Found A Whole

Lot 'O Stuff

Tasty breakfast for a Sunday morning. 8/15/10

Pour some Organic whole milk over Organic Flax Plus Raisin Bran with organic fresh fruit, and there's a good chance the nutrition one expects, will actually be there.

I read an article yesterday about how Monsanto is taking advantage of subsistence farmers in Mexico. They advertise their genetically modified, roundup ready corn as, "an angel to the earth", that will double your yield and give you the profits you need to send your kids to school.

From the ARTICLE; "One woman named Lola says the hybrid Monsanto seeds, tractor and agrochemicals make growing corn less work than it used to be. However, she adds, the frogs have all died. She blames the pesticides, which her teenage sons apply without any protective clothing. Sometimes her younger children find the pesticide containers and play with them, and without frogs, the pond in her yard is full of mosquito larvae."

I have written about Monsanto before. Type "Monsanto" in the blog search box to read more.

The Tomato Fairy Visits

Tomato and Trader Joe's whole wheat pita bread sandwich. 8/15/10

Yesterday I found a plastic bag hanging on my doorknob. I guess it was from the tomato fairy. It contained 2 big heirloom tomatoes from one of my neighbors gardens. What a surprise! I got some pita bread from Trader Joe's, stuffed in some tomato slices, and presto.

Sharper

Camera review of Lumix TZ3 taught me things about my TZ1. 8/14/10

There was an ad in craigslist for a newer model of the Panasonic camera that I have. I Googled the model and read a review that pointed out some stuff that is in my camera that I wasn't aware of. Like, how to select the appropriate optical image stabilization for the circumstance. I soon discovered that even a shaky old guy can get crisply focused pictures if I just activated the proper settings. I enjoy my Lumix TZ1 even more now. Life is good.

Ahh Nuts!

Hand held zoom shot of snacking squirrel. 8/14/10

I saw a couple of squirrels foraging along the Treehouse apartments driveway. It was the perfect test for the image stabilization feature. I have been trying to get a clear, handheld picture of wildlife at a distance and getting blurry images for the last few years. Not any more! No longer do I have to take 20 shots in the hopes that one might be sharp and clear. This is great.

Railroad Crossing

Railroad bridge across the Sacramento river. 8/14/10

I learned a lot from that review. I learned that the food setting gives better results without flash, and now that I know how to set the image stabilizer, I can get better food pictures like the bowl of cereal and the tomato sandwich.

I Found My Favorite Shades

I like what I see through this particular pair of sunglasses. 8/15/10

I now have 7 pairs of dollar store backup sunglasses in case I misplace these you see in the picture. I dont know if these are stylish or not, but I know that the colors with them on, are the same colors I see with them off. Some sunglasses make things redder, greener, bluer, or grayish. This pair, that was hiding in a pocket of my camera bag, are just right. I am so glad I found them.

The New Viola

John's friend, David Dunn, plays the new Harrison viola. 8/13/10

The E-book for the iPad, (video HERE), about the making of a John Harrison concert instrument is nearing completion, as is the viola. We tested it out at Old City Hall Performing Arts Center, here in Redding. I recorded it using a couple of condenser microphones, one for the direct sound, and one for the ambiance. More about that, HERE.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
Viola Sound Check
  City Hall #5 by Phil Seymour

Sing A Song Of Joy