BrianS blog

Olympus Gets Me In The End

2007-11-21T01:43:00.001-08:00

No matter haw much I've complained, I never though Olympus would get the last laugh on me. Last week I finally decided to sell the E510, so I put it on eBay. I only got a fraction of what paid for it but I was glad to see the thing go and to finally move on. However, only two days after sending it off to its new owner, Olympus issues new software that corrects most of the problems I complained about. How could I end up so unlucky? Well, this is the last entry in this "I Hate Olympus" story. If you own an E510 you may have lucked out and are now the happy owner of the camera Olympus promised when they first sold it. I guess it was just my fate to get mixed up with Olympus. Every time I zigged they zagged. I never got satisfaction from their camera or from their service. Every time they said they cared, I got screwed. Some things just aren't meant to be I guess. I hate you fucking Olympus!

Still No Blogger

2007-09-21T23:50:00.001-07:00

I still can't access my Blogger account, except to post via LiveWriter. Sometimes I can view my post after publishing here, sometimes not, but none of the buttons work, so it's a read only thing. I am going to try again tomorrow (Saturday, 9-22-07). If I can't get in by then, I'll be forced to return to Yahoo 360 -- they've fixed many of their bugs anyway.

More Blogger Trouble

2007-09-20T20:08:00.001-07:00

I decided to do a Blogger Search on the blog I created yesterday, but it can't find the account or entry. It found the entry previous to this one (about Worker to Investor) in this blog, so it's hard to make sense of what's happening. It's getting pretty hard to hang with Google.

Wow! This is an edit of the above. Now I can't even see my post from LiveView in Blogger.

No Access to Blogger

2007-09-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

I am so tired of things not working! Yesterday, I had trouble accessing my Blogger account and finally got entry by setting up a new blog. Then I was able to access everything. Today, I cannot access my Blogger account again. At least I can make posts via LiveWriter. I quit Yahoo 360 and came to Blogger because they wouldn't/couldn't fix their problems. Now it seems that Blogger has its own problems. I'll give Blogger a few days before I try somewhere else, after all they don't post any ads in my blog, or anywhere else in Blogger. Even Gmail is ad free, though I've found it impossible to use that feature either -- I can't link it to my Yahoo email account. I like Picazza but I can't embed those photos in some forums. I really like Google's ad free concept, but things simply don't work very well here.

Worker to Investor

2007-09-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

While unemployment is very low at this point (2007), most industrial jobs have been handed over to machines, robots. The result is that you must go back to school and retrain, settle for a low paying service job, or embrace illegal activities. There are, however, a few who manage to stow enough away to become investors, instead of workers. Proponents of this strategy suggest that everyone should start investing early in life in hopes that we can eliminate the need for the traditional job. This raises an interesting question: What happens if most everyone becomes an investor and most jobs are done by computer/robots? Could we construct a society where we never worked again? Our economy has always depended upon full employment to complete the growth cycle. Since a great portion of our economy is already robotized, the transition may only be a matter of changing our mind set, thinking about life differently. We would become a nation of leisure investors. This would eliminate the threat from job elimination by emerging countries like China, India, and Mexico.

Perhaps the government needs to step into the role of investment supervisor. Currently, the money collected for taxes is simply spent on government programs. What would happen if the majority of that tax money was invested for you, and that you received a regular return on that investment? At this time, it is estimated that a child who starts investing with as little as $1000 can reach retirement in his/her mid 30s. This happens without any infusion of cash along the way, it simply follows what is called "The time value of money," where basic growth follows the inflation rate, and then a smaller investment return assures a solid growth rate. We could become a nation of investors, deriving income from the efforts of mechanized industry and overseas labor.

Would we become a nation of dummies, where education was irrelevant, where we were taken care of by the government? Or, would we become a true leisure class nation, where the American dream is a reality for everyone?

Blogger trouble

2007-09-18T13:37:00.001-07:00

I just went through a lot of trouble getting into my Blogger account. I could not log in directly. I was able to make posts using LiveWriter, and I was able to view the post immediately after it was published; but then, I couldn't view my post either. When I tried logging in, my password was seen as invalid. When I tried to get a new one, it failed. Finally, the only option left was to start a new account. I made a brief post to the new account, but when I tried editing it, it would not post. However, I could log into Blogger directly now, and when I logged in, my other two accounts were available too. Strangely, I could not access my new account, however; not that I wanted to use it while my old accounts were available. So I'll post this to my main Blogger account, from LiveWriter, and see what happens next.

Well, when left Blogger and went back to Google, and then came back to Blogger, all three accounts were available. This time I could access the new account ( which I will probably delete), and everything else. This is an edit of the above post, so lets see if it posts ok.

Olympus -- NOT

2007-09-18T12:05:00.001-07:00

I just got off the phone, and Olympus refused to exchange my camera for a new one. As a result, I've decided not to honor my promise to Olympus, that I would keep quiet about my dissatisfaction of their E510 camera. It is one of the highest rated cameras of the year (2007) in the prosumer DSLR market. The camera simply sucks. I'm hate the damn thing! I hate Olympus service! I regret the money I've wasted on Olympus products, and I think people who like the E510 are living in la la land. If ever I can afford another camera again, it will be a Nikon. Not that all models of Nikon are to my liking, but they produce far better images than Olympus, for the most part. I guess what bothers me the most is that dpreview produced sample images that were equal to the Nikon D50 and D70, but in reality the camera isn't capable of producing those images. I don't know if dpreview is padding their samples, or what. I should have paid more attention to the samples on the Olympus web site, which are pretty horrible. I'm not lining up behind Nikon, since I don't own one, but so far the D50 (and to some degree the D70s) images seem the best. I don't like Canon's CMOS butter-cream images either. I've seen some pretty sharp images Canon with top of the line lenses, but in general, EOS cameras are marginal. So, the bottom line is that I am irrationally going to continue my tyrate (word I made up) against Olympus when ever the opportunity arises.

Servitude

2007-09-17T02:56:00.001-07:00

It’s not a problem that you are a woman, black, native American, Hispanic, Asian, Jew, Muslin, or Southern, it is that you cannot stand up for your opinions, your views, your thoughts, your cares, your needs. You can be an Anglo male and still be lost to the prevailing tide, have your voice shunted, your opinion invalidated, view of life given second tier status.

It is not a new thing, that white men rage against the machine; that the emperor continues to wear no clothes; that survival requires subservience. We all fight, at times; and those who are great prevail, at least for a while. Some even manage to bend the course of humanity; but most will find small niches, with moderate followings, that bother only a few of the powerful.

And those who learn to lead the underlings, know that real change will not come; they learn to speak daftly and spin tales of unreality. These heroes give us hope that someday we will be considered, seen as being important, recognized as valid, as individuals. Thank god for them, for give us hope.

And there are those who shed the veil from before our eyes: the educators, our real gods. Beyond all others, these people, and those who support them deliver us from servitude, beyond all else.

Safe Harbor

2007-09-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

It turns out that this is my only safe harbor on the web. No one reads this, so I never have to apologize for my opinions and inconsistencies. I recently posted a comment that the sites new avatar was more feminine than the old one. And, that old avatar demonstrated strength, while the new one seemed passive. Well, after posting the opinion, I realized that women would probably be incensed that I would consider a feminine avatar to be considered passive (or visa versa). However, the comment cannot be edited, and I will have suffer the embarrassment of shortsightedness.

Panasonic L10

2007-09-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

I, like many, was disappointed with Panasonic's announcement of its new L10 (Sept 07). While it has several issues, in comparison to Olympus' E510, it offers a significant resolution to many E510 problems. Unfortunately, Panasonic is shooting itself in the foot on two fronts: the exclusion of in-body IS, and a very steep price ($1200). Panasonic suffered an overwhelming negative reaction to their announcement of the L10. This is in contrast to the overwhelming hype that accompanied the announcement of the E410, and E510, earlier this summer. While they share the same sensor (denied by Panasonic), the L10 offers significant improvements over the E510, including a flip-out LCD. I think if Panasonic announced an additional model (perhaps the or L10is), with in-body image stabilization for under $900 (body only), they would have a hit on their hands, and turn the present negative group-think to positive.

Olympus

2007-09-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

I promised Olympus I wouldn't write anymore bad stuff about them in the photography forums I frequent, however, that doesn't mean I have to behave here. I got a new $400 Zuiko 14-54mm lens from them yesterday. It is a very nice lens! However compared with my similar kit lens, picture quality has not improved at all. Yes, the field of view is wider, and I can shoot in much dimmer light, but my pictures still have the same anomalous quality my kit lenses have. For me, this proof, once and for all, that Olympus cameras (specifically the E510, and its sister the E410) have image quality problems. Last month, I had my camera all packed up to send to Olympus for inspection. But when my emails went mostly unanswered or misinterpreted, I decided to put up with a marginal camera, instead of compound my problems. I held on to hopes that the kit lenses (though the 40-150mm is quite good) would be the root of my problems. The new 14-54mm has shown me that lenses are indeed not my problem. The camera is at fault. I sincerely do not think anything is broken in the camera or that parts (like the sensor) were poorly manufactured. The camera is simply very limited in the quality of images it will produce (which points directly to the sensor, or associated electronics).

I cannot post these kind of opinions in forums without raising an outpouring of protest. In my opinion, there are too many willing to overlook the anomalies of this camera. Occasionally, I find a pro is willing to step up and expose the E510's shortcomings, to my relief, but it is rare. For the money, you will simply have to make tradeoffs when considering other DSLR cameras. The xti has other image concerns. The D40x has priority limitations. Right now, P&S cameras like the Canon A650 seem to offer the best bang for your buck. I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of the many cameras in the many categories, but the hype that surrounds camera's like the E510, far exceeds its value.

FYI: I am not always impressed with with the image quality of high-end cameras either. I find most CMOS images to be less sharp than some CCD images. I find samples from the Canon A620 (which I own) and the Nikon D70s to be more robust and sharper. Often this comes down to good edge detection, which seems to be a focus of most manufactures at this time. However, robustness is more illusive to define. The feeling of depth is important in this, and lens choice certainly makes a difference. However, I am becoming more and more convinced that sensor construction is at the heart of what I consider good image quality. Unfortunately, you cannot simply install the sensor of choice in your favorite camera body -- it comes built in. Perhaps that will emerge as a future technology.

Brick Walls

2007-08-30T18:17:00.001-07:00

I have been noticing a second level of mental obstruction. My first, and most obvious was found when I went back to school (at 45) and took Algebra. Some years later, when I tried going back and taking Algebra again, I ran into the same mental wall. It seemed I had reached a mental level that was a major obstruction to further learning. After taking Algebra the first time, further learning was much easier. That is, once I had pierced that strata, other learning was just more of the same. But when I returned to school, after 5 years, I had to penetrate that same mental barrier again.

My next surprise came another 5 years later, when trying to figure out some theoretical problems that would have been a matter of course, previously. I found that I had sunk a wrung further and was unable to do the mental gymnastics necessary to sort things out. Admittedly, I don't have the same emotional motivations I once had. However, these mental levels seem real. The "use it, or loose it" slogan certainly fits here. I guess the difficulties getting through Algebra were more expected, but the recent problem solving obstructions were not.

A Journey in Photography -- letter to Olympus

2007-08-24T15:57:00.001-07:00

I decided to send you this profile of my limited photographic experience. It will not likely help to identify problems with E510, so reading this is may simply waste your time. However, I suspect that many growing photographers suffer similar misgivings as they learn about the world of photography. Also, since you are a knowledgeable body of photographers, you have probably heard from every conceivable point of view by now.

My first encounter with photograph was one year ago when I decided to purchase a Canon A620. Let me sing its accolades for a moment before explaining why I wanted to move up. The A620 had almost every feature being offered by any camera, including the flip-n-swivel screen. I jumped into the rudiments of light and lenses right away, and started shooting almost exclusively in Manual mode so I could see how my settings affected the picture, instead of what the camera chose to do. Even as recently as this spring, I was still learning how to apply my basic knowledge.

Over this year, I have gotten some exciting outdoor shots, but many of them required rigorous manipulation of a somewhat clunky camera (A620). I had to use a tripod to capture action I wished I could get hand-held. Many of my shots were hit-and-miss situations, because it was too difficult to reset the camera on the fly. Auto modes were successful at times, but rarely produced the clarity I hoped for in my shots. Also, the 4x zoom was a tad short of what I wished for. So I began to dream of solutions, albeit expensive, to my photo limitations.

I had no exact specifications for the camera I was looking for. I decided that image stability was very important. I also, wanted wingtip feather/nose pimple sharpness (which I had with the A620). I scanned hundreds of photo samples from all camera manufactures. Only a few samples, some from very high-end DSLRs, and a few from the Olympus E510 met my criteria. I was reluctant to enter the world of DSLR because I benefited so much from the flip-n-swivel LCD of the A620. So when the E510 at least had LiveView, I was hopeful. Preliminary reviews of the E510 (and E410) raved about almost every aspect of the camera. Side-by-side tests showed the E510 equal to the xti and the D40x in almost all ways, and exceptional in many.

I live on disability and have to save, live on hamburger, and not indulge a single extravagance (including clothes), for a full year to afford a camera like the E510. So I could not simply consider the E510 a casual mistake if it didn’t work out. The camera would have to be worthy of several years of satisfied use.

My first experience were strange mixtures of joy and extreme disappointment. I first set things to Auto with IS and started shooting causal shots of my friends (indoors and out). The shots looked pretty good in the LCD, but when I loaded them onto the computer, not a single shot was worthy of keeping. I hope you can imagine my disappointment. So I conceded that Auto mode wasn’t all you might want from a camera, after all the A620 wasn’t much in Auto either.

Next, I started taking some indoor shots with manual settings. After trying about 30 shots of my closet (which the A620 never failed to get right) and not getting a single in-focus result, I put the camera back in the box and was ready to send it back. A couple of days later I decided to try again. I had been using the 14-42mm lens, so I tried the 40-150mm, but nothing focused. I had already turned off the Noise Filter and set Sharpening to –2, as recommended in the forums. I tried Auto, I tried Manual, I tried using the flash, every thing I could think of, but nothing worked. Then suddenly, without reason, a clear picture came out. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or get mad. Why was this camera putting me through such frustration? I decided to keep the camera for a while longer and see if had healed itself. I later read on the Olympus site that one (of only four) FAQs mentioned the possibility of poor electrical contact between the lens and body. My next step was to try the camera in a more serious setting, the duck pond.

I took about 150 shots of ducks and geese in bright morning sunlight. A few were in Auto, but most in Manual or other modes. All the shots were hand held with IS on. None of the shots were worth keeping! Granted, I wasted shots getting used to exposure levels, but most shots simply seemed out of focus (auto focus used).

I gave up at that point and posted a pan review (if you can call it that) in a prominent forum. I got so much indignant feedback that I quit reading the posts. When I checked back the next day, my post had been pulled. I began to see that there was a degree of hype surrounding the camera, and that people didn’t like hearing bad things about their baby. I was frustrated because I knew that some of their criticism was correct: that I didn’t have very much experience with DSLR. My frustration was that I couldn’t describe my problems scientifically. Actually, I didn’t even know what my problems were. I decided that I would have to go it alone if I was to keep using the E510.

My next shoot was with a friend and her new xti. We met at the duck pond and spent a couple of hours experimenting. It was another bright sunny morning, just right for good shots. When we compared our shots on the computer, I began to see that her xti captured the details in the shadows, but my E510 just showed black patches. However, a few of my shots came out alright, so I was encouraged.

I had given up any hopes of using LiveView, however. Most of my shots I wanted from LiveView were from below chest level, and I can’t see the screen at that angle. At eye level, the view finder is easier to use in bright sunlight. That was a disappointment.

My next outing produced more of the same. I could suspected that hand held shooting, even with IS, was not going to work. At last, after more than a thousand shots, I decided to give up all the features of the E510 and shoot on a tripod without IS in Manual. At last, some decent pictures started coming out. I could say that I had finally figured out a way to make the camera work, but when I stumbled upon an old shot with the A620, I was shocked to see how much more vibrant it was than the E510 shots. I tried raising color saturation, sharpening, etc., in pp but nothing brought the E510 shots close to the A620.

I believe that I have run the gamut with the E510. I know it is capable of giving sharp images, but in very limited situations and with very specific camera settings. I am using it much like I had the A620 that I hoped to replace, except I am now without the tilt out LCD. I had hoped for just the opposite: easier shooting, with better results in difficult settings. I appreciate the camera body and the numerous settings, but they don’t add up to $700 of value (which is the difference between what I paid for my A620 and the E510).

My last hope is that something may still be wrong with the camera that is beyond my knowledge to understand. Perhaps IS isn’t fully functional. Perhaps auto focus is off, somehow. Perhaps the sensor is defective. I really don’t know. I sincerely hope the 14-42mm lens is defective, though I know kit lenses are often lesser quality. For me, it’s unusable. As things stand, I have a $900 point-n-shoot quality camera that doesn’t point and shoot very well.

Finally, I was amazed, as was alluded to in your email to me, how different people’s perspectives are on the problems of photography. One user shopping for a lens said it best, I found that the professionals thought the lens was razor sharp, while the hobbyists considered it terrible. It seems that standards of perfection very greatly. I have grown to distrust almost everything said about photo equipment. There is a tremendous amount of group-think and people are emotionally tied up with their equipment. I am heartened when a site offering a professional review, says that all the data is misleading, and that in reality the product is somewhat better, or worse. I was saddened again when I found that the sample on which I had based my purchase of the E510 was shot with a different lens (not kit lens). During the last month I have given serious thought to purchasing another lens. However, opinions of what is good very so greatly I that I am reluctant to go that route until my entire kit is examined. Besides, it would mean several more months of eating hamburger and potatoes to afford one.

Brain Controlled Computers

2007-07-31T12:42:00.001-07:00

Researchers have discovered that computer users using the new BrainDrain remote control system suffered what they call brain tendonitis. The BrainDrain system electro/magnetically taps into a part of the brain that lets users control computer functions simply by thinking about them. In the survey of 978 users, 320 people reported getting headaches after prolonged computer use. MRI scans uncovered an inflammation in the brain similar to tendonitis of the wrist, commonly found among heavy computer mouse users. The inflammation causes a severe bulge to form on the right side of the head (the side responsible for logical thought). Doctors have had success treating the bulge by wrapping users heads in splints. The only side effect, complain users, is that they can't hear very well. Computer users that were given time off to think about other things reported the swelling went down after about two weeks.

BrainDrain spokesperson Dalai Swimmer, said in a press conference Tuesday, that they were attempting to correct the problem by tapping into other areas of the brain, but that it may be two or more years before tests are completed. BrainDrain stocks fell 5 points in swift trading yesterday, which surely caused several BrainDrain headaches.

Ad Free Business

2007-07-30T05:00:00.001-07:00

For as long as people have bought and sold things, advertising has been part of their business strategy. Advertising has always taken two forms: informative, where customers are simply given the facts, and persuasive, where the facts are embellished. Modern persuasive advertisement is a statistical psychology-based science, designed to sell products whether they are needed or not. Advertisers cover up this tactic by saying their ads are informational only, but nothing could be further from the truth.

First, an informative ad is not entertaining, in the song and dance manner. An informative ad is simply a list or paragraph of features. We commonly see this kind of list when shopping for cars online. Then, an informative ad is rarely solicitous. That is, you asked, or looked for, the information, rather than having it thrust upon you. Unsolicited ads are found in newspapers, on television, on websites, whether we want them or not.

Consumers generally do not like ads. Occasionally, an ad may be entertaining enough to be appreciated, but rarely. Getting you to look at an ad is an advertiser’s first concern. One of the best tactics for doing this is to make the ad obnoxious. While this kind of ad is memorable a negative way, at least it is memorable. As a result, we are bombarded by memorable unpleasant ads all day long.

Fortunately, some companies, like Google, have turned this around. They have resisted advertising to the public, and turned their attention to other companies. Google offers their end product to the public ad free. They can do this because they do not get their money from the public, but rather from other businesses that buy their internet based services. While business-to-business sales are nothing new, the notion that a service can simply be given something away to the public, is unprecedented.

It is understandable that companies would want to scramble for every bit of sales possible – that is why they advertise. Still, companies like Google may be a new business model that could set consumers free of unwanted ads. It is unclear whether Goodle appreciates the new paradigm their business model presents. It is important to note that this is not an solicitation for Google, but rather for companies like Google that present commercial free products to the public. I encourage you to let these companies know you appreciate what they do, and to admonish companies like ATT/Yahoo, who already charge customers monthly and still bombard the web with ads.

ATT/Yahoo, Comcast, and other providers who already charge monthly for their services should be banned from advertising. It is a form of double billing. You have no choice but to subscribe to these companies if you want internet access. This is akin to Public Television requesting a subscription from you and then showing commercials too – only with Public Television, you have a choice.

Business has convinced us that commercials are necessary to provide the products and service we want at a price we can afford. Nothing could be further from the truth. The cost of commercials raises the cost of price of everything we buy. For companies who are falling behind in sales, commercials offer a way to catch up. For companies who are ahead, commercials offer a way to stay ahead. For consumers, commercials offer a constant irritation of unwanted sounds and images. Companies, as Google has shown, can make profit by charging each other, and thus leaving the commercials out of their consumer products. We pay for our products and services regardless of ads and commercials.

If we don’t want commercials, we shouldn’t have to have them. It is simple for internet businesses to simply provide check boxes that would let you choose whether you want to view commercials/information or not. I confess, I sometimes want that information – but it should be my choice. There are two ways to change the shape of business: 1. Tell the business that you don’t want commercials. 2. Tell your law-makers that you want it to be illegal for them to show commercials. Change begins from the smallest of places. Perhaps that small place is in you and me.

Religion

2007-07-24T00:49:00.001-07:00

I am a scientist. It is my faith, since nothing is ever completely answered, and all is never known. There is always the need of faith in whatever you believe. Still, the notion that everything exists by reason and is mapped out according to natural laws, is more satisfying to me than a fantasy about an old man in the sky and life after death. A true scientist, I believe, must be a determinist: nothing exists without cause. We are here because the laws of nature directed the energy of the Big Bang to create the stars, planets, life forms, and us, and that we can only do what nature lets us do.

Of course the notion of free will comes into question, if you're a determinist. My answer is that free will is a mental illusion, as are many of our perceptions. This is not new, the notion of free will has been challenged for eons. However, the challenge is usually in a social context, not a scientific one. The question of free will in religion is as old as religion itself. And, theologians seem able to find a balance between what God dictates and what mankind actually does. But while determinism, by definition, eliminates free choice, the illusion of free choice is very important to our psyche. We must feel we have choices! Whether we follow, lead, or go our own way, we feel better when we believe we have a choice.

Religion, or the components of religion are as fanciful as Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. However, religion serves to displace our fears and sorrows, in ways science cannot. Indeed, science is the reality of reality. And though the precepts of images of science are always changing and improving, it offers the most dependable explanations of life and reality. And this is why science has always been a threat to religion: it is a better explanation of reality.

The foundations of science are math, logic, and empirical data. My faith is, that when you have accurate data projected on to accurate math and logical models anything can be understood. Now, at the outer limits of these models the outcome gets fuzzy, less certain, but at the core, 2 + 2 = 4, and T and T are T, never seems to fail. It has been a long time since I used truth tables or higher math to solve problems, but I know it they are there, and that they work. I have more faith in these precepts than any concept in the Christian (or any) bible.

It is easy to point to unexplained scientific phenomena, and say it is the hand of God that did this. When evolutionary data cannot fill in all the blanks, the pat answer is "It's God's will." And I suspect that the intricacies of how things work are so complex that humans will never know everything. And that God's name will remain to fill in the missing pieces. The scientist's version is "It's the nature of things."

And when I die, I will be finished. I will not go to a fantasy heaven or hell, I will simply end. I may live on in the memories and hearts of some friends and acquaintances for a time, but I, like the whole of the human race, will end, eventually. I found it difficult to accept my death, at first, but I found it more difficult to realize that mankind will someday cease, as well. That all the great things that humans are and ever have been will go out like the dinosaurs. Some catastrophic event will someday be greater than man's ability to adapt, and evolution will move on without us. It is difficult to give up the notion that we exist forever. But better choices and more realistic living happen when real knowledge is accepted. Mankind may exist for a hundred thousand, or a million, years; or we may perish tomorrow. But eventually, everything mankind has written or recorded will become molten space debris. There will be no one to read it, or any intelligence of appreciate it. And if this makes you feel: why bother? Than I say: why not?

Commute Train Idea

2007-07-21T21:27:00.001-07:00

In the '60s, when I visited New York, I noticed that some subway trains ran on local tracks (stopping at every station) and that some ran on express tracks (stopping only at main stations). Here in the San Francisco bay area, most of our commute trains are local, until recently. The problem that exists with this setup is that you must choose between which train serves you best, the fast one that may miss your stop, or the slow one that will take forever to get there.

With the aid of today's technology, I believe there is a remedy to this problem. First, an express track should run the entire length of the commute area, with no stops what so ever. Then, parallel local tracks should be built between stations. When a local train leaves the stations it matches the speed of the express train, locks onto it, and doors open for passengers to move on or off the express train. The trains then unlock themselves, and the local train slows and stops at the next station.

The importance of this is that the express train never has to slow down, and it never has to stop at a station. In this way the commuter is never inconvenienced by having to change trains at the station, often waiting for a local, or express, train to arrive. Never, would the commuter have to take a slow local train to get off at a desired station, nor would an express commuter be slowed by stopping unnecessarily.

Photo Upload

2007-07-20T18:15:00.001-07:00

This is a web post in HTML

Will it post?

This is a file post

Ok, file post will not work from Normal or HTML

This is a large file post from web

It posted, but 1/3 of left side is cut off. I can't find a way to let the whole photo show, yet.

But hey, I got my edit pencil back!!! (I figured it out)

OOoooo I love it when things work...

Destinations

2007-07-19T23:01:00.001-07:00

I was reading BJ’s blog "Lateshift Musings" in Blogger. She heads her blog with a quote form Martin Buber, “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

I like that notion: that we are always going more than one place at a time, and that we always end at more than one destination when we arrive: the one we intended to reach and other unsuspected ones as well.

In the same way, an action never strives toward just one goal.

Free Suicide

2007-07-17T16:44:00.001-07:00

AP Sacramento, CA 2027 State Senator Jules Morningham has introduced a bill that would allow cities to build suicide centers in lower income neighborhoods. Morningham cited a four year-old study that showed 40% of low income inner city residents would consider suicide were it offered. In light of the money saved after instituting volunteer suicide in state prisons (Mast/Proctor resolution, 2019), Morningham proclaimed that 17 billion dollars could be saved over a five year period. Californians generally approve of volunteer suicide, and see the removal of the most dependent part of society as a step in the right direction. Opponent Silvia Webster has been quoted as saying, "The law is akin to genocide." Morningham has consistently pointed out that repeated attempts to rehabilitate the lower strata has been mostly unsuccessful, and that the bulk of social relief funds have been wasted on... continued

Continued from Page 1 -- Suicide Centers

these people. Unlike volunteer suicide in prisons where prisoners are put to death by a gunshot machine, neighborhood centers would offer three possible means of dying: 1. gunshot machine, 2. chemical overdose, 3. blood letting. These services would be provide in privacy under the observation of a technician. Morningham's bill proposes construction of 200 centers by 2030. Their construction would be equally funded by the state and designated cities, the states funds saved from excess currently spent social programs.

Morningham suggested that most homelessness could be completely eliminated and that unemployment in the state could be reduced by 2%. So far, there has been no response from Governor Winston or from Senator Bicks, both of whom are expected to oppose the measure. California would be the first state in the nation to enact such a program and so far reactions have mostly been subdued.

Now the Bank?

2007-07-17T12:46:00.001-07:00

Is the world falling apart? Two months ago I gave up on Bank of America because they kept screwing up my automatic payments. So I signed up with US Bank. They seemed to be a good thing, but now, when I try to log on NOTHING HAPPENS! I've checked my account name and password over and over, but nothing works. I tried calling them, but there's the usual wait-on-the-phone thing that online banking is supposed to avoid. So I gave up. I had just finished the waiting period to process my direct deposit into the new account, so I hate to switch to another bank so soon. Grrrrrrrrrrrr

More Photography

2007-07-16T00:02:00.001-07:00

I got some decent controlled shots today. I think the auto focus was having trouble before -- perhaps a bad electrical contact between the lens and camera body. Still, the shots are not better than my point & shoot camera -- as good, different, but not better -- at least they're in focus. I am beginning to suspect that sensor is part of the culprit too. In review pictures, it was shown that it had a sharp luminance drop off, which means that there is poor gradation between light and dark. This kind of image detection can produce very sharp pictures, but with poor detail. Looking at my outdoor shots, there are overexposed light patches directly beside dark patches, neither of which show detail. Digital cameras often get fooled this way, but the Olympus seems worse than others. I will go shooting again tomorrow, now that the auto focus seems to be working.

Photography

2007-07-13T20:29:00.001-07:00

I am depressed. After much anticipation I received my new DSLR camera -- an Olympus E510. It looked great, felt great, and was highly praised in the photography forums. However, it turned out to be a piece of junk! All I ever got was a bunch (300) noisy or out of focus, or off exposure junk pictures. The IS (image stability) that was supposed to steady things had minimal effect. Auto focus, that was much talked about, was terrible. The live view feature, which was the big selling point in my opinion, was useless since it didn't tilt or swivel. In frustration, I turned off all automatic functions and took some pictures inside with controlled light, on a tripod, with delayed shutter control, so I wasn't touching the camera or disturbing the anything in any way. The pictures were terrible! no matter what I did... I'm sure that there are some photographers that can take good pictures with a turnip for a camera, but I gave up. I packed my $950 wonder in its box and put it on the shelf in the closet. I had been saving the money for a down payment on a car. Now that's out. I might try to sell the thing on eBay. More likely, it'll just sit there as a reminder of how not to get caught up in the hype. I bought it when I was feeling low and needed something to brighten my life. It didn't work very well.

In Beta

2007-07-05T12:24:00.001-07:00

I remember when I was a kid, in the '50's, people returning from Europe and other parts of the world bragged about how everything worked here -- we were the technology leaders. But now days, it seems that nothing works. The world has become a giant vending machine, the only way you can get anything from it is to kick it on its side. And then you get mostly junk. When asked, the developers and techs have a pat reply "its in beta." That lets them off the hook. It's like telling us that we should have known the program wouldn't work when we opened it. I think I'll develop a tele-portation device that will get you from New York to Paris instantly. It only costs $1000 a trip. Of course, you pay up front. And don't forget to read the sign above the door when you go in "This device is in BETA, use at your own risk." When you discover that you haven't actually been tele-ported, I'll offer you airline tickets to Paris (that only cost me $300) and a voucher for a free trip in the tele-porter when its running right.

I have a friend who works in the computer industry who is quite knowledgeable about virus protection software. He says that all the virus software companies (Norton, McAfee, etc.) hire people to write virus software, yes create viruses, and send them to your computer. Then they pay other people to write anti-virus software to combat it. I suspect that this tactic will keep the anit-virus people in business a very long time.

I keep venturing back to Google because my provider ATT/Yahoo keeps making their programs more and more obnoxious to use. Last week they started putting ads in the email screen, and today I was limited to 20mb when trying to send my photos to a friend. Computers have been part of my life since the late '70's. The frustration level you experience over time rises and falls regularly. Right now, we seem to be sliding into a new low (high frustration). Too many programs are being marketed only half finished. Beta used to mean: The program is complete, we have done all we can to take care of any bugs, but there may be one or two things we overlooked -- please help us make it right. I am developing anxiety about whether this blog entry will actually make it to my blog. How much time can I lend to this writing if something goes wrong. Yes, I could save my work before it gets lost, but then, why should I have to? I understand that my computer could suddenly bite the dust, but that is unlikely. It is more likely that something will go wrong with the software -- that someone wrote, and didn't thoroughly test.

I would like to think that Google (and Blogger) are above all this -- certainly, they do a better job than Yahoo -- but, like the others, they are in beta, and thus deliver a very wobbly product at times. Further, I'm writing this on Live Writer which compounds the possibility of failure. Let's see if this posts.

... this an edit in Live Writer: The post worked, but any avenue to edit in Blogger seems to be closed. No use getting pissed about that... they're in beta...

2007-07-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

It seems that the edit pencil has simply disappeared. This is sad, since I was really warming up to Blogger. Hopefully, this is a short-term glitch that Blogger will fix. I hoped that it might be the result of using Live Writer, am not using it now. I even tried refreshing the screen, which had worked before, but nothing works.