Blog entries from May, 2010

Back in April I decided to decimate my computer collection, but after the initial flurry of activity, I haven’t done much since.

Tonight that changed and right now all of my PowerBook Duo bits, two PowerBooks and a variety of accessories, are now up on eBay:

• Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 210
• Apple Macintosh PowerBook Duo 2300c and DuoDock II
• Apple PowerBook Duo Battery Recharger
• Apple PowerBook Duo Floppy Drive and Adapter
• Apple PowerBook Duo MiniDock
• Apple Portable StyleWriter

I also listed the Macintosh Portable, because I have no interest to get it working, as well as a Lego Technic Hauler.

I may list the Power Macintosh 6100 next, including the Audiovision display.

Every so often when out taking photos I will take a series of shots with the intention of combining them into a panorama.

A few months ago I submitted the following image at the camera club as a landscape:

A couple of people commented that a panorama from the same spot may have been better. As it turns out, I had taken a series of shots from a short distance away:

This was the result of feeding four images into AutoStitch, copying over some EXIF data (camera model, exposure, GPS) and then straightening and cropping in Lightroom.

The AutoStitch interface is a bit clunky, but it at least didn’t crash and/or hang when trying to save the output, which is what Microsoft ICE was doing.

I also created some other panoramas. Two from the same day as Mount Worth, of open cut coal mines:

Then two from the walk up Mount Kosciuszko:

The effort needed to create these was quite small, while the result is quite acceptable. I have been told that I could get an even better result from the stiching tool within PhotoShop, but I don’t use PhotoShop.

Once I work out an acceptable/affordable method of printing images larger than 8×12″, I will consider submitting a panorama as a competition entry.

Last night I found out the results from the May ‘open’ competition at the camera club. As usual I had struggled to select images, I find it much easier with a theme.

Although I haven’t sorted through the images from the Grampians Trip earlier in the year, I did select one image from the very early morning excusion to Lake Fyans for a print:

This received a merit.

My other print was from when I went hot air ballooning over the Yarra Valley. (Yes, another set of images that I have to process)

I probably could have submitted this one as a monochrome.

For one digital image I selected a shot from Point Cook earlier in the year. I had a couple that it was difficult to choose between. I went with:

Based on the judge’s comments, I should have selected the other one which was a tighter crop through the wing, so the people were not visible in the bottom corner.

My other digital image as a bit of an experiment, it being a low close up shot of a broken down sandcastle at Wilsons Prom. (again, another set I have yet to process)

Here’s hoping that next month is better, when the topic is ‘slow shutter’. Of course that includes a stereotypical waterfall shot.