For those who know me, its no surprise how forgetful I am. Its a matter of annoyance sometimes when you forget important things but there's hardly anything I can do to overcome it. The instances of forgetting key chains, pens, cell phones are innumerable. Also I rely heavily on the calendar and appointments. However so far, my 'memory' has been successful in getting me into quite funny and bizzare situations:
Our hostel had only one phone where all of us got calls. I was the only 'pradeep' in the hostel. So one night someone calls, I pick up the phone, ask him to wait, come out and shout 'pradeep, phone for you' only later to realize the phone was actually for me and that was my dad calling.
In college again, the day after we get the final exam report cards we were all having chai in our canteen and suddenly I discovered I didnt have the folder containg the reports. Just a thought and I took it for granted that I've lost the folder, went to the office to ask for duplicates: the expression on the clerk's face, who had handed me the reports just a few minutes earlier was priceless.
So we go to Barista around noon have the usual cappucino, chat for a while, get out and head to a pub when I realize I've forgotten my jacket but I dont pay much attention, and after all the roaming n pubbing we come back to the same Barista again and are sipping coffee, when I spot a jacket - I am about to return the jacket to the cashier when my friend yells - 'Hey, isnt that your jacket'. Thats when I realize.
Am in the Mt.Hood National park, get out of the car to take a picture, put my keys in the jacket, open the trunk put the jacket in the trunk and conveniently close it. I dont realize that the key is in the trunk until I get back. (Thankfully the moon roof was tilted slightly and I could slide a rod thro' it to open the lock )
So far, by God's grace, I've been able to get out of bizzare situations and I dont mind bieng a part of funny situations. As long as I can find what I've lost I'll consider myself fortunate.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
The superb 50 mm lens
During the 1970s and 80s a 50 mm lens was the standard lens sold with slr cameras. During the coming years, however 'cheap zooms' in the focal range of 28-80 and 28-90 replaced the 50 mm lens. The 'zoom' factor attributing the most for replacement.
However the 50 mm lens is still in the market and available for a throw away price of 75$. So what makes this lens 'superb'. The maximum aperture is 1.8 as compared to 4.0 on the cheap zooms, its wonderfully light, brutally sharp, has absolutely no or negligible flare, sufficient contrast. Whats missing in the lens is full time USM and distance scales. I dont need either of them as I shoot mostly landscapes with this lens and its always tripod mounted. So far I havent come across a single negative factor. Put a polarizer on and you can get some good pictures. These days this lens remains my standard, only to be replaced occasionally by the classic 20-35 USM zoom , hailed as the 'best buy' in any available wide angle zooms. Examples of some pictures taken with the 50 mm lens.
However the 50 mm lens is still in the market and available for a throw away price of 75$. So what makes this lens 'superb'. The maximum aperture is 1.8 as compared to 4.0 on the cheap zooms, its wonderfully light, brutally sharp, has absolutely no or negligible flare, sufficient contrast. Whats missing in the lens is full time USM and distance scales. I dont need either of them as I shoot mostly landscapes with this lens and its always tripod mounted. So far I havent come across a single negative factor. Put a polarizer on and you can get some good pictures. These days this lens remains my standard, only to be replaced occasionally by the classic 20-35 USM zoom , hailed as the 'best buy' in any available wide angle zooms. Examples of some pictures taken with the 50 mm lens.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Life without a Television
Is it possible at all ? I've always wondered. TV in my view is one of the greatest 'time pass' devices of the century. Studies have revealed that americans watch on an average 5 hours of television per day. Japanese are next watching on an average of 4 hours per day. The multi billion dollar cable industry thrives on TV. From what I know there are atleast 500 channels airing programmes from sports to nature to adult entertainment. All said and done, is it worth spending 5 hours a day infront of a TV?
In my opinion, definitely not. These days, TV has become so rampant that day to day lifestyle is designed around TV programmes. Breakfast, while watching 'breakfast today', dinner wathcing 'Kyoon ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi' etc etc. One incident literally shocked me: My friend's wife called him up, and asked his parents to record an episode of some reality show because she lost power in her house. The first thing that my uncle does when he wakes up is turn on the TV. My parents and my sis are addicts to some of the soaps.
When such is the craze around TV and cable, I've opted to live without one as long as I can. Ever since I moved to portland, I havent bought a TV. Though it felt a bit wierd in the first week not to have a TV ( my hands would involutarily fumble for a remote ), I've gotten used to it. Not having a TV gives me so much time to pursue other activities,especially reading. It also helps me in sleeping early, and thereby waking up early. There's also lot of time available for introspection.
Speaking of reading, am picking up some wierd books these days -
Histories - Herodotus, The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli, Stupid White Men - Michael Moore, Love and Death: Murder Of Kurt Cobain.
In my opinion, definitely not. These days, TV has become so rampant that day to day lifestyle is designed around TV programmes. Breakfast, while watching 'breakfast today', dinner wathcing 'Kyoon ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi' etc etc. One incident literally shocked me: My friend's wife called him up, and asked his parents to record an episode of some reality show because she lost power in her house. The first thing that my uncle does when he wakes up is turn on the TV. My parents and my sis are addicts to some of the soaps.
When such is the craze around TV and cable, I've opted to live without one as long as I can. Ever since I moved to portland, I havent bought a TV. Though it felt a bit wierd in the first week not to have a TV ( my hands would involutarily fumble for a remote ), I've gotten used to it. Not having a TV gives me so much time to pursue other activities,especially reading. It also helps me in sleeping early, and thereby waking up early. There's also lot of time available for introspection.
Speaking of reading, am picking up some wierd books these days -
Histories - Herodotus, The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli, Stupid White Men - Michael Moore, Love and Death: Murder Of Kurt Cobain.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
White Water Rafting
This was a long wait and it finally happened. Saturday night I was just thinking on taking some good pictures the following sunday and then I thought why not go on a white water rafting trip. The advantage of bieng in portland is that all kinds of adventure sports are within a two hour reach. Not being a great swimmer kind of made me think twice about rafting but then I took the plunge.
Wet planet Adventures offers a decent begineer/intermediate class III-IV rapids trip down the white salmon river. I chose the morning trip. It was good fun, especially for a first timer. The water was super cold, so we had to put on wet suits. Generally 6 guys and a guide fill a raft, but in our case we were just 4 and our guide - a super nice guy. Spending 3-4 hours on the river is totally exiting. I could not get an insight as to how the rapids are classified, the guide simply said 'U tend to gauge water with experience'. There was a 20 ft cliff jump which I chickened out of ( altophobia u see ).The rafting came to an end with a fall down a roaring water fall. That was the best part of the trip. It was like one of those movie scenes :).
Just like any other sport, rafting is quite addictive and as long as one does not panic its great fun. Next am aiming for the 3 day raft trip down the Rogue river in Oregon.
Wet planet Adventures offers a decent begineer/intermediate class III-IV rapids trip down the white salmon river. I chose the morning trip. It was good fun, especially for a first timer. The water was super cold, so we had to put on wet suits. Generally 6 guys and a guide fill a raft, but in our case we were just 4 and our guide - a super nice guy. Spending 3-4 hours on the river is totally exiting. I could not get an insight as to how the rapids are classified, the guide simply said 'U tend to gauge water with experience'. There was a 20 ft cliff jump which I chickened out of ( altophobia u see ).The rafting came to an end with a fall down a roaring water fall. That was the best part of the trip. It was like one of those movie scenes :).
Just like any other sport, rafting is quite addictive and as long as one does not panic its great fun. Next am aiming for the 3 day raft trip down the Rogue river in Oregon.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Katrina - A natural and economic disaster
Dubbed the worst disaster in the history of United States ever since the 1905 hurricane in Texas, Katrina has literally wrecked the Gulf Of Mexico. Thousands of lives have been lost in the southern states of Loisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. An otherwise burgeoning city of New Orleans is totally submerged in water upto 20 ft in some places.
The economic impact - astronomous. $26 billion in insurance coverages - AllState insurance will lose all its profits this year. Another $14 billion in miscellaneous damages. About $40 billion in the rise of commodity prices and gasoline that is pegged to reach 4$ a gallon. People are fearing loss of jobs. Even coffee prices are slated to shoot up as some 1.6 million sacks of coffee is stacked in New Orleans warehouses.
Some people are terming Katrina as 'American Tsunami'. There is no power, no water, no food in the affected areas. President Bush made a statement that it will take 'years' to recover.
Not to draw a comparison, but not very long ago the Tsunami that hit southern Asia was a disaster in a much larger proportion. However, the economic impact was not to this extent. The hard hit countries of Indonesia, SriLanka and India have already recovered. India, recovered so fast without any foriegn aid. After the Tsunami, the Mumbai floods caused severe damage. But, the economic impact - almost nothing. Mumbai has already recovered and there is little or no worry about job losses etc.
In India, we may lack infrastructure, we may not have the best possible facilities, but what we have is 'resilience' which is much more valuable than any of these factors. One hurricane, and the american economy is shaken. We've had a disastrous Tsunami, floods that literally put the economic capital out of business for days, yet our economy is strong and shining.
These disasters are proving that man is finally paying the price for polluting nature. Researchers are studying the causes of Katrina and linking it to the enormous CO2 pollution. It is predicted that more hurricanes will follow and will cost the american economy upto $100 billion. Well I hope after all this, some people wake up and take up small steps to prevent pollution. Atleast, they can stop driving Hummers.
Sources - Forbes.com and CNN.com
The economic impact - astronomous. $26 billion in insurance coverages - AllState insurance will lose all its profits this year. Another $14 billion in miscellaneous damages. About $40 billion in the rise of commodity prices and gasoline that is pegged to reach 4$ a gallon. People are fearing loss of jobs. Even coffee prices are slated to shoot up as some 1.6 million sacks of coffee is stacked in New Orleans warehouses.
Some people are terming Katrina as 'American Tsunami'. There is no power, no water, no food in the affected areas. President Bush made a statement that it will take 'years' to recover.
Not to draw a comparison, but not very long ago the Tsunami that hit southern Asia was a disaster in a much larger proportion. However, the economic impact was not to this extent. The hard hit countries of Indonesia, SriLanka and India have already recovered. India, recovered so fast without any foriegn aid. After the Tsunami, the Mumbai floods caused severe damage. But, the economic impact - almost nothing. Mumbai has already recovered and there is little or no worry about job losses etc.
In India, we may lack infrastructure, we may not have the best possible facilities, but what we have is 'resilience' which is much more valuable than any of these factors. One hurricane, and the american economy is shaken. We've had a disastrous Tsunami, floods that literally put the economic capital out of business for days, yet our economy is strong and shining.
These disasters are proving that man is finally paying the price for polluting nature. Researchers are studying the causes of Katrina and linking it to the enormous CO2 pollution. It is predicted that more hurricanes will follow and will cost the american economy upto $100 billion. Well I hope after all this, some people wake up and take up small steps to prevent pollution. Atleast, they can stop driving Hummers.
Sources - Forbes.com and CNN.com
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