I’m a gamer, a miniature painter, a role-player, a cross-stitcher and enjoyer of good movies and TV at home. Here’s where I share my progress on whatever project currently takes my fancy, plus any relevant discussion on supporting technologies.
66 views in this landscape.
The IMatch to Socials system automates the addition, update and deletion of images between IMatch and flickr or pixelfed. I created it to reduce the time taken updating and managing photos across all three platforms. Page under development. Scripts have only just been written. Features Uses metadata directly from the IMatch database and formats it (to my liking) for sharing with others.
Mediabank is the name given to our family Photography and video archive. It collects all digital media assets (hereafter media) into a single location managed by IMatch. As of March 2024 there are close to 38,000 items being catalogued and managed consuming 525GB. Storage LocationPurposeS:\memories\assetsFinal storage location for media in YYYY\mm -MMMM\ folders.S:\memories\databaseLocation of the Mediabank.imd5 file.S:\memories\database\Pack & GoPeriodic backups of the Mediabank environment using IMatch Pack & Go1.S:\memories\home videosVideos from when we had a video camera.
IMatch is the software used to manage our family library of photos and videos called Mediabank. It has supported the family’s Photography in all forms for many years. I’ve owned every version since IMatch 3 over many years. It is a powerful digital asset management application. During that time the built-in features of the application have become more powerful and what I once needed scripting for, is now built-in.
For sure this page is a bit of a mess. Instructional guides Astrophotography 101: A Lesson Series on Photographing the Milky Way – Lonely Speck - large MOC with multiple articles to work through on all topics Planning Light Pollution Light Pollution Map for Bendigo - I have this app on my mobile phone.
My interests are Astrophotography, Landscape Photography and Panoramas. Digital Asset Management Mediabank My Photo Dating Strategy for Uncertain Dates IMatch - digital asset management application Equipment My Photography Gear My Camera History Resources My Photography Teachers The Goldfields Track - A bike ride in Buninyong, Victoria Map of Public Land Color Filters for Black-and-White Photography: A Complete Guide | PetaPixel Shutter Speed Cheat Sheet.jpg Tools Lightroom Show Focus Points Plugin for Lightroom Jeffrey Friedl’s Blog » Jeffrey’s “Smart-Collection Sync” Lightroom Plugin .
There are two aspects to my astronomy hobbying. Direct visual observation using my Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars and Astrophotography.
A great little PlayStation 5 game that really showed off what the system and new controller could do. Fastest Platinum Trophy I’ve ever completed.
This has to go down as my first computer game. A perfect Christmas present when Game and Watch devices were all the rage. Craig and Jamie got a game as well. I always thought mine was the best. At 999 points the game started again, but faster. This was called “clocking it”. My best was to clock it 3 times in the one game.
Maquette is a recursive puzzle game was free as part of March 2021’s PlayStation Plus game subscription. It was clear right from the start this game has somethng unique to offer - starting with a song and teasers about a relationship. At present the story is involving me in recollections about the initial stage of the relationship.
Computer Games A list of computer games I’ve completed, added to as I complete them (which is pretty rare I must say compared to some people but which did have a decided uplift during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020). “Completion” means playing through the main story line but for some games, they are not possible to complete so if I’ve played what I think is a sufficient amount, they are listed here.
I’m in the middle of this. More thoughts to come.
Definitely going to get to this one day.
Where do I start explaining how much Tim, Graeme and Bill mean to me. The Goodies was a staple of my childhood, airing regularly during the early-80s around tea time. I was drawn to the use of language and witty banter that was a hallmark of the show. Only on later viewings did I come to appreciate the slapstick routines set to music in the middle of each episode.
Santa brought me a Canon R50 camera for Christmas in 2023. It's a noticeable improvement on the Canon 400D for Photography. Compared to the 400D, this camera gives me: Live view on the back screen More focusing points +/- 3 stops of exposure bracketing instead of +/- 2 ISO significantly greater than 1600 Lighter body 4K video recording More pixels of the mega kind Interface and technology that is 17 years further forward Hi-res viewfinder Sensor SizeResolutionPixel Pitch1APS-C6000 x 40005.34 µm Lenses Refer My Camera Lenses for a list of the lenses I have available to me.
Lenses for my Canon R50 and Canon 400D Photography. LensMin. FocusFilterLens HoodCanon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3IS STM0.20m @18mm (AF)0.15M @ 18mm (MF)ø49mmEW-53Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM0.73m at 210ø55mmET-60BCanon EF-S 17–85mm f4-f5.6 USM)0.35m @macroø67mmEW73BCanon EF 50mm f1.8 STM0.35mø49mmES68.
Digital photos have the date and time taken embedded. Scanned prints, negatives and slides do not. This is a problem in Photography when the original non-digital image is scanned and there is no record alongside it of the date the photo was made. Digital Asset Management software such as IMatch or Lightroom requires a date.
A list of the TV series where I've seen every episode. There are many more TV seasons I've finished, but not the whole (yet!).
I only ever saw a few episodes of Babylon 5 on TV when it first aired so my first full watch through was on DVD. Smart science-fiction with a planned arc over 5 seasons is still rare in TV even now.
I first saw Band of Brothers on TV, then DVD, then Blu-ray. A 4K version would be visually amazing. This is a TV series I could watch all day long. It is engaging and scary at the same time. Episode 7, “The Breaking Point” is the most outstanding commentary on leadership failure I’ve ever seen. Sadly, The Pacific, as a sister series was not as good.
A dramatisation of Discworld’s Night Watch. It took me a long time to get through this series and I would tackle only a couple of episodes at a time. It’s nice to be in Terry Pratchett’s world even if it’s not a 1:1 match to the books. Vimes was my favourite character.
Artistic, black and white, side-scrolling, button-mashing, samurai fighter. Short at about 5 hours to play. That’s enough. Here’s a screeshot.
My earliest memories of Photography come from my Dad and the 35mm SLR camera he had when I was young. The detachable lens, film canister and dust blower all fascinated me. I’m pretty sure it was a Canon as I’ve always associated that with cameras. See My Photography Gear for gear I'm currently using.
During my time at University, I owned a Commodore Amiga. I can’t remember exactly where I got the money (may have been selling the family Commodore 64). Mum drove me down to Geelong one afternoon to pick it up. I had an Amiga 1000 which was much more exciting than the later Amiga 500. At some point I wanted to get chips upgraded and put some more money into a program that was going to do that, but it never eventuated.
The workflow I use to develop RAW photos.
Alongside my Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars I’m will keep an eye on telescopes with a view to purchasing one in the future more suitable to my needs. That could be for deep sky viewing with my eyes or Astrophotography. Celestron Edge HD 8 review Best Affordable Telescope to Start Astrophotography in 2021 Best telescope mount to start astrophotography in 2021 Five tips to polar align your telescope mount like a pro – AstroForum .
Commissioned by the BBC for the 40th Anniversary of Dark Side of the Moon, I first heard this radio play around 2015 and only the once. It was pulled from Spotify not long after. Every now and then I’d look for it on streaming to no avail. So, I finally ponied up the money and ordered a copy from Discogs where I’ve had success finding some Dodo & the Dodos CDs.
General info on panorama Photography. Tips to Shooting Panoramas Ideally use a tripod, but can be done handheld. Get the exposure right Set to shutter priority so that ISO and aperture don’t change Set white balance to anything other than AW Focus Set focus to manual so it doesn’t change Shoot with plenty of overlap .
This is a list of the albums or artists I come back to time and again. You can pretty much guarantee that if artists release new music, I’ll be listening to it. Albums Tubular Bells .
This is a list of the TV shows that I would watch any day of the week if put before me. Most have some link to my identity. SeriesBand of Brothers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Blackadder ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Doctor Who (2005) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Goodies ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
There is a growing list of people I’m following on YouTube who are my go-to for learning about Photography. They are all people I can imagine spending the day with. PhotographerWhat I’m LearningHenry TurnerMore than anything Henry provides enthusiasm for photography. His tips are always set against the background of joy for what he’s doing.Ian WorthIan has a lot of practical “in the field” tips.Mike SmithMike has taught me a lot about taking panoramas.Joshua PegJoshua provides reflection on his own learnings in a relatable way.Mark DenneyThough I don’t like the results of Mark’s editing tutorials (his creative choices result in picture that look unreal to me), his other videos are full of practical advice.Simon d’EntremontA Canadian wildlife photographer with many years of experience on the finer detail.Alex KilbeeAlex has a strong photographic art background and the non-landscape lens is another way for me to understand the concepts.Nigel DansonA good balance of in the field and after tips.
Synopsis In A Plague Tale: Innocence you play Amicia, a teenage girl who goes on a journey to save her little brother Hugo from an unknown affliction and the power hungry Church. It’s a supernatural story set against the background of 14th Century France. Review When a game’s name keeps popping up over time, that is usually a sign it’s worth playing and I’m very glad I listened to that advice.
All things video games and the platforms I play on.
Info on my Canon 400D camera.
A summary of my current photography gear (cameras, lenses and accessories). With a bit of a wishlist as well 😉.
DUST is a wonderful and wide-ranging collection of short science-fiction stories on YouTube.
I have some very beefy binoculars for stargazing.
The authors on this list are those whose books I come back to time and again. You can pretty much guarantee that if a new title is published, I’ll be reading it. Brandon Sanderson Stephen King Mark Lawrence .
Standing on the edge of the garden you can see several intriguing landscapes spread out in front of you. Where shall we head? Expand My Way of Being — My Way of Being is more than the behaviour I show. It’s the total sum of how I engage with the world, make meaning from my environment and take action.
To achieve a Platinum Trophy on a PlayStation means completing a set of trophies representative of fully completing the game.
I’ve been wanting to document and share my Photography workflow — from camera to archive — for a few weeks now. The introduction of Adobe Lightroom into my workflow recently has meant a delay which has ultimate turned out for the best. I’ve changed my workflow significantly several times over the last few weeks as I manage two applications that do similar, complementary, yet quite different functions.
This afternoon, as I was importing DNG files into Lightroom, I found way too many that it won’t import. There is some kind of corruption in the DNG file. Likely caused by something I’ve done in the past converting from one format to another (and quite possibly back again). Thankfully, IMatch is able to read the files - or at least appears to do so.
This week I pulled my Canon 400D DSLR out of the cupboard and clicked the shutter button a few times. I’m through my camera gear and familiarising myself with everything Photography again. Emotions say I need to upgrade. Brain says no. There are a few features that would be nice to have but all the controls I need are there.
With notice that Netflix has made a series of The Three-Body Problem I’m revisiting the novel as an audiobook. Though I read it first only 18 months ago, I only have the barest memory of the story. Written by Chinese author Liu Cixin, the first two chapters of the book are heavily influenced by the Cultural Revolution and its immediate aftermath.
This note is part of the Gaming Teaches series of observations about what gaming can teach me when its use as a lens on life. So this is interesting. I watched a video a week ago about “How to Get Faster as a Sim Racing Beginner”. One single comment stood out to me. Set the wheel degree of rotation in the PC control panel and then set Assetto Corsa Competizione’s (ACC) setting to match.
Gaming teaches us the usefulness of chasing our perspective if what we are doing isn’t working for us. I use sim-racing to help explain.
This week I’ve returned to playing Elden Ring. Movement, combat and management of weapons, armour and spells, is all handled by a “controller”1. Games will generally ease you into which button to press when but after a while you end up not having to think about what to do and you just do it. The thing is, every game is different.
Today I spent some time playing the original Resident Evil. Games have evolved since 1996 in many more ways than graphics alone. To me it felt a lot like the text adventure Zork I with graphics. The storytelling structure and gameplay is highly similar between the two. There isn’t enough there to keep me going and I’ve already deleted it.
I'm listening to the complete discworld series of audiobooks. All 40 were released across 2022-23 and it will take me much, much longer to listen to them all.
This game got a lot of negative press just before release. It was a game I’d been looking forward to since it was first announced at around the time of the PlayStation 5 launch. I thoroughly enjoyed it and achieved the Platinum Trophy on 24 February 2023.
This is a record of my effort building the LEGO DC Batman Batmobile Tumbler (76240). It has a total 2049 pieces. Finished it is sized 16 cm (6”) high, 45 cm (17”) long and 25 cm (9”) wide.
A game where I get to play as a cat. With 2 cats in the house, have to say it’s animated very realistically. Catinum Trophy I have the Platinum Trophy on Stray. It took an effective three play throughs. I finished the main story a little over a week ago and have spent a couple of evenings and some time today cleaning up the remainder of the trophies.
This morning I finished Carrie the book and this afternoon I watched the 1976 movie. Book Carrie is by far the stronger of the two. She has a purpose and drive that isn’t in the movie. She also has an awareness and control of her telekinesis power not at all evident in the movie. The book interposes the Carrie timeline with observations of friends, police and scientists.
This week sees the release of Forspoken, a new RPG for the PlayStation 5 and PC. My copy should arrive in a few days and I’ve been looking forward to it since I saw the trailer alongside the original PS5 release. If you read the press, Forspoken is anything mixed quality at best to the worst game of 2023! I played the demo, which apparently was full of issues that I didn’t note, and am still looking forward to the game.
For the last 4-5 years I’ve used my Sennheiser 4.50BTNC headphones every day. The BTNC stands for Bluetooth and Noise Cancelling. For Christmas 2022 I was gifted a pair of Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones. They are two generations newer and a level above the 4.50BTNCs. Differences: better fit on the ears not as tight on the head wider soundstage clearer sound improved bass better noise cancelling insane battery life (close to 60 hours) .
My 2022 reading stats are in and this year I clocked 20,871 over 46 books. Since first purchasing a Kindle some years ago my reading has increased substantially, and my annual target is 20,000 pages. My new favourite author is Brandon Sanderson. 9/46 books were authored by him, and approx. 7,000 pages. There were two series involved.
I’ve been a fan of Stephen King since I first read The Bachman Books and IT in 1988. Under the Dome is the darkest of them all. It’s not the supernatural horror but the human greed that brings about the downfall of so many people and places them in horrible situations. Many times I had to put the book down.
Every now and then I use Amazon/Audible’s Matchmaker tool to see if there are any Kindle books for which I’d like to purchase the audiobook cheaply. Today I picked up Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace for $9 total. I realised I need to make a list of all the book series I’ve begun and enjoyed but have not yet finished - either because I move onto something else, or because new books have been released.
FOMO generates extra dollars for the gaming industry, both PC/console gaming and board/tabletop games. Two words. DLC and Expansion. Both represent additions to the base game. The call is strong. After a conversation last night with a friend about this very point I learned there is an expansion to SmallWorld I didn’t know about, and there are some expansions for Sid Meier’s Civilization VI that I don’t have.
At the edge of your consciousness you may be aware that over the past few years there has been a resurgence in board games, tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and tabletop wargaming like Warhammer. These games, which have always been situated in the home, also take place in public at your friendly local game store.
Tubular Bells 2003 I listened to Tubular Bells 2003 properly for the first time on 6 October 2022. I had thought it was more of a remaster until I learned it was a complete new recording. He [Mike Oldfield] had always been uncomfortable with the original recording because he had only a few weeks to record it and the technology at the time was unable to cope with all of his requirements.
I love to read, and I read a lot. In recent years however I’ve come to recognise the value in audiobooks as well. I normally only listen to audiobooks of authors I like, or books I’ve read before. There is too much time investment to do otherwise. A 1,000-page book is 40-50 hours. Audiobooks tell the same story at a slower pace and so it’s quite a different experience.
Have you ever carefully considered a purchase from a store then when you got home realised there was an aspect you’d missed that made it completely unsuitable? I do it frequently with trips to the hardware store for screws where somehow I’ve managed to get the wrong diameter or length. Once, I bought the extended edition of the Belinda Carlisle Runaway Horses CD, after I already had the original version.
This is a record of my effort building the R2-D2 in (73508). It has a total 2314 pieces. Finished it is over 31cm (13”) high, 19cm (8”) wide and 15cm (6”) deep.
This is a record of my effort building the LEGO Millenniuum Falcon (75192). It has a total 7541 pieces. Finished it is over 21cm (8”) high, 84cm (33”) long and 56cm (22”) wide.
It’s fair to say that the Lord of the RIngs spin-off, Shadow of Mordor will always hold a special place in my gaming heart. Not only did I throroughly enjoy the game and appreciate the mechanics, but it’s the first game for which I ever achieved a Platinum Trophy something I never thought I’d be able to do.
