Tag: Galaxy S24 Ultra

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 5, 20259:27 pm

The State of the Union

The U.S. Federal government is undergoing dramatic transformation, as President Donald Trump unleashes a nearly daily torrent of executive orders. Entire agencies are being gutted and/or face dissolution.

The poster child, so to speak, is U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which by statute delivers humanitarian aid across the globe. On Jan. 20, 2025, the Commander-in-Chief “implemented a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance“, while the organization’s future is being evaluated. Meanwhile, firings and other actions shake up FBI, Dept. Education, and other agencies.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 30, 20258:17 pm

Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra Arrive Way Early

The new Samsung smartphones ship, officially, on Feb. 7, 2025, so I was quite surprised to receive email that ours would arrive today. They did—the S25 for my wife and the Ultra for me.

The company makes yearly upgrades too easy, with launch trade-in and other offers. My S25 Ultra is the 1TB model, for which Samsung shaved $1,140 off the price, bringing the total to less than what I paid for the same capacity S24 a year ago. The same goes for the S25: Less than the S24, with $550 discounted. Annie has the model with 256GB storage, which is the maximum available.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 24, 20257:21 pm

Creature Feature

Sometimes, it’s not what you shoot but why. On Nov. 10, 2024, while walking along an alley in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights, my wife and I passed a collection of kids’ toys looking down from a roof.

Initially, I continued on, then stopped, when mentally revisualizing the scene. Sulley the monster appears to be holding up the metal bar. I assume that was the intention of the person putting the Disney character there, but it could be coincidence, too.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 23, 20258:22 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Mango Cat

While walking along Meade Avenue, on Jan. 20, 2025, I turned to see what was the movement behind a fence. A (possibly senior) cat sat grooming. I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and put the 10x zoom capabilities to work.

Vitals, for the Featured Image: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/800 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 1:49 p.m. PST. Real name: Mango Cat. I love it. We visited briefly, then off he departed.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 14, 20259:54 pm

Fly Me to the Moon

Desert weather conditions are Southern California’s temporary climate, as the Santa Ana winds whip through. Their ferocity fanned fires that destroyed large swaths of Los Angeles County neighborhoods Altadena and Pacific Palisades, during the past week. The two largest fires, Eaton and Palisades, are marginally contained—35 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Fire warnings remain in effect until at least tomorrow afternoon.

By contrast, here in San Diego, risk remains but nowhere as high as Los Angeles. Skies are clear, and wildfires are negligent. Nights are blisteringly cold and days delightfully warm, all unseasonably. When I got out of bed this morning, around 4:30 a.m. PST, the outside temperature was, according to the Android weather app, 4 degrees Celsius (40 Fahrenheit) with 38 percent humidity. By mid-afternoon: 21 C (70 F) and 11 percent humidity. That’s very desert-like.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 10, 20259:26 pm

Hey, Birdie

One of my neighbors puts out food for just about every kind of critter that lives in University Heights—the exception being coyotes. As such, she has possums, racoons, and skunks strutting into her yard at night. The day belongs to birds, butterflies, cats, and dogs, among others.

While we visited on Nov. 27, 2024, a white-crowned sparrow dropped by for a bite of breakfast. I easily captured the Featured Image, using Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/125 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 9:51 a.m. PST. Composed as shot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 8, 20259:16 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Tip and Tap

We break from the back of the queue to nearly the front. My wife and I passed this apparent bonded pair while walking home from Pizza Hut, Dec. 23, 2024. We fetched our Christmas pie a day earlier than we typically do. You want holiday ham? Fine. We’re Super Supreme lovers, without the black olives.

These two live just inside the neighborhood boundary (North Park starts on the next block). I used Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 12:49 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 5, 20259:24 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Blush

I warned you. A deluge of furballs is arriving, as we clear out the massive backlog of unpublished putty-tats. This frightened ginger is frequently seen in the same yard as Topcat. I don’t know if they’re residents or community cats who are fed and loved.

Similarly, I held back the feline, hoping to see the owner and ask for the real name. Well, that hasn’t happened, and the time for waiting longer ends today. I choose nickname Blush, for demeanor.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 4, 20258:59 pm

Afternoon Delight

San Diego’s three-summer season means squirrels, and lots of other wildlife, are active year-long. Why hibernate when foodstuffs continually grow, and the days are warm and lovely? The sounds of crows, and the occasional parrots, almost drown out the constant cacophony of residential construction (new builds are everywhere).

I spotted the subject of the Featured Image, clutching an afternoon snack, on Dec. 18, 2024. The portrait comes from Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/60 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 2:37 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 2, 20259:37 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Creamsicle

As promised, the parade of pussyfoots begins, with one encountered just a few months ago. You will later meet others that have languished in the queue since at least 2023.

This orange and white carries the distinction of being the one-hundred-fifth feline seen along Alabama Street, somewhere between boundaries Adams and Lincoln, since the series‘ start in October 2016. That’s out of 596 profiles, including this one.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 31, 20249:50 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Kitten

We close 2024 with what you will see too much of during January and February: Cats! The backlog of unpublished kitties is massive, so time is long past to dispatch them all. The first of the bunch jumps to the front of queue.

I used Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to capture the Featured Image on December 2 at 10:03 a.m. PST. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 200, 1/120 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom). Nickname: Kitten. Location: Somewhere along Georgia Street.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 29, 20244:36 pm

Use Artificial Intelligence to Make Journalists Journalists Again

Among the major problems with today’s news reporting is sourcing. Writers generate stories from Instagrams or TikToks. They take Reddit posts and treat them as gospel (praise, Jesus!). They second- or third-source from blogs, X-posts, or other news sites. Instead, reporters should source firsthand.

If you don’t directly engage someone, you don’t know what’s true. Hearsay isn’t admissible in court and surely shouldn’t be permissible in journalism. I understand that time is a problem when employers impose quotas in an attempt to pay homage to the Great Google God of search. But that’s no excuse for poor sourcing.