HDR - High Dynamic Range Photography

HDR,

I have been looking at the photos for a while, and wanted to try it...but couldn't make that first step...

A quick summary is- a normal photo averages out the exposure based on what the center of the picture is...if it is something dark, then everything else will be washed out...if it is light (like the sky) everything else will be dark.

HDR photography allows you to capture the details from both those extremes, glue them together via software, and you get a picture as real as you looking at it...or can even be super real...

If you search for HDR on google you will find plenty of good websites.

This is all I needed to know...

...previously I had put CHDK on my Canon A530 to give me control over the camera (actually specifically to do this)

...but the key was what to set where...CHDK has a submenu of its own, and that is where most of the settings go.
--here is the summary...
>Extra Photo Operations
>>Bracketing in continuous mode
>>>TV bracketing value [2EV] ...AV bracketing would be preferred, but my camera doesn't have it.

now to the normal camera menu, select continuous mode, 5 shots...and I use a 2 sec delay for the first shot.

Now sit back while the camera takes shots.

Now that you have the 5 shots, there are many ways to digitally glue them together...I use Photomatix (http://www.hdrsoft.com/)...I haven't bought it yet...hence the watermark.

Here is one of my shots, with my camera sitting on a coffee cup in my hotel window.

iPod Touch

Well, I figured it was time to join the Apple cult...Actually there were some apps that I wanted to run, I don't want to use At&t for cell, and I need a windows phone anyway.

But the Touch has all the functionality of the phone...minus the camera/microphone/gps

The first step is to jailbrake the Touch. That allows you to add software that Apple doesn't sell etc.

There are two types of jailbroken iPods...tethered and untethered. Tethered means, whenever you turn on the device from a cold start, you need to be hooked to your computer...not very useful for most people.

Untethered means that even on a cold start, the iPod stays jailbroken, and will boot normally.

So knowing that...I found out that there is no untethered jailbrakes for OS 3.1.3, or higher, nor for the 32 and 64gb 3rd generation Touch.

Also the 8gig version for the 2nd gen and 3rd gen are identical, and they can be jailbroken/untethered.

http://www.redmondpie.com/redsn0w-0.9-jailbreak-iphone-3g-3gs-and-ipod-touch-3.1.2-firmware-9140376/

So I got a 8gig 2nd gen Touch from Newegg. Downloaded iTunes, and a 3.1.2 OS , updated the Touch using 'shift'-RESTORE on the iTunes screen, and installing the 3.1.2 that I downloaded.

After a sucessful reboot of the Touch, I closed iTunes and started the latest version of 'redsn0w'.

I pointed the program to the same 3.1.2 that I had installed on the Touch, and let it do its thing. I installed Cydia...which is an apt-get type program, and you can define the repositories...so you can install your own software.

Using Cydia, I installed 'RoqyGPS' which is supposed to allow your Touch to access a bluetooth GPS. (the OS 3.0 and later for the Touch enabled bluetooth for headphones). My bluetooth GPS puck seems to not be compatible, so I am getting one that should be...http://www.roqy-bluetooth.net/hardware.html

More Bad Caps

I have been busy, so no projects right now...but I did have the opportunity to troubleshoot my main system. BSOD etc.

After ruling out virii, and memory issues...I hooked up my Frozen CPU Ultimate LCD Power Supply Tester to the just over warranty Enermax 600W power supply...and it kept shutting down.

So I pull it out, and open the PSU up...guess what, 5 capacitors that had bulged out and and were leaking out the top...(the brown spots in the out of focus picture is the leaking stuff)



So the replacement is a Corsair HX750 with modular wiring...which let me tell you, it a very nice feature. Also it has extra dedicated wires when I get around to adding a second ATI card.

...well back to the Super Bowl.