A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I captured a 1:45 minute, HiFiHDTV.ca promo from my Bell ExpressVu receiver. I was going to upload it to YouTube and then place it here. Of course, it wouldn't have really been in high definition but it may have given you a taste of those four, Canadian channels. The clip was amazing enough to give me actual chills when it was playing with DD5.1 in my living room. Unfortunately, I read the notice on YouTube and remembered that the promo was not really mine to upload. Copyright is going to have to change to deal with the potential of new technologies. I could email a copy to any reader upon request but it's 95 MB. Damn, the Internet really isn't keeping up with the demands I'd like to make on it nowadays.

Oasis, Treasure, Rush and Equator HD just loop pretty much the same programming but new titles enter the mix so that I always seem to find stuff weekly to record on the PVR. Plus, regular, commercial shows, this week excepted, keep my slated time for television pretty full. There really is a lot of quality out there. I don't think programs have ever been as smart, socially responsible, or engaging as they are now.

I'm writing this today as we've been watching true HD television for just over one year now. I cannot imagine the pale imitation that standard broadcasts offer. I honestly don't think I'd bother with TV, if I had to go back. Just about the only show watched in that tired, old format is CTV News from Vancouver. Come on folks! We're a big enough market to merit at least HD in the studio! I think the station can even afford the extra makeup that'll be required to get Bill Good and Pamela Martin ready for high definition!

Labels: HDTV, Internet, television

To prevent me from staring at my own reflection all alone, please click my name or the screen image below. I don't want to fall any more deeply in love with myself and end up as a mere flower but it's not easy being drop-dead handsome and so very photogenic!

Image Search Yahoo: dennis hurd

(Beginning at about page 14, lots of images from my blog start appearing in the mix. Also, you may see quite a few of Tim's mis-tagged Flickr images.)



Do I have an Internet presence, or what?

Labels: Flickr, sharing

I bought my first digital camera at the beginning of 2002 and used it for almost four years. It was an Olympus D-40 Zoom which sported 4 megapixels although, at the time, the average camera was only 2. At the end of 2005, I upgraded to an Olympus SP-350. While the prevailing resolution at the time was about 5, I jumped up to 8 MP. Now, I figure that I've gleaned enough value from my second camera too. It has captured least one picture every single day and often many more.

Today, while many best-selling cameras are still in the 7 to 8 MP range, some deals can be had at higher resolutions. In a flyer, I saw the Kodak Z1275 selling at Walmart for $218 although it's probably a few bucks cheaper in the US. The camera has been out since the fall but there weren't too many Internet reviews on the EasyShare camera.

Some reviewers suggested there's no need of having a 12 megapixel CCD. This may be true for those who only print 4x6 family photos from memory cards at the drug store. Yet the more information that can be captured from a scene, the more detail there is. This can be important when cropping the edges of an image. Believe me, there's no picture that cannot be improved through a little tweaking with image-editing software.

Others complained that the Z1275 is too big for a modern point and shoot, but it's smaller than my trusty Olympus. It lacks a traditional viewfinder; however, I seldom found myself holding a camera up to my face anymore. The camera is also larger than other models as the Z1275 uses two AA batteries. The ability to use standard batteries was an important criteria for me. I've already got a charger with plenty of Nickel-Metal Hydrides and in a crunch off-the-shelf AA's can be purchased anywhere. The 5X optical zoom probably takes up a bit more room than the, more normal, 3X. I also considered going bigger with a real SLR but I knew that I wouldn't want to carry something bulky with me all the time. A camera is of no value if it's sitting at home. Lastly, I feel an artist would be able to get great pics out of a 1970's Instamatic with a Magicube flash.

A few Net commenters also thought the camera's body was of flimsy plastic and it didn't feel well-made. My only reply would be that most every non-food purchase I made in 2007 has come from China, so I'm getting pretty used to shoddy manufacturing.

I was a little hesitant to switch brands as one becomes familiar with the on-board software of modern digital cameras. I know the Olympus well. After playing with the Kodak a bit in the store, I knew I could make it through the initial confusion of figuring out something different. Many online reviewers don't allow their new devices enough time to grow on 'em. It can take a while to warm up to something new. For example, getting used to a new computer can be a major headache. When we are forced to do something a little different, we initially rebel. People really are creatures of habit.

Anyway, I let the salesperson swipe my card yesterday afternoon. I haven't had much time to get out and really see if I made a good switch. After I put in the batteries I took a quick photo from the balcony in the evening. Choose a size.

500x368

1024x753

3857x2837

Labels: balcony, camera, review

Although there are five free days for the Christmas break, we've still not decided on anything specific. I guess this is one time when there are not any last minute deals available. At least, I can't seem to find any three or four day get-aways selling for a song on the Internet nor in the local newspaper. On the contrary, it seems as though suckers who don't book early have to pay through the nose.

Of course, we could simply drive somewhere close. Hotels are seldom busy as business travel has ceased and many folks are staying with family even if they are travelling. I can remember going to the nearly frozen Okanagan one Christmas. On others we went to visit friends or jumped on a ferry for Victoria. It's only Wednesday, so there are still a couple of days to make a final decision.



It may even be fun just to slide down to Seattle for a few nights. Discounting the wait at the border, it's only a leisurely three hour trip. If one's willing to stay cheap, it's possible to find, because of the season, a hotel within walking distance to downtown for only $60 per night. In order to see the city where the term skid row was coined, I fired up Google Earth. I was first awed by the program in October 2005 and since then it's continued to grow and develop. It doesn't often get the press it deserves but for those of us who like geography it's truly a miracle.

Labels: Christmas, driving, Google, road trip, Seattle

As I spoke about photos yesterday, I've decided to stay on the same topic today.

The other evening with friends, we mentioned visiting Central Europe for parts of September and October this year. It'd been so long since we had seen one friend that he'd not been obliged to see any photos of our trip. Then, I remembered that I had never got around to uploading most of Eurotrip 2007 to Flickr. Of course, the Daily Picture Parade photos are there and I had started by getting Munich, Germany and Salzberg, Austria online.

Next on the trip was Budapest, Hungary. I needed to start from that point. In retrospect I'd probably say that Budapest was among the favourite cities of the trip. It seemed so manageable. It also helped that we stayed in a bed and breakfast rather than a hotel. So, we got the comfortable feeling of being in a real home.

This was one of around 35 photos I put online this morning. It is the Parliament House at night from across the Danube River.

Labels: Budapest, Eurotrip 2007, Flickr

For the next five days you'll see a a tiny representation of this picture as the first thing on this page. Photos from the last five days are always represented in My Daily Picture Parade. Guests are invited to click on one to see it in greater detail.



This photo is fairly representative of the type included in this online Flickr set. It is not pretty, nor is it an example of great photography. Those are not really part of the criteria for My Daily Picture Parade.

Since July 1, 2005, I have uploaded an image which characterizes something about each day of my life. That means that today marks the 900th photograph in the collection. It's quite interesting to think that I've held a camera in my hands and pressed the shutter button during each of the last 75 dozen days.

It's a rather personally-rewarding image journal of sorts. Most of the subjects can be quite ordinary although some were taken in various countries. I only wish I had developed this habit much, much earlier than two and a half years ago. Wouldn't it be great if I could go back and re-shoot something daily from the thirty years since graduating from high school.

I love the idea of personal archives, I guess.

Labels: camera, Daily Picture Parade, Flickr, opinions

The subject of toasting came up among friends at dinner last night. It is a rather strange ritual if one stops to think about it. There are all sorts of habits whose origins are often lost in antiquity. For example, I cannot, for the life of me, avoid saying the obligatory "Bless You" phrase after someone sneezes.

In a nutshell, a few common themes crop up during Internet searches on the topic of toasting. First, there's the common notion that hosts, both ancient Greeks and later Romans, publicly tested the beverage to show guests there was no poison. Apparently, having an extra ingredient in the wine was a common way to rid oneself of enemies. The clink, under this theory, came to express camaraderie. A second common urban legend simply proposes the the clink of glasses was supposed to drive away evil spirits and initiated the idea of drinking to one's health. Or was it done to simply to add the fifth sense to an evening already containing sight, smells, touch, and taste?

The truth probably has more to do with roots in by-gone rituals. Okay, let's move on to the word toast itself. Could it have been the burnt bread put into slightly off ancient wine to make it more drinkable?

Do a little searching and you can decide by yourself. If you wish, you can read a more scholarly explanation here. Leave a comment below if you find something which has to be included.

Labels: food