Monthly Archive for March, 2009

Summary Of Utah Bicycle Laws

Published on 3/26/2009. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Found a summary of Utah’s bicycle laws (as excerpted from the Utah Driver’s Handbook). One particular question this answered for me was whether or not it is illegal to ride two abreast (it’s not). See below:

Bicyclists are subject to all the rights and duties applicable to the operator of any
other vehicles, including obeying all traffic control signals (stops signs and traffic
lights).

  • Bicyclists traveling less than the normal speed of traffic must ride as near as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway except to: pass; make a left turn; when there is a right-turn only lane; and to avoid hazards.
  • Bicyclists approaching an intersection may turn left from the left-turn lane, or go through the intersection, stop at the corner on the opposite side, wait for the signal to turn green, turn left, then continue to travel with the normal flow of traffic.
  • A bicycle may not carry more persons than it was designed for.
  • A bicyclist may not attach to moving vehicles.
  • Bicyclists may not ride more than two abreast.
  • Bicyclists must keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times and may not carry a package or bundle that prevents the use of both hands.
  • Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk, and shall give audible signal when overtaking a pedestrian.
  • A person may not operate a bicycle upon a sidewalk or upon a crosswalk if prohibited. If not prohibited, the bicyclist has the same rights and duties as a pedestrian.
  • Every bicycle must be equipped with brakes.
  • Every bicycle in use after dark must be equipped with a front light, a rear red reflector or taillight, and reflective materials on both sides. All must be visible from 500 feet.

Update:
Utah is apparently releasing a bicycle awareness license plate (as represented by the top image). I will be getting one.
Share The Road License Plate Fundraiser
Links:
Summary of Utah bicycle laws (.pdf)

The Megapixel Myth – Busting The Need For More

Published on 3/24/2009. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

For my readers who don’t know, I currently shoot with a Nikon D40. I know, I know, it’s a “beginner” DSLR…right? By the numbers, it appears to be the lesser of the Nikon Cameras (diminutive size, lacking Auto Focus motor, lacking a “separate” info screen, lacks a bracketing function for HDR pics, etc.). However, there are some things it does really well (Flash sync of 1/500 of a second which is great for using flash fills in action shots outside in bright light, ridiculous battery life, small form factor). Paired with my Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens (a very recent acquisition which I will speak of in a layer post), this camera packs some serious power, but how could that be with a *mere* 6 megapixels?

Megapixels (MP) are digital photography’s equivalent of megahertz. So goes the logic, more is better, right? Wrong. Families for years have been making great 4″x5″ prints using 3 MP or less. How so? The resolution of a 3 MP camera is plenty for non-cropped prints; even up to 8″x10″! How many people actually make anything larger than an 8″x10″ print with their point-and-shoot cameras? Not many I know. Moving up to 6 MP will get you a 20″x30″ print. Again I ask, how many people are making prints of that size with their home cameras? I only know a single person who does something like that (and she has a 6MP Nikon DSLR). So, what’s my point? More megapixels aren’t necessarily better.

The Mars Rovers have taken fantastic pictures since landing in the red planet several years ago, all with a resolution of 3.2 MP. How so? The lens. The lens is the most important and most overlooked part of photography; even with handheld point-and-shoot cameras. Sony markets a number of the PAS cameras with Carl-Zeiss lenses. Is this, like megapixels, just a marketing gimmick? No. Zeiss lenses have been long-known as some of the best available and a lower resolution camera with a great lens will beat a higher resolution camera with a poor lens any day. Using the stock Nikkor 18-55mm lens that came with my D40 (which is actually quite highly rated for its low-line status), I have received compliments from laypeople and photographers alike on the quality of my shots. Is that because I have some super-sick setup? Nope. I just know how to use the decent equipment I have.

Why is this the case? Well, simply put, megapixels alone don’t make a good photograph. As previously mentioned, the lens is hugely important. Furthermore (at least in digital photography), there are other important factors including: the speed of the camera’s processor and bus, memory size, on-board image stabilizing software, etc. Finally, operator skill has more to do with great photographs than anything. Simply put, giving a camera *more* megapixels without upgrading the other components as well is like giving steriods to an elderly man; sure you’ll observe some change, but any gains will be cancelled out by the lack of support from the otherwise degraded hardware.

Ars Technica recently asked “how many megapixels are enough?” I believe this is an interesting question. So far, 6 MP has been more than enough for my shots the vast majority of the time. Every once in a while, I find myself wishing I had a bit more when cropping an image, but with a 200mm lens now, I can get the zoom I want (equivalent to 11x on my camera), and super-cropping my images is more or less a thing of the past. Really though, how many MP is enough?

If one is to be looking to truly replace a film camera (by counting raw resolution by the numbers) a megapixel rating of about 20 will be the magic number (according to simple math at 300 DPI, a 3600 x 5400 image is 20 MP…well, 19.4 to be exact). So, for “serious” photographers who will be regularly printing large prints at a full 300 DPI, 20 MP will do just fine. For the rest of us who use our cameras for pictures of the kiddies, family outings, and the like, it seems that about 12 MP will be about the max we’ll ever need. Of course, that’s IF we plan on making prints. If one simply plans on sharing pictures via some electronic medium, 6 to 8 is plenty.

So, before you head out and purchase a camera with a huge MP rating, I hope you will consider some of the above points before making a decision. If you end up with a camera with fewer megapixels (perhaps because of budgetary constraints or a specific model’s style points), don’t fret over its lower rating and remember, pixel counts alone have next to nothing to do with quality photos.

Links:
Why we’ve reached the end of the megapixel race
The Megapixel Myth

I *heart* My Bikes

Published on 3/23/2009. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Allow me to list the reasons I love my bikes. I know this is written with a heterosexual male slant, but…anyway. Ladies and gentlemen! I present you with 20 reasons bikes are better than relationships:

  1. When my bikes break, I can fix them myself rather than waiting on them to fix themselves
  2. When used, they don’t cling to their past riders
  3. The expensive ones are usually as low-maintenance as the cheap ones
  4. They rarely fail to meet our agreed upon expectations, and when they do, I don’t have to hear about how I put too much pressure on them or how it’s my fault they broke
  5. They carry my baggage just swell, but come with none of their own
  6. They allow me to change their parts to fit my physique perfectly
  7. The high they get me is as good as sex, but without the monthly or per-use fees
  8. They trust my judgement, even when I’m seemingly pointing them over a cliff
  9. They’ve helped get me out of financial pinches rather than putting me in them
  10. They never have issues with the people who made them
  11. They’re always up for a quick spin
  12. They save me from buying gas I don’t need rather than complaining about the gas I can’t help but have
  13. On the rare occasion I do send them away for repairs or additions, they never complain about me being disinterested in their progress or not noticing changes made to them
  14. They don’t care about being ridden fast or slow, so long as I just ride them
  15. Although I’m sure their frames notice, they never complain about me putting on a few pounds and help me take them right off again once I notice
  16. They help my heart beat faster and strong rather than ripping it from my chest
  17. They never complain about my speeding and, in fact, often make me to go faster
  18. A little care and TLC can keep them almost as good as new and I can replace their broken parts without having to get a whole new bike
  19. They never complain about being a little heavier than their more svelte counterparts because they know a heavier bike can tolerate a harder ride
  20. I can have as many bikes as I want, one for many purposes or many for many purposes, and when I have multiples, they never complain about one another

I jest, I jest…I believe that will do for now. Of course, the above comments come from my funny bone, but it’s a well-known fact that every joke has a kernel of truth…

I Have A Problem….

Published on 3/22/2009. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

…apparently, I’m: pale in complexion, overweight, in possession of too many universal diplomas, deceitful, and AFRAID! No, NOT AFRAID! …and people have called me looney.

Links:
How Report Atheists to the FBI (it’s the article title missing “to,” not I).

Obama The Socialist

Published on 3/21/2009. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

To all the neo-cons claiming Obama is a socialist and our country is heading towards socialism, GET A CLUE! Straight from the editor of Socialist Magazine:

Obama’s No Socialist. I Should Know