Category: Tech

Leica by Joe WilcoxNov 22, 20173:17 pm

My Best Office Ever

The workspace in our new apartment is something for me to be immensely grateful for this Thanksgiving. While the smaller of two bedrooms, one benefit is larger: The expansive window that looks out onto the street. Hehe, the cats and I share the view, which is on the same side of the building as our living room wrap-arounds. The dimensions offer better usable area than the larger room from our old flat.

The Featured Image, captured at 5:27 p.m. PST yesterday, using Leica Q, shows the view from the doorway. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/2.8, ISO 2000, 1/60 sec, 28mm. My vintage Guerciotti bike, held upright by Saris “The Boss” stand, is in the foreground. Looking straight down from the roadster to the wall is the Casabelle Mail Center, which I purchased from Pier 1 Imports in late-Spring 2009 for use as my primary writing place. I now mostly use the handsome piece for storage and as pseudo-standup desk.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 20, 20178:30 am

The Cats of University Heights: Bella

For the second time in three days, I saw someone walking a leashed-kitty down Alabama Street. The previous occassion, passing by on my bike without camera or smartphone, no photo was possible. But this morning, I hauled out for an early-sun jaunt, with Leica Q in tow.

Just beyond Madison, approaching Mission, I came upon a woman walking her slim, quickly-striding cat. I asked to shoot pics of the beastie—Bella. She was more than willing and didn’t seem to mind my lying down on the street and sidewalk; she apologized about the shorthair moving so quickly. I observed great determination and will in the pace.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 16, 20178:15 pm

Neko Poses

I couldn’t resist. Last night I close cropped in on Neko, from an original photo captured earlier in the day and posted to flaunt our apartment’s living room windows. The Featured Image that you see […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 15, 20172:26 pm

Look at This!

One of our new apartment’s major benefits is the wrap-round corner windows that look out onto the street. I have arranged Katris blocks to make a catwalk beneath for Cali (right) and Neko to look out—and, oh, do they. The view is human-pleasing, too, but more for its expansiveness than the sights.

The Featured Image, captured at 1:21 p.m. PST today using Leica Q, shows the anxious kitties looking out at squirrels. One of them scurries up the tree that is a couple meters from the glass, then typically stays still in the branches. Poor Cali goes absolutely nuts, when he does. She runs from room to room looking out; there are street-facing windows above the bathroom and also my office desk.

Apple by Joe WilcoxNov 8, 20176:10 pm

Artifacts: MacBook Air

In late December 2014, I commanded: “Writers, Own Your Content“, because if you don’t it may some day be gone. They say the Internet never forgets. Oh, but it does, as I so bitterly learned—you shouldn’t need to repeat my mistakes; heed my advice.

For today’s remembrance, I wanted to link to an amazing Apple Store customer service story from 2008. Turns out, it’s gone. I didn’t post to my personal site as I had thought but to the long defunct Apple Watch blog, which Ziff Davis Enterprise evaporated not long following my layoff about a year later. The detailed experiential account was priceless. Now the content is worthless. This should never happen to you.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 6, 20172:54 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Johnny

The series exits from hiatus, during which my family changed residences in the neighborhood. It’s catchup time! We resume with a Coon-like beauty who reminds me of our long-lost Kuma. But the nose, and his distinctive scar, are missing. I nickname the pretty feline Season, for no particular reason.

We encountered each other, from a distance, on Oct. 11, 2017, as I walked from Park Blvd. The cat traipsed up a hill as I approached but stopped long enough for 10 fast portraits shot with iPhone 7 Plus. The Featured Image is a close-crop, meant to give illusion of being in the wild. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 20, 1/1030 sec, 6.6mm; 11:34 a.m. PDT.

Leica by Joe WilcoxNov 4, 20177:44 pm

iPhone X: A First Impression

I may have been unlucky scoring a San Diego Comic-Con 2018 pass during Early Registration, but the previous day Verizon Wireless processed my iPhone X order for delivery on launch day—November 3rd. Now that was […]

Leica by Joe WilcoxNov 1, 20179:38 pm

Saris ‘The Boss’ Bike Stand

I prepared, in changing residences here in University Heights, to abandon my beloved, vintage Guerciotti bicycle; the roadster was a self-given birthday present, four years ago. Our new apartment has no garage and, as such, considerably less storage space.

However, because we downsized the spare bed from full to twin, and because of the better dimensions of the room replaced, place could be eked out for my classic bike. Using a stackable stand, Annie could keep her bicycle, too. But she chose to let it go.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 26, 201712:14 pm

An Indoor Cat’s Worst Nightmare

The squirrel that drives Cali crazy sits in the tree outside the living room window. I captured the Featured Image through the glass, using Leica Q, at 11:41 a.m. PDT today. I had to compose […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 26, 201710:57 am

Cali Squirrel Watches

I was mistaken when stating, before we moved into our new apartment, that cats Cali and Neko wouldn’t have as much to eyeball compared to the vantage down the alley from our previous second-floor view. They spend more time at the windows watching birds and other wildlife and less demanding our attention as relief from boredom.

In the front room, along the wrap-around windows, three Katris sets make a cat walk where Cali fixates over a squirrel that lives in a tree just outside. I could reach out and touch the leaves if not for the screen being there (thankfully). The view from my office looks out onto the same street. There sits my Belham Living Everett Mission Writing Desk, which hutch makes a great perch for the animals. Cali will run between rooms when the squirrel moves. She’s a smart one.

Apple by Joe WilcoxOct 25, 20174:19 pm

Artifacts: Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder

The process of moving residences after 10 years is opportunity to assess objects—and their value to keep or part with and what they once meant. Our garage is a treasure trove of memories and missives, like the Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder, which I ordered from Amazon on June 9, 2010. Strangely, perhaps ironically, the purpose for which I purchased the device made it obsolete.

On Oct. 12, 2017, I pulled the voice recorder from a box, where it was carefully coddled in a protective case. But both batteries had ruptured, and their acid apparently damaged the circuitry. After being cleaned and receiving fresh AAs, the LS-10 stubbornly refused to power up. Strange that it looks so new and ready to use. No more. I shot the Featured Image with Leica Q. Record button is focal point. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/60 sec, 28mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 17, 20176:25 am

The Cats of University Heights: Captain Blackbeard

One year ago today, I started this series with grainy photo of a presumed stray I nicknamed Scruffy. The plan was to post pics I had recently taken, and to add a few more, before wrapping up within a few weeks or as long as a month. I had no concept of the number of kitties that there were, or are, around the neighborhood—more than 100 featured so far.

We celebrate the anniversary with Captain Blackbeard, who yesterday evening relaxed on house steps below a sweet, 6-month old girl and her friendly dad. “He came with the name”, the gent said about his pet, observing that the beard is more white. The feline spends more time indoors, but gets occasional outside romps, and he has been with the family for about 3 months.