LouCeeL

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 21:13:00 +0000

For many years there has been the constant dialogue (that started in the 35mm film world) that came under the heading "Canon vs Nikon." I never paid that much attention - everybody had their faves and mine was (and is) the highly underrated Konica 35mm system. That said, I now own some Canon, Nikon, Konica and Minolta 35mm stuff and to my mind, it's hard to call one "ever so much better" than the others. Each had several classes of equipment. Each had Professional quality stuff. As far as I'm concerned, it's really just a matter of very personal preference.

However. (you KNOW there's an "however" - there's always an however)

This same discussion exists in the Digital Camera world and the number of players, major players, is down to two. Canon vs Nikon.

I own a Canon 60D and a Nikon D200. I don't have a whole bunch of money at my disposal, so the equipment I have to play with is very limited; judgments are to be taken with a grain of salt.

Over the next few days and/or weeks, I plan to explore the capabilities of these two cameras (both of which are really nice, btw) with an eye to what it is that separates them most: quality of images, and quality of manufacture.

In some ways this is going to be an "apples and oranges" situation. The systems are widely separated by specifications, and yet the images they can produce are remarkable. The Canon is an 18 megapixel APS-C sensor. The Nikon is a 10.2 megapixel DX sensor, which is essentially the same physical size as the Canon's. Both are 2.5 time smaller than a full frame sensor (full frame sensors are the same size as 35mm film).

In my next post, we will talk about pitch - how large and how close together the individual pixel elements are - and how and why that affects the quality of image.

Ndinombethe. (as I go, I am wearing you)

Scratching an Old Itch

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 22:46:00 +0000

Many years ago (1978 in fact) I purchased a camera at Colonial Camera on Burlington Avenue in Berwyn, Illinois. A Konica T4. A beautiful black baby with a nice, fast 50mm lens and an Autowinder.

For many years this was my one and only camera, and over time I've added parts and pieces (lenses and filters and such) to the camera to enhance its functionality. And it did what I needed it to do whenever I put it to a task.

A few years back I got lead away from film photography and into Digital. The funny thing is that digital is so easy, so immediate, I learned more about photography than in all the books I'd read and classes I'd taken, ever.

In the back of my mind, however, lurked my T4. Unused. Unloved. And alone.

One of the things I'd always wanted for the T4, which remained unfulfilled due to the expense involved, was to have a backup camera. I've always wanted one, and for the longest time I couldn't find one in good shape at a reasonable price. It became an itch I needed to scratch.

I haunted eBay. Craigslist. Shopgoodwill.com. Never found what I was looking for.

The T4 never sold like it should have - could have, had it been handled by a different stateside distributor. But they were wrapped up with Canon and the Konica stuff was left on its own, and sales suffered for it. Which makes Konica equipment rather rare and hard to find, today.

But.

I found a camera body and winder on eBay, bought them as a single unit, and waited for them to arrive.

Today they did. And they are GREAT. Everything works and functions properly. Light meter in the camera. Winder, with fresh AA batteries. And I am so happy.

My itch has been scratched. Big time. And it feels great.

I have more itches to scratch. But that's another story.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Dark Matter - or - things I think about.

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 22:14:00 +0000

Our galaxy is about 100,000 light years across and it takes our sun about 240 million years to complete an orbit around the galactic center. It's also about 20,000 light years THICK, with it's mass, apparently, concentrated in a thin central plane. Our galaxy is made of stuff we can see, touch and feel. And stuff we can't.

There's this stuff out there we know exists because we can see the effects of its gravity. But that's all we can see. It is, for all practical intents and purposes, invisible. It's called Dark Matter, a poor choice of names, for sure, because it gives the wrong impression of what it is and does. It's NOT DARK. It's invisible. We see right through it, it flows right through us without effect, and yet, without it our galaxy would fly to pieces.

If you compare the orbital speeds of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, you'll notice a trend. The farther from the Sun you are, the slower the orbital speed around the Sun.

Mercury - 47.87 km/s
Venus - 35.02 km/s
Earth - 29.78 km/s
Mars - 24.007 km/s

This decline in orbital speed the farther from the center you are does not hold on a galactic scale, however. It was noticed that the stars of the galaxy orbit at constant speeds, no matter what their position within the galaxy. A star at the outer edge of the galaxy was orbiting at the same speed as stars closer in. Something we couldn't see was holding the galaxy together. The stars at the outer edge of the galaxy are orbiting so fast they should just fly off into intergalactic space. And yet, they don't.

Our galaxy lives in a huge bubble of invisible matter whose gravity serves to bind the galactic pieces together. This matter is over, under, around and through everything and, it is now thought, there is a concentration of this invisible stuff that lies along the galactic plane, just like the stuff of the galaxy that we can see.

So. I told you all that to tell you this:

The Sun, our Sun, oscillates up and down across the galactic plane every 70 million years or so. So, every 35 million years, our solar system crosses the plane of the galaxy, and some now think that this is when elements of the solar system are perturbed to the point they fall in toward the Sun. And maybe impact the Earth. And cause extinctions. But the real question is, what stops the Sun from just flying off into Inter-Galactic space? It has been proposed that the concentration of Dark Matter along the galactic plane keeps the Sun from flying off - that the extra gravity of this invisible matter keeps us home, within that 20,000 light year thickness of the galactic plane.

It's an unfortunate term, Dark Matter. It's really so much more. And so much more important than its name implies.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Haiku Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 04:20:00 +0000

The boys play baseball the fans, in the stands, stand, cheer urging them onward.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Haiku Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 05:01:00 +0000

anyone notice John Kerry looks like Oddo? Or is it just me?
For those who are NOT Star Trek:Deep Space Nine fans, Oddo was a character on the show - an alien (a changeling, actually) with very odd human-like features.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Old Habits

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 23:03:00 +0000

They say "Old Habits Die Hard".

Apparently, they aren't resuscitated any easier than they die.

Today is Friday. Notice anything missing? See anything broken, like a promise?

First chance out of the box and I blew it. Friday 12:01am came and went and no "Haiku Friday".

Mea Culpa, mea culpa. For any non-catholics, that means "my fault".

I WILL do better.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Waste?

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 02:44:00 +0000

Things I like to think about.

There's this asteroid called Bennu, and there's a one in two thousand chance it's going to impact Earth. Based on those odds, NASA has launched (on my birthday, which is cool) a probe to study the asteroid so as to determine its surface and composition. Knowing those things, then, scientists hope to determine the best way to deflect the asteroid and prevent an impact with Earth.

At the very least, an ambitious and laudable goal.

However.

NASA has included a device to sample the surface of the asteroid and return that sample to the Earth for study - the aim of the study is to see if organics are found on the asteroid, thereby demonstrating the Earth's organics came from space - or COULD have.

But wait.

Am I not correct in assuming that the constituent parts and pieces of the Earth all came from space? None of the materials of the Earth were made here; the assumption being that if they were made here they wouldn't exist elsewhere.

Keep in mind that "organics", in this case, does not refer to living matter or the product of life processes, but, rather, compounds which contain carbon.

I'm sure organics exist almost everywhere in out solar system. Why? Because they're here, and "here" is made of the same stuff that the rest of the solar system is made of. If it's here, it MUST be out there, as well.

So why waste the money to satisfy some scientist's whim? Why send the extra probe?

If it's here, it has to be there, as well.

NASA. Don't just spend the money because you can.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Haiku Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 05:01:00 +0000

the music comes on,
it fills me and sets my mood,
again, I begin.
I write to music, my inspiration and crutch, now you see me, Oz.
Not very often do I write multi verse Haiku. This peek behind the curtain needed it.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Haiku Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 05:01:00 +0000

The Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 18:47:00 +0000

So. This is the plan. Of sorts.

I'm going to try to bring this blog back to life. I realize the "day of the blog" is sunsetting, but I miss this and there is still some value in having a forum for expressing opinion, publishing Art in its many forms, and just having fun with words.

Some things will .. MUST .. change. I used to publish at Midnight - or as close to it as I could. Going forward, I'm going to publish when the mood strikes - day or night - or not at all. I'm thinking, also, that Haiku Friday will remain as unchanged as possible; i.e., published at 12:01 am on Friday mornings. I may not make every Friday, but I'll try not to miss more than one at a time. I'll buy a subscription to Linkytools, too, so other Haikuers can see each other's work.

The links to "Sarah" and "The Kid" are going to disappear. I've been working on a re-write to consolidate all those posts into a readable, workable book. And then, of course, I have to find a publisher.

When I'm done with the re-write, look for the links to "Gwalchmei" (One Knight's Story) to disappear for the same reason.

And then, of course, I need to return to "The Life and Times of Connor Fergus", which I'll do here, online. In serialized chapters.

So stop by once in a while. I'll share a link to each new post on Facebook. So you'll know there's one up. But if you're not on Facebook, just stop by.

Ndinombethe (as I go, I am wearing you)
Ubuntu (I am because we are)

100 Word Challenge - Recluse

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 01:42:00 +0000

What follows is given in response to the 100 Word Challenge, reborn now under the gentle auspices of my friend, Tara Roberts, of Thin Spiral Notebook . This week's word is -"Recluse".

As he sat on his porch he felt every one of his 80 years. They seemed to seep well into his bones. The late afternoon sun helped a little, but not enough to make much difference. He'd been depressed for years; a little sunshine wasn't going to break into that.

He hardly ever left his porch anymore. It was easier to stay home, where he wouldn't bother anybody, and no one would bother him. He liked it that way.

Or so he thought. But sometimes, just sometimes, kids would play in his front yard, and he'd feel less a recluse.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

100 Word Challenge - Luck

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:54:00 +0000

What follows is given in response to the 100 Word Challenge, reborn now under the gentle auspices of my friend, Tara Roberts, of Thin Spiral Notebook . This week's conversation, between Mae West and W.C.Fields, is given in response to this week's prompt - "Luck".

Well, say there, Stranger. You gonna buy a lady a drink or what?

Stranger??? Jay Derringer Bumbleshoot, at your service, madam. What'll ya have?

Bumbleshoot?? What kind of handle is that? Champagne.

I'll have you know, I come from a long line of Bumbleshoots. Bartender!! Yer best for the lady.

Yeah. I'll bet you do. Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket or are ya just happy to see me? Cheers.

A visitation by a pulchritudinous lady of fashion, such as yourself, is a truly fortuitous circumstance. Bumps.

Say, buster!! Call it what it is. Pure, dumb, Luck.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

With apologies to the memories of Mae West and W.C. Fields.

100 Word Challenge - Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 06:35:00 +0000

What follows is given in response to the 100 Word Challenge, reborn now under the gentle auspices of my friend, Tara Roberts, of Thin Spiral Notebook . The word this week is "Idea".

This is a stupid game, Joey.

It's what we always play, Gloria.

Well, it's stupid.

What's wrong, Gloria?

This game. The boys always win.

Uh-uh. Valerie wins, sometimes, and she's a girl.

My Mom says Valerie's a tomboy, so that doesn't count.

She is not. She's pretty and she just does stuff better, that's all.

Fine. I'm not playin'.

C'mon, Gloria. If you don't play the sides aren't even.

I don't care. I hate this stupid game. Whose idea was this, anyway?

Yours.

Was not.

Was too. Ask anybody.

Okay. Okay. Whose turn is it?

Yours.

Good. I quit.

Gloria!!!!

100 Word Challenge - peculiar.

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 22:20:00 +0000

What follows is given in response to the 100 Word Challenge, reborn, now, under the gentle auspices of Tara Roberts at "Thin Spiral Notebook". The word, this week, is "peculiar".

When I remember how to do all the linking and stuff, it will look mach as it used to.

Most peculiar, this thing called Death.

She seems as though she sleeps. I wait for her breast to rise with a breath, for her eyes to open and find me, see me, and to smile at me.

But she stays so very still.

No pulse throbs at her temple, or her neck, now so alabaster, so white.

Tears flood my eyes, stream down my cheek, drop onto her hand, crossed with the other, holding white orchid in their grasp.

I cannot bring myself to touch her.

A hand grasps my arm, pulls me away.

Most peculiar ... this thing ... called Death.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Hatred

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 07:19:00 +0000

Disappointingly, I read now of hate crimes being perpetrated against Muslims and Muslim institutions.

Mosques being burned. Dead pigs left in in mosque doorways. Muslims (or people who appear to be Muslim) being beaten. Attacked for the religion they practice. Or because they LOOK like they're Muslim.

Imagine if you will ... that you are Irish in the middle of the 19th Century.

You are hated, vilified, beaten upon and downtrodden. Called every despicable name in the book. Everyday. Everywhere you go.

As much as you don't think it was ever like that - you're wrong. It was. And for little or no good reason.

Imagine if you will ... that you are German in the midst of WWI, but living here, in the United States.

You are hated, vilified, beaten upon and downtrodden. Called every despicable name in the book. Every day. Everywhere you go.

As much as you don't know that it was ever like that, it really was. And the only reason was we were fighting the Germans, and we were killing them and they were killing us - in Europe. Not here. Not the corner butcher or the brew master or the guy that lived down the street that made sausages your grandmother used to cook up for special meals.

You know people who are descended from those people. Those Irish. Those Germans. You, yourself, may be descended from those people.

I know I am. I am German and Irish. Mostly.

I am no more deserving of the hatred expressed in those time than Muslims are today.

Remember who you are and where you came from. Remember how your ancestors were hated. Imagine what that felt like. And then ask yourself if that's what Muslims really deserve.

It's my feeling they do not.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

New ... endeavor

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 16:14:00 +0000

There's a new service in Chicagoland - UberRUSH.

It's a Courier Service. A Package Delivery Service. A service which offers some retailers, in Chicago, the opportunity to offer Same Day Delivery to online shoppers.

It's cool. Trendy.

And I now drive for UberRUSH.

I am not employed by Uber. I am an independent contractor. If I follow the rules (and they're simple to live by), I can make a little money. Enough to make the time I spend in my Li'L Red Truck worthwhile. Enough to keep me in Breakfast Burritos and Senior Coffees, at Mickey D's.

Many years ago, I was a taxi driver in Chicago for Checker Cab. MANY years ago. I used to drive out of the Checker garage at Broadway & Lawrence (North Side of the city, in case you don't know). I wasn't at it too long, but in the time I did drive I learned the city pretty well.

Some of the landmarks I used to use are gone, or changed. But the streets are pretty much the same. And it's all coming back to me, slowly.

I can still get around this city. And I'm beginning to remember how I used to love it. It wasn't as crowded, then. Parking was easier. The streets were easier to navigate. But I did love the city, and I remember, now.

But I live in the suburbs, now. I live with "elbow room". I LOVE living in an area where I can be in the middle of corn fields as far a I can see, in less the 5 minutes.

I may remember how I used to love the city, and why, but I wouldn't want to live in it, anymore.

Not at all.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Given .. and taken away

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 03:38:00 +0000

They gave us Math. The concept of Zero. They gave names to the stars and and the word "Algebra" is part and participle of their language.

The gave us music and dance, legends and stories. They were tolerant and fierce, kind and full of courage.

Over time, their gifts to us, which did so much to ease us, the West, into the sciences and opened the doors to an appreciation of Higher Learning, became what we considered our own. And maybe they did, in fact, belong to us.

But we were like children seated in a wagon at the top of the hill, and they were the elders that gave us that first shove. We've been on that ride ever since, long ago exceeding, with OUR civilization, what they gave us with THEIR civilization.

Now they have given us 9/11. Paris. Lebanon. Mumbai.

Fear and terror are the new legacy of a people whose culture is thousands of years old. Not all would wish it so. It is the young. The warriors. Where they rode desert horses to win their battles, scimitars flashing in the sun, now they wear masks and plant their bombs, shoot down innocents with their automatic weapons - weapons the result of the sciences they gave us.

Once they were remembered and respected for the knowledge they imparted to the West. That has been taken away and replaced by fear, hatred and mistrust.

There was a time ... when things were simpler.

I fear those times and those things, remembrance and respect, are gone forever.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Always ask "Why"

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 20:48:00 +0000

By now, unless of course, you live under a rock, you're aware of the tragic happenings in Paris. Everyone has questions. Everyone is concerned, worried, and many are just scared. And, perhaps, rightfully so.

The question I have about this attack, and about the underlying radicalization of the people involved, is "why?"

Is it as simple as religious ideology? Is it really that simple - that Westerners are seen as "Infidels" and infidels must be killed?

Or is it something deeper, and hidden? Is it an agenda of some person or group disguised as a philosophy of death and terror wrapped in Religion?

Just who, or what, is the spider at the center of this worldwide web of terror and terrorists?

THAT is the question that must be answered.

There is a lot of money and preparation that goes into an attack like Paris. Where does the money come from? Who, or what, is raising the funds necessary create the terror groups that seem to be everywhere? And to what purpose? What REAL purpose? Just WHY?

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

It's been a while ...

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 02:48:00 +0000

... since I've been in here, blogging away.

I seem to have somehow lost my blogging mojo ... no ... my WRITING mojo.

Too busy. Too committed to Work. Too tired when I get home at whatever unpredictable hour the Powers That Be will allow.

I am changing jobs. I am going to drive for UberRUSH!, the new package delivery service here in the Chicagoland area.

I will define my own hours. I will have time to read and write ... and blog. Again.

It will take a little time, I think, to get it back, again. A little time to find the petcocks and open the flow for writing, again.

I don't know if I will ever become an Every Day Blogger, again. I'm hoping I can establish a meaningful and regular calendar of posts. I hope.

We shall see.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Probably Not

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 05:01:00 +0000

People I care about have made it perfectly clear what their opinion is regarding ads, on my blog, unrelated to normal content.

What I may do, instead, is make a better effort to display and sell my photos and paintings.

And I'll make more and better photos and paintings. Try, anyway.

Meanwhile, losing my phone has forced me to re-acquaint myself with my Insignia tablet, and opened up the possibilities that tablet represents: access to email, writing for the blog, working on stories in progress, and other activities better done on a larger system than my phone. I can even Skype, so total isolation is no longer the case.

Funny, how the worst happenings will sometimes breed beneficial change.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

On Monetization

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 05:01:00 +0000

I have never tried to monetize my blog. Purposely. In all honesty, there is a page on my blog where one can purchase prints of photographs I have taken, and it may soon be possible to purchase original Art, also by me, on another separate page, but these pages aren't "monetization", per se. These pages aren't generating income on a "per click" or "per view" basis.

I was never one who saw my blog as a potential source of income.

But times, and thinking, change.

And maybe I need to change - or SHOULD change.

What do YOU think? Should I, or no?

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Withdrawals

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 05:01:00 +0000

At least I think that's what they call this. I mean, when you don't have it and having it has become so much a part of you, and not having it makes you a bit nervous and on edge. That IS withdrawals, right?

It's a good thing I don't do drugs.

If losing my phone get's me this bad, I can imagine what drugs would do.

That said, I did manage to lose my phone yesterday - I'm hoping someone will find it and turn it in. After all, no one else can use my phone (my phone requires a password to be entered in order for it to be used) so there is no point in keeping it. Unless, of course, some perverse idiot would enjoy seeing me slowly go nuts.

Do you want to know some of what I'm dealing with? Leave your phone at home tomorrow. Have yourself a "No Phone Hump Day" or a "Hump No Phone Day'. You, however, will have that safety net of knowing where your phone is and that you'll get it back. Soon.

You won't go crazy. At least, not permanently.

Not like me.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Monday Meanders

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 05:01:00 +0000

Cubs are returning, today, from a 4 and 2 road trip. They are 6 and 4 in their last 10 games, 10 and 7 overall. It's been a long, long time since the news (and the Cubs team) has been this good.

Yes, I've been off for a while. I'm back. To stay.

The news from Nepal is tragic - the worst earthquake in that country in 80 years. Say a prayer for those that have survived - and for those who have not.

The Blackhawks closed out the Predators and are ready to go on to the next round. Go Hawks.

The Bulls missed a chance at closing out the Bucs, but they will win the next game and go on to the next round. You heard it here, first.

I can't help but wonder who the yutz is that schedules night games, for the Cubs, in April, in Chicago.

Connor Fergus's story will return on Sunday. Haiku Friday will return this Friday, as well. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday will be random stuff, as has been the case in the past. If I have any audience left, thank you for being patient with me, and being loyal.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

On Bingeing

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 05:01:00 +0000

Yes. Bingeing. As in watching Doctor Who for hours on end bingeing. Because my son won't allow me to watch the CURRENT Doctor Who until I catch up on all the OLD second series Doctor Who episodes.

It seems there are references forward and backward throughout the the whole of the series that will be lost on me if I watch only the current Doctor. So I must binge.

Yesterday, in a revelation that will only have meaning for those who watch "Who", it turns out that River Song is Amy Pond's daughter.

And she's a Time Lord.

Wow.

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lceel) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:46:00 +0000

Ndinombethe. Ubuntu.