Close enough.
Now if only someone would invite me on a hog hunt I could get some bacon with it . . .
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Not Bad
My long range sniper deer rifle is back up after a couple of years waiting for a part. Finally for the first time in too long I took it to the range. Four shots with one called flyer and the other three within a 2" "group" right on target at a hundred paces. The yellow dots are 4" circles.
Close enough.
Now if only someone would invite me on a hog hunt I could get some bacon with it . . .
Close enough.
Now if only someone would invite me on a hog hunt I could get some bacon with it . . .
How To Tell If A Woman Has Children
You can know your lady has kids very easily in one easy step. This actually happened to me the other day.
If you are on the phone with her, and about to hang up, and she says in a calm voice:
"No, get your feet off his face. Bye!" and hangs up, she has children.
If you are on the phone with her, and about to hang up, and she says in a calm voice:
"No, get your feet off his face. Bye!" and hangs up, she has children.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Winning: Use IrfanView for First Cull.
If you are not using IrfanView as the default image viewing program on your PC, you are doing yourself a SEVERE disservice. Before you read the rest of this post, go to the IrfanView Official Homepage and download the program and the plugins, install the program, install the plugins, and let it associate all the file extensions with IrfanView. Double-click any image file and note that it opened more-or-less immediately. Hit the space bar on your keyboard and the next image is there. Hit backspace and the previous image is there. It works with pretty much all image file types, and can even read some partially-corrupted images.
I have been using IrfanView since the years when it actually mattered that the entire program can fit on a single floppy disk. It is one of the first programs I install on any new machine. I like it so much I actually donated my own money to support the program, and I NEVER donate to shareware/freeware authors.
Anyway, I just realized as I was sifting through a pile of images on my camera's memory card that when you hit DELETE on the keyboard, and it gives a confirmation dialog, and you hit Yes or the Enter key - it deletes the image as if you had deleted the file in Windows Explorer. My previous method of doing a first-cull to delete throwaway images was using the Filmstrip view in Windows Explorer, full-screen so it shows up a big image. With IrfanView, it can give a fullscreen image, and hitting control-H shows the actual pixels so you can see every last detail. Windows Explorer resamples in a not-great way but IrfanView shows a very clear image on my monitor. My life just got more efficient. Thanks to Jesus! (and to IrfanView!)
I have been using IrfanView since the years when it actually mattered that the entire program can fit on a single floppy disk. It is one of the first programs I install on any new machine. I like it so much I actually donated my own money to support the program, and I NEVER donate to shareware/freeware authors.
Anyway, I just realized as I was sifting through a pile of images on my camera's memory card that when you hit DELETE on the keyboard, and it gives a confirmation dialog, and you hit Yes or the Enter key - it deletes the image as if you had deleted the file in Windows Explorer. My previous method of doing a first-cull to delete throwaway images was using the Filmstrip view in Windows Explorer, full-screen so it shows up a big image. With IrfanView, it can give a fullscreen image, and hitting control-H shows the actual pixels so you can see every last detail. Windows Explorer resamples in a not-great way but IrfanView shows a very clear image on my monitor. My life just got more efficient. Thanks to Jesus! (and to IrfanView!)
SOLVED! $0 DIY Nikon D70 CHA/CHR Error Fix FREE*
Symptoms:
You love your D70 but it keeps giving an error on the top screen, "CHA" and every once in a while you lose a picture. The camera will say "This Card Cannot Be Used" with a known-good CF card, or when it does work, it will sometimes say "Zoom Cannot Be Used With This File" or it will fail to record an image. Sometimes it even says the card has to be formatted - which deletes ALL your photographs!
This rarely happened, then it got worse and more-frequent. The camera is no longer a beloved friend, it is become an enemy and not to be trusted. Maybe you even (ugh!) resorted to using your phone's camera instead, because at least it reliably captures images, however low-quality they may be.
You have found that pressing harder on the CF card in the camera, or maybe a few insert/removes of the card will temporarily clear the error, sometimes for weeks! Perhaps you have taken to leaving the card in-camera and using the much-slower USB interface on the camera instead when downloading files.
Solutions:
For money: The CF slot in the camera is bad. It is about a $40 part if you can find it, and the repair requires disassembly of the camera. Having a shop repair the camera might be more expensive than buying another, newer-model, used body. But. I have not seen the CHA error in months and I am happy to consider this fixed, "free."
Free:
*Tools required:
The REAL root cause: These were machine-soldered with either the wrong sort or not enough solder, or they did it wrong> The joints ended up "cold" from the factory. Over time, with each insert/removal of your compact flash memory cards, the solder joints are stressed and eventually they break. This is a problem of execution, not design, and Nikon would repair it under warranty when a warranty still existed on this camera. These days, you will pay handsomely for them to repair it if they still will, but at least it will be returned VERY clean!
What is not the problem: Your new cards and your old cards are probably fine if they will work in your computer's card reader. You DO NOT need to FORMAT your card and lose all your vacation photos! An image-recovery software tool should be able to extract any images properly written on the card, even if the camera cannot read them! The pins are not plated with too-thin gold plating, which eventually wore off. Some people (me included!) found partial success coating the pins with dielectric grease because it lubricated the pins, putting less mechanical stress on the bad solder joints with each card insert/remove. The phase of the moon is not incorrect.
At least in my case this was a fairly straightforward repair of a problem common to poorly-made soldered electronics.
MANY thanks to ifixit.com for their wonderful disassembly/repair instructions!
You love your D70 but it keeps giving an error on the top screen, "CHA" and every once in a while you lose a picture. The camera will say "This Card Cannot Be Used" with a known-good CF card, or when it does work, it will sometimes say "Zoom Cannot Be Used With This File" or it will fail to record an image. Sometimes it even says the card has to be formatted - which deletes ALL your photographs!
This rarely happened, then it got worse and more-frequent. The camera is no longer a beloved friend, it is become an enemy and not to be trusted. Maybe you even (ugh!) resorted to using your phone's camera instead, because at least it reliably captures images, however low-quality they may be.
You have found that pressing harder on the CF card in the camera, or maybe a few insert/removes of the card will temporarily clear the error, sometimes for weeks! Perhaps you have taken to leaving the card in-camera and using the much-slower USB interface on the camera instead when downloading files.
Solutions:
For money: The CF slot in the camera is bad. It is about a $40 part if you can find it, and the repair requires disassembly of the camera. Having a shop repair the camera might be more expensive than buying another, newer-model, used body. But. I have not seen the CHA error in months and I am happy to consider this fixed, "free."
Free:
*Tools required:
- Ability to do fine-pitch soldering by hand
- Helping Hands (with magnifying glass!)
- Veeeery fine-tipped soldering iron
- Very thin solder
The REAL root cause: These were machine-soldered with either the wrong sort or not enough solder, or they did it wrong> The joints ended up "cold" from the factory. Over time, with each insert/removal of your compact flash memory cards, the solder joints are stressed and eventually they break. This is a problem of execution, not design, and Nikon would repair it under warranty when a warranty still existed on this camera. These days, you will pay handsomely for them to repair it if they still will, but at least it will be returned VERY clean!
What is not the problem: Your new cards and your old cards are probably fine if they will work in your computer's card reader. You DO NOT need to FORMAT your card and lose all your vacation photos! An image-recovery software tool should be able to extract any images properly written on the card, even if the camera cannot read them! The pins are not plated with too-thin gold plating, which eventually wore off. Some people (me included!) found partial success coating the pins with dielectric grease because it lubricated the pins, putting less mechanical stress on the bad solder joints with each card insert/remove. The phase of the moon is not incorrect.
At least in my case this was a fairly straightforward repair of a problem common to poorly-made soldered electronics.
MANY thanks to ifixit.com for their wonderful disassembly/repair instructions!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Way to Foster Democracy, Guys.
Islamists want a caliphate under a supreme leader.
Leftists in the USA claim to want democracy.
So we helped in the out-kicking of a dictator in Egypt. Are you with me so far?
Then the islamists elected their own to power in Egypt.
Then the elected islamist rulers excluded the infidels and rushed through a session creating their new constitution . . . effectively making the new Egyptian President . . .
.
.
.
wait for it
.
.
.
the new dictator! Congratulations, President Obama and Secretary Clinton! Your Smart Diplomacy® skills have evicted a dictator who was friendly to the USA and promoted stability in North Africa, and installed a dictator who would probably like to nuke the USA and have the whole region consumed with islam-related warfare until peace breaks out.
Peace, of course, to an islamist means only one thing: everybody is either a muslim, paying tribute, or dead.
So, pat yourself on the back American taxpayer; you had a hand in the upcoming war also! Okay, good night - sweet dreams!
Leftists in the USA claim to want democracy.
So we helped in the out-kicking of a dictator in Egypt. Are you with me so far?
Then the islamists elected their own to power in Egypt.
Then the elected islamist rulers excluded the infidels and rushed through a session creating their new constitution . . . effectively making the new Egyptian President . . .
.
.
.
wait for it
.
.
.
the new dictator! Congratulations, President Obama and Secretary Clinton! Your Smart Diplomacy® skills have evicted a dictator who was friendly to the USA and promoted stability in North Africa, and installed a dictator who would probably like to nuke the USA and have the whole region consumed with islam-related warfare until peace breaks out.
Peace, of course, to an islamist means only one thing: everybody is either a muslim, paying tribute, or dead.
So, pat yourself on the back American taxpayer; you had a hand in the upcoming war also! Okay, good night - sweet dreams!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Magic Under The Lights
Imagine walking at night in near-total darkness on an abandoned city side-street
Straight into a forest
Where trees are a hundred feet tall
The grass is trimmed neatly
And each tree is covered in points of light right up to the top of the canopy
That was the perspective from the eyes of #4 last week-end. If this does not qualify as a magical experience for a child, I don't know what would.
Click the image to see it supersized, hit escape to close the image window. Better yet, right-click the image and "view image" then click it again to see it full-size (I left it at 1600 pixels wide so it should cover your entire screen)
Straight into a forest
Where trees are a hundred feet tall
The grass is trimmed neatly
And each tree is covered in points of light right up to the top of the canopy
That was the perspective from the eyes of #4 last week-end. If this does not qualify as a magical experience for a child, I don't know what would.
Click the image to see it supersized, hit escape to close the image window. Better yet, right-click the image and "view image" then click it again to see it full-size (I left it at 1600 pixels wide so it should cover your entire screen)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Everybody Caught A Case of the Stupid?
First Blogger went and cocked up their interface, now Photobucket? Well, Blogger at least saved all my old posts. Photobucket decided to just flush a thousand photos - with links all over the internet going back to my album - straight down the crapper. AND the interface sucks.
Thanks guys. I think I'll find my own image server.
Update a couple days later: Well it turns out I was looking in the wrong account. I have TWO photobucket accounts and I only ever use ONE of them. The other, apparently, I had totally forgotten about. I sent a complaining e-mail to their tech support and they got right back to me trying to be helpful, at which point I wish I had done a little-harder looking before I sent the e-mail. The interface now is less great than it was, but at least my pictures are still there.
Update a couple days later: Well it turns out I was looking in the wrong account. I have TWO photobucket accounts and I only ever use ONE of them. The other, apparently, I had totally forgotten about. I sent a complaining e-mail to their tech support and they got right back to me trying to be helpful, at which point I wish I had done a little-harder looking before I sent the e-mail. The interface now is less great than it was, but at least my pictures are still there.
PEC at Night
The Pedernales Electric Co-op has put up a few lights again this year. Wandering around under the trees is magical, especially for little children. For adults, it's pretty sweet too.
Walking up the street to the PEC building: (click the image to see a larger version, hit escape to close the picture)
Walking up the street to the PEC building: (click the image to see a larger version, hit escape to close the picture)
A Little Premature
The President has given a list of outrageous demands to the
Republicans with no concessions on his part, as his play in negotiating the upcoming "fiscal cliff". The
Republicans had already started talking about compromise before the Democrats even thought
about coming to the table. This will end in the age-old pattern: tax
increases with no corresponding budget cuts because the cuts were put
off into the future and the political cowards on Capitol Hill will not allow
them to go through when the piper comes for his
pay.
Today I cashed in my 401(k) account. I am
sure the President would love to convert it -today- to a government account but
the Republicrats still stand in the way. The wishy-washy
Republicans that can't even make up their mind to allow a previously agreed-to
bipartisan compromise to happen, when they are certain to get the blame no
matter WHAT happens.
Well, my capital is flying. Now. Unless
they make a confiscatory law retroactive to today, my money will be mine.
The gains (all the gains) my money made will be lost, but I will preserve the
capital.
The ruling elite in Germany thought they could
control Hitler with the national legislature, and we all (should) know how well
that came out. Maybe I'm wrong. I stand to lose significant
capital gains, but at least I am making an effort to be prudent.
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