Jamie and Alice’s Books

We’ve put together three books so far of photos of Jamie or Jamie and Alice. Here’s a summary with links to where you can browse through each book or order a copy. As usual, these are sold with no markup from Blurb.com, and we don’t make anything from each sale. (We can’t even tell who [...]

Jamie and Alice’s Calendars

Here’s a summary of the four calendars we’ve put together for friends of Jamie and Alice over the last three years. Click on any of these images to get to the page where you can order the calendar. Please note which year and months they cover – only the first one is for next year [...]

Digging the D700

If I had to sum up my experience of the Nikon D800 after a full year of use, the word I’d use is disappointing. I’ve had recurring problems with it, some of which were immediately obvious. Over time, I’ve become convinced that I got a lemon, since other D800 owners don’t seem to have the [...]

SCS-Draw: teaching the Kaypro to draw

Most folks these days probably find it hard to imagine computers without graphics. But back in January of 1984, when Apple unveiled the original Macintosh in an unforgettable Super Bowl ad, most computers (of all sizes) only displayed characters on the screen, and the MacPaint program in the Mac was perceived as an amazing breakthrough. [...]

Will the last person leaving Washington – turn out the lights?

This evening’s federal government shutdown reminded me of an iconic billboard that went up not far from where I grew up in South Seattle.

Jamie’s not spoiled, I am

Several times in the last few months, people have said that our dogs are “spoiled.” (Not in person, but as comments on photos I’ve posted on Facebook.) Those comments always strike me as a little odd, because I feel lucky to have dogs that don’t seem to expect much from life other than the opportunity [...]

Nokia Lumia 1020: first impressions

Yesterday, I upgraded my Nokia Lumia 920 smartphone to the Nokia Lumia 1020. I’ve barely used it yet — installed a few apps, taken 20 or 30 photos, made a couple of phone calls, sent/received a few text messages and emails – and here are my initial reactions: The camera rocks. Not because it has [...]

Shooting Stars

Shooting photographs of the stars at night is fun, and simpler than you might think. A fast lens is a big help (F/2.8 or lower), and you need a solid tripod, but most DSLRs can take pictures like the one above with a little planning and luck. The annual Perseids meteor shower will be peaking [...]

National Senior Games 2013

Today is a travel day coming home from the Senior Games, and I’ve spent some time on the flight home summarizing our week in Cleveland, to share a few final thoughts on the experience. It was been inspirational to see so many seniors in top shape, and great for me personally to finally see my [...]

Sightseeing around Seattle

I’ve had several people ask me recently for some suggestions about where to go sightseeing in the Seattle area. After going through the options a few times, I thought I’d write them down here for future reference, and I’ve included a few favorite photos I’ve taken at each location mentioned. (You can also find all [...]