So why does one dog get let outside but not the other? Who is the second fido, anyway? I had no idea that Sybil, whom you met in August 2021, had a housemate. The Featured […]
Category: Samsung
Not Hello, But Another Goodbye
The last of my Mac gear is gone. This morning, I packed up and shipped off the 11-inch iPad Pro M1 acquired two years ago—coincidentally, also on May 31. Galaxy Tab S8+ replaces the Apple slate, for which Samsung gives generous trade-in credit.
Among my three computing devices, tablet is by far the most used, easily exceeding both laptop and smartphone. For the longest time, iPad has been the only choice, although over the years several Androids contended for my affections: Nexus 7, Nexus 9, Nexus 10, and Pixel C; also Chrome OS-based Pixel Slate. Switching was no simple decision but was made in a larger Apple abandonment that started in mid-December 2022. I bid goodbye to 16.2-inch MacBook Pro and iPhone 13 Pro during the same month.
The Devil’s Doors
Well, the Featured Image is sure to offend somebody. Others might cheer the implications. The doors stand outside one of the churches in San Diego neighborhood Hillcrest. By no coincidence, the institution flies rainbow flag.
I can’t resist. In Matt. 7:13, Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (NASB). My question for you: Are six doors of inclusion a “narrow gate?”
‘Feed Me! Please?’
The fine family that owns ginger cat Daniel Tiger also keeps three chickens. Typically, a jar of feed is placed in a caddy on the fence so that neighbors can greet and treat the birds. But, today, when my wife and I walked by, the glass wasn’t half full, so to speak, but empty. We had nothing to share, and, oh, did the hens want some.
When we slipped out of the apartment between loads of washed and drying laundry, I left behind Leica Q2. To capture the moment, I relied on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, choosing the Portrait mode that creates bokeh—or the illusion of blurred background.
For the Love of Ducks
I don’t know San Diego’s Balboa Park well enough to identify the Featured Image‘s exact location. Metadata and Google Maps indicate the Lily Pond, so let’s assume that to be correct.
The ducks made quite the splash when I came upon them on April 20, 2023. I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to shoot the quackers. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/2000 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 4:08 p.m. PDT.
Ramblin’ Rose
I may regret the Featured Image tomorrow, but it looks pretty good tonight. Admission: My judgement cannot be trusted. Today’s routine eye exam included the dreaded dilation, which blurs my vision. My ability to appropriately assess composition or image quality is unreliable.
The wicked, but temporary, enlargement of my pupils obliterated any meaningful outdoor routine until early evening under a Marine Layer that never lifted. By 7:32 p.m. PDT, with sunset officially 14 minutes away, deep dusk had already set in when, finally walking, I passed the white rose bushes.
A Survivor Meets Her Saviors
Our daughter’s best friend received the phone call that she was in an ambulance and hospital bound on March 2, 2023. She was discovered in severe distress during the late afternoon. Her heart stopped enroute, and she suffered cerebral anoxia—meaning no oxygen to the brain. The trauma unit quickly cooled her body; the term is therapeutic hypothermia.
Two hours later, paramedics wheeled in another patient suffering similar situation. He didn’t make it. I later learned that ICU staff rallied for our daughter after losing the other patient. But she was completely unresponsive for the first two full days. “It has been found that only about 12 percent of patients who have been comatose for more than six hours after a cardiac arrest make a good recovery”, according UK-based brain injury association Headway. That statistic might in part explain why we were offered option to suspend treatment and let our only child pass away—on her second day at the hospital.
The Golden Man
Following up yesterday’s “The Photobomber“, we come to the intended subject of that photo—the golden man in the Featured Image and two companions. When passing him in San Diego’s Balboa Park on April 20, 2023, I was puzzled. He hung so still to the lamppost, I wondered if he was some statue—which there are a few round about. Then he moved, startling me and breaking my stare.
In the first of the three shots—all from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra—he looks at approaching people. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/310 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 3:14 p.m. PDT; composed as shot. Unfortunately, none of the trio aptly captures just how gold painted is his face.
Audacious Advertising
While driving our car to the auto shop for routine maintenance, today, I passed an intriguing billboard along Adams Avenue in San Diego neighborhood Normal Heights. Sentiment “People Matter” makes perfect sense. But not too long ago, and perhaps still, “all lives matter” was taboo response to the “black lives matter” crowd. Does this advert push boundaries? Is “people matter” all that different from “all lives matter”—regardless the different context? You tell me.
I am a big fan of offending people, of pushing their buttons, so to speak. We all need to feel uncomfortable from time to time, so that we think. So if “people matter” offends you, good! And because everyone matters, why should inclusivity of all colors be bothersome? Now, let’s get to the context, which is nothing about race relations.
My Pixel Tablet Turnabout
Let’s recap: In December 2022, my wife and I decided to wildly change computing platforms; we wanted freedom from Apple. On the 8th, I ordered Surface Laptop 5 for her and Surface Laptop Studio for me from Microsoft Store. Hers: 13.5-inch touchscreen (2256 x 1504 resolution); 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1255U processor; 16GB RAM; 512GB SSD. Mine: 14.4-inch touchscreen (2400 x 1600 resolution); quad-core 11th-generation Intel Core H35 i7-11370H processor; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics; 32GB RAM; 2TB SSD.
Two days later, I ordered Galaxy S22 and S22 Ultra direct from Samsung. Both smartphones arrived on the 15th. Storage: 256GB for her; 512GB for me—both free, double capacity upgrades during the manufacturer’s holiday promotion. Unexpectedly, in mid-February, I traded up for the spanking new S23 Ultra. What stayed: Both our iPads, as I waited to see what new tablets Google, or perhaps Samsung, would bring to market this year. Recap over, the rest of the post explains what happened and why.
Parrot Love
I want you to click “Birds on a Wire” and compare to the Featured Image. See the differences between what a camera can produce versus that of a smartphone. The 2018 close crop comes from Leica M (Typ 262) and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens. The newer shot, taken yesterday, is a product of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s 10x zoom. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/1250 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 12:04 p.m. PDT; composed as captured.
If I had to choose, no brainer: 50mm cropped from the rangefinder versus 230mm from the mobile. The S23 Ultra’s tiny sensor, for all the software computational magic, can’t compete with the full-frame shooter—at least in a situation where I expected telephoto reach to be meaningful asset.
Not a Good Sign
I picked poor time to go to Trader Joe’s for organic whole milk—as you can see from the Featured Image, which comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 16, 1/160 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 4:54 p.m. PDT, yesterday.
Meanwhile, I prepare for a different outage calamity. Today, my webhost sent the dreaded, but expected, email that this site will, ah, migrate with 24 hours. I have no choice about the matter, and no amount of assurances about safe, seamless, and sure migration instills me with confidence that catastrophe isn’t imminent.