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Ade
Wales
Interests: Photography, Unix/Linux, Philosophy
Recent Activity
You don't need a list, just look at the photography streams on Pinterest. Rain shots are my particular bugbear right now - who knew so many models like to frolic in monsoons wearing only a man's shirt?
The Worst Clichés
So I've got a question for you. What would you say are the worst subject-matter clichés in photography? I'm trying to come up with a list. I'll start [my openers were the first three —Ed.]: Sunsets Flowers Cats Homeless people [Martin] Selfies [Jim Simmons] A pier and a lake [Rodolfo Canet] Str...
My camera of the year for the fourth year running is once again the venerable Nikon D50. (sob) Darn home ownership...
TOP Camera of the Year 2009
Introduction: In acknowledgment of the old adage "different strokes for different folks," I invited a number of our 2009 contributors to make their own picks for the Camera of the Year. Several of our regulars demurred (Ctein and Carl say they don't keep up with the camera market, and Eamon's be...
Let's not "get back to discussing the M9", at least for a while! Please post some random excellence, Mike, and then we can discuss photography instead.
Blog Note Update
I'm happy to say that Sean Reid of Reid Reviews and I have had an exchange of emails and have come to an understanding. He says I misunderstood him regarding the lawsuit issue. It's true that he never said "I intend to proceed with a lawsuit against TOP." What he said, specifically, was that he ...
I was a heavy user of the Nikonians fora for the first 2-3 years of my "serious" interest in photography, and even became a paying member when they started offering personal galleries. During that learning period, it was extremely valuable. But I left it behind once I realised that I was more interested in photography than Nikons. The recent reminders that my account was being terminated only served to highlight that I wasn't going to miss it. (I believe basic membership is still free, but time-limited to 25 day periods.) If you're a beginning Nikon user, a year's subscription would probably pay for itself (Nikon ought to bundle one with their cameras), but there are plenty of other (free!) sites with less restricted horizons once you're past that stage. (Like this one.)
The question is whether the fee will discourage the old-time forum regulars who freely share their knowledge and skills - and diplomacy - to keep inspiring the newbies.
Teapot Tempests
Leica has a customer There would ordinarily be nothing unusual about this—photographers are often proud and happy when they acquire a nice new piece of gear. But when a certain Ned Bunnell mentioned on his blog that he'd acquired a new Leica D-Lux 4 to keep his 42-year-old M4 company, it was ind...
I dunno, my 35/1.4 AI Nikkor is one of my favourite lenses, and that's in a focal length that doesn't normally enthuse me. But I guess an updated FX version will magically strip out all the little quirks and flaws (primarily the howwibly curved field of focus) that make it such an interesting gem. Not to mention costing twice as much.
In the meantime, while I can't afford a D700, I might within the foreseeable future be able to scrape the pennies together for this, and thus eke another few years of fun out of the ol' D50.
On Second Thought...
Here's the glass-half-full version. I guess my initial reaction to the new Nikkor 35mm ƒ/1.8G AF-S DX lens was colored by the fact that I plain mis-percieved at first what it was. When I first got the news, I assumed it was a replacement for the old AF-Nikkor 35/2, which I'd been using as recen...
Such excellent answers already, it's almost too hard to say anything new.
1) Fave ep
School Reunion would have won it except for the rather empty plot, so instead: Impossible Planet. Shame the promise was slightly let down by the concluding part, but obviously it couldn't have got better.
2) Least fave ep
The Idiot Lantern and Fear Her were both fairly dull and pointless affairs but I have to get this one off my chest...
The Woodenly-Acted Posh Tart In The Sodding Fireplace, burn burn BURN! I have no problem with sex and snogging in DW (e.g. the Eccleston/Piper kiss last time round, or even the Tennant/Piper proxy one in New Earth) but everything about this is just WRONG WRONG WRONG and emphatically not anything I ever want to see, explore or even vaguely imagine in Doctor Who again. She was bloody awful and quite why the Doctor would lose his marbles over her so rapidly, even to the extent of abandoning the TARDIS and his companions for life in a normal timestream, I have no idea. Plus, she was a child when he first met her which makes him an Uncle Paedo of the highest Neil Sedaka-like order.
Hence Stephen Moffat has the distinction of writing the best AND worst episodes of DW ever.
3) Best/worst guest star
I'm tempted to say Billie Piper...
Best: Lis Sladen - to return after thirty years and adapt so beautifully to a completely different style of acting alongside a cast with much more recent experience is a major achievement. And I cried buckets as I laid my childhood to rest.
Worst: Sophia Myles, GAH, did I mention how bloody awful she was?? More tears, for rather different reasons.
Honourable mention: Shirley Henderson
Honourable mention 2: The lovely MyAnna Buring; if dead characters can return as new companions then please, please...
4) Fave moment
Rise of the Cybermen: the crazed cyberman clawing wretchedly at his reflection in the console panel while the Doctor looks on with pity.
5) Fave line
"I thought you'd died!" - coming fast on the heels of her initial elation, the sudden release of pent-up bitterness and accusation and slight crack in Lis Sladen's voice as she delivers this are heartbreaking.
6) Fave SFX
Tooth and Claw: the Doctor and the werewolf pressing their faces up against opposite sides of the door.
7) Fave director
Graham Harper
8) DW Confidential
Friends Reunited for all the classic clips, which is the only reason to watch Confidential; I can't see what remaining purpose it could serve next season.
9) TARDISode
Army of Ghosts, for the satirical reference to the A Level Triplets. Otherwise these were dreadful and pointless.
10) Music
Tight Fit, especially the way it faded out to one single lingering scream.
11) Merchandise
Sod all that, I just want the programme.
12) Funniest moment
"Klom!" - corny but I laughed. Otherwise, I somehow contrive to mishear or misunderstand most of the witticisms in DW (e.g. the Peggy line flew right over my head), and they're never as funny when explained later.
13) Scariest
The first batch of cyber conversions with the whirling blades, narrowly beating out the Doctor and Mrs Moore creeping past the "dormant" cybermen, which was scary in the finest tradition of the classic series. If I'd been seven again, this story would have got me banned from watching DW until my mattress dried out.
14) Silliest
"Musical" LINDA - I hate watching people badly miming playing an instrument.
15) Biggest surprise
Queen Vic's sharp words for the Doctor & Rose after rewarding them; spiteful cow (even if they richly deserved it).
16) Biggest disappointment
That I had to read all the preceding comments to remember any of this, and got completely stuck on "Favourite moment" - didn't have this problem with the previous series.
17) Summary in three words or less
What went wrong?
18) Fave blog review
David Sanders's "wanks and cries" review of Love & Monsters: "HE STICKS HIS COCK INTO A PAVING SLAB!!! Changed my mind... BEST PROGRAMME EVER." (Sorry, never watched Deal Or No Deal.)
19) Podcast
Don't do 'em.
20) Cameo
Didn't you hear, Coleberg was replaced in Rise of the Cybermen because he argued with the director.
21) Personal bonus question: favourite monster
The Ood - bring them back!
20 Questions
Well, that was the season that was. So, what did you make of it? I'm inviting the BTS bloggers to submit season 2 overviews over the next couple of weeks and I'll be attempting to work out who won the competition over the next couple of days (it's gonna be hard work counting all those Torchwoo...
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