kenw

Maybe fate was testing him.

Thanks for checking, Pete. Since my conversations earlier in the week, I'm thinking about those QR codes for a bunch of things, and I just need to see if they'll read correctly as low-res visuals. Rey, the CZ has become my go to semi. I've never had any issues with it, it's comfortable and points well for me (with the Hogue finger grips) and it's very accurate. If it fits you well, you won't go wrong with one.

I lost the originals of these shots, but remembered that I actually had a Flickr account that I posted them up to. A little searching, and I at least recovered the low res web version. I'll probably recreate these shots at some point, but these will do for now. Somebody let me know if the QR code in the corner worked. Thanks.

Congrats. Nice get.

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Greetings and welcome.

From what I've learned, QR is becoming the de facto standard for these applications, at least for the time being. If the standard changes, it isn't really any big deal, since very few, if any, of the applications (advertising, social networking, etc.) have any permanence. They'll just move to whatever the next biggest technology will be.

It isn't so much about making it easier for the user, although I can say from experience that given the choice, people would rather do less than more, but it makes access to information ubiquitous. Put a code on a t-shirt and see if anyone with a phone passes up the opportunity to scan it. Or on a highway billboard. Or on a shop window. The opportunities are endless.

For future reference, it's always better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

It seems that this would be particularly useful for companies with unreasonably long URLs, or for access to web pages that are nested several layers deep in a website. The code doesn't care what it says. whydontyoubuyyourcrapfromourcompany.com/productsformorons/forthetrailerpark/pinkflamingoes.asp Who in their right mind would ever try to type that link in to a smartphone browser?

Better Bowel Movements?

Isn't the thesaurus a wonderful resource? And in alphabetical order, too.

Lots of places have been using them internally for a while. It's only since the smartphone explosion that they're becoming more public and mainstream. The Wikipedia entry for QR barcode is an interesting read. Someone wrote an entire book in QR.

Ah. My limited metallurgical knowledge becomes apparent.

I'm under the impression that magnets won't attract stainless steel.

I read today that over 20% of smartphone users have downloaded some sort of barcode reader app. Mostly, people are using them to scan UPC product codes to find a particular product on the web, but an increasing number are following QR codes just to see where they go. QR codes are an information dense 2D barcode that can encode far more information in a smaller space than traditional linear codes. They're not human readable (unless you're some kind of geek supermutant), but they don't have to be. I've been directed at work to include an appropriate QR tag on every printed piece that I produce here from now on. It's a good idea, and I suggest anyone who designs and prints brochures or sell sheets for their products consider it. Sample below is NJGF, Point your smartphone camera at it, and the app should take you straight to the website. Very friggin' cool. There's a QR code generator here.

According to their site, Stoeger Coach Guns have a 20" barrels. Stoeger Coach Gun page

The Stoeger shot itself apart on Sunday. The forend came off in 2 pieces, the 2 screws on the end stripped out of the wood, and the screw in the middle just sheared off completely. I sent a message through their CS contact form this morning, and as of now, still haven't even received a confirmation that they got it. Does anyone have any experience with their CS? I'd like to know if I'm gonna get jerked off, or if they'll stand behind their product. This gives me a reason to get friendly with Godzilla again.

... if you sleep in black ninja footsie pajamas, and wake up in the middle of the night to practice slicing the pie in your studio apartment.

Happy Birthday.

Looks like they set up a couple of nice stages.

Wrong place to look for an intervention, Pipes.

Patriot Act was just reauthorized last week, and Obama was in such a rush to sign it, that he used his autopen for the first time NY Times Article

If you really want to have some control over your indoor shots, you need a couple of things: a tripod to steady your camera for longer exposures at low ISO and small f-stop a way to provide diffused light sources at least a couple of light sources for shape and modeling A light tent takes your small, specular light source (the reflector bulb) and spreads it out into a broad, nearly shadowless light source. By enlarging the source to an area larger than the object being shot, you can control you reflections and eliminate the hot spots and hard, uncontrollable shadows caused by on camera flash. That's the same as shooting outdoors on an overcast day or in open shade as opposed to the uncontrollable lighting in direct, unmodified sunlight. Multiple light sources let you move the lighting around the tent to control the highlight/shadow ratios, let you shape your subject and control the perceived direction and intensity of the primary light source Put your camera on a tripod, set it at nothing faster than 200 ISO to control noise, set it at Aperture Priority, f/22 or so for the greatest depth of field, white balance for tungsten/incandescent, move the lighting around until the shot looks good in the viewfinder, and bang away. The light tents are always on eBay, alone or as part of a tabletop photo kit, or you can make your own out of a big cardboard box and some sheets of tracing paper, along with a couple of desk lamps.