AktoMan

Muppets Studio on YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:26:00 +0000

Happy New Year folks. An old friend sent me this through:

And then I noticed that the Muppets have a whole channel on YouTube for me to investigate. Yayyyy.

Early snow and a song

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 19:31:00 +0000

A bit brisk today. Out with the TNF Hedgehogs, overtrousers and fleece-lined jacket… and off to work.

Sadly the first snows have left one local fatality and a spate of accidents… so here’s a ‘transportation song’.

Seasons Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:37:00 +0000

Just back from holiday shopping and felt like posting something festive.

Solomon Burke RIP

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 11:40:00 +0000

After hearing the news today, I went looking on YouTube and found this clip:

After enjoying “The Blues Brothers” when it was re-released in the late 80’s, I tracked down as much of the music from it as I could. Sadly, I missed Solomon Burke until a few years ago.

So, when I’m marking this afternoon, I’ll dig out a couple of Solomon Burke CDs, and if I haven’t finished, it’ll be John Lee Hooker, Sam & Dave and some Elmore James, Aretha Franklin, Charlie Parker , The Band, Booker T, and some Motown and R&B classics (not the modern twaddle that calls itself R&B, but real Rhythm and Blues).

End of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:27:00 +0000

Well, that’s my Summer holidays over. Weighing myself this morning, I find that I’m now 6 kg lighter, which is 13 pounds in old money. I still need to lose it around the waist, but my belt has gone in 4 notches. And I feel better for it. A trip to Monymusk – which was always a strange name, and I had realised I had never gone there – found me in the ‘walled garden’ yesterday. I took some snaps to send to my parents, as I think they’d enjoy the place.

A trip down the road brought me to Pitfichie Forest and a short walk uphill to put things in perspective. Aberdeen became hidden and its location visible only by following the flightpath to Dyce. Two buzzards overhead were much more interesting than the mechanical sounds coming up from the road below the trees. It is nice to get some use from the suntan lotion, and to sit on a stone, snacking, watching the world go by.

A drive through Stornoway

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:15:00 +0000

A drive from Goat Island to the Tong Road end. Through Stornoway, Laxdale and part of Newmarket.

Filmed on HTC Desire.

Cloudy With a Chance of Stew

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Cloudy with a chance of soya stew. Using sunglass lens as a filter over the HTC Desire’s lens. And the FxCamera application.

Passing Place

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Sometimes we just need to pull over.

TiltShiftMaker

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:46:00 +0000

I got distracted by some of the cracking images at "Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography", and re-discovered tiltshiftmaker.com

I uploaded a photo from earlier in the week and started to modify the distortions. I’ll need to get some shots to specifically modify them for Tilt-Shift.

Brought to you by Wildroot Cream-Oil

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Rooting around in the old garage (technically it’s the newer garage, but it’s quite old now), I found a dvd boxed set of Richard Greene’s “The adventures of Robin Hood” from 1955. Huzzah and a round of the closing theme to chase away the bad weather …

It’s good for the garden

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:23:00 +0000

Another FxCamera snap from "ymst"'s Android app and my HTC Desire. Text added in post'.

Sun Rise

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:30:00 +0000

Being able to sleep with the skylight open meant that I was awoken by the glowing yellow ball of fire in the sky this morning. A quick check on Google Sky Map identified it as "The Sun". I dusted off dSLR and clattered out of the house, negotiating doorways while tripod bag was working loose from my shoulder.

Multi-Tasking

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:51:00 +0000

Well, the PC is downloading various updates and running a full AV sweep. The latest TWiT podcast is playing through the netbook and Linx B-tube. The HTC Desire is being recharged, and holding text chats. Between that and emailing, I'm at a loose end, so I get the shemagh out from my bag and refresh my memory on how to tie it. Badly, I think.

Beach ‘Droid

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Yesterday evening found me down at the beach with some time to kill, so I decided to compare the Polaroid-effect cameras that I have on my HTC Desire (running Android 2.1). I left the settings at Automatic White Balance, and clicked away.

RetroCamera: I like the interface, but there’s too much vignetting, and the AWB gave a blue tint in the evening’s light.

CameraZoom: takes a while to get to the ‘frameFX: (dated) Polaroid”, but there are good options there. Again, the AWB gave a blue tint in the evening’s light.

FxCamera: one click and the camera is ready to take pictures. I preferred the “aged” setting, and the frame set for “square”. The AWB setting gave a true interpretation of the colours that my eye saw.

I used the FxCamera (link) for a couple of snaps the next day. Here is one. I had to wait for the empty shot, as I really can’t be bothered with arguments over snapping the public. I wish that the resolution was higher as this is 480 x 566 pixels.

Out in the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Back from spending a day out in the sun at Balmedie and then the Sands of Forvie Nature Reserve, just up the coast from Aberdeen. Multiple coatings of sun lotion, especially as it was a windy day and very deceptive.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150, processed in Adobe Lightroom 3.

Bennachie 030710

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:52:00 +0000

Like a lot of people today, I went up Bennachie (Mither Tap). I promised myself (and a couple of people), that I’d do it over the weekend. I got to the peak in just under the hour, and found myself running along some of the downhill stretches. And to think that some people mocked me when I got factor 30 sunblock. A fun morning out.

Most photos taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150. Some with HTC Desire and Camera Pro app. Adobe Lightroom 3 arrived yesterday, so I’ve used that for the first time today. Shiney.

Evening at the beach

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:12:00 +0000

Down at the beach last night as the sun disappeared into the heavy clouds.

Photo taken with HTC Desire.

British Armed Forces and Veterans Day Parade

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Yesterday’s parade in some more detail. Faces, caps, badges and medals.

Some more photographs are across at Flickr.

British Armed Forces and Veterans Day Parade

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Just a taster of some photos from the British Armed Forces and Veterans Day parade along Union Street in Aberdeen.

Canon 40d with Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens. JPGs resized via Windows.

Cricket on the Links

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:54:00 +0000

On the way back from the beach, I stopped to watch the cricket. I just couldn’t find a combination that worked for me, and not being able to see the results of the shots on the lcd plate was a problem. Something to sort out for next time.

Aberdeen Beach

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:31:00 +0000

After a trip up town (unsuccessfully trying to get a couple of padded lens cases), I dined and then went down to the beach. I was on the prowl for surfers, taking my 55-200mm Tamron lens, but only saw some fast-moving jet ski-ers. Too fast for my limited skills. I took a few shots, including the one of pebbles – which seems to hang on some people’s walls. Peculiar. I must get round to replacing some of my faded prints with some of my own photos.

Music to edit by

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:46:00 +0000

Editing some of today’s photos and just had to dig out this:

Carnie Wood, near Elrick

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:45:00 +0000

An evening with the midges in Carnie Wood, getting to grips with my newly arrived Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens. I didn’t spot any squirrels, but plenty of flying things, big and small. A very well looked after piece of woodland. [maplink]

Next time, I make sure there’s midge-repellent in the car.

Fleeting sadness

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:11:00 +0000

The fleeting height of being a sad git. Becoming Mayor of my work through foursquare. Oooh yah.

The phone is my HTC Desire in a skin.

Auld Reekie

noreply@blogger.com (AktoMan) — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:35:00 +0000

The alarm goes off early. I hit snooze. I then thing “did I hit snooze, or did I just switch the alarm off?” So I get out of bed, so I don’t fall asleep and miss my train. The alarm goes off when I’m shaving.

The trip down is good, and I listen to 2 1/2 albums on my HTC Desire, and the battery only goes down a wee notch.

As the train nears Montrose, I recall that it was the TGO Challenge dinner last night, and text Darren (he’d have been awake anyway), and say I’ll keep an eye out. I see one chap with rucksack on the platform, as he moves, there’s a flash of a t-shirt. He gets into the same carriage, and sits near me. I don’t recognise him, and leave him to stare at the beautiful Scottish scenery. Thinking that he’s thinking “I walked across that”, resolves me to my Summer plans of getting out to the ‘Gorms. But I’ve been there before. As the train nears the end of the line at Edinburgh, I say a few words to him. It’s JH on his way back to Taunton. We’d had chats on forums in times past. Hand shakes hand, and he’s off to wait for his train, while I wait for an old University pal.

The rest of the morning/afternoon is spent chewing the fat and buying books. I’ve a cold and he’s got things on his mind, but it’s fun to catch up again. Waterstones is raided, and I apologise to the lass at the till for leaving big gaps in their Scots poetry section:

“Gair nan Clarsach/The Harps’ Cry”, ed by Colm O Baoill, translated by Meg Bateman [Birlinn]
“Duanaire na Sracaire/Songbook of the Pillagers”, ed Wilson McLeod and Meg Bateman [Birlinn]
“Chuckies fir the Cairn”, ed Rab Wilson [Luath] – purely for the title

At the nearby gallery I get Walter Benjamin’s “The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction”, and Elisabeth Couturier’s “Talk about design”. I have a hankering for something new to get me motivated.

On the way back, I switch on GPS (for 5-10 minutes) and wifi and download app updates on 3g and reply to emails … and watch the battery life drain down to the orange warning. Switching off the power-hungry apps, I settle into 30 minutes of an audiobook on MortPlayer, and reading a PDF book. The battery life remains steady.

I do notice that the image above appears much sharper on the HTC Desire’s AMOLED screen than it does on the LG LCD monitor at home. I looked at file sizes and ruled out a quality difference, as the file on the phone and the file on the pc were identical copies. All I can think of is the difference in screen quality. Or maybe it is something else.