April 2007
2577 photos, 21 blogs
Browse Archive (303 months)
Here are some photos of Black Thought and The Roots: [](https://eecue.com/p/28739/Black-Thought.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28731/.html)
I ended up falling asleep before these were done uploading, but here is my final set from Saturday: [](https://eecue.com/p/28711/Cauac-Twins-Tesla-Coils.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28707/Fire-Pod.html)
[[](/p/28749/Willie-Nelson.html "Willie Nelson")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/477823747/ "Photo Sharing") [](https://eecue.com/p/28744/Metaphoto-Photog-Array.html) [Xeni](http://xeni.net/) has more [Coachella coverage](http://www.boingboing.net/2007/04/29/coachella_pt_2_hipst.html) over on [BoingBoing](http://boingboing.net/).
Here are some photos from Lupe Fiasco's set: [](https://eecue.com/p/28720/Lupe-Fiasco.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28719/Lupe-Fiasco.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28717/Crowd.html)
Here are some of the photos I shot during Pharoahe Monch: [](https://eecue.com/p/28669/Pharoahe-Monch.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28670/Pharoahe-Monch.html) I am going to try and catch Ghostface Killah, Ozomatli and Red Hot Chili Peppers later. Here are the rest of my [Coachella Saturday photos](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/tags/coachellasaturday/) on flickr. [Xeni Jardin](http://xeni.net/) is live blogging from coachella as well and has [this very detailed post](http://www.boingboing.net/2007/04/28/coachella_bjarks_wil.html) up on [BoingBoing](http://www.boingboing.net/). [](https://eecue.com/p/28665/I-T-.html)
Here are a couple of the shots I just took of Ghostface Killah: [](https://eecue.com/p/28697/Ghostface-Killah.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28698/Ghostface-Killah.html)
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, performing as The Nightwatchman, his solo project: [](https://eecue.com/p/28690/Tom-Morello.html "Tom Morello") [](https://eecue.com/p/28684/Crowd.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28682/Tom-Morello.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28681/Tom-Morello.html) And another of Pharoahe Monch, this time in the Artist Area being interviewed: [](https://eecue.com/p/28678/Pharoahe-Monch.html)
Here are some of the photos I have taken so far today: [](https://eecue.com/p/28634/Hotshot-the-Robot.html) I caught a few minutes of Flostradamus featuring Kid Sister: [](https://eecue.com/p/28636/Kid-Sister-and-Flostradamus.html) I then had some water and headed back over to the main stage to watch Brother Ali and Toki Wright: [](https://eecue.com/p/28640/Toki-Wright-and-Brother-Ali.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28641/Brother-Ali.html) I got a photo of the [large bottles of CO2](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/475031420/) on the main stage... I'm guessing for an effect during Bjork's set. My EVDO is getting a much better signal now so the photos are uploading faster. I'll be shooting photos of Stephen Marley and Amy Winehouse and uploading them in a few hours, probably around 8pm. Keep and eye out for updates here or [blogging.la](http://blogging.la). Here are my: [Coachella Thursday Photos](https://eecue.com/t/coachellathursday) and [Coachella Friday Photos](https://eecue.com/t/coachellafriday).
I took some photos last night at [Coachella](http://coachella.com/): [](https://eecue.com/p/28622/Thursday-Night-Grass-at-Coachella.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28619/.html) You can see the [rest of the photos here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/tags/coachella2007). I should say, in the interest of full disclosure, that I programed the [Coachooser](http://coachella.com/scheduler/scheduler.php) for [Goldenvoice](http://goldenvoice.com/).
So I missed my chance to get shots of Amy Winehouse from the photo pit, and I only got [this lousy photo](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/475263707/) from backstage. After that I shot this photo of Stephen Marley from a filming platform: [](https://eecue.com/p/28655/Stephen-Marley-and-Crowd.html) I got a whole bunch of shots of Bus Driver, who put on a great show. I was really impressed. I haven't seen him on the mic in many years, and his passionate performance was enthralling. His DJ even threw in some drum'n'bass. Good stuff: [](https://eecue.com/p/28660/Bus-Driver.html) [[](/p/28664/Bus-Driver.html "Bus Driver")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/475244949/ "Photo Sharing") You can see the rest of today's [Coachella photos](http://www.flickr.com/photos/eecue/tags/coachellafriday/) here.
I posted a [short article on blogging.la](http://blogging.la/archives/2007/04/preparing_for_a_disaster.phtml) about what we are doing to prepare for a disaster. Please don't wait until it is to late to prepare for a disaster.
After an amazing [trip with the Desert Explorers](http://eecue.com/log_archive/eecue-log-673-Desert_Explorers_Rendezvous.html), Penelope and I headed home via historic Route 66. Here are a few photos from the trip: [](https://eecue.com/p/28616/Riverside-Cement-Plant.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28614/Route-66-House.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28611/Route-66-and-Clouds.html "Route 66 and Clouds") All photos are a combination of 3 bracketed exposures (0,+2,-2 EV) taken with a Canon EOS 5D through a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 L lens and combined into an HDR image and tonemapped in [Photomatix](http://www.hdrsoft.com/).
I spend a good amount of time in the Mojave desert with my [geeky computer friends](http://23b.org/). I've been meaning to attend a Desert Explorers trip for years. My father-in-law, [James Proffitt](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28575-Jim_Proffitt.html), has said nothing but good things about the [Desert Explorers](http://www.desertexplorers.org/) and their fun and informative trips. Last weekend [Penelope](http://peneloper.com/) and I attended their annual Rendezvous in which they took over the quasi-ghost town of [Amboy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amboy,_California). Saturday morning we joined the 20 vehicle caravan from our base camp at the abandoned Amboy motel. The trip to Kelso was led by [CSU Fullerton](http://fullerton.edu/) botanists professors, Allan Schoenherr and Alan Romspert. Our first stop was a [UC research center](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28578-UC_Research_Center.html) near the Kelso dunes. We were given a tour by [David](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28579-David.html) the steward, of their modern solar powered facility and an amazing collection of rock art in both [petroglyph](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28586-Rock_Art_Petroglyphs.html) and [pictograph](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28585-Rock_Art_Pictograms.html) forms. The next stop on our trip was the [Kelso Depot](http://www.nps.gov/archive/moja/mojahtkd.htm), which has recently been restored and converted into a museum about trains and the Mojave. We [watched](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28580-Edible_Tallow_Tank_Car.html) [several](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28582-Union_Pacific_Engine_8486.html) [trains](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28583-Penelope_and_UP_Train.html) go by and then entered the museum. The museum is packed full of interesting exhibits which would take half a day to absorb. We spent an hour there and on our way out we bought a "Mojave Desert Wildflowers" Falcon Guide, which was very helpful, but I still wasn't able to identify all the [wildflowers I photographed](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-album-1452-1-Mojave_Wildflowers_4_07.html) on the trip. We almost left my [wife in the Kelso Jail](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28587-Penelope_in_the_Kelso_Depot_Jail.html)... oops! From the Kelso Depot we made our way via a "paved" road over to the Vulcan mine. When I say paved, I mean that it was paved many decades ago and is now basically a 4WD road. The Vulcan mine is an open pit iron mine that operated during the first few scores of the 20th century. The mine, being a large pit, has filled with water that is toned a [radiant emerald color](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28589-Vulcan_Mine_Pit_Pond.html) from algae: [](https://eecue.com/p/28588/Vulcan-Mine.html) After exploring the mine and taking photos of it and [insect covered flowers](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-images-28593-Fly_on_Interior_Goldenbush.html), in which I inadvertently held up the group (Sorry, folks) we headed up a poorly maintained gas-line road to the [Kelso Dunes](http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/parks/mojave/kelso1.html). Although this season is the driest ever since record keeping began over a hundred years ago, there were still a fairly large amount of wildflowers growing in the dunes. The dunes trap water about a foot under the sand which allows the plants to thrive even in drought conditions. I am still waiting to hear back from the Allan and Alan to help identify the [flowers I photographed](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-album-1452-1-Mojave_Wildflowers_4_07.html). This is one of my favorites, if you view the [larger image](http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=463151835&size=l) you will see a tiny insect perched atop the flower: [](https://eecue.com/p/28599/.html) After we left Kelso Dunes we headed back to Amboy for happy hour and an excellent rib and chicken dinner catered by one of our favorite desert restaurants, The Rib Co. The next morning we headed back to Los Angeles, but instead of taking the 40 we took Route 66 and stopping to photograph some abandoned buildings along the way. We stopped for breakfast at the Bagdad cafe and then continued along 66 all the way to the 15 in Victorville, where the I-15 and route 66 merge. You can see some photos we took on our [Route 66 drive here](http://eecue.com/log_archive/eecue-log-674-Route_66_Photo_Essay.html). We had a wonderful time on the trip and can't wait until the next one. Thanks to everyone in the Desert Explorers and James Proffitt for showing us a great time in the Mojave.
We had a great turnout last Thursday for the [Downtown Art Ride](http://www.downtownartride.com/). Roughly 10 riders showed up. Here are some photos from the ride: [](https://eecue.com/p/28566/Carl-Ramsey.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28569/Eric-Medine.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28573/Bryan-de-Roo.html) Here is the full [April Downtown Art Ride gallery](http://eecue.com/images_archive/eecue-album-1450-1-Dowtown_Art_Ride_4_07.html).
I want to start this post off with a very special thank you to [Eric Richardson](http://ericrichardson.com/) and [Cartifact](http://cartifact.com/) for donating the excellent map for the Art Ride once again. Eric went out of his way to craft a great map for the ride and Cartifact very generously donated their wonderfully detailed Downtown map for use on the [Downtown Art Ride](http://downtownartride.com/).The Downtown Art Ride takes place every second Thursday to coincide with the [Downtown Art Walk](http://www.downtownartwalk.com/). The ride starts at [Art Murmur](http://www.artmurmur.com/) gallery on 6th and Main and we try to make it to all of the other galleries in Downtown. If you're interested in joining us on the ride, just show up at 5:00pm at Art Murmur. Bring a bike, lock, and light and optionally, but highly recommended, a helmet. I will be riding with my camera and photographing riders and artists, you can see some samples from the [previous art rides here](https://eecue.com/t/artride). There will also be a recent film school grad shooting a spec commercial to promote bicycling in Los Angeles for her director's reel. Shouldn't interfere with the ride much though. We had a really great turnout last month and I've already have a few people email me about this month, so it should be a fun ride. I'll see everyone tomorrow! **Map** You can download the new map here: [Downtown Art Ride April 2007 Map](http://downtownartride.com/images/artride_april_2007.jpg) [244KB jpg].
[](https://eecue.com/p/28504/Ravers-Light-Show.html) More after the jump...
[](https://eecue.com/p/30915/My--Location-.html) I was randomly surfing the internet and I came across [this website](http://www.ip-adress.com/) which gave me some information about my IP address. I zoomed in on the google map, and according to their data, I am blogging from a cemetery. I would have thought that the location shown would have been my ISP (Speakeasy), but I guess not. Maybe my loft was built atop an ancient burial ground and soon zombies will be rising from my pool, or lack thereof. OMG, are those Zombies‽ **Update** I missed the best part, according to their website, they are the "most accurate IP Address locator." I would hate to see the [least accurate locator](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=united+states&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=3&om=1).
This blog post is a reminder to myself to use the [interrobang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang) (‽ in html) more often in my writing. Heck yeah‽
After many years of using X10 products to control various aspects of my house (apartment actually) I ended up stowing them all in a large box several years ago and eventually selling them all on eBay right before my wedding. I decided some time ago to start over with [Insteon](http://www.insteon.net/) products, I'm glad I waited a couple years for V2 stuff to come out, as from what I've read they fixed some annoying issues. So here is what I bought: * 2 x dimmer switches - $40 2876DB * 1 x control panel switch - $70 2486D * 1 x appliance module - $35 2456S3 * 1 x usb control module - $70 2414U * 1 x tabletop control module - $35 2430 * 1 x 3 prong dimmer module - $35 2456D3 As you can see I didn't buy any RF extenders, which was my bad, I figured they were only for large houses, and as I live in a fairly small loft I didn't think I would have any issues. For some reason I thought every module had an RF transmitter in it, obviously I was wrong, but luckily 90% of my loft is on one phase so most everything works. I will be ordering a few more lamp modules and a pair of the RF extenders on Monday. Unfortunately the ICON on/off switch was DOA so I'll have to return that, hopefully it won't be a painful process. The only issues I have so far is that the table top remote control, the Smartlinc puts out a really annoying high pitched whine. My wife couldn't hear it, but I can hear it quite clearly. It wouldn't be an issue, but I am using the control on my nightstand. I will talk to [SmartHome](http://www.smarthome.com/_/index.aspx) about it on Monday when I call to return my faulty switch. We are an Apple and FreeBSD based household, so currently I am using [Indigo 2](http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/indigo/index.html) in demo mode, I will probably buy it, although it is quite expensive at $180. When I had an X10 setup I controlled everything via my FreeBSD server using some custom scripts with a php frontend. I see that there are some linux drivers, but nothing for FreeBSD as of yet. Indigo is packed full of features, and is server / client based so it may work for me. Obviously Insteon is leaps and bounds better than X10 and so far both my wife and I are very happy with it. She especially loves the romance mode I programmed.
**[NeoCon® Xpress L.A.](http://www.furninfo.com/absolutenm/templates/NewsFeed.asp?articleid=7450)**. I seriously thought that this had something to do with the RNC and the Contract ~~With~~ On America. Seriously who thought this up? Do they live in a vacuum? To quote The IT Crowd: "Are you from the past?"
I have an undying love for junk. Growing up I spent countless hours digging through my fathers' collection of vacuum tubes and old radios. The junk box, filled with untold thousands of assorted screws, bolts, nails and other detritus, was my playground. When I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and my father started working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, he took me to what is arguably the world's greatest salvage yard, [The Black Hole](http://eecue.com/log_archive/eecue-log-213-Los_Alamos_Sales_Company_AKA_The_Black_Hole.html). I ended up working at Ed Grothus' amazing junkyard for 3 summers during my years in high school. Recently I took a tour of [APEX Electronics](http://www.apexelectronic.com/) with the [Dorkbot Socal](http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsocal/) group and shot [some HDR photos of what I saw](http://eecue.com/log_archive/eecue-log-621-APEX_Electronics___Dorkbot_Socal.html). Last week a saw [an article in the LA Times](http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-junkyard25mar25,0,2782733,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines) about [Norton Sales](http://www.nortonsalesinc.com/), and decided I had to go and shoot some HDR photos of their collection. I emailed the owner, Carlos, a link to my APEX photos and asked if I could come by and do a shoot. He was in to the idea, so on Sunday I drove up to North Hollywood and shot the following photos: [](https://eecue.com/p/28464/High-Pressure-Flex-Hoses.html) [](https://eecue.com/p/28462/Rocket-Booster.html) More photos after the jump...
