View Full Version : Technology changed my life...
mikeky
11-04-2002, 06:45 PM
Ok, only in a small way. I was examining my photo folder and was shocked to realize that I've taken over 3,000 digital photos in the last 18 months. I'm sure that's many over what I've taken in my whole lifetime with traditional film. Sure, I have many repetitive and uninteresting shots, but so were most if not all of my film shots. But since I'm not worried about wasting film, I'm not afraid to snap away, and the result is a few great shots thrown in among the fold.
Is this not the way technology should be? In the guise of simple incremental improvement (after all, a picture is a picture, is it not?), it can in fact profoundly change our way of thinking and doing things without us really noticing, but with such force we would never think about going back (no more film!)? What technology has so melded with you that you could never go back?
Sierra Mike
11-04-2002, 07:00 PM
Man, I'm all over it with digital, too. I still have my 35mm gear, but haven't used it in like a year.
SM
I wouldn't give up my digital for anything. Gotta love these shots off of Catalina where the white sea bass is still king ;)
Sierra Mike
11-04-2002, 08:09 PM
Awesome fish! And since our pics are getting bigger with each post...
Santa Barbara...if I were really, really, really, really, rich, I'd live here.
SM
ethics
11-04-2002, 08:19 PM
Damn Coot. Some guys may only brag about the big one that they fished up, you actually caught one.
Well done. How did it taste?
Originally posted by ethics
Damn Coot. Some guys may only brag about the big one that they fished up, you actually caught one.
Well done. How did it taste? I've caught 4 of these this season, and they are absolutely delicious...best eating fish in the So Cal waters IMHO.
Steve, Santa Barbara is beautiful...I like the drive up through Ojai best ;)
I would have missed my 2 year old after her first time of getting drunk;)
Actually, she had the chicken pox. Funny thing is, I gave them to her. hehe
wapu
ethics
11-04-2002, 08:27 PM
Originally posted by Coot
I've caught 4 of these this season, and they are absolutely delicious...best eating fish in the So Cal waters IMHO.
Save some for me next time, sheesh!
I love fish, especially if I happen to catch it myself. :)
ethics
11-04-2002, 08:28 PM
Originally posted by wapu
I would have missed my 2 year old after her first time of getting drunk;)
Oh MAN! That's too funny.
At least she looks like she is having a great ole time. :)
Sierra Mike
11-04-2002, 08:30 PM
Originally posted by wapu
I would have missed my 2 year old after her first time of getting drunk;)
Actually, she had the chicken pox. Funny thing is, I gave them to her. hehe
wapu Now THAT'S funny!
But you gave her the chicken pox? Were you infected yourself? I understand that for adults it's extremely bad!
SM
It was one of the worst experience of my life. I remember 4AM, laying on my living room floor with full body convulsion like shivers actually thinking how much better it would be if I were dead. I sweat through 4 blankets I was laying on and left a stain on the carpet that night. I didn't fully realize how bad I was until my wife told me that she would prefer childbirth again, because that only lasted 33 hours.:) I would not recommend it to anybody. Even those people I don't like real well.
wapu
Sierra Mike
11-04-2002, 08:37 PM
Originally posted by Coot
Steve, Santa Barbara is beautiful...I like the drive up through Ojai best ;) True enough!
Hey, are the white sea bass good fighters? Down in South Texas, where I'm from, we have a fish called the spanish mackerel...a real little powerhouse of a catch, it just keeps running and running. I once caught one and after spending about 20 minutes getting the bastard close to the boat, all of a sudden, I almost got yanked out! My dad had to help me land the thing (I was 14), and to our surprise, my spanish mackerel was still on the hook...
...albeit surrounded by an 11-foot hammerhead, which we promptly shot in the spine and fileted.
SM
Sierra Mike
11-04-2002, 08:39 PM
Originally posted by wapu
It was one of the worst experience of my life. I remember 4AM, laying on my living room floor with full body convulsion like shivers actually thinking how much better it would be if I were dead. I sweat through 4 blankets I was laying on and left a stain on the carpet that night. I didn't fully realize how bad I was until my wife told me that she would prefer childbirth again, because that only lasted 33 hours.:) I would not recommend it to anybody. Even those people I don't like real well.Wow, how long were you sick for? Was it a couple of days like that?
SM
Originally posted by Steve Moore
Hey, are the white sea bass good fighters? They're reasonable fighters...they'll make usually 3-5 really good runs and then they peter out and you can haul 'em in. They naturally try and head for the kelp. If they get in there, you have to be real patient and have someone working the boat around to get them back out of there.
jamming
11-04-2002, 09:30 PM
Originally posted by mikeky
Ok, only in a small way.
Is that Lincoln's Birthplace?
mikeky
11-04-2002, 10:23 PM
Originally posted by jamming
Is that Lincoln's Birthplace? Actually it's <a href="http://www.danville-ky.com/BoyleCounty/constitu.htm">Constitution Square</a> in Danville, Ky., home of Kentucky's first state government.
A larger image:
<img src="http://www.mikeky.com/misc/11030211.jpg">
mikeky
11-04-2002, 10:31 PM
Originally posted by wapu
[B]It was one of the worst experience of my life.
... Just reading your description was painful, ouch! But I guess that shows the limits of technology: we can develop a camera to instantly show the picture a father takes of his daughter with chicken pox, but we can't do much to help out the father when he catches the disease!
mikeky
11-04-2002, 10:36 PM
Seems we're all pretty attached to our digital cameras. Anything else? I find my cell. phone particularly useful when I travel, but I'm not sure I've come to the realization that's it's indespensable yet.
ShinyTop
11-04-2002, 10:40 PM
My son is in town for the first time in a year. We went to the Naval Air Museum and took 279 pics. This is me in front of the hanging Blue Angel display.
BigDeputyDog
11-04-2002, 10:51 PM
ShinyTop... Pete Fountain...
Separated at birth???
News at 11...
;)
BDD... :{)
ethics
11-04-2002, 11:32 PM
Damn, Shiny. Here, all this time, I thought you were a very old, fragile man. I don't want to get on your bad side. Looks like you still can do some can of whoopin! ;) Plus, you are a good looking guy to boot. Look out ladies.
Great shot by the way.
Sierra Mike
11-05-2002, 12:20 AM
Originally posted by mikeky
Seems we're all pretty attached to our digital cameras. Anything else? I find my cell. phone particularly useful when I travel, but I'm not sure I've come to the realization that's it's indespensable yet. Man, I use mine all the time. Under normal circumstances, I'd be worried about those brain cancer stories...but I have no brain matter to speak of, so I believe I can use mine with utter impunity.
SM
jamming
11-05-2002, 12:52 AM
I presently live without a cellphone and though I like the thought of one it is a matter of affording one with all my other bills. My thought about technology is what do I actually gain by using it. I just bought my first DVD player yeaterday, because I noticed at my Blockbuster had finally reached the 50-50 mark on DVD to VHS, I had set that as the indicator a few years ago for the purchase. I am running a P3 Chip now but waited for the intro of the first P4 Chip (also this is not an INTEL-AMD Argument). I think it comes to a utilitarian issue for me, will having this item increase my quality of life. I was not an early adopter of DSL, but I was in the second wave, because I figured it would improve my web experience. Also, I could keep it with my old Dial-up ISP, keeping my original purchased email name alive. I guess that I am also concerned about what I would lose also, I am really balking at leaving the last 9X operating system in WinME. I guess I like to consider changing when I need to not always when I want to. Don't get me wrong I like change, but I like purposeful change.
ShinyTop
11-05-2002, 01:33 AM
My wife and I waited til two years ago to get cell phones and I love having it. Has only been used in emergencies a couple times. We like to separate at malls and the phones make meeting up a lot easier. We don't make many long distance calls but we have not put one on our home phone since getting the cells. Still, if I go very long without a job they will be the first luxury to go.
ethics
11-05-2002, 08:02 AM
Jim, Shiny, others,
Cell phone to me is a way to reach someone en route somewhere. If I need to ask my wife to pick something up, or she ask me an important finance question, then yes, it's awesome.
However, the cell-phone is a double-edged sword. People call you anywhere anytime, whether it's work, family, or whatever.
ditch
11-06-2002, 06:12 AM
I'm still with the SLR gear. Too much of a traditionalist perhaps. Tell me the down side of digital compared to SLR you digital fans. The resolution cant match it right? And in low light conditions SLR still reigns supreme? Educate me. I'm yet to be convinced that digital is the way to go despite the convenience of no film and developing.
ditch
11-06-2002, 06:16 AM
"However, the cell-phone is a double-edged sword. People call you anywhere anytime, whether it's work, family, or whatever."
So true. When I'm out on the road visiting customers I was unreachable before the mobile phone. Now the office rings whenever they feel inclined. That can be good or bad. It works to your favour as well. OZ has the second highest mobile phone useage per head in the world. Damn things are attached permanently to a lot of peoples ears.
ditch
11-06-2002, 06:18 AM
OK Shiny, you might have started something here. Any other pics going to appear?. Any more faces to put with the posts?
mikeky
11-06-2002, 11:07 AM
Originally posted by ditch
I'm still with the SLR gear. Too much of a traditionalist perhaps. Tell me the down side of digital compared to SLR you digital fans. The resolution cant match it right? And in low light conditions SLR still reigns supreme? Educate me. I'm yet to be convinced that digital is the way to go despite the convenience of no film and developing. You're right about digital not yet matching SLRs in low light, resolution, etc. (although some of the new ones [$10,000+] are getting there). But the upside (instant development, picture cost, electronic archiving and sharing, etc.) weigh heavily against SLRs these days.
Maybe try one as a complement instead of replacement to your current gear?
ShinyTop
11-06-2002, 11:48 AM
If you are taking snapshots, 90% plus of all photos taken, the digital is great. If you take nothing but photographs and judge each one on artistic content you should stay with film. I think most of us can get by with just digital easier than just film. I have had my digital camera two months and have seen more pics than in the previous two years from my film camera. And have thrown away many mistakes. Without paying for their development. Each person must consider what they want from a camera. I spend more than I probably needed to considering most of my output is definitely in the snapshot arena. But when a situation presents itself I can take advantage of the more advanced aspects of my camera. I got a Fuji 602 which I think is a good compromise.
Spedited
ethics
11-06-2002, 12:10 PM
Shiny nailed it as to why I prefer the digital. I have both SLR (Nikon) and digital (Canon) and spent more money on the digital (that one gig card is wonderful :)).
I am going to start taking it with me more often so I can take those eccentricities of NYC and post them here. :)
I have to say the cell phone has changed my life DRASTICALLY. It's nice to take my cell phone and know that I can go anywhere I want, and if something happens, I can call for help. It's been liberating for me.
I used to refuse to go to "bad" parts of town on my own before, for fear that if something happened, I was screwed. Like a flat tire or getting lost, etc. I've actually been lost in a terrible part of town and was rescued by my friend via cell phone - she sat with mapquest in front of her, guiding me out.
My digital camera, albeit a piece of shit Kodak dx3700, has made me discover my passion for photography. Too bad I lost my memory card, so I haven't been able to take any pictures for a while now. But I used to take that camera everywhere when I first got it about a year ago, and actually took some really cook pictures.
For example, here's a pic I took on a trip to Tampa right before my back surgery - i'm so proud of this picture:
<img src="http://misu.clancritic.com:8080/gallery/categories/Tampa_Trip/media/DCP_0061.JPG">
I regret not having a better camera, as I encounter moments like this ALL THE TIME whenever I go out. If I had that Nikon coolpix 4500 or 5700 or the Fuji camera I've been drooling over, I'd be well on my way to developing an addiction to photography.
btw, i have no idea who those people in the pic are - we were walking on the beach, and I saw this grandmother with her grandchild, and quickly snapped the picture. It wasn't until I got home that I saw the pic and saw how perfect it came out. Sucks it was such a low res. :(
ditch
11-07-2002, 06:23 AM
Thanks for the hints. It backs up what other info I have heard around the traps. The digitals are expensive out here but the convenience must be a big plus.
"I have to say the cell phone has changed my life DRASTICALLY. It's nice to take my cell phone and know that I can go anywhere I want, and if something happens, I can call for help. It's been liberating for me."
I agree Misu. They are great when your teenage kids are out and running late getting home or missed the train or whatever. So long as they leave them on of course.
mikeky
11-07-2002, 09:54 AM
Great picture Misu; hope you find that memory card and we get to see some more. It's a great feeling when you get that perfect shot, isn't it?