RJ-45 - Day 70

RJ45 the 8P8C modular connector commonly used for twisted pair Ethernet computer

Day 37 - Fried

This is your SIM card on water. Any questions?

Four - Day 118 #CY365

The number four is represented in binary as 0100. I created a batch file to produce a "Matrix digital rain" like display on my computer screen and then captured it with my iPhone using the Camera+ app. I then applied a square crop, the Clarity effect and the So Elmo filter to get the final image. Anyone care to guess how many "fours" are in the photo?

Where I Work - Day 93 #CY365

LED's glow blue and green in the coldest room in the place. Canon G15, 1/3 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Lineup - Day 83 #CY365 #Tech

The back of the network patch panels in one of the intermediate distribution frame (IDF) rooms, a.k.a wiring closets, at Norfolk Virginia's new Slover Library. I see orderly beauty in this perfect job by our cabling contractor Secured Network Solutions. iPhone 5s, Camera+ App, Clarity scene mode, Hollywood Amélie filter.

It's Oz

Saw this analog soundboard on a tour of the WHRO Public Broadcasting studios in Norfolk Virginia tonight. Two ladies along for tour were peering into the audio control room when one asked "is this radio or TV?" The second replied "it's Oz."
iPhone 5, 1/17 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, Camera+ App.

Too Much Email

Opened my Gmail account today and what do you know, my unopened email counter was sitting at exactly 10,000. Many of these are email lists, ads, automatic notifications and such. I had this down to zero this past summer. So if I took 5 seconds each to delete these emails it would take 14 hours of continuos deleting to get rid of them all. If I actually took a minute to look at each one, that would take 21 - 8 hour work days or a little more than one man month. And this is just my personal email account, my work account has much more volume. Canon 7D, 1/40 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro, photographed directly off my computer screen.

EarPods

EarPods, Apple's redesigned in earphones were released with the iPhone 5. The often maligned original Apple ear buds finally got a facelift along with the iPhone. These new buds offer a better fit and much improved acoustic quality not to mention the distinctive "Apple Style." I'm still sticking with my tried and true Shure sound isolating earphones. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/80 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2 with Lightroom 4.

Jefferson "Beak" Howell

Lieutenant General Jefferson "Beak" Howell addressed the 2012 Commonwealth of Virginia's Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS), the state's forum for collaboration and participation in government technology. His topic, Lessons in Leadership, is taken from his long career in the United States Marines and as director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. He had only been on the job at NASA seven months when the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost during a return to earth.
Hosted by Jack Mortimer, National Conference Director Government Technology magazine General Howell discussed he leadership lessons from his long career and shared what has become known as “Beak's Rules of Leadership”:

1. Never stereotype your subordinates; give them the attention and respect they rate as individuals.
2. People normally live up to your expectations of them.
3. Never underestimate the effect that you as a leader have on your subordinates.
4. Let your people do their job.
5. To be a good leader, you must be an effective manager.
6. Where you sit determines what you see.
7. Things are never as good or as bad as first reported.
8. Don't argue with an idiot.

Canon G11, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Back Seat Photographer

The view from the back seat of a new 2013 Ford Explorer Limited and its Microsoft Sync system. I must admit I was pretty impressed with the design, fit and finish and the technology in this Ford. Canon G11, 1/6sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Tesla's Birthday

- Happy Birthday to Nikola Tesla was born 156 years ago on July 10, 1856. This is a plasma lamp invented by Telsa. In U.S. Patent 0,514,170 issued to Tesla on February 6, 1894 he describes a plasma lamp. The materials and technology to build the lamp did not exist during Telsa's life. It wasn't until 1970 that Bill Parker an undergraduate student at MIT created this popular product sold throughout the world today. In addition to being the father of AC electrical current, Telsa invented, described or envisioned much of what defines modern technology and science. In my humble opinion, his biography "Tesla: Man Out of Time" by Margret Cheney should be required reading for anyone who practices science or technology.

Canon 40D, 1/15 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400.

iRobot

- Meet Norfolk's very own iRobot 510 PackBot for EOD. This little guy can fit in lots of tight spaces like narrow hallways and bus, train and plane isles. All designed to keep first responders safe. And yes he is made by the same company that brings you Roomba along with pool cleaning and gutter cleaning robots. I guess both products lines are designed to help us clean up a mess. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400, in macro mode.

Ma Bell

- Although the Bell System has been gone for almost 30 years the name and logo can still be found. This is one of several manhole covers bearing the logo located along Monticello Avenue in Norfolk Virginia. Owned by AT&T, the Bell System had held a monopoly on telephone service across much of the U.S for almost 100 years until it was broken up in 1984 following a suit by the Justice Department. In Virginia, Bell System service was provided by the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, a.k.a C&P. Following divestiture C&P became part of Bell Atlantic which today is part of Verizon. Canon G11 1/230 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Vintage Word Processor

- A vintage word processor, a.k.a the typewriter. This L.C. Smith 8 10, vintage 1920's, was the first typewriter with a tab system. The Smith Corona company built high quality typewriters for many decades. This one is in Jerry Burkhalter's collection. iPhone 4, 1/17 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100, converted to B&W in the Camera+ app.

The Mighty ATM

- The automated teller machine or ATM to most Americans revolutionized banking beginning in the 1970's. One could now do banking transactions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Prior to the advent of the ATM, bank branches closed early in the afternoon so tellers could reconcile their cash drawers and deposits before the end of the work day. The ATM changed customer service in banking as well as the livelihood of many bank employees. Will online banking, mobile devices and the debit card replace the need for cash and spell the end of the ATM? Most likely. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800.

Geek Dryer

- The new dryer for the laundry room finally arrived today. Unfortunately the shippers loaded the wrong washer on the delivery truck, idiots! But the dryer is awesome it even has a color LCD display, how fricking geek is that? Downside - the manual is about an inch thick but that's Cindy's problem, due to incidents in the past, I'm barred from doing laundry. Canon 40D, 1/160 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm.

On the Grid

- The power grid is something most of us rarely give much thought to. Right now it is a major topic in Japan following the 9.0 earthquake. It was the failure of the electric power grid coupled with flooding of backup generators by the devastating tsunami that resulted in loss of cooling for the Fukushima nuclear plant. Once the second failsafe - backup batteries were drained there was no way to power the pumps that deliver cooling to the reactors. The gird powers almost everything and while it has been very reliable this complex creation can fail on a very large scale. Next time you look up at those lines and transformers give some thought to modern world they enable. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200 converted to black and white in Silver Efex Pro.

Wireless

- Wireless infrastructure is critical to making all of our treasured mobile devices work. Some say it's not very pretty to look at and while I agree it doesn't contribute much to most landscapes, most of us couldn't live without it. I see beauty in the technology. This tower is laden with 24 cellar antennas, 4 microwave relays dishes, a few plain old radio antennas and most importantly one osprey nest. A cable runs to each antenna from the ground, some inside the monopole other strapped along the outside. Each of these cables are about one inch in diameter and heavy as lead. Pay close attention the next time you're near one of these towers in our area and I bet you will see that a bird of prey has made it a home. This one was on I64 near Mason Creek in Norfolk, Virginia. I was stopped for almost two hours today on I64 while the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel was shutdown which afforded me and my camera some quality time together. Canon G11, 1/2000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 200.

Broadband

From 2010 Blog

- The glowing LED's of my broadband router are a comforting sight. What did we do before high speed Internet, for that matter what did we do before Internet? One thing was developing film and waiting for photos. Another was actuality writing a letter. I for one don't miss those good ol' days. In fact the good ol' days weren't all that good. Canon 40D, 1/6th sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.