I have started reading the Strobist blog and it got me playing. Its all about everything photography lighting. Lots of relay great stuff. It inspired me for a couple of days. Trying different things, in the last 3 days I have taken about more than 200 pictures of my self. I decided to keep two of them. This one is one that really strikes me.

This makes me look downright scary. Nothing special here. I just have my smirk of a smile, ( I can't smile properly, apparently ) and a look in my eyes that is just a little unsettling. Now the really scary part is that I wasn't trying to make a scary face. That is just me, waiting for the blinking light of my camera's timer.

Has anyone else seen themselves in a picture or video and been surprised at how they look? Ether scary like me here or even Why the hell was I so excited!

The NY Times has a story about Tesla Motors asking for a $400M piece of the $25B in automotive bailout money. Randall Stross clearly doesn't think they should get any of it. Complaining that Tesla is merely making cars for the rich, and asking why tax payers should pay for any of it. Honestly I'm almost with him on that part.

Tesla has a very long waiting list of people who already spent $109,000 for their cars. Even with that money already in they are having trouble making ends meet. That's just poor business.

However what they are doing is too important to let them go under. None of the major auto makers wants to make cars that don't have ICEs. Mostly because electric cars have virtually zero maintenance cost. Rotate the tires and refill the washer fluid twice a year. That's it. They will run a decade before they need anything else. At that point you buy a new battery that lasts longer, and your good for another ten years. Also the roadster is simply the beginning. If they get the money, in two years they will produce a 4 door sedan for around $50K. In every way it is an investment in the future

Tesla is currently further along with this technology than anyone else in the world. $400M is literally pocket change compared to what the government spend money on. When was the last time you heard anything about sombody requesting less than $10B from the government? If they say they need $400 million, I say give them a Billion. Make them the next big auto manufacturer. The market desperately needs a kick in the pants. Tesla is trying to deliver it.

Today my sister and I worked on a Christmas gift for our father. In this case the camera was high enough on the tripod that I couldn't see through the view finder, so the framing was a best guess sort of thing. She really liked this one, for some reason. It is kind of cool looking but I'm not that big on it as a portrait. I'm all OOF and cropped out even more than she is... Actually now that I think about it... that might be why she liked this one :)

Hey everybody! Congrats to me! This is my 200th blog post since switching to Habari back in March '07.

Now I get to use this mini milestone to wish all Americans a Great Thanksgiving!

I found this pic online sorry it's not one of mine.

I don't often review new albums but this one was compelling for a number of reasons.

I am this time because Guns N' Roses is a classic Rock Icon, and rock icon's don't make comeback albums after 15 years. Also I was never a Guns 'N Roses fan. I didn't dislike them at all, but I never bought or even heard an album. I've only ever known... you know, the popular songs that you hear all over. So I though it would be good to give a GNR ignorant opinion about their latest album. The main reason that put me over the top, was that fact that they managed to do what Metallica hasn't done. The made a good sounding album.

Yes I know Not this dynamic range crap again! I'm sorry, but yes I have to. I really like the songs on both Chinese Democracy, and Death Magnetic. However Death Magnetic sounds like shit. The dynamics have been almost completely leveled out, making it sound like loud noise. Apparently Guns 'N Roses are aware of this trend, and wanted the album to sound like what their fans remember. So I can say it sounds truly fantastic. Crank it up and it really makes you feel the music. Major props to Guns 'N Roses.

Alright. With all that technical audiophile crap out of the way, the songs are very cool. It's very clear they spend a lot of time on this album. Every song sounds meticulously crafted with purpose. Each one musicly (is that a word) evokes the perfect emotions to complement the lyrics. It's just all kinds of perfect. I fully expect them to win a Grammy for this.