AridzonaShooter: Ramblings

First, go read what Dave has to say about desktop O/Ss here.  (Note: either right-click and open a new tab, or click the link to open a new browser window, which you can close to come right back here.

Now, Dave's a pro at this geek stuff.  I'm not, and don't (usually) pretend to be.  But I can attest to everything he says. 

Some background: until we moved out of the sticks'n'bricks house last year, we ran two desktops and a laptop, all WIntel boxes.  One XP, one dual-boot 98SE and Xandros Linux, and the laptop was a 98 machine.  We were on a cable modem with the computers on a wired network.  While I didn't run the exact same suite of anti-malware that Dave describes, I did run some the same and some functional equivalents.   I also ran PC Tools Registry Mechanic.

Robert Bruce Thompson's answer to the problem is Linux.  Specifically Xandros.  The Linux product worked pretty well, except there were things I wanted and needed to do that were either difficult, impossible, or I didn't want to take the time to learn.   As an aside, I will be installing Xandros on this laptop, but haven't gotten a tuit.  Soon.  Real Soon Now.  Probably.

But I'm sorry, penguin folk, Linux ain't ready for Aunt Minnie.  Almost, but not quite.

So what we had was a situation where I was constantly updating the anti-virus, firewall, o/s and anti-spy ware products.  And then running scans for each one.  On three machines.

The good news is that we never experienced an attack.  But the cost of that protection was hours of time that I could have used doing more interesting stuff, even if it was watching TV or sleeping...

Life did get a bit easier on the road, when we only had the one (now new, XP) laptop, but having an intermittent connection to the Internet only meant that maintenance was done in a more hit-or-miss fashion.   When AridzonaQuilter did finally decide that she needed her very own machine, after looking around a bit at the available options, she ended up with a Mac.

Now, Macs have always left me pretty well baffled and confuzled.  But she's been using Apple products for many years as a teacher.  And, Dang! if the silly thing doesn't Just Plain Work.  No hoo-hoo about malware attacks, all the software Just Plain Works, and the couple of minor issues she's had were immediately and courteously attended to.  By English-speaking persons...

The other striking difference between her Mac and my WIntel box is how they respond to wifi hotspots.  Living on the road, not yet having made the decision to go satellite internet, we rely mostly on wifi.  In some locations if I don't hold my lips just right, or if the moon is in the wrong phase my laptop will dance around the edges of wifi connectivity, hers has nowhere near the difficulty.

Cowboy R, who gave up a promising but (he says) boring career as a computer geek -- and who's danced with some pretty hairy hard and software -- is also a confirmed Mac person. 

No, I probably won't ever go over to the Mac side, but I can sure see the appeal.

So here it is more than two weeks from the last entry, there's not been a lot to post about. 

We headed east from Tucson as planned, stopping in Benson for a couple of days, whereupon a friend called to tell us his dad had gone into the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia.  The news bacame a bit more grim daily, his dad was moved to hospice, and we decided that it would be appropriate to head back to the Phoenix metro area, which we did.  Stayed a week, friend's dad passed and he got through the initial period of grief, trauma and the associated fun of dealing with the death of a close relative for which one is responsible.  We then headed back outta Phoenix.  AJ, actually, but who's ever heard of Apache Junction?

So, onward eastward.  We overnighted back at Pato Blanco in Benson, then headed to Deming, NM, where we now sit.  We're at Dreamcatcher, the Escapees park.  We'll be here a few days.  Couple of things we'll do while in the area.  Bit of shopping, laundry, see a couple of sights and then on to TX.  Suggestions for TX destinations, things to do and see are welcome.

To catch up, see some Benson pix, and some pictures from Steins, a ghost town just east of the AZ-MN border, follow the link to my home page (<- on the left, in the profile) and click on Susan's travel pix.

Happy New Year, one and all.  <pc>This is intended as an inclusive greeting and wish for a safe, prosperous and healthy future, regardless of the specific calendar of your choice...</pc>

Headin' out!

Lord willing and the crick don't rise, we're leaving/will have left outta Tucson Monday, 2 Jan 06.  In our usual fashion, I'm expecting to hit the road 'long about the crack of noon.  Welll, usually we're on the road around 10.00 or so, but, tomorrow's trip being on the order of 30 miles, I don't expect we'll be all that expeditious in starting the expedition.  30 miles can translate into anywhere from a half hour to several hours journey for us.  Bensen will still be there, whenever we get there.

The point of this ramble is that we're goin' to ramblin'.  The general plan is to drift from Tucson to southeastern AZ, to southern NM and then to TX.  We're going to roughly trace the route of the Rio Grande down into the lower valley in the Brownsville area.  We don't have a timetable, I expect that we'll drift as we feel like, and stop and look around as we're moved to do so.

That's the general plan for the colder months, then as the weather warms we'll head east.  From TX into LA, AL and into NC.   From there we'll wander north, and as spring warms we'll be returning generally west, to end up back in SD for the summer.  Probably. 

The Quilter has some folks she'd like to visit as we trek by, so it wll be somewhat of a zig-zag journey, I'm thinking.  While we're about it, I'd like to see if I can meet up with some of the Fido guys.  So it may get even more ziggy-zaggy.  Probably.

There's no particular destination or route in mind, other than that we'll be generally heading eastward along the lines of I-20-30-40 into NC, then possibly as far into the northeast as PA, then head back westward, most likely along the route generally described by I-70.  Along about MO or KS we'll then head towards SD.

So if you're along that route of march and want to share a cup of coffee (or some other beverage), sea stories or campfire lies, give a holler.

I developed an avocational interest in photography back in my late teens.  (No, we weren't still making colloidal prints in them days...)  At a point in my 30's I decided to see if I could make a living at it, and it turned out that I could.  But it wasn't any real fun, so I went on to other stuff, and sort of drifted away from picture making.  Even sold off the last of the Nikons in the early 90's, and became camera-less, other than that we still had AridzonaQuilter's 80's era Pentax, which I hardly ever touched.

When we were starting to think about setting out on the road, I'd had the thought that it might be fun to document some of the sights, and that I might even get back into some photography as a bit of a hobby.  I looked around and bought a used Nikon film camera.  I looked into the technology of digital photography and decided that for my purposes it surely made a lot more sense than film: I'm unlikely to ever publish a coffee table book, become another Ansel Adams or do any of the other stuff for which film is superior to digital.  So the nursing student became the new owner of a used Nikon and I went looking for a digital.

Back in late June or early July when we were in Idaho for a few days I spotted a newspaper ad for the Nikon D50 a local shop was selling, so we went down and talked with the guy, ended up buying one.  If you've seen any of the photography linked here or from the RV page, or some of my wife's travel pix, they've been taken with this camera.  Herewith is a brief description and overview of my experience so far with the D50.

Basically, the D50 is Nikon's entry level digital single lens reflex (DSLR).  It is sold as a  kit from most retailers, with the body, lens, battery, 120VAC charger, pc (USB2) cord and strap included in the package.  The lens is a 18-55mm f1:3-4.5 ED-series AF Nikkor.  A buyer will need memory card(s), sold separately.  I picked up a couple of 512s, each of which will give me 277 exposures at the highest resolution.  I also picked up an ED AF Nikkor 70-300mm f1:4-5.6.  Just those two lenses give me a range of magnification from very wide to almost-impractical-without-a-tripod.   For a person who thinks in 35mm terms, that's roughly the equivalent of 28-450mm.  A bit closer focus for either or both of the lenses would be nice, so as to have almost macro capability, but that can be addressed later if I decide I really want or need it.

Images can be saved as RAW or JPEG.  Resolution is 6.1 mega pixels.  Metering is spot, center-weighted or Nikon's "matrix" metering.  My experience with the matrix system, starting 20 years ago, is that it's almost impossible to out-think it, except under exceptional conditions.  As well, metering and auto focus can be set to utilize different parts of the preview screen.  It can also be set to follow a moving subject.  It has built-in flash, which can be used manually or automatically.  The flash, to the extent I've made use of it so far, works seamlessly with the auto focus.   Manual focus is also available.  The operator has the choice of several exposure modes: manual, aperture or shutter priority, "program" or automatic. 

Program is the same as automatic, but...with a difference.  In program mode the camera sets both the shutter and aperture, depending on what it thinks is best for conditions.  But adjustment is available: the operator can adjust either the shutter or the aperture, the camera will adjust the other setting as appropriate.  It doesn't use the flash unless the operator turns on the flash.  In "automatic" mode, shutter and aperture are set automatically, flash will automatically be utilized if conditions warrant (or, at least, if the camera thinks so), and no operator input is possible.  There are also several "special" automatic settings, each of which is optimized for specific situations: kids, sports/action, flowers, portraits, scenics.  And something else, the icon for which I'm unable to interpret and the book isn't handy.  It must be something I haven't figured out.  There are several features that come under that heading, still...

Ergonomics are good to very good.  It feels pretty much just like any of the old SLRs I've used over the years, with the exception of the Nikon F models, which are a bit clunkier.  It is also considerably lighter than film SLRs.  Plastics make it possible...

Two features I'd like, which the D-50 doesn't have, are multiple exposure capability (similar to "motor drive") and an LCD viewer useable as a viewfinder.  

I've seen the D50 body only available from some of the mega outlets as low as the high $500s.  Of course, you then need all the rest of the paraphernalia, unless you already have useable lenses and accessories.   The kits I've seen advertised starting at about $800. 

Nikon introduced the D70 at about the same time as the D50.  I didn't get to do a good comparison between the two models when I bought my D50, as the dealer didn't have any D70s in stock.  From what I read, if this is the general level of camera a person is interested in, it might make sense to give consideration to either the D70, or the functional equivalent from either Canon or Konica Minolta.  A friend has the Minolta product, at close to the same price point as my D50, with several of the more desireable features.  Canon also builds a solid product at any price point.  I'll stick with the Nikons, 'cause that's the kind of person I am.

While this isn't intended to be a complete test report of the product, it may help give one an idea of what's available in the D50.  I'll be happy to answer any questions, just use the "Send Mail to Paul" button on the blog.  Some answers will be accurate, some might be made up, you'll have to decide.

No pix today, I forgot the camera. But at least I remembered to take ammo.
John came by in the Jeep and we headed out for the White Tank "mountains" west of Phoenix. Did a bit of wheelin' around the desert, just puttering and looking for the "right" spot. It was a bit cool and breezy early on, with some of what local meteorologists call "high, thin clouds." As the day progressed the clouds thinned out, the breeze moderated and it got a bit warmer.
I'd not done a bunch of shooting in 'way, 'way too long, and was unimpressed with my performance. I ran some .44 RemMag, just for grins, then got down to some trigger work with the Kimber. "Front sight, press." Pretty much just drilling the basics, I got 2-250 rounds down range. Felt pretty good, but I'm thinking I still need some tuning. I never really got into the groove.
John had brought some toys. We shot some .223 out of the black rifle, AR-15. I'd swapped that off to him about a year or more ago, this was the first time he'd had it out. Although we didn't print it, just engaging "targets of opportunity," it appears to be dialed in. No issues, sights are dern near perfect.
Hauled out the Tommy gun. Some aimed fire, some singles, some doubles, a bit of "let'errip," and we'd turned about 300 rounds into noise in not a lot of time. Repeated that exercise with the Uzi. That little sub-gun is just a whole bunch of fun to shoot. Of course, the down side to full-auto is loading magazines...
John also hauled along the .50, which we put a few rounds through. He really, really likes that rifle. This was my first opportunity to shoot it, in fact the first time I'd ever shot a .50 bolt rifle. I couldn't get a good position, either at the bench, a good hold, or a good sight through the scope. Yeah, okay, it's probably a pretty fun rifle, but everything seemed to be a half bubble off for me with it, so it wasn't all that comfortable to shoot. I would like to take another run at it, part just outta stubborn, but part because it seems such a hoot to be able to reach out and touch large objects at 500-1000 yards and have them disappear into another universe .
John dropped me off where we're parked a bit after 17.00, then called just shy of 19.00. He was just getting off the freeway at his exit. Drive time traffic meant a trip that should have taken about 45 minutes was nearly two hours in traffic.
Boy am I glad I no longer have to live in the Phoenix metro area, and cain't hardly wait to get down the road again.

Camp spot we found in Montana
Some random Montana flowers
Couple of barns and some flowers in Idaho
Some pix from Glasgow and Glendive, MT
Note: these links should pop up new browser windows. If you prefer, use your right-click menu to open them in new tabs.

No, I've not posted anything in a while. We're in Tucson. We'd lived here for a while in the seventies, Ginger had moved here with her adoptive parents in the early 60's. We moved from here in 1977 when Ginger got her first teaching postition on the big rez. Other than an occasional quick visit we've not spent any time here since then. Like most Arizona cities, it's experienced a tremendous amount of growth.

It sucks.

Like most, if not all Arizona cities, it's gotten just too dang big, too many people, and too much like a real city. Up until the 70's, it had retained a feel of a smaller town. Now everybody is as insane as they are in any other large city.

Oh, well. Progress...
Paul and his...lemain have moved here. I guess there was too much drama with the family in NC, he was making no progress, and they decided a change was in order. We helped 'em get moved into an apartment, Ginger's good friend Dr. Ernestina "Ernie" Fuentes had given him a place to stay for a few days, and he seems to have a couple of decent prospects for work. We'll see if they can make a go of it...

Ginger has some travel pics she's taken and posted on her travel page, follow the link in my profile to the left.

Here's a picture of some funny Arizona trees, especially for Richard.

I've finally done some work on some of the pictures we took while we were in Chama. Take a look...
Some pictures of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR
Northern NM and southern CO as fall comes on
Here's a link to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad official web site. Note: this link will pop up a new browser window.

"Bear Carver" has been fixed. I hope...

Coconino NF campsite

I can see why blogging software has become so popular. I've (finally!) gotten the log into at least usable form and posted to the website -- ugh. What a pita. FTPing, and changing, and FTPing...and there's always something that doesn't seem to want to work. Anyway, the log I'd started last spring is now available. Use the link in my profile (on the left), click "RV" and go from there. It's as done as it's gonna get, I'm thinking. From this point onward, to the extent I manage to keep y'all up-to-date, I'll be using this mechanism. If you want to see some pics of a couple of recent 4x4 trips I took with John, follow the 4x4 link from the home page. Also, my wife is much better at maintaining her travel site, again, linked from my main site. Thanks fer yer support.

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