Thursday, December 29, 2005

Tips From The Top Floor: Move In!

Chris Marquardt has an interesting Digital Photograhy blog and podcast. I listened to Move In! and tried it the same day. Here are some of the photos:

He's right. I think the 3rd is the most interesting.

Tags: photography

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Blogging Goals

Blogging Goals

My main goal in writing this blog is to practice communicating/writing. The internet seems to fragment my thinking with lots of information. There are so many new and interesting ideas out there, but it can be overwhelming. The opportunity to think and write out my ideas and thoughts is a way to attain some balance. I’m committed to writing at least five entries a week on any topic that I am thinking about.

Technorati: blogging

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

DNA Genealogy?

I've been interested in my family history for many years. My mom is in the D.A.R. and traces her history back to Peter Herr. My dad's grandparents got married in 1884 and left Switzerland for America without telling anyone in their family. My dad's family is also fairly large. He was one of twelve and I have about forty cousins. I've used a computer to keep track of this for years.

I'm a geek, so DNA Genealogy research looks really cool to try too. FamilyTreeDNA looks like a very interesting site to check out. My mother-in-law's maiden name is Vastine and as I was reading about that name, the Wettstein name came up. What? Did I make some funny jump on the web and forget where I was? No, apparently I'm married to a distant Wettstein cousin. I'm going to try this some day and find out.

Technorati: genealogy

Monday, December 26, 2005

Hank on the stairs

Handsome Hank climbing the stairs.

New Camera - Canon Digital Rebel XT

Photo Self Portrait 2005
Originally uploaded by ejwettstein.

My lovely wife gave me a new camera for Christmas. I've been pining for a digial SLR for a couple of years. I love my new Canon Digital Rebel XT.

My old Minolta SLRs have one auto mode and then manual. Auto wasn't something a serious photographer should use though. A good photographer just nows what f-stop and shutter speed to use. We'll that is bull.

This camera has seven automatic profiles and five creative profiles as the documentation calls them. The auto profiles are a great way to quickly set up for the type of picture I want to take. Then focus and shoot. The creative profiles give me control of aperture, shutter speed, white balance, ISO and more.

I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures.

Friday, December 23, 2005

Gibson Research Corporation

It has been over ten years since I first used SpinRite. Steve Gibson seemed like a quirky software developer, but it was a great application. As I come back to his site, Gibson Research Corporation, I discover how smart and interesting he really is.

The Security Now discussions are filled with lots of interesting things about security. I like it because he has always taken a very close look at what he is talking about. He also avoids following the crowd, which isn't always right.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Interesting Site: 43 things

I finally took a look at www.43things.com. I'm definitely a geek and like playing with the site. It has a nice interface and the idea of sharing goals is neat...but I wonder about sharing very personal information. (The same issue applies to this blog.) Most people are going to have no interest in what I post. Family, friends and co-workers may learn something new about me, but I'm not likely to share anything too personal. Are there other people out there nefarious ideas or just plain iritating spam.

Work Quotes

A tradition from long ago is reborn at Work Quotes. It is very amusing to repeat things that people have said, but without the context. You may really wonder what the person was talking about. It could be anything, but it probably wasn't what it sounds like.

We used to write these on any slip of paper and tape them too the wall. We've gone high-tech and started a blog. We'll miss the beer stained napkins and illegible handwriting, but we'll have instant gratification!

Friday, December 16, 2005

Wonders of Central Illinois

Wonders
Originally uploaded by thiajmarie.

I grew up in this area of Illinois. It can be so beautiful. I think it is especially beautiful to me because it is familiar. I know what is on the other side of the trees and I know what is down the road.

Self Portrait (circa 1984)

Self Portrait (circa 1984)
Originally uploaded by ejwettstein.

This is me in college. It's really cool and cutting edge self-portrait idea, yeah. I like to look at this picture, because it brings back some of the awe of the world that I had as a youth. It reminds that it is worthwhile to have that energy.

Library Customer Survey by OCLC

It is an interesting time for libraries. The internet and electronic resources are a threat and opportunity for library services. I recently realized that many libraries don't have a defense against the threat or a strategy for the opportunity, because they don't really know their customers. Then look to see what has just been released from OCLC - Perceptions of Libraries Report [OCLC].

Hurray for GMail on my Treo

I've tried the new GMail interface for my phone and think it's great to have access to my gmail from my phone. I have been using the pop connection to check it, but this is better!

Google Launches Gmail for Mobile Devices: "This news is thanks to Palm Infocenter. Google has just launched a mobile version of Gmail. You can now get your Gmail messages from the web browser on your mobile phone or handheld. It allows you to read and reply email and supports photos, office documents and PDF attachments. The url for Gmail Mobile is: http://m.gmail.com"

I am a huge fan of the Change This Manifestos. They provide thoughtful insight into a wide variety of topics. I actually find them to be very good for the soul. Take a look at 19.04 The Life Cycle of the Creative Soul: 'This manifesto shall be a guide for your creative efforts. A map in case you get lost. A helpful voice in times of solitude. Perhaps, the first spark for a new creative action.'

Within Your Reach - Home ORGanization Solutions

Within Your Reach - Home ORGanization Solutions is my wife's closet and storage business. If you're looking for custom designed closets, pantry or garage storage solutions in the Chicago area, please stop by.

Not only will you see some great closet and home office designs, but you will see my web design skills at work.

Wett Snap

Wett -Snap: www.splashblog.com/ejwettstein is where I upload my Treo 600 Picture. It's mostly family and some silly stuff. I love always having a camera handy. Eventually I hope to get one with much better quality, but I have been able to some pretty cool pictures with my phone.

You can see more processed photos from by camera phone at Flickr.

It's going to be about me

This blog is going to become my generally purpose blog. I’ve struggled making a variety of different themed blogs that I drift away from for periods of time. I’m going to combine that stuff here. It will be a mix of stuff, but it will me.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Within Your Reach - Home ORGanization Solutions

This is a great company for getting your closets redone!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

This book give you a good pictoral history of the Outer Banks. It sure has changed a lot over the years. To find more information about the Outer Banks click Books about the Outer Banks. This will take you to amazon.com.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Clouds at the beach

posterdcp_0780
Originally uploaded by ejwettstein.

It's great fun watching these cloud formations roll into the beach. You can get this a poster at http://www.cafepress.com/obxstuff.25485602 or you can see more of my photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ejwettstein

Visit http://www.cafepress.com/obxstuff to order this picture.