Random Vraxxism for the day

Volcom: my skin happens to do very well in studio lighting
Vraxx: yeah, in bukkake videos

Subject: Originally we were talking about photography of models. For the more innocent, here's what bukkake is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukkake. Not safe for work.

Never F'with Mother Nature

So here I am, desperately praying that my power stays on in the middle of an early morning thunderstorm here in Honolulu, HI. Woke up around 6, walked outside for some air and then *thunderclap* about 10 car alarms go off from the concussion.

Reminds you just how powerless we people can be against Mother Nature. Sure we can build houses, and dams and sirens and alert systems, but when the big MN wants to she can still lay some smack down on you. Realize I'm not trying to be unsympathetic to those who have been affected by recent natural disasters, but you have to admit, city planners, politicians and residents seem to quickly forget the respect for the raw power that nature can wield. So if you're in a stormy area watch yourselves.

What the heck is 'le null'??

So let me preface this by saying I have nothing against the French, but today I reminded myself why programming especially with an international community can be a headache inducing experience.

I had sampled some SNMP library code which as it turns out was jointly worked on by a few people in Belgium, France and the US. The catch was as I was testing out a sample app showing the interface usage in comes the dreaded null pointer exception.

One key problem neither the sample code, nor the library source appeared to have any exception handling. So here I am scouring the source for anything. Finally I figured that the problem was I was missing a usable input file and the file path object was null. Great one down... then *blam* le null again!!

On the upside I did eventually get the test application working, but we'll see if I'm actually able to get a useful app out of the DLLs.

Live Search: Search engine TO THE EXTREME!

CNN: MSN Live Search

Now let's face it Google is nice and all, but there's certainly room for improvement. Microsoft hopes to unseat the current search king with their launch of Live Search.

I'm all for competition and I see some good things coming from this. Not everything is great though, and I for one wouldn't go quite so far as Yusuf Mehdi who was cited:

Once people get a feel for Windows Live Search, Mehdi said, "They're going to say, 'Holy cow, I had no idea that search could get this much better!"'

At that point I'll be waiting for the truly over the top press releases like:
"The New Windows W00t OS is so fucking amazing, you'll be like 'OMFG WTF I had no idea boot time could BE so amazing'. And then you'll want to blow me for free for letting you in on the secret."

The automatic scrolling feature is interesting though sometimes I thought it was a little twitchy. And the adjustable preview slider was nice, however it isn't labeled very well and I think the bulk of users aren't going to really make use of it.

The image searching was a more pleasant experience, though I wonder about how much the information is cached server side and how content updates may lead to "oops" moments. Overall I've liked what I've seen and hopefully will put the two search engines head to head.

Arguments Abound

Came to my attention these days just how adversarial people can get. Let me state for the record that I consider myself a fairly reasonable guy. I like the software I use, I enjoy the photo gear I use, doesn't always matter if its not "The Best" it suits my needs and my style.

Case in point. I am almost OS neutral at this point. I run Windows for the most part, but I also run OS X and Linux (though sadly my Linux work seems to be relegated to VMWare lately). I recognize that none of them is perfect, none of them is ever 100% secure, but I don't go around acting like a zealot. I might rib one camp now and then, but I view them as all being parts and tools that can be used when the time is right.

If you thought the Linux vs. Windows debate was ugly though you should see Camera forums. I myself started out using Minolta SLR's then rented Nikon's (F4 and N90 bodies). When it came time to go digital however I found the Nikon D100 wasn't quite my style. The ergonomics felt odd and the construction gave me this overly plastic feel. In came a switch to Canon. Though not without its quirks I've come to enjoy the lens options available and the overall software integration. With the possibility of going from my 10D to an EOS 30D this summer I took a look at the Nikon D200. Specifications wise it's a great camera and actually beats out the 30D in a number of areas. Though it also has its detractors. I think what a lot of folks forget is that a photographer defines how good the shot is, more than the camera itself.

So here's my stance, you don't agree with me you're welcome to retort, but jeeze keep it civil.

Content Explosion At Last

Well it looks like in a twist of fate I've managed to update a few posts both here and at my friends site http://www.random-review.com.

I'm hoping to keep the updates coming, though perhaps not quite as rapidly as this month. Though not mirrored here on Vraxxisms Live!, I've posted several anime reviews to the main site (http://www.vraxx.com).

Unfortunately mother nature isn't helping in regards to one area of my updates. My photo updates are probably going to be a ways off. Though perhaps coming in July or June I may just be getting a new body (erm no I'm not trading my flabby gut for a slim, rock-hard-abs Vraxx) a Canon EOS 30D, essentially a bump update from the EOS 20D which replaces my EOS 10D.

March may be a pretty busy week for me businesswise, so don't be surprised if I vent a bit here.