tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50229982012-01-22T14:35:48.672-08:00The retrograde future.Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.comBlogger10161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-9464841967065805862012-01-21T19:28:00.000-08:002012-01-21T19:28:48.926-08:00

Today I went out to the St. Johns area, I wanted to look at the water level in the Willamette river, since we've had so much rain and flooding lately, and I thought I'd take some photos with the Fuji X10.  The photo above was my favorite of the day. While I was at Cathedral Park under the St. Johns bridge, I noticed quite a few other photographers there taking photos of the bridge.  I guess

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-84719095756378034412012-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:002012-01-19T17:10:47.475-08:00

Fanno Creek flooding today at SW Oleson Road, Portland, Oregon. The water swept across the road and appeared to be at least 6" deep in places. The water went over the bridge here The pedestrian bridge is level with the water Oh, but that would have been a perfect parking place!

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-86260505097201031582011-09-11T18:36:00.001-07:002011-09-11T18:36:54.752-07:00

My collection of photos from Kumoricon 2011 is now up on Flickr.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-51916116738411403812011-09-10T12:56:00.000-07:002011-09-10T12:57:58.560-07:00

If you use your iPhone to take photos, you may have an app such as Camera+ that allows you to take a photo on a timer.  Sounds good, this could be useful for a self portrait or a group picture with yourself in it.  But how are you going to prop up the iPhone to take the picture?  There are iPhone specific mini tripods, but I'm going to show you how to make improvised iPhone camera tripods out of

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-61775966495938508632011-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:42:39.170-07:00

My favorite and most-used photography apps for the iPhone and iPad are: FlickStackr - if you use Flickr this is a great mobile interface to itCamera+ - great for taking photos from the iPhone, then processing themPhotogene for iPad - together with the camera connection kit, I can transfer photos (even RAW files) from my camera to the iPad, edit them on the iPad, and then upload them.The

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-33421890474032505582011-08-03T21:25:00.001-07:002011-08-03T21:27:50.496-07:00

When I first got my iPad I thought of it as a kind of giant iPhone. Over time my mind has reversed this, and I now think of the iPhone as a tiny iPad, with a screen too small to make movies and comics look their best, too small to easily type on, and too small to use for drawing. The iPhone really only has one main advantage over the iPad: it fits in my pocket.But what if I were a giant? Then

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-77387484336834040932011-07-26T11:50:00.001-07:002011-07-26T11:50:58.394-07:00

I took the photos for this panorama while bicycling around Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-73223569288605725782011-06-26T15:02:00.000-07:002011-06-26T15:04:52.476-07:00

"The core problem with Teen Titans is that it’s never been about teenagers, but rather what adult writers want teenagers to be. Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash – these kids revere their elders and try to emulate them. Fuck that noise. Adults don’t deserve reverence. Plus, teenagers don’t want to read about obedient, law-abiding teens, and adults reliving their youth don’t want to read

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-10256870250811918402011-06-03T22:02:00.000-07:002011-06-04T07:11:04.908-07:00

This was a cosplay photo based on the anime Black Rock Shooter.For this photo I planned a lot out in advance. I asked the models to send me some example photos of the costumes so I could start thinking about what I wanted to do before the shoot. I realized that there wasn't any location available that would be right, so I planned from the start to do this as a composite photo, and we shot these

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-3637229814676361162011-05-27T07:18:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:08:24.079-07:00

Here's a short explanation of one of the Black Rock Shooter scenes I did with Kori and Emily. First I used a white background, some lights, and a reflector, and took photos of the models.The light in the upper left corner is pointed at the background, the other lights are on the models. They did some battle scene poses, including Emily as Black Rock Shooter with the sword, and Kori as Dark

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-29523908563602431632011-04-16T18:00:00.001-07:002011-04-16T18:05:16.813-07:00

I went to the Japan Festival at the Beaverton Uwajimaya today. There were people there in cosplay, and I got to meet up with some of my friends who are going to be at Sakura-Con next week.A-Key Kyo (above) performed, and did a fund-raiser for disaster relief for the Japan Earthquake. I got both of their DVDs. It had been a while since I last saw A-Key Kyo, but they were just as fun as I

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-32215133042947898362011-04-01T08:32:00.001-07:002011-04-01T08:32:25.805-07:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-66795949181413286992010-12-24T16:27:00.001-08:002010-12-24T16:28:09.514-08:00

This device has sort of a steampunk look to it.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-18167011018152862562010-12-11T12:08:00.001-08:002010-12-11T12:08:54.331-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-36389099666507894322010-11-29T07:40:00.000-08:002010-11-29T07:49:19.493-08:00

This weekend I did a cosplay photo shoot with Shay (above left), Maddy (above right), and Sahara (below). Shay and Maddy are cosplaying Alois and Claude from Black Butler and Sahara is Rukia from Bleach.I've done several photo shoots with these models and I really enjoy working with them.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-25987112397550162662010-11-11T08:05:00.000-08:002010-11-11T08:06:04.474-08:00

Walking along the esplanade in downtown Portland I found this vantage point.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-17667565599732322802010-10-29T20:58:00.001-07:002010-10-29T21:00:01.803-07:00

Second in the series of "leaf transformation" photos. This photo has been post-processed, but the shadow is real. Click the photo to see it larger.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-38224656034892222722010-10-28T06:56:00.000-07:002010-10-28T06:59:33.145-07:00

I'm going to do a series of autumn leaf photos like this, where the leaf or its shadow resembles something else. I spotted this on the way to work. The shadow was naturally like that when I saw it, but for the photo I repositioned the leaf onto a different part of the sidewalk that made a better background.I took this photo with the Canon S90 as a 3-exposure HDR. I post-processed in Lightroom.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-57847175734473204892010-10-12T07:48:00.000-07:002010-10-12T07:50:19.552-07:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-56103166057764538162010-10-10T21:09:00.000-07:002010-10-10T21:12:17.907-07:00

Model: nekovamp13. There's something about her facial expressions that I really like. It's like she knows something you don't. It's a very engaging quality.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-8441694257014120092010-10-10T17:56:00.000-07:002010-10-10T21:15:49.752-07:00

On Saturday I went to Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Washington to do photo shoots with people I met at Kumoricon. It was raining hard, but still a lot of fun. Sahara and Shay are fantastic models to work with. They are really fun and they inspire me to work harder and try to do more.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-25359632879744753432010-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:002010-10-04T08:21:26.897-07:00

Cyclocross racing series Cross Crusade had its first race of the series at Alpenrose. They announced that there were 1,506 competitors, a new world record.See my full Cross Crusade 2010 photo set on Flickr.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-69079205664896494782010-09-15T21:20:00.000-07:002010-09-15T21:26:39.231-07:00

My convention report on Kumoricon 2010 is up at JLHLS. Gregor Torrence also got some great photos at the rave. He even has the last 9 photos in 3D, so if you have any red/blue 3D glasses lying around, get them out and look at his Kumoricon 2010 rave photo set.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-54832076568729059042010-08-18T08:36:00.001-07:002010-08-18T08:36:47.792-07:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-23992449338867257042010-08-15T07:42:00.000-07:002010-08-15T07:44:36.951-07:00

Full photo set

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-47603811840019396552010-08-09T07:23:00.001-07:002010-08-09T07:23:56.232-07:00

"Here's a hanky, now go get killed." -- Lisa, summarizing medieval chivalry.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-19045631171170286482010-08-07T10:18:00.001-07:002010-08-07T10:18:16.103-07:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-56447651430172318572010-08-07T08:03:00.000-07:002010-08-07T15:04:45.162-07:00

Her (referring to a dress that didn't fit): I fixed the "hunchback problem!"Me: What, you found a bell tower?[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-220396433137156232010-08-03T05:51:00.000-07:002010-08-03T12:54:54.705-07:00

Barista: I have a message for youMe: This is like a spy movieBarista: What is?Me: Someone in a shop saying they have a message for me. What's the message?Barista: Meet at farm house at 12:10Me: It's still like a spy movie[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-4987668073693705542010-07-24T07:47:00.000-07:002010-07-24T07:50:57.125-07:00

At the Oregon Brewers Festival, I saw someone wearing this excellent cat shirt, which is a parody of the wolf shirt.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-8463109509992648032010-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:002010-07-24T07:46:02.194-07:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-56307402773924742002010-06-27T17:44:00.000-07:002010-06-27T17:49:28.828-07:00

Today I changed the swashplate configuration on the Blade MSR from the stock configuration to the outer setting that increases the cyclic travel. I was hesitant to do this at first because I thought it could make the helicopter too hard to control. Actually it isn't any harder to control (as long as you use good judgement and don't do anything crazy). But it does make flying outdoors in slight

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-73476964466668415392010-04-11T11:52:00.000-07:002010-04-11T12:03:10.049-07:00

I went to take photos at the Alter Egos: Power Struggle! Heroes vs. Villains pub crawl. This event was by Alter Egos Society and the idea was to come as a super hero or super villain of your own design, not one from a comic book or movie. I started out at Shanghai Tunnel in southwest Portland, the starting point for the villains, then walked up to Silver Dollar Pizza to see the heroes, then

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-69800030104240111582010-04-03T09:04:00.000-07:002010-04-03T09:07:16.720-07:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-56362872750138163002010-04-03T00:52:00.000-07:002010-04-03T09:03:17.325-07:00

Sakuracon 2010 is here.Links to more Sakuracon photos:Cosplay photo setDance photo set

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-28069369836200352572010-03-29T07:03:00.000-07:002010-03-29T07:31:35.691-07:00

Last night I was playing a game on the Xbox 360 when I suddenly started hearing a weird voice that sounded like it was coming from the wall. I couldn't quite understand what it said but it was just a few words, like "(something) (something) back." The game did have sound effects and music going on, but this voice didn't fit at all, and it was talking at the same time as some of the conversation

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-20696887689539809352010-02-28T11:24:00.000-08:002010-02-28T11:26:13.682-08:00

Cherry blossoms in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-30727467128393786272010-02-21T08:19:00.000-08:002010-02-21T08:23:17.502-08:00

Last night was the Sweet F.A. fashion show by Doom Town Productions at the Fez Ballroom. Slide showPhoto set

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-48989010840807459412010-02-20T15:04:00.000-08:002010-02-20T15:24:29.919-08:00

Today was opening day at PIR, with some special activities. The day started at 7am with a nature walk, where we saw a coyote lurking in the tall grass.Then at 8:30 the track was opened to pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. So I got out my skateboard and took two laps around the track. Both of these laps were longboard pumping the whole way (that is, my feet did not touch the ground at any

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-12677100046458744012010-02-13T13:25:00.000-08:002010-02-13T13:34:08.335-08:00

Last night I went to see Hell's Belles at Dante's in Portland. They're an all-female AC/DC tribute band. This was my first time seeing them, and the show was fun, energetic, and musically impressive. My Hell's Belles photoset on Flickr

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-55253826628782830162010-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:002010-01-23T10:56:21.549-08:00

I went to The Woods last night to see Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside. (Flickr photoset)I really enjoyed the concert. Sallie's sound is hard to describe, but it's kind of like a folk-pop sound with a hint of Billie Holiday and a touch of bluegrass.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-84442300700059628632010-01-11T19:52:00.001-08:002010-01-11T19:57:01.453-08:00

Today we saw this out the window. It started a discussion about how the (actual) sky looked "fake." We have gotten so used to seeing manipulations, special effects, Photoshopped pictures, and all manner of fakery, that an unusual-looking real event seems like it must be some sort of a con. Like it is the last straw that proves we are really living in a manufactured reality like in The Truman

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-2994003659897895012010-01-10T08:19:00.000-08:002010-01-10T08:20:44.180-08:00

This is my first photo for Project 10-50.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-76476886741879594952010-01-01T09:49:00.001-08:002010-01-01T09:51:34.107-08:00

People online have been discussing whether 2010 should be pronounced "twenty ten" or "two thousand ten." I think we should go for short and snappy, and just call it "The Ten." Kind of like "The O.C."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-90295067227594629832010-01-01T02:11:00.001-08:002010-01-01T02:12:09.226-08:00

I took this photo at night during a snow storm. I processed it in Lightroom and tried to make it look more like a drawing.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-52557615375537909602009-12-10T21:00:00.000-08:002009-12-10T21:01:13.901-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-60056189736155975552009-12-10T08:13:00.000-08:002009-12-10T08:16:15.521-08:00

The weather has been so cold lately that the pond at the Portland Chinese Garden froze about 3 inches thick. It was thick enough for this man to walk all the way across the pond.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-62823442266545837292009-12-08T21:55:00.001-08:002009-12-08T21:55:16.108-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-32229911858310597542009-12-06T10:01:00.000-08:002009-12-06T10:02:03.854-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-18476528552707418172009-12-03T07:04:00.001-08:002009-12-03T07:04:40.500-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-59132187356995312212009-12-01T21:12:00.001-08:002009-12-01T21:14:16.039-08:00

Taken with the Lumix ZS-1 in macro zoom mode, with flash. Walking on my lunch hour, I keep hunting for flowers and other things to photograph.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-69417584956293922992009-11-27T16:14:00.001-08:002009-11-27T16:16:50.511-08:00

Raw ingredients: a piece of a strange looking vine, a parking lot, a puddle. Once again I was looking for a way to take an interesting picture in a spot where there didn't seem to be much of visual interest.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-90415656332123081162009-11-26T10:18:00.001-08:002009-11-26T10:18:19.679-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-17826975055677764302009-11-26T08:30:00.000-08:002009-11-26T08:31:39.507-08:00

This is an interesting looking building in Portland. It's hard to get a good view of it from street level. I probably need to find another vantage point.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-5773798855618441302009-11-21T16:52:00.000-08:002009-11-21T16:58:31.666-08:00

November is a strange time of year to be thinking about outdoor flower photography, especially for roses, but look what I found in my garden today.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-63573434668201748692009-11-18T19:09:00.001-08:002009-11-18T19:10:07.298-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-64405387132330444212009-11-07T16:38:00.000-08:002009-11-07T16:41:01.948-08:00

Taken during my morning walk from my house to the bus stop. This is a close up of oil on water on the street. I keep thinking there can't possibly be anything "new" to take a picture of on my daily walks, but then I always find something.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-65180917988967094342009-11-07T13:57:00.000-08:002009-11-07T14:07:23.286-08:00

I went to the Coffee Fair at the World Forestry Center in Portland. One of the vendors had a test where you could try to identify many different scents from samples. I got all of them right except two -- I reversed "vanilla" and "butter." She told me that getting this many right was unusual. An artist there was making watercolor paintings using coffee as the paint. In the picture above she

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-59944467283141584512009-11-06T06:50:00.000-08:002009-11-06T06:51:55.690-08:00

This was taken at Backspace in NW Portland.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-79782413660584565582009-11-04T22:01:00.001-08:002009-11-04T22:02:05.129-08:00

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-37512971007924737312009-10-12T08:17:00.001-07:002009-10-12T08:34:27.376-07:00

"When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand." -- Raymond ChandlerI created this last night for a still life photo contest on Reddit. I wanted to do something with rich reds and yellows, and incorporate an unusual element. This is taken in a dark, closed room with three different light sources: a dim lamp off to the right, an LED flashlight off to the right aimed at the

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-67383355195575312712009-08-23T20:02:00.000-07:002009-08-23T20:03:29.384-07:00

It feels strange to me when an auto race is decided by the amount of time that a pit stop took. It's like if a soccer game were decided by which team took the quickest shower during halftime.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-64657481664967660222009-07-29T19:51:00.000-07:002009-07-29T20:05:28.519-07:00

Today I was skateboarding a route that has some fast 180-degree curves, on the Loaded Vanguard with the Orangatang In Heat wheels. I had my slide gloves on, so I decided to go for it and try to "drift" through the entire corner. I'm still learning to slide effectively . . . I've done many small speed-check slides but I've never tried to slide through a whole turn until today. I managed 3 of 3

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-22743524327710822572009-07-26T13:23:00.001-07:002009-07-26T14:09:56.894-07:00

It's a hot day, and I got a late start, but I got in two runs down Mt. Tabor on the Loaded Vanguard. Things I'm still getting used to: the Orangatang In Heat 83a wheels, and the Loaded slide gloves. I can heelside slide with one hand on the ground with this setup, then stand back up on the board and keep going. Fun, and a good way to speed-check, but I'm not that great at it yet.Then I went

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-65270690411229367922009-07-20T21:18:00.000-07:002009-07-20T21:19:59.096-07:00

Her: You know what would be good in this (cocktail)? Milk?Me: Arrggh! You're stealing my recipes! I made that for you a month ago! You're infringing on my intellectual property!Her: Oh yeah.[Note: this was a joke, I'm not that concerned about my drink recipes, which are all actually fairly obvious.]

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-30536749562233833192009-06-27T21:10:00.000-07:002009-06-27T21:14:45.782-07:00

Me (web surfing): Apparently there is a "turtle vs. cat" YouTube videoHer: I wish you spoke German.Me: Why, because the Germans have a word for turtle-vs-cat-YouTube-video? Her: well, no...Me: I bet they do! And I bet it's a verb![Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-14513012656130879422009-06-17T11:56:00.000-07:002009-06-17T12:00:01.730-07:00

A few minutes ago I was skateboarding down SW Market street in downtown Portland. I was going at a pretty good speed when a car pulled up beside me, rolled down the window, and the driver asked me for directions! I quickly gave some general hints before I had to turn left onto 2nd. It felt very funny to be skateboarding down the street while having a conversation with someone in a car.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-83468146421199357992009-06-13T07:56:00.000-07:002009-06-13T08:02:07.528-07:00

This was part of yesterday's after-work skateboarding. I rode on the Arbor Hybrid with 70mm Retro Zig Zag wheels. I had just put in the new Bones Super Swiss 6 bearings the night before. I have ridden variations on this route many times before but I usually do it early in the morning on weekends when there is little traffic. Doing it after work raised the challenge level because of all the

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-33820878439790402952009-06-01T22:27:00.001-07:002009-06-01T22:28:22.010-07:00

TV History Show: ". . . and from there he established a chokehold on absolute power."Me: Well, if you're going to have some kind of hold on absolute power, I suppose a chokehold is a good hold to have. I bet those tyrants who had wrist locks on absolute power didn't get very far.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-85148544575083599022009-05-16T18:46:00.001-07:002009-05-16T18:49:02.034-07:00

This animal was posing like a fashion model, turning one way then the other. See the Flickr set.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-12471194541086584882009-05-03T20:20:00.001-07:002009-05-03T20:21:47.669-07:00

"When it's time to pay the piper, that's when the skeletons in the closet come home to roost."-- Davis Logsdon, on the Leonard Lopate show, creating a fantastic mixed metaphor. (He was deliberately being funny.)

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-16321210216240244862009-05-03T19:44:00.001-07:002009-05-03T19:45:09.512-07:00

My Sakura-Con 2009 Convention Report is now posted at JLHLS.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-55901725208503383082009-05-02T18:37:00.001-07:002009-05-02T18:38:07.924-07:00

"All the greatest things are really messy!"-- Waitress, responding to the difficulty of eating the dessert without spilling it.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-56420431714612576112009-05-02T09:15:00.001-07:002009-05-02T09:16:10.749-07:00

I enjoyed this book, and it is available free online from BookGlutton.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-78866746106976168112009-04-20T22:07:00.001-07:002009-04-20T22:16:54.881-07:00

I noticed that this book for the Kindle costs $864, which means it costs more than 2 Kindles. I guess that's a bargain compared to the list price of over $1,000. So I decided to sort the Kindle books by price to see what the most expensive one is.And the winner is: Selected Nuclear Materials and Engineering Systems (Part 4). The Kindle edition costs $6,431.20. And that's a $1607.80 savings

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-45228785563032210242009-04-20T19:56:00.001-07:002009-04-20T20:09:00.247-07:00

Some gardeners enjoy the challenge of coaxing some exotic and finicky flora -- something more at home in the Amazonian basin or the sweltering slopes of Mt. Doom -- to grow in their suburban back yard. I am not one of those types. I love the plants that love to grow in my garden. I love the ones that burst out of the soil with an eerie buoyancy: bold, strong ("exuberating fantasticisms" as one

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-81107711515836818572009-04-16T20:46:00.000-07:002009-04-16T20:52:55.474-07:00

I've learned longboard pumping, which is a way of propelling a skateboard on the flat or slightly uphill without touching your feet to the ground. Now that I've gotten pretty good at it, I've been trying to learn to anti-pump. It seems logical that if the pumping motion can speed you up, doing the opposite motion could slow you down. (I don't mean sliding on purpose to slow down, which also

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-40026518297843450972009-04-16T08:02:00.000-07:002009-04-16T08:04:18.870-07:00

"I used to work on an oil platform . . . well, actually it was a gas platform but they found it was cheaper to insure a gas platform if you call it an oil platform because oil platforms don't explode as often."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-38749329096316250322009-04-12T22:19:00.000-07:002009-05-03T19:46:43.288-07:00

I just got back from Sakuracon 2009, where I covered the event for JLHLS (I will post a full report on the convention there soon). The convention was great. See more of our Sakuracon pictures on Flickr.Update 5/3/2009: the Sakura-Con 2009 Convention Report is now up at JLHLS.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-44424107860841393192009-03-26T21:44:00.001-07:002009-03-26T21:48:58.449-07:00

My tax preparer asked me whether I "had borrowed money to invest in 2008." I gasped and a look of sheer terror crossed my face. ". . . borrowed money . . . to invest in 2008? Oh man, that would have not ended well! No! I didn't do that. Oh I'm so glad I didn't do that!"My tax preparer got a big laugh out of that one. (Of course, like most people, I did lose money on investments in 2008. But

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-49309222534507223342009-03-20T18:54:00.000-07:002009-03-20T18:57:03.191-07:00

The downside to Google is it makes you realize how unoriginal you are. You have a cool idea, you Google it, and you see that 25,000 other people have already thought of that (some of them back in 2002) and at least 9,000 of them have already done it better than you ever would have. I guess it is good in terms of keeping you from wasting your time though.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-33925333490080370982009-03-13T20:52:00.000-07:002009-03-13T20:54:27.383-07:00

Me: What should we watch next, Battlestar Galactica?Her: No, I'm too tired. I can't watch Battlestar when I'm tired because I have to really concentrate on the plot.Me: No you don't. Just stare at Starbuck's body, that's what I do. It gets me through it every time.Her: But Starbuck doesn't do anything for me.Me: I was joking.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-91550224682375785372009-03-11T22:53:00.001-07:002009-03-11T22:53:49.597-07:00

"Of course, the main point of The Oregon Trail was to hunt animals until you got bored, after which you would attempt to drown your family in the nearest river." -- FingerGaming review

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-59982199284549647882009-03-09T19:14:00.001-07:002009-03-09T19:19:44.748-07:00

"Giant Curly Mustard Greens." I planted these seeds in my garden a while ago, not really intending to eat them, but just because I remembered reading somewhere that mustard greens make a good cover crop if you can't decide what else to plant. They started coming up in February, and eventually I became curious enough to taste them. Well, these are extremely delicious! They taste kind of like

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-21059244494177729152009-02-18T20:22:00.001-08:002009-02-18T20:23:01.894-08:00

Me: Now it's time for the howling.Her: "The Howling?" I thought we were going to watch American Idol.Me: We are.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-63149955403159887092009-02-15T12:33:00.000-08:002009-02-15T12:39:49.718-08:00

I had lunch in a place with curved walls, and the acoustics of the spot where I was sitting were unusual. The conversation from 3 tables away sounded exactly like it was coming from the table next to me. I looked over at the next table and I saw a woman talking but her lips didn't match up with what I was hearing. "The soundtrack is out of sync," I thought. "I hate it when the sountrack is off

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-9828352844208561232009-01-12T22:05:00.000-08:002009-01-12T22:07:28.167-08:00

"When in the course of human events somebody does something that puts somebody else to the trouble of adjusting the numb routine of his life, the adjustee is resentful. The richer he is and the more satisfactory he considers his life, the more resentful he is at any change, however minute. And of all the changes which offend people, changes which require them to think are most disliked."-- from

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-12155136228053097072009-01-01T17:06:00.001-08:002009-01-01T17:13:16.364-08:00

As I was driving home today, I was shocked to see how high the water in Fanno Creek had gotten. I went home and returned with the camera. Here the water has almost reached the pedestrian bridge on SW Oleson Road. This area is normally a very deep moat-like trench with a tiny bit of water at the bottom. Today everything looks different.This is not normally a pond or stream. These ducks are

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-62468978531633067492008-12-29T20:33:00.000-08:002008-12-29T20:35:51.768-08:00

Don't mess with the "Shreriff."Especially not on "Wenesday."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-35768339920111775252008-12-07T22:32:00.000-08:002008-12-07T22:35:48.881-08:00

Me: So, if we get this new "au gratin pan," is there room in the kitchen to store it?Her: I'll hang it up in the kitchen on the wall, I already have a place in mind for it.Me: Oh, I get it, it's a big trophy item, kind of a way of saying to people without au gratin pans: "Ha! In your face, losers!" Her: You know what's funny about that?Me: That it's true?Her: No.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-15745560763154695552008-11-27T12:32:00.000-08:002008-11-27T12:38:50.665-08:00

Lately when I see government officials on TV talking about the economy, I feel like I'm watching one of those post-game sports interviews with the coach of the heavily-favored team that just got clobbered by the underdog after fumbling the ball eight times. And the coach sort of hangs his head and scowls and talks about how they just "didn't execute" today the way they planned, and they are

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-48940620650062647692008-11-08T08:39:00.000-08:002008-11-08T08:47:05.045-08:00

I've been playing a clever little game called Air Traffic Chaos for the Nintendo DS. It's been said that the sign of a good game is that even when you lose, you feel like you almost won. That's what keeps you coming back for "just one more try." This game works that way. You play as an air traffic controller trying to manage the traffic at one of 5 airports. The early stages are very easy,

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-70432006915772237662008-10-30T07:38:00.000-07:002008-10-30T07:49:29.207-07:00

Credit is like time travel for money. When you take out a loan, your future earnings travel backward in time so you can spend them in the present. As time passes and you arrive in the future, you find that you have less money available because you are paying back the loan, in effect sending the money back to your past self.Some people look at today's "credit crisis" and ask "but where did all

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-14283850985167937702008-10-17T22:24:00.000-07:002008-10-17T22:28:49.093-07:00

Coworker 1: Should the code check whether the value equals null, or should it check if it equals the empty string? Or both?Coworker 2: It should check whether it equalsIgnoreCase the empty string.Me: Right, because that way it still works even if the user had Caps Lock on when they typed in nothing.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-46688133563649495992008-10-10T09:21:00.000-07:002008-10-10T09:26:50.505-07:00

The global financial markets are in big trouble. The funny thing is, the first time I heard about some of the dangers that contribute to this, it was in a book called The Death of Money by Joel Kurtzman. That book was written in 1993. I got my copy off the shelf to look at it this morning, and I noticed that the blurb on the cover said this:"The message in this well-organized, lucidly written

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-15121100469210278092008-10-02T17:11:00.001-07:002008-10-02T20:53:51.554-07:00

I made this video a few days ago, just goofing around with the skateboard and my camera. I tried to include a few longboard dancing moves that I haven't seen before. The kneel-down stance swap is a move that I worked out just minutes before I recorded it.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-89124527329932769802008-09-26T08:46:00.000-07:002008-09-26T08:48:30.392-07:00

The Superstruct game starts October 6, 2008.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-87951767750328579122008-09-17T06:28:00.000-07:002008-09-17T06:45:38.903-07:00

A brief look at our financial world.Part 1: The One-liar SystemLiar 1: Lend me lots of money!Sucker: Sure![Later . . .]Sucker: Pay me back!Liar 1: Sorry, the money's gone, I gambled it all away!Sucker: Frak!Part 2: The Creation of the Two-Liar SystemLiar 1: Lend me lots of money!Sucker: I don't trust you.Liar 2: No problem. I will sell you insurance that guarantees that if Liar 1 doesn't pay you

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-32830488522366139652008-09-13T12:49:00.000-07:002008-09-13T12:55:21.553-07:00

Guy talking on cell phone: "Has he got what you need? You want it? Yeah, you want it? Take it. Yeah. Take it. Is it big? Take it. Yeah."[Other people who overhear this start laughing.]Guy on cell phone: "Hold on a second. People are laughing . . . What? What's so funny?"Me: "Uh, well . . . it's just that your half of that conversation sounds really dirty. It's like you're in a porno.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022998.post-20312164512893301362008-09-02T20:00:00.001-07:002008-09-02T20:06:37.683-07:00

These were some of my favorite pictures from Sunday at Kumoricon. My full article about the convention will be up at JLHLS in a few days.More photos:Kumoricon 2008 Saturday cosplayKumoricon 2008 Sunday cosplay

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12583994762204223301noreply@blogger.com0