Convert any photo into a talking character!

Hillarious Spoof of '24'

This spoof is quite funny. If you are familiar with the series '24', you should appreciate this. It shows how this program might have been written 13 years ago. Remember how computers and the internet ran back then? Do you remember pay phones and being tethered to a phone with a 'phone cord'? Technology sure has changed things.

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Affect or Effect

Hey, my previous post gave me pause. I almost didn't hit the submit button. You will notice I had the word 'affect' in the title and the word 'effect' in the actual post. These two words have given me a great deal of trouble. Does any one know the correct usage for these two words. I sure don't. Perhaps one of you great writers out there know the proper use of these words. I sure would like to hear from someone with knowledge in this area.

Machinery Can Affect Negative Outcomes

Machinery and automation can and sometimes do effect outcomes negatively. Paying attention to what we are doing and doing quality work is an important attribute. These qualities are missing here due to the numbness of automation perhaps. If this was done by hand this most likely would not have occurred.

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Music Trivia 26

No one had an answer to last weeks trivia . . . yet!

We will, however, try a new question for this week.


What song of over 10 minutes length begins -

"Love comes to you and you follow
Lose one on to the . . . "

and who recorded it in 1972?

Afghan Spice Girls

Some sexy babes!
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Walking On Water

Wow, if the situation is dire enough, I guess, anyone can suddenly walk on water!
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Add A Caption 41

Who has a caption for this pick?
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I Love 'What The Duck'

Music Trivia 25

Last week HighPower correctly said...

Eric Clapton, not always known for his blue as much as his other style of music....

Although, I must disagree with the later part of his answer. Eric Clapton's musical style has varied greatly throughout his career but, it has always remained rooted in the blues.

Now for this weeks trivia -

In 1979 Whitesnake did their first live album which included the song "Mistreated".

Ive been mistreated, Ive been abused.
Ive been struck downhearted, baby, Ive been confused
cause I know, yes, I know Ive been mistreated.
Since my baby left me Ive been losing my mind, you know I have.

Ive been lonely, Ive been cold.
Ive been looking for a woman to have and hold
cause I know, yes, I know Ive been mistreated.
Since my baby left me Ive been losing, Ive been losing,
Ive been losing my mind, baby baby babe.

Ive been mistreated, Ive been abused.
Ive been looking for a woman, yeh, Ive been confused
cause I know, yes, I know Ive been mistreated, ooh o-o-oh.
Since my baby left me Ive been losing, losing,
Ive been losing my mind, baby baby babe.
Oh oh oh, oh woman, oh woman, oh woman.

Ive been losing my mind.

Who was the lead singer and from what English hard rock band (who first recorded "Mistreated") did he come from?

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Omphaloskepis 15

Who was the first person to say, "See that turkey there? I think I'll eat it after giving thanks for having the opportunity to to stuff it's butt with dried bread and such."

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Tragic Internet Deception

A very, sad story today has touched my emotions and peaked my anger. Please, guide your children but, don't live for them.

Web Hoax Victim's Family Seeks Reforms
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 7:21am ST. CHARLES, Mo.

An Internet hoax that ended with the suicide of a 13-year-old has led to calls from her family for better protections against online harassment, though any solution may run afoul of the First Amendment.

Megan Meier, 13, hanged herself Oct. 16, 2006, just minutes after receiving mean messages on the social networking Web site MySpace. She died the next day.

Megan's parents learned about six weeks after her death that their daughter, who thought she was communicating online with a 16-year-old boy, was being deceived. The boy was created by a mother down the street who wanted to know what Megan was saying about her own daughter, who had had a falling out with Megan.

Lt. Craig McGuire of the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department said authorities could not find a crime to charge anyone with in Megan's case.

"How do you legislate bad behavior?" he asked.

Megan's family wants reforms that would make it illegal for adults to misrepresent themselves to children online and make it illegal to harass or bully online.

Aldermen in Dardenne Prairie, the Meiers' hometown of about 7,000 residents about 35 miles from St. Louis, have proposed a new ordinance related to child endangerment and Internet harassment. And Republican Rep. Cynthia Davis, a state lawmaker who represents the area, said she is trying to see if existing Missouri laws can be improved.

But, she noted, any legal reforms must protect freedom of speech rights. And federal reform might be more appropriate since someone from outside the state could interact with Missouri children online, she said.

Even so, it's hard to know what would work as a response to Megan's situation, Davis said. "This girl was not threatened on the Internet. Somebody said some things that were extremely horrid," she said.

What happened to Megan isn't just awful, it ought to be criminal, her mother, Tina Meier, said Monday.

"You cannot, absolutely cannot, as an adult, pose as a 16-year-old boy on a computer and play games with someone," Meier, 37, told The Associated Press.

"If there's not a law out there to punish someone for that, that's despicable," she said.

Tina Meier, who acknowledges she let her daughter open a MySpace account before she was 14 as the Web site requires, said she monitored her daughter's activities, logging on for her daughter and using software that was designed to capture Megan's communications online.

MySpace did not comment specifically on Meier's case, but an employee said the site does have information about keeping teens safe online, with guidelines for what people can do if they feel they are being bullied.

Meier said more needs to be done to protect children.

"We want the law to change so this doesn't happen again," she said.

My question is this - what is an adult doing on MySpace playing games like this. Perhaps her mental and/or emotional development is equivalent to these early-teen children she is playing mental games with. I guess some adults never grow up. Some parents don't know the difference between supervising their children's activity during their growing years and meddling or living their lives for them, or even sometimes through them. This woman now has to live with the consequences of her actions and with her arrested mental development I hope she can handle it.

In the end, my prayers go out to the Meier family.

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Concern For Prison Morale

Scenes From A Redneck County

Prepping for the winter season

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Music Trivia 24

Time to change it up a bit. We're going to take a stab at the blues!

Here is a song that was covered by at least two blues masters. Man, I love the blues!

The song was written by Willie Dixon and Al Perkins and starts -

I think I'm leaving in the morning,
All your crying won't help you now.
I think I'm leaving in the morning baby, yeah,
All your crying won't help you now.
But the whole time I was with you baby,
Everybody, everybody knowed you weren't no good no how.

What song is this and name at least one of it's performers?

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Recognized at Unique's Photo Challenge

Seems I got a 'Noteworthy Mention' over at Unique's Photo Challenge for this photo. I submitted it for their 'Retro' Challenge. Thanks for the recognition.

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I'm Back!

Well, I'm finally back.

First, let me apologize. In my hurry to get out the door to my annual hunting retreat, I neglected to place a post announcing the same. It was a very, harried evening when I took off to the hunting shack and I was in great fear of leaving an essential piece of equipment behind (I know - excuses, excuses). I am sorry for not posting that I would be away for a while. Anyway, all is well now and I shall resume my blogging habits, for better or worse.

I have noticed that, well I was gone, Sunni Kay has tagged me with a meme. Sorry Sunni, as much time has elapsed since you tagged me. I do not know what kind of time restrictions there are on such things, as I HAVE NEVER BEEN TAGGED BEFORE. I will check your site and see what this is about. If it is not too late I will possibly play this meme, otherwise thanks for the tag anyhow.

I must check out Sunni's site now and see what's up. I must, also, check out the other typical blog reads that I have not read in my absence. I must, also, check out a ton of email that didn't seem to mind that I was gone hunting. Then it's back to posting here, as time allows (my work schedule is getting real hectic) and the mood strikes. Wow, what a thing to come back to after vacation - things at work are getting extremely chaotic. I think I need another vacation!

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Sony A700 Tips

Sony Has Firmware Upgrade For The A700

Sony has released an updated firmware for the DSLR-A700 camera, as well as updates for the Image Data Converter and Image Data Lightbox bundled software applications.

The camera firmware update improves image sharpness and reduces noise under certain circumstances. It also improves flash control at very short distances with non-ADI control lenses. The updates for the bundled software applications correct the functioning of such features as image display and file type indication. These updates relate only to early production Firmware �Ver.1� models, which were manufactured through early October. Firmware �Ver.2� models (press Menu & Display together to check) already include this upgrade. Although these improvements are subtle, it is recommended that customers make the update to improve the camera and application software performance.

Add A Caption 40

Who has a caption for this pic?

Good Living Homes said...
Nobody calls in walleyes like him!

I guess that works.
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Enlisted New Photo Assistant

While on a photo shoot last august, I desperately needed someone to hold and aim a reflector for a macro shot I stumbled upon. I was by myself and I had no stands or other equipment which could hold a reflector. I poured myself some coffee and sat back to mull the problem over. As I slowly sipped on my hot drink, over the rim of my cup I noticed a couple of local squirrels scurrying about. That's it, I though and with much persuasion I was able to enlist the help of one of the critters! Thank God it was a macro shot because he had some serious height limitations. At any rate, I would like to give acclaim to this squirrel, as the photo I produced that day would not have been successful without him. This shows what a little persistence and ingenuity can accomplish. Thank you, again, squirrel.

Getting It Right The First Time

How It Feels To Be A Viking Fan

sent to me by my cousin

Music Trivia 23

What amazing song contains the following lines -

River keeps flowing and the grass still grows,
And the spirit keeps going, nobody knows.
Poets they come and the poets they go,
Politicians and preachers they all claim to know.
The words that are written and the melodys played,
As the years turn their pages, they all start to fade.
The oceans still move with the moon and the sky,
The grass still grows on the hillside.
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This is a Hillbilly

emailed to me by Highpower

Add A Caption 39

Anyone have a caption idea for this pic?
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Omphaloskepsis 14

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say,

"I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"
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Creative Advertising

Well, Ive done some posts on bagvertising in the past, now let's take a deeper look at advertising. Many companys today advertise on their vehicles. This is probably one of the most common ways to promote your company. Here's a guy that got very, creative with this advertising outlet. Well done.

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Music Trivia 22

The correct answer to Music Trivia 21 was again given by HighPower who said...

"Meatloaf Bat out of Hell from that same Album".

Congratulations genius!

Now for 22 -

The opening lyrics for this long tune go -

The roses in the window box

Have tilted to one side

Everything about this house

Was born to grow and die

Who performed this song and what is it's title?
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Keep Your Eye On The Road

Funny Videos

Nokia's Latest Protection er Phone

Finally, Nokia has led the way with it's newest phone, designed for use when traveling through the areas where you know you just shouldn't be. No more having to carry multiple items on your belt. Now you can STOP your problem and then conveniently dial 9-1-1, to apprise the authorities of the situation. One word of caution - in our tests we have discovered the numerical buttons on the phone have, what we can best describe as . . . well, hair triggers. This should bring new meaning to the phrase 'speed dial'.

photo emailed to me by highpower

Add A Caption 38

Who has a caption for this pic?
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Omphaloskepsis 13

Why is abbreviation such a long word?
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There Are Bags For Any Purpose

Back in April I did a post on bagvertising, where you could see many artistic and clever shopping bag designs. Today, I stumbled upon something a little different in bag design at a site dedicated to the collection of airsickness bags. Yes, those little bags graciously supplied by airline carriers which are designed to catch whatever you may toss around in flight. Yes, someone collects these! There is even a name give to the collection of airline barf bags - bagophily. Those of you who don't believe me or those of you with an eye (or a stomach) for such an exciting hobby can check out this site. Personally I can't say it's too exciting.
Why this post? I did find some humor on it's opening page which attracted me. Thankfully, it was on the front page or I would never have found it. I couldn't stomach delving further into this site. No offense to the creator of the web page but, it looks like a pretty boring site/interest to me.

Anyway, the funny bag of which I speak was put out by Southwest Airlines back in 1999. There was even a full-page glossy magazine advertisement created for this bag. Now to me, considering the purpose of the bag the text becomes hilarious. Ah, maybe I too, am a little strange.

Perhaps, also, it's a little ironic that the infamous 'bag lady' has no job.

Music Trivia 21

The answer to Music Trivia 20 was -

correctly answered by HighPower

Pink Floyd "Pigs"

Of course the official title is "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"

For this week -
What famous rock song is considered to be the ultimate motorcycle crash song?
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Sony A700's D-Range Optimizer

There are many new features and specs I was anxious to upgrade to with the new Sony A700, not the least of which was the D-Range Optimizer. The D-Range Optimizer automatically prevents loss of detail in dark shadow or bright highlight areas in strongly backlit or high contrast scenes. Although, somewhat skeptical of getting usable results with this feature, I believed it would be amazingly useful if it did work as intended. Imagine not having to dig out and work with filters or painstakingly have to rely on post-processing to save a picture whose exposure values were just too wide. After playing with the other various controls and features on the A700 (for a little bit), I decided to concentrate specifically on the D-Range Optimizer. As I'm sure most have figured out already, the D-Range stands for Dynamic Range and getting all the values properly exposed in certain photos with a large range has long been a pain for photographers. Let us see how the A700 handles such situations.


I chose a typical indoor scene which usually spells trouble for the camera trying to obtain proper exposure across the whole range. The scene has one standing in an interior shooting towards a window with bright sunlight. The view is wide enough to include much of the interior surrounding and in front of the window. Predictably, if we expose for the sunlight the rest of the scene goes very dark, as shown in the first shot above.

This was the first shot I took using the Optimizer and was meant to show how the scene would record using the camera's default value. Although, I thought this setting would be what the Sony labels (D-R) or the standard setting, somehow it wound up being (D-R+) or what Sony calls the Advanced Auto Setting.


Later on, I figured out how to change the setting to standard or (D-R), which was very easy to do actually. And this setting is represented above.


So then, for comparative purposes, I thought I would capture the scene using the camera's built-in flash and this is what we see here.



Now, on to the fun stuff. Sony's Advanced Level D-Range Optimization can be utilized through a five-step range, depending on the needs at the time.

Here is the scene recorded at Level 1.

Same scene at level 2.

Here is a Level 3 shot.

A shot at Level 4.

Here is Level 5, the highest setting.

I'll let everyone be their own judge here, as to the usefulness of this feature. It plainly did lighten up the shadows and expand the range of light values. Tell me what you think.

NOTE: To keep comparisons as accurate as possible, all shots in this post are presented with no post processing except to downsize them for web use. Notice even my typical copyright is not present.

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My New A700 Arrived

I arrived home from work yesterday to find my new baby waiting on me. My A700 has arrived safe and sound. I ordered it directly from Sony on Monday and received it yesterday, as I stated, with no special shipping. I was way too tired to try it out after a 17+ hour shift, so I will see what it offers today. I can tell you from the two minutes I did spend with it that the screen is awesome and beyond compare. Amazing! I can't post any further now as I must finally check out the new camera.

If you need a review of this camera
check out dpreview , Steve's Digicams, or imaging resource.

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Add A Caption 37

Who has a caption for this pic?
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Would You Invest?

Would you invest?
Who got the last laugh, here?

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Master of Malapropism

In my youth I greatly, enjoyed old reruns of 'The Bowery Boys' and especially loved the linguistic twists so often employed by it's lead character, Slip Mahoney. Well, I didn't realize there was even a word for it. A malapropism is the incorrect use of a word by substituting a similar-sounding word with different meaning, usually with comic effect. This is exactly what ol' Slip Mahoney always did and what attracted me to the hilarious series in the first place. Slip, played by Leo Gorcey, was a master of malapropism which henceforth became my favorite style of comedy. If done with talent and timing nothing beats this method of comedic effect.

From the mid thirties to the mid fifties Leo Gorcey was a very, busy actor. He became famous as the leader of the fictional gangs known as The Dead End Kids (1937-39), The East Side Kids (1940-45), and best of all The Bowery Boys (1946-56).

Add A Caption 36

So, what's going on here?
Anyone have an explanation
or a caption?
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USG Racing

USG's NASCAR Ford was in town today. This baby driven by Matt Keneseth had four wins last year (Fontana, Dover, Michigan and Bristol) and a career best of 15 top-five finishes. Matt, also, finished second in the Nextel Cup championship point standings.

The USG/NASCAR partnership began nine years ago in 1998. Many more exciting years are anticipated.
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Men's Restroom Etiquette

With the semi-recent events in mind, concerning a certain senator in an airport restroom stall, I felt that we all need a review of proper restroom etiquette. While not all the bases are covered here it is a good remedial primer, for us all.
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Omphaloskepsis 12

I wonder if Houdini ever lost his car keys?

Bought Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

I broke down and bought Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 today. Maybe I'll be an Ansel Adams or a computer artist tomorrow. Of course, Ive owned the last four versions and it hasn't happened yet.