Diary of a Network Geek

I am a geek.

This may be self-evident based on the fact that I work in IT and maintain several websites including two blogs, but the implications of that may not be clear.
In software development, of which I have done very, very little, there’s a concept called “version control”.  In brief, it’s about keeping track of the latest revision of your written source code, so that you can revert, if necessary, to an older version for part of the code, when…
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A relatively recent study says that the background noise of a coffee shop can boost your creativity.

I tend to subscribe to the attitude of one of my favorite authors, John Scalzi, espoused in his book You’re Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop To A Coffee Shop.  And, actually, the title of that book is pretty much how he feels.  I have to agree.  When someone takes their laptop to a coffee shop to “write”, let’s face it, their…
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with the DASH method!

I hate to admit it, but when I write on this blog, or any of my blogs, really, I often find myself floundering about.
Sometimes, I just keep typing until something mildly coherent comes out.  But, the better posts are the result of me stopping for a few minutes and contemplating what message I’m trying to get across to my readers.  And, although I haven’t written fiction in many years, it used to work the same way there,…
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It’s been said that every writer creates the world in their fiction, even if it’s not science-fiction, for their characters to explore.
Photographers can do the same thing.

I’ve always been a fan of science-fiction and fantasy in all its forms.  I remember as a kid seeing Star Wars in the movie theater and being completely captivated.  And, of course, like most geeks of my generation, I played Dungeons and Dragons and other table-top role-playing games.  Games that were born from the…
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So, as promised, or threatened, this month I’ve got nothing but photography posts for  you on Friday.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned how I wanted to do more portrait work and gave you a link to a portrait cropping guide.
Well, I have to admit, one of the reasons I want to do more portrait work is because I find people a little challenging sometimes.  Believe it or not, I’m actually really shy, and have been most of my life.  One of…
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Cool light techniques.

I love doing tricky things in camera.
Look, I work with software all day long at my regular gig, so when I get home, I don’t really want to spend hours and hours working with Photoshop to make a “photograph”.  To me, the whole point is to make photographs with the camera, not with software.  I know, it probably makes me an antique, but, well, there it is.
I’ve done some work with light painting, though, thanks to my tragic…
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More photography links this month.

I started this blog, and this entire website, to highlight things I enjoy, things that give me life.
I meant that to be writing and photography, and maybe a little spirituality lightly sprinkled through all that.  But, I have to admit, lately, there hasn’t been a lot of time or energy in my life for those things.  Oh, spirituality is something I pursue constantly, regardless of my day-to-day circumstances, but the writing and photography have sort of…
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One of the many things I love about photography is its ability to shift my perspective.

But, sometimes, I need to adjust the perspective of my photographs!
I take a lot of different kinds of photos.  Mostly, I take candid shots of people and animals, but I also take photos of my friends’ art as well as the occasional bit of industrial work, as you can see in my local photo gallery.  On very rare occasions, I’ll take architectural photos, but only…
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Although, I suppose it doesn’t have to be Japanese…

I’m talking about bento, in this case.  Since I seem to be switching between photography links and talking about Japanese food, I thought I’d just go ahead and keep that up.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually had bento, but I have read about bento boxes and their cultural significance.  And, also, they’re a feature of virtually every really good anime.  I have several cook books that are dedicated to bento, actually, though…
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I really need to start generating original content instead of posting links to someone else’s work.

I’ll get on that Real Soon Now, but in the mean time, I’m going to continue the way I’ve been going.
So, as anyone who’s followed this blog more than a month knows, I’m into photography.  Granted, I haven’t hardly touched my camera in months because I’ve been busy cleaning my house with my girlfriend and helping her move in, but, still, I do love photography. …
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