Digital's Noise

My Games Have Been Downloaded 500,000 Times

2011-10-06T20:16:00.002-05:00

Wow how crazy is that.

I'm working on iPhone now.

Super cool. Thanks for all your support!

California Riding Areas List Link

2011-09-23T18:06:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to a very useful list of California's 4x4 riding and driving areas:

http://www.all-offroad.com/DirtBikes/Where2Go/California_Riding_Areas.html

this one too:

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/nocatrails/Northern_California_4x4_Trails_Maps_Where_To_Go_4Wheeling.htm

Litany against Fear

2011-04-14T10:42:00.001-05:00

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

-- Litany against Fear from the Bene Gesserit rite

"Search is Yesterday's Story" WTF?

2011-02-16T14:27:00.002-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/business/media/11search.html?_r=1

A quote from this awesome page:

“Search is, in my mind, yesterday’s story,” said Lewis Dvorkin, chief product officer at Forbes, which recently redesigned its Web site to make it more social. “You’re finding that today’s audience is much more interested in the filter of their colleagues and friends who they trust than an algorithm produced by someone else.”

The problem with this type of thinking is that the friends and colleagues need a good search system to locate, filter and find the content they will share. Search is the everyday story -- it cannot go away or even into the background.

In many ways the value to the networks you belong is directly proportional to your skills with the digital search systems that you use to find content you filter into your social network.

Star Traders RPG v2.7

2010-12-17T05:47:00.001-05:00

Experience the Elite Upgrade! Epic new content includes 2,000 new Sectors, 200 additional Zones and more than 150 exclusive art files. Take your space based adventures to a huge next galaxy.

Pick sides in a vast Solar War and play as Merchant, Assassin, Explorer, Warlord, Pirate or Smuggler. Buy, Sell, Battle and Pilot over 100 unique craft. Discover, Explore and Quest on more than 140 planets.

Featuring a professional soundtrack this epic space opera is a hit with fans of Star Wars, Firefly, Serenity and Battlestar Galatica. Your command of the ship is under constant threat, both internal and external. Can you manage your resources, crew, officers well to enough to turn a profit on your contracts? Those that do will be among the Faction's elite Star Heroes -- and those that fail will be branded bandits and Crimelords.

Inspired by games such as EVE Online, Space Trader, Master of Orion, Pirates! and many other classic computer RPGs.

New Story

2010-10-05T15:08:00.001-05:00

This is an epic about the past versus the future. The story about a hermit and a cyborg takes place in a dangerous police state in a solar system of magical space travel and is interwoven with a story about a delusional doctor who is in love with a beautiful librarian.

It starts on an icy planet in an intergalactic federation. A major element of this story is when technology becomes indistinguishable from magic. It ends with the destruction of a small nation on a fiery planet. The story begins with someone giving a test and ends with someone reading a book.

Unknown error at C:/Perl/site/lib/Mail/Mailer.pm

2010-09-29T11:08:00.003-05:00

You are running Bugzilla on Windows? Getting new Random SMTP errors? Is your hosts file corrupted? Protocol file missing?

Symptoms:

- Bugzilla SMTP E-Mail Delivery Failure
- Mail::Mailer Not Working
- Perl's core Net::SMTP module fails without explanations
- Mail::Mailer Test Scripts Return
Unknown error at C:/Perl/site/lib/Mail/Mailer.pm

- Bugzilla Returns SMTP Connection Errors
- Bugzilla SMTP Debugging Provides No Additional Information
- Bugzilla SMTP Test Delivery (text file) works fine

PROBLEM:

Your C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc folder is corrupt! It is missing 3 key files -- hosts, protocols and services, which Net::SMTP considers required. In fact, the Windows OS really needs those files so I can understand that Net::SMTP doesn't handle them being missing very well.

SOLUTION:

Restore the server from backup (haha) or copy the files over from another server. Protocols, Services and even Hosts, for the most part, are totally portable between Windows Servers and shouldn't ever contain local modifications.

CAUSE:

How did these files get deleted? I don't know, vandals? Bad disk controller? Some type of Anti-Virus software going berserk? If you figure out what deleted yours, let me know -- I can't figure out what took mine...

Android Questions

2010-06-05T15:39:00.001-05:00

I need one place to manage all the ringtones
What do you set your Internet home page to be?

Android, EVO, Sprint And This Blog

2010-06-05T13:29:00.001-05:00

This blog is temporarily going to be flooded with Android stuff...

Firefox Default MailTo: Client

2010-05-02T20:59:00.001-05:00

I'm always clicking mailto: links on browsers and cursing when I see Outlook Express popping up.

Here's the official Firefox 3 way to get rid of that nasty issue!

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/power-tip-set-gmail-as-your-default.html

Happy Browsing, gentle reader...

Cory Trese
916-359-9644
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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

A Blog Post 3 Minutes In the Making

2010-04-22T16:58:00.001-05:00

As a Sacramento California Wedding Photographer, I have a lot to do!

I was reading online, one of my favorite blogs www.MikiJohnson.com a page about 5 ways to get yourself to do something you've been avoiding.

I saw that the Community Manager from Flickr has moved on in her career. She leaves behind an impressive catalog of work and talks. I am sure she will be very successful in her future endeavors.

When people talk about managing communities in this new online world, one name is mentioned more often and with more respect than any other: Heather Champ of Flickr.

And of course I read a few pages on the Mashable site, who doesn't these days. I thought this one, while posted more than 60 hours ago (that's gathering dust in Web 2.0 terms, right?) is still pretty interesting. Talks about Facebook's Brand Search cache and what it means for advertisers on the platform. I do not know about you, but Facebook has pretty much saved my business during the economic downturn.

And while we are praising Facebook, we must always include the obligatory link to a Facebook vs. Google advertising story, this one from Entrepreneur.com. I am personally not sold that I could keep the necessary traffic levels for www.CoryTrese.com with either Google.com or Facebook.com alone, but the future is not clear.

I do a great deal of work from home, sorting my wedding photographs, writing software and blogging. Besides, my laptop gets terrible battery life and I know my power supplies here are reliable. Anyway, one of the challenges that I face there is finding a way to create a productive home office space that enables me to get work done with a minimal amount of distractions. That story, again on Entrepreneur.com is useful I thought, even if most of the entry is common sense.

Back to Facebook for a second I thought that the guy who was doing Facebook dumps and analytics was onto something really cool before Facebook.com sued him. One of his pre-lawsuit works was a visual representation of how Facebook's user profiles split up across the United States.

Thanks, Miki =) 5 Ways to Avoid Doing Something You Don't Want To Do. #1 -- Write a Blog Post.

Cory Trese Wedding Photography, Service Sacramento California

I Love Posting Photos On The Internet

2010-02-03T12:55:00.001-05:00

I found this excellent guide (humor!) on how to "post photos on the Internet" by someone who seems to have done a lot of research on MySpace and Facebook.

http://www.marco.org/328836901

The author includes such gems as :

Oversaturate or slightly desaturate. Tint red to look old. Under no circumstances should you apply a neutral white balance.

and an old stand by of mine:

Rotate the camera 30 degrees before shooting.

Cory Trese
ph#: 916-359-9644
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California Wedding Photography

Hosting Partner Hacked, Some Sites Down

2010-02-02T14:25:00.000-05:00

One of my hosting partners, www.FrogNet.net, was hacked (I think? they're not giving any real information at this time, even to their clients!) and some of my sites are down.

I am looking at the options available, in terms of moving my sites around, but they weren't very helpful concerning that.

Cory Trese
ph#: 916-359-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Digital Wedding Photographer

2010-02-02T10:09:00.001-05:00

This article on the Gadsen Times (of which, I admit, I have never heard) is pretty well written, from a staff writer who went from Digital Wedding Photographer to Bride-To-Be and then Wedding Photography Critic.

Now, I do not think that the Gadsen Times is published out of California, but, wedding photography critics of any geographic persuasion are of general interest to the author of this blog.

Capture picture perfect photos on your wedding day
Gadsden Times

Luckily, in my first year as a wedding photographer, I learned a few ways to make the whole process a little easier on everyone. And I'm more than happy to ...

See all stories on this topic

Toyota's Woes

2010-01-29T13:07:00.001-05:00

I received a number of e-mail messages today from Car Rental Vendors who wanted to assure me, in face of the Toyota recall, that they were able to meet demand and not to worry.

From Avis:

We further want to emphasize that only certain Toyota makes and models, in addition to the Pontiac Vibe, are affected by the recall. Those Toyota vehicles that are not affected will continue to be offered for rental; however, if you are uncomfortable driving a Toyota vehicle, we will make every effort to offer you an alternative vehicle if one is available.

I am sure the line "are uncomfortable driving a Toyota vehicle" makes Toyota shareholders pretty uncomfortable too.

The big winner? The Pontiac Vibe -- we already knew it was a bad vehicle but the Pontiac company is pretty safe from a lower public perception, having already been thrown into the wood chipper by GM.

Cory Trese
ph#: 916-359-9644
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Sacramento California Wedding Photography

Brain Surgery Is Cool

2010-01-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

Popular Science had a "The Year's Most Amazing Scientific Photographs" which combines two things that I love -- photography and science!

In addition, the first photograph shows a neural implant being applied by a neurosurgeon working on a human brain.

Pretty sweet.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-12/gallery-our-most-amazing-scientific-images-1

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Sacramento Wedding Photography

conflict between the love of power and the power of love

2009-10-21T18:36:00.000-05:00

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Quote of Greatness

2009-09-11T14:11:00.001-05:00

"Baby, I'm too busy being an epic hero to worry about pretending to be some other epic hero."

- Said by my friend Sha in response to a query about playing D&D

Intellisense

2009-07-05T12:31:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I turn it off .... Just to make sure I haven't lost it

Core

--
Sent from my mobile device

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Iran

2009-07-03T00:49:00.000-05:00

"It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting."

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

There, I fixed It

2009-07-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

http://thereifixedit.com/

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

On Being a Photographer

2009-06-22T15:21:00.000-05:00

This came up in my Google "Wedding Photography" Alert and I thought it was interesting.

http://blogs.todayonline.com/techtalk/2009/06/on-being-a-photographer/

and I quote the author, Trevor Tan:

These days, everyone can be a photographer with their mobile phones and compact digital cameras. But what they might not understand is that every photograph they take is a snippet of history, reality and time. As social critic Susan Sontag wrote in her 1977 seminal work "On Photography", "… images are indeed able to usurp reality because first of all a photograph is not only an image, an interpretation of the real; it is also a trace, something directly stenciled off the real".
Thus, being a photographer means you are a recorder of "a thin slice of space as well as time" - Sontag's description of a photograph.
And this might just be the answer I will give the next time when I am asked what I do for a living.

Something I found interesting as a Sacramento Wedding Photographer.

Photographer, Cory Trese
For Appointments Call: 937-609-9644
California Wedding Photography

I Want One Of These LCD

2009-06-18T16:15:00.000-05:00

http://www.eizophoto.com/cg301.aspx

I saw one. They're as good as a CRT.

Finally, an LCD that can do what a high end CRT has been able to do for 10+ years.

Woot. Too bad they're $2000.

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Funny Wedding List

2009-06-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

Not all wedding ideas are good ones.

On that note, here is the "Top 10 Worst Ways to Save Money at Your Wedding"

The 10 worst ways to save money at your wedding
San Luis Obispo Tribune - San Luis Obispo,CA,USA
Who needs to spend $2.1K on photographers when your guests' iPhones have 2.1 megapixels? Tell everyone that in order to come to your wedding, ...
See all stories on this topic

San Francisco California Wedding Photography

Quote

2009-06-16T19:29:00.000-05:00

In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim
with the current. -- Thomas Jefferson

Book List

2009-05-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

Change Management – Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Innovation – Innovation Nation by John Kao
Growth – The Breakthrough Company by Keith McFarland
Attitude – Radical Edge by Steve Farber

D&D Co-Creator Dies, Nerds Everywhere in Mourning

2009-04-10T11:06:00.001-05:00

'Dungeons & Dragons' co-creator dies
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/04/10/obit.david.lance.arneson/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

(CNN) -- David Lance Arneson, who helped trigger the global phenomenon of role-playing games as co-inventor of "Dungeons & Dragons," has died at the age of 61.
A statement on the game's official Web site, wizards.com, said Arneson died Tuesday evening "after waging one final battle against cancer."

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Google Advertising

2009-02-10T18:32:00.001-05:00

I saw this story about openness is Google's advertising model and I agree with a lot of the points.

However, I can't quit using them no matter how opaque the advertising model becomes.

Google outperforms even niche advertisers like TheKnot for me.

To Google: "I can't quit you, baby."

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California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Pictage, VPS LLC and Prior Art

2009-02-05T21:54:00.003-05:00

In early 1996 the APS photo system was being introduced at the PMA show. Also at this show was the introduction of new digital products and talk of the then new "cyberspace".

Although the APS marketing efforts overshadowed the digital offerings (APS), many of us were more interested in the new "cyberspace" and had already invested time and money toward displaying photos on the Internet for sale.

Here is an excerpt from a book that talks about the 1996 PMA and the urgent need for all photographers to prepare to sell photography and digital-photography derived products on the Web.

http://books.google.com/books?id=syH4h4ZPi0sC&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=February+1996+PMA&source=web&ots=Irv7gxeLPE&sig=H-l9TkDTYucrIAbErF40ZzUyKYM&hl=en&ei=Y6eLSbB5gqqwA5PFxZgJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result

There were so many people talking about web sites that at that point the idea was without a doubt in public domain, and anyone with the tools(that were available at that show), and minor skills could be selling pictures online in no time.

Prior Art
PMA international convention
02-1996:
Durst Dice America displays to the public its OPUS (On-Line Photo User System) for storing, selecting and production of digital images.

PMA Industry Trends Report 1995-1996
02-1996:
Wolf Camera and Video, Atlanta Ga, introduced the Wolf Photo Net On-Line Photo Center, allowing customers to access their pictures on the Internet.

PMA Industry Trends Report 1995-1996
02-1996:
Photographers around the globe chronicled cyberspace and uploaded their images to the Internet as part of "24 Hours In Cyberspace" They documented how the online digital revolution changed peoples lives.

PMA Industry Trends Report 1995-1996
04-1996:
Seatle Film Works, Seattle, Wash, launched a new service enabling photographers to build their own Web pages on the internet.

PMA Industry Trends Report 1995-1996
07-1996:
http://prnwire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/23469&EDATE=

NEW YORK, July 18 /PRNewswire/
Applied Graphics Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: AGTX), the largest provider of outsourced digital imaging and archiving management services in the country, today announced it will operate its Digital Link imaging system in a mobile unit on site in Atlanta to provide immediate scanning and handle remote transmission of Allsport photography taken at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games

As a byproduct of the scanning service, the Olympics images will be simultaneously added to the existing Allsport on-line archive of 100,000 images, which is supported on site by AGT in Los Angeles and London.

Kodak Files for patent 6017157
12-1996
"Method of processing digital images and distributing visual prints produced from the digital images"
Awarded the patent 01-25-2000

Amazing, Affordable, Professional Digital Wedding Photography (Northern California)

2009-01-28T22:56:00.002-05:00

When everything else fades away, all that remains are the photographs.

Incredible, affordable professional wedding photography by Cory Trese.

Would you like to discuss your wedding plans? Interested in a custom package? -- e-mail 'cory.trese@gmail.com' or call us at 530-753-2541. We still have dates open in 2009!

I photograph your wedding personally. I do not send anyone in my place.

To ensure your precious moments last forever, all of my wedding packages include all of the negatives,

originals and digital files at no extra charge. In most cases I have the DVD of originals shipped to you within a few days of the event.

I will assign printing and enlargement rights to you so you can order prints from your vendor of choice (WalMart even!)

Want a la carte professional prints? I make my preferred pricing at a professional printing lab available. You pay only $8 for an 8"x10" from one of the best printers in the United States, shipped directly from the printer to your door.

Looking for premium quality wedding photography at affordable prices? E-mail 'cory.trese@gmail.com' give "Cory" a call at 530-753-2541!

Platinum: ALL DAY, 300 Prints, THREE Custom Designed Coffee Table Book, Digital Negatives on DVD = 3700

Gold: 7 hours, 250 Prints, Custom Designed Coffee Table Book, Digital Negatives on DVD = $2700

Silver: 6 hours, 150 Prints, Digital Negatives on DVD = $1600

Bronze: 5 hours, 75 Prints, Digital Negatives on DVD = $1300

Engagement Session: 2 hours of bridal portraits + 50 prints = $400

Smoking Ban Reaches Apartment Buildings

2009-01-27T16:51:00.001-05:00

This is so awesome!

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/27/america/smoking.1-416522.php

I lived in a horrible apartment building in Dayton, Ohio (Cooper Lofts, downtown Dayton at 111 Harries Street) and my neighbors smoked so much that it caused health problems and damage to my property.

I hated living at Cooper Lofts because of the constant smell of smoke in the building, common areas and my loft. It would have been a nice place to live if it was not for the smoke.

I hope the ban on smoking continues to extend to cover everywhere that they can harm other people with their toxic fumes.

FYI, I used to be a pack-a-day smoker and I never smoked inside my house or any apartment building. I would never smoke in an enclosed space shared with other people.

Maybe I'm just not as self-centered as my Cooper Lofts neighbors. The rude (evil?) smokers are the problem -- if they would have some common sense and decency these types of bans would not be necessary.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/27/america/smoking.1-416522.php

Nikon Sensor Quality King!

2009-01-15T15:41:00.001-05:00

Nikon's new SLR leads the pack for sensor quality

Scientific proof!

It's not a surprise that the Nikon D3X, the company's brand-new $8,000, 24.9-megapixel SLR, tops DxO Labs' sensor performance test. What is a surprise is the margin by which it leads its rivals from Canon and Sony.
When the French firm unveiled its DxOMark Sensor benchmark test last year, Nikon's D3 was the top scorer at 80.6, a composite number that represents various performance features. Very close on its heels were Nikon's D700 at 80.5, Canon's EOS-1Ds Mark III 80.3, and later Canon's 5D Mark II at 79 and Sony's Alpha A900 at 78.9.

VPS, LLC + Pictage = Anonymous Laywers Comments

2009-01-11T12:52:00.003-05:00

This was posted to my other story, VPS, LLC + Pictage = Patent Highway Robbery?, but I thought it was too important to leave languishing in the comments section.

My wife is a photographer and forwarded this discussion to me. I followed the link to the docket sheet provided by Ryan (I think) but that was little help. It contained links to the ECF site for the case, but only registered attorneys who pay fees can access that. Darn.

Oh, wait: I'm an attorney and I pay those fees. So, on I went.

The first suit was against Kodak in 2002. There was alot of tussling back and forth over discovery issues, lots of high powered law firms running up massive fees. In the end, it was dismissed pursuant to an agreement which I am sure was and is confidential. No trial, no Motions to Dismiss, no Motions for Summary Judgment or other proceedings that could give us some insight into the actual merits of the case.

The next one was against Shutterfly. It was originally filed in Chicago but was bumped to Oakland. Here, too, a bunch of lint-picking over discovery issues but, in the end, dismissed by agreement.

The last one was against Pictage. Here, there was not even much argument over discovery. I'm not signed on right now, but I don't think Pictage even filed an Answer (the responsive document that defendants must file setting out its basic defenses) before the case was dismissed by agreement. This puppy was over in less than 4 months, a legal micro-second.

There are some interesting aspects and I did link to and download some pleadings and "Letter Briefs". On their face, these discuss discovery disputes only, but they do shed some light on the general parameters of the parties' underlying disputes.

Let me know if you want to know more.

What this tells me is that Pictage did not fight VPS, LLC like the other companies did...

Is this because they have an under funded legal departement?
Or did they just need an excuse to raise prices on the photographers who are already getting GOUGED by Pictage and beat up by the general economy?

I don't know which would be worse. If Pictage has a poorly funded legal department, who else will be able to hurt us via our relationship with them? If they just wanted to raise prices but couldn't be honest about it, can we trust them to tell us the truth in the future? I am going to wait to see what happens with SmugMug ... watch for filings from VPS, LLC and pray ;)

EDIT: Updated new Prior Art at http://digital2noise.blogspot.com/2009/02/pictage-vps-llc-and-prior-art.html

SmugMug + VPS, LLC = No Comment (But We have Awesome Attorneys)

2009-01-09T13:38:00.001-05:00

Hi Cory,

I can't comment on something we're not a part of. Thanks for your concern but at the moment, we've no involvement.

We do have awesome attorneys, yes :)

All the best,

Andy
COO & House Professional
SmugMug
www.moonriverphotography.com

SmugMug Pro Resources:
http://wiki.smugmug.net/display/SmugMug/Pros
http://www.smugmug.com/help/pro-start.mg

Cory Trese wrote:

Hello,

I am worried about SmugMug. VPS, LLC seems to have a patent on your services.

I blogged about it and the impact it has had on the other service I use, Pictage.

http://digital2noise.blogspot.com/2009/01/vps-llc-pictage-patent-highway-robbery.html

Have you been contacted by VPS, LLC? Is SmugMug in danger? Do you have good lawyers?

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com <mailto:cory.trese@gmail.com>

www: http://www.corytrese.com/

VPS, LLC + Pictage = Patent Highway Robbery?

2009-01-09T12:20:00.004-05:00

I received this somewhat depressing e-mail from Pictage today...

Dear Valued Pictage Partner:

Last week Pictage completed a settlement of a patent infringement lawsuit brought against Pictage and some of our clients by VPS, LLC. Among other things, VPS's patents cover the online display of digital images and sale of products based on those digital images. VPS has licensed these patents extensively and requires that companies (including professional photographers) providing online sales of products based on online digital images pay VPS a license fee or royalty on all such online sales.

As part of the settlement with VPS, Pictage is paying a multi-million dollar fee for a license covering past and future online sales on Pictage.com. All of your past sales and those you will make in the future on Pictage.com are covered by the license to Pictage and the fees paid by Pictage. However, it is important to note that any sales that you have made or will make on any other website (including your own) are not covered by the license to Pictage.

The fees that we are paying VPS make it impossible for Pictage to continue to honor our legacy commission rate of 10%. Effective immediately, our commission rate will be 15% of online consumer sales. Those currently at 15% will see no change. In addition, we will now charge a monthly fee of 1.5% (still substantially below the best available credit card processing rates) for all sales made though our Pictage Payment Processing (P3) system.

I thank you again for your ongoing support. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,

Jason B. Kiefer
Founder & CEO

Did a quick Google search and found this docket:

http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-ilndce/case_no-1:2008cv05172/case_id-223530/

Which is probably the one that they are settling out of court and passing along to there partners. I wonder if SmugMug and Yahoo are next. I am reading this VPS, LLC patent and I think it is bogus. I assume Pictage hired some competent patent lawyers but rolling over to highway robbers like VPS, LLC sucks and makes the entire patent system suck more.

Every time one of these blood suckers gets paid, it attracts more of them, like moths to the flame.

[EDIT:]
Thanks to a gentle reader, Ryan, I now have the actual link to the patent:

http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6321231.PN.&OS=PN/6321231&RS=PN/6321231

Thanks, and as always, comments & feedback welcome.

[EDIT #2:]

Another (this time anonymous) reader pointed out a few other important VPS related links. They have sued HP, Shutterfly and some other big retailers. I am in fear...

http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-ilndce/case_no-1:2004cv01709/case_id-145809/

I cannot find the dockets regarding Flickr (Yahoo) or HP, but that might be just from bad googling again.

EDIT: http://digital2noise.blogspot.com/2009/02/pictage-vps-llc-and-prior-art.html

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

---

California Wedding Photography
http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html

Cooper Lofts - Lies, Damn Lies and Paper Trails

2008-12-10T13:32:00.008-05:00

Here is one of the responses I got from my recent blog post:

Hey Cory...
I'm sorry you're not happy here at Cooper Lofts. It sounds like you have a specific complaint. Could you let me know what that complaint is? I'm on the board and might be able to help you resolve it...
Drop me a line or call me when you get a chance. My contact numbers are posted on our website.
Michael #205

I contacted Miachael about the terrible problems I was having at Cooper Lofts. His offer of board-supported assistance was a total lie.

The end result of my complaints? Renters are no longer allowed to petition the board with problems, no matter how terrible.

My downstairs neighbor smoked cigarettes constantly in her #302 unit downstairs from mine. Due to the shoddy construction work done at Cooper Lofts, this resulted in all of the smoke from #302 being vented into #402 -- so Sarah's unit did not smell of smoke at all but my unit did.

I guess I should clarify, "smell" is not really a fair description of how much smoke they created -- at some times it was so powerful that you could see it in the air and it eventually caused both Allison and I to develop asthmatic conditions. To be fair, my doctor did note that the breathing issue may have been compounded by Dayton's terrible air quality and the dangerous quantities of silica brick dust in the air in Cooper (we had an air quality specialist do a test for us.)

Her husband repeatedly threatened and harassed myself and my girlfriend after we complained to our (absentee) landlord, Timothy Anderson.

I lived at 111 Harries Street #402 Dayton Ohio, 45402

Cooper Lofts Dayton Ohio

2008-12-10T13:05:00.005-05:00

First, some background. I am a resident at the Cooper Lofts in Dayton Ohio. These lofts were design and built by the same company, or companies using similar methods, to the Cannery Lofts, The Ice Lofts and the Merc Lofts.

These places are beautiful (at first glance) warehouse conversions in central downtown Dayton. The Ice and Cooper Lofts are conversions and extensions of existing Dayton buildings and the Merc is actually a renovation of an old DP&L power plant on Third Street.

If you are considering purchasing a unit in one of the buildings I would strongly caution you to think twice about the inherent problems. You may deeply regret your decision.

The thing about loft living is that you are faced with the worst of both a stand-alone house and an apartment building:

In an apartment building you are protected by a lease and supported by an arbitrating party that is bound to all by legal requirements of reasonable action and protection from harassment and nuisance. In a loft you are protected by the bylaws, which the "condo association" is, by all appearances, able to change at a whim with little or no regard for non-owner resident's protection.
In an apartment building no one can make claims of ownership and declare, from a self-righteous platform, that they do what they like on the property they own. In an apartment, ownership is centralized and all are bound to reasonable requirements of respect by that central party. In a loft all residents (or most at least) are owners and are therefore afforded a feeling that they can do whatever they want regardless of the negative impact on the quality of life of other residents.

In short, you have all the problems of an apartment (close proximity, lack of privacy) and all the problems with a house (bad neighbors, property ownership issues) without any of the advantages of an apartment (central authority, neutral party to provide arbitration) or of owning your own house (personal space, privacy.)

The so-called "Condo Association Board" exists only to protect the offices of the board and the friends they keep among the property owners. The members of the board will take whatever steps required to retain control -- including voting in modifications to the bylaws to make protest illegal.

Be very careful dealing with Cooper Lofts, you may be fooled initially but once the honeymoon wears off you will be sorry you got involved.

Very Funny Citi Video

2008-11-24T22:09:00.002-05:00

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=937707022&play=1

But seriously, it is not a joke. This is not an SNL skit, it is for real. This is the man to whom the US Government just gave (essentially 27 billion USD.)

I would laugh if i wasn't crying.

Nightmoves

2008-11-21T01:09:00.002-05:00

WinAmp you random bastard, you know I'll always love this song, even if Bob Seger is a little dated.

New Cars in Europe, 2008 Models Average 43MGP -- Is America Blind? Or Is GM Just Really Sneaky?

2008-11-08T13:42:00.002-05:00

New Cars in Europe, 2008 Models Average 43MGP
New Cars in Japan, 2008 Models Average 50MPG

Who the hell is messing with America here?

The same Ford Motorcompany that makes the 59MPG Turbo Diesel Focus (which was a riot to drive!) in Ireland makes a 24MPG gas Focus in the States.

WHY??? Please someone, help me understand. Are we Blind?

Explore San Fransisco via Other People's Photographs

2008-11-04T01:53:00.001-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/getaways/10/31/snapshots.san.francisco/index.html?eref=rss_travel

Late Night Cory Wisdom

2008-11-04T01:51:00.001-05:00

Try 100 times.

If once you succeed, you have made a difference.

The 99 other tries are to be viewed not failures -- they serve to motivate and instruct those who come to follow in your footsteps.

I Would Fly Ryan Air to Europe!

2008-11-03T19:46:00.001-05:00

I saw this Wire Blog Post Today, Ryanair Plans $15 Flights to Europe

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/11/it-seems-kind-o.html

Seriously I don't care about ...

And cheap fares alone won't guarantee success. I'm all about finding a bargain, but I appreciate a plane with seat back pockets, window shades, and reclining seats, especially on a nine hour flight to Europe. If my fellow travelers feel the same way, then Ryanair's transatlantic strategy may not fly.

I love RyanAir for the same reason that I love SouthWest Air. They fly cheap and don't crash very much.

It is my Birthday

2008-11-01T01:53:00.000-05:00

Oh snap, I'm 27 years old.

Phish Tickets

2008-10-14T17:44:00.001-05:00

We regret to inform you that you did not get the tickets that you requested through Phish Tickets.

Please note that your card was not charged and all billing info will be deleted from our system.

You will have another chance to purchase tickets on the public on-sale date for each show. For specific on-sale information please see below or refer to the tour dates section at www.Phish.com/tourdates

Tickets will be available Saturday, October 18 at 10:00AM Eastern here:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/Phish-tickets/artist/748766

3.06.09 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
3.07.09 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
3.08.09 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

This e-mail was sent from 5391 Three Notched Road, Crozet, VA 22932.

Running Out Of Milk

2008-09-27T11:01:00.001-05:00

I ran out of milk. It might happen to you too, seriously.

Ideas and Warnings:

You cannot replace Milk with Orange Juice in any senario, not even in instant oatmeal.
You can use Cranberry Juice in hot cereal (Kashi anyone?) instead of milk but you have to cut it with water.
I do not know of any milk-substitutes suitable for Frosted Mini Wheats

SLR With Video -- Nikon Changes The Game Again

2008-08-27T23:27:00.001-05:00

Wow.

Bibble Pro Windows Placed Off-Screen in Windows XP

2008-08-14T17:25:00.003-05:00

I process many thousands of RAW (NEF, actually) photographs a month and one of my primary tools is Bibble Pro and when using Windows XP (on a multi-monitor system) it has a very annoying habit of moving off-screen so that the application cannot be sized across both monitors (or used.)

I found a fix for off-screen windows today, after running some Google searches.

A hack, for sure, but it will get your windows back into parts of the screen that are visible.

I will note that Bibble only does this under Windows XP and Windows Vista. X-Windows (under Linux/UNIX) does not have stupid problems with viewports outside of screens.

The Police State Is Here

2008-08-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

On Yahoo News, Crime-ridden Arkansas town expands 24-hour curfew:

"Now if somebody wants to sue us, they have an option to sue, but I'm fairly certain that a judge will see it the way the way the citizens see it here," Mayor James Valley said. "The citizens deserve peace, that some infringement on constitutional rights is OK and we have not violated anything as far as the Constitution."

Read the entire story and fear the coming of the police state ...

Running == Longer Life

2008-08-12T14:16:00.001-05:00

I saw it on Yahoo News. I run like lots and lots so I should live for a really long time.

Something Wonderful

2008-08-08T10:32:00.002-05:00

Today, something wonderful happened.

The IT department where I worked decided to allow us to browse web sites without using a proxy-filter (for at least today.)

Sure has been nice to be able to read my very useful technical blog!

Nikon D700?

2008-07-29T17:01:00.002-05:00

I am just not sure about the Nikon D700, listed on Amazon.com as Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera. I do not see why, with the required grip you're getting anything that competes with the D3.

For $3,226 you get the body and the grip. For only $4,500 you get the D3. The D3 is way more than a $1,300 improvement over the D700 so I, frankly, don't see the point.

You Think I'm Hard On Other People?

2008-07-25T12:18:00.001-05:00

You should try hanging out inside my head for a while.

The rest of you have it easy by comparison, trust me.

Above the Riztkoff

2008-03-24T11:08:00.000-05:00

Andry Illivitch looked out onto the skyline of Moscow, grey and cold in November. He did not notice the grey nor the cold. The sunrise was just beginning, but pink and orange licking at the bottom of the low winter cloud cover did not catch his attention. Andry sucked in a lungful of cold soot-flavored air and strained his eyes, looking out into the city again, down the cracked expanse of Avenue Riztkoff. Like the city that surrounded the Avenue, Andry Illivitch had once been a giant of a man -- barrel chested and strong like the Ox he'd cared for in his youth. A twitch in his chest set Andry coughing again, a horrible sound that would have brought worried looks and sympathetic eyes had he not been alone on his perch above Riztkoff.

Nikon D3 Reviews (Wow D3 Rules!)

2008-03-19T12:17:00.001-05:00

From Photo.Net A Nikon D3 Review

I am personally in love with the D3. I cannot get enough of the 4000-5000 ISO with the wonderful frame rate and ergonimics of the Nikon D2Xs.

...the D3 is highly responsive. Powering it up takes a mere 120 milliseconds and its shutter lag is a short 37ms. The D3 can capture 9 frames per second with a RAW buffer around 17 frames, depending on the exact setting. Similar to the D2X/D2Xs, the D3 has a high-speed crop mode...

That high speed crop mode turns the D3 in a DX format camera, storing around 8MP from the middle of the sensor. The D3 automatically enters this mode when you attach a DX lens.

The D3 is Nikon's first installment to full-35mm-frame FX-sensor DSLRs, and they chose to introduce a sports and news DSLR that has excellent low-light performance. Those were precisely the major weaknesses previously in Nikon's DSLR line up. For those who would like a DSLR optimized for sports, news, and wedding photography, the D3 is probably the top choice. Since the D3 can handle ISO 3200 easily and provides very acceptable 6400 results, it changes the approach to indoor and low-light photography.

12.1MP
CMOS sensor, Nikon FX format
DX (24x16mm) and 5:4 (30x24mm) crops.
14-bit capture options
Multi-CAM 3500 FX AF with 15 cross type
9 fps capture
11 fps DX mode
200 to 25600 ISO (Very Usable up to about 12000)
Dual Compact Flash (CF) memory card storage
AF fine tune Per Lens!!
Virtual horizon (built in electronic "bubble level")

It has live vew too but that would only be useful for me if I was shooting architecture or something.

Cory Trese
ph#: 937-609-9644
e-m: cory.trese@gmail.com
www: http://www.corytrese.com/

That seems like a lot of photographs

2008-03-13T13:11:00.001-05:00

photos uploaded: 149747 | disk space used: 376.2 GB

Creator of D&D Dies, Nerds Everywhere in Mourning

2008-03-04T17:55:00.000-05:00

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

Read the Full Story, Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons creator, dies

Quote of the Day

2008-03-03T09:58:00.001-05:00

Luke 12:48

To whom much is given, from him much will be required.

Getting The Photograph Right The First Time

2008-02-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

You really only have one time to get each photograph right, before your finger hits the shutter.

I was reading this article about "Capture" on BusinessWire.

Pro landscape photographer Tim Wolcott concurs, "My mentor, George Philips, told us to 'stop taking so many damn photos and focus on what you're doing.' So, it disturbs me when I hear a photographer return to the studio from a shoot and say, 'Let's see what I've got.' I believe you should already know what you have. You were there – weren't you?" http://www.galleryoftheamericanlandscape.com

The FAQ on my wedding photography web site might help answer your questions.

Remembered Or

2008-02-23T16:32:00.001-05:00

Another day draws to a close, the passing of it marked by the mournful colors of the sky.

This must have seen so many things, so many things it will never tell, for it is gone now, silenced forever.

I wonder if it will be remembered or if it, like so many others before, will simply fade away into the mists of memory.

Will we remember this day, these final moments of its time? Will even the documentation of its last second cease to have meaning?

Loss, Fear and Sadness

2008-02-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

These are the constants, the immovable objects, of the human condition. Here we toil, tireless and timeless, against the essence of our own existence.

We cling so tightly to anything that gives us purpose or promise. We are so desperate to be ...

Nikon D3 Arrives!

2008-01-21T19:26:00.000-05:00

My new Nikon D3 DSLR arrived today. I got mine at RitzCamera.

So far I am pretty blown away but the FX format sensor Nikon has developed.

The ISO performance is beyond my expectations and I love the tweaks to the D2Xs setup they have included in the D3.

In particular, I am in love with:

D-Lighting
51-Point 3D AF
Scene Recognition
Matrix Metering II

Pictage Pro Orders

2007-12-19T00:47:00.001-05:00

I recently posted that Pictage Pro had good telephone support, after I was required to call them to try to clear up an order.

I ordered two albums (or tried to) and ended up with three orders for prints and two orders for binding. I called in to make sure that I didn't get the third set of (unbound) prints or charged for them.

Well, two days ago I got the bill and today I received, via UPS, a set of loose unbound prints. They are useless, expensive and cannot be returned.

The entire point of my telephone call was to avoid this situation, the support representative assured me the issue was solved and it clearly was not. Too bad.

Pictage Pro Phone Support

2007-11-27T15:59:00.000-05:00

I am a member of Pictage (Pictage Pro, actually) and today I had some trouble with an album order. I called the telephone support number (which is 1-877-PICTAGE (Mon-Fri, 6:00am-5:00pm PST)) and I was very happy with the support I received.

While I am not impressed with the way that Pictage's interface provides products or the confusing way that the software collects orders. For example, to order two albums you place three orders, two with one application and one with a second application.

Seriously, isn't the website there to hide that type of mess from the users?

Pictage, meet BizTalk. BizTalk 2006, this is Pictage. Have a good time putting together a solid services layer.

Coffee, Regret and Confusion

2007-11-07T11:03:00.001-05:00

Why did I ever stop drinking coffee in the first place? This stuff is great. I have decided that my tummy is just going to have to deal.

Western Ireland, Mountain Top

2007-10-17T21:38:00.001-05:00

Western Ireland, Mountain Top
Originally uploaded by digital2noise.

I put up a few photographs from our 2007 trip to Ireland. Here is one of my favorites so far but I have 3300 photographs left to sort through!

Venice In November 2006

2007-10-09T23:03:00.001-05:00

_D2H2875
Originally uploaded by digital2noise.

I do love this photograph.

Urban Living in Downtown Dayton #2

2007-10-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have been doing some thinking on common myths about urban living in downtown Dayton.

Myth #1: Crime Makes Downtown Living Dangerous

False! Crime in downtown Dayton is no worse, and in some cases better, than nearby cities such as Cincinnati. The fact of the matter is that Ohio is a highly criminal state (comparative to the national averages, regarding violent crimes) however these crime statistics (below) are not specific to downtown Dayton.

From an anecdotal standpoint:

I have lived in Centerville where I found a murder victim in the trunk of his car in the parking lot of my apartment.
I have lived in Miamisburg where my neighbor was mugged, at gun point, in the parking lot of our apartment complex. My car was broken into twice during a one year period.

Latest 2005 Crimes per 100,000 People:

	Cincinnati, OH	Dayton, OH	National

Murder:	25.1	20	6.9
Forcible Rape:	100.23	87.3	32.2
Robbery:	737.8	530.7	195.4
Aggravated Assault:	321.4	318	340.1

Personally, I feel far safer living in downtown Dayton than I have living other places in the Miami valley. The police are courteous, quick to respond and professional -- overzealous in some cases, but on average I consider their service a step above the forces I have seen in action in Miamisburg and Centerville.

So how dangerous is downtown Dayton? A lot less dangerous than most people would have you believe.

Downtown Datyon Blogs

2007-10-08T21:55:00.001-05:00

Some downtown Dayton-related blogs I've been reading:

Temper Temper

2007-10-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me, or are regular visitors to my blog, probably know I have a temper. It is one of the challenges I face as a person and someday, I hope to learn to control it completely.

I have been known to lash out on this very Blog while I'm wrestling with my temper. Today was one such day. I have removed the post I wrote last night.

I will not reiterate the topic of that post and will leave you, gentle reader, to guess at what the topic was. If you did not read it you will probably never know if I was railing against my job, my other job or even my weekend job. Perhaps it was a rant pointed squarely at my friends or even my dog. It could have been a rant about my boss or a disappointing stock choice.

You'll never know.

Urban Lofts in Downtown Dayton #1

2007-10-01T09:39:00.004-05:00

I am a resident at the Cooper Lofts in Dayton Ohio. These lofts were designed and built in the same theme are general area in Dayton as the Cannery Lofts, The Ice Lofts and the Merc Lofts.

These places are beautiful (and conveniently located) warehouse conversions in central downtown Dayton. The Ice and Cooper Lofts are conversions and extensions of existing Dayton buildings and the Merc is actually a renovation of an old DP&L power plant on Third Street.

This site, which talks about being a Young Professional Moving to the Dayton Lofts references my neighbor, Bill Pote, who is a big advocate of Dayton Living.

On City-Data.com forum above, you will find a few people talking about Crime in Dayton ... another topic I have Blogged about Here, Crime in Downtown as a Resident.

Some readers have reminded me, as well as shared stories of living in the Park Place Lofts as well as the Excelsior Lofts.

Joan Wakelin Photographic Bursary -- The China-Tibet sky train

2007-09-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

I saw a preview of a very powerful photographic essay today, from the Joan Wakelin Photographic Bursary on the China-Tibet sky train .

A quote from the description of the essay's subject & theme:

The vast majority of passengers on the new line are Han Chinese migrant workers, entrepreneurs and tourists. Rebranding by Beijing has helped turn Tibet into a popular tourist destination. In an attempt to enrich the cultural experience for Chinese tourists, many Tibetan families who live near the line have been forced into rebuilding their houses in an 'authentic' style. Subsidies are available to help pay for the renovations, but most families are now burdened with financial debt.

Resume Tips from CCN That I like

2007-09-05T13:10:00.001-05:00

CNN put up this story about things not to include on your resume that I agree with.

Annie Leibovitz, queen behind the camera

2007-07-15T17:03:00.001-05:00

Annie Leibovitz, the $100,000-a-day Cecil B De Mille of celebrity photography, travels to assignments with convoys of gear and an entourage of up to 50 assistants, none of whom appears to have realized that you can't ask the Queen to take off her crown.

Read the rest of the story on the Telegraph.co.uk site ...

Re: nikon 85 1.4

2007-06-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

Ryan,

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to be elitist or anything. I have all four of the pieces you talk about in your e-mail -- the 85 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8, the 50 f/1.4 and the 50 f/1.8 -- and they are all great glass, every one.

I love the 85 f/1.4, partially because of the 1.4 f-stop, but that's not the entire story. The contrast, color and sharpness are incredible. I feel (on the D2Xs) that the 85 f/1.4 outperforms the 85 f/1.8. On the D200 the difference in sharpness isn't very clear but the color and contrast, in my option, is nicer on the f1.4

One thing that really sets the 85 f/1.4 apart from the f/1.8 is the build. If you compare the f/1.8 and f/1.4 in the 50mm version the builds are about the same -- cheap Chinese plastic. Great lens both, but the build is not very impressive.

The 85 f/1.4 is built like a tank. Solid, tough, durable and heavy. I like the solid feel of a good pro lens -- the 17-55 f/2.8, the 85 f/1.4 and the 60mm macro are among my favorites in the lens collection because of the way they balance on a big body and how they feel in use. However, do not discount the size and weight of the 85 f/1.4 -- it is heavy and big. The 85 f/1.8 is way more portable, takes nicer filters and has a easy-to-remove hood. The f/1.4 has a screw-on metallic hood that mounts onto the filter's screw rings. This makes it difficult to remove quickly so you end up taking up lots of space in the bag with it.

The 85mm f/1.8 is impressive and compares very well with the 50mm f/1.8. You will like any of the glass we're talking about -- they all take great pictures. I'm not really sure if the extra f/0.4 gets you that much in practice

anyway. And the 85 f/1.4 is expensive by comparison. One of my most loved thing about the 50mm f/1.8 is that it is relatively inexpensive to replace. However, the flip side is once you get into the expensive glass, like the 17-55mm f/2.8 AFS, you'll start to think of the 50mm f/1.4 as a "cheap" lens too. All a matter of perspective :)

On 6/15/07, Ryan wrote:

Hey Cory,

I saw your review of this lens on Amazon and checked out your site (some nice shots by the way).

Had you done any side by side comparisons with the 85 1.8?

I'd love to get the 1.4 but being twice as much am struggling if it will be twice as good.

I love available light and good bokeh so this lens sounds like a perfect match.

But 1.8 is good w/ available light but am unsure how much creamier the bokeh on the 1.4 is.

I have the 50 1.8 and am happy with the bokeh on that so I guess as long as the 85 1.8 is as good or better than the 50 I have then I'll be happy.

Wow, Remind me not to get too much attention from Microsoft

2007-06-06T14:23:00.001-05:00

Being a Microsoft developer is all fun and games until they start paying you personal attention. If you ever get a personal e-mail from someone @microsoft.com, you should probably just go get a lawyer right then and there!

http://www.theregister.com/2007/06/05/microsoft_mvp_threats/

From the article:

What's the best way to attract a pile of threatening lawyers' letters from Microsoft? Sell pirate copies of Windows? Write a DRM-busting program?

Londoner Jamie Cansdale has just discovered a new approach. He had the temerity to make Redmond's software better.

As a hobby, Cansdale developed an add-on for Microsoft Visual Studio. TestDriven.NET allows unit test suites to be run directly from within the Microsoft IDE. Cansdale gave away this gadget on his website, and initially received the praises of Microsoft.

Jamie Cansdale is a nice guy and his software rocks, TestDriven.Net is a critical component of good Visual Studio development.

The Ever Increasing Cost of Weddings

2007-05-30T12:24:00.001-05:00

Read the rest of the story here...

Survey: Bridal spending tops $125 billion; parents less likely to foot ballooning bill.
May 20, 2005: 4:38 PM EDT
By Grace Wong, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Engaged couples can expect to hear more than the "bling bling" bouncing off the bride-to-be's ring -- they'll also hear the ka-ching of the cash register as the average cost of a wedding soars to $26,327, according to a new survey.

A total of $125 billion -- about the size of Ireland's GDP -- will be spent on 2.1 million weddings in 2005, according to the "American Weddings" study conducted by The Fairchild Bridal Group. Fairchild surveyed more than 1,000 brides.

Read the rest of the story here...

Wow Great Blog

2007-05-23T07:38:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon this great blog today, Zen and the Art of Photography. I like it. Not sure how it is related to Zen, but it is great.

New Wedding Stamp Designs Solve Bridal Problems

2007-05-17T07:33:00.001-05:00

Cyber artist and digital photographer TDSwhite has unveiled his new line of coordinated wedding stamps for brides to use on wedding invitations, RSVP envelopes, and thank you notes. These new wedding postage stamps solve a major issue with which brides have been dealing for years.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 16, 2007

Cyber artist and digital photographer TDSwhite has unveiled his new line of coordinated wedding stamps for brides to use on wedding invitations, RSVP envelopes, and thank you notes as well as on engagement announcements and shower invitations. They are available to brides and wedding planners at ArtisticPostage.com.

Read the rest of the story here, on PRWeb...

Pictage, Wedding Photography & TV

2007-05-17T07:31:00.000-05:00

Pictage Featured on CBS' The Early Show

About Pictage:

Founded in early 2000, Pictage - the industry leader of online image hosting, printing and sales solutions, and services to professional photographers - has been on a mission to enable its members to focus on their passion by providing everything needed for their business success.

Serving more than 6,000 professional photographers nationwide, Pictage is the photographer's complete, one-stop partner for online viewing, selling, and printing professional images. Its broad range of services and unique products significantly increase revenue, decrease costs and save time for both film and digital shooters, allowing them to focus on their photography and make lasting impressions with clients.

Additional information on Pictage is available at pictage.com.

Read the rest of the story on PRWeb...

Photographer's work isn't free for the taking

2007-05-15T20:41:00.001-05:00

Photographer's work isn't free for the taking

Jeffrey L. Seglin -- Ethics columnist

Special to the Register
rightthing@nytimes.com

At a wedding reception in the Midwest, a slide show of the lives of the bride and the groom flashed on a screen, pleasing almost everyone. The one person not so happy was the professional photographer who was there to shoot the couple's wedding day.

"The very first picture to come up on the screen was a collage from my Web site of the couple's engagement pictures," she writes. "I couldn't believe it. I had not been asked for permission to use those images."

...

Professional photographers make their livings by selling prints of their photographs and the rights to those shots. Using those photos without permission is wrong. Quality costs money and, with photography as with anything else, you get what you pay for. If professionally taken photographs are too expensive for your budget, that doesn't entitle you to steal them. Instead, turn to friends with good digital cameras and settle for whatever quality they can give you.

Read the rest of the story ...

The Rising Cost Of Weddings In America

2007-05-08T20:17:00.001-05:00

The high cost of weddings
Read the entire story here

by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke
Posted May 7, 2007
11:00 PM

The proposal and the ring are just the beginning. These days, it takes more than love and a lifetime commitment to make it down the aisle, it takes money.

There is so much money to be made in the wedding business with places like J-Crew and Target now offering wedding lines. The trend is all about personalizing your wedding day, from designer water bottles in gift baskets to customized tablecloths and save the date calendars.

Read the rest of the story ...
Interested in amazing wedding photography for less than $5000? Try Cory Trese Photography -- just call 937-609-9644 or e-mail cory.trese@gmail.com. Lots of details can be found on our web site, http://www.corytrese.com/, including prices packages and sample work. We work all over Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. You won't be disappointed!

My Horoscope Today

2007-05-07T14:42:00.001-05:00

Although you have a realistic view about what's happening, you are likely to take it to a deeper and darker place than is necessary. Your imagination can run wild now and without conscious resistance you could spend too much time lost in fantasies. Don't let your worries turn into obsessions. If you are overwhelmed with strange ideas, pull yourself back into the real world through physical activity or direct engagement with other humans...

Nuptials on Web cam lets many watch special day

2007-05-07T10:03:00.001-05:00

Nuptials on Web cam lets many watch special day

Log onto almost any wedding site and you can buy everything from gadgets, such as wedding bubbles and bells, to gowns, including the ones Chrishana Hunt Granger of Huntsville ordered, at a significant savings, she says, for her bridesmaids. But she never considered buying her wedding dress online - which was probably a good thing, wedding experts say.

"We recommend researching your gown online," says Christa Vagnozzi, senior editor at http://www.theknot.com, then "go into the store, and get a good refund and alteration policy."

Couples can also set up their own blog or Web site to post photos and event details. Chrishana and her husband, Sam Granger, knew they'd have a lot of out-of-town guests at their November 4, 2006, wedding in Mobile. The groom grew up in Homewood, the bride grew up in Philadelphia and Mobile, and they went to school at Alabama A&M.

Read the rest of the story here...

The Knot Unveils Best of Weddings Magazine

2007-05-01T18:49:00.001-05:00

The Knot, our beloved advertising partner and favorite trade rag, has released a new Best of Weddings edition!

From finding the gown shop with the best service in Boston to the most professional wedding photographers in New York, Chicago's top cakes, and  L.A.'s best-rated reception sites-wouldn't every engaged couple like to know the inside scoop from recent brides in their area? The Knot Inc. (Nasdaq: KNOT, http://www.theknot.com), the #1 wedding website and most trusted multimedia wedding authority, announces the arrival on newsstands of The Knot Best of Weddings magazine, a by-brides-for-brides guide to the top wedding sites, photographers, florists, and more in over 40 key cities across the United States!

Yahoo Search Advertising is a FRAUD

2007-04-29T13:46:00.001-05:00

I blogged a few weeks ago about my renewed interest in Yahoo Sponsored Search in my "Dear Yahoo" post. At the time, I thought that perhaps Yahoo was turning a corner in the online advertising sphere and might have finally figured it out. I have now, after spending $220 USD and one entire month advertising with them, realized how wrong I was.

Yahoo's online search ad placement system is horrible.

In fact, I suspect the majority of the site traffic generated by a Yahoo ad is actually fraud. Google Analytics is a powerful tool and I could teach a class on it at this point -- I've been using it since it was released and I have gone to seminars and taken classes. So, I spent a few hours focused on Yahoo traffic analysis. As it turns out, the "visitors" from Yahoo are (98%) fraud generated by Yahoo's content placement site. Probably ad-placement scammers buying ads from Yahoo and then using "pay to browse" or automated methods to fire the ads and collect my money.

I am getting a 1.05PPV (pages viewed per visit) traffic load from Yahoo traffic. That means that 94.55% of the visitors are viewing only the first page after the ad link and then closing the browser -- a sure sign of fraud from the source. All my legitimate traffic ( Google, TheKnot, WeddingChannel, CraigsList, Yahoo Organic Search) averages a bounce rate (immediate exit) of around 3.85 which is low, to be sure, but does not mean fraud. The bounce rate for my average traffic is only 22%.

In addition, Yahoo is reporting that I get about 10 visitors a day from their ads. I am finding about 10% of the traffic I am being billed for actually makes it to my site. I suspect part of this is that most of the scammers have found a way to trigger the ads in an automated fashion that does not actually request pages from my site -- they're just getting Yahoo to record the click and never even downloading pages from CoryTrese.com

Other key terms I might use to describe Yahoo Sponsored Search include "click fraud", "fraud", "deception", "sucks", "lies", "terrible", "illegal", "unfair", "deceptive business practices" and maybe some other words I won't use on my blog.

Dayton Bridal Expo, Summer 2007

2007-04-26T09:49:00.001-05:00

Link to the Claiborne Productions Bridal Expo for 2007. I might have a booth, still seeing about the scheduling issues.

Lithium Polymer Batteries

2007-04-25T21:11:00.001-05:00

For charging, C = (battery pack mah capacity / 1000)
Discharge Rate = ([Battery pack capacity mah] / 1000) * Pack C rating
Each cell should be charged no higher than 4.2. Stable Resting voltage of a LiPO cell is 3.7 Volts.
Do not peak charge a cell higher than 4.2 Volts.
During break in period (first 12 charges) do not discharge over 7C
Charge Temperature Range 32-110 F
Discharge Temperature Range 32-140 F
Storage Temperature Range 40-80 F

Wedding Photography Pages I Read Today

2007-04-18T17:50:00.001-05:00

Today's random web links to wedding photography related stuff from www.corytrese.com

What To Look For In A Wedding Photographer

The author favors digital wedding photography (so do I) and the site also have an interesting, if incomplete, "Wedding Time Line" article.

Decide what style of photography you would like for the big day. For example: spontaneous shots, posed shots, action shots, black and white or color, ...

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LightScribe offers free "wedding kit"

While I do not normally use LightScribe capable DVDs, due to the limited availability of LightScript-capable disks of acceptable archive quality, I certainly will be taking advantage of this for my wedding photo-slide shows, like the ones included in my awesome Platinum Wedding Package!

The company also features kits themed for gifts, music and photography, instructions for how to use digital photos for the LightScribe label, and an online ...

AP: Imported food rarely inspected

2007-04-16T15:58:00.001-05:00

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer

Mon Apr 16, 3:13 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Just 1.3 percent of imported fish, vegetables, fruit and other foods are inspected — yet those government inspections regularly reveal food unfit for human consumption.

Frozen catfish from China, beans from Belgium, jalapenos from Peru, blackberries from Guatemala, baked goods from Canada, India and the Philippines — the list of tainted food detained at the border by the Food and Drug Administration stretches on.

Add to that the contaminated Chinese wheat gluten that poisoned cats and dogs nationwide and led to a massive pet food recall, and you've got a real international pickle. Does the United States have the wherewithal to ensure the food it imports is safe?

Food safety experts say no.

Read the rest of this (frightening story) at Yahoo News.

Sore Losers -- Microsoft Urges Review of Google-DoubleClick Deal

2007-04-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

Microsoft, a veteran defendant of epic antitrust battles in the United States and Europe, is urging regulators to consider scuttling Google's plan to buy DoubleClick, an online advertising company.

Microsoft contends that the $3.1 billion deal, announced on Friday, would hurt competition in the fast-growing market for advertising on the Web and raises questions about how much personal information would be collected by Google, already a dominant player in online advertising...

Read the rest of the story...

Money Runs the World

2007-04-16T09:52:00.001-05:00

Money buys power, power buys politics.

GCal, Lightening and Thunderbird

2007-04-15T10:14:00.001-05:00

As seen on Slashdot, a great story about synching and using GCal, Lightening and Thunderbird

Secrets

2007-04-14T10:01:00.001-05:00

"Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world"

-- http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

FTP Client For Photographers Using Pictage -- FileZilla

2007-04-14T07:52:00.001-05:00

I am posting about Pictage and my recommendation for choice of FTP clients. Honestly, in this day and age it is foolish to pay for a FTP client. Too many high quality open source or freeware options exist, even for professional users.

Some options include:

FileZIlla -- a professional level FTP client ideal for use with Pictage
FireFTP -- a Firefox plugin that provides workable FTP Support

The Pictage web site pushes you towards http://www.download.com/ and the usual suspects from a commercial FTP client standpoint -- all a waste of time and money. Just go get FileZilla, you'll thank me in the end.

What is included in your packages?

2007-04-12T21:49:00.001-05:00

On site photography by me, Cory Trese, using professional quality digital cameras.
Working with you to coordinate your wedding day portraits and capturing the candid emotion of the day throughout the ceremony and reception.
Extensive evaluation, enhancement and retouching of each photograph taken. For every hour I spend at your event I spend another four (at least) on retouching. I open each photograph on a professional calibrated monitor and adjust color, white balance and contrast. I crop each photograph to exclude distracting or unwanted elements.
Sorting all photographs into folders for your DVD so you can easily find your portraits, bridal candids and those special one-of-a-kind photographs.
Two pre-event consultations in preparation for your wedding day, wedding plans and photography needs. I strive to understand each couple's individual style and reflect that in the photographic record of the day.
Preparation of digital negatives on DVD, the postage for sending that DVD to you as well as the cost of creating a copyright assignment contract and registering your images.
A custom just-for-you password-protected web site designed by me. From here you can see your photographs, order prints at wholesale prices (from a trusted third party printing company!) You can share this password with anyone you like so your family and friends can order prints and see your amazing wedding photographs (and they will be amazing!)

For more information on my digital wedding photography services please see my web site, http://www.corytrese.com/wedding.html or my wedding packages page, http://www.corytrese.com/wedding_packages.html

Just looking out for you

2007-04-06T09:01:00.001-05:00

Seems you may have lost touch with key monetization concepts core to our capitalism-obsessed web-culture. You should reevaluate the business-profit model you have adopted for maximized return on investment.

Why are people so fake when you first meet them?

I think fake people are just showing a form of fear of rejection. People would rather have a false version of themselves rejected than the real version, then subconsciously they can survive the rejection because it wasn't really them that failed.

Tips and Tricks for Photoshop RAW Processing

2007-04-01T18:52:00.001-05:00

Saw this site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/raw_tips.mspx

while I was surfing around looking for a way to make the "File Info" dialog in Photoshop CS2 stickey and stay on the screen.

Seems like I'm gonna have to write a plug-in for CS3 when it comes out -- looks like they still haven't fixed this bug.

And another good one on using Photoshop to make line art:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/lineart.mspx

I find it a *little* strange that the Microsoft Pro Photography site is all about Photoshop :)

Tutorial: Rapid Color Correction Using Photoshop

2007-03-30T09:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a page on DpReview about rapid color correction in Photoshop.

Pesto

2007-03-30T09:15:00.001-05:00

I love pesto. It is so good, if it is good.

Here is a good page about making pesto.