Air Show

I'm thinking about going to an Air Show this weekend at Miramar.

The Navy's Blue Angels have been doing practice runs all afternoon, so all of San Diego and La Jolla was subject to ear-piercingly loud rumbles of F/A-18 Hornets. To top it off, the rare thunderstorm and rain has made everything smell refreshingly springy and clean.

Here's a photo I took from the balcony of my apartment just an hour or so ago (as of this posting).

Thermite!!

Just watched my chemistry professor light thermite in class as a demonstration of hetergenous exothermic reactions.

You may remember thermite from the Mythbuster's episode of asking "is it better to end with a bang?". Jamie and Adam used thermite to cut an SUV in half. Pretty awesome.

Blue sparks, thick smoke, and dripping lava-hot iron.

Chemistry ain't so bad at the university level, eh?





Video is of the same room/contraption, but different professor/class. I think this was a few years ago at UCSD.

Matilda

Does anyone remember the film Matilda, starring and directed by Danny Devito? Great film for the 90's generation. Very inspirational, good themes, and completely rewatchable as an adult.

Recommended!

Anthropology

As an Anthropology Major at the University of California, San Diego, I see plenty of ethnocentric activity and sentiments on the web. People are verbally abusive towards minorities across the world in a medium where accountability is inexistent and anonymity is easy.

I can't say that I support the medium through where most of my peers talk to strangers, but I think it is always important to keep in mind that the things we say, even when we don't mean them, influence the people around us and ourselves.

With that being said, keep and open mind, be respectful (if not accepting) of others, and in all situations of doubt or uncertainty, keep your mouth shut.

****

I promise to post more, but keep coming back to read my backlog of 50-odd posts. None of them are as serious as this one, I promise ;)

New Cell Phone!

Just got a new cell phone after my 2 year contract expired. I'm currently on T-Mobile, and my family plan is around $75 for 750 minutes (we don't use those much), unlimited text (I text a LOT), and unlimited nights, weekends, and mobile to mobile. They also gave us $200 in rebates and three new cell phones!

I don't have a 3G data plan, but I got the Nokia Nuron 5230 anyways. It's an AMAZING phone for the price! Sure it doesn't have iPhone capabilities, but I have an iPod touch for that anyways. Blutooth syncing is a bliss, and everything just WORKS.

What phones are you guys using? Leave a comment below!

I'm lovin' my Nokia 5230 Nuron!

The perfect temperature

What do you think is the perfect temperature?

Where my parents live, it averages around 80'F - 90'F in the summer, with it being around 75'F - 85'F indoors without air conditioning.

I currently reside in San Diego, where the weather is rarely over 80'F. It's always nice and balmy inside my apartment, and around a cool 65'F outdoors. I'm most comfortable around 72'F, where it's cool enough to wear a tshirt and warm enough not to have to wear a jacket.

What about you guys? What's the weather like where you live, and what do you prefer the temperature is for you to be most comfortable?

First Day of School

First day of Fall quarter starts today. After a 3 month vacation from school, I'm back!

Like My New Vest?

RETRO OR RETARD?? Leave a comment and let me know!

Dragonfly

I took this photo earlier today! Critique and comments, please!

I ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS! Thanks for the many responses!

Some of you posted questions for me to answer for wedding photography and photography in general.

Dave asked about HDR photography at weddings. Sure, HDR is always a great idea and can make a shot have a higher dynamic range. However, make sure that your HDR work complements the other photos of the bride/groom/family in the porfolio. I would not want a single photo to see out of place when presenting them. An HDR of a church and an HDR of a wedding are two seperate things.

Rawry asked about my equipment for weddings. I highly recommend a full-frame and cropped frame camera as backup. I also recommend the following lenses: a 24-70mm f/2.8L USM (for most closeups and portraits), a 70-200mm (for during the ceremony and closeups), as well as a 35mm prime (for landscape, all-around, lightweight backup).

applecider asked about how to pose to seem "leaner", and I assume that she means "thinner". Full frontal shots are always the least flattering, and it is best to capture a body in motion. This creates fluid lines and helps the eye follow the motion from the arms to the legs. However, only fluid motions such as walking, leaning, and other small movements can help it seem leaner. When photographing couples walking down stairs, it is easy to make the body seem wider and larger than it is, as the leg extensions and arm movements are more awkward than fluid.

I'll respond to more questions if you have any to ask! I'm always happy to help!

Some Common Questions about Wedding Photography

Here are some common questions that people ask me related to wedding photography. Do you have any questions for me? Anything you would like me to answer?



Some of the questions I have been asked:

• What equipment should I use to photograph weddings? Or, do you have any 35mm wedding tips?
• What digital camera do you use to photograph weddings?
• What exposure should I use for a candlelight wedding? Or, what are wedding low light camera settings?
• How to photograph a candlelit procession?
• What are the largest prints that can be made from 35mm film?
• What lenses work the best for wedding photography?
• What film do you recommend for photographing weddings?
• What type of digital camera should I buy?
• How do I avoid harsh shadows when taking outdoor pictures?
• What is the best camera for wedding photography?
• Should I use a filter during wedding photography?
• What books are best for beginning Wedding Photography?
• Do you show your digital pictures at the wedding reception, for the guests to choose the photos they want?
• How many pictures are typically taken at a wedding?
• Exposure modes (auto vs. manual) and blurry photos.
• What image editing software do you use?
• How to take photos with blurred backgrounds.
• Do you allow other photographers to take pictures at your weddings?

NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY!

Just bought a Canon EOS 7D today :)

I'll be uploading photos of it (as well as photos that I take with it) soon. For now, here's a stock photo of what I'm talking about ;)

Should've bolted something down, eh?

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Someone get this for me ;)

CHOCOLATE CAKE???? YES!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions

1. In 9x13 inch microwave-safe cake dish, melt the margarine and 1/4 cup cocoa together. Stir in the eggs. Mix in the 2 cups sugar, flour, nuts and vanilla.
2. Bake in microwave oven on high, for 11 minutes, rotating dish after 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and sprinkle marshmallows on top.
3. To make the frosting: In microwave-safe bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and milk. Cook in microwave for 2 minutes, stir and pour over cake.

Starcraft 2

Just started playing a bit more SC2 since I bought it, and you'll be seeing some more stuff about my gameplay and some replays on here. Maybe even some tactics or basic noob help.

Currently at platinum league for 1v1, and unranked for everything else. Working towards rankings and just playing UMS for the time being, but I'll be posting some new photos and SS later ;)

Thanks for reading & visiting!

Rebuild a Jeep under 4 minutes

Pretty impressive, don't you think? Sure it's missing a few crucial parts, but the choreography is pretty interesting and fun to watch ;D

Always Wear A Seatbelt!

Burning Everyone's Koran

Makes sense to me. How about you? Any theologian and atheists want to have a go? LEAVE A COMMENT! ;)

The Road

I recently watched the post-apocalyptic film The Road. Wow, what an amazing film. On the surface, you might think that it's hella boring, with no action of any kind. Only a few shots fired throughout the entire film, very little gore, violence, or anything that sets it as a thriller.

However, I genuinely believe that the film is not catered towards those that are seeking a Stallone-styled testosterone film. It is a film about companionship, love, and the stress of being a parent. It is about the father learning from the son, just as the son is learning from his father. It is a film about finding light and hope in a time of absolute darkness.

Overall, I'd give it a 9/10, if not full marks. Sure, it's a bit drab and boring if you're expecting a Grindhouse-type action film with zombies; however, it is a great film for its genre.

Thanks for the comments!

Hey everybody, thanks for all the comments! I finally got internet at my new apartment less than an hour ago, and I've been catching up on all my usual RSS shenanigans and stuff. Thanks for all the follows and I'll be posting again soon ;)

Here's a photo of a camel in the mean time ^^

Busy Busy!

Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently, peeps. Getting into a new apartment is hard work, and I still haven't gotten the internet installed. I'm actually posting this off the local wifi hot spot, and hopefully will be back online soon!

In the mean time, feel free to read my other posts! I'll be back within a couple of days :)

Nothing strange about this, is there?

What do YOU see?

Enter Sandman - Metallica

My favorite song from Metallica.

iPod Touch 4th Gen 32GB NEWEST! My Review

I've had an iPod Touch since the first generation. Personally, I find it to be more revolutionary than the iPod. Why? Multi-touch is everything. It is on par with the iPhone in technology, since they both have basically the same thing. And with the advent of the new front-facing camera, aft HD camera, it's a great edition to the iPod line.

This new iPod supports the same Apple A4 chip (~1Ghz) as found in the iPad, iPhone4, and now the AppleTV. This means zippy downloads, smooth scrolling gameplay, and support for more processor-heavy applications.

The new camera is only 720p, but that is still not bad. Sure it's not 1080p, but I don't really find any sense in placing something that powerful in a handheld device. Hands are shaky, and 1080p looks terrible when handheld. Any movement can be easily detected, so the 720p should be more than enough.

The slim trim and styling of the iPod is no revolutionary, but I'm still amazed that they can make it smaller and smaller every year. Mine must look like a brick against this new one.

Here's a tl;dr version:

LIKES:

Size - smaller than ever!
Battery life - 40 hours audio and 7 hours of video sounds spectacular!
Retina display - I haven't personally tried it, but have heard reviews about it and it sounds fantastic :D
Price - $229 for 8GB isn't so bad, but I think most people will spur for the $299 32GB version. I know I would.
Camera - forward and aft facing cameras. 720 support is awesome.
Chip - 1GHz Apple A4 sounds zippy and quick!

DISLIKES:

Included headphones - meh; probably one of the worst headphones ever.
Same style - shouldn't they have updated the design?

Apple TV

What I like:

Small size - easy to hide in my entertainment center!
Matte black - no shiny reflective surface, no shiny apple logo; very discrete
Power supply - only 6watts power usage? that's awesome. no need for an external brick power supply? even better!
HDMI - a blessing and also a curse; see below
Price - $99 makes it one of the cheaper alternatives for movies
Interface - simple and easy to navigate, very similar to front row for macbooks and imacs.
Streaming from PC - sweet; I've got a ton of photos, video, and music ;)

What I dislike:

HDMI - no 1080p, only 720p support. Sure it's HD, but it's not 1080p HD.
Apple A4 chip - they're sticking this thing into almost all the devices, from iPhone4 to iPod touch, iPad and now this. C'mon; get a faster chip that can handle the 1080p! Bump the specs, bump the price, charge a bit more for 1080p!
No storage - streaming only? what if my internet dies? I can't save any of my rentals for a while?
No applications - no pandora? hulu? only ABC and FOX? Needs more variety and selection; netflix doesn't even offer every movie to be streamed at HD quality.
Remote - C'mon; you can do better than that.

Verdict!

Overall, I think the Apple TV is a great product. Decent price, great for someone who isn't too crazy about quality of what they're watching, and just wants the ease of plug and play. But for us 1080p, video-hoarding, technogeeks, this probably won't cut it.

New iPods!

New iPods out; what do you guys think??

I'm personally plenty surprised and excited; it looks like a great lineup for this holiday season, and just more support for Apple iPods. Does this mean that I'll be updating my first generation iPod Touch anytime soon? Nah, I think I'll keep it until it breaks. And considering the great build quality, that ought to be when the battery starts to sputter out and die.

Anyone buying a new iPod? Apple TV?