I just found out an interesting and, for me, very useful revelation. Recently, I had switched to an Android phone and my previous Blackberry phone provider was terminated. However, that means there probably won't be any more of my blackberry fotos here. You may want to go elsewhere or have a look-see at my other blog: http://fractionalsecond.blogspot.com/

BUT FIRST, an important announcement .... Recently, I was thinking about getting a GPS tracker (data logger) for my Android. The free Google app, when I began to install it, required me to allow nearly every piece of data on the phone accessible to Google so I decided against that. When I read through all the things that were checked, it seemed that Google's Mytracks was straight out of the pages of the spy agencies. So, once again I began thinking about my Blackberry 8310's GPS capabilities. Voila!

I discovered that my Blackberry's GPS unit works without phone service. I had to go to Options -> Advanced Options -> GPS Services and make sure it was turned ON. I turned it off for a few seconds and turned it back on, stepped outside as it was searching for satellites. In less than a minute later, the display showed 6 satellites and had refreshed the previous reading. Voila and Eureka!!! ... or is it Eureka and Voila?

Next, I activated my tracking program, bbTracker, my friend when I'm roaming the forest, and took a very short walk. The tracker immediately started plotting my progress. The image below shows the my excursion's route. The chart was saved and then re-opened just to make sure the whole process worked. I edited some digits out of the GPS data so you won't know, without some research effort, where the concrete step is on my front porch.

I think I'll keep my Blackberry 8310 for a while longer. It now makes an inexpensive GPS data logger.

Uh Oh!

The writing on the little strip of white tape says "Use Slide Bolt Above" Didn't someone write a song "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" That would have been appropriate background music.

(JFTR - I stayed for a few minutes)

rainbow river barge

rainbow, river, barge

Whats That in Today's Money?

So, I was thinking about putting a late 80's version of a Kodak 110 point-and-shoot on EBAY. The box top has a price tag. Hmmmm - what's that in 2013 bucks? Wow, how far we've come. A lousy 110 film camera for almost 40 bucks ... back then. Well, the camera isn't lousy but that 110 film was pretty pitiful - unless you wanted artsy grainy contrasty 4X6 "jumbo" prints. Then again, the camera - plus the film - didn't weigh much at all.  Pop it in your pocket and go. 

Sometimes, theories prove out ...

Ok - here's the scoop. In theory, if one

(a) takes an incident light reading of the illumination that is striking a scene,
(b) the meter is accurate and set properly,
(c) the meter is held properly to
(d) measure illumination representative of that lighting the scene,
(e) and the camera is properly adjusted properly and accordingly,

then the elements of a scene will expose themselves properly, according to their own individual reflectance values - providing the camera has the ability to record the total range of brightness of the elements in the scene.

Here we have a Sekonic L-308s, set to the incident light reading mode and ISO 400. The reading was taken (the meter was held) so the white dome was illuminated by the sky light softly coming in a nearby window (somewhat up and to the left of the meter). The dome was held very proximate to where it is in the photograph. The setting indication is 1/30 sec at f 5.6.

Theory number 2 is that older Nikon AI lenses can be used, on manual settings, with many of the SLR digital camera bodies. The photo 400-pixel below was born from the unaltered original that was uploaded. However, the linked, uploaded image, a duplicate of the image taken, may not be displayed in its original quality/resolution - something that, on this blog, is arguably beyond my control. The original image was captured on manual exposure, using a 1980's vintage Nikon Micro Nikkor 55 mm lens on a mid-2000's vintage Nikon D-70 body. The aperture was set to f 5.6 and the sutter speed set to 1/30 second. Twas taken hand held, focused for sharp meter indications and composed for a variety of object reflectances. There is white tissue and a white plastic bag for highlights and black leather in shadows (on the camera back) to create dark shadow detai.

TaDa! Of course, this image has a few highlight details that have been lost, gone over the top. They are in reflections in the white plastic, especially in the edge of the white nasal tissue, and, probably, on the tip of the white dome. The darks nearly bottom out in the black leather shadowed areas. As such, for this camera's high-quality jpeg setting, this scene represents the range of brightness values that can be recorded. Sometimes, it's cool to know that results follow established theories when parameters permit.

Christmas

Well, it was a Christmas Tree Farm - in Hamersville, Ohio. Believed to be summer of 1974, an AMA motocross race, this photo was taken on b&w film and I'm not sure of the camera. Might have been my Miranda Fvt but probably a Nikkormat Ftn. In whichever case, while on the topic of other cameras, enjoy. This guy is.

Wayback Machine

Since I'm on an Other Cameras track, here's a crop (nuttin to look at on da sides no way, no how) of a Polaroid SX-70 foto of my son graduating from some grade. These old SX-70's have all developed cracks in the emulsions. Yawn. Ok - here da piccie:

darker that it looks

OK, since we ain't exactly sticking to bberry images, then how about some very recent film work? This is a negative scan from Fuji something or other 400 I bought at a drugstore to test a Nikon camera I was selling. When I took this, from St. Rose Church in Cincinnati, it was so dark (how dark wazzz it?) I had to use a flashlight to see the camera settings. This was about 5 seconds at something like f 5.6, taken from a sturdy tripod, using finger pressure on the shutter button. This was a peaceful, quiet evening on the river. I'd hoped for some riverboats to streak some colors across the water but, as usual, hoping doesn't yield squat. Then again, no boats = better color streaks on the water. Well, I had a tight schedule, so this is what it is.

A scrap of paper, underfoot ....

Say good-day to evidence of a small, folded scrap of paper. This diminutive alphabet letter was masochistically underfoot in the parking lot near Oakley, Ohio. Then again, maybe it was somewhere else. I didn't write down where I was and I get around town. Anyway, this image has been inverted to a negative and the contrast was considerably increased. BTW - twas also down-sized to 800 pixels.

Not a BlackBerry photo ...

In this blog, it's fun to occasionally toss in something I took with a "real camera." This particular entry dates back to about 1979, when I didn't take pills at both ends of the day, still had nearly all of my teeth, and didn't groan when I moved around. This is a snapshot I took while hiking with my son. I'm certain it was taken with a Mamiya C330-f Pro TLR. I'm really sorry I let go of that camera. I did apply some image-processing techniques to the scan. The two round, white features are puffball fungi, found, from time to time, in our SW Ohio area. TaDa!

Gimme Another 3!

Here's another. Wow, a couple of 3's, in the heavens, in about the past month. Who'd-a thunk? Maybe the lottery gods are throwing hints? Nah ....

Nuttin like ...

playing with yer food! Well, what the heck, somebody didn't want their pickles and she threw 'em over onto my plate. And there was this carrot thing already there ... and a soda-straw wrapper sitting nearby. Well, there ya go, all ya need, like the components to a Mr. Potato Head face, with just a little re-positioning required. (a bit of a crop and a tweak of the saturation)

If you're searching ...

So, I'm driving down da road and a bunch of us stops at the light. On the tailgate of the pickup in front of me, I may have found what many need. One sticker says "Searching". I presume that's a question because d'other sticker sez "I help". So, there ya go. If ya need help searching, all ya gotta do is go find this guy and he'll help!

Looking out my window ...

Looking out my window at one of the three lines to Putz's Creamy Whip at the Montana Exit of I-74 near Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. A warm summer evening brought out the cravings for this whippy-dippy shop that has the old-fashioned machines that make creamy whips ... CREAMY!

Looking back ...

It wasn't that many months back and the snow was falling. I liked the looks of it but I'm glad summer's now here. Back in March:

Quick - look up in the sky!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? ... uh ... no, it's just clouds. nuttin else. really. Taken with something else - not a blackberry foto. I should make up a poem or something to go with this; but, I don't feel like it.

Gimme a 3!

All right, here's the facts. The only image manipulation here was: re-size this image to 800 pixels, give it a 1 pixel black border, and adjust the tonal relationships a very little bit. I didn't Photoshop the clouds. Look, if I really went that route, I would do something like Jesus in the Clouds so I could make money on it. Another good option would be fame - maybe even be invited to the Dave Letterman Show!!! Really. So, it's puzzling to me, how I can look up and find a number 3 in the clouds. I missed a number 2 recently. Like this image, there weren't any skywriter planes and hadn't been any. The 2 became smeared over and lost to history because I fiddled around with getting my blackberry out of whatever pocket it was zipped up inside in my vest of many zippers. It's puzzling to those with me and near me as to why I even bother look up and see such things. My wife thinks I'm crazy. Maybe so ... but just look at it! Its a heavenly 3: just how do clouds form such an artificial shape? It's just amazing to me. That I saw it, I blame my photo instructor (going to have to look up his name sometime soon) from back in the early 70's. Anyway, here tis:

Have a nice day ...

I always have a nice day at Bob Evans's Restaurants! Sometimes, I even play in my food. ... a second childhood thing ...

HISS <~

Well, lookie here what critter decided done came in to watch me work on my yard tractor - a King Snake. It was nice and healthy, only gaping at me cause I was hissing at it to get some drama in the photo. Enjoy. Outa here.

Full Speed Ahead!

A slug making way, but leaving no wake, along the blacktop after an early-morning rain.

On da bank of ...

On da bank of da O-HI-O river, New Richmond is a pleasant community to visit ... except when it's under water. The rest of the time, New Richmond offers a scenic riverfront having friendly folks, a tribute to those in the merchant marines, a tribute to those who served in the armed forces, a tavern or two, a marina, a beach where people often fish, and plenty of parking spaces. Also, a visitor will be entertained by a variety of hungry but well-fed waterfowl. Recently (I have no idea how long this critter has been frequenting the area) I encountered a pea fowl. A couple of weeks later, it was still there, so I guess it's a permanent resident. My wife said something about it (or one) attacking a child (news on TV?). So ... Kids - don't mess with the birdie! Watch Monte Python's movie about the Holy Grail and the rabbit that really ain't so ordinary. That might help clarify the gravity of the situation. maybe this ain't no ordinary peacock? Who knows? Ah, well, enough yakking, here's the photo:  (BTW - hahaha.  The spell checked insists that aint should an apostrophe in it.  That's a hoot!)

An oldie

A paved bicycle and walking trail runs through Avoca Park (location described in the following post). Perpendicular to this trail is a pathway that leads to the East Fork of the Little Miami River, passing some remnants of an old mill. Should you ever take this trail to the river, notice, on the right, a very old and giant Sycamore tree that has nearly engulphed an old, enamelled street sign.

Chem Trails?

There are those, out there, convinced that contrails are often government-based chemical trails. I'm not one. However, I did find this contrail highly irregular because it was sputtering (what I might describe as) vapor pockets perpendicular to the contrail's axis. This image was cropped, resized to 800 pixels vertically, and adjusted slightly for brightness/contrast. There was no editing otherwise on the contrail. Photographed around 7:30 PM, May 20, 2013. The camera is pointed approximately north/northeast from Avoca Park (between Mariemont and Terrace Park, Ohio). Copyright 2013, Stephen G. Bayer

Fate

The Cardinal (AKA Redbird) is the official state bird of Ohio. Life's often good because many people like to put lots of sunflower seeds in their birdfeeders. SO, you're a redbird, right? And you're flying around, a nice spring day, a belly full of sunflower seeds, and all seems well. Then, right there in Meijer's parking lot ... ka-blam! Whatever it was, you didn't even see it coming. Afterwards, you become little more than a graphical erubescent tattoo, underfoot, contrasting against the blacktop. Such is grievous outcome of fate. Sorry, you certainly deserved better.

Awww ....

I'm at the vets, inbetween examinations. I have a Meeowwww-inary tract infection and I'm trying to keep my cool between examinations. (Image was downsized, sharpened a bit, and had the brightness histogram tweaked a bit.)

Cheating a bit ...

Notta B'berry: from a Samsung Full HD video camera. Effect from photoshop. Cabin in Land of a Thousand Drips, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. February, 2011

Not Just OK ...

Excellent tea service at Smokey Bones Restaurant, Beechmont Avenue, Cherry Grove, Ohio last evening. First rate! Pip Pip, Tally Ho!

A Portal?

This one's for fans of the paranormal. Picture this: imagine a dark hallway, in a spot that does not get any direct light from any windows. Recently, late one afternoon, an image appeared next to our thermostat. The hallway was so dark, I could not, on my Nikon or my Blackberry, get a crisp image without motion blur. The Blackberry's flash wiped out the image and couldn't be turned off (that I know of). SO - here it is for all you Coast to Coast fans.

What's All That Commotion?

It's the Anderson Township Fire and Rescue Department and Hamilton County Sheriffs stationed therein, Anderson Township is a suberb of Cincinnati, Ohio. It seems something was burning. 14 or more vehicles filled the street. They took care of business and we, of the neighborhood, all enjoyed watching all of these professionals perform their duty.

A Nikon D-70 Exposure

Emotions escape me ...

... but ... perhaps ... just maybe ...

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Another Pond Letdown at 39.022168,-84.085838

Yes, another pond was disappointing. The Google Map pond found at 39.022168,-84.085838 probably has a sandy bottom. The dam looked intact, as I photographed it, and I certainly had the impression of being in a bowl. Certainly, in the past month, the Cincinnati area has had an abundance or precipitation. The terrain appeared to be highly capable of funneling runoff into the bowl. Yet, the bottom only revealed water as our footsteps squeezed it out of the soil and leaves.

If the park interests you, consider clicking the Ponds of East Fork link, up there on the side, for an interactive Google map showing all the ponds I've visited to date

East Fork State Park Pond at 39.030528,-84.067975

Well, folks, this is the neighbor of the anticlimactic puddlus mysteriosis described immediately below. This one even has a short youtube video so you can have a moving look-see. This pond, in Ohio's East Fork State Park, at the coordinates 39.030528,-84.067975, is not visible from the roadway. It's up and over an embankment. It is one of many ponds I've visited inside the park boundary. Click my Ponds of East Fork link, up there on the side, for an interactive Google map showing all the ponds I've visited to date.

Here's a couple of snapshots:

Notta Pond @ 39.029711,-84.066194

There is a supposed pond inside Ohio's East Fork State Park - but there's not! Its a cartographic nottapond! OK - I really, really appreciate Google's interactive map. But the map blew it on this pond. There is no pond at 39.029711,-84.066194 as shown on the map. (See my Ponds of East Fork State Park link) The satellite view, however, correctly points to an empty field (verified in my photographs below). This pond graphic might just be one of those little copyright traps that they put on maps - such as towns that do not exist. However, this anti-pond does have a neighboring actual pond to be posted next (above).

Rest in Peace

(not a blackberry foto.) I would like to pay tribute to the passing of my father, Frank P. Bayer, Jr. of Batavia, Ohio. This photo, taken by my step-grandfather Pingree (Ping) Binkley, of Batavia, Ohio was taken in approximately 1949 as Frank was building his own home for his family. The image serves as a metaphor for a significant portion of Frank's constitution. He liked to build things, once describing himself as "Big hammer, long nails." Not one for glamorous things; more important were plumb, level, square, and tight. Frank was not a block layer; rather, we was a multidisciplary carpenter who posessed a wide variety of skills. As a boy, I was often called upon to assist in digging dirt for various purposes, carpentry, plumbing, electrical duties, plumbing, roofing, and more. Yet, when times called for it, he could be called upon to do delicate things also: beautifully remanufacturing a small horse's leg on an antique mom bought or building cases for his childrens' science fair projects. A close look at the photo reveals a Pontiac dealership logo on his shirt: yes, Frank tended to work one job and then come home and work his own projects. He was often banged up in one way or other (a band aid is above his eye) yet he never complained - it was just part of the job. Frank, among some other duties, drove a gasoline truck through France, Holland, and Germany in WWII. His travels are documented in the book "180 Days XIII Corps" under the command of Major General Gillem. The rare publication highlights the command's progress from the Seigfried Line to Elbe. In basic training, he was prepared for the heat of desert warfare but, as luck would have it, Frank was sent to England to follow up in the cold, northern climates after the invasion of Normandy. I couldn't get dad to speak of many details of the war. He soberly said "I saw a lot of damage." He witnessed American Guards overseeing Nazi's forced to bury the dead at one of the first concentration camps discovered. He has an original photograph of Polish prisoners' arms, heads, and shoulders sticking out from under barn wood, attempting to crawl out from under a barn that Nazis had set on fire. He had a V1 or V2 rocket crash very near him and blow up a school. Frank shook hands with conquering Russian troops. After the war, dad and my mother found each other, married, and successfully went about working on what is often called "the American dream." Over the years, Frank was a very good father and, after a prolonged series of illnesses, is now resting in peace.

Smug

... no comment ...

Snow Thingamabobs

On a few walkabouts, late in December, I snapped a few snow ... uhhhs. Enjoy or whatever.