Everyone Loves Gear Shots

I have never taken the time to empty out my Pelican case and display all of my "wares" but I took the plunge today. It is both fun and scary when you look at everything in one picture. I will probably archive this as well for insurance reasons. Enjoy.

An Eerie Coincidence

Just a week ago I blogged about "Web 2.0" and what it means and who would have known what six days later would bring us. I am riveted to the TV, I cannot get enough of the news. This massacre in Virginia Tech is so senseless and I cannot understand how one becomes so sick. When I wrote last week about the local tragedy in Frederick and how the kids around here used MySpace as their way of expressing themselves, I never would have imagined what the students of Virginia Tech and the world would be doing within social networking sites. The news from this tragedy travelled there faster than within the press. I don't know what to make of it, good or bad, but it is truly amazing how our worlds and the Internet changes. Names of students that could not be reached were showing up on these sites before anywhere else. Condolences from friends and strangers all over the world were starting to appear. The press has really jumped on this phenomena and are writing article after article about it.

This tragedy is just that. It will, however, be interesting to see how the online may change for the better or maybe even for the worse from the events that transpired.

Latest Dreary April Photos

Everyone on the east coast is over this weather. I have been to three track meets this year and at each one the runners had to wear sweat pants up until the gun was fired because it was too cold to just wear shorts. I have been just futzing around trying to find some great outdoor events to shoot but it has either been too cold, rainy or windy beyond anything you'd expect to see in April. I went to Adam's practice Saturday and slid over to the TJ softball and baseball fields and got some great shots with the 300. Did I tell you, best lens ever invented?

Web 2.0, what the hell is that?

You will here people talk about this whole "change" on the net called "Web 2.0" and anyone that you talk to in the industry will give you a different answer. There are 495 million pages in Google's index regarding the search phrase, "What is Web 2.0". So what the hell is it? It is simple, start reading all of those pages! Well, I have my own thoughts on what it is. Since the Internet was created by Al Gore it has evolved time and time again but in the last few years it really has seen dramatic changes. Anyone can be the Internet now. It is about expression. It is about normal people. It is about the blog world. It is now about you and everyone you know not about me because I know how to program or shoot a picture. It is about everyday people telling everyone what they think, 24x7 and from anything from their first computer to a cell phone. I have a few samples of my ideas of Web 2.0.

Late last year our community was devastated by the loss of a brother and sister that were headed to visit their father in northern VA. He was 16 or 17 and I believe his sister was 13 and he swerved off a busy highway and down an embankment. Both were killed instantly and the school and community were in shock. I watched as an outsider and was amazed what MySpace did and how these kids and even relatives reached out and expressed themselves for all to see. The older teen's MySpace page has seen over 650 posts since he last posted 2 days before he died. I peaked at it again the other day and saw the boys Aunt post an entry stating "this is your Aunt and I cannot believe I am posting to MySpace but I somehow feel I am connecting with you and your sister". That my friend is Web 2.0! A normal Joe having the ability to tell a story, how they feel and in their own words.

2.0, it is about the consumers being in control. There are millions of product review web sites on the Internet and the majority are not from big business and marketers. They are consumers, satisfied or not, speaking about the products they use and buy. It is about the Southwest Airlines commercials filmed by customers, it is about consumers of Dove beauty products, designing their own ads in their showers at home. Remember the theme here, consumers are in charge, not the advertisers.

Enough of my rant and that is my two cents. I will keep watch for all of us and I will let you know when I see the "Web 3.0" revolution headed our way and my money is on Barack O'bama leading that bus.

Major City Tours with an iPod

This Easter weekend I had relatives in town and my nieces had never been to DC so I was officially tagged as their tour guide. I rented a 15 passenger van and created an itinerary of the items they wanted to see. Before we left I Googled "DC Tours" and found a great product titled Audio Steps. This is an ingenious MP3 system that you download for $12 and then you can add the audio files to your iPod or any MP3 player. It comes with maps and corresponding stops along the route. I purchased the DC tour and it covered everything from as far east as the Supreme Court and Capital to far west at the Lincoln Memorial. It was made for walking but it was so well done and easy to click through that everyone used the maps I printed and followed along. Next time you have family in town or just want to know more about what you are seeing givie it a try.

Bring GPS on your next flight

I just got back from a two day trip to Minneapolis and tried a cool experiment on the plane ride there and back. I have always been fascinated about where I was in the US while traveling at 35,000 feet but I just had to make educated guesses.
Since I was planning on getting a rental car I took my Garmin GPS along for the ride. Once the pilot gave the all clear I attached it to the window and within 30 seconds I was connected to a satellite. It was cool knowing exactly where you are along the trip and seeing that the plane was going 490mph (we topped out at 590mph), pretty wild.

I did not have to ask anyone on board whether or not I could use the unit and I did some research before I left to see what the rules were. Anyway I plan on taking it on every flight I can from here forward. Call me a geek, a loser, whatever.