Sunday 6 December 2015

Sinterklaas Kapoentje

I was watching Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and while watching  him sing to the dutch girl (and singing along) I looked the lyrics and translation.

According to the St. Nicholas Center here are the lyric in Dutch and English.
 

Sinterklaas, kapoentje
Gooi wat in mijn schoentje,
Breng wat in mijn laarsje,
Dank je Sinterklaasje.

Saint Nic'las, my dear one,
Something in my shoe put,
Something in my stocking,
Thank you, Saint Nich-o-las!


Monday 2 November 2015

Just another sign of societies imminent collapse.

There is apperantly a new & extremely serious (everything in the news is said to be extremely serious) crime "Carrying Camera while male"  in the article they say 'Taking photographs while male', but the guy didn't take a single photo, he was just carrying a camera.

This really bugs me, I always have a camera with me & I take photos all the time.

I had indented to add a rant of my own to this, but really, it so ridiculous that I don't what I could say, except maybe;

1) People are becoming more & more paranoid about their neighbours & maybe that says as much about what they think of themselves, as what they think about others.

2) The lady in the article was worried there was a creepy person taking pictures in the park & she was right, it was her. Everything was fine until she crept into the park & started taking pictures.

Friday 23 October 2015

Fwd: NACS Schedule and another special day

Big Pussy Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore) is coming to cigar experience Nov 6th!



(IT's at the bottom)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Cigar Experience <cigarsniagara@gmail.com>


Cigar Experience. A Finer Experience.
View this email in your browser

The N.A.C.S Lineup

The North American Cigar Show is just two days away on October 24 from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Here's the breakdown:
11:00  Doors open at 4 Triple 5:  Vendors and deals begin.
1:00 - 3 PM Live Music with John Klawz
3:00 - 3:30 PM  Presentation at Cigar Experience store: Cigars 101 — The Basics About Cigars and Care
3:30 - 6:30 PM  Marty Allen Band
6:30 - 8:00 PM  Deals and Raffle Drawings.  Must be present to win. $5000 worth of prizes to be given away.


**Our presentation on Wine and Cigar Pairing was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, but we will host that at another time.**
Food trucks available all day along with drinks for purchase.

30% of the raffle ticket monies goes to charity.

You don't want to miss meeting Vincent (Big Pussy) from the Sopranos series.
More information to come.
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proof of societies impending collapse

Scarier than the 4 horsemen.

Friday 2 October 2015

Pumpkin Ale, and something a little more Sinister.

The Season has Arrived !

It's October, the leaves are changing the air is is a bit crisp at night, and Pumpkin 3.14 Ale (that's pumpkin π) has returned to Taps, Syndicate & other purveyors of fine Canadian Brew.
Pumpkin Pie
Many have been anticipating the arrival of the great pumpkin.
Now that its here, is it as good as we remember?

I'd say   ...    IT'S BETTER!

*everything beyond this point is subjective & personal.*

I'll be the first to say memory is fluid & it changes over time. However, the pumpkin is better than I remember. It's a bit cleaner or crisper than I remember, the spices are as good as always & the sweetness (not really sweetness)  is much more in the back ground.   I don't remember it as ever being actually 'Sweet'  but there was something that I associated with sweet.  What ever that
pseudo-sweet quality is actually called, it started in the back ground , but moved up a bit more to the front after about 3 pints.

This years seems like that might not happen.  I've only had two so far, because out of habit I've switched up after my 2nd Pumpkin. During Pumpkin season I often get mixed pints of pumpkin & something else, usually Sinister Sam Insane IPA (formerly Chuck Norris Round House IPA).
So once again I'm drinking Sinister Pumpkin.

This is really my favourite beer!
Insane Sam`s Sinister Pumpkin IPÀle

Even when getting growlers I get Pumpkin & and Sinister Sam so we can create our own Sinister Pumpkin Pints at home.  The beauty of doing it that way is that you can play with the ratios and make different tastes each pint, for different people and different stages of the night.

Just had another sip of my Sinister Pumpkin ..  
MAN THAT'S GOOD !

I`me definitely havin` another one, but should it be called  
Sinister Pumpkin or should it be called by the more verbose name of  Insane Sam's Sinister 
Pumpkin IP`ALE


Sunday 27 September 2015

Halloween Ghost Tours - Anyone interested?


I Called the Fort to see what is available for Halloween Ghost Tours.

Oct 31st    10:30 SOLD OUT
                 10:15 16 Tickets left
                 10:00 16 Tickets left
Didn't ask about earlier ones.

November 1st    7:30  Completely Open - Last Tour of the night/season
                        7:15  Completely Open
                        7:00  SOLD OUT

There are other days, but I kept it to Halloween & the Day after.
I'd be leaning towards the 10:15 on Oct.31st  as a first choice,  then 7:30 Nov. 1st as a 2nd choice.

If your interested let me know ASAP!
These numbers could be out of date by tomorrow.

***Also: Taps pumpkin Ale is scheduled  to come out some time this week!

Friday 18 September 2015

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day!


http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Get out your Parrot & Peg-Leg (sounds like a bar) & start rolling your ARRR's

It's that time of year again mateys.

Talk Like A Pirate Day !

If your a little rusty on your pirate vocab, This site will help you out with the lingo to make TLAPD a Rrroaring success.


Tuesday 15 September 2015

Super Short Clips from Marshville

Marshville Heritage Festival in Wainfleet Ontario, Canada Happens every year on the Labour Day Weekend.
 These are super short glimpses at a few of the things that caught my eye.



Spinning Weight

Knitting Machine

Printing Press

There will also be some Stills Posted in the next day or so.

Wednesday 29 April 2015

Ghost Tours Start this Sunday

Right now there's a group of  dedicated volunteers dusting off their black capes & "oldy tyme'y " lanterns, but most importantly their practicing stories designed to give believers the creeps and make skeptics look over their shoulder 'just in case'.  It's ghost tour season again.

'Ghost tours of Niagara' begin their season of Fort Erie Ghost tours this Sunday May 3rd. Tours will run Sundays at 8:30 through May and June with more days and times during the summer. (Full Schedule Here)

The season wraps up (some might say culminates) with the Halloween Tours in October. If you want to be in 'the most haunted location in the most haunted town in Canada on the mist haunted night of the year' (as it is billed by some of the tour guides) get your tickets early. They go on sale July 2nd and can sell out before Labour Day.

I 'm hoping to make  it out a few times this summer (if that pesky job doesn't get in the way) to hear stories of 1812 soldiers, little girls from the era of the fienian raids & unseen forces that like to torment lone ghost ghost guides & skeptical Quebec exchange students (among others).

If some of us do make it out to the ghost tours this sumemr it might be fun to post something here about our night, and maybe some of the the retired tales from the early days of the ghost tours. 


BTW: there are two books filled with stories from the ghost tours. They are written by ghost tour founder, lover of history & science Kyle Upton. If you ever get the chance to pick one up  DO IT. There a good read and currently out of print.


Friday 17 April 2015

Yet Another Test

https://vimeo.com/125300120

Yet another test. Seems like I've been doing a lot of tests lately, but when ever possible I like to test things out before using them on paid work. 

this isn't something I'd use on it's own, but it can make a nice element in a larger piece, a little point of of interest or change of pace.

So here it is, if I get comments &/or  suggestions, even better.

Monday 13 April 2015

NAB 4 - URSA Mini - last for now

OK the URSA mini looks awesome.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicursamini

160fps @ 1080 , base price of $2995.

OK it will be more in Canada, & it will be a bit more to really kit it out,   Plus it's above my budget ... but damn it  looks cool.

NAB 3 Black majic releases


  Black Magic News! by Michael Artsis
I told you BM probabally had a lot lurking behind that wall. Surprise!

The new products we are announcing are:
  • - Blackmagic URSA 4.6K Models
  • - Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder
  • - Blackmagic URSA Mini
  • - Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera
  • - Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera
  • - DaVinci Resolve 12
  • - Fusion 8 Studio
  • - Blackmagic Video Assist
  • - Teranex Mini 12G-SDI Converters
  • - ATEM Broadcast Studio 4K
  • - HyperDeck Studio 12G
  • - Smart Videohub 12G 40x40
  • - Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12
  • - ATEM Talkback Converter 4K
  • - UltraStudio 4K Extreme
  • - DeckLink 4K Pro


     Thyat's just black magic,   there will be tons of new stuff released during the show, I'll be watching & reading as much as I can,  & hope to vcomment on the stuff that I find interesting.

NAB 2

Forgot a few things

The RED world is getting ready for a new 8K sensor "WEAPON"


Freefly (the movi people)  have a new 1st AC controller so one person fly's the camera on a movi & the other person controls the camera from a separate unit that is motion based.  Looks cool, but I suspect it's 'no cheap' as they say.   Freefly might also be announcing another movi unit,   not sure about that one.

NAB 2015 - the craziness has begun !

* NAB is National Association of Broadcasters annual show in Las Vegas & usually features a lot of new announcements for equipment & software.


The announcements have already started leaking out even thought the doors haven't even opened.

1) Black majic  has it's own 4k copter cam (possible it's own copter)

2) Black majic is announcing a mini ursa rumoured to have 4.5K for around $3000).  I was totally impressed by the full size URSA I saw at the vistek show last fall, so I 'll be watching for more about the mini version.

3) 480GB usb drives are being released http://www.photographybay.com/2015/04/13/owc-envoy-pro-mini-is-a-desktop-class-ssd-in-a-thumb-drive/  , but they are more expensive than  a hard drive (for the space they provide)

That's all for now, more to come once the  doors open.

Thursday 19 March 2015

Link of the day - DOF simulator

cool FREE  Depth of Field simulator.
lets you change tons of stuff, and save your settings & send a link to others so they can see the same thing.

It's an online service, you can download it and run it offline in your browser & there's a phone version.

I guess it could be helpful planning shots before you go out in the field, but for me it mostly just fun to play with.

Friday 6 March 2015

"Happy Holi" or I mean "Links of the day" ... or maybe "Recipe of the day"


First Happy Holi!
While taking a quick look at Holi celebrations there was a mention of drinks for the festival and from there I went to Bang and from there to Boza (then Kvass and a few others).

Boza, a fermented malt drink popular in the are of the former Ottoman empire. It's thick and sweet with an acidic taste ,  or so I've read and It's aften flavoured with cinamon etc.

Even though it's fermented it's considered a softdrink with only about 1% alcohol.
It's seems relatively easy to make and is ready in a day.

So sounds like it's worth a try.

http://www.giverecipe.com/traditional-winter-drink-boza.html

Sunday 8 February 2015

Pic(s) of The Day -Siege of Fort Erie

I finally got around to prepping for photos from the 2014 siege of Fort Erie (video is another story).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/66888488@N02/sets/72157646630900230/


You can see larger versions on Flickr.

Saturday 7 February 2015

A new pair of rebels (750D & 760D Specs)

There`s a new pair of rebels in the canon world.
The little brother 750D (T6i)  & the bigger brother 760D (T6s) and they are hoping to make rebels more prominent & bit more respected in prestige hungry world of DSLR`s.
How it will all play out is yet to be seen, but they centainly seem to be the best rebels canon has producer so far. With a new sensor, and few goodies borrowed from more up-market models I`d say this is the first significant improvement of the line since the 550D (T2i).

they are list at  henry`s for preorder with a price of  $929 for the 760D (T6s) & $849 for the 750D (T6i).  My personal feeling is that you get more than your $80 worth if you go for the 760D, but that`s just me.

Now on the specs.  I`ve used 3 different sources to try to confirm and clarify the initial set of specs I found,  so THESE ARE NOT OFFICIAL SPECS! But they are as curate as I can can find.


760D (T6s) 750D (T6i)
  • Enable 24.2MP CMOS sensor 
  • DIGIC6 processor
  • 7560-pixel RGB + IR photometry sensor (NEW)
  • 63 zone TTL metering
  • AF is 19 points cross type. Center F2.8 corresponding dual cross
  • Hybrid CMOS AF III
  • Dynamic tracking continuous shooting in live view (Servo AF in live veiw)
  • LCD monitor 3 inches 1.04 million dots.Vari-Angle
  • ISO100-12800 (extended with ISO25600)
  • Max shutter speed 30 seconds
  • 1/4000 seconds (synchro is 1/200 sec)
  • Continuous shooting 5 frames / sec
  • Viewfinder penta mirror. Field of view 95%, magnification 0.82 times, the eye point 19 mm
  • Built-in guide number 12 flash
  • Video full HD 30 fps
  • Horizontal level
  • Top LCD panel
  • Dial on the back
  • Intelligent Viewfinder
  • Wi-Fi & NFC
  • Remote operation by smartphone tablet
  • Creative mode including the HDR movie
  • Battery LP-E17
  • Size 131.9 x 100.9 X77.8Mm
  • Weight 565g (CIPA standard). 520g (body only)
  • Enable 24.2MP CMOS sensor
  • DIGIC6 processor
  • 7560 pixel RGB-IR photometry sensor (NEW)
  • 63 zone TTL metering
  • AF is 19 points cross type Center F2.8 corresponding dual cross
  • New hybrid CMOS AF III
  • N/A
  • LCD monitor 3 inches 1.04 million dots Vari-Angle
  • ISO100-12800 (extended with 25600)
  • Shutter speed is 30 seconds
  • 1/4000 seconds (Synchro 1/200 sec)
  • Continuous shooting 5 frames / sec
  • Viewfinder penta mirror. Field of view 95%, magnification 0.82 X, the eye point 19 mm
  • Built-in guide number 12 flash
  • Video full HD 30 fps
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • Wi-Fi & NFC
  • Remote operation by smartphone tablet
  • N/A
  • Battery LP-E17
  • Size 131.9 x 100.7 x 77.8Mm
  • Weight 555g (CPA criteria). 510g (body only)






The specs have a lot of good things to say, but I`d still like to see some examples of what can be shot on production models.

Thursday 5 February 2015

Link of The Day - Canon Announcement Friday



The word is that there will be a big canon announcement Friday February 6th.
the announcement is said to include:
2 new versions of the 5Dmkiii with a 50 MP sensor & other goodies
a new wide 11-24mm f4 L lens
their newest mirrorless camera the M3
a bunch of powershots
            and
something more in my price/interest range2 new rebels the 750D & 760D with:
24 Mp sensor, new processor, 5 FPS, & higher ISO range, dual pixel auto focus & more.

I haven't sifted through the differences, but the 1st thing that jumped out was 760D has a top LCD screen and wheel on the back (just like like the big kids have).

No word yet on prices or when they will hit the shelves.

Thursday 29 January 2015

Links of The Day or "Holly Macaroni!"

New Micro soft head set mixes Virtual reality with... well Reality Reality!

If it's all they say  (and that's a big if)   It's the coolest thing to happen to computer interaction since the mouse. Ok, maybe that's a bit much, but the more I read, the cooler it sounds.

A fully container computer in a  headset with a CPU, GPU, video & audio processors & an HPU (Holographic processing Unit), that can place Holographic images & objects in your real world.

They say you can turn your table into a minecraft world or stick a skype video window onto a lamp. iftrue, pretty cool.

The more I read the crazier & crazier it sounds, but also cooler & cooler. 
It's still 'in early development' but they say it's 'in the windows 10 time frame' (whenever that is) and will be priced "for both enterprise and consumers to use it." (expensive & really expensive?)

here are some articles
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7867593/microsoft-announces-windows-holographic
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7868251/microsoft-hololens-hologram-hands-on-experience
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/microsoft-hands-on/