2010 LAN Party Follow-up
The LAN Party was a great success. Everyone had a wonderful time and despite UT 2004 being a new game for some of the players everyone managed to work through quite a few games of death match, team death match, onslaught, bombing run, capture the flag, and even a game of mutant. MA brought snacks to pass and around 10:30 PM we ordered out for pizza (thanks BL for ordering – great combination). By the end of the night some were giddy, some where tired, but everyone was fragged to satisfaction. Some arrived late and some left early but overall the roll call was as follows: JB, SH, JN, AM, MA, BL, MG, VA, and TN.
Oh, and everyone had their fill of nick name jokes, I.e. “You killed …” or “… killed …” I’d have listed the game handles but I couldn’t keep track of them all.
Fall 2010 Unreal Tournament LAN Party
This coming Friday, October 29, a friend and I are hosting a Unreal Tournament 2004 LAN Party. If you are in the Northern New Jersey area and would like to join in please post a comment and I’ll get the details to you. It’s been over 2 years since my last real LAN party and I’m anxious for a great night of gaming with friends. Check out some of the past LAN Party events here.
If you can’t make it this time but would like to be notified of any future LAN Parties in the Bergen and Rockland counties please let me know. Gaming online is fun but gaming with people you know and see face to face is even better.
See you on the LAN.
Pine Meadow Lake 360 Panorama
Some places get better as time passes. Perhaps we choose to remember what brings joy to the heart and a smile to the face. Other places are so wonderful that they immediately become favorite spots without the passage of time. The image below is one of the few places that continually appear in my dreams as a wonderful place on earth.
Pine Meadow Lake
Harriman Park New York
Notes: Over 50 images stitched together. Each image shot on manual with autofocus.
Favorite Quote:Men of Genius
“Men of genius do not excel in any profession because they labor in it, but they labor in it because they excel.” -William Hazlitt
Photography Tips From A Prade
HKU: Photography Tips
- Practice at a parade – Everyone will be taking pictures of everyone else. Professional and amateur photographers will be running (and standing) around with cameras taking pictures of the parade, the participants, and the crowds. Join in the fun and take a couple close up pictures that capture the excitement and the moment in the faces of the people who were there.
- Wear a sleeveless vest to conceal your camera – If walking around with a SLR camera makes you self conscious and you feel too obvious wear a un-zippered sleeveless vest. The camera can rest between the zipper and under the folds when moving around the crowd.
- Look for the shots – Uniformity and variation are captivating subjects to photograph. People will be dressed and walking in ordered formations. Wait for the shots and anticipate the crowd.
- Use various camera settings and photography styles – Meter and adjust your camera for the environment but be sure to take some pictures in auto, aperture/shutter priority, and full manual. Each mode will allow you to render the images differently. Full auto isn’t always the best choice.
The last was a personally difficult lesson. As a photography exercise most of my pictures were shot in aperture priority mode. My goal was to soften the background and enhance the focal point. Great idea, poor implementation. My recollection of what large and small f-stop settings did was completely backwards. As a result many of my pictures were poorly exposed.
