This is a tip for tightwad photographers everywhere. You now own a cool camera, so how are you going to carry it without damaging it, or yourself?
One solution is what is called the R-Strap. Very clever design — fifty bucks please.
An alternative is to make a replica of the R-Strap yourself. DIYPhotography.net has an illustrated construction article about a cheap project that I will be trying out this weekend.
While prowling the interweb looking for something else, this video caught my eye. It serves to graphically show that, with minimal preparation, Amateur Radio operators can be ready to assist in a disaster, or other situation that requires emergency communications after the existing infrastructure is damaged.
January, 2008. Assisting Red Cross and Jefferson Co. DES/WMD. HF station setup in less than 10 minutes. Capabilities included HF, VHF, satellite and digital modes, completely self contained and off the grid.
How much time have you wasted today? “Not enough”, you say? How about 150 Flash Games for Your Enjoyment to help you meet your quota?
Even ham radio operators need to take a break from doing serious stuff in order to have some fun once in a while. Maybe if we did it more often there would be fewer Cranky Old Farts on the air.
The games are sorted into the following categories:
I was not clear about one, or two of these. You might not be, either.
There is less than five weeks before Election Day, and rumors about voting rights are running wild. Read the information below then share the facts about voting rights in Michigan with a friend.
Fact: You have the right to vote without photo ID in Michigan
Just ask to sign the affidavit form at the polls. Michigan’s new photo ID law allows registered voters who don’t have photo identification, or those who have forgotten to bring photo ID, to vote by signing a form at the polls stating they are not in possession of photo ID. Voters without ID need to know their right to vote because Michigan cities are getting this wrong. Shortly before the August 2008 primary election, both the cities of Allen Park and Grand Blanc sent newsletters to city residents stating the need for photo ID with no mention of the affidavit form for those without ID. The Secretary of State estimates that approximately 370,000 Michigan residents have no form of photo identification.
This is about one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the non-profit organization that has taken on the huge task of preserving this Great Lakes ship from the knackers’ yard.
Every October, the S.S. City of Milwaukee, moored in Manistee, MI, becomes a frightening spectacle.
Not much longer now, and the transformation will be complete. Manistee’s GHOST SHIP 2008 promises to be the scariest, strangest Ghost Ship yet! You won’t believe what you’ll see!
Drop by on Fridays and Saturdays in October and you’ll experience four stories of unsettling oddities, all within the confines of a 77-year old Great Lakes ship.
DownloadSquad has fanned the flames in the “Please don’t kill XP because Vista sucks” controversy.
Windows XP, also known as the operating system that will not die, looks like it could be around a bit longer, making it just a bit more likely that you can upgrade directly from Windows XP to Windows 7 in a year or two and skip Windows Vista altogether.
Microsoft instructed retailers to stop selling copies of the operating system to consumers this summer. But there’s a loophole that lets customers purchasing new computers running certain versions of Windows Vista request a free downgrade to Windows XP. That option was set to expire on January 31st, 2009. Now Microsoft has extended that date through July 31st, 2009.
This article by Tanya Eiserer for The Dallas Morning News probably has a moral, if anyone wanted to make the effort find it. Yeah, it could happen.
Dallas technology officials told City Council members that it will take over a year and more than $14 million to resolve problems related to the installation of Dallas’ new emergency dispatch system.
A briefing before the city’s public safety committee Monday detailed a litany of problems plaguing the system: firefighters sent to wrong addresses, crews directed to incidents when others were closer, and emergency workers inadvertently told to disregard emergency calls when help actually was needed.
Police officers also have released wanted suspects they were questioning because information on their outstanding warrants arrived too late.
The problems started immediately after the nearly $6 million system went online in August. (Read more)
I have not seen this product in use, but it seems to be worth checking out for EmComm applications. It appears to have a circuit that reduces ambient noise like the Bose headsets that were designed for aviation use. Handy for when you are standing next to a fire department pumper that is working at full song. Too bad their PR department doesn’t have access to a spell checker.
High-threat tactical whisper-mic headset - provides both hearing protection and situational awareness with hear-through communications.
The High Threat Headset incorporates a rugged active hearing protector in combination with hyper sensitive ambient noise amplification plus whisper mic communications and tactical press to talk.
An outstanding feature of the HTH headset is it’s capasity to provide both hearing protection and situational awareness with hear-through communications. The hear-through is provided by two separate, well-shielded mics which allow the user to have optimum stereo effect and location of sound direction. While the user’s hearing is protected from concussion damage, ambient sound can be amplified so that you will hear a faint whisper or sounds of movement.
The HTH also fits under tactical helmets and accommodates gas masks and goggles. The boom mic plugs into gas masks/SCBA voice emitter for improved comms when gas is deployed.
The HTH headset includes a noise canceling boom microphone, a tactical press to talk switch and a plug for all popular military and civil radios.
Military, Civil and Law Enforcement users may request samples for evaluation by visiting TEA’s web site – www.swatheadsets.com
SOURCE: Swatheadsets.com
Here is some more evidence of the recent attention being paid to Amateur Radio’s EmComm capabilities. This "tip" comes from the Homeland1 Newsletter.
First responder agencies never seem to have enough money for communications equipment. Tapping into radio amateurs is a good way to extend your reach and network capacity for free. Most radio amateurs are highly knowledgeable operators who are more than happy to offer their time and equipment.
Worth noting: Federal law prevents amateurs from turning their bands over to first responders. To use their capacity, you need to work with them and through them.
SOURCE: Homeland1.com
This post is in answer to the question, ”What is the ShareThis icon you see at the end of every post?”
To paraphrase the programmer’s Web site, ShareThis is a one-step sharing tool that makes sharing information online hassle free. It is the easiest and most efficient way to share anything you want, where you want, to who you want!
ShareThis lets you share content from this site to MySpace, Facebook, AIM, email, and even SMS to mobile devices simultaneously.
ShareThis also allows you to easily share to any of your friends by importing your contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace, AIM, Outlook and more. Try it out, it is very easy to use.
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