i like dogs. i like sushi. i hate pants.
sour milk
kodak is filing for bankruptcy because of a failure to innovate in the changing photography landscape from analog to digital.
the motion picture association and the record industry are struggling economically because of a failure to innovate in the changing entertainment landscape from analog to digital.
sounds like kodak should have just tried passing legislation allowing them to shut down stores like walgreens and wal-mart or online sites like shutterfly that print digital photos on film.
no, seriously folks — this analogy shows how absurd SOPA and PIPA really are. you should look into it on wikipedia now that they're back online
i'm what i'd call an 'amateur, amateur' photographer. i didn't take a class once in college for an elective because i thought it would be fun (i took 'the psychology of sports injuries'), and i certainly don't have a fancy $500 dslr camera. instead of a pricey rig, all of the photos that i take are with my iphone 4 in the camera+ app; even the entire 150 picture photo album of my trip to italy earlier this year. i do, however, still have an appreciation for the art.
not really wanting to spend a large sum of money on a semi-professional camera that i'd hate to lug around everywhere with me, i was excited when i saw the olloclip highlighted on the tekzilla podcast. it's a very cool little add-on for your iphone 4 or 4S that gives you 3 lens attachments for the slight cost of $70. you get a fisheye lens, a wide-angle lens, and underneath the wide-angle (just unscrew it) you also get a macro lens.
the setup is ingenious.
the lenses are on opposite sides of a clip which snuggly fits over the top of your iphone's rear-facing camera lens. seriously: you don't have to worry about your olloclip just falling off your iphone, and you don't have to worry about putting a special case on your phone for magnetic lenses or a screw-on attachment (although you can't use this clip with a bumper or other case). it's simple, and that's the beauty of it.
the fisheye lens on the one side is about the size of a quarter in the united states. on the flip side are the wide-angle and macro lenses which is about the size of a nickel. both sides come with a lens cap to protect the glass and a small, soft pouch to place it in to protect it even more — especially if you slip it into your pocket with other stuff or, ladies, in your favorite handbag or clutch with whatever the heck you keep in those things (i seriously am afraid to know).
the fisheye lens works fairly well. there is a loss of focus which happens on the very outer edges of your images, but i think that's almost to be expected. just the nature of the fisheye lends itself to taking photos of subjects that are either closer to you, or which sprawl out both horizontally and vertically across your frame. that's where the fisheye effect is most pronounced and has the most impact on the audience. because it is such a pronounced effect, though, you may have an urge to abuse this lens and take photos of everything with it. resist this urge.
the wide-angle lens is, i think, my favorite of the three. the wide-angle exaggerates the depth of objects in your frame making closer subjects appear larger and those in the distance seeming smaller. important to note that you to have to be careful with aligning your focal point properly with the horizon or vanishing point, otherwise perspective can be thrown off. you'll actually notice in the photos from the beach this morning that the horizon sags a bit in the middle because i did not line this up properly. this will requlre some practice, but the images you can create with a wide-angle lens are pretty awesome.
the macro lens hides underneath the wide-angle lens, but don't forget about it; this lens can be used to snap some great pictures. you do have to get very close to the object you're trying to photograph with the macro lens (which is why it's a macro lens), and i mean close — an inch or less away. because of this, you're going to want to make sure that there is ample, appropriate lighting so that you're not casting a shaddow over what you're trying to take a photo of. but damn does it work! look at the detail on the nickel and the vitamin water label that this lens is able to pick up. it's astounding.
overall, i love the olloclip and give it the 'thisisjohnny' official stamp of approval. there's very little image distortion around the edges of your photos using this lens attachment, colors are just as clear as without the attachment, it's easy to put it on and take it off of your phone, and doesn't require any special cases or magnetic attachments. other things i like about it are how small it is and how easy it is carry around with you wherever you go, and that $70 price point is very affordable for most people who already have an iphone 4 or 4S.
i do want to emphasize this one point, however: these lenses will not make you a good photographer. in fact, it's harder to use these lenses to capture good photos beacuse of the intricacies of each. so if you want your photos to be better i have 2 simple pieces of advice — 1) you almost always want to observe the rule of thirds; 2) get up close and fill the frame with the object of your photo, but still let your subject breathe (rule of thirds). it's all about balance, but never be afraid to get intimate.
now go make some art. the world wants to see it.
my birthday is fast approaching, so i put together a simple wishlist:
i don't expect anything — that's why it's a wishlist — but it sure would be sweet.
shaving with old blades: "ouch. that's gonna bleed.... oh yeah, there it goes."
shaving with new blades: "HOLY SHIT WHERE DID ALL THIS BLOOD COME FROM?"
corporate social networking and enterprise 2.0 does have a serious downside: when colleagues whom would never be more than colleagues leave the organization for some place new, there is an extra strain placed on the enterprise.
when people become more than just coworkers and teammates and instead become friends, confidants, and mentors their leaving hurts more than just turnover percentages; it hurts personally.
with e2.0, the pain isn't localized anymore. it's distributed and far reaching. how organizations (and individuals) grow to react to this challenge is going to be an interesting one to watch.
you were the hot blonde in the blue, late model acura with the penn state nittany lions license plate holder, i was the strange chap in the carbon steel GTI with the pennsylvania state university alumni plate holder. i was pleasantly surprised when our paths crossed again on 264-eastbound. we each passed each other a few times before you took the independence exit south, while i took the independence exit north.
our eyes met across the highway. i persued and you withdrew, then you persued and i withdrew... and so we danced.
i'll be missing you until we meet again.
... and would still love to get that slice of pizza with you.
you were the hot blonde in the blue, late model acura with psu nittany lions license plate holder, i was the interesting looking fellow in the GTI whom you cut off on 264-westbound. i'm willing to forgive you if you'll have a slice of pizza with me.
- 'pushing up daisies', garth brooks
if anyone thinks google+ is intended to help protect your privacy, you're absolutely crazy.
say over time as you continue to post, google notices you tend to share information about music with your family circle. guess who's going to start getting more ads in their google products and internet searches for concert tickets?
all y'alls need to come to the realization that privacy doesn't exist anymore and you control your own information about as well as bizkit controls his sleepwalking. our lives now have a price tag. we're all being monetized.
it's just a question of whom and how many we allow to do so.
"I love Philadelphia, I don't think that's any secret. I've been with the organization for nine years now, played for them for six. Loved my time here. Coming out to the fans every game, it was a huge pick-up for the team. Can't say enough about how they've been so helpful to us over the years, and myself personally. … My teammates, can't say enough about them. That's one thing the Flyers do -- they bring in good people; I made a lot of life-long friends that I played with. Same with the rest of the organization, same as the players they bring in, they have first-class people -- the trainers, people in the front office, everybody. Just an unbelievable environment to be in."
— jeff carter
i like dogs. i like sushi. i hate pants.
i like dogs. i like sushi. i hate pants.
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