왓섭?

My Dear Love,

Yesterday, I was passing by your rectangular house in trigonometric lane. There I saw you with your cute circular face, conical nose and spherical eyes, standing in your triangular garden.
Before seeing you my heart was a null set, but when a vector of magnitude (likeness) from your eyes at a deviation of theta radians made a tangent to my heart, it differentiated.
My love for you is a quadratic equation with real roots, which only you can solve by making good binary relation with me. The cosine of my love for you extends to infinity. I promise that I should not resolve you into partial functions but if I do so, you can integrate me by applying the limits from zero to infinity.
You are as essential to me as an element to a set. The geometry of my life revolves around your acute personality. My love, if you do not meet me at parabola restaurant on date 10 at sunset,when the sun is making an angle of 160 degrees, my heart would be
like a solved polynomial of degree 10. With love from your higher order derivatives of maxima and minima, of an unknown function.

Yours ever loving,

Pythagoras

LLLLLMMMMMOOOOOAAAAAAAA

Some relationships burn bright and fizzle quickly into smoke and ash.  I hope this isn’t one of them.  I hope this is the one.  Because you’re still here.  And somehow I am too.  But we almost weren’t.  Sometimes life has so many little surprises that make it a little easier along the way.  Sometimes there are little things that don’t matter if I get them or not.  This matters.  I would strip all that shit away and pay for this in years of my life that were stressed away.  fuckkkk not many things matter, but this really does.  I hope.

***

Dear, I thought I’d drop a line.
The weather’s cool. The folks are fine.
I’m in bed each night at nine.
P.S. I love you.

taken via iNeedChemicalX at dA

Today’s post was going to be an emo rage about a terrible nightmare and my cold math professor are related, but I much prefer this instead.

Also, “

stumbling blocks in your path can be stepping stones if you see them. thanks, mom. ♥

“

- taken from my facebook.

love,

vincent

Two things:

kari-shma has such a freaking cool tumblr.  I simply can not believe that one person could find so much cool stuff in a single day - every day!

2econd, I was thinking about how I can improve the quality of my workstation and therefore my level of absolute productivity.  (why do I think about this nauseating mental detritus everyday?  I hate it, it’s annoying. it’s like feeding a mental tapeworm that never produces useful dividends.)

I’m often troubled by the fact that people need small victories to keep their morale high while working towards lofty goals.

It’s a fine state of mind for development of the human mind and learning, but I don’t think it applies to purchases of material things.

IMHO, material items should serve a function and otherwise melt out of existence.  “Used and not heard/seen/felt.”  That’s how the best tools work.

So, the process of acquiring the best tools shouldn’t be a process of growth, as is learning or human development, but a simple matter of research into the best options.

“Go big and don’t look back.”

To reach that final state of “maturity” of a tool where its existence matters naught shouldn’t be a long journey.

It should be a single step.

it frustrates me because there’s a significant loss of resources from a) loss of productivity due to inefficient tools along the way, and b) the constant need to update tools and RESEARCH better options and “grow” along the way.

On an entirely different note, I’ve been feeding my lust for design by ditzing up the appearance of my resume (which I’ll also need for current job apps. grr).  I pored through blogs and google searches for endless packs of vectors and typographic tools, only to stumble upon this silly amalgamation of most of my findings here.  I’ve settled upon a moshpit of translucent/transparent vector brushes overlaid upon a transparent gradient of color, with a sort of vertical Mac dock of reflected icons forming a column on the right to showcase my versatility with shitloads of programs.

I’ve been deliberating upon using either the Dock style, or a PicLens “go big” approach which might ultimately undermine the Apple-esque flavor of understated, exclusive elegance that caters to the creative class.

ugh decisions, decisions.  floral wallpaper background or dark wood flooring texture? Or Vista Aurora??? gahhh.

I’ll need to include an Objective line as well, not to mention some reference to a Wordle graphic.  I like that intimidating “sea of words” feel when it’s used as a design element.

I’m thinking the overall design scheme should allude to positive qualities that separate me from the rest of the applicant pool….. but eh, maybe that’s overthinking it.

That dock thing will be no holds barred.  I’m thinking Apple undertones of subdued arrogance, a la Lucida Grande and solid colors.  Florid vector artwork will form the heart of this design.  Wish me luck.  Here’s to the crazy ones.

crud, I need to compose some artsy picture of myself to throw into it too.  Maybe a silhouette to keep things simple?  Maybe.

right-click and select “View image” for undistorted version.

As a solution to all fellow OCD individuals out there, I suggest starting work immediately after smoking weed, having sex, or pretty much after anything that gives you a physiological “high”.

My own allegorical findings suggest that heightened levels of dopamine in the bloodstream contribute to an effectively more relaxed state of mind.  Any true OCD-ers will understand the dilemma of wanting to do work, but remaining hesitant because it might not be good enough.

In other words, stuff gets easier to do when you’re seriously happy, because your perfectionist complex is totally stoned.  With regards to myself, at least.  Your mileage may vary.

“Tracy T-something” apparently understands this with regards to love letters, but fails miserably like men who lose IQ points in the presence of women whom they deem attractive.

MOAR fails (and one win):

________

________

________

________

On to typing up cover letters for the university apple store, earley research lab, and some undergrad student positions.  And to think I believed them when they said college apps ended once you entered college.  FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU.

***

SHIT - I got ready to write about Trypophobia right here, but then in browsing through my forest of firefox tabs, I immediately felt compelled to describe several more items of note.  Which would decrease time that I have to write these cover letters.  eh, stories for next time I guess.

I’ve found that college life is a lot like camping. When you’re a n00b, you carry your whole life with you, not knowing what’s around each corner but prepared for anything nonetheless. I am referring, of course, to the amount of material baggage that every first-year university student seems wont to bring.

As an avid outdoorsman and holder of the Wilderness Survival/Hiking/Camping/Indian Lore/Pioneering/Woodcarving/Leatherworking/First Aid/Emergency Preparedness/Climbing/Orienteering merit badges, I tend towards a feeling of confidence when I enjoy nature in its uncivilized locales.

Over the years, past all the miles hiked and sites camped, I’ve witnessed my evolution as a backpacker from the “My mom packed my bag so I’m carrying my entire room” to the ultra-lightweight “cut the handle off that toothbrush to save precious ounces” mode of thought.

Naturally (and perhaps ironically so), I have grown to eschew material trappings from the civilized world when enjoying myself in the uncivilized realm. Whereas “more is better” in our cities and suburbs, “less is more” comprises my mantra on the trails.

In my first weeks of college life, I was eager to “deck out” my room in clichéd dorm décor. Now, about two months in, I find myself catering to a philosophy of minimalism. I brought with me no fewer than 10 pairs of denim from San Diego. To me, that’s a substantial number, and it doesn’t even include all the khakis, trousers, shorts, sweaters, jackets, shirts, t-shirts, belts, socks, underwear, polos, and ties that now cover my floor/bed. If I end up going to med school, maybe those’ll be suits instead of casual garb.

Aside from clothes, I sought to outfit my computer with a 42” 1080p HDTV (and with a 29000:1 contrast ratio, it also doubled as a light for my room at night), my 5.1 speaker system from home, assorted items of varied sentimental value (tequila bottles? Middle school grams? My mother’s rosary? Free stuff from around campus?), miscellaneous published works (I highly recommend Dinesh D’Souza’s What’s So Great About Christianity, as well as any good book of hymns), and other junk.

Needless to say, I crammed as much crud into my room that could fit into 6 huge luggage bags between myself and my parents. I would’ve brought my bed if the airline let me.

Even after all that, I looked to purchase stuff online, such as a [better] 5.1 speaker system, said-42” HDTV, pink Christmas lights that I found abandoned somewhere on campus (mmm creates a romantic ambience for those special nights), etc. etc.

So now, I’m stripping down to what I perceive as the bare necessities in the hopes of freeing myself from this endless addiction to supplementing my existence with “stuff”. I think I’ve realized that such a predilection for belongings impedes cerebral processes, drawing one into a mindset of contentedness. Except there’s one problem: I think I’ve traded one addiction for another. Among my 81 tabs in firefox, several detail “how to live in a prius” and the google search parameters “office in car”, among other nomadic topics.  So now I’m going to become a nauseatingly tech-savvy hobo. Shoot me now.

***

In other news, I spoke with my tenth-grade English teacher today!  Unfortunately (or perhaps it was for the better…), she woke me up at 1:30ish, and she could tell I was groggy.  Despite my less-than-ideal state, we had a surprisingly casual conversation, and it was refreshing to be relaxed while speaking with one of my academic seniors - and that’s why it may have been for the better, because had I foreseen our exchange, I might have been unnatural.  Of course, my “success” would be determined by how well I adhered to a picturesque “standard”, but that’s another story.

I’ve also developed a taste for Priscilla Ahn’s music.  Thanks to munchkin, my first exposure to her came in the form of The Boob Song, which I still uphold as my favorite by Ahn.  The critical reaction to her voice includes such descriptors as “angelic” and “calming”, and they’re absolutely right.  Perhaps the most widely heard song by Ahn is Dream, which appears on her album A Good Day.  After hearing The Boob Song, I didn’t think it was possible for her to write a better song.  I think each song has its merits, and they’re both equally good.  Thanks munchkin!

lookbook.nu

Hellaciously stylish; but I still wonder, MM or lb?  I think my allegiance is still with MM.

lb:

vs

MM:

… as in, I should have one from Harvard, or Princeton, or one of those pompous self-absorbed institutions of higher learning, such as MIT, so that people will swallow every word from my mouth like I’m the next coming of Jesus Christ.  Because if I did, then hopefully HP might’ve listened to me and wouldn’t have butchered what was potentially the greatest mobile computer of their existential history.

Anywho, I’d like to take some time here to exhibit my own pomposity in a review of the HP Touchsmart tx2z, model 1270us.  Clearly, I must have been significantly moved in some way to push myself beyond the sloth that is so characteristic of our generation, which is comprised of “the shittiest generation of fucking assholes”; I’ll make grossly clear my indignation at HP’s blatant lack of common sense, with regards to hardware design.

As you can see from this vibrant example of brilliant photography and design, the primary impetus for potential purchasers of the tx2 comes in two parts: 1) the convertible tablet design, and 2) the multitouch capability, as popularized on the iPhone/iPod Touch (this would be the first multitouch tablet for the consumer market).

Anyway, I’m not trying to sell this piece of hardware to you, so I’ll say, right now, that this paragraph contains only technical specifications: 2.2 ghz AMD Turion X2 RM-75, 4GB PC4200 DDR2 RAM (2x2GB, max 8GB), 500GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD, 64MB ATI Radeon HD 3200 discrete graphics chipset, removable SuperMulti 8x DVD±R/RW drive with Lightscribe and Double Layer support, 55Wh 6-cell battery (also got the 73Wh 8-cell at an extra $55), 12.” LED-lit display with capacitive N-Trig active digitizer (for touch capacities) max res 1200x800, modem, built-in webcam/fingerprint reader/stereo mic/remote/802.11a/b/g WLAN, digital stylus, Altec Lansing SRS speakers, 3xUSB 2.0, 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN, 1x ExpressCard/34 slot, 1x VGA, 1x SPDIF/headphone out, 1x headphone out, 1x microphone in, 1x consumer IR transceiver, 1x notebook Expansion Port 3.

whew.  So tonight, my most outstanding digression from this otherwise-brilliant concoction of technology comes in the form of an extruding battery.  Honestly, it reminds me of some genetically-mutated girls these days, who could have tailgate parties on their enormous asses of titanic proportions.  It would have been genius of HP to simply extend the chassis to accommodate full incorporation of the battery into the laptop frame.  However, HP missed the opportunity to include this infinitely more elegant flush-battery design, opting to side with the admittedly clumsy decision for a battery that sticks out worse than an asian from San Diego, CA at the University of Alabama.  [Holla!]  In fact, I find myself longing for my 15.4” Dell E6500 [shame, I know] from UA - because in spite of its considerably heftier design, lack of tablet/touchscreen functionality, and Dell-esque crappiness, a least the battery is flush, contributing to an ultimately more rock-solid design that’s echoed in its magnesium alloy chassis.  Honestly HP, would it have been so hard to tuck that shit in?

Secondly, the subtle shoddiness of HP’s design reiterates itself in its aspiration towards the philosophy that “the more curves, the better,” resulting in a dangerous feeling that it’ll fall apart whenever one’s hand grips the closed laptop to pick it up.  Again, I don’t know which curvaceous figure HP was using as its model for this laptop.  It’s not that the tx2 is disagreeable in its visual aesthetic in any way - the tastefully stylish Reaction exterior imprint sees to that - but rather, it aids in a subtle existence of overall fragility.  It’s these little details that count.  To be fair, HP did include features such as magnetic fly-down latches instead of the static plastic locks to keep the lid closed, but it wouldn’t have been difficult to put it under a little more scrutiny.  I would suggest a bold, flat rectangular design that’s rounded exclusively on the OUTSIDE, rather on the inside as well, so as to more effectively secure the unibody feel of a closed laptop.  This might be described as a lack of a complete seal between the lid and body when closed.  It’s reminiscent of enclosing a pen within a hardcover [text]book.

Those are really my only concerns regarding the physical design.  One last point of contention would be the laughable battery life.  Even after installing the latest release candidate of Windows 7, and connecting the extended-life 8-cell battery, battery life only just barely approaches the maximum for my Dell E6500.  In HP’s favor, the Dell does not have a touchscreen.  However, the Dell has a 15.4” screen, rather than a 12.1” screen, which I think would substitute the additional power demands of an integrated touchscreen.  Aside from that, HP’s AMD dual-core has a clock of 2.2 ghz, compared to Dell’s Intel dual-core at 2.66 ghz with triple the L2 cache size.  Now I’m not particularly knowledgeable on the topic of processor power consumption, but when I put maximum processor usage to 20%, I expect a kickass life out of an admittedly slower processor.  Come on now, HP.

It is my firm conviction that either one of two things will happen, regarding the future of convertible tablets: 1) design will improve, sustaining their existence as a niche market, or 2) the non-convertible slate form factor will gain momentum with the rumoured upcoming MacBook Touch.  In the meantime, I’ll make do with this $933 child of mine, and attempt to love it, in spite of its shortcomings and imperfections.  I had originally intended to use this tablet as 1) a portable darkroom for image review during photography outings, 2) as a more discreet alternative to a conventional laptop (think electronic legal pad with infinite pages and built-in web browser/ebooks/music/videos/pictures), 3) as a portable study aid, since I’d love to review all 2,092 pages of Gray’s Anatomy without having to buy all the paper at Office Depot, and 4) as a sort of photo album for me to refer to examples of excellent pictures while I’m out on the field taking shots.  In these 4 capacities, I have yet to fully test the success (or failure) of the tx2, and the two design flaws which I have noted seem to prove themselves integral to the tx2’s unwieldy nature.  But I figure that if I can accidentally drop a raw fish filet into a cooking fire in the middle of the San Bernardino wilderness, pick its charred ass out of the fire with some sticks, and eat the dirty bastard like I did at a Boy Scout Honor Society induction week, then I can deal with this minor annoyance of a battery that sticks out like Rick Astley at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  national rickroll ftw.

Valedictions.

inspired by an old xkcd… can’t recall which one, at the moment.

instantaneous communication is nice.  but I’m also stuck sitting in front of a monitor, breeding insanity with each passing moment:

[refresh] “aww, not logged on.”

2 minutes later

[refresh] “aww, not logged on.”

2 minutes later

[refresh] “aww, she’s still not logged on.”

rinse and repeat, ad infinitum.

Panama City Beach via jpgmag.com

I have two audiences.

You teach me not to care.  You teach me not to be your everything, not to be the escape rope in your item list, or your late-night fix when an essay’s deadline awaits you tomorrow morning.
You teach me not to give a thought about you, to let your memory float to the far-reaching crevices of my mind, until it fades into the wrinkles and almost stops being a memory; and upon
realizing this, a great anger flares up within me, like a fiery tidal wave, about to wreak destruction and carve a path out as far as my eye can see, as wide as my ego can stretch - but
then it dies down as quickly as it rose, and I’m left with the discovery of a greater wisdom, of an infinitely more valuable patience that you’ve allowed to seep from your life’s learnings into
mine.

.puppetmaster. by Nocturnal-Albino on DA

You frustrate me.  It’s like I take one step forward, only to have you take three steps back, dance a ditty ‘round my head, waltz figure-eights and pirouette around me.  I finally
understand that I only want what I can not have, and maybe she was right; maybe you were a strange sort of test for me, in the sense that I was pushing my ability to acquire my desires to
the limit.  I constantly play out the what-ifs and dreams of sugar plum happiness before I go to bed every night, hoping and yearning for a reality that never could be, never will be.  I guess
it’s called teen angst, and I guess you’ll always be stuck in it.

Hatred by HyCe on DA

Thanks crochet master for the first bit, and thanks to the queen of quandaries for the second bit.

Dear IT girl from the prepubescent days (yes, you are),

this is what I was going for, with that camera-around-the-neck shot:

via larafairie on DA; talented, exquisite photographer extraordinaire

suffice to say, I couldn’t get the spur-of-moment setup to be perfect, but maybe we can try for perfection next time, eh?

First off, COLORS are what drove me to say something here, right now.

cotton candy blue, hooker lipstick red, sunset orange, lemon yellow, granny apple green, mud brown, acramentous midnight black, and egg carton grey.

Second, I must turn this:

into this, by 5 AM tomorrow morning.  FML:

I’m thinking I’ll put some dave hill effect on it, but I want to make it as close to the original as possible.  wish me luck!  for reference, dave hill example (muddy desat, hyper sharpening, extreme highlights; brady oshiro = copy of dave hill):

via [Bahneman.com]

“Ken Rockwell Facts

Contributed by liem, Epic|, Fufie, michel_v, neom, Wintre, Bas|k, lament, mattsteg__ and pal.

For a couple long hours, the folks on freenode.net’s #photogeeks IRC channel dropped lines about Ken Rockwell, the photographer/blogger we love to hate.

We created these morsels along the same vein as the infamous Chuck Norris Facts, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

• Ken Rockwell’s camera has similar settings to ours, except his are: P[erfect] Av[Awesome Priority Tv[Totally Awesome Priority] M[ajestic]
• Ken Rockwell doesn’t color correct. He adjusts your world to match his.
• Sure, Ken Rockwell deletes a bad photo or two. Other people call these Pulitzers.
• Ken Rockwell doesn’t adjust his DOF, he changes space-time.
• Circle of confusion? You might be confused. Ken Rockwell never is.
• Ken Rockwell doesn’t wait for the light when he shoots a landscape - the light waits for him.
• Ken Rockwell never flips his camera in portrait position, he flips the earth
• Ken Rockwell ordered an L-lens from Nikon, and got one.
• Ken Rockwell is the only person to have photographed Jesus; unfortunately he ran out of film and had to use a piece of cloth instead.
• When Ken Rockwell brackets a shot, the three versions of the photo win first place in three different categories
• Before Nikon or Canon releases a camera they go to Ken and they ask him to test them, the best cameras get a Nikon sticker and the less good get a Canon sticker
• Once Ken tested a camera, he said I cant even put Canon on this one, and that’s how Pentax was born
• Rockwellian policy isn’t doublethink - Ken doesn’t even need to think once
• Ken Rockwell doesn’t use flash ever since the Nagasaki incident.
• Only Ken Rockwell can take pictures of Ken Rockwell; everyone else would just get their film overexposed by the light of his genius
• Ken Rockwell wanted something to distract the lesser photographers, and lo, there were ducks.
• Ken Rockwell is the only one who can take self-portraits of you
• Ken Rockwell’s nudes were fully clothed at the time of exposure
• Ken Rockwell once designed a zoom lens. You know it as the Hubble Space Telescope.
• When Ken unpacks his CF card, it already has masterpieces on it.
• Rockwell portraits are so lifelike, they have to pay taxes
• On Ken Rockwell’s desktop, the Trash Icon is really a link to National Geographic Magazine
• Ken Rockwell spells point-and-shoot “h-a-s-s-e-l-b-l-a-d”
• When Ken Rockwell went digital, National Geographic nearly went out of business because he was no longer phyically discarding photos
• For every 10 shots that Ken Rockwell takes, 11 are keepers.
• Ken Rockwell’s digital files consist of 0’s, 1’s AND 2’s.
• Ken Rockwell never focuses, everything moves into his DoF
• Ken Rockwell’s shots are so perfect, Adobe redesigned photoshop for him: all it consists of is a close button.
• The term tripod was coined after his silhouette
• Ken Rockwell never produces awful work, only work too advanced for the viewer
• A certain brand of high-end cameras was named after people noticed the quality was a lot “like a” rockwell
• Ken Rockwell isn’t the Chuck Norris of photography; Chuck Norris is the Ken Rockwell of martial arts.
• Ken Rockwell never starts, he continues.”

Photo credit Ken Rockwell.

I’d like to say that, thanks to Ken Rockwell’s site, I was converted into a Nikonian in the summer of 2008.  I still refer to his site for an initial overview of equipment.  Many of his basic philosophies hold their ground (see Is It Worth It and How To Afford Anything).  Unfortunately, his layman’s approach to writing comes off as “biased”, “non-intelligent”, and draws forth comments such as “Ken Rockwell is a moron,” to quote some of his critics.  While I can’t agree with the latter two, the first description of his site as “biased” is completely right!  He says so himself on the About page of his website:

“This is my personal website. I do it all myself. I started this because I wanted a place to record my personal observations which I could access from anywhere. Search engines then found it. I’ve never promoted it. I love to share what I love, but with my friends.”

“This site is purely my personal opinion.”

“This site is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any actual people, places or products is purely coincidental. This site is private and provided only for the entertainment of me and my personal friends. Read at your own risk. I offer no warrantees of any kind, except that there are many deliberate gaffes and practical jokes lurking.” [I’d like to copy-and-paste this three or four times over again, as it sufficiently stresses how the authorship level of his website is not intended for public viewing, although exposure in the public eye may be where the site’s greatest benefit lies.]

With that said, a personal value judgment is to be made, regarding the effective “truth” of his statements and reviews.  Coming from a mechanical engineering background, his reviews are technically solid and scientifically sound; from a photographical aesthetics standpoint, that is up to you, since art draws both haters and lovers to the same composition.  Below is a quoted answer from Sam on Yahoo Answers who is a Top Contributor in Photography, regarding the credibility of Ken Rockwell:

“When I was in college, it was required that I take one full year of a physical education class. This was not a general “gym” class, but I had to choose a team sport and take a one hour class in that sport three times a week. I signed up for fencing, thinking I wouldn’t even break a sweat and I could fulfill my PE requirement easier with fending then, say, rowing crew. I made out okay and the coach - a past US Olympic team coach - actually invited me to join the freshman team. I moved like a “sack of potatoes,” as he put it, but I had the basics down. In a way, this was my greatest asset. I didn’t know enough to get into trouble. Fencing is a sport of the elite and the guys who had been fencing at “Salle This” or “Salle That” made no bones about their feelings for me and my lack of finesse. I did not deserve to be on the team, because I did not even touch my first foil until I was seventeen. They had been fencing at elite private clubs since they were seven. I have a life-long friend who still makes his living teaching the martial arts. He is known the world over within his discipline. He’s good at what he does, including some weapons like you might see in a Chuck Norris movie. One time when I was home, we were talking and he was very surprised to hear that I was on the fencing team at an Ivy League university. I was telling him some things about the sport and he said that it sounded quite like one of the weapons that he knew about. Of course, we suited up and started to fence. The first time I lunged at him, he practically took my arm off! I told him that fencing was “more of a finesse sport” than that and he asked, “Well isn’t the idea to kill or be killed?” His simple analysis left me dumbfounded and speechless. He was right, after all. Fencing was a modern representation of the brutal fighting that won or lost battles and lives in the Crusades and beyond.

This is how I view Ken Rockwell. First, let me categorically state that I am in no position to criticize Mr. Rockwell. I have only seen about 10% of his website and I have probably seen less than 1% (one percent) of his photography. I have about a dozen little shots of my own on-line to help me make a point when speaking about certain questions, but my best body of work – if there is such a thing – exists on film. I’ve scanned a number of slides of our children growing up (and I have a thousand or two left to do), but I have not taken time to even scan any of my favorite photographs that used to hang on one wall or another in my various residences. You have seen one tenth of one percent of what I think I am capable of. I am sure that is how it is with me and Ken Rockwell’s photography. I’ve only looked at a few samples that pertain to a lens test or a camera test and I have seen only about 40-50 of his more “artistic” shots. I just haven’t looked at them yet.

I read this personal introduction on his website and you should, too.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm

“This is my personal website. I do it all myself. I started this because I wanted a place to record my personal observations which I could access from anywhere. Search engines then found it. I’ve never promoted it. I love to share what I love, but with my friends.

“This site is purely my personal opinion.

“This site is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any actual people, places or products is purely coincidental. This site is private and provided only for the entertainment of me and my personal friends. Read at your own risk. I offer no warrantees of any kind, except that there are many deliberate gaffes and practical jokes lurking.”

~~~ ~~~

Maybe Ken Rockwell is to photographers like Steichen or Adams or Weston what I was to the elite members of the fencing team or like my martial arts friend was to me. Maybe I am more like my martial arts friend than a real photographer compared to you. Isn’t the point of photography to record an image on film or digitally so you can recall that moment at some point in the future? Shouldn’t you just DO IT, as Nike says? Grab a camera and snap, snap, snap. That’s why I bought my new Canon SD900 as a pocket camera. That’s why I have the less-than-perfect 18-200 zoom lens. Sometimes I just want to take the darn picture and that’s all I want to do. Of course, my family and friends has come to expect a certain standard from me, so I wanted to improve the odds of getting it “right” most of the time by choosing a great camera to carry in my pocket or an _acceptable_ lens for my dSLR’s. Yeah, I like my 17-55 f/2.8 a whole lot better than the 18-200, but for most people who ask questions here, it’s just not the right choice.

I know you are cringing right now. I am. I grew up with photography, starting with a camera and doing my own developing and printing from the time I was about 8 years old. That’s almost 50 years ago. I used to teach photography when I was in college. No, it wasn’t a university course, but there are at least a dozen people who probably still love photography today because I spent some time with them 40 years ago showing them the in’s and out’s and teaching them how to use a camera. If they asked, I was critical, but mostly I just wanted to teach them how to get a decent exposure so they wouldn’t waste money on film with bad pictures. You know what? That was all they really wanted. They “admired” my pictures hanging on the wall or occasionally published, but they were not trying to rise even to my lowly level.

I may have read him wrong, but I think Ken Rockwell is that guy who just wants to pass along a little information to some amateur photographers who have stumbled upon his website. I don’t even know for sure that he is a professional photographer. In fact, I am not even sure he has to work for a living, based on some of his family biography.

In any event, I will let others criticize if they must. I am happy to send people to his site so they see some sample images and get the idea what 18 mm looks like as opposed to 800 mm. I am glad that he is available as an accessible resource.

If Ken Rockwell is a guy who poses as a camera expert, then what am I? I am better at photography than about 98% of the people I know - including some people who make their living at it - and I can help at least half of them choose equipment and help them with critique, but I am just some guy posing as a camera expert. Yahoo! Never made me take any tests before they let me answer questions here and I have no idea what criteria I met to be named as a “Top Contributor,” as if that is some sort of credential. Like a substitute teacher, all I have to do is stay one step ahead of the class. Rockwell is at least ten steps ahead of me. It’s easier to use a link to his site and let people learn from his easy style than try to duplicate it in this limited forum.”