Looks like a direct hit for Galveston. We are on the far west side of Houston and this track takes it a bit to the east. Still, we expect hurricane force winds and a lot of rain.
Preparing For A Hurricane
Cynthia deals with stress by baking. I deal with stress by eating the baked goods. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….fresh zucchini cake.
This is only the beginning.
Hurricane IKE – Wind Predictions
Hurricane IKE
Living in Houston as I do we’re all running in circles, spitting up nickles as Hurricane IKE approaches.
Gas lines were forming at 6:00 am as I topped off my tank. We stopped by the Kroger to pick up a few things and it was starting to get busy. My office is closing early today and will be closed tomorrow.
You can feel a bit of tension as the city gets ready.
Hurricane Accessories (for the ladies)
via serene_orange
Large Hadron
From a variety of sources.
Jesus Is My Friend
You GOTTA love the full on “ska” beat!
As Jenny The Bloggess points out, at about 1:40 Jesus starts to sound like someone who needs to be maced….
Apparently there is some controversy about whether this video is truly a relic of an odd past or a recent creation by dougsploitation.
All I can say is that if it’s real, it’s brilliant. If it’s fake, HE’S brilliant.
Speaking of Jesus, the Fafblog had me rolling with the latest post Sarah Palin Sarah Palin Sarah Palin!
As a Jesus-fearing moose-hunting hockey-mom mother of five who hunts moose for Jesus, Sarah Palin is kin to the wild outdoors and appreciates its bountiful splendor as she is gunning it down from her airplane. Sarah Palin understands that America is dangerously addicted to oil, and that the only cure is more oil. She also understands that nature is our natural enemy, created by a malevolent Satan to come between us and our God-given oil deposits with its hateful, clean water and its foul, pristine air. But Sarah Palin also also knows that we’ve got to leave this earth behind for our children, at least until we can find a way to drill for oil in our children. Sarah Palin is committed to exploring Baby Trig’s vast and abundant petroleum reserves.
Sarah Palin may not know if global warming is man-made. She may not know if global warming is real. She may not know what global warming is. But if global warming is caused by abortions, Sarah Palin will fight it – by banning abortion, just in case the first couple times didn’t take.
Be sure and read the whole thing.
Flash Fun
Last May I wrote about The PRESSlite VerteXâ„¢ over on the Technology Bytes web site. At the time I wrote the article the actual device was not available, but I was very interested and was anxious to get my hands on one.
The VerteX is unique light modifier that has the ability to give you a greater level of control over the light flow from your swivel-head flash.
Well, today I have an actual sample of the device in hand thanks to the generosity of the folks at Presslite. And what amazing timing? What with the new flash and all….
It’s pretty slick. It basically fits on the end of a swivel flash and by adjusting two versatile little panels you can easily and quickly diffuse or redirect light in a variety of ways.
These are some sample shots that my co-worker Luis was kind enough to let me take.
This is full flash
As expected, the subject is brightly illuminated, perhaps even harshly so. But check out what happens when I move the VereX into place and use the white panels to diffuse and bounce the light onto the subject
Far less harsh but maybe no bright enough. One quick flip and I diffuse 50% of the flash and project the other 50 using the mirror side
You start to see the possibilities. The VerteX lets you use your flash in a number of ways that can really let you fine tune how you light your subject. By taking the above and just fine tuning the angles a bit more this was the final result
I don’t claim to be a skilled user of flash in my photography, but I like the results.
Check out the Presslite Web site for 3D demos of all of the devices capabilities. They offer some really interesting demos and some real life applications for the VerteX.