But yes, enough critising myself. What has been happening?

I went to Las Vegas, had lots of fun over there. Sad to be back at work.

I bought a new camera, Canon S95 for those curious, and have taken photos.

I still have not finished business/calling card design, I threw out the plan I had basically.

Ive bought lots and lots of comics. I’ll probably review what I get each week/month/whenever at some point, I read enough for it.

I started playing Rift (MMO) as I needed something new to play. Very fun game.

And I’ve decided to kick the energy drink addiction and go back to coffee, I don’t need the sugar  and the effects it has on my sanity from crashing all the time. So I went and bought a new Aeropress coffee maker and steel filter for it. Ill get some more info on that for a later post.

I think thats all I need to say for the moment, Ill say more later on a specific topic next time.

I may put it here.

<Story/Script goes here>

A rather simple rhyme to remember. Even more so since I don’t particularly mind V for Vendetta. I don’t dislike the job or anything but I do with for some more complex projects that involve hardware.

Im still working on my calling card design, it’s getting there and I shall have to get it printed up when I think I’ve got a final design.

I do need to buy some more clothes, need some pants with some decent hard wearing material that can resist a lot of abrasion.

And I’ve entered the world of Patronage, a respectable endeavorer for one at 25.

At some point, knowing too much about fonts makes things hard to do.

Arkham went messily, still need to sort out all the cards from that into their respective games. Shadows over Camelot and Ticket to Ride played smoothly though. Woo. Need to buy Ticket to Ride actually. Its a good game.

Had the thought last night of wanting a sword, not a cheap metal display piece, but something functional, even if only for sparing. Rather amusingly it seems to many people.

Loving the comic series Scarlet, bit sad its a bimonthly as the waits for issues are a bugger. But its something to look forward to none the less. Doesn’t hurt that she rather looks like someone either.

Now a slight series of  connected thoughts.

Got a new leather bag, love it alot. I think its going to influence my next set of clothing purchases and attitude overall actually.

Turned 25. Didn’t get half of what I wanted to get done by this point in my life done, but due to a very good day, no regrets that I will dwell on.

Bought an ebook reader. Sony PRS-650. Rather like it, gives me stuff to read when I’m out. Easier than looking at the iphone for sure.

Got a haircut. Well, a clean up.

And new shaving soap’s. I think if I ever started buying cologne/perfume itd be for the smell rather than to wear. I’m not completely sure.

Need a way to visualise photos i want to take, pity i cant draw for shit.

Bollocks.

Now I COULD always shifted my day off work to Friday, but I already arranged for things to do with people, and I don’t like making people have to change plans if I could help it. Oh well, I suppose I’ll get the comics NEXT Thursday then.

Now for Un-annoyances.

Woo. Its an Arkham Horror week for me, got some games lined up for Saturday with friends, play with some of the expansions, maybe mix and match them or play them pure. Either way, I’m sure we will all die. DIE I tell you, DIE. Or go insane. Either way, fun will be had.

Fridge full of lamb shanks…. Mhmmmm Lamb Shanks… Dinner for Arkham night that will be. Most likely in a red wine, onion, garlic and tomato sauce.

Happy Pretty Lady. Nuff said.

After 2 years cruising around the web, I’ve returned home. To do what I do. Etc, etc, etc…

Now I’ll give a breakdown for those interested of whats happening to my other sites that some of you MAY of read in the past.

http://twilightsrun.net/

The First and the Original, to never be reborn unless someone invents time travel and stops that bloody books series . theres a few places Ive still gotta change my name at cause of it.

http://www.arcotexchange.com/ and its family

One that may become active at some point in the future, but for now will be retired and just become an alias of TechFet. While I’m still a classic fan, I don’t to seperate myself out to mutli-sites to look after before.

http://www.drunkpixie.com/

Not brewing enough atm to justify its own blog. So will be absorbed.

http://www.xenofetish.com/

Child site of here, ill just put my writings more public I think.

Other domains Im not doing anything with at all.

Steamandsmog.com is one of these. As is a couple others. What ill do with them is unknown as theres not really any content there atm.

This site will now become my primary site for sharing of info, cool links, what ever. And I hope you all enojy when and if you do start reading it.

Now to start with the UV light. Its your typical long wave black light setup, two 4ft fluorescent tubes mounted in a double holder. Nothing particularly fancy, it puts out black light, makes things glow. You know the normal deal with UV. Why I have it? It makes things glow, makes things look different and If its not already clear already, I like strange lights. Which may be why I also have UV pen light, torch, keyring…. yeah. Theres not really much to say about it bar that. If you don’t know what a UV light is, this will all be lost on you anyway.

IR floods. Another light that puts out even less human usable light than the UV’s. Two normal flood lamp enclosures full of IR leds and a 12v power supply. A very slight glow when directly looking at them, but this thing really shines when coupled with one of my many digital cameras. Since my room is normally lit with a CFL light to save power, there is very little IR light to be worked with at night time, and the 1000W of halogen floods I used before was uncomfortable to stand in front of, put out a lot of heat and probably were a fire hazard. So they were replaced. The power supply is the only part of the setup i dislike currently, The one im using really ain’t designed for this work. Oh well, something to replace in the future.

Finally my most recent light purchase, a 750watt strobe light with pulse rate of up to 20Hz. Why do I own this, I suppose its cause i want to experiment with some stroboscopic photography and thats cheaper than buying a 580EXII camera flash by about $500. Heh. Ill let you know more about this one once Ive actually tested it out for my purposes.

[This entry will never be finished so its being published in this state as the final historical entry]

Within the box were an AC adaptor, 2 plastic dome covers, a textured glass disc and the laserpod itself, a sleek metal cylinder with a button on the front and a powerjack on the back. And unfortunatly detracting from its appearence, the laser safety sticker maring its simplicity, why it could not be put on the bottom I do not know. But none the less I plugged it in and put one of the plastic domes ontop of it to get a lavalamp like and turned it on and well, I was quite impressed. It didnt take long before the cover was removed and I was laying on the floor staring at the patterns on the ceiling.  Many a night was spent drinking with just this as illuminiation at is very relaxing and easy on the eyes. Unfortunatly however, its a bit repetitive with zero chaos involved. Unlike the lava lamp who now gets more use as the laserpod sits around waiting for an occasion to be projected.

Now with regards to the lens’s that get used, most of my shooting has been done with my favourite lens I own which is a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 prime. Not the best lens for IR photography for its troublesome with Hotspotting and backfocus issues, but shes got nice weight to her and a damn fine lens for visible work. However I have added a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II to my collection in the very recent past and she will get a good workout once my camera is back together as she is alot more usable in relations to hotspots and backfocus. However if someone wishes to purchase me a Coastal Optics UV-VIS-IR 60mm Apo Macro lens they are most welcome to as it would become my main lens for almost everything (its only about $4500 US.) With these lens considerations out of the way, the reason why all my filters are of 58mm size is because most of my lenses use that thread, a 52-58mm stepping ring for the f/1.8 however is used. And now the filters themselves.

For my standard filters I carry with me when out the run of the mill workhorse is a simple HOYA R72 Filter (58mm.) A common fitler for IR work and is cheap compared to some of hoyas darker glass. It lets through some deep red light and tends to give quite nice false color images. This filter I also own in a variety of sizes, a 37mm and a 52mm as well. [Images will go here]

The next filter I am going to start carrying now that I own the f/1.8 is my more expensive HOYA RM90 Filter (52mm.) A less common filter in many respects compared to say the B+W 093 which is definatly cheaper and due to its cost it will usually be seen with more serious IR photographers. A monochromatic IR lens as the dye on the bayermask of the CCD had become transparent to IR light by this point so false color images are not as simple. Most work ive done with this lens has been via an Imaging Source DMK 31BF03 monochrome video camera using CS mount lenses. So I cant really say too much about it at the moment until I put her through her paces with a color camera.

In the IR spectra, there is also a set of 3 25mm filters at 750nm, 820nm, 955nm (I think are the wavelengths) which were ordered due to a screwup on my part of what size glass I needed for my pinhole setup. Cheap chinese filters I really cant say to much about as Ive had little to no reason to use them. But they pass IR light I know that much by holding them up in front of the video cam and seeing throught them.

Now on to the more esoteric filters. For my threaded filters there is a B+W 403 filter using Schott UG-1 glass in conjucntion with a Tiffen Hot Mirror. Cant honestly say too much about it tbh, Its got a very short workout so far since my lenses arent the best to pass UV (damn glass lenses, need fluoride lenses.) Which is a little disapointing cause it wasnt cheap. Ill have to test it with the f/1.8 which has less elements. I’d like to get a Baader Planaterium Venus filter for UV which has less IR passing that what I have currently, but doesnt come in a 58mm mounted filter so not so useful. However UV in this case isnt so important as I cant effectivly take pictures in that waveband yet.

This isnt my only UV filter though, there is also an unmounted (as in no screw fitting) 25mm disc of HOYA U-340 glass to go with my pinhole lens assembly (rather complex tbh, EOS to T mount adaptor, then a T mount lens holder holding a precision pinhole of either 300um or 400um and the glass. Doesnt work too bad if I say so myself, but have to figure out a way to mount a hotmirror/IR block on it so its straight UV.

Now onto filters I want/need. The top of the need list is a MaxMax CC1 Color Correcting filter. Due to the surgery my camera is undertaking, her ability to take normal photos has been hurt, as too much IR is now seen (and deep red at that.) The CC1 will correct this problem but I have yet to order it as their international ordering is screwed up with calculating shipping.

The Top of the Want list is all of the MaxMax filters. In particular their bandpass filter set. Mmm gorgeous false color images purely in the IR band. I also wouldnt mind a set of visible light Band Pass filters to use with my monochrome camera as well. Hell, what Id really love is the coastal optics lens, a monochromatic DSLR and a large filterwheel full of bandpass filters. Yay for hyperspectral images.

Links to where I bought things:

Photo & Video Accessories
Hoya R72
Hoya RM90
B+W 403 (Schott UG-1)
Tiffen Hot Mirror

Edmund Optics
Pinholes (300um and 400um)
Hoya U-340 25mm

MaxMax
X-Nite Color Correcting Filter #1
X-Nite Band Pass 660nm-750nm
X-Nite Band Pass 710nm-855nm
X-Nite Band Pass 835nm-955nm

Coastal Optics
Coastal Optics UV-VIS-IR 60mm Apo Macro