Month: March 2013

By Rick Berk, Digital Photography School – March 13, 2013 at 10:24AM

Over the years, as I grew as a photographer, I wanted to expand my horizons and photograph exotic and epic places. Tops on my list was Alaska.  I wanted to photograph the grandeur of the Alaska Range, of Denali, and the beauty of the nature and wildlife.  I found Alaska to be full of beauty and opportunity, but at the same time, a difficult place to photograph.

The first challenge in photographing in Denali is the weather.  It is said that 80% of visitors to Denali National Park never see the mountain (known as Mount McKinley or Denali).  Denali (the mountain) generates its own weather pattern.  This was illustrated on my second visit there, when I camped at Wonder Lake for 4 days. I saw the mountain as I traveled in to the campsite on my first day, and saw it as I left the park on my way out on the 4th day.  The days in between, it was never seen again.

The next challenge I found in Denali National Park is the range of contrast in the landscape. Even late in the day, The range from the bright sky to the foreground was huge. I found graduated neutral density filters to be essential in helping to control the dynamic range of an image. Generally the mountains would be in bright light, while the foreground would be several stops darker.  A 3 stop or 4 stop ND grad was perfect for bringing the two closer together.

After spending all that money to get to this remote part of Alaska, I wasn’t about to let bad weather get in the way of my photography. As I mentioned, 80% of visitors to Denali don’t get to see the mountain.  The tallest peak in North America is obviously a major focal point when trying to photograph in Denali. When that’s taken away, it just means you have to work a little harder to find the shots. But Alaska is chock full of natural beauty, and there is no shortage of photos to be taken.

One of the best things I did in Alaska was get a different point of view.  Flightseeing tours are offered within the park.  I took one with Talkeetna Air Taxi, which is based at Kantishna Air Field, at the very end of the park road.  It was a 1 hour flight, bringing me as close to the mountains as I’d ever get.  You’re forced to shoot through the plane’s windows, but the reflections are pretty well controlled. I used a 5D Mark II and EF 24-105 f/4L lens for the entire flight. That gave me enough range to not have to change lenses during the flight. The cloud cover was already moving in on this day, but we got some dramatic shots of peaks poking through the clouds, glaciers making their way through mountain passes, and kettle ponds on the tundra reflecting blue skies.

Wildlife is abundant in Denali, though you do have to get a bit lucky to see it.  The big five is moose, eagles, Dall sheep, bears, and caribou.  A long lens is a must.  To save weight in my bag, I used a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, with a 2x extender to give me an effective focal length of 400mm.  While we weren’t able to get close enough to any bears, we did get close to a wolf, Dall sheep, and a golden eagle that buzzed the bus we were on heading to our campsite. You’ll need to be ready as the wildlife doesn’t stay still for very long.  The bus drivers will stop whenever you ask as long as it’s safe, and you can hop off one bus and onto another if you decide to hike around some.

To view more of my Alaska images, visit my website at www.rickberk.com.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Destination: Alaska

By Lambert V., The Awesomer – March 12, 2013 at 05:45PM

Airow Gun makes paintball and pellet guns that are mounted on compound or recurve bows. Not only does it make things more challenging, it also eliminates the need for CO2 canisters. Video here.

• Hat Tip
• Link
• Price: $185-$490

By Casey Chan, Gizmodo – March 13, 2013 at 08:30PM

Google’s killing off Google Reader which means hordes of abandoned RSS users will need a new home to get their news fix. So what’s the best RSS reader not named Google Reader? Is it Reeder? Or NetNewsWire? Maybe Feedly? Or should we all just ditch RSS and get with Twitter? More »

By Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica – March 13, 2013 at 08:25PM

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By Sarah Perez, TechCrunch – March 13, 2013 at 07:48PM

Don’t be evil? If that’s the unofficial Google motto, then the company has failed to deliver today. Among the products Google just announced it plans to sunset (read: kill off), beloved feed-reading service Google Reader is now on the chopping block.

“*$%#” wrote at least one TechCrunch staffer upon hearing the news. “What will feed my Reeder app,?” asks another. “Super sad,” says a third. “I AM SO MAD ABOUT THIS I WILL KILL,” screams a fourth.

These reactions will be echoed among a legion of Google Reader fans, and loudly, as the news spreads. And yes, many of them are bloggers and journalists – edge cases in our news consumption behaviors, I’ll admit, but self-important ones.

Google Reader never made it as a mainstream product, which is why Google is giving the ax. But allowing it to sit out there, neglected and abandoned yet still functional, was at least a comfort to this niche crowd, where Google Reader still serves as one of the company’s most-used apps of all time, right up there with Gmail.

We got a taste of what life without Reader was like in February, when the service became unusable for nearly two days. Feeds went haywire, showing old things as new and not respecting the “mark as read” functionality. Google eventually stepped in to fix the problem, and in the meantime, we had a chance to explore the alternative products out there. None of them were up to Google Reader quality, whether because they’re still an early stage startup, or because they’re older, desktop software tools with outdated interfaces.

I guess that’s good news for those early stage startups though. NewsBlur, here’s looking at you. Better go buy some more servers. (And hey, look guys, source code!) Also HiveMined, launch already. It’s been time. The Old Reader, get busy. Feedly, we’re ready. .

Google has been gradually destroying Google Reader for over a year now. In fall 2011, it announced it would remove the built in social integration and integrate the service with Google+. Hundreds of angry commenters posted their grievances at the time – including what seemed to be the entire online population of Iran, which had used Reader as an under-the-radar service – a way to get uncensored, unfiltered news outside of government control.

There were even movements like the “we are the (1000+)” #occupyGoogleReader meme, from Google Reader’s original creators, no less! Now there are new petitions for Google to ignore.

But that doesn’t matter to Google, which is now systematically shutting down products which don’t fulfill its core missions: search, social, ads. On these fronts, Google Reader just doesn’t deliver.

After all, who uses it but bloggers anyway, right? Bloggers who write 6,000 word+ tributes to Google Reader, explaining in detail not only everything that went wrong with the service over time, but how it eventually came to be steamrolled by Google+.  Bloggers – oh and developers, too – who are now collectively pouring one out for you, Google Reader.

You were loved.

RIP.

Update: So Wrong, Yahoo, So Wrong –

Google Reader is going away: yhoo.it/15Np9A0 There’s still my.yahoo.com

— Yahoo!(@Yahoo) March 14, 2013

By Whitson Gordon, Lifehacker – March 13, 2013 at 07:45PM

Google announced today that it’ll be closing Google Reader’s doors on July 1st of this year, meaning you’ll need to find a new way to get your news fix. Here’s how to export all your feeds and put them into a new reader.

Step One: Find a New RSS Reader

RSS is the mechanism by which Google Reader subscribes to web sites, and lets you know which articles you’ve read. Luckily, it’s far from the only RSS reader out there, so chances are you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one you like. In general, they fall into two categories. Here are your options.

Option One: Cloud-Based News Readers

If you read your RSS feeds in more than one place (that is, if you want to read them at home, at work, or on different devices), you’ll want to try a web-based RSS reader, similar to what Google Reader is now. NetVibes (pictured above) is one of the most popular web reader, offering a Google Reader-like interface as well as a snazzy iGoogle-like homepage.

NewsBlur is also a great option, with an interface that’s very similar to Google Reader (and arguably a little more polished). You create an account with them, subscribe to your favorite sites, and can read them on any computer. They even have Android and iOS apps that’ll sync your feeds, too.

Feedly is popular, but definitely different than Google Reader. Its interface is less traditional and a bit more “newspaper-like,” but it’s very pretty. You need to download a browser extension for Chrome or Firefox to use it, but you’ll be able to sync your feeds between browsers and even to Feedly’s mobile apps. Update: Feedly has also said that they’ll have a “seamless” transition method in place when Reader goes down.

Option Two: Desktop-Based News Readers

Your other option is to go with a desktop app. Desktop readers often offer many more features than their web-based counterparts, but with one big downside: all desktop apps currently sync with Google Reader. That means, unless the developers get it syncing with a different service, you’ll only be able to read your feeds on the machine you used to subscribe to them. Of course, Google Reader doesn’t shut down until July, so there’s enough time that we could actually see that happen.

For Windows, we really like FeedDemon (pictured above) for its high level of customizability. Check out our App Directory entry to read more about it and get some alternatives. Mac users should check out the beautiful, feature-packed Reeder and its alternatives. If you do most of your reading on your phone or tablet, you might try some of the Android- or iOS-based feed readers as well.

Step Two: Import Your Google Reader Feeds

Once you’ve found a new RSS reader, you should import your Google Reader feeds so you don’t have to re-subscribe to everything. Luckily, migrating your feeds from Google Reader is very simple. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Head to Google Takeout’s Reader page and click the Create Archive button. It’ll start building a file with all your feeds, the people you follow, starred items, and more (though most of these won’t be importable to other sites).
2. Once it’s finished building, click the Download button that appears to get your subscriptions.
3. Open up the ZIP file you just downloaded and go through the folders inside. Inside the Reader folder, you should see a file called subscriptions.xml. Extract that to your desktop.
4. Open up your new feed reader of choice, head into its settings, and find the Import option. Select it, and choose the subscriptions.xml file you just extracted. All of your feeds should appear in your new reader.

This won’t import your starred items or know which articles you’ve already read on Google Reader, but at least you’ll still have all your subscriptions. Alternatively, you can download a desktop reader that syncs with Reader—our favorite ones for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS all do—let it sync, and then turn off Google Reader syncing once it’s done. That way, you should at least be able to pick up where you left off.

You’ve still got until July to figure out which RSS reader you want to move to, so try a few different services out and see what you like. Hopefully, by the time July rolls around, some of the desktop apps might even have other options for syncing to the cloud. In the meantime, join us in the discussions below and share your favorite non-Google RSS reader.

Title image remixed from MARSIL (Shutterstock) and sspopov (Shutterstock).

By Peter Bright, Ars Technica – March 13, 2013 at 07:40PM

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By Casey Chan, Gizmodo – March 13, 2013 at 07:23PM

Google has just announced that it’ll be killing off Google Reader in its latest ‘spring cleaning’, which is a euphemism for getting rid of products that not enough people use (even if they still love using it). So yes, that means many people’s favorite RSS reader will be turned off for good on July 1, 2013. You have a little over three months to figure out where to get your feed fix next. More »

By Andrew Liszewski, Gizmodo – March 13, 2013 at 11:00AM

Why suffer through all the boring parts of the Star Wars movies when this set of self-adhesive vinyl decals lets you perpetually relive the best part: that epic space battle from Return of the Jedi. For $30 the collection includes a squadron of X-Wings and TIE Fighters (TIE Bombers or Vader’s TIE Fighter if you want to get picky) and of course the rebuilt Death Star just waiting to get exploded all over again. [Etsy via Nerd Approved] More »

By Alan Henry, Lifehacker – March 13, 2013 at 11:00AM

We all know someone who loves to talk politics but sounds like a jerk every time they do. Talking about politics may be taboo for many of us but it doesn’t have to be. Discussing—not arguing—politics is important to broadening our horizons, cementing our opinions, or just understanding others. Here’s how to do it without frothing at the mouth, in an actual intelligent way.

Of course, one way to make sure you never sound like an idiot when discussing politics (or have to suffer someone else who does) is to just avoid discussing politics in polite company. That said, sometimes a spirited discussion on current events is fun and informative, and sometimes you have the opportunity to talk to someone with an opinion or background you’d like to benefit from. In this post, we’ll show you how to approach those political conversations from an informed, civil angle, without a conversation with someone you may disagree with devolving into a mouth-frothing mess like you’d see on Sunday Morning talk shows.

Go Back to Civics Class

As someone who enjoys following politics but doesn’t always enjoy talking about it, I’m frequently surprised when I hear very smart people conflate issues with people or the power they hold. People are very quick to blame spending/taxes on the president du jour, even though Congress holds the power of the purse (and the House is the only chamber that can introduce bills that have to do with the budget). The President can draft and propose the national budget to Congress, but cannot change taxes and spending by himself (once funds have been allocated that is—the President can direct federal agencies to not spend as much money as they have.) Angry about cell phone unlocking? In that case, your target should be the Library of Congress. While White House petitions help raise awareness, you’re barking up the wrong tree (as you can tell since that the official response to the petition essentially says “Yes, we agree, but we can’t do anything about it”).

Unfortunately, all of these nuances are far too lengthy for a talk show interview, so it gets condensed, often inappropriately, into a tiny snippet that’s often used to shove the responsibility for an issue onto a political rival or specific party. The only way to see through this kind of political fog is with education. Think back to your Civics or Social Studies classes, and try to regain an understanding of what the basic branches of government are, what they’re responsible for, the powers they hold, and the checks and balances among them. For those of us in the United States, this fun little exercise and video from BrainPop is aimed at kids, but is informative for citizens of all ages.

The next time you hear about some crazy law that is “working its way through Congress,” stop and look up the bill at THOMAS, the Library of Congress‘ legislative information database, or at OpenCongress.org. See if the bill has cosponsors, or has even made it out of committee. Many of those “crazy bills” never have a chance at becoming law, and everyone knows it. There’s an old saying in Washington: “The House does as the House does, and the Senate is the crucible of lawmaking.” It doesn’t matter which party is in control of which chamber: bills fly around the House like confetti just because there are more people (435 people!), opinions, and agendas in that chamber, but the slow, churning negotiations required to get anything done in the smaller, more public-facing Senate make sure things happen slowly and deliberately (in most cases.)

It can be frustrating to look at political leaders on any level and wonder why nothing seems to get done, but its important to understand why those bodies were designed and structured the way they are before you get so angry you want them destroyed.

Study Sources that Offer Multiple Viewpoints (Even If It Doesn’t Change Your Opinion)

Once you have a grasp on the governmental bodies and the powers and authority they hold, you’re already a more qualified speaker on political issues than most pundits (and in many cases, the people who hold those offices.) The next step is the most challenging one, and the one we’ve mentioned again and again, specifically in regard to science. Confirmation bias is our own natural tendency to seek out and prioritize sources of information that back up our own opinions and preconceived notions, while marginalizing information and evidence that may contradict our long-held opinions and positions. Image by Francis Carnaúba.

Since politics are often so personally and emotionally charged, it’s natural to seek out people you agree with. It’s for that very reason you need to be able to check your bias at the door and be open to (or actively seek out) information that may contradict your position. Sometimes being able to see the complete picture—including the flaws in your own position—are the key to strengthening it.

You don’t have to change your opinion just because there’s a flaw in your argument, you just have to be willing to acknowledge it. Remember, polite political conversation doesn’t have to model those Sunday morning talk shows I mentioned earlier. Reserve the right to change your mind. You have the right to have multiple opinions and multiple stances that may not always fit with a political label or party.

Take Your Emotions Out of the Equation and Stick to Facts

Confirmation bias is a tough beast to slay, and many people would argue that you can never tamp it down completely. If you can make yourself open to new information, you’ve already come a long way from putting your fingers in your ears every time you’re confronted with someone with a different opinion than yours. When you’re talking to people about politics, make the conversation as fact-based as possible. That’s not to say you can’t be passionate about your opinions, but fervor is what leads to heated arguments, while facts and information are the components of a calm and reasoned discussion. Here are some sources to help you:

• FactCheck.org, a non-partisan project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, is always a great resource to get down to the numbers and data behind a political statement or position, whether it’s election season or not. Any time you hear a politician say something questionable, or trot out a study or some statistics to support their position, head here to get the whole picture.
• Politifact is another great site that keeps track of the public statements that political officials make every day, and grade them on the objective data available, or the actual quotes or statements being referenced. If you prefer to take your fact-checking on the go, Politifact’s iOS, Android, and Blackberry apps are free and ready to sway a polite conversation right then and there.
• Super Pac for iPhone is a mobile app that’s most useful during election season when you’re being inundated with television ads. The app listens to the ad and will tell you more about who paid for it, who sponsored it, who approved it, and who paid for it. The app also shows you the claims made in the ad, and whether there’s any truth to them.
• OpenCongress.org is a non-partisan web service designed to give you more access to what’s going on in the halls of government. Current bills in either house, their status, voting results, and the voting records of public officials are all available, along with issues in front of government and the full text of bills and laws. If someone brings up an official’s voting record, or wants to talk about a controversial bill in front of Congress like SOPA or PIPA, OpenCongress.org can give you the tools to see who supports it, who opposes it, and how to read the bill and contact your elected officials to let them know how you stand as their consituent. OpenGovernment.org is like OpenCongress.org, but for local, state, and regional governments. it offers many of the same tools available at OpenCongress. OpenSecrets.org is another non-partisan resource to track the actions and positions of your public officials, and offers a wealth of information on how money plays a role in public policy.
• Follow The Money tracks the influence of money in politics, and is a handy resource to help you find out which lobbies are really supporting which politicians, which politicans avoid such money, and how money and influence peddling play a role in political decisions on the national, state, and even local levels. Before you go off complaining about lobbyists this and PACs that, Follow The Money will help you make sure you’re drawing lines between the right companies and the right politicians. Similarly, Influence Explorer, MapLight, and the Sunlight Foundation can show you how influential individuals, companies, and lawmakers are all connected, and give you a rundown of bills currently in the news (including how the public debate has shifted the flow of money to and from politicians and causes.) Some of what you read may be surprising, but it’s all part of intelligent discourse and being a more informed citizen.
• MyCongress for iPhone, Congress for Android, and Congress for Windows Phone are all great tools to use to see what your legislative officials are doing right now. The apps use your device’s GPS to tell you who your officials are, how long they’ve served, how they’re voting, and more. You can use any of the three apps to look at current events and controversies, bills in the news, and get a good idea of current events before you talk to anyone about them.

Don’t just fact check the things you hear from other people, either: Make sure to run your own long-held “facts” through the wringer as well. There may be more to the story than you know, or maybe you’re holding up half of the statistics in a multi-sided study or report. You may be supporting a politician who’s taking money from a cause you fiercely disagree with, or who has co-sponsored an awful bill. You’ll never know until you do your own homework. Get closer to the source, and avoid taking information that’s spoonfed to you without thinking critically about it—especially before you plan to use that information in your own political conversations.

Finally, make sure the statements you make and hear are as truthful as possible. Keep an eye out for logical or rational BS, and avoid engaging on topics where you don’t have authoritative information to back up your opinion. Most importantly, don’t let a difference of opinion rile you up. The fastest way to head down the slippery slope from “honest conversation” to “gibbering nutjobbery” is to let your emotions take control and start issuing ad hominem attacks left and right. If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you know what I’m talking about.

Separate People and Parties from Their Policies

It’s okay to separate someone’s policies from the person, and a person from their party (assuming they deserve the distinction.) Sit me down in a room, and I can talk to you about politicians that I respect but who have policies I strongly disagree with. Much of the discourse around political issues, especially online, comes down to “X is bad and Y is good,” when its extremely difficult to find a politician or party you’ll agree with completely. Photo by Hillary.

Be willing to take even politicians you vote for to task openly when you disagree with them, and support them when you do. Similarly, be willing to separate a politician’s policies from their personality or persona. Policies are things that can transcend offices, people, and even parties. If you can strive to avoid the cult of personality or the allure of a political party and focus instead on the issues that matter to you, you’ll be a more well rounded citizen, a more informed voter, and a more level-headed conversationalist.

Disengage When You’re At An Impasse

Finally, if you’re at an impasse, don’t be afraid to disagree and disengage. We mentioned that our brains are addicted to being right, but much of our goal here is to shut down that need to “win” a conversation. Remember, there’s a big difference between discussing and arguing, and staying on the civil side of that line is key to maintaining your composure and having informative, intelligent discussions with people. Of course, you’ll run into people for whom that distinction is lost, so knowing when to walk away and cool off is critical. Part of not sounding like an idiot is knowing when you’re not getting anywhere, stopping yourself before you lose it, and knowing when to stop talking to someone who’s either antagonizing you on purpose or just wants to push your buttons. Photo by mast3r.

I think most of you would prefer to be judged on more than your political leanings, so give other people the same benefit. If your politics are personal to the point where you have no desire to associate or speak with people who disagree, your best bet is to avoid talking about politics whenever possible. You never know when you may be confronted with a coworker, friend, or family member you’ll never be able to talk to again. If you’re able to keep the conversation dispassionate, fact-based, and focused on the information you know rather than the opinions you hold, you’ll be able to associate with people who disagree without just hating them all the time.

Or, Just Don’t Talk About Politics

We mentioned earlier that sometimes the best way to avoid sounding like an idiot is to keep your mouth shut, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Keeping your political discussions close to pocket and only with people who you know are safe space and open to civil conversation with you is a good way to openly talk about the things that matter to you in a safe environment. Photo by Duard van der Westhuizen.

The problem with such safe environments is that if you’re never challenged on your opinions or presented with new facts, your opinions will never grow and mature, and you’ll never learn things you may not already know. You’ll fall victim to your own confirmation bias, and you’ll only seek out news sources and people that agree with you, and wind up with such a narrow point of view that you’ll never be able to think critically about or see the complete picture of an important issue.

Alternatively, you don’t have to talk to people about politics to get a well-rounded view: you can do all the research you like in the privacy of your own home, from your own web browser. You could also start your own blog, or join a community on a political blog or website that you enjoy reading to exchange ideas, share your opinions, and be challenged on them by others. Just don’t be a troll, remember to contribute as much as you take, and pick your battles wisely. Once you do, you’ll benefit from the great conversations you have, dismiss the bad ones, and most importantly, always come off knowledgeable, intelligent, and like you know what you’re talking about.

Title Photo made using Tomadoll (Shutterstock) and PSDGraphics.