Lux Live

I had a fantastic experience using my new Canon Digital SLR in Kenya.  I did a lot of homework to get ready for owning an SLR camera, but there was still a bit of a learning curve.  While reading about features of my camera, I came across an advanced technique called High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography.  The basics of HDR is that a camera can only collect a limited range of light intensities compared to what the human eye can see.  One way around this is to take multiple pictures of the same subject at different exposure settings.  The first image is in the middle, the second is darker than normal and the third is lighter than normal.  You can then process the images in Photoshop to produce a single image that contains the best of each image.  You can then toy with the colors to make the images look a bit surreal and often really engaging.  I’m not writing a full tutorial here (unless there is demand for one) but just wanted to show you a few examples of what I’ve worked on.

Original Pictures (Normal, Low, High)

Combined Image

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited by Media Center Show host Ian Dixon to share the technology side of my Africa trip with him on his show.  We had a great conversation and hit on a lot of topics including Media Center, Zune, Home Server, Movies, Windows 7 and much more.  The show was published today so go have a listen!  My thanks go to Ian for having me on the show.

Click the logo above to link to the show.

I recently discovered that my public library system in Indianapolis is now using a service called OverDrive to distribute digital audio books (as are many other libraries).  After downloading a small Media Console you log onto your local library page and search for books.  Some are available immediately and some you can add to your queue and receive when it’s available. 

The console is clean and self explanatory.  Books are downloaded in parts and stored on your machine.  I chose to store the files on my home server which can be selected in the preferences.  From the console, you can transfer the books to your portable audio device (a Zune in my case).  Some titles can even be burned to CD from the console.

As you can see, I checked out a copy of The Call of the Wild by Jack London and was able to transfer it in under a minute.  I synced my Zune and was off on my bike ride to work listening to a great audio book.  I have 3 weeks to listen to it before I have to renew the item with my library. 

I listen to several podcasts that have Audible.com as an advertiser.  I tried it once as a promotion, but didn’t want to pay for a long term subscription.  OverDrive is a fantastic FREE alternative that may not have the same selection of books, but will certainly keep me occupied for quite some time.    

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend Liz and I met up with my friends John and Karen Hudek at the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky.  Newport is right across from Cincinnati on the opposite bank of the Ohio River.  They have a huge shopping center and aquarium.  This was our first time visiting the new exhibit.  The Newport Aquarium has a wide variety of tanks including a jellyfish exhibit, alligators, a room with exotic birds, shark petting and penguins.  There are several clear tunnels that run through the tanks so you can walk among the fish.  I’ll admit, that made me a bit dizzy since the tubes somewhat distort the image.  The $20 ticket is a bit steep, but it’s well worth the price.  Check out pictures below to see a few of the sights.  (A camera does not do the aquarium justice).

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Wildon, Austria - While in Africa, my mother reminded me that my cousin Patrick Fazioli was conducting a research project in Austria.  He is currently working on his archeology thesis project and told me that not only could I visit, but he would put me to work.  I spent a night in a sleeper car on a train from Utrecht to Vienna and then headed south to the town of Wildon near Graz where I was met by Patrick and his friend Gerhard.  Patrick received an NSF grant to conduct his research in Wildon and is currently joined by several assistants (Greg, Dustin and Darren).  After stopping by the house to drop off my bags, we set out for work taking soil samples in the Austrian countryside.  Patrick carried his maps and a GPS device and directed the rest of us to take core samples in a grid covering a local farm.  The farmer, along with just about everyone else we met, brought us shot glasses of home brewed schnapps.  Patrick tells me that a significant amount of his time is spent gaining permission to explore private lands over glasses of local liquor.  The evening was spent testing the soil samples for phosphate levels which can indicate that the area was populated in the past.

Excavation – Early the next morning, we set out to a neighboring property that had particularly high phosphate levels for an exploratory excavation.  Patrick selected a small region behind the main house adjacent to the rows of pear trees planted by the farmer and his wife.  No sooner had the sod been removed that the skies opened up as a flash storm swept into the valley.  Patrick took his team over the ridge to retrieve a tent to cover their dig site. 

The crew painstakingly scraped thin layers of earth away from the surface with trowels and shoveled the pieces into a large sifting screen they had setup on a large tarp.  Tiny fragments of ceramic pottery, bone and metal were collected by hand and placed in plastic bags for further analysis.  Every ten centimeters or so, new measurements were taken and the soil was analyzed.  The farmer watched over the excavation with great interest and left only long enough to bring out a tray of home made peach schnapps.  The digging took the better part of the day until a layer of limestone was reached.  Nothing of great significance showed up at this particular site.  The hole was refilled, the sod replaced, and the team moved on to consider where next to dig.  I had a nice couple of days reconnecting with Patrick and gaining a better understanding of his work in Austria.  Next stop… INDIANA!!