Category: Tech

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 16, 20249:04 pm

More Music in the Park

The day’s mild weather got me looking at past outdoor photos of people gathered together. The Featured Image is a discard for post “Bluegrass and Monochrome“. The close-crop comes from Leica Q2 Monochrom on July 22, 2022. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/4, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, 28mm; 7:33 p.m. PDT.

Setting: Old Trolley Barn Park in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. The community sponsors a concert series for four Fridays every summer—but interrupted during SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 restrictions.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 15, 202410:27 pm

Garden Supper

Among the many benefits of Leica Q2, or any camera from the series, are dedicated manual focus and macro modes—activated by turning dedicated rings around the lens barrel. I used the latter feature when taking the Featured Image and companion, which were close-cropped in post-production.

I captured the pair yesterday. Vitals, aperture manually set for both: f/4, ISO 100, 1/1250 sec, 28mm; 4:27 p.m. PDT. The second is the same but 1/1600 sec, two minutes later.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 14, 20249:11 pm

Stormy Sky

Another day, another cloud formation looms. Because of forecast Santa Ana winds blowing from the East and bringing warmer temperatures, I started the morning wearing shorts. One walk later, and I had donned blue jeans. Brrr. Yes, wind whipped but chilly.

Mid-afternoon, unforecasted heavy rain—and hail—fell with a vengeance. Sitting in the cozy, comfortable backseat of our car, reading, I enjoyed the fierce torrent from Mother Nature. (What was she so mad about?) You wonder: Why use the vehicle like a public library? Warmth and quiet.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 12, 20249:53 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Scuff

This afternoon, my wife and I walked by the alley house where we sometimes see Steppy. Not only was the Tux there but another scruffy kitty ate from his (or her) food dish. While I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the cat finished eating and moved off when seeing me set up the shot.

For fur color that looks like its dirty (and isn’t), this fine feline earns nickname Scuff. I have passed by Steppy often over the years. Occasionally, Pepto ventures into the alley. But Scuff is a first-sighting.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 11, 202410:08 pm

You Can Be Too Popular

If buzz is the measure of success, Fujifilm X100VI is camera of the year. Reviewers swoon, sales soar, and an order backlog means some people will wait until summer to get one—if not longer. The fixed-lens compact’s predecessor has been hard to come by for ages, in part because of adoption and hype by social media influencers.

The same crowd is gaga for the sixth shooter in the series. For the record, I wouldn’t buy one—and content creator crazies rank as my top reason. I love this series of cameras and owned several of them, starting with the original, X100, back in the ancient year of 2011. I also acquired later variants X100T and X100F. But something about the thing being a fad—and Fuji catering to the clamoring mob—kills the allure.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 10, 20247:09 pm

One Sunday Morning

I will refrain from complaining about today’s change to Daylight Saving Time and instead focus on the Featured Image, which is the first of four hipshots taken this morning using Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/8, ISO 100, 1/200 sec, 28mm; 11:30 a.m. PDT. Composed as captured; presented to keep the sign in frame.

I passed quite the commotion outside the brewery/eatery located at Park Blvd and Madison. A long line of people waited for service—these were regularly dressed folks. A line of bicycles parked nearby, with riders outfitted for the road. For context: I talked on the phone to one of my sisters when walking by; every conversation eventually defaults to Dad’s decline.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 8, 20249:41 pm

Sudo @Work

Could I possibly take any longer unboxing the @Work Series of Android Collectibles? The unveiling started in February 2023, and two more remain after this one. Patience pays, as they say, and slow-going is more meaningful than planned. Seven months ago, Google revised the look of Android branding, which is reflected in newer figurines from Dead Zebra. I don’t much like the more humanoid shape that is barely robotic.

Today we debut Chef / Baker / Food Service. That’s Sudo on his shirt; is he preparing sushi, perhaps? Whatever, watch out for that knife, if one of those razor sharp Japanese brands hawked during late-night TV informercials.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 7, 202410:16 pm

Look What Happened to Odi and Friends

Perhaps we should save Samsung’s AI-driven colorization capability for older black and white photos, for which more can be forgiven. In the Gallery app on Galaxy S24 Ultra, I converted a more modern shot to color and the result, while not bad, isn’t good.

Look at the Featured Image and observe the green nose of the woman next to Odi, for example.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 6, 202410:14 pm

For Burgers, Cross the Street

Two days a week, a food truck selling—you guessed it—vegan street food sets up on the North Park side of Texas. Across El Cajon Blvd on the University Heights side of the street is McDonald’s for anyone craving carb-and-protein-rich alternatives, like Big Mac.

I have yet to get a good shot of the truck, mainly because of vehicular obstructions. The sign has been challenging, too, but I got a singular opportunity on Dec. 8, 2023. The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/1.7, ISO 100, 1/5000 sec, 28mm; 11:57 a.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 5, 202410:15 pm

Super Tuesday 2024

Across San Diego County, more than 145 drop boxes are placed to receive ballots, which California mailed to all registered voters. Today, the state held primary elections, including President of the United States. Fifteen other states commenced primaries on this Super Tuesday.

My wife and I unexpectedly used a drop box, rather than continue our customary practice of voting in person. Annie felt poorly, and I am juggling family matters. We don’t expect Dad to live through the week. But he is still conscious and cognizant, receives visitors (whoa, the county sheriff, among many others), or makes and receive phone calls. But Dad’s strength and vitality ebb away, and his decline increases. My sister was right urging us both to fly to Maine—she from Florida—over the weekend of Feb. 16, 2024.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 2, 20249:41 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Lavish

For the first Caturday of March, we meet a stout shorthair seen on Cleveland Ave.—the first of three on the same day, which is more than the total number for the previous two years. What’s up with that, suddenly?

I used Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to capture the Featured Image, which is composed as shot and straight from the smartphone; no edits. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/200 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 9:52 a.m. PST, Feb. 24, 2024. Nickname: Lavish, for appearing so fine, posed, posh, and regal.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 1, 202410:41 pm

What These Flowers Mean

The Featured Image is a memory marker. I shall explain. The grass on this property is rarely overgrown like this. But the woman responsible for tending things has lost the privilege of doing so. For reasons of protected privacy, I choose not to show the building.

One of my neighbors is in the process of losing her home. Supposedly she will be duly compensated, but what she wants is to stay in the neighborhood she knows and loves, living out her life in a house her grandmother once owned.