Astronomer

Client has been downloaded! Thanks Xray! :thumbup: I'll re-install the game later this evening.

Getting/ordering phones on Thursday, one for me, one for my wife. I'm leaning toward the LG, but my family's ecosystem is all iDevices. My elderly mom all but refuses to use the telephone, preferring video calls via FaceTime, and my wife has iPhone iPad and iMac. I have a couple of Android tablets (Nexus 7 v1 and a 32Gb 10" HP TouchPad hacked to run Android 4.4.4. ("KitKat"), and I like the openness of the Android universe, plus the ability to add more storage. Gonna think hard on this. iPhone makes most sense, but LG most desirable. I also hate iTunes.

Ummmmm....wrong thread, 1Lost1...? LOL

The other option is to use the "Bulb" setting on your camera and leave the shutter open and have it take continuous shots in 30-second increments. A buddy of mine got some awesome shots that way tonight.

Great sequence of shots there Leadfinger, and thanks! I have a Canon 70D DSLR camera. A buddy of mine makes these light-activated shutter triggers: http://www.togastro.com/toga_ld.html. It triggers the shutter. The art is configuring the camera to the proper ISO, F-stop, and shutter settings, as well as getting a good focus on infinity. Through trial and error I'm slowly getting better.

LOM...I'm sensing a theme, a common thread, in your comments...Aw shucks! You're just encouraging me to get better shots!

We had an insane 4-hour thunderfest today as a hot and humid air mass collided with a cold front from the north. The first 5 shots are from this evening, and the last two from Sept 1. The first 3 lightning shots were in heavy rain, but the focus maybe could have been tighter. I am happy with the 3rd one.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm having a blast learning how to use the camera and getting "the shot". Conditions are ripe for a severe thunderstorm outbreak on Friday. I'm hoping top do some storm chasing and setting up for more lightning photos in the evening.

...and another...

Hi all, My astronomy passion led me to meteorology, as I need to know the forecast for my specific area and time when and where I observe the stars, not the broad generalized region that forecasts generally cover. "Clear skies" from local news forecasters usually don't account for haze, or when dew (on lenses) become a problem. So like many amateur astronomers, learning to read raw weather data became a necessity for planning nights with my gear under the stars. I've come to love weather, especially extreme weather. My adopted region is one of the most prone in Canada to thunderstorms, tornadoes, and snow squalls. Marrying the meteorology hobby to my photography hobby became a natural evolution. A buddy of mine makes a lightning detector for DSLR cameras (http://www.togastro.com/toga_ld.html), so I bought one once my wife and I bought our DSLR camera this past Boxing Day, with the hope of maybe learning how to capture an image of a lightning strike. I'm pleased to say that I'm beginning to figure it out. This image is taken with a Canon 70D, with an 18-55mm lens set at 18mm. I carefully focused on a distant water tower before the storm's arrival to get a good focus on infinity, and set the camera to ISO 400 and F8, with an aperture priority setting. This is one of the best so far. It's an un-retouched detail of a larger image.

Nice work, Markoff!

My R.A.T. 7 died when a drop of tea landed on it. I've since replaced it with a Logitech G502 with all weights installed as I prefer a heavy mouse. My setup is fairly standard, though I'll add some functions to the wheel tilts. I have configured the variable speeds and sniping buttons. I have an n52 TE game-pad that I've been using for years, and that's where all of the custom functions that I use reside.

I'm a hard-core amateur astronomer, and have been for nearly 2 decades. This is one of my several 'scopes (my big one is pictured in my avatar). I'm involved locally and nationally as a volunteer and leader with a large astronomy organization, and I'm currently involved in organizing a major astronomy conference and trade show on top of that. I'm primarily a visual observer, but I'm dipping my toes into astrophotography, and I'm looking at being part of a larger project involving acquiring stellar magnitude data for variable stars to be collected and passed on to the professionals.

Astronomer>XI< Thanks!

1. People asking you to say ‘aboot ‘ for them. 2. Having roads in our potholes. 3. Accidentally setting your keyboard to French and not realizing for the longest time. 4. When I Travel Abroad, Locals Think I’m American. 5. When I Type '?,' It Comes Out As 'É' 6. Constantly getting duds when it’s roll up the rim season. 7. Uses Canadian Spelling... Gets Corrected By U.S. Spell-Checker. 8. Asks For A Double-Double... U.S. Cashier Doesn't Understand. 9. Paid $1.98 Charge With A Toonie... Got No Change. 10. Shipping with the US: free. Shipping internationally: 3 BILLION DOLLARS. 11. Panicking at the scent of burnt toast. 12. Just Got Netflix... U.S. Selection Is WAY Better. 13. If you pronounce the second 't' in Toronto, you obviously don't live in Toronto. 14. Tim Horton's withdrawel while abroad. 15. Wearing heavy-duty winter boots to school and looking like a hoser all day. 16. 3 second milk ads that leave you wondering what just happened. 17. Being asked if you ski to work. 18. Your international friends and family visit the other side of Canada but still expect to see you. 19. Wildly overestimating the price with tax, just to be safe. 20. Travelling to England means that half of your luggage is filled with plug adapters. 21. Ooh, 15 cents. That's really helpful Canadian Tire. 22. "I have a friend named ______ in Vancouver, do you know them?" 23. Salt stains on everything in the winter. 24. Fahrenheit is a confusing and impenetrable mystery. 25. Need to fake an American zip code because there isn’t a postal code box. 26. "And remember class, it must be by a Canadian." 27. The air hurts my face. Why am I living where the air hurts my face. 28. Having to take your mitts off in the winter to text someone back. 29. "What's your background?" I'm Canadian. "no, before that." 30. The calories in poutine. Seriously, the stuff tastes like heaven.

Thanks!

Looks like the server is down. Was this scheduled, or is it an "uh-oh"?

I can confirm that it was moved to the members-only Politics forum.

Thanks everyone! My wife is away with our two oldest dogs at the national agility championships, and I'm being baby-sat by a 7 month-old pup and 2 yearling kittens. I think my wild and crazy days are behind me, except when I go to visit at Hunter's place!

Sweet news that we may be playing Crysis again!

Thanks for the hospitality, for putting us up, and for putting up with us!

Congrats to these 2 outstanding Idiots. Both are very deserving of these honours, but in any dispute, I stand with Pete! LOL! :-)

Beware the unexpected ambush supersoak ENG4INE...ya better be packin' a towel...just sayin'... ;-)