by Jason Prahl | Mar 24, 2007 | Blog, Photography
I’ve always liked shots that have the water looking like silk, especially waterfalls. Early on I figured out I could get this effect by doing a long exposure, but it had to be done in lower light. This usually meant hanging around the water area at sunset. Otherwise there’s just too much light and it all gets blown out.
Then I purchased a Polarizer filter because I read somewhere that it would do something cool, I don’t remember what or why but I did. The polorizer is a handy filter that really makes the sky pop and cuts down on reflected glare. Anyways I found that I didn’t have to have as dark a setting to get the cool water effect.
Then I read about the Neutral Density filter which worked even better. The Neutral Density filter basically allows you to slow the shutter speed down even more.
So, today I was out shooting and was around a waterfall, but it was noon and the sun was at it’s high point making it hard to get that cool silky effect. So I stacked the Polarizer and the Neutral Density filter on top of each other and was able to shoot at a slow shutter speed without blowing alot of the water out!
by Jason Prahl | Mar 24, 2007 | Photo - CityStuff, Photo - Springfield, MO, Photoblog
Hooray for decent weather! I finally got to get out and do some shooting! I wandered around the Springfield downtown area for awhile. I didn’t get as many good shots as I had hoped for, but it was sure relaxing. Plus I finally got to use my new Manfrotto 3021 tripod and 3265 Grip action head and man I love it! It’s so…steady and well controlled. I also tried out my new infrared lens filter, but I must have been doing something wrong because I got a bunch shots that look like something from an acid trip or something. They all came out a weird pinkish red tint. I’ll have to do some research on that later!
by Jason Prahl | Mar 18, 2007 | Blog, Computer Tips, Microsoft Windows
I kept getting this annoying “Com surrogate has stopped…” error that’s been driving me crazy. After a Google search I found a couple of possible culprits.
The first suggestion was to install the latest version of DivX because the problem stems from browsing folders with divx encoded videos. I did this and it didn’t fix it. As a matter of fact the latest version of Divx (Codec 6.5.1) states during the installation that it’s not 100% compatible with Vista. Am I the only one who finds this incompatibility a bit wierd? Vista’s been in beta for several years and it’s been released since November (for OEM’s at least).
Anyways, updating Divx didn’t help.
I also found a suggestion to update Nero to the latest version and this did the trick for me. I had some issues during the update with some things not registering correctly, but finally got through that and the COM error is gone.
Fix found here.
Update 6/3/08: I ran into this again for some reason and this time I don’t even have Nero installed. A little more searching turned up a suggestion to update the ffdshow codec set. I installed it from here and it fixed the problem again.
by Jason Prahl | Mar 13, 2007 | Photo - Flowers, Photoblog
…and I couldn’t be happier! I saw these little guys poking up through my neighbor’s yard and I thought…I need to take a picture of that. I haven’t been shooting much lately. Been doing a bunch of reading about photography, but no shooting.
by Jason Prahl | Mar 8, 2007 | Blog, Computer Hardware
I’m a keyboard junkie. I don’t like using the same keyboard for very long. Up to this time my favorite was the Microsoft Ergonomic 4000. I’ve jumped back and forth from Microsoft Keyboards to Logitech Keyboards.
So, I’ve picked up Microsoft’s latest keyboard and I absolutely love it. I’ve always liked typing on laptops better than standard keyboards. I just like the feel of the keys on most laptops. If only the laptop’s keyboard was shaped more like the ergonomic type. The Microsoft Entertainment Desktop 7000 is, in my opinion, a combination of laptop keyboard with the ergonomic shape. However it does not share the shape of most ergonomic keyboards in that this one is flat and not raised. As a matter of fact it’s the flattest free standing keyboard I’ve ever used.
Add to this shape the fact that it’s wireless, has a built in touchpad (not your normal touchpad though), built in media player keys and comes with a wireless mouse. Now, I’ve never been to high on bluetooth keyboards and mice. My experience with them has never been overly positive, right up to recently when I tried Logitech’s Cordless Desktop MX. I quickly got rid of that because of general weirdness and connectivity issues. But so far the Microsoft 7000 has been painless. I’ve been using one at home as a replacement to the Microsoft Media Center keyboard and am lovin it there too!
At home I’ve been using it in conjunction with Vista Media Center and have had no troubles there either. The Media Center keyboard was IR based and I constantly had issues with the built in mouse not functioning smoothly. The shape of the Microsoft 7000 also lends itself to operating from a lap better than the Media Center keyboard as well.
One downfall, which I haven’t missed much, is the fact that the Microsoft 7000 doesn’t have a number pad. It does have a function key and like a laptop several of the right side keys double as number pad, but I haven’t figured out how to make the number pad part work without having to hold down the function key manually. It’s probably something I’m just not doing right, but I haven’t needed it enough to try and figure it out.
The mouse uses a standard AA rechargeable battery and has a small base to dock it with to recharge the battery. All of the wireless mice I’ve used are always too heavy compared to wired mice. This one is not as light as a wired mouse, but very close. It’s the first wireless mouse that I can use for an extended period of time and not notice the difference. The keyboard uses 4 standard AA batteries.
Overall I deem this keyboard the best one ever built! At least until the Microsoft Entertainment 8000 comes out, although it’s shape and design is just like the 7000 with some enhancements like backlit keys and rechargeable keyboard and a higher price of course!
by Jason Prahl | Mar 4, 2007 | Photo - People, Photo - Sports, Photoblog
All those faces all looking at the same exact place. From a recent MSU game.
