Cousin Jon sent me a link to David Pogue’s recent column on “Why We Make Home Videos.”
Pogue starts by complaining about how consumer video has gone through several recent media transitions, making it very hard to view older videos. He’s developed an almost industrial process for copying his Mini DV tapes to a hard drive “in the background” while doing other work. The Mini DV format is disappearing since modern recorders just use built in flash memory.
I remember moving a lot of Hi-8 and VHS video to Mini DV when it first came out. I transferred several Mini-DV tapes to DVD, but the task remains unfinished.
Personally I’m ambivalent about having a huge family video archive. It’s nice at times, but lots of it is arguably nonsense. Pogue addresses this question, coming down in favor of family video.
I’ve been using the Canon Rebel XSi for about a year and a half now, and it’s definitely THE camera for aging yuppies. I need reading glasses, and that makes many cameras hard to use.
The Rebel Xsi is a classic single lens reflex – SLR. The viewfinder shows you what the lens sees. It has an eyepiece adjustment so I can use the viewfinder without glasses. In addition, the XSi has an extra large display screen on the back. While I can’t use it to carefully judge an exposure, it does display the camera settings in really large type. Yuppie sized type.
[Update: there's a newer model: the Canon Rebel T1i
. This one boasts 15 megapixels and built-in High Def video capture. I haven't seen one of these in the flesh, but the PR suggests it has a comparably large dispay on the back, and the essential eyepiece adjustment]
Continue reading 'A camera for aging yuppies'»
I’ve finally posted some photos from Ellie and Kelsey’s wedding. Click on the link in the previous sentence, or on the “Photos” link above. So far I’ve posted photos from the preparations, right up to the ceremony itself, and from our reception out in Minnesota several weeks later.
I still have another thousand to sort through of the ceremony itself. This includes dozens of donations from family and friends. It also includes the trove taken by their two professional wedding photographer friends, Erin Chapman and Hillary Harvey, who provided hundreds of top-quality photos. I almost had things sorted before Kelsey and Ellie appeared with a dozen or so CDs chock full of more images.
Kelsey has been doing roller derby with Ellie for several months and finally (!) I have photos!
Their league, Providence Roller Derby, had their season opener over Easter weekend while we were conveniently visiting the Boston area. It was a real clash of the titans: the Rhode Island Riveters versus HARD’s Nuclear Knockouts. The Riveters is the ‘all star’ team for the Providence league. Ellie is a regular on the Riveters and Kelsey is an alternate. Continue reading 'Roller Derby!'»
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