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Hey - at least we are number one in the search results --- over the actual manufactures site.-- Need to work on their SEO as well.

Deconstructed Sushi? Red, White and Blue Apple Pie. 'Murica.

Installed a new wifi access point. Internet connection looks pretty solid!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Yesterday was certainly an eventful one ...and not for me, if you take my meaning. Someone posted this meme edit in a discord and I yoinked it on the spot.

*adjusts tinfoil hat* It's not just about stealing Venezuelan oil (and whatever other natural resources that are a bonus). What we're seeing here is an attempt to "stabilize" the world's oil market using Venezuela as a buffer when we destabilize things by attacking Iran.

Straight out of camera jpegs. I don't think I have settings right, as these jpegs are small (despite being on the "fine" setting); the RAWs are huge. I would have been better off shooting with my Q at 1.7, instead of the 100RF at 4, but c'est la vie.

Dead Like Me

I don't think we'll stop at the oil.

Since it sits across the 10k to ground from the cathode, it acts as a cathode bypass cap. Many things are said with emphasis in tube amp forums about how such caps influence the sound and whether they should be there or not if one wants further reading. However, if you choose to have one, the important bit is that a small value like 0.47uf will reduce the bass frequencies quite a bit. Typical values applied to avoid that are 47uf and 100uf.

RIP Carl (December) Great roller skating tune from back in the day.

Finished watching the Beast in Me on Netflix, I have to tell you a must watch.

I think you mean New Texas.

Late picture, and a little burnt, but it was delicious.

I don't do new year resolutions. However, I now have one for 2026. Eat more Korean food.

Today NASA hosted a chat session with my nephew. We got to catch up with him, talk about things he's doing, etc. He took us on a bit of a tour and we got to see his view from ISS. And....fancy that....the world really IS round! 🤣 'Twas very very cool! Pics are screen captures, and video quality was so-so. But wow.....

michika: chill mix with Japanese grandpa at a stationery shop

Santa brought me a shiny new A7V and some Batis lenses after the old D810 stopped working recently. Nice to pick up a camera again.

Cats, squirrels and other critters will have to wait. Let's talk about using an unnecessarily shallow depth of field. Last night it was cold AF, especially by Vineyard standards. In spite of that, I picked one of my new lenses, bundled up and went downtown. Zero points for guessing which one I chose. As I have said repeatedly, the list of things that have encountered in my life that lived up to the hype were (in no order): Citizen Kane, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Biosphere's Substrata, Tapatio hot sauce and the Canon EF 85mm F/1.2L (II). I last shot with the 85L in 2009, when it was a relatively new lens. Also, when I was a young, spry man in his 30s who had no problem lugging around a glass boat anchor + camera body for hours on end. The 85L is so comically fat, it changes the entire shooting experience. The balance of the camera feels different. Every shot takes just a bit more effort. I actually find it easier to hold things steady for longer exposures than with some lighter lenses. Of course, the depth of field is (to use the technical term) non-fucking-existent. I'm not old. You're old. (This joke works a lot better on places that aren't Head-Case.) Shot wide-open because I can. Downtown EDG's Christmas decorations (which are so famous, people come from all over the world for the "Christmas in Edgartown" first lighting.) TBH this is not a terribly compelling shot. It does look a bit like a still from a movie. Same idea, reflected off a truck. There's no real artistry to the wafer thin DoF, but it looks neat. It actually takes a fair amount of work (and some luck) to use such a shallow plane of focus effectively. I actually really like these two. The ornaments are sufficiently in focus, and the background is a warm cozy dream. The way I describe the 85L's handling of OOF highlight is that it paints them. It looks like a less cloying version of a Hallmark card. That's about it from an hour's walk. My hit rate was abysmal. Not terrible surprising, as I was shooting in Program mode with auto ISO. The 5D kept the 85 at max aperture and 1/80th shutter speed, while it adjusted auto ISO on the fly. Most of the Christmas lights are LED, and strobe at 60Hz. This effect is noticeable to the naked eye and super obvious in photos. I have two shots of the same doorway where one strand is out and then other. It looks comically bad. Also, while the 85L's shallow DoF is amusing, it's not reliably useful. It turns out that having more than a paper sheet's worth of a frame in-focus is good idea. Who knew? If it's not so ball freezingly cold, I'm going to back out and shoot more lights. I won't lug the 85 again. 35 years ago I dislocated my left shoulder and it never healed correctly. It was in absolute agony by the end of last night. If I'm smart, I'll take my OG 50mm F/1.8 (arguably the best lens I own for actually taking photos and not dicking around.) The 17-40mm is also a great walkaround lens. Modern bodies have sufficient high ISO performance that it's F/4 aperture is not a problem. I also have a strong notion to make use of the 135 F/2L. It's not as over the top as the 85L (what is, this side of Leica?) but its optical qualities are legendary.

Well, you could sit in non moving traffic on 101 for about an hour and a half while 5 lanes filter into 1 flooded lane as motorists warely make their way through it. Highway 101, gas station in Larkspur, Corte Madera area flooded following storm - ABC7 San Francisco https://share.google/aOfzvsGh2LXsSjdjg No shit, King Tide Sherlock https://local.nixle.com/alert/12104315/?sub_id=0

I know how that is tice.. on my land. The other night: bigger than it looks {3' diameter}. My trailer back left. Two nights later. Just outside my front door... {about 120'+} taking out a chunk of my neighbor's fence. Last night at about 1:30 am, a 100' tree on the other neighbor's property came crashing down. Lucky it didn't hit anything, But about 10° difference from where it fell and it could have easily taken out my truck. let's just say I'm not going to park it anywhere close to that area anymore. On a positive note, I do have a tree guy coming on Monday and for a pile of cash, he is going to take out six trees on my property alone plus two more on the neighbor's. It does not mean that I will sleep more soundly when it's windy at night. but it will reduce the danger of major impact by a small percentage.

I think to understand that we'd first have to declare war. Right now we have a president (and military frankly) performing unsanctioned and unauthorized (and from all I can tell unprovoked) military actions. It's mind boggling.

Actually yesterday, not today. I got up early on my 4 day holiday weekend, and decided to get my laundry done early. So loaded up the laundry and Maki and headed to the laundromat in Fairfax. Got it done and headed back home to Nicasio. Halfway home, on Nicasio Valley Rd. saw flashing lights.... Had to turn back and go the long way around. On Lucas Valley Rd. I had to stop briefly for an overturned car. Luckily no more blockages, and got home to discover that I still had power. Could have been much worse.