The best sign I've seen in some time.  Go free market, right?

(Via Chris)

Much easier than Punnett squares.

(via kottke)

Here are some quick test shots from my new Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D AF prime mounted to my D90 in manual mode.

These were taken with shutter between 1/500-1/640, f2.0-2.2, ISO 800, no fill flash. I could have reduced the ISO to around 400, but I wanted high sensitivity to capture as much motion as I could. I also could have upped the shutter for a few of the shots, but what the hey.

I'm tremendously impressed with this lens. For about $125, it's a quality (and underrated) piece of Nikkor glass, shunned by many in favor of the more expensive f/1.4 prime. It produces tack-sharp images (noticeably sharper than my 18-105mm and 55-200 VR DX glass), offers great low light performance, and is very fast to focus. I was told this is one of the hidden gems in Nikkor's modern lens lineup, and from everything I've seen so far, it's true.

This was introduced in 2002 to replace the classic Nikkor f/1.8 50mm prime that debuted in the mid-1980s. The main difference is compatibility with today's DSLRs and D-spec lenses. Other than that, from what I can tell, this lens is very close to original glass -- which is a good thing.

Standard caveat about primes: they're a fixed focal length, which means you can't simply twist the zoom ring to change subject composition. You have to get up and move your feet to compose the picture properly. Pain in the ass, yes, but in the process it makes you think about composition more than you ever probably did. That in itself is a strongly recommended exercise for novice photographers. The fact that you get a nice, affordable piece of glass along with it is a nice bonus.

RATING: 5/5 stars. Highly recommended.

One of the most entertaining games I have ever seen. Z gets a hat trick, Rafalski with two points and Getzlaf whines to the refs at least 30 times.

Good Saturday night in my book.

Click to make embiggened.

I love photos of storms – so much power and emotion in them.

Snapped with the iPhone, again proving that the best camera is the one you have with you at the moment.

(download)

So immense, so vast that it actually doesn't seem real. At first it's vertigo-inducing, but then your mind quickly gets used to it, as if you're looking at a TV screen.

 This was taken from the South Rim's Bright Angel Trail on my way to the three-mile waypoint. 82 degrees at the top, 99 at the waypoint.

If you’re interested in how things come to be, here’s a great time-lapse video of how a MacWorld cover is created, photographed by Peter Belanger.

As with most things, there’s more to it than meets the eye.