Tag: Neko

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 31, 20249:32 pm

My Cat Wants to Know: Why Use a Digital Camera?

I ask the question, too. I love my Leica Q2, but—increasingly leave it at home. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is good enough shooter for more than 90 percent of any of the photographic opportunities.

The smartphone is always present, quick to use, and immensely versatile. Consider, for example, the three optical focal lengths—23mm, 70mm, and 115mm—plus the hybrid digital-optical 230mm. Colors are accurate across all four focal lengths; 50– and 200-megapixel options are available; manual controls are outstanding alternative to the excellent auto mode; and RAW shooting is available. Then there are the ever-useful AI-editing capabilities.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 27, 20249:10 pm

Why Not the Cat Tree?

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is among the best computers that I have owned. One compelling feature/benefit: Construction. The Magnesium and Aluminum case is super sturdy—and today our cat Neko put it to the test. Unfortunately.

I plugged in to charge during a time in the afternoon when sunlight blankets the desk in my office. To reduce heat, I covered the Laptop Studio, an action that should have been recognized as an invitation to the cat; warm spot on a rectangular shape.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 22, 20249:26 pm

Cali Catnaps

This afternoon, I seized a rare opportunity to take a portrait of Cali sun slumbering on the Katris blocks in my home office. While she sleeps there often enough, the Tortie rarely so perfectly presents herself, and the illumination exposes fine fur detail otherwise obscured.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/430 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 3:50 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 30, 202310:51 pm

Nestling Neko

I scrapped my planned post, in the interest of time. My daughter needed help with health insurance stuff (open enrollment ends tomorrow for January coverage). Of course, she has to do everything by text message, which quadruples the amount of time necessary to do anything. I can more quickly explain and better keep a train of thought talking versus typing (on the phone screen).

The Featured Image was quickly taken, using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, so that I could write about something. Neko chills with the plushie purchased for Annie during a recent trip to the Ralph’s supermarket in Hillcrest. She kind of liked it, and Christmas themed things were on sale.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 15, 20239:26 pm

The Sunbathers

This morning, I poked my head into the bedroom and spied an unusual sight: Our cats Cali and Neko nestled close (enough) together soaking sunlight. Outdoors temperature soared to 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) on this fine Friday before Christmas. I often say San Diego has three seasons: early Summer, mid Summer, and late Summer.

The single shot, quickly taken, comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/325 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 11:11 a.m. PST. The Featured Image is composed as shot, but lightly edited. On Samsung Galaxy S9 Ultra, I used Google Photo’s Magic Eraser tool to remove an annoying, and large, tag from the striped blanket.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 11, 202310:09 pm

Neko Nestles

As the hunt for my neighbor’s missing kitty Bruce continues, I take a moment to regard one of our two felines. Neko has started to occasionally nap on the bed in my old office, which is now our daughter’s bedroom. She moved into our apartment on April 11, 2023, as part of recovery from a traumatic event, which her medical record describes as “severe hypoxic injury and bilateral subcortical infarctions”. Her progress so far is nothing short of miraculous, considering where she was on March 2. That said, doctors have counseled us to expect one to two years for her brain to heal as much as it will ever.

Our girl’s arrival kind of sent the cats (Cali is the other) into exile from one of their main rooms in the residence. But the Featured Image, taken today using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, shows how Neko is starting to share territory with our girl. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 125, 1/60 sec, 70mm; 10:40 a.m. PDT; composed as shot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 14, 202310:23 pm

Peek-a-Mew

Keeping things simple tonight, and a bit more cheerful, I share something sweet and silly. Neko hides in one of two blankets that Annie and I received following our blessed marriage ceremony in Korea on Jan. 12, 1989. I can’t find the original file; this comes from a Google Photos backup.

I used Fujifilm X-E1 to capture the Featured Image, on Nov. 24, 2013. Vitals: f/4, ISO 3200, 1/28 sec, 55mm; 4:32 p.m. PST. This camera, like its successors, is greatly underrated. Detail here is sharp, even at higher ISO.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 30, 20228:23 pm

Cali Peeks

The annual eye exam to check my implants leaves me somewhat visually impaired this evening. Nearly 10 hours later, my pupils are still quite dilated, which makes reading and writing somewhat challenging. So I am posting something short but hopefully worthwhile. You tell me.

The Featured Image, taken using iPhone 13 Pro on Oct. 20, 2022, was quickly composed after realizing that from the right vantage Cali appears to be hidden behind the catnip plant. She stretches on the desk beneath our dining room window. Our other kitty is hefty ginger Neko.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 28, 202210:19 pm

Ten Years with Neko

On this day in 2012, my wife and I brought home the ginger that the County of San Diego Animal Services called Dermott. We renamed him Neko, which is Japanese for cat. The shelter took him in on February 15. We would have first seen him on either the 18th or 25th; I don’t recall which but am confident a Saturday. Because he was so handsome, we were surprised to see him on subsequent visits.

Our Maine Coon mix, Kuma, disappeared on January 15. After city workers recovered his collar in a nearby canyon, we had to assume that a coyote took him. But being ever hopeful not, I checked the shelter website most evenings and we walked through the facility every few days looking. All the while, Dermott remained unclaimed, and we soon learned why.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 8, 20217:10 am

Neko Chills

This is what knowing you’re handsome looks like. The Featured Image comes from iPhone 13 Pro on Nov. 4, 2021. Vitals: f/1.5, ISO 50, 1/1209 sec, 26mm; 10:07 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 1, 20219:27 pm

Neko in the Blades

We let outside one of our two cats for romps in the apartment building courtyard. Neko is older, slower, and too big to fit under the front gate. Cali is younger, quicker, and skinny enough to squeeze through in pursuit of birds or squirrels. He asks to go outdoors, she doesn’t (thankfully). Today, Neko played hide-and-seek, so to speak, among the center area greenery. I happened to be carrying Leica Q2, because we (Annie and me) had prepped for a neighborhood walk before letting the fluffball walkabout; supervised, as usual.

The Featured Image is nearly a 100-percent crop. Yep, the camera captures loads of detail—and I can trust the autofocus, even shooting through foliage. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 1:43 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 17, 20219:18 pm

He Wants You to Celebrate Freedom

The Wilcox family lived nearly 10 years in our old apartment, located in San Diego’s University Heights neighborhood. Except briefly for one or two bad rain storms, the small window by the front door stayed […]