Photoshop Examined

Since I'm totally convinced that I'll never have enough time on the planet to learn all the things I'm interested in learning, I try to keep picking up something new to work on in fairly rapidfire order. This year I started with learning how to shoot a compound bow and make my own arrows. Hopefully, those skills will prove to be useful when I head up to visit my Uncle Don in Fargo this November to go deer hunting (something I've never done before).

But before I get up there, I've decided that I want to really find out what Photoshop can do. My original goal was to get skilled enough to let me convert a particular picture of Larry and Gary Green into a "masterpiece" that is both fun and interesting. To do this, I've acquired 4 new books, completed one and have scanned the other 3 as I start on the second and third books ... and they're really great. First I got "Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop" and I've completed the 21 lessons in that book. It's a bit more than an introduction, but it gives extremely straightforward steps using Camera Raw and Photoshop to update good pictures with varying flaws. That gave me most of what I needed to make my new picture ... but it also got me interested in digital photography, raw files, DNG and really understanding how it all works.

The other 3 books I have, that I highly recommend, are "Camera Raw With Adobe Photoshop CS3" by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Schewe, "The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book For Digital Photographers", by Scott Kelby and the "Photoshop CS3 Bible", by Laurie Ulrich Fuller and Robert C. Fuller. The only problem I've had so far with these books is minor. It concerns the "humor" that Scott Kelby interjects into his work. It gets to be a little too much. But I already was aware of this when I bought the second Kelby book ... also filled with practical applications of Photoshop ... and the fact that I bought it (anyway) means that I think it's got many fine teaching examples to offer. Of course, the "Bible" is primarily for reference, which I'll need quite a bit of, I'm sure.

Not wanting to leave things half done, I've now also ordered a Nikon D5000 camera so I can take pictures in raw format and go from "A to Z" in the Photoshop process with some of my own shots. Another experiment in learning ... about to take off. We'll see how it goes.

Fun Golf Day

The last 3.5 weeks of weather here in eastern Iowa have been very much like San Diego. Highs in the low to mid-80's with cool nights. Many days have seen highs in the upper 70's. I suppose it's about to come to an end as we also have had no measurable precipitation for almost 4 weeks and it would be nice to get a little moisture for the lawn. At any rate, the weather has been perfect for ... well, just about anything outdoors. So today I took part in a 4-person best shot tournament at St. Andrews (Cedar Rapids, IA) golf course. Great weather and a great time. We shot 58 (12-under par) and took 2nd in the championship round. That was meaningful since it meant we got back $60 each in prize money. Also, I'm feeling better about another tournament coming up the first Friday in October as I was able to hit the ball pretty well today (I was a bit anxious since it was my very first round of the year), which bodes well for 2 weeks from now.

At the end of the round I took a nice quick bicycle ride as the golf was with golf carts and just not much of a workout. But the weather was just great with light winds and about 75 degrees with some clouds.

Of course, the Vikings and the Hawkeye's winning this weekend also put a positive spin on the entire day. And how 'bout them Bears, beating the Steelers! Who'da thunk it ...

Those of you with sharp eyes may have noticed that my Photoshop training has paid a few dividends as I've updated my profile (and website) pictures (of me) with new versions taken in September. This month and the next are going to be filled with studying Photoshop CS3 and learning how to do more with all the (untouched and un-retouched) pictures I have on my computer. Should be a good time.

So many things to do on this earth ... so little time. Well, at least I'm not wasting what time I do have on the supernatural fantasy world of religion. If I'm going for wasting time with fantasy, it'll be with Lord of the Rings or King Kong or Star Trek or Star Wars or Stargate, etc. At least I won't be deluding myself since I both understand and admit that they're *not* real. Enjoy yourselves, folks, because your time can be over far more quickly than you could ever imagine. And it's what you do while you're here and what you leave behind that matters ...

Hiccups Cure

Most (perhaps all) of us have been in a situation at one time or another where we've had the hiccups. When they do strike, one hopes that it's not at a critical time, such as immediately before or during the making of a presentation. But, of course, that isn't always the case, as Murphy's Law will attest. Furthermore, hiccups are uncomfortable and are annoying to have for any length of time greater than about 1 minute. Well, there's good news ... hiccups are easily curable ... read on.

On at least 3 different occasions with 3 different people (including myself), I've found that there is one sure cure for the hiccups. I'd like to give credit for this idea but I cannot remember where, when, or from whom I acquired it. Regardless of the original source, it's simple to try: gulp down one 1-ounce shot of Rose's Lime Juice. This is a sweetened and concentrated lime juice with extreme "pucker power" (i.e., you won't like it but it's better than cod liver oil). Best known for its use in various alcoholic beverages (Cosmopolitan, Martini, Margarita), this mixer is not alcoholic ... just very effective at eliminating hiccups, immediately. I don't know if the same results may be had when taken in its diluted form, as in a tasty Margarita, but that may be something to try, if you've a mind to. But if the Margarita doesn't work, well, at least it would probably have been fun to try and, afterwards, taking the "straight" stuff might be quite a bit easier on the palate.

So next time you have the hiccups and are at your wit's end about how to get rid of them, try Rose's Lime Juice. It really works ...

Lefty?

I didn't know that Barak was a lefty. However, he did make a pretty good (if a bit wussyful) throw from the mound to home (Pujols was the catcher) to open the All-Star game in St. Louis tonight.

On the bicycle riding front, I have been given a new respect for riders that use single gear bikes. This happened because of an encounter I had yesterday on my usual 14.2 mile circuit with a 30-ish guy riding one. We rode together for about 7 miles and I ended up ahead of him ... but pretty much only because I was able to gain a lot of ground on the downhills, where my higher gears took the day. He was a bear on the uphills, although he did them all standing on the pedals. Tough guy. Well, it was a competitive and fun ride and I ended up with a 2009 best personal time of 46:38 for the route (about 18.2 mph) even with a fairly stiff easterly breeze.

1998 Camry Spark Plug Replacement

I had an interesting time replacing the spark plugs on my 98 Camry (4-cylinder) last week. Based on comments from the dealer (who had done some work for me about a month ago), I knew it was probably time to replace them. Sure enough, a records check showed that it was close to 70,000 miles since I'd put in the last set. I like to use the Bosch Platinum-4 plugs, which are gapless and seem to last a very long time. The Toyota recommended plug is the Platinum-2 but I think you get more spark with the -4.

The engine has recessed openings (spark plug "wells") through the valve cover with a rubber boot at the top covering the wells. At the bottom of each well (about 4 inches down) is a spark plug and, in this case, there are 4 wells. First disconnect the plug wires (they run through the well coverings). Then take a few minutes to blow compressed air down each spark plug well to clean out any possible debris so it doesn't get an opportunity to drop into the engine cylinder when the plug is removed. Removing the plugs is straightforward. Using a 5/8" spark plug socket (with a rubber grip in the middle to hold onto a spark plug), they are easily turned out. The grip in the socket will hold them tightly as they are removed from the individual wells.

The tricky part comes when the new plug is installed. If you choose to try to put the plugs in using the same 5/8" spark plug socket, it will seemingly work fine. But after finishing tightening the plug, the socket will stay at the bottom of the well, firmly holding onto the newly installed spark plug, while the extension and wrench are removed. The problem is that the rubber grip of the spark plug socket is "too good" ... it's much stronger than the holding power of the extension rod that is inserted in the socket to reach the bottom of the well, so the extension rod simply pulls out, leaving the socket. The solution is simple. The installation job requires a deep well 5/8" socket that is *not* a "spark plug" socket. This means that it doesn't have the rubber grip insert to hold the spark plug. You can either purchase an additional socket or use a needle nose pliers and remove the gripper (temporarily) from the spark plug socket you already have. If you remove the gripper, re-installation is aided by rubbing a bit of dishwashing soap on the outside of the grip rubber before pushing it back in to the socket.

At this point, there is concern that the socket might not hold onto the spark plug enough and it might be difficult to reacquire it (the plug) if it drops into the bottom of the well. One solution is to put a 1/4" wide piece of duct tape (what else?) vertically down the outside of the socket, terminating around the bottom edge on the inside. This gives the socket just enough additional grip that it easily holds on to the spark plug as it is inserted into the well. For a new engine block, the specified plug torque is 15 ft lbs. For replacing spark plugs in a used engine (the normal case), use 11 ft lbs of torque. Replace the plug wires (you'll hear a firm click) and make sure the well coverings are in place and the job is done.

Father's Day Re-visited

Nice day today. Later in the afternoon (of 6/27), high pressure moved in and a dry northerly breeze provided some welcome relief from the humidity and heat. The Cubs lost to the White Sox and I took a little nap. But I did sing today at The Villages as they were having a big "picnic" ... that ended up being held inside due to the temperature and humidity still in place at noon. Rousing myself, after my nap, I went out to a Mexican restaurant for an enchilada, chips and some salsa ... very good. Then I stopped out to sing at a friend's karaoke show downtown and left there to find a place to dance. Unfortunately, the only nearby place to dance, a bar called the Red Lion, had music that was *much* too loud (DJ problem, not the equipment itself) ... so I quickly gave up on that and decided to come home and finish a book I'd been reading. After the book, I was re-energized and went out to listen to some singers and then, about 12:30am on the 28th, I got home and decided it would be good to watch my Father's Day present, Gran Torino. It's a great movie that goes well with coffee, Hot Tamales and M&M's. So I thank my sons (again) for that movie ... and I'm sure I'll watch it again as time goes by.

Well, tomorrow (later today) I need to do some work on the bicycle and also change plugs in the car. We'll see what else transpires to make it another great day.

363 Days to Father's Day

Yesterday was my 31st Father's Day ... it was a good one, although Tiger did not play very well at the U.S. Open. I spent the day walking, riding bicycle, walking some more and watching the U.S. Open Golf Championship. The boys sent me a BluRay movie, Gran Torino, which arrived today. And it's really getting warm out ... good thing too, since it's already the 2nd day of summer! On today's bicycle ride, the heat was palpable as I heard and felt the road's tar bubbles under the tires. Good sweatin' weather. This evening I had dinner at Carlos O'Kelly's (Mexican restaurant) and watched the fireworks show (right out my back window) over at Hiawatha Hogwild days. I tell 'ya, it's really exciting around here!

I sang using my new Fender PD250 amp system this evening ... and it worked really well, according to both me and the audience. That was my test run in preparation for Saturday's show where I'll be singing outdoors. Frankly, I think it's probably not the greatest idea in the world to have an outdoor party in 90+ degree weather at a rest home ... well, ours is not to question why ... I just hope the audience is successful at *not* keeling over .

It'll be a fun time ... good night.