Day 89

 

Mother and Daughter

Day 88

Day 87

Day 86

Lemonade?

Day 85

Day 84

Dr. Red Duke and Art Rascone tonight at "A Gathering of Eagles 2010" celebrating 100 years of Boy Scouting. Dr. Duke, who is an Eagle Scout, was the featured speaker at the festivities tonight in The Woodlands.

My dad was a thoracic surgeon and retired from MD Anderson a few years back and they knew each other. Dr Duke is affiliated with Memorial Hermann.

I was honored to be the official photographer for the event tonight.

Day 83

My three beautiful daughters posing with their Aunt Judie. I captured this image at Heather's baby shower. 

Left to right: Sherylin, Judie, Heather, and Jenn.

How can I look at this and not feel blessed!

Day 82

These are some old AMD CPUs (Central Processing Units). The two on the bottom are AMD Athlon CPUs and both are the same. The actual area of the chip is seen on the left -- not very big is it?. The big heat sinks pull all heat away from that small area or the chip would burn up. The one on the right just shows all the connections (pins) that connect into the motherboard. The one on top is an older AMD K6 2 that runs about 25% of the speed of the other two. The chip is under the metal piece and about the same size as the one on the bottom left. 


I could go on all night about microcode, machine code, memory registers, accumulators,  chip logic and a whole lot more, but I won't ... tonight.

Day 81

I've always been a bit curious and have wanted to see what makes something tick. This is a CD burner from one of my older computers. And no, it wasn't working before I operated on it...

The circuit board on the left in each picture handles the electronics such as how fast to spin the CD, how to move the laser assembly, how to talk to the computer via the IDE interface, and all that stuff.

The picture in the right shows the laser assembly which is just to the right of the large black wheel. The small round blue-green piece is a plastic lens that focuses the laser beam. That light shoots down on  your CD and either gets reflected back or doesn't. A clean unrecorded CD will reflect light. When "data" is written, the laser light burns a tiny pit that won't reflect light. So as the CD turns you'll get laser light reflected or not-reflected. That's the 1's and 0's of computer talk.

For those of you who remember vinyl... The laser is like the needle and the CD is like the record. Instead of the laser sitting on the record and following the grooves, the motor assembly will move the laser back and forth above the pitting in the CD. And that pitting is like the grooves cut in a record.  So I guess you could say that a CD is like a modern day record.

When you scratch a CD on the shiny side that the laser looks at, all is not lost. If you can buff it out or fill in the scratches so the laser light shines cleanly through it you can "fix" it. You can find these at the stores and if you are patient you can fix up a CD.

But don't scratch the side that has the label and picture because that is the same material that has the pitting or the real information on your CD. Scratch that and you could permanently ruin it. Hold it up to light and if you see light coming through holes in the media you have a problem.

Speaking of records, have you ever taken something like the end of a pin and used that for a needle?  I have and you can hear the actual record playing. Not loud mind you and more than likely you'll ruin the grooves and the record, but it's a fun thing to do. (Kids, go find Dad's best record and try it out...but don't tell him I told you to...that was my evil twin)

Now, if anyone is still with me, the motor is in the left picture in the lower right. It has the flat green colored wire traces going to it. The long rod sticking out to its left spins and the grooves cause the laser assembly to move back and forth as the electronics think it should.

And those four bluish rings in the corners of that rectangular assembly?  Ever hear a high speed CD make all that noise as it starts spinning fast?  You'll swear it's a jet taking off. Those blue soft rubber grommets will help dampen the vibrations. Not all of it as you can hear and feel, but it does an amazing job.Without those it could damage your CD.

I've just scratched the surface, but isn't technology amazing?  And the best thing is you don't even have to know how it works. You just put in the CD and play. Hopefully some good tunes, nice family pics or some fun game like Starcraft or some flight simulator. Or as more likely these days, something from NetFlix.

Day 80

Fast food? Talk about slow cooked!

Update: This image taken 6/12/2010.

Day 79

This tea set if of significance to my sweet wife Collette. When she was a girl of 8 or 9 she would visit her paternal grandmother. Tea was of great importance to her grandmother so she acquired this smaller set which is a near duplicate of her own except smaller. The larger cup in front was from her grandmother's set. The other pieces are the duplicate. Even though these are inanimate objects, they bring back many wonderful memories for her. After all that's what it's all about isn't it?  We can't take things with us, just who we are, our intellect, our emotions, our friendships, our loves. What kind of kingdom are you building up? What are you striving to accomplish? What will be your legacy? All questions I ponder from time to time. What kind of kingdom will you build. "For in my Father's house are many mansions...". I think perhaps if you build up the "right" things here and now you can live in one of those mansions.  Just something to ponder.

Day 78

I picked this up in Beijing last year. It's made from one solid piece of soft jade.Each of the inner pieces move independently of each other. The tradition was that the first Father carved the outer shell. His son then carved the next inner piece making it move independent from the out piece. Then his son would carve the next inner shell. This one has 4 shells and one inner ball making this a 5 generation work of art. This particular one was probably carved for tourist consumption, but it's the thought that counts.

So, I'm sitting here thinking what legacy I'll pass on to my son (and daughters!). I have no great works of art, but hopefully I'll pass on my ideals, ethics, hopes and dreams (if I can find them still). My avid hope is that they are better than I am. And I'm not talking financially, although I hope that as well.  No, in ways that reveal a person's true worth -- self esteem, intelligence and wisdom. I have many faults -- ask my kids and they'll tell you. But I firmly and wholeheartedly believe in their great value and worth. I've always believed that. I've always told them to take the best of what I have, throw out the bad stuff and become even better. That's the way I think it should be, each generation improving and getting better. No matter where you are in life I believe in you. Even if you've given up on yourself, I believe in you. I can't explain it, but that's the way it is. Just as I have a belief, there is one who has a sure knowledge of your worth. You know of Whom I speak of. There's an old cowboy song with the lyrics of "He'll find a way to speak to you one day".

Day 77

Day 76

Helped my good friend at work today. Since he put my image on his blog, thought I'd return the favor. This image captures the lonely melancholy feeling I have at work at times. Focused on the screen, deep in thought, solving the mysteries. And extremely under appreciated.

Day 75

Sean McMurtrey. Proud graduate of Lone Star College -- and equally proud parents and siblings.

(I reworked this image to brighten it up a bit -- 5/16/2010)

Day 74

Looking up the rotunda at the Texas State Capitol.  If you zoom in on the star in the center you'll see is says TEXAS around it. Can't be prouder than to live in the great state of Texas with its rich heritage.

Day 73

memories

Today we visited both sets of Collette's grandparents. This is Weldon (1962) and Odeal (Nana) Biggs. Also here is Uncle Joe Biggs.  Nana was a wonderful woman and went to be with the Angels in 1986. God Bless her soul. Uncle Joe left us in 2007 after health struggles. He loved life and all his nieces and nephews. On the other side we visited John Lomax May (1962) and Letha Stone May (1973). I never met them, but they were wonderful folks as well. We also visited their son, John  L. May, Jr who died in WWII  June 10, 1945 in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a 2Lt in the 345th Infantry, 87th Division. Just a quiet time to reminisce about loved ones and the purpose of life. May God keep you in the palm of His hand. We are all His children.

Day 72

Today at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.

(reworked. This looks correct now. 5/16/2010)

Day 71

Yep, there's a baby inside...and she will be beautiful, just like her mother.

Day 70

At the front entrance of the Old Spaghetti Warehouse.

Day 69

So, with camera in hand, I just took my little ol' self and trudged to downtown Houston. And, by the way, I finally found the quick easy way to get to the Old Spaghetti Warehouse.This was a good couple of hours to get out there with humanity and get a chance to smile a few times. If I get enough energy I'll post the other images on facebook. This is the Gateway Fountain at the Discovery Green Park Downtown Houston. The kids were having a blast and I just had to take a few images.

Day 68

No, this is not a blatant advertisement for this nasty tasting stuff. But, since 1995 this holds significance for me -- this is when I made an instantaneous switch to diet drinks.

Day 67

Sometimes the tools themselves become the focus. What's more important, the pen or the words?  Guess that kinda depends on what the words are...

Day 66

Deception.

Bought this in eBay. Says it's 128 GB, but in reality it's only 4GB. Scam, counterfeit, knock-off, crap.

Warning: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU BUY ON eBAY!

I wish some people had a warning that came with them. I really detest those that lie.

Day 65

Day 64

Day 63

My good friend Clayton Williamson and his new bride, Nette, with their two daughters, Carly and Kim. This was a wonderful day and Collette and I were honored to be there. 

I really liked the colors in this image of Kim so I included it. This was at the lunch celebrating the wedding.

Day 62

Jenn's off to a Retro 80's party. Guess that's back in style -- for parties at least. And I don't care if fashion comes full circle, I'm not getting a silk shirt...

Day 61

This entire image is looking through a mirror back into two rooms. The dark area in the middle is where the front door is between the two rooms. I just like the warm feeling of being at home. Which is what I need tonight as I'm still fighting a cold. May each of you find your comfortable spot and curl up with a good book. I'm reading some light material titled, "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. Love that stuff.  There is something fascinating and elusive about finding the fundamental "truth" of mathematics, physics, etc. I think it's just the fundamental question of Who are we, Where did we come from and Where are we going. Thinking around this stuff can really make your brain hurt. Do you realize that we take advantage of all the wonderful inventions derived from all this fundamental knowledge -- the practical application of theory. However there is really just a tiny few who really understand where it comes from, how it is made. How many of you can explain how a transistor works. I'm not even talking about how you put it in a circuit. I mean at the atomic level, what is really going on and why does it do what it does. We reap the benefits in all aspects of our lives -- from video, audio, automobiles, refrigerators, clocks and just about every electronic device we use.  I picked up a book the other day titled "QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter" by Richard P. Feynman. At first I thought it would be a math book --  you know, Q.E.D (quod erat demonstrandum or that which was to be demonstrated -- you may remember this from High School geometry). But it turned out to be some lectures on Quantum ElectroDynamics. Even better!
 

Day 60

I found this dragon in Indonesia during my stay in Bali.  There are many fantastic wood carvings if you know where to go. If you ever get a chance to visit, make sure you come prepared to get paintings, wood carvings and silver jewelry.  I'm fighting a chest cold tonight so I need to be fierce like this dragon to ward off the evil virus I have and hopefully I'll feel better soon.

Day 59

I decided on taking this image tonight as a reminder of the many, many endless hours I've invested over the years in building and repairing computers. Mostly my own, but I did this professionally for a while as well. Can't tell you why but as anyone who's done this there is great satisfaction in getting one of these babies running. Even as a kid I always enjoyed destroying -- I mean disassembling "things" just to see how they work. Strange how they seem to run just fine with fewer components...  All I can say is that working on computers on all levels has been one of the most rewarding and at times frustrating, but always interesting times that I've had.

This is a computer I built for Sherylin when she went off to BYU years ago. She gave it back when she purchased her own laptop (Yes, I said she purchased -- with her own money -- the sign of a successful parent). So now I'm going to update the CPU from a Pentium 4 1.8 Ghz to a 3.06 Ghz with a 533 Mhz FSB. Why? Well, because I can.  No other reason really. Now to figure out how to get some more memory for it. If I can remember...

Ghz - giga herz or 1 billion cycles per second
Mhz - mega herz or 1 million cycles per second
FSB - Front Side Bus. Has to do with the architecture of the memory and data paths on the motherboard.
Sherylin - a most beautiful daughter
computer - frustrating electrical device

Day 58

The eyes have it. 

At dinner tonight I took this image with my 18-200MM with the intent of cropping as you see here.  

And in case you can't tell, this is Jennifer...

Day 57

I like the texture and color of this little guy -- it's a USB flash drive on a key chain.

Day 56

You've heard the term "goose stepping". Well here is the real thing.

Momma duck and her ducklings...

We heard a charing, ring and had to move out of the way of this speedster.

This was his first time without the training wheels and no, I'm not talking about the dad. They made a least two laps while we where there. 

I just liked this view of the fountain. The wind was kicking up a bit and produced the mist as well as the fountain.

Day 55

At the Billiton picnic. These kids were having a great time on this water slide. 

 Great job Sherylin for another successful picnic.

Day 54

So, what to do when I need to capture an image and I'm too tired. Well, do this of course! And this is two blue LEDs on an oscillating fan. I put the camera in manual mode with a shutter speed of 5 seconds and an aperature of F22. Focus the camera, press the shutter release and zig, zag, and wiggle the camera et voila!  So, why the strobe effect? That's probably the 60 Hz AC powering the fan. Translate that to mean the LED is not continuously shining.  So there you go, an abstract image for tonight.

Day 53

Here is my son, Sean creating his newest armored sentinel. Its a WarHammer 40K minature. He creates them from templates and here he is creating his own armor.

Day 52

So, off to Meyer Park tonight for a stroll with my sweetheart. We turned the corner and enjoyed this scene of a family taking pictures.  This kid was having a great time, enjoying all the attention.  We exchanged friendly hellos and continued on our journey. And God painted this picture tonight just before we left...

Day 51

So, back on Day 13 I posted an image of my friend. Here is a view of the strings, pin block and soundboard. I didn't have enough energy tonight to pull out the action, but I'll do that one day and let you see the internals of a Steinway.  OK, so it's a bit dusty -- that energy thing again -- but here is my friend. Check this page out to see the internals of a grand. I'll find the actual age, but I first saw it in 1972. Everything is still the original and believe me, she still sounds good.

And to boot, I'm sitting here listening to Billy Joel and Ray Charles singing "Baby Grand". Listen to it when you get a chance 'cause I can really relate to these lyrics.

 In my time
I've wandered everywhere
Around this world
She would always be there
Any day
Any hour
All it takes
Is the power in my hands
This baby grand's
Been good to me

Day 50

Day 49

Collette and I had dinner at Chilis tonight. This caught my eye. The lights on this display changed from white to green to orange and then this red. I darkened the shadows to give the vignetting effect. That way you don't see the brick pillar on the right side of the picture. I like the cozy, intimate feel of this image. So for this Sunday evening come join us in warm friendship.May you have a wonderful week and feel comforted to know there is someone who cares...