Use Your Words

I want it.

But, of course, it's way, way more camera that I'd probably ever use.
Honestly, when I read the updates at Canon Rumors about the new Canon EOS-1D X, I was a bit relieved.  You see, I plan to buy a new camera shortly, and I was a little worried that there would be some new thing that I'd want to wait for or that would be just a little more expensive than I was willing to buy.  Thankfully, the new camera is definitely a professional level camera and well outside my price range at $6,800.  I was afraid they'd do an update to the EOS-5D mkII, which is was I plan on getting.

Though, I have to admit, the specs on this new camera they announced today are pretty impressive.
I mean, a 61-point auto-focus system?  Incredible!  And, dual CF slots?  Genius!  Not to mention ISO settings that go as low as 50, for studio and landscape work, and as high as 102,400 and 204,800, which they're touting is prefect for law enforcement and other investigative work.  Also, they've got internal, on-camera lens corrections.
Frankly, the technology is way beyond my meager photographic skills, but I'd imagine the pros are pretty excited about this camera.  It's too bad it won't actually ship until the Spring sometime.

You can read more about the specs and get opinions of people far more well versed in both the tech involved and photography than I am at the Planet5d Blog and at Photofocus, Scott Bourne's blog, as well as at Syl Arena's blog, Speedliting.  All in all, it's a pretty amazing camera with features that, honestly, will probably go unused by a lot of photographers.  For the professional photogs, though, especially the ones on the cutting edge, I'm sure this will be a real "game changer".
Also, there's still that November 3rd announcement coming, but, according to all the rumor sites, there is no EOS 5D mkIII coming this year.  We'll see, I guess.

Since I started shooting digital, I have always shot Canon, in spite of what some of my shooting buddies may have thought.

And, naturally, as a faithful Canon shooter, I'm anxiously awaiting the announcement from Canon HQ tomorrow, whatever it may bring.  As I'm in the market to upgrade, I have mixed feelings about any new camera announcements.  From what I've read, it probably won't actually effect my decision on what to buy, but, still, it may.
In any case, Canon has been on my mind.  So, to distract myself, and provide decent content for this site, I present you with Canon Quick Guides.
These are guides right from the Canon mothership on how to use their gear, the right way. They are, per the website, "a free downloadable resource for EOS cameras and accessories. These PDF cheat sheets are helpful tools to carry around in your camera bag for quick reference, or to read from your computer for step-by-step guidance on specific product features and techniques." And, they are pretty damn cool.

Incidentally, they were first pointed out to me by Syl Arena of Speedliting.com and [amazon_link id="032171105X" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]The Speedliter's Handbook[/amazon_link] fame. Trust me on this, he knows Canon!

So, yeah, here's hoping Canon announces something cool tomorrow.
(And, that it drives prices down before I buy!)

It's not secret I love books.

Frankly, it's no secret that I love science-fiction books, either.  But, generally, my "To Be Read" pile is so huge I sometimes have a hard time picking which book to read next.  I've featured other book pickers in my Friday Fun posts before, but those were all generic.  So, here's a new one specifically for Sci-Fi books; BestSFBooks
Now, I'll be honest, it's not strictly a book picker, per se, but it lists the "Top Ten...
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Hey, I'm working on it!

No, seriously, I am.
Recently, I read the simplest and most straight-forward cure for writer's block in a post on Seth Godin's blog titled Talker's Block.  In a nutshell, he says that the cure for writer's block is to write.  To write every day.  To write badly.  To write when we don't feel like it.  Essentially, to start writing and keep writing even when things aren't going the way we'd like, even if we don't write much, just keep writing.
In part, that's what's driving this post.  I used to describe myself as a writer, but since I haven't been writing, I don't think that's fair to me or anyone else.  So, I've stopped.  But, I have made a commitment to writing again.  Not only to writing, but to creating in general.  I think this principle of constantly creating no matter what is the cure to every creative block I've ever had, heard about, or been afraid of having.  Certainly, in the past two days, between this site and another, I've written more words than I have in the past two months, or more!  So, to that degree, at least, the plan is working!!

Now, I have yet to apply this to photography, but I'm confident it will work, too.   Certainly, I can feel a certain momentum to my writing.  When I first got my camera, I had that same push to photograph everything, all the time.  Now, that's died off a bit, especially as I start to think more critically about my photography and be more concerned with quality.  Or, as an artist friend of mine always accuses me, of being afraid that I'm not doing it "right", whatever self-limiting concept I've developed about what "right" is.
I think he's basically correct.  My lack of creation and output is more about fear than about a real blockage of creativity.  Though, I do have to admit, I've been getting a lot of reading and cleaning done instead of anything creative that I say I want to do!

So, yeah, my somewhat early "New Year's Resolution" is to indulge in less bullshit and more creative output.
We'll see how long I can maintain that attitude!

I guess QR codes aren't quite dead yet!

Back in the day, hobos, or "gentlemen of the rails", used to use a kind of code that let other hobos know important information.  For instance, if they marked a cat-like symbol on a fence, it meant that a kind-hearted woman lived at that house and might give a hungry drifter food.  Or, three diagonal lines means that the place is unsafe and a hobo should get out of there as quickly as...
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Science is cool.

Okay, let's be real here; some science is cooler than others.
Seriously, all that stuff about finding faster-than-light particles is awesome, but, it's mostly invisible to us.  As a kid, one of my favorite places in the entire world was the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.  I loved it because it animated science and taught the principles and ideas in such a creative way that many of them have stuck with me as an adult.
One of the...
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Ever lost a camera?

And, by "lost", I mean, has your camera ever been stolen?  Well, Gadget Trak can help.  And, now we know that it's not an empty claim!
I've mentioned other camera tackers before, but Gadget Trak's stolen camera finder has been verified by a photographer who used it to recover his camera.

The photographer is a pro by the name of John Heller who "lost" $9,000 worth of equipment he needs to pursue his livelihood while on assignment in California. ...
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No, not today, but soon!

Monday, September 19th is the official Talk Like A Pirate Day.  It's an internet holiday, which means you still have to show up at the office, but at least you can talk like a pirate!  Yeah, that's pretty much the whole thing.  It's a day to celebrate talking like a pirate, created by the internet.

Happy Friday!
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No, seriously!

It seems that there's an new, experimental, gene therapy that may cure cancer.  At least, for two of three test subjects, it cured advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  That's a type of cancer, incidentally, very similar to the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that I was diagnosed as having back in 2007.  You can read the full story over at the New York Times, but, here's the rundown in brief.
The researchers took regular, virus-and-tumor-fighting T-cells from the patients and added specially...
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I'm not going to die.

Well, at least, I'm not going to die of cancer.  Not this year, anyway.
Today, the oncologist told me my lymphoma is in full remission still.  In fact, the scar tissue has shrunk even more, from 14cm to 11cm, which I think is kind of amazing, but didn't seem to illicit any special notice from the doctor.  Some people are just impossible to please, I guess!

He was a little worried because my blood pressure was high, but,...
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