More miracles of digital

Image

Bottom left:  RAW,  top left:  camera’s jpeg,  right:  my working of the RAW file. See more below.

I’ve been asked what RAW means in digital cameras.  It’s the raw data as read out from the pixel sites on the camera’s sensor, all 16 million strings of 1’s and 0’s.  Good cameras allocate 12 – 16 bits per pixel, so 12 x 16 million bits is a lot of data, usually around 25MB to 30MB.

The lower left photo above is the RAW file with no processing in camera.  Flat, dull, not quite sharp, low saturation, and with some lens defects as well.

All digital cameras do in-camera processing (in the instant after you take the shot) to give you a jpeg file as well.  I nearly tossed this shot, ignored it – until now, five years later!

Here’s the RAW again:

Image

Next below is the camera’s jpeg:

Image

And here’s my rework this morning:

Image

I’m rather pleased with that.  It goes into Volume III of my Veni Vidi Pici series, in production now.  Volume II should be back from the printers this week.  Churning ’em out.

______________________________________________________

Yesterday a friend forwarded one of those viral emails to me, one that purports to solve all Australia’s problem with one simple idea.  At face value, it sounded a bit good, but at the end it degenerated into one of those rants against politicians.  “Cut down on pollies perks”, their allowances, take away their government credit cards etc etc.  Make them use their own.

I get a bit tired of this kind of talk.  I happen to support parliamentarians.  If the job is so easy and lucrative, let the critics step forward. 

  • To be selected, you’ll have to go through years of party membership, then a gruelling preselection process;
  • You will lose your entire private life if elected;
  • You will work 18 hour days seven days a week; 
  • You’ll have assistants in your office but the phone will never stop ringing at home or your mobile; 
  • You will be exhausted by all the travel;
  • You’ll be exhausted by 14-16 hour house sittings;
  • You’ll have to sit through endless boring meetings;
  • You’ll have to give endless meaningless speeches;
  • You’ll have the media hounds examining every word you say or print looking for slip-ups; 
  • Your financial affairs will be gone over, looking for gotchas;
  • Your marital affairs will be exposed looking for any other affairs; 
  • Your entire life history will be exposed, looking for any dirt at any stage; 
  • You’ll be pressured to favour special interest groups, and undermined if you don’t;
  • etc etc

Roll up, roll up ladies and gentlemen, easy money, free credit cards, free travel!

As far as I’m concerned, they earn every cent. If it’s easy money, why don’t the critics step up?

I’m not saying the sender endorsed all these slurs, he doesn’t, just that I get tired of people who compose this stuff.  I’m a great admirer of many politicians and former politicians.  It’s a tough job!

____________________________________________________________

I’m trying to psych myself up for the drastic gastric.  The list of dietary changes needed is daunting, as is the list of dietary mineral and vitamin supplements needed due to lack of food absorption.  But if I can drop all my other medications as the kilos drop off, it balances out, I suppose. It’s scary.  But I feel so bad at the moment that it seems as if it can’t be worse.  I’m in danger from too high blood sugar which is not responding to medication.  It’s making me feel so tired and lacking in energy and strength.

My food bills should go down markedly (although they’re pretty low already) and since I’m already saving about $25 per week on dog food, plus I’m saving a big weekly bill for beer, I’ll have a lot more pocket money to spend on cameras!  Heh heh.

Slings and arrows …

Image

US Dept of Energy

Bloody hell!@%*#  The bombs and missiles just keep incoming.

I was told a few days ago that no, I can’t borrow a friend’s camera because I might damage it!  I’d told him in an email that there is a big special on this camera at Amazon and I want to have a look and feel and try out of his.  Obviously Amazon specials are brief so my look and feel of his camera would be even more brief.  But no, “we’ve made a policy of not lending our stuff because we’ve had damage in the past. I hope you won’t take offence.” 

Of course I take offence!  Of course I take offence!  All he had to do was say, gee we’re using it at the moment, I’ll bring it along to the cafe but I need it for our article.  He is too stupid to think of a tactful refusal.

This is yet another of the insults and bombs that are being thrown at me in recent years.  Is this paranoia?  NO!  I don’t in any way think people are plotting against me or are out to get me, but bloody hell, they may as well be.  They are just bunglers.

Dog spare me from people who do things because they think they have to help me, but don’t talk to me first or ask permission.  I don’t interfere in other people’s lives!

I found out a few days ago that there is actually no time limit for prosecution of offenses in tax matters, any liability goes on forever, not the seven years that I thought.  I stayed silent when I had strong suspicions of irregularities.  I had to stay silent because of a kinship and also because I knew that if I took my concerns to the limit, the results would have been catastrophic.  The kin would have been ruined!  I had to keep quiet.

I had a plan to resolve things, but another stupid person stepped in behind my back and “fixed the problem”.  When I found out, I said NOOO!  But too late.

The result is that I’m now left with a lifelong fear of investigation by the tax people.  I can’t live with this, and having tried very hard to resolve it, I’m left with no option but to go the legal route.

Even if no offences have been committed (and I can’t believe anyone could be so blind as to think so), any investigation is going to be traumatic!  I’m not going to allow myself to be caught up when I’ve tried for 16 months to warn and resolve it.  So be it.

With the September atrocity, the gross breach of my privacy without warning or permission, I am suffering actual physical harm.  My health has taken a bad turn for the worse.  Thank you very much.

“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them.”

The former doesn’t work.  I’ll take the latter.