Posts filed under ‘Photography’
Mud and batteries
I got in a ride yesterday, between storms. But there was still evidence of the last storm.
Luckily the muddy part was on a fire road as I came back down the hill, not on the singletrack. As you can see, the Maxxis CrossMark tires (original review here) aren’t good in the slick stuff. They packed up really fast, actually. When I got to the bottom I used a short pine branch to remove most of the mud. I’ll let the rest of the mud dry and then clean it up and lube everything. I wasn’t too concerned about mud clearance when I bought this frame, obviously. Of course I was running 1.95 tires then, not the 2.10 I have on now. I also replaced the batteries in and realigned my Cateye Wireless 7 bike computer.
Now, to wait out the storm and ride again next week.
Merry Christmas from Tehachapi
After the storm last night we drove up Backes Rd this afternoon for this shot.
Slickrock Tracks
OK, not tracks on the Slickrock trail, but on a mini-dune next to the trail.
Moab, UT – 2004
Scanning and organizing photos
I recently decided to scan all the pictures in my photo albums and also the envelopes full of loose pictures. With my digital photos, I have a fairly simple way of keeping pictures together in a way that’s meaningful to me – which is a big help when I’m looking for a specific image.
But with scanned images I don’t have the date when the photo was taken (instead it’s the scan date) or what the event was, if either of those things are even known. I’ve been using flickr for a long time and tagging my scanned photos (ala flickr) seemed like the way to go. By tagging the photos with who/what/where/why I could get to the photos I needed quickly, and I could put all the photos in one folder and not care about naming conventions – which would be a huge chore when scanning in hundreds and hundreds of photos.
So, how can I tag my photos and see them by their tags? I only came up with two choices: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 (APSE) and Microsoft Digital Image Suite (MDIS). You can download trial versions of both packages – 30 days for Adobe and 60 days for Microsoft.
After trying out both packages, I’ve decided to go with Microsoft Digital Image Suite.
While both packages have the features I’m looking for, photo editing (for touching up the scans) and tagging; I’m going with Microsoft’s product. I like the MDIS interface better, it worked better for me during the long process of scanning, correcting, and tagging my photos. While both packages offer extras like making photo albums and slideshows, Microsoft kept the main tools I needed in front and kept the rest out of my way.
Once the photos are scanned and tagged, it’s quite a powerful way to look at my photos.
It doesn’t get very cold in the OC
At least compared to here in Tehachapi. Still, I wanted to head out on my mountain bike in the sunny 40ยบ weather this morning for a ride. So, I got out my old ‘cold weather’ gear from when I lived in the OC (jacket, thicker socks, and sort-of-insulated gloves).
As long as I practiced the usual ‘I’m-not-really-dressed-for-this’ riding protocol*, I was OK. Chilly, but OK.
Not to worry, I’ve ordered some actual cold weather riding gear so I can ride when it really gets cold.
* Ride uphill at the start of the ride because that will warm you up. Ride downhill only after you’ve got some heat going. Ride known routes because this is not a time for exploring, it’s a survival situation. Avoid shady spots and stay in the sun. Ignore your toes, they’ll thaw out in the post-ride shower.
notastute 