Disqus - Latest Comments for SPG

Re: Danny Westneat’s 911 dispatcher REALLY NOT KIDDING that following people around is a bad idea

SPG — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:14:22 -0000

Yes, Danny was, is, and will be an idiot. BUT, even an idiot occasionally brings up a real issue, and that is the SPD giving absolutely zero fucks about property crime.
Somehow SPD views each car prowl in a vacuum. As in, each car prowl is a $100 broken window not worthy of their time. The reality is that if they went out and tried to catch the car prowler they'd be stopping several hundred future car prowls/identity thefts/burglaries and be preventing tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.

Re: Danny Westneat’s 911 dispatcher REALLY NOT KIDDING that following people around is a bad idea

SPG — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 22:38:18 -0000

You'd be singing a different tune if it was your stuff stolen. Again.
The fact that the SPD doesn't apprehend, or even seem to try, is completely infuriating. The number of car break ins for a supposedly nice, safe, city is insane. This is not the "cost of living in a big city" it is the cost of living in a city where the police don't seem to give a shit. Short of Chicago or Detroit where they legitimately do have bigger problems, all the other cities know how to catch these kinds of thieves and do catch them. Even Chicago and Detroit will catch them when served up like this. NYPD is all up on Find My Phone and use it all the time. SPD? Nah, call your insurance. Remind me why we pay these guys?

Re: The End of the Skateboard Shop | RIDE Channel

SPG — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:17:08 -0000

It could be worse... try selling snowboards.

Re: It's time to dump the tired argument that density and height are green and sustainable.

SPG — Thu, 15 May 2014 19:53:30 -0000

100th floor of one building to 100th floor of the next? Two elevator rides and a couple hundred feet of walking.
4th floor to 4th floor in your sprawl scenario? Well that would involve 50 buildings to accommodate the 200 floors so how far would that be? 10 blocks? or since it's reduced density it's likely to be less transit friendly so there'd be parking lots and the roads would probably be bigger, so even further. Too far to walk? Probably. So you'll walk a couple hundred feet to the car, drive, walk some more and then take an elevator.
I can't see how that's better than a dense city.

Re: Canon Announces the 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 EF-S IS STM Lens

SPG — Thu, 15 May 2014 19:43:49 -0000

Video. video. video.

Re: It's time to dump the tired argument that density and height are green and sustainable.

SPG — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 14:26:27 -0000

Again, you can't dismiss everything the majority does based on a single outlier or even what your group of peers do. Your experience is far from the rule, and SF isn't the only city on this planet. People in NYC and Mumbai don't drive to Whole Foods.
I can go out into the forest and build a net-zero structure, but if I have to cut down twelve miles of trees to build a road to it, then what's the real impact? Urban density eliminates a large portion of that impact simply by building off the existing infrastructure and having services close enough that transportation impacts are minimized. Like I said, simple math that always pencils out in favor of density. That's not to say that suburban living can't have it's impact reduced, and you're a good example of that, but that suburban development and living start with a serious disadvantage by simple fact of the amount of environment impacted and the travel distances required to sustain it.

Re: It's time to dump the tired argument that density and height are green and sustainable.

SPG — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 14:36:31 -0000

You can't make the rules based on an exception. Last time I checked, the areas around most cities are still full of highways, roads, parking lots, driveways, and a whole lot of cars. Count up the people there and divide by surface area of the roads. Do the same in the city even though the people there aren't using cars nearly as much. Wow…quite a bit more pavement per person out there in those green, green 'burbs, no?
Simple tasks performed on foot in a good city require a drive or delivery in the suburbs. Maybe not you, as you ride a goat to your neighborhood organic farm…ok, that was petty, but one person in town who can unplug from the grid doesn't change the equation for the other 9,999 people driving all over the place to get their errands done. The suburbs are inherently inefficient. We can all do our part to fix that, and we can work on the inefficiencies of the urban environment too, but we shouldn't kid ourselves in thinking that the suburbs can equal the simple efficiency of density.

Re: It's time to dump the tired argument that density and height are green and sustainable.

SPG — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 14:20:37 -0000

All good points, but they're outliers. The real meat of the question is whether having 4 people per acre is better than 400 or 4,000 per acre. Is your driveway 1,000 times better than the sidewalk in the city? Are all the sidewalks, roads, pipes, minimalls, etc required to get you out to the burbs that much better?
Density is desirable for it's inherent efficiency. That's what makes it green even when you need a big tunnel to get tap water there. You're only building one big water pipe for 8,000,000 people instead of miles and miles of water pipes for each person.
Don't get me wrong that I'm criticizing your choices and the way you live, I'm really just making sure that the point of density doesn't get lost here. Each part of the whole needs to be efficient and sustainable and when many parts of the whole are combined with some density it massively decreases the impact of the whole. It's just basic math.

Re: It's time to dump the tired argument that density and height are green and sustainable.

SPG — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 18:54:01 -0000

A 45 mile commute is unsustainable and a poor choice so you can't really count that against the idea of urban density. Your house in the burbs sounds quite nice, but how many of your neighbors were also producing their own electricity and food? Almost none I'd wager.
Keep in mind that your suburban lifestyle required miles of pavement, pipes, electrical lines, strip malls, parking lots, lawns, pesticides, and all other infrastructure to make viable. Add all that up and you're in the negative column no matter how green your individual property is.

Re: It's time to dump the tired argument that density and height are green and sustainable.

SPG — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 18:45:17 -0000

Your paved driveway alone, not even counting the car on it, created a bigger footprint than your apartment. If you still think you have a bigger footprint living in an urban area then you're doing it wrong. The sprawl is about more than just your home. It includes all the infrastructure required to put a house there and support it and get to it.

Re: A Cheap LitePanels Alternative? A Review Of The Zabolight LED Light Kit

SPG — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 21:41:42 -0000

I agree that there should be cheaper LED light alternatives, but the reality is that the LEDs that are cheap usually have some nasty side effects like green spikes, or just low CRI. You might be able to use them in a flashlight, but for video or photo work you'll see the ugly.

Re: Day Three of Photo Plus Expo in New York City

SPG — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 20:30:37 -0000

Back in the day, there was a really big Mac trade show and Apple would announce all sorts of new stuff...then they announced that they wouldn't do that. People freaked! Then Apple stopped participating entirely. OMG! Apple is dead! At the time there were the same type of laments over Apple not timing their announcements to the shows, but look at where Apple is now and I can't even remember the name of that tradeshow. Apple makes it's own news on its own schedule just as I think Canon should. Don't rush it out or hold it back just to time it for a show. Participate, sure, but it doesn't mean anything for Canon to not hold a big hoopla event at every small trade show.

Re: Photographer’s Camera Gear Stolen At Wedding: What Can We Learn?

SPG — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 17:30:48 -0000

Bummer. Been there, but in my case it was gear locked in the car while I went in to use the bathroom after the shoot.
Never leave your stuff in a car either! Here in Seattle, cars are the number one target.

Re: Why the wage strike? Here’s some maths for you

SPG — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 19:13:05 -0000

Trade jobs are great and all, but they're not for everyone. Some people just ain't cut out for them. I know a lot of guys in the trades who become unemployed quite a bit when the project is done or the economy turns. Not only that, but look at what's happened to some of the trades like house framers, they used to be union carpenters, but now a lot of them are minimum wage laborers. Quite a few licensed plumbers are being replaced with "technicians" who work for a licensed plumber doing all the same work but for a fraction of the wage.
Aaaaanyway, the point here is not to beat up on someone who isn't pulling in the bucks, but to stand with every worker to make sure that we all get a decent living wage for the work we do.

Re: Create Shaped Bokeh With DIY Aperture Disk

SPG — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 17:53:46 -0000

Works great with video too: https://vimeo.com/23304780

Re: Compare the Cost of Bank Wire Transfer Fees

SPG — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:24:58 -0000

Credit Unions generally don't charge for incoming wire transfers, but they need to use an intermediary bank for foreign incoming wires that makes the process a little cumbersome for the sender.

Re: Declutter Your Email Inbox Using This Free Useful Tool

SPG — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 23:51:41 -0000

There's lots of ways to do this without extra software too...
-Set up another email account just for newsletters, lists, and signing up for anything commercial. Keep this account only on your computer, and not your phone.
-On a mac, use the Rules in Mail to sort those commercial and low priority messages into their own folders.
Voila! You now have an inbox of only real email and all the other crap is in a folder that you can check at your convenience.

Re: Photojournalism in Koreatown during the 1992 LA Riots

SPG — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 23:42:17 -0000

The underlying issues that sparked the riots were in fact police brutality and racial inequality. The crimes committed aren't necessarily the result, but the riot itself was a reaction to the police being once again cleared of any wrong doing when the victim was black. That was clearly racial inequality and police brutality. There were a whole lot of opportunistic white people looting stuff too, but that doesn't change the cause of the riot or the prevailing inequities that were present in the years before (as well as now). I don't think that anyone, progressive or not, is going to feel good about this event or for recognizing the cause of it. If you want to ignore it, and enough people do the same, then don't be surprised when it happens again.

Re: Photojournalism in Koreatown during the 1992 LA Riots

SPG — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 23:31:44 -0000

Wow. In a story dealing with racial injustice we get a racist troll to unintentionally prove the point that race is still an issue.

...and not only that, but to prove your own ignorance you throw a stereotype of the Japanese at the Koreans, but hey, they're all the same right?

Re: Justin Bieber Steals Memory Card Out Of Photographer’s Camera

SPG — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:58:20 -0000

Proof that I thankfully don't shoot in that world.

Re: Justin Bieber Steals Memory Card Out Of Photographer’s Camera

SPG — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:29:09 -0000

It's true that paparazzo can be annoying to a celebrity when they want to be left alone, but those same celebrities have hired PR people and publicists to get them coverage in these magazines so that they'd have a career. What then? Once you have achieved the fame and corresponding fortune you get to decide it's enough and send your hired goons to harass the photographers? Nope. You decided you wanted to play the game, so now you have to play by the rules. If the paparazzo don't play by the rules and come on your private property you call the cops. If the celeb attacks you or steals your property, you call the cops too.
Photographers need to know their rights and stand up for them. Subjects need to know theirs too, and also realize what rights they don't have, like total privacy when out in public.

Re: My Top 8 Pieces Of Gear For Shooting Run And Gun Video On A DSLR

SPG — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:45:36 -0000

Not a piece of gear, but a tip... attach your camera strap with both strap ends going into the loop on the left side of the camera instead of both left and right. The reason this is better is that the strap won't get in the way of your right hand when you need to change settings or start and stop. Also, having the strap at a single attachment point will prevent the strap from getting tangled in your mic or loupe. The downside is if you don't have a loupe and use your strap as a stabilizer it is less effective this way.
The other key thing for run n gun is IS lenses. Camera jiggle is not part of the "DSLR aesthetic" and is just not cool.

Re: Google Image Search Helps Find Stolen Photos and Lying Girlfriends

SPG — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:41:38 -0000

Send it to her current boyfriend with a printout of this story.

Re: At Salmon Bay Natural Area, a massacre of trees

SPG — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:27:23 -0000

If BNSF suddenly wants to be such a great neighbor, perhaps they can clean up the graffiti on all their property. We can always help them by reporting their graffiti to the city who will then levy fines on them if they don't clean it up.

Re: How To Make Your Own Quick Release Camera Strap

SPG — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:09:11 -0000

I like the idea of a removable strap, but hate to give up the tripod mount. The nice straps that Canon CPS gives you, or the retail version of them that cost about $20 without the logo have clips to quick release the bulk of the strap.
The other thing that helps is to attach both ends of the strap through the same attachment point on the left side of the camera. This keeps the straps from tangling your right hand when you go to shoot or switch settings. It also keeps the strap from tangling in your lens or flash.