Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Another of my hobbies: Photography

Another one of my hobbies, since about 2nd grade, is photography. I'm am interested in both traditional (analog) and modern (digital). I started with my mothers old rectangular Kodak camera. The camera from the 70's with the "cube" flashcubes that rotated after each use and were extremely hot! The camera that also needed to be manually advanced and then rewound.

Then in high school I upgraded to my fathers Nikkormat SLR camera, which I might add is older than myself and still takes great photos. I ended up joining the yearbook staff as a photographer for my sophomore/junior year. I enjoyed greatly working in the developers dark room and taking pictures of most of the sporting events and a few candids around campus.


Today I still have that ancient SLR as well as a few digital cameras. I have a coolpix 4500 and a few of the expander lens's (started with the coolpix 950), and a cannon powershot SD1000. The coolpix with their rotating barrel are great for some wacky angles and getting shots that would make you contort your body to like up the shot. The powershot is great for a quick candid or all around general camera. I like all the cameras and use each depending on the circumstances.

Now, after a number of years of taking photos, I'm starting to organize them for archival purposes and for possible sale. I was recently made aware of the following site called Lucky Oliver. The site, like the Turbosquid site which in a previous post where I sell my 3D assets, allows you to sell your "assets/photos" for use in various mediums. The catch is again they take a cut of any proceeds for hosting those files.

So if your interested in Lucky Oliver, or you want to find all of my photos available for sale click the banners:


Enjoy!


My First Earthquake: 5.6

Last night sitting home, on my computer I was putting out some fake fires in the town of Brill for a "halloween in game event" for the MMORPG called World of Warcraft, when things around me started to shake and the floor started vibrating.

At first I didn't know what was going on, thought it might be a large truck driving by, but then I realized it was an earthquake, and then I smiled. I actually got excited at the thought that this was my first earthquake. The second it was over I went to the USGS earthquake site and did a look up, and turned on the tv behind me to listen to some of the local news feeds:


Only today, as I write this, do I somewhat become concerned and no longer as excited. 5.6 wasn't all that big of a quake but enough of one to get me thinking about if a larger one had happened and what would I have done. At minimum I think I'm going to purchase a nice bright backpack, or similar device, large enough to create a emergency relief kit. I have many items on most list already just not all in one place which I would have had to run around the apartment to collect. I want to get this completed by Dec 1.

If you too would like to construct a similar emergency kit, here is a good starting point. By no means is this a comprehensive list:

Jump kits (Go bags).
You put 'em by the door for when you have to rock'n'roll.

Discussion at Real Emergency Preparedness and Tips for an Apocalypse.

First aid kit:

* In a waist pouch or day pack:
o one flashlight (electric torch) with batteries
o spare batteries
o one pair trauma shears (EMT shears/pennycutters)
o two pairs nitrile exam gloves
o one biohazard waste bag (any sturdy, sealable plastic bag
will do)
o one SAM splint (Structural Aluminum Malleable)
o two triangular bandages
o four 4"x4" gauze pads (lint/surgical sponges)
o two rolls 4" gauze (roller bandage/cling)
o ten adhesive bandages (sticking plasters)
(Elastoplast/Band-aid type)
o one roll 1/2" medical adhesive tape
o two 5"x9" abdominal pads
o one pocket face mask (keychain-style CPR mask)
o one bottle 81 mg chewable aspirin
o two 6" elastic bandages (Ace bandages)
o six safety pins
o six alcohol prep pads
o six povodine iodine prep pads
o one space blanket
o one pen
o one notebook
o inventory list

Wilderness rescue bag

(Along with what's in your hiking backpack)

* In a stuff sack:
o headlamp-style flashlight (electric torch)
o 100 feet (30 meters) parachute cord
o one tin cup with handle
o two plumber's candles
o two packages Jell-O (kind with sugar and a non red flavor)
o one wool hat (watch cap/toque)
o two pairs wool socks
o one compass
o three square feet heavy-duty aluminum foil
o one whistle
o two disposable butane lighters
o one pack waterproof matches (lifeboat matches)
o two large plastic trash bags (Contractor bags)
o one poncho
o inventory list

Urban bag

(Along with what's in your pockets)

* In a waist pouch:
o one AA flashlight (electric torch)
o one AA transistor radio
o one spare pack of AA batteries
o one pack moleskin (thick adhesive-backed cotton felt used
to protect against blisters)
o anti-chafing ointment
o one small sharp curved scissors (iris scissors or cuticle
scissors)
o one space blanket
o one disposable poncho
o 250 mL of water
o one whistle
o $100 in ten-dollar bills (enough for two nights in a
cheap motel or an inter-state bus/train ticket)
o $10 in quarters (most common coin for vending machines,
toll booths, and pay phones)
o two disposable butane lighters
o one pack waterproof matches (lifeboat matches)
o one pre-paid phone card
o lists of phone numbers
o one pen
o one notepad
o inventory list
o consider: regional map
o consider: laminated photocopies of important documents
(e.g. marriage license, birth certificate, social security card, first
page of passport)

Evacuation/deployment bag

(Along with what's on your back)

* In a backpack:
o one or more changes of clothing (including shoes),
underwear, socks
o toiletries and hygiene supplies
o outerwear, as appropriate to the climate and the season
o medications (prescription and over-the-counter)
o snacks
o reading material, deck of cards, or other entertainment
o pen
o notepad
o inventory list

-ptsuk

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

One of my hobbies: Computer Graphics/3D Models


One of the many hobbies that I have is creating computer graphis/3D models or "assets". These are, more or less, computer generated objects created from their real world equivalent. These "assets" can be used in a variety of areas, such as video games, news reporting graphics, architecture mock-ups/renders, animatics for movie productions, pre-visualizations, or just plain art pieces.

I sell these "assets" on a couple of websites but the website that I've seen most effective is called "Turbo Squid". They take half of the proceeds for hosting my files, so its not the best situation but decent. If you wish to purchase from the site great! If you would like to buy directly from my one of those "assets" even better! I usually will cut you a deal for buying direct because I'm gettting all the proceeds instead of just "half".

The graphic below, when clicked on, will take you to the turbo squid site and will bring up a search on all of my "assets" that I have available for sale and in the various file formats, such as .c4d, .dxf, .obj, .x, and of course .3ds.






-ptsuk

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...