What I'm Reading...

Garden Home City: Creating an Urban Haven by Bonnie Trust Dahan

This is the latest book by Dahan. I enjoy here photos and writing as they provide many idea for bringing the garden inside your home, whether it is an old New England farm house or an apartment on the Upper West Side.

Her previous book, seen below, is also very good and has earned a place on my bookshelf for on-going reference.

Garden House: Bringing the Outdoors in

Digital Photographer's Handbook by Tom Ang

I just started flipping through this book, but have already found several good tidbits. Ang covers not only photos taken with digital cameras, but also the use of scanners and photographic editing software. He gives some quick fixes for common photo problems such as tilted horizons, low contrast and busy backgrounds. Based on my initial look, this book would be a good fit for anyone who is interested in taking more than just the casual digital snapshot.

Photos

Studio City Library

Out on my travels yesterday I came across some interesting architectural shots at my nearby library. Even though the building is contemporary in design, the stark contrast of the white against the bright blue sky reminds me of the same effect provided by the white stucco of Spanish Colonial style buildings. It also reminds me a bit of photos I have seen of the Greek Islands.

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Krispy Kreme Photo Essay

I also took advantage of a trip to the local Krispy Kreme donut store (where Joe loves to watch the donuts be made) to try my hand at a more photo-journalistic style of photography.

Computers/Palm OS

Agendus 6.0 for Palm OS

I have been happily using the Palm Databook replacement program for quite a while now. It was previously called ActionNames Databook.

One of the best features is the ability to tie a particular contact to a given to-do, call, or meeting item. This is something that the built-in Databook and Address programs can not do.

You can download a free trial version of the program. If you use your Palm for meeting and to-do management I highly recommend you give Agendus a try.

Career Column

Career-Op: High-tech Hybrids
by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

Reader letters over the last year have had me thinking about the exact definition of a high-tech career. Just a few years ago it would have been easier to describe. If you worked in high-tech you were either a programmer, in network management or tech support. Today, though, as technology has crept further and further into our everyday lives, high-tech workers might show up anywhere in a business, with titles not necessarily reflecting their high-tech work. These “hybrids” have combined their technical skills with other talents and created an entirely new group of high-tech workers. Even more, these new hybrid jobs might become the future of all high-tech work.

(Continued)

Computers/Macintosh

WebPics 2.5.3

The latest release of WebPics is now available from the companies web site. I highly recommend WebPics if you are trying to put your digital photos online. WebPics is easy and fast. I can process an entire folder of pictures and have them on my site in under 10 minutes. Check it out!

From the web site...

WebPics is easy. With no understanding of web page authoring, you can create a great web page for your digital pictures in minutes. And with some of the more advanced features in WebPics your web pages can be as sophisticated as you like.

WebPics is fun. It allows you to create great web pages from your digital pictures to share with your family and friends.

WebPics is free to download and use to determine whether it will be useful to you. If you decide that you want to keep it, I ask that you register your copy. The fee for registering WebPics is USD $16.

What I'm Reading...

Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters

This excellent book is exceeding large, but chock full of great information. Hockney has taken on a remarkable review of art history in an effort to locate if and how master painters of old utilized the "high-tech" of their time (camera obscura, camera lucida, lenses and mirrors) to produce their work.

The book is divided into 3 sections, The Visual Evidence, using numerous pieces of art to demonstrate how using the technologies effected painting as a whole; The Textual Evidence, which details contemporary written observations about the technologies and their use; and The Correspondence, which details Hockney's letters with other artists about his findings.

Soul of Nowhere: Traversing Grace in a Rugged Land

I highly enjoyed Child's previous book, The Secret Knowledge of Water and look forward to digging into this book.

Two Gardeners : Katharine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence

Country Living Home Almanac: Maintaining Your House Month by Month

Intimate Home: Creating a Private World

News/Opinion

CNN needs to go back to journalism school

At 10:29AM today CNN sent out the following "BREAKING NEWS" email alert,

"FBI investigating 35 vials missing from Texas Tech laboratory. City official says some vials contained bubonic plague."

Quite a fear-inspiring message, eh?

At 11:52AM, this email was sent,

"Missing vials in Texas that contained bubonic plague cultures are accounted for and there is no threat to public safety, authorities say."

This strikes me as the ultimate "Nevermind," from SNL's Emily Latella.

Rather than do the most basic research or investigation, CNN has decided to spew fear, uncertainty and doubt, like many of members of the media. CNN needs to send everyone back to journalism school so that they can figure out the difference between rumor and fact and stop spreading fear in the guide of "news."

Events/Outdoors

Photo Fun in Franklin Canyon

Sunday 1/26 2pm

Franklin Canyon Ranch

An experienced photographer will help you find unique views and photo opportunities or just enjoy the peaceful, easy paced hike.

Reservations required

3 1 0 - 8 5 8 - 7 2 7 2 x 1 3 1. 2hrs WODOC

Computers/Macintosh

Get a free Entourage X training DVD from Avondale Media

If you are using Entourage X do manage your email or sync with your PDA then this video mightbe for you. You pay only the cost of shipping and handling, a $29.95 savings.

From the web site...

If you've purchased Microsoft® Entourage? X or Office v. X, now's the time to master your mail. "Entourage X: Beyond the Basics" is the latest instructional DVD from the Mac geeks at Avondale Media. In this 75-minute DVD, veteran Mac journalist Jim Heid shows how to tame a cluttered Inbox, automate Entourage, and much more.

Computers/Macintosh

Microsoft Office X 10.1.3 Update

You might see mention of this update in your web travels, but you really only need it if you are using Internation Versions of Office. The update fixes a few errors in the Italian and French versions, but offers no siginificant updates to the Office Suite.

Events/Arts/Family

Family Days at the Norton Simon Museum

01/18/2003

Family Days at the Norton Simon Museum introduces guests to the creative and imaginative works of the artists known as the Blue Four: Feininger, Jawlensky, Kandinsky and Klee.

This interactive tour will encourage children to explore and interpret the colorful portraits, landscapes and abstractions of these path-breaking modern artists. For ages 5 to 10 their families. 2 to 3 p.m.

Free with admission to the museum: $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and free for students with ID and patrons under 18

411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 626-449-6840. (SGV) a.m.

$6.

116 North Robertson, Plaza A, Los Angeles. 310-358-2512. (WS)