Base10Blog
Thursday, April 27, 2006
 
Liveblogging My Retirement

Base10 knows that he has not been posting much lately. The reason is that he's been working like a hampster in a Habitrail of late getting prepared for his retirement. Today is the big day--sort of. I'm at the Pension Fund today to get processed.

Leaving the house today, I was thinking, I have to be very careful crossing the street and getting on and off the subway. I don't want to be one of those statistics, you know? Remember that guy. He got hit by a bus on the way to Pension. How ironic!

Don't be that guy!

In any event, Base10 has to work next Thursday and Friday and--if he's counted right--that should be it. Right now I'm waiting for a retirement counselor. More later.


Monday, April 24, 2006
 
Monday in Gotham

It is a dreary day, today. As a matter of fact, it rained the entire weekend. Base10 tried to get out and take some pictures on Saturday but ended up caught in the rain.

(Fortunately, Base10 was close to a tavern and the Rangers were playing their first playoff game in ten years. But this, my readers, I assure you, was merely coincidence).

New York sports fans were disapointed this weekend. The Rangers lost like pigs and Jagr was hurt and is in questionmable with an undisclosed "upper body" injury. The meet the Devils tonight (I think). The Nets also lost to the Pistons.

At least the Mets went .500 by splitting with the Padres. In spite of late inning heroics on offense, the Mets couldn't save Victor Zambrano from himself last night and lost 7-4. That being said, going .500 on a west coast road trip is not shabby at all. It's just that expectations are higher after the Met's fast start.

Base10 has a busy week coming up. He has to work on some final things for his job this week, but unless something wild happens, Base10 is being processed for retirement on Thursday. (Hmm. Sound vaguely like the Edward G. Robinson role in Soylent Green). Friday, it's of to Lake George for a long weekend. (This place is so remote, Base10 might not even be ABLE to blog from there). While I will have to report back to work for a couple of days next week to clean out my stuff, it looks like this is the end. Stick a fork in me. I'm done.


 
High Price of Gas

Judging by the Sunday talk shows, the Democtratic meme of the week will be high prices at the pump. This is not, or course, because of American avarice for oil. Nor is it because of the immutable laws of supply and demand, even though China and India are sucking up crude at thew well head for $72 a barrel. Nor is it because of alack of refining capacity, since the US hasn't added to this capacity for many years.

What, therefore, is causing high gas prices? President Bush, of course. He and Karl Rove personally called every gas station in America and told them what the price of gas was going to be. I suppose, in one way you could blame Bush. His policies helped create the worldwide economic boom that has caused this increased demand. You see, for the Democrats to admit market forces are keeping gas high, they have to give up on the idea that the economy is in ruins.

Maybe that's far fetched about Bush and Rove. It's really the big oil companies. Once again corporate America is squeezing the little guy dry. Just look at the outrageous pension given to the retirwed CEO of Exxon. (Don't allow for the fact that he worked for them for over forty years and saved them from bankrupcy). It's big oil, I tell you.

The worrisome thing, is this is exactly what some pundits are saying. Roland Smith (on local NYC evening news) made exactly this claim about big oil. Juan Williams on Fox News Sunday pedantcally proclaimed that the high price of gas has "nothing to do with supply and demand." Such ignorance of basic economic principles is stunning.

Besides, if gas prices are high, that means people will drive less, which will reduce greenhouse gases and alleviate global warming. Right?


Friday, April 21, 2006
 
Base10's First Paycheck

Base10 got his first paycheck as an adjunct professor yesterday. Now he can treat Mrs. Base10 to a night on the town! Well, maybe it's enough for lunch. It is nice to collect salary though, isn't it?

What to do with the money? More lenses? More cameras? How about a trip to someplace to take pictures. Maybe just a truckload of film. That's the ticket.

Base10's summer plans are simple. He has finals at the end of May and comp exams in mid-June. He is also imminently retiring. So, mid-June to mid-August, Base10 plans to do an academic study of Rockaway Beach. It will probably take quite a lot of field work, but hey, I'm up to it.

Base10's going to have a few announcements over the next couple of months. And maybe, he will be revaling his secret identity.


Thursday, April 20, 2006
 
Late Start

Base10 is off to a late start today but is working a late shift. It is an absolutely stunning day here in Gotham, but alas, rather than hit the beach (and it is that kind of day), Base10 has to take care of a few things in midtown. Base10 is still smarting from yesterday's Mets loss to the Braves. Some things just never change.

Tonight the Mets start a four-game series against San Diego. Base10 hates west coast games. They are on so late! We must wait until Sunday for a 4PM game.

In other sports action, the Rangers play the Devils in the first round of the playoffs beginning Friday afternoon. The Rangers are unfortunately slumping and beset with injuries at the worst possible time.


Wednesday, April 19, 2006
 
You Knew It Couldn't Last

The Mets lost last night to the Braves largely due to the absolutely superb complete game of their roockie pitcher.

Hey, you didn't think it would last forever, did you? C'mon. Wait until tonight when Glavine takes them on.


 
No PAW

Base10 has not kept up with his photo-of-the-week challenge. The last word was "distribute." Remember, the purpose of this exercise was to see if I could keep this up in one-week blocks. This week was just impossible. Base10 will extend the time to next Monday.

Base10 did do some photo tests over the weekend. He wanted to compare compensating developers. I exposed two 120 rolls of tri-x to the identical shot and pushed them two stops to 1600 asa. I then developed one roll in Diafine and one roll in HC-110. The winner to my eye is Diafine. I even scanned the negatives without adjustment and printed them as 8x10's. I noticed the HC-110 had a little more contrast but also a bit more grain. Overall, I thought the Diafine results were a little sharper. I think I might try the same thing with D76 to see what happens.

Also, as an experiment, I pushed a roll of tri-x to 12,800 asa. That's pretty extreme, but I wanted to see what kind results I could get. I developed it in a week HC-110 dilution for 50 minutes agitating lightly every five minutes. This technique is discussed in Ansel Adams' book "The Negative." The week solution and long times are used because the developer in the highlight areas becomes quickly exhausted and stops while it continues in the shadow areas. When you do agitate, you start the process all over again. It's possible this way to really extend the tonal range of the film. The results were not astouning. First, Base10 did get a useable, albeit grainy, image that actually cleaned up in Photoshop, but unless you were going for this effect, I'd use another technique. I'd like to try this again using say Ilford 3200. I've gotten very good results with that film and HC-110 pushing it one stop. I wonder how far it could go?

Base10 will post some results tonight or tomorrow.


Tuesday, April 18, 2006
 
Triumph at Shea

Well, maybe it's a bit too soon to go that far, but Pedro and the boys sure beat Atlanta last night. They certainly didin't give them a whuppin', but they won. Pedro was okay but not great, but guess what happened? He got run support to stay competitive and when they took him out in the seventh, middle relief came in and didn't give away the store. The Billy Wagner closed without loading up the bases or giving fans a case of apoplexy. This does not make a great team, but it is what above average teams do to win games. And it something we couldn't do much of last year. So let's recap for anyone that wasn't watching: Pedro chalks up his 200'th win, Mets win 4-3, Mets are now 10-2 and in first place. Atlanta is 4-6 and are FIVE GAMES behind.

As the summer wears on, this may not mean much. But the Mets will eventually come down to earth and that five game lead is huge when that happens.

Tonight Victor Zambrano is on the mound, and tomorrow is Glavine. Let's win this series.


 
The Draft is Coming

Base10 will be away in upstate NY during the NFL Draft at the end of the month but hopes to catch some of the action. Rumors are swirling about the Jets looking to trade up. Most analysts have them taking D'Brickshaw Fergusen at number four overall. This would be a nice pick for them since they could sure use help on the O-line. The problem with this scenario is that New Orleans, who just signed a monster deal for Drew Brees, would have to take Matt Leinhart at number three. Some have them taking Ferguson. While getting Leinhart might not be bad, I don't think it's particularly good to have Pennington, Ramsey and Leinhart all on the same team. Your money is on Pennington this season obviously. Ramsey is a good back up plan and might even have the talent to take you long term. Why sign Leinhart?

Time will tell, but Base10 loves the Draft. It's like a little bit of football at the beginning of the summer.


Sunday, April 16, 2006
 
Happy Easter

Base10 would like to wish all of his readers a happy and healthy Easter Sunday. Pope Benedict said today that we should all work for peace. When the Pope says this, he's really not going out on a limb, but Base10 agrees.


 
Let's Be Thankful

So the Mets didn't break a franchise record for best start, the won again today in rather spectacular fashion against the Brewers. Bannister made some mistakes, but he showed admirable character in not getting shaken and pitching he way out of several spots. His lack of experience shows, but his perseverance shows, too. I think he's going to be a pretty good pitcher.

Even Jorge Julio got his first inning where he didn't give up a run! Are we in some bizzaro universe here?

(Yesterday, when Randolph put Julio in when the Mets were losing badly, Base10 thought that he might become the franchise's official "whipping boy," but apparently he has not quite sunk to this status).

Anyway, Met fans, be happy. The year will doubtless wear on, but this is a great way to start the season. The real test, of course, will be Tuesday when we play our nemesis from Georgia.


 
General Anxiety

Base10 thinks he should weigh in on the retired general's criticism of Donald Rumsfeld. First, let me say, Base10 is no great fan of Rumsfeld. He should have gone to the home for retired Defense Secretaries a long time ago. He has been a lightening rod for criticism of the President--not all of which is completely undeserved.

That being said, where do you get off waiting until after you are safely retired to speak out? Base10 thinks it's quite cowardly. If you are an officer and you seriously think that the Secretary is needlessly endangering the lives of our soldiers, why did you have to wait for retirement to speak out? Your pension or future promotional opportunities outweigh this? The question must be asked, if you claims are true, why didn't you raise holy hell in front of Congress?

I'm sure Rumsfeld is a difficult guy to work for. But transformational leaders often are. And he did no less than transfor the way that agency does business.


Friday, April 14, 2006
 
Good Friday

The Easter weekend is upon us and Base10 is looking forward to a couple of days of study and other scholarly pursuits. Right!

The Mets continue to astound. They won big again yesterday and begin a three-game series against the Brewers. (What a great name for a team). Zambrano got the victory but looked mighty shaky in the sixth. No matter. 7-1 is a great way to start the season.


Thursday, April 13, 2006
 
Mets

The Mets lead 13-3 in the seventh and Base10 is going to ignore the game now on the assumption that no team, not even the worst squad ever fielded by the Mets, can blow a ten run lead with two innings left.

(If Base10 is wrong, he would not want to watch the rest of the game anyway).

Beware hubris, Mets fans. Yes it is great to be six games above five hundred, but it is early in the year. Base10 things nothing can put the jinx on a season more than fans that think their team is unbeatable. If we assume todayu's game is a win (and I will switch from baseball to bass fishing if it is not), we have only played eight games. This is less than 5% of the regular season. Be happy. Be joyful. But especially be grateful. And remember these times later in the season when the race will undoubtedly tighten up.


 
Mets Update

The Boys of Shea won another game last night 3-1. They are 6-1 for the season and haven't had this good a start since 1985. Pedro put in his usual machine-like performance and this time didn't bean anybody. He wasn't perfect--he gave up a solo homer and loaded the bases in the 5th (?) with no outs. He also failed to make even a single out when he fielded a bunt. He did manage to pitch out of that though and went a full seven innings. Heilman looked fine in the eighth and Wagner looked fine closing. Beltran got a critical base hit and scored from first on a Delgado base hit into the deep right field. Base10 thinks that after spending last yeare wandering the ddesert among angry Met fans, this year Carlos Delgado may come to understand that when they love you in this town, there ain't nothing like it.

Once again, the Mets look good in all facets of the game. Let's hope they can keep it up. They seem to have enough hitting, but in my mind they're most vulnerable in the bullpen. Wagner and Heilman seem quality--with Heilman capable of filling in for a starter if needed--but that's about it as far as depth. Jorge Julio is at best a question mark.

Today is a day game with Zambrano on the mound. Might Base10 sneak out to watch? He might, rabbit, he might...


 
Serious About Art

Base10 had an interesting proposition. His friend owns a bar in the Financial District and is trying to decorate one wall. He would like images of New York and seems to like some of my black and white images. He has offered to work out some arrangement with me to display them there and maybe generate some sales.

Then I could tell people that I am a "professional" photographer and have an "exhibition" downtown.

It does seem like an intriguing idea, even if I never sell anything.


Wednesday, April 12, 2006
 
A New Day!

It is an absolutely glorious morning here in Gotham and Base10 is on his way to work. While the Mets had another stellar performance yesterday, the Rangers did not fair so well, losing 3-2.

On today's agenda, Base10 has to do some training this morning but will then devote himself to rewriting what is known as the Patrol Allocation Plan (or "PAP"). This is sort of Base10's holy grail and he would like to get it done before he retires.

Other than that, I'd like to get in some Micro work and perhaps take a few photos during lunch. I've got a roll of tri-x burning a hole in my pocket! And of course, Pedro is pitching tonight. It's going to be a great day!


 
The President

The more I read about how the Democrats are poised to take over Congress in '06 and the Presidency in '08, the more I'm convinced that it will not happen. Lord knows, I have faulted the Bush administration on a number of things, but the chief concern is communication. On everything from the war in Iraq, the economy, taxes and immigration, you guys stand on the right side of history. Why did you stop trying to convince ordinary Americans of this?

But I'm not convinced Bush is done. Iraq is poised for change--hopefully for the better. The economy is absolutely humming along with unemployment down to 4.7%--a modern low. (The fact that the Times and WAPO ignored this story should tell you that the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers were universally good). While this will probably cause more interest rate tightening, it is getting harder to deny the growth period we are in. While extension of the Bush tax cuts have so far failed, watch this become a contentious issue in '08.

What will Bush do? If Iraq doesn't get bad, I think he's going to come storming back with a big issue that will capture American hearts and minds. The replacement of Andy Card is just the first step. I think the President should also shed some weight by getting rid of Rumsfeld. Appointing a dynamic figure to head defense would definitely score some points.

Anyway, I'd be careful of the President. There just might be some life left in him.


Tuesday, April 11, 2006
 
Spring Break is Here!

Base10 is happy. He has had his last class before spring break. Of course, this does not mean Base10 is off to Florida. On thje contrary, Base10 must make extra efforts to hit the books. Buit that's okay--it's just nice to have a break.

What is there to say? The Mets played earlier and won handily improving to 5-1. Bannister sure looks like the real deal. Pedro pitches tomorrow and it might not be pretty considering the last time he faced the Nats. The Rangers are playing tonight, so Base10 is hoping to get back to Queens in time for the third period. Life is good.


 
Base10 on Immigration
Base10 hasn't written on the immigration issue, but thinks it is time that he did. Reform of the US immigration system is not really a comfortably Liberal-Conservative issue. It involves economics, national security and morality. And there are no easy answers.

What is not helpful in this debate is the radical left wrapping itself up in the Mexican flag. The American people are generous to a fault, but they do not like it when people here illegally demand the privileges of citizenship while still retaining national loyalty abroad. You are welcome to America's benefits, but you have to join our team, as it were. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.

What is also not helpful is the framing of the argument in terms of being for or against immigration, per se. Being opposed to illegal immigration is not the same thing as being anti-immigrant. Indeed, many people abroad waiting their turn to come here might agree with that.

The last thing that should be avoided in this debate are silly arguments made for the sake of a sound bite. Peter King, a NY House Representative, made himself look like an idiot on the Sunday talk shows. He favors making illegal alien status a felony but as much as admits that it would be impossible to enforce. He suggested instead enforcement against the "big corporations" that benefit from the low wages they pay to illegal workers. Big corporations? Who are you kidding? Who employs illegals anyway? Not Google and General Electric, but rather small construction businesses and the food service industry. I guess Peter King can't rile up as many people when he says he wants to put mom-and-pop run Irish bars out of business for hiring a guy off the boat from Dublin.

All that being said, briefly consider the economic issues. There are, by some estimates, twelve million illegal immigrants in the United States. If we could remove them--which is like saying we could remove the labor and consumption of a state the size of Michigan from US GDP--do you think this would affect the economy in a positive or negative way? This simple question doesn't even consider transaction costs. Are you willing to double your marginal tax rate to begin a Herculean (and probably fruitless) effort to throw twelve million people out of the country? Something must be done with these people and Base10 thinks some type of guest worker system is necessary. But this is not only about economics.

The issue that really seems to fire up both right and left is that of national security. Build a wall between the US and Mexico, that crowd says. We can figure the rest out later. The shrillness and hyperbole of these arguments are astonishing. Terrorists could enter the country. Did you hear that? TERRORISTS! Briefly consider that the border with Mexico could never be properly policed without a radical rethinking all of our security priorities (Mexico, after all, is one of our staunchest allies. Why do we have to have a massive military and/or police presence on the border to protect us?) Consider too the national security costs of alienating (excuse the pun) the Mexican people. Do we want a socialist Mexico propped up by Hugo Chavez's petrodollars? Which is the worse threat, that, or people wanting to work coming over the border? I find it ironic that many of the national security concerns raised by the illegal immigration issue could be solved with the common sense implementation of a national ID card. That idea would be disowned by the wall-off-Mexico crowd in a momentito. But this is not only about national security.

Immigration is at its heart a moral issue. People WANT to come here. No other nation has the kind of immigration flow that we have. There is no country in the world that has more people emigrating from America than immigrating to it. It has been like this throughout most of our history. Why? Because in spite of the anti-American rhetoric spewed up by angry Leftist zealots or Islamic thugs, the US remains a shining beacon to the rest of the world. Come here. You can be free and have a say in your government. You can make a life for yourself and your family. It might be hard for you, but your children and grandchildren will reap the benefits.

That being said, do illegals deserve to go to the head of the line? No, but neither should they be airlifted home en mass. This country's very identity is defined by waves of immigration. Never forget what Emma Lazarus wrote of the Statue of Liberty:
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Let's not forget what America stands for. Most of us are, after all, the sons of immigrants.
Monday, April 10, 2006
 
Revel In It While You Can

The Mets are looking every bit the solid team so far. Yes, I know. They have only played five games. Yes, I know. The beat up on the Nationals, a team just one year removed from expansion. Yes, I know. They whupped Florida--a team that has like two starters still there from last year.

But hey, Florida and Washington and Philly are all teams in transition. The real test comes against the Braves. And the Mets did look solid. Solid starters. Solid hitting. Solid defense. And even--dare we say this--a solid bullpen. Yesterday's win against against Willis was huge. Let's hope it portends wonderful things to come.

Mets and Rangers are off tonight, although Base10 may try to catch a bit of the Philly-Atlanta game. You know, scope out the enemy.


 
Class

Micro class is about to start. After descending to new depths on the midterm, I'll be trying to pay attention.


 
Next Week's PAW
The magic random word generator spit out the word "distribute" so this will be the theme for this week.
 
PAW Project
Here are the first images in my self imposed and randomly generated Photo of the Week (PAW) project. Anyway, here are the photos without comment. I will perhaps add comments later. All are themed on the word "inform" generated last week. These images are all taken with an Epson R-D1 and mostly with the 35mm Ultron but some were taken with a Tri-Elmar.


Inform1, originally uploaded by base10blog.




Inform2, originally uploaded by base10blog.




Inform3, originally uploaded by base10blog.




Inform4, originally uploaded by base10blog.




Inform5, originally uploaded by base10blog.


Friday, April 07, 2006
 
Leaving Early on a Friday? What a Great Idea!

Base10 was asked to go in early today to work on a project this morning. It looks like it was done (I only had a portion to complete) and Base10 actually took the opportunity to leave early. ON A FRIDAY!

W00t!

Well, little things make me happy. Like baseball. And football.


 
Book Cafe

Base10 took the opportunity to visit the Housing Works Used Book Café during his lunch hour today. It is located in the heart of SoHo on Crosby and Prince Streets. It is, aside from the usual whiney East Village I-live-off-of-a-trust-fund-and-am-otherwise-a-drain-on-society type of Liberalism found in the area (but hey if you're a conservative in NYC and you can't deal with that by now, move to a red state), quite a nice place. I particularly like that you can buy beer or wine while you read a book or do some other activites at one of the tables. Indeed, several students were camped out at the choice spots with electronic gear (Macs, of course). I guess you could drink coffee, too. But it's a nice place.


Thursday, April 06, 2006
 
A Reminder

Last night's Met game is a reminder that the team over on Flushing--despite the springtime elation--is still the New York Mets. Oh, the agony. Mets lead four-zip. Bannister pitches a no-hitter into the sixth, then gives up a three run homer that brings the Nats within striking distance. Heilman is good in middle relief, but Billy Wagner--our $8 million closer, gives up the tying run in the ninth. Julio comes out in the tenth immediately loads up the bases and gives up FIVE runs. Willie Randolph takes him out before the last batter. Why bother? Why did you let him stay in so long to begin with? If any game could bring a fan down to earth it was that one.

Anyway, tonight features Pedro "Who's your daddy?" Martinez in his first start of the year. Base10 will be watching.


 
Lens Choice

Base10 did indeed buy the 35mm lens. Ultimately, price won out over quality. Well, if you look at it that way, quality won, too. I bought the Cosina/Voigtlander f1.7 Ultron. It was a demo for $299 in Adorama. How can you pass that up? It is a good quality lens. Anyway, I'll save the Summicron for another day (probably the day a buy a Leica camera thereby causing a divorce from Mrs. Base10). Besides, I would be very hesitant to take out a Leica body and/or lens in the rain or other foul weather. I would have no problem grabbing a Bessa and a $300 Ultron and taking it out in any weather or throwing it in my bag.

I haven't been able to use it much yet, but some test shots around the house show it to be pretty good. I'll be shooting with this on this week's project.


 
John Kerry, Again

Will somebody tell this guy that he lost the election! John Kerry is supposed to appear on Hardball today to explain his plan to bring all American troops home by next week. Maybe that's an exagerration, but it sure is something like that. Why? I don't mean why bring the troops home. I mean why would anybody listen? Aside from the fact that Hardball is the most innapropriately named political show on television--Chris Mathews showed himself to be a shameless Democratic shill during the election--why does anyone care what Kerry thinks? Is this the "plan for Iraq" that he kept talking about during the election? Maybe he's going to suggest that we involve the French more. And bring in the UN, too.


Tuesday, April 04, 2006
 
Weekly Photo Project
This week, the random word is "inform." (Obviously if you click on the above link you get a different word, right?) As I wrote a few days ago, I will spend the week trying to assemble a small 5-10 image portfolio describing this word. This week's project will be digital and will use my new lens (see last post).

See you next Monday!
 
Film Curl and Other Photographic Anomalies
Base10 doesn't know what to make of this. The last few rolls of film he left to dry were badly curled. It was edge-to-edge curl rather than end-to-end. Base10 tried everything: hanginng them with weights, hanging them without weights. Letting the shower steam up a bit before they dry, etc. Nothing works. The 35mm film is especially bad and makes it very difficult to scan. I've read that this is caused by low humidity. The dryness of the air causes the emulsion side of the film to dry out and therby causing curling with the emulsion side-in. This is indeed the situation I've noticed. I have a roll of 120 hanging now, and if it's not straight by tonight, I think I'm just going to cut it and put it under a book.

The roll that's hanging was processed with Kodak HC-110 developer. It's the first time I used it and I have to say that I'm impressed with the results (except for the curl). I developed Ilford Delta 3200 pushed to 6400 ASA and developed it in dilution A. The negatives came out nice and dense and I'll bet with a little experimentation that you can get it up to 12800 ASA easily--maybe even higher. I can't wait to try another roll or two. I'm even contemplating a test with identical exposures and push processing to compare the results from HC-110, Diafine and D-76.

Now that midterms are over (but understanding that I now have to study that much harder for finals) Base10 has decided to buy himself a toy. He is in the market for a 35mm focal length prime lens in Leica-M mount. There are four options, as Base10 sees them. Each has its good poiints and drawbacks:

1. The Cosina/Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 Nokton. This is the fastest 35mm lens available. It is also big, bulky, heavy and its optical performance is not as good as the other lenses on this list. Base10 does have a tri-Elmar which is optically beautiful but only starts at f4 so he'd like something a bit faster. With the Elmar, it would be reasonable to get something really fast, but I just don't think I'll carry this lens much. (New, $845).

2. The Cosina/Voigtlander 35mm f1.7 Ultron. I have a C/V 50mm Nokton and a C/V 28mm Ultron and I have to say that I'm impressed with both lenses. I am very tempted to buy this lens, which is optically good, but does suffer some criticism for its poor build quality. I've also read that this lens is particularly well suited for use on an RD-1 because of lack of micro-contrast. New for $450, this lens is not something you would go crazy about if you took it out in the rain. I also like the trade getting an extra half-stop over the heavyweight Zeiss and Leica glass.

3. The Zeiss TM 35mm f2.0 Biogon. Everything I've read about this lens says that it is beautiful with edge sharness equal to center. It is claimed that it is as good if not better than the pre-ASPH versions of the Leica 35mm Summicron. If I didn't get the Ultron, I'd be very tempted to get this one. (New, $1050; used, $850).

4. The Leica 35mm f2.0 ASPH Summicron. Before I write anything, this lens goes for $2000 new and the cheapest good quality used one I saw was going for $1400. That being said, it is the daddy of sharp lenses. If you are thinking of a Zeiss, it is not that much of a stretch to think about this one as well. Like I said, while I would like one really good prime lens, I don't think I'll be spending this much money unless I actually go out and buy a Leica camera.

Base10 will buy one of these lenses today, it just remains to be seen which one. (If Mrs. Base10 is reading this, it probably won't be the expensive one).
 
Couric Unleashed!

Various news sources have intimated that Katie Couric will be leaving her NBC Today Show slot to take up the Evening News anchor position at CBS.

CBS certainly needs someone to revitalize their newsroom given the past indiscretions of Dan Rather, but Base10 doesn't think Couric is the answer. While she does have some good qualities for a newscaster--she's pretty and somewhat witty--she definitely lacks the gravitas necessary for the job.

I could think of worse examples, but just this morning, she had Chris Mathews on about the withdrawal of Tom Delay from his Congressional race. (See below). Mathews--certainly no Base10 favorite, but obviously well prepared--launched into a careful analysis of Delay's Congressional district and likely candidates. Couric cut him off and said, "Wow, that's a lot of information first thing in the morning!" Maybe she'll do better at night.

The other thing that makes her a poor choice is that she has very poor interviewing skills. I don't think I've ever seen her do an interview that was not either a puff-piece where she failed to challenge the subject sufficiently or where she did seek to do a hatchet job on the person and failed miserably.


 
Tom DeLay

Early morning reports on the Today Show indicate that Tom DeLay will be withdrawing from the Congressional race in his home district. Interesting stuff. One can only speculate whether it's because of more ethical issues or if it's him being a good soldier and giving up his seat so a better situated Republican can win it. Chris Mathews, of course, had to take a shot at the President over it, too. For other newscaster reaction, see above.


 
Get Along, Little Gator

Sometimes Base10's sports prognostication skills do not result in disaster for his predictions. Case in point: the Gators destroyed the UCLA Bruins last night 73-57. Base10 stayed up for it, but frankly, it wasn't much of a game as early as the middle of the first half. Congratulations to the Gators and especially Joakim Noah who absolutely dominated the game. He has NBA star written all over him.

At least that's over. Now we can concentrate on baseball.


Monday, April 03, 2006
 
At Least I'm Not Duke

Base10 just finished his last midterm. Let's just say, that this one didn't go so well either. Perhaps comparing myself to Duke is unfair. Duke crashed and burned when expectations for them were quite high. Base10 never had these high expectations.

In any event, it's over for now and I can get back to important things like blogging. But first, Base10 is going to stop and watch the NCAA Basketball Championship. Who shall Base10 root for? Bear in mind this will mean that this team is doomed to failure. In this case, Base10 likes the Gators.

Speaking of sports, the Mets won their season opener against the Nationals today 3-2. Glavine pitched well, Billy Wagner closed without the usual nailbiting theatrics and Xavier Nady--the new guy--went four-for-four in hits in his first game as a Met. Not too shaby!

Base is thinking of buying himself a toy tomorrow for all his trouble. A toy in the form of a Zeiss lens. Will post more if I do.

One of the more frustrating things about my performance today was the feeling going though my study process that I actually was starting to get the mathematical aspect of the material. It's slow going but I made quite a bit of progress. I think I can do a lot better for the finals. This stuff isn't rocket science--oh wait--sometimes it is.


Saturday, April 01, 2006
 
Photo of the Day

img207, originally uploaded by base10blog.

Base10 hasn't put many photos recently. Here's one. It was taken with a Bessa R3A using a 28mm C/V Ultron lens on HP5 film pushed to 800 ASA and souped in Diafine. Negative scanned using the Espon 4990. Enjoy!


 
Jets News

Base10 read a NY Post interview with Jets rookie head coach Eric Mangini this week and left it quite impressed. It's going to be a hard year for Jets Nation in '06, of that there is no doubt. Base10 would be very happy with eight wins but thinks that might even prove unrealistic. But Mangini guaranteed this: he said no one would work harder for success or be unemotionally committed to it more than he and his staff. Whether that translates into wins this year is iffy. Whether it translates into wins in the long run and instills a work ethic in the players is quite certain. The more Base10 thinks about it, the happier he is that Woody Johnson hired young Messrs. Mangini and Tannenbaum. Hiring some retread head coach would have been a mistake. Get some new blood in and some new ideas and see where it goes.

And now for today's most ironic football item. NFL Network has announced that it is trying to hire Ryan Leaf to provide commentary at this year's draft. Leaf, taken number two overall after Peyton Manning, is without a doubt the greatest draft bust in the history of the NFL (this is no mean feat considering the likes of Browning Nagel and Blair Thomas). Is this a new trend? Hire a color commentator to talk about their worst failures? How about Mike Ditka talking about the benefits of trading up? Or Terrell Owens talking about the importance of honoring contracts? Or Dan Marino talking about how it feels to win a Superbowl?


 
Oh, the Irony!

John Dean--former Nixon White House Counsel and "master manipulator" in the Watergate coverup scandal testified before Congress that President Bush should be censured over the NSA eavesdropping program.

Does anyone else notice the incredible irony here? This is like Darth Vader leading a symposium on employer sensitivity toward employees. It's like Dr. Evil teaching an "I'm okay--You're okay" course. It's like putting Cuba on the UN Human Rights Commission (oh, wait a minute). Let's just say that having John Dean express an opinion on government misconduct is dopey--unless you're in the movies or in the UN.


 
Studying

Base10 will be hunkered down studying today and throughout the weekend so blogging will likely be pretty light. It is a beautiful day today, so Base10 might even go to the park for a bit--with the books, of course. Blogging will be light unless something really juicy or salacious comes up on Drudge.



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