Author: Don

12,000,000

My new toy camera arrived today. It cost about half as much as the little Canon I got about five years ago and is more than twice as capable. The images are 4,000 by 3,000 pixels, which is larger than those my DSLR takes. The picture above is cropped but otherwise unaltered; click on it to see it at actual size. The image quality is remarkable for the price. The flowers are dahlberg daisies; each daisy is about 3/4″ across.

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Ash cloud in Ohio

I knew that there are active volcanoes along the west coast and in Alaska and Hawaii, and that Yellowstone might explode catastrophically at any moment during the next million years, but I didn’t realize that there are also erupting volcanoes in the midwest until I read this headline: “Small ash emission from a Cleveland, OH volcano.” Gee, I hope TSO and Maureen are okay. ((This is the mountain in question.))

(Via Eruptions.)

Those who are fascinated by volcanoes might be interested in a recent addtion to my links, Volcano Picture of the Week.

Another damned meme

I’ve got plenty of projects to work on, so let’s waste some time with animated movies. Blame Cap’n Flynn (alias “Kashi”) for this one.

X what you’ve seen
O what you saw some but not all of
Bold what you particularly liked
Strike-through what you hated

Update: Joining in are Jonathan Tappan and Cullen M.M. Waters. And Maureen the Suburban Banshee.
Update II: And apparently also someone at deviantart.com, but because of the way links work there, I can’t find out who.

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Steampunk, Camelotter and the Nairobi Trio

Update: here are the 400 or so best shots in a slide show. The music is Danny Gatton’s “Cruisin’ Deuces.”

[flowplayer src=’http://tancos.net/flv/wp-content/uploads/cc28.mp4′ width=640 height=480]

I finally finished going through my Costume-Con pictures. The full gallery is here; there are 984 pictures in 3 albums. Selected photos are below the fold.

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Memo to every singer-songwriter who performs at open-mic nights

Passion and sincerity are cheap. If you want to hold my attention, show me craftmanship. Write lyrics that scan, fit them to actual melodies, and sing on key. Learn how to play your guitar, not just strum chords. Maybe then I won’t passionately and sincerely loathe hearing you.

*****

Memo to everyone who enjoys old-time fiddle music: If you ever have a chance to hear Chirps Smith, drop everything and go.

New poll

Who’s the best villain in anime? Cast your vote in the poll to the right.

*****

The most annoying character in anime is, inevitably, Shinji Ikari, with 28% of the vote in the previous poll. Voters were also seriously irritated by ChibiUsa, 15%; Happosai, 14%; C-ko, 10%; Kimura, 8%; and Tomo Takino, 6%. Nanami, Pain, Jinnai, NB, Basera Neki, Naga, Gauron and Kazuhara each received fewer than ten votes of the 179 cast.

Advisory

May 7 through May 9 I’m going to be at Costume-Con 28 in Milwaukee. If any of my readers should also attend, note that I probably won’t be in costume — although I have a closet full of medieval garb, most of it doesn’t fit anymore, and I have little time for sewing these days — but I will be armed with a camera, which I will not hesitate to use. You have been warned.

Should you be within reach of Milwaukee, the convention is worth catching if you have any interest in costuming at all. It’s cosplay-friendly — the top masquerade winners in the 2007 con were a Trinity Blood group.

With a little luck, I might be able to catch a showing of The Secret of Kells on the big screen on the way home.