New England Off Topic and Banter as Most Brilliantly Proposed by Cape Cod MINI

[Windshadow]

Point taken... and since I have never sailed with Bush he could be even worse then Kerry as a sportsman... the thing is After getting to know Kerry personaly I would not want him as the President. I also knew Ford when he was just a simple member of the legislature and I was impressed by his honesty and integrity as an individual when I skied with him... to me what a person is in a sporting situation say a lot about them that is not covered in their position papers...

Right now as a Yankee independent I do not have anyone that I want to vote for...I tend to be fiscally conservative and socially libertarian... I support a womans right to choice and most enviromental issues but I also want a balanced budget again as well as a more inclusive foreign policy than the present administration offers
so Who IS the Prohibition Candidate?

on the other hand it is not as if it makes a lot of difference who in in the oval office... the beauracrats are the ones who realy run the country

[ontheroadagain]

Windshadow, you're a true gent for not jumping down my early morning "liberal knee jerk reaction"!

I know what you mean about it not making too much difference who is actually in the oval office, but I do think it is awfully important to have an intelligent and sophisticated thinker there who takes an active interest in what is going on in the world abroad and at home...and who chooses top notch people to be in his or her cabinet. Granted, it is a complex subject and certainly not going to be solved on even MINI2's board!

But it feels good to type it anyhow.

[GadgetGav]

Quote: Originally Posted by ontheroadagain

Personally, I wish Bob Kerry were running.

Personally, I wish Bob The Builder were running..!!!

What this country needs is more than two party politics (apart from Ralph "Run A Spoiler" Nader I mean). Come on, this is the land of opportunity and choice...! Heck, I think I even get a choice of 9 numbered meals on the McDonalds menu, there should be more than a choice of two for President.
I think Windshadow sounds like a straight-up kind of bloke. If I could vote, I think I'd put him in a write in candidate. How does that work..? He's hob-nobbed with all the big names, so he must be able to pull some strings to get a campaign war chest going

[snid]

Since I think we have a few good photographers in the bunch (MGB Boy, ice, vdubdoug)...

Up until today, I have lived looking through lenses that are <100mm focal length (35mm cameras, or using the 35mm equivalent for digital). Today, I went out for the first time with a longer lens. I've been shooting with a Canon Digital Rebel (great camera, but if I were doing it today I'd probably go with the new Nikon instead). I had the 18-55mm zoom (*1.6=28.8-88mm equivalent) and just bought a 55-200mm (88-320mm equivalent). So, today, using the longer lens, I felt like I couldn't compose a shot without the camera. I'm so used to a wider angle lens that when I saw something with my eye that I thought would work well, I'd pull out the camera and only be able to capture 3/4 or 1/2 of the "frame" my eye saw.

I'm sure I'll get used to it. But I'm having a twinge of buyer's remorse. The pictures I did take came out better than I thought they would. After realizing the framing issues I was having, I got afraid that with the longer lens I would have blurry images since I don't have a tripos/monopod. But, I managed to get shots that were largely in focus. I think a monopod or something is in order, though.

So, photo people, reassure me... Tell me I'll acclimate to a longer lens.

Sample photos (resized drastically) are here:
http://homepage.mac.com/jtross/PhotoAlbum32.html

I was also breaking in my new tires along with the new lens.

[Cape Cod MINI]

How do you like the new rubber, Jason?

The Dell PC came today. Whooee it's some fast. I can burn dvd's now too and run a mess 'o programs at the same time.
I wasn't home when UPS brought it. They left a note saying they would attempt delivery again Monday. The hell with that I thought. Jumped in Stryker and started racing around South Dennis and Dennisport looking for the big brown. I had to check on a property for a customer down at Drury Lane too, and as we whipped down Sea Street who did we see delivering a package to the house right on the corner of Drury Lane? Yup. I tooted the horn, pulled in front of him and by the time I got to the truck he had already pulled one of the boxes out to hand to me
Thanks to everyone for their hints and advice last week.

[Windshadow]

Quote: Originally Posted by GadgetGav

Personally, I wish Bob The Builder were running..!!!

What this country needs is more than two party politics (apart from Ralph "Run A Spoiler" Nader I mean). Come on, this is the land of opportunity and choice...! Heck, I think I even get a choice of 9 numbered meals on the McDonalds menu, there should be more than a choice of two for President.
I think Windshadow sounds like a straight-up kind of bloke. If I could vote, I think I'd put him in a write in candidate. How does that work..? He's hob-nobbed with all the big names, so he must be able to pull some strings to get a campaign war chest going

ARGGGGGG!

If Nominated I will not run!

If Elected I will not Serve!

You know I have often thought that just wanting a job like President or Senator should be a basic disqualification!
To me there is something more than a bit psychopathic about wanting to rule others this way.

I think these jobs should be filled by those kicking and screaming as they are drafted into them and forced to serve for 4 or 6 years and leap for joy when their sentence I mean term is up and they can return to a normal life.

think about it no privacy, your every action from when you were born under a microscope... an error could result in the end of all life on earth... 1/2 or more of the world wanting you dead and thousands actively working to that end... who would want that sort of job?

[Windshadow]

Quote: Originally Posted by snid

Since I think we have a few good photographers in the bunch (MGB Boy, ice, vdubdoug)...

Up until today, I have lived looking through lenses that are <100mm focal length (35mm cameras, or using the 35mm equivalent for digital). Today, I went out for the first time with a longer lens. I've been shooting with a Canon Digital Rebel (great camera, but if I were doing it today I'd probably go with the new Nikon instead). I had the 18-55mm zoom (*1.6=28.8-88mm equivalent) and just bought a 55-200mm (88-320mm equivalent). So, today, using the longer lens, I felt like I couldn't compose a shot without the camera. I'm so used to a wider angle lens that when I saw something with my eye that I thought would work well, I'd pull out the camera and only be able to capture 3/4 or 1/2 of the "frame" my eye saw.

I'm sure I'll get used to it. But I'm having a twinge of buyer's remorse. The pictures I did take came out better than I thought they would. After realizing the framing issues I was having, I got afraid that with the longer lens I would have blurry images since I don't have a tripos/monopod. But, I managed to get shots that were largely in focus. I think a monopod or something is in order, though.

So, photo people, reassure me... Tell me I'll acclimate to a longer lens.

Sample photos (resized drastically) are here:
http://homepage.mac.com/jtross/PhotoAlbum32.html

I was also breaking in my new tires along with the new lens.

Some Nice ones there; use the right lens for the shot a lens left at home is no good to you. work on your exposures or get in the habbit of bracketing... I take pills that cause a bit of tremor and that can play merry hob with long lens shots in less than bright light... so yes either brace or use support when needed.
I like this one you took a lot

[bakerjc]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cape Cod MINI

I had to check on a property for a customer down at Drury Lane too, and as we whipped down Sea Street who did we see delivering a package to the house right on the corner of Drury Lane? Yup. I tooted the horn, pulled in front of him and by the time I got to the truck he had already pulled one of the boxes out to hand to me

Steve, do you know the Muffin Man? He's lives on Drury Lane.

Quote: Originally Posted by Cape Cod MINI

Thanks to everyone for their hints and advice last week.

I hoped you'd remember to get around to thanking me. Just recall I told you to buty a Mac.

[GBMINI]

Quote: Originally Posted by Windshadow

You know I have often thought that just wanting a job like President or Senator should be a basic disqualification!
To me there is something more than a bit psychopathic about wanting to rule others this way.

What we need here is more quotes from The HitchHikers Guide To The Galaxy ... the man who rules the universe ...

Maybe six small black ships can look like one big white one ...

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cape Cod MINI

How do you like the new rubber, Jason?

Too drastic a change to really tell, unfortunately. I've been running around on snow tires for the last 5 months or so, I used my worn Goodyears for a couple of days, then the new S03's. I'm still holding back pretty far as far as flogging the tires goes. My exit ramp, which I could take at 50mph on the Goodyears, seems too tight at 50mph with the S03's. Not that they are starting to give, I am.

What I do notice is that the S03's seem to "skate" less. I'm not even sure if that's the right term. When I hit a bump mid-corner, I seem to slide sideways less with the S03's than I did with the Goodyears (stock Cooper performance rubber). That sideways sliding was always kinda sketchy to me, so I'm glad to have it lessened.

So, between being out of practice with running corners hard, and still having sand on the roads (and even a little snow), I cannot make a good judgement on the new tires yet. I did get the DSC light to flicker a few times on this afternoon's 100 mile back road run, so they're not fool-proof

[GadgetGav]

I heard (from someone who has them on an RX-7) that the Pole Positions are prone to picking up sand. You may not be able to make a fair judgement until the roads have been swept clean.
Still considering what to get for my replacement rubber...

[GBMINI]

Look at everyone here tonight ...
iancull, Cooldood, GadgetGav+, jcsinnh, LordWinslow, OpusMini, pezboy, shersh, snid, Windshadow, yellowmininy

Lots of names I know and I few I don't know ...

[bakerjc]

Quote: Originally Posted by iancull

What we need here is more quotes from The HitchHikers Guide To The Galaxy ... the man who rules the universe ...

"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."

"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."

"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't though of that" and promply vanishes in a puff of logic.

[LordWinslow]

Quote: Originally Posted by iancull

What we need here is more quotes from The HitchHikers Guide To The Galaxy ... the man who rules the universe ...

Maybe four small black ships can look like one big white ship ...

I got to dig out "the book" and pull some more wonderful quotes out...

Just remember Ian:

"If you have done 6 impossible things before breakfast, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliway's, the resturant at the end of the Universe." You can have (meet) the "dish of the day".

Winslow

[LordWinslow]

Quote: Originally Posted by bakerjc

"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."

"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."

"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't though of that" and promply vanishes in a puff of logic.

"Oh that was easy" says Man, and promptly figures out that Black equals White, and is killed in the next Zebra Crossing.

(and I don't have my copy of the book in front of me...)

Winslow