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Mike Johnston writes in a brief essay about over-saturation of digital images:

Why is inaccuracy in color rendering simply a given, while a little blurring of fine detail resolution or a touch of noise in the shadows are so adamantly not tolerated?

It's widely accepted that we can adjust the white balance of an image. Ostensibly, we're allowed to do this because we're matching the lighting the camera captures to the lighting our eyes/brain work to produce for us. We're making the picture "accurate," and the basis for comparison is the image our eyes and brain assemble.

The same argument applies to saturation. Our eyes and brain combine to increase the saturation of any scene. Sunsets never seem to be as spectacular on film (digital or physical) as our memory of them, and adjustments made to "correct" that are, by and large, not very different than adjusting the white balance. So I reject the "inaccurate" portion of Mike's statement and suggest that slight bumps to saturation make the image "more correct." After all, our own perception and memory of the scene is still the basis for comparison.

And noise? Nobody "sees" noise. Noise is simply the manifestation of the limits of technology. There's no such thing as "accurate noise."

Aside from Aperture 2's new Recovery and Black Point tools, the tool that's impressed me the most has been the Retouch Brush. I had a love/hate relationship with the "Spot and Patch" tool in Aperture 1.0, if by "love" you mean hate and by "hate" you mean hate. The Retouch Brush, on the other hand, is purely loved.

If you mouse over the image below, you'll see a very quick before/after. I scribbled over the offending area using the defaults for the Retouch Brush. I should have probably fine-tuned it, but I didn't bother, and the results are pretty great, even for a fairly large item which blocks a good bit of the sky.

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After updating to Mac OS X 10.5.2, my AirPort connection started dropping several times per day. I resolved the issue by changing the channel from 6 to 1, despite not having any interference or even any other networks nearby (as reported by iStumbler). This was when I had an old, domed AirPort Extreme that did only 802.11g (or less).

Now that I've replaced the AirPort Extreme with a TimeCapsule, I'm running both a pure 802.11n and a "side" 802.11g network. The prior is 5 GHz.

The drops have returned.

Several times per day, my AirPort menu will indicate that I'm no longer connected. I'll select it, choose "Netski" (my g network is "Getski"), and re-connect. Thirty minutes to six or eight hours later, I'll be disconnected again. I cannot change the channel because my Time Capsule lists only "Automatic" as the option.

I had no problems with my AirPort(s) prior to Mac OS X 10.5.2.

When you screen share a machine that's screen sharing you…

I received my 1 TB Time Capsule today and, pursuant to the comments on my earlier entry, I'm hoping to get some help in setting up my new network.

For the past several years I've run an 802.11g network named "Netski." I have a domed AirPort Express ("Dome") that has served as a printer share point¹ as well as the main access point². I have an AirPort Express in the living room³. I also have another unused AirPort Express.

The items that need to access the Internet include a Mac Pro, a 12" PowerBook, a Wii, and a MacBook Pro. The "Living Room" also needs access. Additionally, I now have a Time Capsule and a MacBook Pro.

I'd like to run as pure an 802.11n network as possible. What I mean by that is that I'd like the Time Capsule, Mac Pro, and MacBook Pro to communicate via 802.11n without being slowed down by any 802.11g devices. Again, people seem to believe that's possible from the comments.

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To the right, you'll see a lovely radio button. I think the designers meant to use a checkbox. There was no other option - no "I do NOT want to receive" option, and no way to disable or deselect the choice. Lurvely.

I was going to drive to Cleveland today to pick up a Think Tank Airport International, but I decided to order online instead. The car was too clean and I've got too much work to do.

On the slightly unusual side of things, if you have a long Canon lens and want a lens cap, check out this kitchen supply store. I've linked to the 300/2.8 "caps," but they have others as well.

I often see people trash Aperture's "Levels" adjustment tool. These people typically state that Apple should have borrowed, bought, stolen, or otherwise implemented the "Curves" control from Photoshop as if it's a given and anything less is just plain stupid. Moronic. Inconceivable.

I grew up using Curves. We all did, didn't we?

I've come to enjoy Levels. I've come to appreciate Levels. Hell, I prefer levels. I think it's more intuitive and just as flexible in real-world situations¹.

So now, a simple question.

My new MacBook Pro arrived today. The FedEx guy first "attempted to deliver" it at 8:21am. By "attempted to deliver" I of course mean he walked up, didn't ring the doorbell, and stuck what was probably a pre-written "we attempted a delivery" note¹. I called FedEx and made the guy come back, which he did at about 12:38.

I haven't turned it on yet, but I did open the box and make sure I didn't get a brick or something. I'm impressed by Apple's recent packaging and the space and material saving they've done. The entire MacBook Pro case is less than four inches thick. The inner foam is attractive.

I took the MacBook Pro out of the case and was immediately confused. I almost thought I'd gotten a 17" model instead, that's how large it seemed to me. Of course, I've been using the 12" PowerBook for over five years at this point. I remain incredibly disappointed that Apple can't see fit to release a Pro model that's the same size as the 12" PowerBook². What a great little machine that 12" PB was.

My Time Capsule will arrive by Wednesday and the airline adapter will arrive sometime by September, at this rate. I'll probably wait until Wednesday to set everything up. At this point, it's a race: will I use the MacBook Pro or the 300mm lens first?

No, I still haven't used the 300/2.8. We've had lousy weather and I haven't gotten out to use it yet.

I've added a Photo Gear section to this site. Big whoop.

I've signed up for the April 7 "Captivated by the Light" seminar in Buffalo, NY. It's only $19 if you use the coupon code "WESTCOTT."

We won our hockey game today against a team we haven't beaten yet this year. We're now only four points behind the fourth-place team, with four of our last seven games against a team we could beat four times.

Visit the Photo Battle Blog and vote!

Today I spent a little time playing with a new site that integrates with flickr. It's called "photophlow, and the owner describes the site as:

photophlow is a way to share flickr photos in real-time with your friends, and is a good way to discover new photos in a social way or receive more immediate feedback on your own photos.

I like what photphlow has to offer. I like that it could be used for impromptu meetings. I like that it can be used to talk with fellows. I like that it integrates with chat, twitter, and other clients.

I have 11 invitations, currently, and if you're interested let me know. Also, I'm "iacas" on flickr if you'd like to add me as a contact.

Update: I forgot to mention this, but it is worth adding. I also purchased and am enjoying Photonic as well. It adds value to the flickr service from a different angle, and is a great way to browse photos of friends, upload photos, etc.

I described my network setup in a previous post, so I won't do it again. My Time Capsule will arrive shortly, and though I was quite eager to begin using it, I am no longer. Why? Because I remembered that my AirPort Expresses¹ are 802.11g. My Living Room Express provides AirTunes to my entertainment center and connects to an ethernet hub that is, in turn, connected to my DVR, Xbox 360, and eventually a PS3².

If I want to keep using AirTunes, I've got to dumb my entire network down to 802.11g. None of the alternatives work:

1. I could replace the AirPort Express with an AirPort Extreme, but then I lose it as an AirTunes target.
2. I could replace the AirPort Express with an AppleTV, but because it can't bridge over ethernet I lose connectivity for my DVR and Xbox 360.
3. I can keep the AirPort Express, but then my entire network will run in 802.11g mode (i.e. slower).

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I skimmed a book in Barnes and Noble and wrote down quite a few tips. The book was How to Photograph Your Life and the concept was that the author used what amounted to a point-and-shoot camera to photograph the images. He'd usually show you an example of a "bad" photo, then an example of a "good" photo, all based around the things that happen to normal people.

In the end I decided not to purchase it because it's not particularly the book for me, but I wouldn't mind if my wife bought it. Instead, I purchased two other books that weren't the "go through them in a few minutes" type.

Here are my notes. Any commentary I have is in italics. Again, I think that for a lot of people, this book would come in handy. The example photos do a great job of conveying the tips provided. My notes are in no way even a partial replacement, so if the book interests you, go check it out or buy it for yourself. Or your wife.

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My wife is spending time packing up boxes and will soon be unpacking them… in her new school (J.S. Wilson Middle School). I got a tour of the place last week and it's pretty impressive. Still, some boneheaded moves were made: the science room has no floor outlets, so the microscopes must now be battery powered). Some of the room layouts are a tad peculiar.

Overall, however, it's quite impressive. She and everyone else is very excited, and they move in towards the end of March.

I adore my Canon 5D, but at the same time, my 70-200 2.8L IS would be a 320 2.8L IS¹ on the long end with a 1.6x crop camera. If I had an extra $1500 and nothing better to buy, I'd add a 40D in a heartbeat for the extra speed and reach if nothing else.

             Old                New
             --------------     --------------
      Name   PowerBook          MacBook Pro
    Screen   12" Matte          15" Widescreen Matte
 Processor   867 MHz G4         2.5 GHz Core 2 Duo
       RAM   768 MB             4 GB
Hard Drive   60 GB, 4200 RPM    200 GB, 7200 RPM
   Optical   Combo Drive*       Dual-Layer 8x SuperDrive
  Keyboard   Not Backlit        Backlit
  Trackpad   Not Multitouch     Multitouch
  Wireless   802.11g            802.11n
       Age   5 years            5 hours
    Weight   4.6 lbs            5.4 lbs

Also picked up a Time Capsule so that Carey can back up what is mostly "her" laptop. I doubt I'll use it because I don't think I can back up my main drive to one location (another internal hard drive) and back up a second internal drive (my ripped DVDs and other assorted media) to a second Time Machine drive.

* Could have gotten a SuperDrive, but always have a desktop for burning DVDs, so didn't see much point. You know, back in 2003.