I, Curtis

Blog

  • Round Knobs Suck

    I have decided something recently in my kitchen, round knobs on lids and round handles on pans, suck. Anything with a single screw is absolutely stupid. Cookware should be able to be held completely still, and not be dependent on the obedience of a single screw. I have made this decision after having cleaned by new 12″ skillet/fry pan and its lid for the first time this morning. It has a double-post strap handle on the lid and a sturdy handle that is attached firmly to the pan with 3 rivets. My old pan had a handle and a knob that would spin. That made cleaning an absolutely bitch, go to scrub the lid, and the lid starts spinning like a fucking top.

    My new pan is a Calphalon Non-stick One CR1394, the old was a Pampered Chef “non-stick” pan. The new pan weights at least twice what the old pan weighed, cleans a lot easier and things don’t spin. Originally the PC pan was replaced because it 1. it spun in place on the burner (not good for stirring), 2. its knob spun (not good for cleaning) and 3. its handle spun (not good for anything).

  • The Aesthetics of Film Grain

    Recently I have been wondering about the aesthetics of film grain. I see some images that look ok with film grain, or even look more real with film grain, and others that look horrible with it. Also I keep thinking that the professional opinion on the film grain effect in digital photography caused by a higher ISO is ALWAYS a bad thing.

    On this image, the only really telling sign of the ISO and grain is in the top corners and dark places, where I feel that it detracts from the image. On the flower itself it is barely noticeable and where it is noticeable, I feel that it adds a bit of warmth to the image and makes the flower feel less plastic than a perfect ISO 100 image would. The image is also tack sharp, which is something that would have not been possible at a lower ISO value (modest light, slight breeze, 200mm, 1/400 or faster is best). What do you think? (view full size to see all the details)

    DSC_9992

     

    This image, on the other hand, is a sunny ISO-100 image, absolutely minimum grain. It feels overly reflective, a little more plastic and not quite as attractive. The intense clarity makes me feel the warmth of the day, an almost too uncomfortable warmth from the sun (perhaps from too many days picking strawberries with my mother and grandmother and feeling very sick afterwards). The image above does not cause that discomfort, it feels more pleasant and almost zen.

    DSC_0073

     

    This image was shot at ISO-400. It has a nice balance of softness from the ISO, but is not as distracting with the amount of grain, although, in the full size version, it is quite obviously present.

    DSC_9870

    I am still completely undecided on what I really think. I suppose it has its advantages and disadvantages. ISO-1600 is a very extreme ISO value, but it allows me to stop motion easily in most lighting conditions. ISO-100 is grain-free, but rarely produces a very sharp images, unless you have a lot of light. I kind of like the grain of an ISO-400, it has the feeling and depth without the harsh bits of unusable pixels.

    Funny, this whole damn thing started because I was searching for something to use as a desktop background and I was inspecting each image for its usefulness at a large size, and now I am even more undecided about what I want to use, since I went diving for exemplars of the other ISO values. I still may use the first one I picked at ISO-1600, since its grain is not that distracting.

     

    BTW, Anyone notice the low file number of the ISO-100 sample? On May 2nd my camera rolled over from 9999 to 0001, I have taken over 10,000 images on the D60 since December smile_regular

  • Procrastination Strikes Again

    For the past several weeks I have been highly focused on my work in my psychology courses, and now that they are over, I can focus on the courses that I have been giving a little less attention. No course is so abandoned as my art history course. The course is self-paced, so everything I have so carefully scheduled for myself was put to the side in the previous weeks and now I realized that I am many chapters and a few papers behind, leaving with a heap of work to do. I have a quiz for each chapter and 2 or three papers to write. I need to get these things done soon, preferably within the next 2 days. I usually do not do these types of things, but I know I can get them done in time. Always do.

  • Dirty Keyboards

    http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-277938.html?tag=nl.e550

    I hate thinking about this type of thing. I tend to not eat over my laptop or netbook, but I do eat at my desktop sometimes and I really do not want to know what all is growing in the keyboard. This article reminds me of why I try to replace my keyboard about once every 18 months. I am really starting to wish that someone would come up with a better keyboard design that does not involve tiny little places for bacteria to hide.

  • Selecting a Career

    I have begun thinking about possible career paths lately. With changing my academic focus, I have set myself in a position where I have a pretty decent idea of what I might like to do with my life. Most likely, I will either teach, or spend some time as either a professional or organizational (such as school/university) psychologist, and then become a teacher, if this present track ends up being my career track of choice for my life.

    I thought it might be fun to get a more objective opinion on things though, so I used CFNC’s Career Key utility to see what it would respond with. After less than half an hour, the following list was generated:

    Literary Arts
    Writers and Authors

    Visual Arts
    Art Directors
    Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
    Graphic Designers
    Photographers

    Records Processing
    Writers and Authors
    Library Assistants, Clerical
    Postal Service Clerks

    Regulations Enforcement
    Network and Computer Systems Administrators

    Life Sciences
    Chemists

    Mathematics and Statistics
    Network and Computer Systems Administrators
    Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
    Computer Hardware Engineers
    Computer and Information Systems Managers
    Computer Programmers
    Computer Software Engineers, Applications
    Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software
    Computer Support Specialists
    Computer Systems Analysts
    Database Administrators

    Social Research
    Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists

    Engineering
    Computer Hardware Engineers
    Computer Software Engineers, Applications
    Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software

    Crafts
    Photographers
    Chefs and Head Cooks

    Educational and Library Services
    Postsecondary Teachers, All Other
    Archivists, Curators, and Museum Technicians
    Librarians
    Library Technicians
    Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

  • Social Load Balancing

    I sometimes really enjoy Microsoft’s ways of manipulating its community.

    I received my MCP Flash/TechNet message announcing the availability of Microsoft Windows 7 Release Candidate this morning. I read over the message and found only one thing a little strange about it. The following line, which I can only assume is designed to prevent choking of the download network:

    “So you don’t need rush to make sure you get your copy. When you’re ready to download the RC, it’ll be waiting for you.”

    That went along with a statement that the RC would be available from May 5 until June 30 and that unlimited keys are available. BTW, what is with MS and their need to use June 30 for everything? June 30 is the end of life for Windows XP, end of several certification exams (and exam tracks), as well as the end of their IT Academy certification voucher program.

    I am personally looking forward to Windows 7s RTM day and getting a chance to play with the final bits. I have been running with the beta on my desktop since shortly after it was released and am quite pleased with the stability and overall usability of the OS. I will likely be one of the people who makes the conversion from Windows XP to Windows 7 on most of my systems(assuming I can get enough keys through my varying channels).

  • UPS Inefficiency

    1Z4F63780327418403

    I recently ordered some photo prints from Shutterfly, they are located in Charlotte. Here is the projected route that my photos will take to reach me. They start at A (ShutterFly) and end at E (Home). Please note point C on the map, in Greensboro. I understand the efficiency of grouping packages to get them from place to place, but when you think about it and see it on a map, it just seems crazy.

  • Learning Style Inventory

    Results for: Curtis M. Kularski
ACT                                  X                REF
11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11
<-- -->
SEN                                      X            INT
11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11
<-- -->
VIS                      X                            VRB
11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11
<-- -->
SEQ                              X                    GLO
11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11
<-- -->
    Interpreting the results: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
    The test: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

  • Psychology Degree Map

    Even more bored, I decided to map out the entire department’s course prerequisite sequences as well as set it up for the main BS in Psychology degree program.

    PSYCFlowChartDept

    PDF

  • My Progress Per Semester

    PSYCcurrent

    My semester plans, with the pre-requisite lines. The key is the same as the previous chart.