MichaelChang

<p>A couple of pictures dad took of mom, his favorite model, and a self-timer shot with my parents and yours truly. </p> <p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17778294-lg.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="476" /><br> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17778293-lg.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="479" /><br> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/15956454-lg.jpg" alt="" width="396" height="480" /></p>

<blockquote> <p><em>"rather than their mechanical or electronic parts failing."</em></p> </blockquote> <p>70 years is a long time. Cameras will need CLA for its mechanics, disintegrated foam and rubber parts replaced, and who know how those tiny surface-mount parts and solder connections will stand up over time. Electrolytic capacitors will also be in questionable condition. <br> <br> I think surviving digital cameras will eventually become novelty items used delicately for special projects, or as display pieces, but never again the workhorse duty they were once assigned. </p>

<p>Strangely, I was prompted to check my Inbox by this post and discovered that my messages have been culled to qty. 9, in and out respectively. I had many more than that and none removed by me. </p> <p>I wonder if this is a new "feature". </p>

<p>CBC has a documentary online on modern marriages in Canada, unfortunately it's only available for online viewing in Canada but the description on the page provides a good summary: <br> <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episodes/thoroughly-modern-marriage">http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episodes/thoroughly-modern-marriage</a></p> <p>The documentary probably reflects a societal trend across North America in describing the decline in marriages as a consequence of many modern couples' choices, and economics is no less a factor than any other. One psychologist asks:<br> <em>"The question isn't why so few people are getting married. It's why are so many getting married. Is it because they don't realize they don't have to?" </em></p> <p>What are your views on this, the impact on the next generation, and how do you think the trend will affect the future of wedding photography? <br> </p>

<p>This might seem like an odd question, but is there a static setup that can achieve the type of lighting seen in this Rembrandt self-portrait? <br> <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Rembrandt_van_Rijn_-_Self-Portrait_(1659).jpg">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Rembrandt_van_Rijn_-_Self-Portrait_(1659).jpg</a></p> <p>It's an appealing look, and the only way I can think of replicating this is through carefully applied selective light painting, but maybe there's another way. </p>

<p>I always thought it'd be neat to photograph integrated circuits as art but have never attempted it. </p> <p>The complexity of modern ICs is staggering. According to the page below, the current record holder for density is Intel's 10-core Xeon Westmere-EX which is an FPGA containing 6.8 billion transistors.<br> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_count">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_count</a></p> <p> <br> More down to earth, even simple ICs are a visual marvel, and here's a page describing how to dissolve a chip's casing with boiling acid along with some photographs:<br> <a href="http://zeptobars.ru/en/read/how-to-open-microchip-asic-what-inside">http://zeptobars.ru/en/read/how-to-open-microchip-asic-what-inside</a></p> <p> <br> This older Wired Magazine post contains a video describing how a software hacker uses these techniques to hack into a chip to steal satellite signals:<br> <a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/05/tarnovsky">http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/05/tarnovsky</a><br> <br> I imagine using high resolution camera and optics, and a micro-positioning X-Y stage that it'd be possible to stitch together a very high resolution photograph, sort of like Gigapan in reverse. <br> <br> Don't think I'll ever try it, but it's nevertheless fun to think about. <br> </p>