Dart is officially released (but limited.) I've started looking at it so I won't comment on its structure but I think it will be real easy for Java programmers to pick up.
Dart : Structured web programming:
'via Blog this'
Monday, October 10, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was one of the most important people in my life as well as many others. His business partnership with Steve Wozniak moved a cadre of niche products to the forefront of the computer industry by offering something better than the others (at the time.) Later, his return to run that same company made it bigger than its rival competitor (Microsoft) and number two in the country.
My first computer was an Apple II and it was vital in getting me to where I am today. I wrote machine-level code in order to understand the inner workings of a CPU and how it interfaced with memory and other devices. Although the memory-mapped I/O method was completely taken over by Intel's I/O approach, the understanding remained. The Apple II helped me realize that I could make a machine do what it wanted it to do. I had abandoned Apple after I bought an Apple IIe but now I own a Mac and an iPod. Jobs made Apple produce products that mattered to people and did so without stealing ideas.
When Jobs said he'd step down if he could not run the company I knew his days were numbered. I still was surprised to see the news last night. It shows how quickly cancer can cause someone to go downhill quickly. Tuesday's big announcement of the iPhone 4s was quite lame compared to past announcements. Had I known that Jobs was going to pass away the next day I would have seen the announcement in a different light. Tim Cook did a good job considering the circumstances.
I wish the company continued success and I thank Steve Jobs for the job I have now.
My first computer was an Apple II and it was vital in getting me to where I am today. I wrote machine-level code in order to understand the inner workings of a CPU and how it interfaced with memory and other devices. Although the memory-mapped I/O method was completely taken over by Intel's I/O approach, the understanding remained. The Apple II helped me realize that I could make a machine do what it wanted it to do. I had abandoned Apple after I bought an Apple IIe but now I own a Mac and an iPod. Jobs made Apple produce products that mattered to people and did so without stealing ideas.
When Jobs said he'd step down if he could not run the company I knew his days were numbered. I still was surprised to see the news last night. It shows how quickly cancer can cause someone to go downhill quickly. Tuesday's big announcement of the iPhone 4s was quite lame compared to past announcements. Had I known that Jobs was going to pass away the next day I would have seen the announcement in a different light. Tim Cook did a good job considering the circumstances.
I wish the company continued success and I thank Steve Jobs for the job I have now.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Photography Bug
Everything goes around in circles for me. For a four year period of my life in the nineties I was a wedding photographer. It wasn't my primary job, it was just something I wanted to grow into and become my career. I loved photography. My father was a wedding photographer and he let me use his cameras when I got old enough. His primary cameras were a Mamiya C330 and a C220. I learned how to shoot manual pictures and do things with depth-of-field and other techniques. He bought me Ansel Adams' series of books and for my high school graduation a Minolta SRT-201 SLR. That was in 1977.
From then until I did weddings I focused on taking landscape and architecture photography. My job took me to places around the world and I took slides of some of the most beautiful places. I still have those slides and I need to digitize them for my soon-to-be portfolio. The key was that I loved photography. My wife took some of my favorite photos from that era and framed them. They hang in the wall in our hallway. On and off since then I've wanted to get the passion that I used to have.
But the wedding photography damaged my passion. I worked solo in a field where my photography equipment was no match for my competition. I worried between the wedding and the negative processing. I lost tons of money trying to get started. I hated all of the professional processing labs I dealt with. I hated the business side of wedding photography. It got to the point where I didn't want to ever pick up a camera again.
In 2000 I bought a digital point-and-shoot camera. Until it was stolen in 2004 I started enjoying taking pictures of family events. I started playing banjo and wanted to photograph those events so my wife bought me a Nikon D50. Since then I've taken pictures on and off and have enjoyed doing so. I tried souvenir photos at banjo events too.
Lately I've gotten the bug again. I started playing with HDR in 2007. I got a cellphone with a 8MP camera in it and found some great Android Apps for it. I started following photographers on Google+ and Facebook. I want now to replace my Paint Shop Pro and free software applications with Photoshop, Pro Efex, HDR Efex, Lightroom and whatever Photoshop filters I can get. I want to get a Nikon D7000 camera. I want to pursue career again (but not weddings!)
I am far away from the level that the best digital photographers have achieved but I can get to their level in the future. In the meantime if you want to see some wonderful photography, follow me on Google+ and let me know that you're interested in following the photographers in my circle. I have over 250 photographers in that circle. I'll share the circle with you.
From then until I did weddings I focused on taking landscape and architecture photography. My job took me to places around the world and I took slides of some of the most beautiful places. I still have those slides and I need to digitize them for my soon-to-be portfolio. The key was that I loved photography. My wife took some of my favorite photos from that era and framed them. They hang in the wall in our hallway. On and off since then I've wanted to get the passion that I used to have.
But the wedding photography damaged my passion. I worked solo in a field where my photography equipment was no match for my competition. I worried between the wedding and the negative processing. I lost tons of money trying to get started. I hated all of the professional processing labs I dealt with. I hated the business side of wedding photography. It got to the point where I didn't want to ever pick up a camera again.
In 2000 I bought a digital point-and-shoot camera. Until it was stolen in 2004 I started enjoying taking pictures of family events. I started playing banjo and wanted to photograph those events so my wife bought me a Nikon D50. Since then I've taken pictures on and off and have enjoyed doing so. I tried souvenir photos at banjo events too.
Lately I've gotten the bug again. I started playing with HDR in 2007. I got a cellphone with a 8MP camera in it and found some great Android Apps for it. I started following photographers on Google+ and Facebook. I want now to replace my Paint Shop Pro and free software applications with Photoshop, Pro Efex, HDR Efex, Lightroom and whatever Photoshop filters I can get. I want to get a Nikon D7000 camera. I want to pursue career again (but not weddings!)
I am far away from the level that the best digital photographers have achieved but I can get to their level in the future. In the meantime if you want to see some wonderful photography, follow me on Google+ and let me know that you're interested in following the photographers in my circle. I have over 250 photographers in that circle. I'll share the circle with you.
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