September 1st, 2010
This past weekend the girlfriend appeared in two bellydance showcases – a disco themed competition and her own troupe’s Hoffla (a sort of recital). Both were quite interesting and fun, and I knew that she would want pictures to share and such. Going in to the shows I had to keep in mind two facts: Bellydance shows are often poorly lit (and these two were no exception), and the gf can be extremely picky about photos. So, I made a conscious decision to shoot MANY photos. This does lessen my own enjoyment of the show (I spend alot of time staring at the LCD screen and fretting over previous shot reviews), but in the end it gives far more material to work with.
In the end I shot 384 photos this weekend. After my initial review for focus, lighting, and composition only 200-some (I accidentally deleted the exact number). I then, as any good boyfriend should, gave the gf final review and approval. This left only 122 for posting to flickr.
The lesson – in the face of adversity and a picky client, overshoot to ensure you come away with something usable!
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June 10th, 2010
So, I am going to once again relaunch the blog. And hopefully stick with it this time!
For my first endeavor, have you seen the website WalkScore? Punch in an address and it gives you a score of said locations walkability. Which made me wonder, what have my scores been across my life?
First, a BIG caveat – Walk Score has zero transit data for any location I’ve ever lived. My adolescence was in a rural town with no transit whatsoever, so that is not surprising. But it is surprising that neither CATA nor MTA have provided their data yet. I am sure that this fact is unnecessarily hurting the scores of my post-college locales, and I will rerun this analysis if and when data is available.
So, what is the take-away lesson. It does appear that my walkability improved during college (it is a commonly noted trend that college students are far more likely to use non-automobile transport modes), only to then plummet for several years. This drop-off is ironic, since those are the years I regularly rode MARC Train (an MTA property, so unfactored in this analysis). My new locale has relatively high walkability, owing to its urban location. I guess overall I can consider this progress since I have been working to improve my options to take non-auto modes. The graph definitely indicates that that has occurred. However, I am disheartened that only my current residence has managed to crack the 50 mark. This clearly indicates that there is still much work to be done.
Posted in Me, Rantings, Trains | No Comments »
August 15th, 2009
Friends – I have decided it is time for me to replace my sheets and comforter on my bed. And so, I am now searching for replacements but am disappointed with what I find. And so I am asking you readers for assistance. What should I buy? Where can I find it? Some ideas that I have been unable to find online:
- Checkerboard (as in a ska pattern)
- Actual maps (like a topographic map or historic, real map)
- Star map or solar system map
- Bizarre branding, like Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Any other ideas or suggestions?
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July 28th, 2009
Now that Berks County has purchased the former Reading Colebrookdale Branch, East Penn has removed all their equipment and ceased operations. I’m not sure how I feel about East Penn’s operations, but I am grateful that they kept the branch active for so long. Though I do enjoy rail-trails, I would much rather see the branch preserved as a railroad. The County is still studying what to actually do though.
With that in mind, I was excited to find ESPN #52 in Reading Yard. As East Penn wound down it had been sitting on the railroad bridge over High Street awaiting interchange, but I had no idea where it was headed after that. My guess is that its headed to Emmaus for interchange to ESPN’s operation on the north end of the former Perkiomen Branch. Incidentally, I have also observed green containers in East Greenville on the Perkiomen, similar to those that used to show up in Boyertown. I’m guessing ESPN is consolidating operations to the former Perkiomen.
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Those who know me can probably guess what I would do if I were running the railroad. Although its not a new or original idea, I would extend the branch to meet the former RDG Perkiomen Branch somewhere near Palm, PA. This would give direct rail service to Martin’s Stone Quarry outside Bechtelsville as well as put Bechtelsville and Bally on the line.
Since the county is in charge, it may prove useful to create a railroad authority under their Economic Development Corporation to own the trackage, then contract a shortline operator. This is precisely the model that has made SEDA-COG an enviable success. If this is pursued, I would insist that the authority also purchase the north end of the Perkiomen Branch (another ESPN property), the Pottstown Industrial Track, and some of Stowe Yard (outside Pottstown), as well as negotiate trackage rights on NS from Emmaus to Allentown Yard. This would give approximately 40 miles of track plus 5 miles of trackage rights – a mainline from Pottstown to Emmaus and a branchline to East Greenville. Interchange could take place at Stowe Yard (outside Pottstown) and Allentown yard (reached via trackage rights). Existing industrial parks/areas served are in Pottstown (downtown and the former Occidental site), Stowe (former Doehlers Jarvis site), New Berlinville, Bally (if a spur is built to the former Bally Case & Cooler), and East Greenville. Combined with the steady revenue of stone trains from Martin’s Stone Quarry and existing industries this could be a powerful economic development tool to lure more manufacturers to the area while reducing truck trips.
Posted in Rantings, Trains | No Comments »
July 26th, 2009
Photos from Innabah Night Camp 2009 are finally online. If anyone wants these posted to facebook as well, email me to request specific photos.
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May 3rd, 2009
This weekend, at the suggestion of my girlfriend, I attended the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race on Saturday. Photos are now online.
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At my roommates suggestion I also attended Journey to the End of the Night in DC Saturday. Though tough shooting conditions (low light, lots of movement, unpredictable locations), I did manage some photos.
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May 3rd, 2009
Photos are now online from the PSU MRRC 2009 Spring Open House. Go, enjoy.
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March 2nd, 2009
This past weekend I went home to PA for a wedding. On the way home I also stopped at Reading’s Pagoda with its newly installed LED lights for some night photography.
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February 11th, 2009
I have finally replaced my old digital (lost in Philadelphia on a business trip) with a Panasonic FZ28. I am still figuring out the settings, menu structure, and all, but a few pictures are now online (Innabah ski retreat for one).
As part of the breaking-in, I am attempting to find the best settings. This is the first camera I’ve ever owned that supports RAW format (*.RW2 in Panasonic-land). Below is a side-by-side comparison, utilizing a setting to record both RAW and JPG at once. Though I like the color balance better on the JPG, the RAW does have better sharpness and less noise. So in conclusion, I will probably use JPG for work uses, RAW for personal uses.
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RAW - JPG
Any advice on obtaining better results from my photog friends?
Posted in Photos | 2 Comments »
January 28th, 2009
I promise the photo draught is about to come to an end, with a return of photos and blog-posts highlighting them soon.
Until then, Janelle was awesome enough to scan some slides I had lying around. Like most foamers, I shoot slides of trains (the color holds up better long-term, and it’s just fittingly old-school). A few highlights from the batch:
Posted in Trains | 1 Comment »
