Category Archives: Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff

Sunsets: Tonemapping vs Importing from RAW

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Tom (Admin)

I’ve been playing around with tonemapping software – Photomatix – which can both be used to create HDR photos from bracketed JPEGs, and an HDR photo from a single RAW file. These are some photos I took of the same … Continue reading →

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Afghanistan, Then and Now

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Tom (Admin)

The Denver Post has just posted a wonderful collection of photos of Afghanistan from the 1960s which paints a world that was remarkably different than it is today. Taken by William Podlich, a professor from Arizona State University who took … Continue reading →

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Armed Forces Network: and now, a word from our sponsors…

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Tom (Admin)

I’m not one to complain about the Armed Forces Network – AFN has been a part of my life since the early 1970s, when we were living in Germany and it would basically play during prime time until around midnight, … Continue reading →

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One-Way Ticket to Mars: Now Accepting Applications

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Tom (Admin)

(Updated on Apr 23, 2013 – see bottom of post) The organization “Mars One” has just released its eligibility requirements to become an astronaut in their 2023 Mars mission.  And the good news is, if you’re over 18 and reasonably intelligent, … Continue reading →

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Madagascar on 12.12.12 part II: the Snake

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

For my second installment in the “One Day on Earth” project, in which filmmakers around the world are invited to contribute footage which may be used in a feature-length film, I was also in Madagascar’s Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.  Technically, we … Continue reading →

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Madagascar on 12.12.12 part I: the Lemurs

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I have been pretty excited about 12.12.12.  Why?  Because that’s the day the third “One Day on Earth” film is to be recorded in every country around the world.  The first … Continue reading →

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In Namibia, the best light for photos is within 10 minutes of sunrise

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Driving through the Namibian desert just outside the coastal town of Swakopmund at about 0545 can give you a real visual treat. It would have been more spectacular with a bit more of the fog/mist the area is known for, … Continue reading →

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One-Day Cactus Flower

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

I’ve heard rumors that many cacti bloom for only one day, but thought this was odd because I have cacti in my garden that will continue to bloom day after day (they open when the sun hits them and close … Continue reading →

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Archived historical films: Holland Carries On (post WWII)

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

One of the coolest things I have come across on the internet lately is the Prelinger Collection at archive.org (thanks to my daughter for pointing it out).  On this site, you can browse hundreds of thousands of video, imagery and sound … Continue reading →

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My Last Days: Meet Christopher Aiff

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

No words – just watch:

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What are YOUR plans for 12.12.12.?

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

On 12.12.12, filmmakers all over the world will be collecting footage for One Day on Earth, the third volume in a three-year project to capture a single day on earth, as experienced all over this amazing planet.  Wouldn’t you like … Continue reading →

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One Day on Earth: The 11/11/11 Trailer is Here!

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

“One Day on Earth” is a fascinating project to collate footage from every country in the world into a single full-length film.  In its first iteration, filmmakers worldwide were asked to submit footage taken on October 10, 2010 – or … Continue reading →

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Be a MySpace “early adopter”! The redesigned one.

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

MySpace is reinventing itself (again) and I’ve been waiting by my email inbox all weekend for an invite. I’m just not sure if that invitation is coming from Tom, or from Justin. Since having been purchased in 2011, and having … Continue reading →

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Town of Ghosts

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Awhile back, I posted about photographing ghost towns – specifically Kolmanskop, Namibia.  When we looked at photographing the town, we thought about whether it might look better in black and white – but that morning, the warm light made everything … Continue reading →

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World’s Largest Stick Insect Hatches

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Here’s a video you’ve probably seen before. It’s one of the world’s rarest insects, hatching from an impossibly small egg. The eggs are offspring of a breeding pair found under a bush growing on a rock that juts up out … Continue reading →

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Weavers in our Garden

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

In my opinion, there are few natural things as amazing to see as the nest of a weaver. In Namibia, there are the giant communal weaver nests, and there are the individual pair nests (built by two different species. The … Continue reading →

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More Ovamboland bars (shebeens)

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

I posted some time back about driving through Ovamboland – which is in north-central Namibia, and about the bars, or “shebeens” you see along all the major roads, and the creative names people paint on them.  Here are some more … Continue reading →

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A cardboard bicycle?? Yeah, but is it lighter than carbon fiber?

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

There’s a story making the rounds about a guy who has invented a bicycle nearly entirely made of cardboard.  In short, they told him it couldn’t be done, and he went and proved them wrong – the best kind of … Continue reading →

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Lions and Impalas

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

At Goas watering hole, around the center of the driveable part of Etosha National Park, we stumbled upon a pride of lions – it must have been seven.  But the really strange thing was the impalas and the way they … Continue reading →

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Accidental Photos

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Sometimes you can get a cool photo when your camera fails.  Standing under a streetlight in Katutura, a small child was begging to have his photo taken, yet for unknown reasons the flash wouldn’t fire.  The result is below.  I … Continue reading →

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Creative Bar Names in Ovamboland

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

The “4 O’s” region in northern Namibia is home to about half of Namibia’s population.  One of the first thing an outsider notices driving through the area is the descriptive and colorful paint jobs on the houses that line the … Continue reading →

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Victoria Falls at Dusk

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Awhile back we visited Victoria Falls, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.  They’re not the biggest falls in the world, but at a mile wide and 110 meters deep, they are up there.  I thought the footage went wonderfully … Continue reading →

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YouTube/Google up the ante in the privacy wars

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

So you’re sick of Facebook gradually nudging you towards completely doing away with all pretense of a private life?  YouTube/Google have made the latest move in the online privacy wars.  You remember when you started signing in to YouTube with … Continue reading →

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Just Like Riding a Bike

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Sometimes it’s easy to take things for granted.  Like learning how to ride a bike.  Among other things, we teach sports at the Resource Center, an after-school program for kids under age 14, at the Jakob Marengo School in Katutura, … Continue reading →

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US Army in Afghanistan Parodies “Call Me Maybe”

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Tom (Admin)

Here’s the latest effort by troops deployed overseas to blow off a little steam and connect with friends and family back home.  Some may feel it’s inappropriate – but you have to come up with things like this to stay … Continue reading →

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