wide zoom (in my case 17-40mm) is just too much fun. Unedited photo, straight out of the camera. Fussed over in Photoshop. Meow.

Threat Level Midnight

you are going to need a pile of floating filament transformers. although now that SumR has finally produced transformers that are the right voltage and run cool this is easy. this one has regulated 300v and RCLCC high voltage supplies each with tube diodes. that is 2 more transformers. This one is 211 watts. A standard T2 is about 250 watts. replacing the current sources with tubes will add another 80 watts. and lots more physical space. and more filament transformers This modified to fit amplifier board will not be published and would be useless to everyone. The standard amp board should be used. The 300v regulated tube board with the tube hv diodes would be publishable once i put all the tube sockets back on standard distances. The hv power supply board would be publishable if people are interested. both of these would only be released to people who promise not to let them fall into the hands of FUCKING INCOMPETENT MORONS.

It's an optional 5v regulator (LM7805CDT) to power the delay timer. You can also use an external supply for the that. I've set this up so you can use either the built in current regulator on the grhv78xxx or the 08N100D as an external regulator.

Former Olympic champion Tori Bowie https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/12/former-olympic-champion-tori-bowie-died-in-childbirth-according-to-autopsy