Action photographers have long known that they way you get the money shot is 1 part preparation and 9 parts perspiration. While all the advanced effort is important, some subjects simply require effort. In the days of film, that meant lots of images and the hope you got the right one. in the digital era, it still means lots of images but you know more quickly if you captured the curtail moment or not. It does not change the fact the moment is gone and you can’t go back but at least you know. Faster sensors, less noise, better processing, good glass, VR (vibration reduction), and bust mode auto-winders help to get better images that tolerate more cropping, and more chances to capture the perfect frame.

Sadly, I shoot with an older camera (circa 2002) that does not have the faster sensor or the better processing or the VR or the bust mode auto-winder. I do have good glass – even if it is 18 years old and been around the world 5 or 6 times.

Still, I take lots of pictures and I try to be as prepared as possible for when the money shot might avail itself. Today was pretty close. When I back inside and warming up, I reviewed the frames. There were some near misses, and then this – not perfect by any means but a nice representation of the impact a good snow storm can make on a very happy Pug …

120mm (35mm equiv) @ f2.8 for 1/4000s

For sale cheap …

One slightly used, soft, brown and white alarm clock. Randomly wakes you between 2:30 AM and 4:30 AM. Totally reliable, never fails. Green and rechargeable – totally off grid. Comes with optional bed warming and door alarm function. Audible and vibrating alarm with unlimited 2 minute snooze function which automatically shuts off when you are totally awake.

Customer-1 review:

I currently own a similar device with a slightly tighter tolerance of approximately 15-30 minutes and set to 5:30 AM. My alarm does not have an audio setting (or perhaps I have not figured out how to program it) however, the vibrate setting does ramp from subtle all the way up to Shiatsu mode. It also has a heat detection circuit to let me know if the house temp drops below a comfortable level.

My unit came with the deluxe door alarm and proximity detector as standard equipment. Unfortunately, it seems to have come factor set to “maximum sensitivity” and I can’t find the instruction manual for turning it off or at least lowering the setting. (I think a 1/2 mile line of sight detection range is too much). The volume also appears to be set to 11.

My unit was designed in China and appears to be well made. I assume there are country specific models but not sure how they differ.

Seller’s reply:

I am intrigued by your unit’s heat detection function. It is possible the unite I have available also has this function and I have just never experienced it before. Our previous offices had fairly constant temperature due to heated flooring. Our current location gets quite cold at night due to a lack of ANY insulation in the floor or crawlspace. It is possible the temperature fluctuations have fallen within the parameter of the heat detection circuitry and that is activating the alarm.

The door alarm function and proximity detector are some things you needed to set at start up and adjust in the first few months of use. I do not know if these functions can be adjusted now that the unit has been activated and functioning for so long, though I do agree ½ mile is quite insane.

The speakers can be removed but this seems quite harsh and probably not to your liking either. You might contact tech support for some onsite adjustments. With the correct tools, you might be able to reset those parameters. My units seem to have very adjustable volume from 1 – 10. I can adjust them while the unit is on with Voice Command. Voice Command is not 100 percent reliable but works most of the time to adjust from low indoor thru medium to high outdoor volumes. Like with the touch pad on my phone, I occasionally have to recalibrate the voice command function but that is no problem. However my units functional requirements did not include an audible alarm mode. They were designed to function in their primary mode without this noise. The specs called for a silent pointing function to indicate intruders or targets. I wonder if the audible alarm was put in as an Easter Egg or something … or perhaps my unit has a virus.

My units were designed in Germany but manufactured here in the States. I find that the German made units are heavier and larger and the US version is much lighter and more portable. The US version also seems to last a bit longer. I expect to get 16 or more years from this unit as I did with my previous one. There is a similar model made in Hungary though it only comes in one color – a medium rusty brown. I do not recommend this unit. It has similar problems with volume controls to your own and the proximity alarm is too sensitive for anyone’s needs and requires much more maintenance and constant adjusting. They also do not seem to have the long functional lifespan of the German designed units.

I have some experience with various British Models of all sizes but have not found one that meets my needs as nicely as the German ones. I have found that as the units gets older, they requires more maintenance (some parts and major services are quite spendy).  Also, the units tend to need their water reservoirs emptied more often as they get older. They do, however, also use a bit less energy as they seem to spend more time in standby and in sleep mode with age.

Does yours have the air freshener mode?  This only works on rare occasion with my model but I am not enamored of the included scent so that is ok with me.

Customer-1 reply:

I think there was a manufacturing error in my unit. The proximity alarm volume appears to be backwards. Outside, if is nearly silent while inside, it is very loud. It seems to be a feature of the Chinese models. I have noted other owners with similar units report a this operating function. In most cases the detection mode will wake the unit from standby mode. When recharging, the detection circuit does not trigger. The recharge cycle is easy to recognize as the unit has a rhythmic sound. Nearly all Chinese units came with the recharging sound but I’ve heard it varies from subtle (my unit) to very loud. I have heard sleeping humans imitate the sound described.

Regarding the “air freshener mode”, I once had the olfactory signal option enabled on my unit but it kept going off randomly. I professional repairman examined it and said I could suppress the feature but changing the fuel supply. I quickly followed the instruction.

I am very happy with the operation of my Chinese unit. However, I read that installing multiple units (of the same or different models) can have significant benefits. I am investigating picking up a used unit as there are many good models to choose from on the market.

Seller’s reply:

I recommend you reinstall the indoor alarm software on your current unit before adding another to the network. The is a risk of infecting the new (used) unit.

Customer-2 review:

Don’t forget the high efficiency kitchen floor waste removal feature, which works very well. I did not get a model with the optional varmint detection and removal feature but one of mine came with the periodic auto-waste recycling feature, which is somewhat disturbing since it uses the same attachment for the oral hygiene function.

Disclaimer: In case you were wondering, this entire exchange was real but obviously not serious – just a few technologists writing about their dogs

Also, if you live in the Redmond / Woodinville / Kirkland area, check out Off Leash Adventures. A great crew offering a great service (with a healthy dose of humor).

The snow has stopped falling. The sun is out. The walks and porch have been shoveled clean. It’s time for some fun in the snow – as I have often said, "I hate snow but Zen loves it so much, I tolerate it." I can add to that, that it makes for a rare photo opportunity for this neck of the woods …

snow on the holly ………………. and in stereo

it’s not the Christmas card, but it is real

Zen really does enjoy the snow !

This bread used the basic strait dough method I previously described. The recipe diverges from the herb bread by first omitting the 2 tablespoons of herbs and adding about 4-6 table spoons of sun dried tomatoes diced very fine with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (or in my case, I just threw those together in a food processor and pulsed until they were chopped enough). The baking time was very close to 40 minutes at 375 on a cast iron griddle pan.

Thanks to Nicole for the suggestion of drying all the extra grape tomatoes that were left over this season!

My eye doctor told me that one day, my near sightedness would have it’s up-side. She was referring to the aging process of the human eye and that at some point (when many people are considering bifocals) my nearsightedness would start to shift. It’s started.

While this could be a bummer, I’ve found a distinct opportunity – stereoscopy.

It turns out that the iPod is a great platform for viewing stereo images because of its horizontal size when in landscape mode. For a very nearsighted person, just take off your glasses, let your eyes relax, and you will be able to focus on the image without converging your eye’s sight lines. I use a free app called ColorIris for finding images and viewing them on the full screen.

Here are some good examples that work well on the iPhone (and iPod Touch) … architecture, woman with mirrors, Edison, ISU, path in the woods, boy and the rooster.

image credit: The grammar of graphics (L. Wilkinson)