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 Home Personal About CV PGP Key Digital Media Art Photo Video Portfolio Professional COBA Photography Software Portfolio Archives Links aaronAlexcyclgrlDardyEricEricgaretthopeblisterMikesyndromes Contact Low-Key Hillclimbs 2008 #1: Montebello Road October 4th, 2008  The 2008 Low-Key Hillclimbs started today with the usual climb up Montebello. Unlike the last two ascents up 5.3 mile road in Cupertino, the weather was decidedly cooler and wetter. Rain threatened the start of the race and only began to come down near the end of the ride for me. While I have been running and swimming this summer, I have not been doing any cycling. As the weeks ticked down to the start of the LKHC series, I wondered how my fitness level on the bike would be after a steady diet of 3, 6, and 12 mile runs. Let me tell you right off the bat, running is no substitute for hill climbing on a bike!I decided to take it “easy” up Montebello today, since I didn’t want to hurt myself seeing this was my first climb of the year. Other people, like Murali, Stephen, and Richard have been cycling throughout the year, so I knew they would do great. Murali completed the Death Ride this year and the California Triple Crown (three double-centuries). He certainly looked much fitter than last year, and I predicted a stellar time of 40:30 for him. Stephen, as always, looked very strong, and I calculated he would fly up Montebello in 37 minutes. Richard was humble about his training, but I knew the tiger was waiting to pounce on the hill; for him, I guessed 43 minutes.As for me, I would be happy with 45 minutes, though I knew that would be difficult to accomplish. As the climb began and I saw Murali, Stephen, and Richard fading in the foreground, I knew I was in for a long, wet day in the saddle. I sat back and just chugged my way up Montebello. Once again, the false summits fooled me, as I continually thought I was closer to the end only to see another hill appear before my very eyes. As the clock ticked passed 45 minutes, I knew that a reasonable time would now be 50 minutes. Sure enough, according to my clock, I just made it under the 50-minute mark. I suspect the official time will be right at 50-minutes. That’s a far cry away from my personal best of 39:30, but hey… not bad for someone who hasn’t been riding all year!As for Murali, Stephen, and Richard, they almost to the second hit the times that I predicted. I wish those skills would have come in handy last week before the whole stock market meltdown!At the top, it was cold and very wet. Stephen and I took our dear time getting down to the base. My hands hurt so much as they were on the brakes nearly the entire time. I’ve never liked wet roads, and so the combination of the steep descent with the rain made for an unenjoyable descent. Before the ride, we paid our respects to the two cyclists who were killed very close to the start of the ride earlier this year. When we lived in Cupertino, Rae and I used to ride by the spot of the accident all the time. Life is precious… enjoy every second of it!This year, I won’t be able to complete all of the climbs, breaking my two-year streak. I’m off to San Diego for a wedding next week, and I’ll be volunteering on Quimby Road the week thereafter. That said, there’s still the possibility that I can snatch the Endurance Award this year!Photo of me finishing Montebello by Josh Hadley Posted in Cycling, Exercise | No Comments » Political Photography, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Photokina Wrapup September 24th, 2008 The October meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm. Photokina WrapupPhotokina 2008 is happening right now in Cologne, Germany. We’ll have a recap of the most exciting news from the event in our annual biennial conference recap.Canon EOS 5D Mark II Last month, we spoke about the convergence of still photography and videography. The 5D Mark II, along with the recently-released Nikon D90, are ushering a the era of convergence faster than we may have anticipated.If you haven’t seen it already, check out the Reverie video by noted photographer Vincent Laforet. Shot using the 5D Mark II, the video demonstrates what use to cost ten of thousands of dollars is now possible with a $2700 camera!Political PhotographyMona T. Brooks will be on hand to talk about political photography her recent trip to Denver, Colorado, where she was a photographer at the Democratic National Convention. Mona will discuss the following topics:How I got started and what I’ve done the passed 5 yearsschoolexperiencepublications and clientsMy PassionA school assignment got me interested in photographing women in politicsHow I got to be Obama’s fundraiser photographer in the Bay AreaNetworkingMy business relies on word-of-mouthA stranger helped me a job as a Democratic National Convention (DNC) photographerDocumenting “A week in a life of a DNCC CEO”The access I got was a documentary photographer’s dreamWhat’s nextHow I plan to market myselfKeep doing what I loveMona T. Brooks quit corporate America in 2003 and started a new career in photograpy. She graduated from the Academy of Art University in December 2006 with a BFA in Documentary Photography. She’s been in 29 issues of San Francisco Magazine since November 2005 and been published internationally in Le Monde, Europa, Augenzeuge, and UK’s Intersection Magazine. Her clients range from Obama for America to Nokia and Microsoft. You can currently see her images on MUNI buses for ads of Park Merced Apartments. Her website is http://www.monabrooks.com and she can be found 24/7 on Facebook.Monthly Assignment: CHOICEWe all have a choice coming up this November, so the October, 2008, monthly assignment will be CHOICE. You can choose Red, Blue, Canon or Nikon, but please choose to bring a new photo for this month’s contest!The winner will get a free Pro Account on SmugMug for a year! Posted in COBA, Photography | 2 Comments » Newtons and iPhones at Stanford September 24th, 2008  News that Stanford will be conducting a class on iPhone Development, taught by my friend Adam Nash brings back good memories of my time on the Farm.I smiled when I read the press release from Stanford announcing the Stanford iApps Project.A suite of five software applications developed by students is now being tested on campus. Two of them, for managing course registration and bills, are intended for students. The other three will allow access to Stanford’s searchable campus map, get team scores and schedules, and check listings in the university’s online directory, StanfordWho.One of my first apps for the Apple Newton MessagePad was Stanford Map, a scrolling map of the university. I remember riding around campus and getting stopped by someone who wanted to get directions to a particular building. With my Newton in hand, I was able to show exactly where he needed to go. Bear in mind, this was 14 years ago! Posted in Journal, Newton, Software, Tech, Technology, iPhone | 1 Comment » One Thing Sarah Palin and I Have In Common: Glasses September 18th, 2008 There’s one thing that McCain’s Vice Presidential pick, Sarah Palin, and I have in common. We both wear glasses designed by Kazuo Kawasaki. That’s where the similarities end, however! I try to keep politics out of this site, but this woman is unequivocally a bad, bad choice. Petty, vindictive, and secretive, she represents the worst qualities of women, according to my female friends.Okay, end of my little political rant and back to Kawasaki glasses. I wear the MP-634. Light, made out of titanium, and stylish, I’ve been wearing these for the past decade. I used to have these rounder, gold framed glasses that, looking back, made me look like a nerd. Of course, that’s what I was back in high school and college! Posted in Journal | 1 Comment » Canon EOS 5D Mark II September 16th, 2008 The cat is out of the bag with the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Looks like a nice camera with a price point that’s under $3000. I remember paying that much for the Canon EOS D30; my how far we’ve come in just eight years! From 3MP to 21MP!I’m interested in the camera’s low-light, high ISO performance. Will it be competitive with the D3 and D700’s excellent high ISO performance? There’s mention of weather-resistance. How does it compare with the 1D-series, which I’ve found to be built like tanks. The 1080p video capability also looks very intriguing. Unlike the D90, the 5D Mark II offers an external stereo microphone jack; could prove handy in a pinch, or when the need to create some stunning, wide-open aperture shots. I could definitely see myself using that feature for future documentaries and films.The 5D Mark II is due out this November. Will I get one? Maybe! Posted in Photography | 2 Comments » GMOs in our Fruits? September 16th, 2008 Rae and I were cutting up some fruit this afternoon when the topic of genetically-modified organisms came up. How do we know if the fruit we’re eating has been genetically modified, conventionally grown, or organic?Turns out, many fruits have this information right on the sticker that comes on many fruits you buy from the store today.For conventionally grown fruit, (grown with chemicals inputs), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8. For example,A conventionally grown banana would be:4011An organic banana would be:94011A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be:84011The huge Asian apple pear that we’re eating right now didn’t have a sticker on it, but the bosc pear I have in my hand right now says 4413. Not a GM’ed pear, but not an organic one either. Food for thought! Posted in Journal | 1 Comment » Canon 1D Mark III AF… from Canon’s Point of View September 15th, 2008 We’ve heard Rob Galbraith’s side of the story, now read Canon’s point of view on the issues surrounding the EOS Canon 1D Mark III autofocus performance.I held out upgrading to the new cameras this time around. After lugging the 1D-body everywhere for the past 7 years, I’m ready to downsize. I really like the D700, with its full-frame sensor and rugged, yet portable body, but I’m not switching over to Nikon anytime soon. I’m hoping that the mythical 5D Mark II, rumored to come out in less than two days, will be everything that I want in a camera. Compact (by 1D standards), full-frame, weatherproof, and affordable. Posted in Photography | 2 Comments » Chargers win 38-24. Refs Rule Otherwise. Broncos Win 39-38 September 14th, 2008 What a horrible officiating today during the Chargers-Broncos game in Denver. A fumble that shouldn’t have been a fumble in the first quarter. A fumble that was inadvertently ruled an incompletion gave Broncos the life they needed to win the game. Ed Hoculi; I used to think you were a good red, but today, you really blew it!If the rules get in the way of who wins and who loses, then the rules need to be changed. Two minute time limit to get the replay machines working? I had never heard of that rule. Ridiculous. Blowing your whistle when it’s clear the quarterback is doing the empty hand routine with the football? Refs are taught to hold off from blowing the whistle until it’s clear what happened. Horrible! Posted in Chargers, Rants, Sports | No Comments » October 2008 COBA Topics September 13th, 2008 Tentative topics for next month’s COBA meeting are political photography and Photokina wrapup. We’re hoping to bring in Jim Rose from Canon USA to show off Canon’s new products and Mona Brooks to discuss her experience photographing the Democratic National Convention. Stay tuned for more details! Posted in COBA, Photography | No Comments » Windows Home Server and Video/Photography Convergence at September 10, 2008 COBA Meeting September 4th, 2008 The September meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm. Windows Home Server (WHS)Edward Casati of Unbound Photography has recently switched to using Windows Home Server (WHS) as his main ‘bulk’ file storage.He had outgrown his ReadyNAS and decided to build his own WHS with some extra hardware that he had. He’s been pleased with its performance, and his presentation will cover the following topics:What to look for in mass storage: Expandability, Non-proprietary storage format, Room for growth, Remote access, flexibility.Brief comparison of other alternativesStandard features of WHSHardware optionsRemote Access capabilitiesConvergence: Videography and PhotographyIs the convergence of video and still photography just around the corner? The newly announced Nikon D90 DSLR features a built-in 720p HDTV movie mode, and the upcoming Red Scarlet is a digital videocamera that captures 5MP images at 24fps (with burst modes going to 180fps).In the future, will we all be using video cameras that take still photos or still cameras that can take video?We’ll take a look at the current slate of cameras, make predictions, and debate what lies ahead for videography and photography.Shutterbudd Monthly Contest: Life in the BayThis month’s contest comes to you via Shutterbudd. The company is hosting a few local art displays in the San Francisco Bay Area and they’re looking for submissions from photographers such as yourself! The theme for this show will be “Life In the Bay” since they are located in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be showing the art in local businesses. They’d like to see images that really reflect the feeling of the Bay Area and of living in and around San Francisco. They are asking for stunning black and white images that evoke any number of emotions and are immediately recognizable as having been taken in the Bay Area.For the very first show, they’ve chosen two lovely local businesses in Mountain View, California: Sweet Corner and zpizza, both located on bustling Castro Street. They have both expressed an interest in giving back to the artistic community and hosting beautiful art in their spaces, and this is a great chance for everyone to win! For details, please check out http://www.shutterbudd.com/theshow. NOTE: For this contest, you can use any prior photo you’ve taken in the past. It doesn’t have to have been taken in the past month.LocationCordura Hall 100 |
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