We'll see how this goes... I upgraded the blog too version 4 today.
There sure are a lot of new features and a whole lot of learning to do now!
November 2007 Archives
IAmber and I have been hosting torture sessions a few days as week in our garage. It's nice to see that we arent the only ones throwing these parties! Josh over at FIREbike has posted a work out plan for a trainer ride that sounds like a lot of fun. We might just have to mix it in with the Spinnervals DVDs. FIREbike: Tour de Garage
This app sounds cool.... scan barcodes from your DVDs and books to catalog them. Makes your physical library searchable from the spotlight app on your Mac. Even cooler is the fact that it finds cover images and reviews for the books you have!
Delicious Library
lsof -i | grep LISTEN
macosxhints.com - Show which processes are listening to which ports
lsof -i | grep LISTEN
Funny video found on YouTube.com by way of Fark.com
FARK.com: Fark YouTube Player (3217705) OMFG.... How has this gone unnoticed for 15 months?
I got OS X Leopard in the mail yesterday... cant wait to put it on the new iMac and check it out!!
This site is awesome... design your own shirt, add graphics, and have it digitally printed, screen printed, or embroidered. The prices are comparable to Cafepress stuff. I ordered a shorts so we'll see how the printing quality compares.
T-Shirt Screen Printing, Custom T Shirt Design, Design Your Own Hats, Tshirt Screenprinting
So I had so much fun goofing around on the icanhascheezburger.com site I had to make one myself:
Lolcat Builder and Lolcat Generator -- Make your own lolcats!
I came across this ridiculously stupid site that has pictures of mostly cats and horrilbly misspelled and poor grammar type captions. Some of them are actually pretty funny!
moar funny pictures
Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures - I Can Has Cheezburger?
I finally got behind a camera again and snapped some shots this weeekend. The link below is to the gallery of pics taken at the VB Cyclocross race at Mount Trashmore today..... not sure I am quite ready for a race like this but it still looked like a lot of fun Congrats to Fat Frogs team mate Daryl for getting out there with his heavy mountain bike and holding his own!!! 
There seemed to be a good turn out and it was the changing terrain of the course allowed for some very interesting picture opportunities. Anyways.... check out the gallery:The Stormyworld.net Image Gallery - Va Beach Cyclocross 11/18/2007
OS X leaves all kinds of these little files when browsing network shares. Here's how to get rid of them:
Prevent the creation of .DS_Store files on Network volumes in MacOS:
* Open the Terminal application from the Utilities folder which is nested in the Applications folder
* In the newly opened terminal type (all on one line) defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true
* Restart the computer for the change to take effect
Mixed Computing: Stop Thumbs.db and .DS_Store files from Polluting Network Shares
Prevent the creation of .DS_Store files on Network volumes in MacOS:
* Open the Terminal application from the Utilities folder which is nested in the Applications folder
* In the newly opened terminal type (all on one line) defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true
* Restart the computer for the change to take effect
Our new iMac came in yesterday!!! It's the shiny 20" aluminum model! So we are now down to one MS Windows computer in the house now, the server. I am slowly learning enough about Linux to begin putting together a server to replace it though. :) Wouldnt that be quite the thing... a house with Microsoft OS computers in it!
Back to the mac.... with any new venture into computers there is always a learning curve. Last night I experienced one of those "curves".
I frequently used RDP on WinXP to access my home computer from remote locations. So when the new mac was in place one of the first things I wanted to do was setup remote access to the OSX "gui". I did a couple of quick searches on Google and came up with a pretty nice VNC server called Vine. I installed it which is VERY easy to do with a Mac. Then spent a bit of time configuring the server to start and what ports for it to take request on. I then RDP'd in to the server and tried to VNC back in to the mac. It worked... but was a little slow. So I did another search on Google and came up with an article talking about the built in ability that OS X 10.4 has to allow remote desktop connections. A couple simple changes in the Sharing applet within System Preferences and I was up and running with the built in desktop sharing functions. So for the time being my Mac can take requests on two ports at the same time for desktop sharing.
Here's the article that explained it all.....
macminicolo.net : VNC Macintosh
This is a list of the Firefox Tweaks and Add-ons that are a must for me on all of my Firefox installs.....
Add Ons:
Ad Block Plus Plugin - Blocks Ads
del.icio.us Plugin - Save bookmarks to del.icio.us
Foxmarks - Book Marks Synchorizer
Open Book - Allows customizing your bookmarks and keywords
ReloadEvery - useful for Ebay, automatically reloads the page.
Tweaks in about:config
browser.tabs.minwidth to 10 - narrower tabs before scrolling
browser.close.button to 3 - X to close at end not on each tab
browser.urlbar.hideGobutton to true - Hide the Go button
layout.spellcheckDefault to 2 - Spell checks address bar too.
network.http.pipelining to true - allows for more requests
network.proxy.pipelining to true
Add a new integer type by right clicking anywhere....
nglayout.initialpaint.delay to 0 - sets the delay before initiating a request.
network-prefetch~next to false - disables prefetch of pages
A lot more information can be found on this post at Lifehacker:
Geek to Live: Top Firefox 2 config tweaks
There's a good article on some of the neat features that are "rolled" in to OSX. Check it out! 5 Hidden OSX Gems on the Oak Innovations Blog
Keirin Man #3 Alarm Clock [Keirin Alarm - #3] : • Milwaukee Bicycle Co. • Ben's Cycle
Keirin Man Alarm Clock
There's a great article on teaching kids about digital photgraphy posted at the Digital Photography School. I wish I had this when we got Devon his first camera. Some of the things that were helped getting Devon in to photography was to simply have the camera, use it, and HAVE FUN!
Here's the article with a link to the original at the end:
1. Experiment
ExperimentLooking over many of the shots that I took in those early days shows me that I took a lot of shots of almost exactly the same things. I approached my subjects in much the same way with every shot and as a result ended up with very similar results. Teach your child how to vary their shots in a number of these ways:
* shoot from different perspectives - up high, down low etc
* getting in close - stepping back for a wider angle shot
* moving around your subject to shoot from different sides
* experimenting with different settings (teaching them about different exposure modes)
2. Check your Backgrounds
BackgroundsA very simple concept that can enhance an image is to check out the background of a shot to check for clutter or distraction.
Teach your children to scan the background (and the foreground) of an image quickly and to change their framing if there’s too many distractions - otherwise their shots will end up like mine used to with all kinds of objects growing out of the heads of those I was photographing.
Read more about How to Get Backgrounds Right
3. Hold the Camera Straight
StraightThe other obvious problem with many of my first images is that they rarely lined up straight. In fact after viewing my first album for a few minutes I began to feel quite dizzy!
While shots that are not straight can be quite effective (they can be playful or give a more ‘candid’ feel to them) it is good to teach your children to check the framing of their shot before hitting the shutter.
Read more on Getting Horizons Horizontal and Getting Images Straight
4. How to Hold a Camera
Holding-CameraIt is easy to assume that everyone knows how to hold a digital camera - however while many people do it intuitively some will not - particularly children who are unfamiliar with them. In fact I’ve seen a lot of adults who could do with a lesson or two on how to hold a camera and whose images must suffer with camera shake as a result of poor technique.
A quick lesson on securing your camera could help a child get clear, shake free images for years to come.
Further Reading on How to Hold a Digital Camera
5. Get in Close
Get-In-CloseAlmost all of the shots that took in my first rolls of film have my subject somewhere off into the distance of the shot. This is partly because the camera that I was using didn’t have a zoom lens - but it was partly because I didn’t understand how getting in close would help capture the detail of a subject.
Teach your children how to use the zoom on your digital camera - but don’t forget to teach them how using their legs to move closer can achieve the same results!
Learn more about Filling Your Frame
6. Take Lots of Photos
Lots-Of-Shots-1While my Dad’s advice did save our family a lot of money at the time - with the advent of digital photography, taking lots of pictures is no longer something that is too costly (although there are costs in terms of storing them all). Taking lots of images is a great way to learn different techniques of photography.
While you probably will want to encourage your children not to take 100 shots of exactly the same thing - encourage them to experiment with lots of different shots over time and as they do you’ll see their photography improve.
7. Getting the Balance Right Between Photographing People, ‘Things’ and Places
People-PlacesI still remember coming back from my first overseas trip as a teenager (a school trip) and showing my parents my photos. Their first comment was that I had hardly taken any shots of people. All my shots had been of buildings. While some of them were interesting - I missed one of the most important aspects of the trip - those I was traveling with.
I chatted to a friend with two children recently and she told me that one of her children did the same thing with me - but the other came back from a school trip with hundreds of photos of their friends but none of the sites that they saw. I guess some children get too focused on photographing sites and some too focused upon photographing people. If you see your child doing this - perhaps reflect back to them that they think about different types of photography.
8. Find a Point of Interest
Points-Of-InterestInteresting photographs have interesting things in them - they need a visual point of interest (a focal point). Teach your child to identify what this point of interest is before hitting the shutter.
Once they’ve identified the point of interest they can then think about how to highlight it (by positioning themselves, using their zoom etc).
Learn more about Finding Points of Interest in Your Photography
9. Rule of Thirds
Rule-Of-Thirds-1A simple principle of photography that I’ve taught a number of children is the Rule of Thirds. While I’ve talked numerous times about how breaking this rule can also be a powerful effect - it is something that I’ve found really can lift a child’s images - particularly when they are photographing other people.
Even if the child doesn’t completely understand to position their subject right on the intersecting third points - to teach them how to place their subject off centre can be enough.
Read our Rule of Thirds Tutorial
10. Review Your Children’s Images with Them
Review-Photos-Together-1One thing that you can do to help your children drastically improve their photography is to sit down at the computer with them after they’ve been out with their camera to go through their shots.
As you scroll through them pause to affirm them with what they’ve done well and to point out things that they could do better next time to improve their results. Pay particular attention to the shots that they do well with as this will give them positive reinforcement and inspiration to keep going with their hobby.
11. Focal Lock
Focal-LockOne important technique that children will do well to learn is how to use focal lock. While most cameras do well in auto focusing upon subjects there are times when you’ll end up with shots that are out of focus because the camera doesn’t know what the main subject is (particularly if they are placing subjects off centre with the rule of thirds).
Teach your child how to press the shutter halfway down to focus and then to frame the shot while still holding it down and they’ll have a skill that they’ll use forever!
Learn how to Use Focal Lock
12. Different Modes for Different Situations
Digital-Camera-Modes-2The day that i discovered my family film camera had a little dial for different ’shooting modes’ on it was a day my photography improved a little. Most digital cameras these days have the ability to switch a camera into modes like ‘portrait’, ’sports’, ‘macro’ etc. Teach your child what these modes mean and when to switch to them and you’ll be taking them a step closer to learning about how their camera works and how to learn about manual exposure modes (see the next point).
Just knowing that different situations will mean you need to use different settings is an important lesson for kids to learn as it helps them to become more aware of not only their subject but things like how light, focal distance and subject movement can impact a shot.
Read our tutorial on Different Camera Modes
13. Exposure Settings
Exposure-1Once your child has a good grasp on the above techniques it might be time to teach them some basics of exposure (this might be one for slightly older kids). Learning about the three elements of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed are a useful place to start your lessons and giving them an introduction to how changing these settings can impact a photo.
The best way for them to learn this is by introducing them to Aperture and Shutter priority modes.
Learn more about different aspects of exposure including Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO.
What do You Teach Your Children?
Of course deciding which of the above lessons for kids on photography to teach your child will depend upon their age and experience. Some are obviously more appropriate for some children than others. I’d be interested to hear what readers do when it comes to this topic? What have you taught your kids?
With my own son (who is 16 months old) we’re obviously not up to any of these - however I am teaching him to become familiar with cameras - showing him images once they’ve been taken on the LCD, letting him look through the viewfinder and even pressing the shutter. This familiarization is really nothing more than that - but in doing so he’s becoming more comfortable with cameras - and I’ve noticed when I’m photographing him (which does happen a lot) he’s much more happy to pose for me.
13 Lessons to Teach Your Child About Digital Photography
I've been busy the last few nights getting pictures up in the image galleries.
I added pictures of the Beach Eye Care crew from their Halloween escapades.
I dont know who this is, but the face was classic!
Who's the biggest clown of the all?
Pictures of our Pumpkin Carving night at Ellen and Matt's house have been put up.
and.... last but not least, pictures from the night of Halloween.
Check out this scary crew!
Oh wait.... How could I forget these, these pictures are from our excursion to Hunt Club Farms on a 95 degree day to pick out pumpkins. It was kind of hard to get in to the "sprit" of Halloween when you are sweating your you know whats off!
The Stormyworld.net Image Gallery - Last additions
A great article over at Life Hacker about setting up Thunderbird for use with Gmail's new IMAP service. My gmail hosted accounts did not roll out IMAP until last night so I havent had a lot of time to play with the configurations, but so far it looks really cool.
Geek To Live: Turn Thunderbird into the Ultimate Gmail IMAP Client
Here's a cool screencast on how to set up an Apple script to automatically mount Windows shares at startup. Below the video is a link to the whole article at Happy Beggar
Happy Beggar - How to automount network shares (smb) in OSX
*** Launcher to edit file on mounted network share:
gedit file:///media/test/Files/helphint
*** Launcher for terminal server connection:
First: launch remote desktop and save connection as a .rpd somewhere
Second: Create launcher with "tsclient -x /home/brian/.tsclient/term.rdp" as the command
*** Mount Share:
sudo mount -t smbfs -o username=username,password=password //server/sharename /wheretomount
** How to mount network folders on boot-up, and allow all users to read/write
e.g. Assumed that network connections have been configured properly
Network computer's IP: 192.168.0.1
Network computer's Username: myusername
Network computer's Password: mypassword
Shared folder's name: linux
Local mount folder: /media/sharename
sudo mkdir /media/sharename
gksudo gedit /root/.smbcredentials
* Insert the following lines into the new file
username=myusername
password=mypassword
* Save the edited file
sudo chmod 700 /root/.smbcredentials
gksudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf {Change workgroup in Global Setting s to the correct domain/workgroup name}
sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab_backup
gksudo gedit /etc/fstab
* Append the following line at the end of file
//192.168.0.1/linux /media/sharename smbfs credentials=/root/.smbcredentials,dmask=777,fmask=777 0 0
