Closing in on the 21st Century

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Believe it or not, The Husband and I have only recently entered the wireless world—with our computers, that is. Yes, we may be old fogeys, but we have had cell phones for some time now, thank you.  

Not being wireless in our office, had me tethered to my desktop computer. Unfortunately, that arangement is no longer practical. I am doing much better, but I still need to change my position frequently. The old game of settling in at the computer and losing myself for sometimes hours on end in photo-processing, or writing, is not an option. I needed to get my laptop into action.

The transition to wireless was a piece of cake. I confess that we both had been putting it off, because we know that, all too often, the simpler a computer task appears the more frustrating it can become. After sailing through the set-up, I can now take my laptop anywhere in the house and do a small portion of my computer business. Wow! This new-fangled stuff is great.

But, you know how things work in the wonderful world of electronics. One thing always leads to another and here I am thinking about a netbook. My aging laptop weighs a whopping six pounds, and the three-pounds or under specs on netbooks sound awfully tempting. I am amazed at how heavy six pounds feels on my lap. Of course, there is no way I would expect to process photographs on a netbook. Still, I wonder if I might use it for some writing and reading online. Anyone have first-hand experience?

Gee, trying to catch up with the times is tough.

Hanging Out With the Guys

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For a couple of evenings this past week, I spent some time out in the pasture hanging out with Lancer and Night. Friday, I darned near got frost bite it was so cold, but I have a several motivations.

Not only do I just enjoy watching the horses from a closer point, I certainly hope to get some shots that I like. My major motivation is getting back to a point where I am more comfortable shooting action. For many months now, I have been shooting landscapes and a little macro with very little action. I had gotten to the point of feeling totally out of shape for the demands of fast action shooting. The shots of the horses that I have posted recently were shot from safely outside the pasture, because I was still hobbling about on my abused ankle. I have finally reached the point where I feel relatively comfortable wandering about in the field—ground squirrel holes and all. The footing isn’t the very best, but, so far, so good.

One of the reasons that I need practice is that my best lens for shooting horses is far and away the 70-200 f2.8L, but the lens has two major drawbacks. 1. I foolishly saved money (this was done a couple of years ago) and didn’t get the IS version. 2. The weight. I call this lens Big Bertha. In the past, I used this lens only with a monopod. While I was never satisfied with that arrangement, I didn't feel confident without the security of the monopod. I put up with it, even though it is a definite hindrance. Most equine photographers handle that lens handheld for action, and I am slowly working my way up to some consistency with it. Of course shooting handheld will mean accepting some major disappointments with shots that would have been terrific, if only they were sharp. On the other hand, it means getting some shots that definitely would never be possible while lugging around a tripod and would most likely be missed with a monopod. I am going to go for the spontaneity and flexibility. I will have to live with the near misses.

My time with Lancer and Night is relaxing. Mostly they just eat their way along—not wildly entertaining; but I enjoy watching them do almost anything. Both of these evenings, however, the guys have put on a little show for me, and I thought I would share a couple of my practice shots. These are the antithesis of the glamour pictures that I will do more of as the weather warms—shots showing the horses “stood up” nicely with coats clean and shiny, eyes wiped clean, chin-hair trimmed sleek, hooves polished. Here, they are just being horses—and happy horses with room to play.

By the way, it may look as if Lancer (the chestnut) is standing still in the second shot, but he had just been crammed into the fence by Night, while they charged around the pasture. Night was playing the aggressor the second evening and was crowding Lancer, just for fun. They had a good romp, and I was treated to grand entertainment along with plenty of practice shooting fast action.

The Day the Lights Went Out in Bear Valley Springs

I had not planned a post on this topic for today, but yesterday afternoon some priorities took a profound shift. At three o’clock yesterday afternoon, we experienced yet another power failure and were without power until midnight. This time the failure came with the sun out, no wind (that, in itself, was a bit of a marvel), and no precipitation or lightning—just a lovely day full of promise. Then click, the power was gone. Since it had been 17 degrees yesterday morning and our furnace depends on electricity, it wasn't a welcome adventure.

This one made a believer out of me. Last night was not a night for a deep and peaceful sleep. When I turned on my computer this morning, I held my breath until it booted, then I checked for files, first, on the hard drive, and then the three external drives that I call into use throughout each day. As soon I verified that everything was intact, I took a deep breath and resolved that, along with all the catch up that needed to be addressed today, I would prepare to purchase a UPS. I know that there are no guarantees in life; still, I would like to know that the next time the power goes off (I don’t think that’s pessimistic—just being a realist, I’m afraid) I will have a few minutes during which I can safely shut down my system.

By the time I had read a few entries during my on-line research, I realized that I was accumulating more questions than answers. It's clear that I will need some help. Since I make no bones about my lack of technical expertise in multiple areas, I will readily admit that I have not previously had a UPS and would appreciate any tips that any of my readers would care to pass on. Anyone got any tips? Devices to avoid? Specifications to consider? Relative ease of setup and implementation? (Please remember who you are dealing with here. Not only is budget a concern, we need to think UPS for dummies.)