Last night of the Proms at Kenwood House.

Very much like a beach, we had to find a small clear patch to set up camp. We were perched between the family with a young child, and the "let's smoke cigars where it's windy to look cool, but sadly we don't actually have a clue" group. Luckily the latter could only afford a small pack of Cohibas. The stage, on the middle of the lake, was close enough that I could make out the colours of what they were wearing. So we got on with the picnicking instead. They thoughtfully played mostly popular classical as we munched away at sausages and sarnies.

As the sun set, we set off for a wander around the many tents. Some free munchies here and there. Green & Black's choccies were very tasty.

For most of the evening, I wished I'd brought my ISO 3200 capable 10D instead of the S60. Especially when the fireworks started going off for the finale: Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance. However, the S60 did peform quite well on the 15 second exposures, held on top of tilted tupperware.

Pixie Ears proved most amusing Tuesday evening.

A birthday gift for a friend, turned into a slightly unhygenic trying on by everyone. Apparently bought at a festival, there was no indication as to the origins of said ears. We postulated that the pixie ears came from a magic shop which appears briefly at festivals before returning to the faerie mound.

I believe 2004 will be remembered as the year that film died.

Reason 1: Death of film making companies

Ilford has decided to call it a day. I'm actually very sad about this news. Ilford set the standard for B&W. Their FP4 and Delta series are my favourites.

Agfa have also closed shop. Although not directly effecting me, it does mean there are only two players left in the film market now: Kodak and Fuji.

Can we really rely on these 2 giants to continue supplying quality emulsions for those who still wish to shoot film? Do I have to buy a freezer to stock up on the remaining stocks of B&W film left in the country?

Reason 2: Digital cameras have caught up with film

Canon announced an 8MP camera, the EOS 20D, to replace the 10D. Nikon responded with an announcement for a 13MP camera. Some say these cameras will give as good as or better than film.

So what? Why would anyone still want to shoot film?

I for one was thinking about selling all my digital gear and switching back to film. Perhaps one day I could get that Leica I always wanted. Why? After shooting digital for over a year I've found that I don't compose well anymore. I take the shot because it doesn't cost me anything: in time or money.

These recent events mean that my 10D isn't worth much second hand, sic no Leica, and that the film I wanted to shoot will no longer be made! I honestly hope that the 700+ skilled Ilford people will morph into a wonderful new entity that will produce the finest B&W products for years to come.

Thanks to a gmailed friend, I now have a gmail account!

I've decided to use it to send/receive mail for this website. We'll see how well it handles spam eh?

snowblink@gmail.com

Just got back from the gym.

I haven't been to a gym in about 2 years. And it shows! Today they gave me a program and took me through it. Much better than my last gym. The equipment here looks pretty new, and there appear to be staff on hand to help you out. I get weekly appointments for the first month to get me going.

Apparently, I've been doing sit-ups all wrong. You have to squeeze your stomach into your back?!? Okay... well I still couldn't get it. Otherwise, I've got a pretty light program, but I think they are going to build on it as the weeks go on. I just have to make sure I keep going now.

My membership includes some free classes too, but I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable in a aerobics class full of women. The spinning class looks intriguing though, if a little hectic.

Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny.

Jack is a darksider whose power comes from shadows. He is a thief who is out for revenge on his executors. You follow him from the Dung Pits of Glyve to his part in the fate of the world.

The world consists of the light side and dark side. The light side is much like our world, with science and technology. The dark side is run by magic, and dark lords. Jack travels between both, poignantly stopping to visit Morningstar who is perputually trapped at the Gates of Dawn.

Zelazny likes survivors, especially those with a goal. The goal may not be noble, but it does have to be all-driving. Jack's goal starts off as revenge, but changes to something grander.

I had heard good things about of this book for many years. I don't understand why publishers give Zelazny's books such a hard time: They publish very short runs if they publish them at all! Luckily, I managed to obtain a copy of Jack of Shadows. Shorter than I expected, but definitely worth it.

I find sweeping much better than vacuuming.

I think it has to do with the lack of noise. Sweeping is a peaceful, quiet repetitive sound. Vacuuming is loud and stressful.

Sweeping is more satisfying. At the end of it you can see the small mound of dust which is the result of your efforts. Vacuuming results in a bag you empty and a distinct lack of accomplishment.

A new bike shop has opened up in town!

The last LBS (Local Bike Shop) closed down 2 years ago. It was small and cramped. You had to watch your head and be afraid of knocking down whole rows of bikes with a single mis-step.

This new shop is completely different. Lots of space to peruse the goods. Bikes nicely displayed upstairs. Helpful staff.

My current bike is a Ridgeback Hybrid. I bought it from the old LBS over 6 years ago. The frame is actually a little big for me, making it err... hazardous to stop. This afternoon, I gave it (my bike that is) a quick wash and lube. Before I could go for a ride, it started raining.

The new LBS sells mostly Treks and Marins. So, I'm looking at maybe getting a Trek Hybrid. The only thing putting me off is the gripshift.

Hopefully the weather will improve this weekend so I can go out for a ride.

Canon's AiAF (Artificial Intelligent Auto-Focus) on the S60, and probably all their cameras, truly sucks.

It is very hit and miss. More misses than hits. I don't know which of the many (usually at least 6) times I try to refocus will actually score. Even then, I don't know what it's focused on.

An A80 with AiAF turned off performs far better than the S60. Why? Because you can turn off the AiAF on the A80. If anyone knows how to do this on an S60 without a hammer, then please tell me.

Thinking of photographing people? Don't use this camera.

Kaeru

An inspired photographic record of a green frog's journeys. He reminds me a little of the Frog in Spirited Away.

(via what a quiet stiff)

Pullman's stunning conclusion of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Lyra and Will continue their adventures through various worlds. Many new things are learnt and sacrifices are made. Angels, Gallivespians, and Dragonflies are amongst the new characters introduced. For you bear fans out there, Iorek also appears. The result of all their toils is unexpected, a little sad, yet satisfying.

A friend of mine told me he found the books to be very anti-church. This tainted the series for me somewhat, because I kept thinking about what he had said. I would say the story is more like a warning that human beings are fallible and that blind faith in any religion can result in suffering.

• Northern Lights
• The Subtle Knife
• The Amber Spylgass

Venue: Hong Kong

Taegukgi (Brotherhood) is a Korean film set in the Korean War. As you may have guessed, it's about two brothers.

Family. Sacrifice. Love. Betrayl. Loyalty.

There are gritty action sequences, but the film concentrates more on the way people are affected by war. Why are these people fighting? Not because they believe strongly in democracy or communism. They fight for their families or to stay alive.

This is a highly emotional tragedy. If you enjoy Korean soap operas - the ones where just as characters are given a break, an even worse event occurs - then you'll love this.

My Ricoh GR1s has served me well as a backup & carry everywhere camera. If I had to choose a film camera to take around every day that would be it.

However, I have switched to digital and so it makes sense for me to get a digital backup & carry everywhere. The key feature for me was a 28mm lens. Also it had to be small and light. That narrowed it down pretty fast. Things I've discovered about the S60:

• The lens blocks the flash at 28mm.
• Exposure lock is lost if you change focal length.
• Press "set" while in jump review mode to jump to first and last.
• Av mode's slowest shutter speed is 1 second, even if this underexposes.
• JPEG to RAW when pressing FUNC can only work on single shot or the last shot of an AEB series.
• Review time can be set to a maximum of 10 seconds. No hold option. However, you can press the "set" button while reviewing to stay in review mode.
• RAW format doesn't work with Canon File Viewer or Adobe Photoshop. Apparently, the next ACR will support. Adobe have released ACR 2.3 which supports the S60
• ISO Auto doesn't tell you which ISO it selected.
• ISOs are only 50-400. ISO 200 & 400 have unacceptable noise levels. Maybe the 10D has spoiled me!
• Macro focusing (why do I have to press a button?) and manual focusing are mutually exclusive.
• You can record an audio memo against each photo.
• Portrait and fast shutter modes don't set continuous shooting as default.
• A helpful mode for creating panaromics shows you part of the previous photo to aid your shooting. However, like the other "Image Zone" modes you cannot set your aperture.
• Interval shooting is remarkably easy to setup.
• Battery cover has a hole, so you can identify your fully charged batteries in the camera bag.
• No battery indicator, only a warning when it's about to die.

Hong Kong is currently under an Amber Rainstorm Warning.

I've never heard thunder like this. Rolling thunder would be an appropriate description. Rain also featuring heavily currently.

I think I'm staying in today.

Uses and Applications of 35mm Lenses

Particularly amusing was: