Dream Fulfilled

July 31, 2020 · 09:17

I fulfilled another one of my decade long dreams today. It was extremely emotional, but since this was a material dream, it was nowhere close to what I felt at my wedding. I am writing these words three days later and I still can’t believe it finally came to fruition. Iwona already pinched me — didn’t help.

My Photography (99) — Meerkat Squirrel, Warsaw, Poland, 2007

July 29, 2020 · 12:18

This shot is not only has terrible composition, but it’s also very soft and underexposed (thank you RAW!), however this squirrel is much too adorable to not post it. I did have only a second or so to take the photo, so there’s that, but I have to admit, the quality difference in DSLR sensors has come a long way in recent years.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS: 185mm, f/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 400.

My Photography (98) — Missed Focus, Warsaw, Poland, 2007

July 28, 2020 · 09:14

The shot above (as well as the one below) were both shot on the same day as “Looking On” from yesterday, but these are an example of two failures on my part. The squirrels in Warsaw’s Royal Łazienki Park often take on the funniest of poses, but they only hold them for a second or less. This means that there’s barely any time to focus, let alone manually correct. I managed to take these two shots and they were separated by only 0.04 seconds (not a typo; 4 hundredths of a second; the shot above was taken at 14:03:44 and the one below at 14:03:48, which you can check in the EXIF). This is a prime example of why the Canon 10D never cut it for fast-paced shots — it’s AF just couldn’t keep up, back-focusing on the first shot and front-focusing on the second.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS: 200mm, f/2.8, 1/320s, ISO 400.

See one more →

My Photography (96) — Barcelona, Spain, 2007

July 23, 2020 · 09:04

I have been to Barcelona a few times but have yet to understand why so many people love this city. Sure, there are some pretty amazing things to see, but as a whole, it has nothing that attracts my interest, which is strange, since I usually find something to love about a place. And yes, this includes the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, from which I took this photo.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L: 30mm, f/8, 1/400s, ISO 100.

My Photography (93) — Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Germany, 2006

July 20, 2020 · 09:01

Built in the 19th century, this was the most “technologically” advanced castle of its time, with toilets on every floor, equipped with automatic flushing systems, a central heating system, and many more amenities. It also inspired the castle you often see in Disney’s title card. It is much more impressive in person and I consider it a must-see.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS: 200mm, f/8, 1/320s, ISO 100.

The End of Democracy in Poland →

July 14, 2020 · 13:03

Yascha Mounk:

Now that the government’s power is secured for another three years, the fear that the government will further undermine free speech and independent institutions is not a hostile assumption: it is a promise the government itself repeatedly made over the course of the campaign. The most immediate step will likely be to capture those remaining newspapers and television channels that are free to criticize the government. Since many of them are owed by companies based outside the country, the government has vowed to “re-Polonize the media.”

In the final step towards authoritarianism, Kelemen warns, the government is likely to start attacking the integrity of the electoral system itself. The opportunities to do so are many: Law and Justice could try to get the electoral commission under tight control, make it harder for Poles who live abroad to participate in democratic elections, and take away powers from big city mayors, who tend to belong to the opposition party.

[…] Yesterday’s elections, though no longer fair, were largely free. There is no guarantee that this will still be true when Law and Justice next has to face the electorate.

I seriously doubt that our next elections will be democratic.

My Photography (88) — Auschwitz-Birkenau, Memorial and Museum, Oświęcim, Poland, 2005

July 3, 2020 · 11:12

This was probably the saddest and most tragic place that I have ever been in — it changed my perspective on so many things. I can still remember exactly what I felt back then, even though 15 years have passed.

This is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, especially as current political events unfold worldwide.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L: 46mm, f/8, 1/500s, ISO 100.

You Download the App and It Doesn’t Work — Accepted and Rejected →

June 21, 2020 · 22:17

I don’t know who made this website (click the title and go see it for yourself), but this it has a few perfect examples of the App Store’s inconsistencies in their guidelines. They let things slide for some, for years, but not for others. Oh yeah, and if you’re huge, like Netflix, you’re good.

The WWDC 2020 keynote is coming up in less than 24 hours and I’ll be really curious as to what Apple has to say.

GMK Pretty in Pink — Raising Awareness About the Dangers of Breast Cancer

June 10, 2020 · 11:35

As some of you may know, I lost both my parents to cancer a few years ago. It’s been over 5 years and still a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about them. When I heard about GMK Pretty in Pink launching a few months ago, I immediately knew I had to get this kit.

GMK Pretty in Pink is a mod extension kit, featuring an accent spacebar, enter, arrows, and a few novelty keys. The novelties are meant to raise awareness of the dangers of breast cancer, and to show support for those who are currently fighting breast cancer and for survivors. The novelties feature the ubiquitous pink ribbon, a HOPE enter key, and a four heart flower.

All profits from this set will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Pretty in Pink will live on my polycarbonate Think6.5°, paired with GMK Minimal for now. I might pair it with a black set in the future.

Thanks you Jeff “Langelandia” and One Creative Mind for designing this set.

See more images of Pretty in Pink →

My Photography (83) — Eye, Wrocław, Poland, 2004

June 8, 2020 · 13:26

I don’t recall why I entered this particular building in the older part of Wrocław’s city centre, but I’m glad I did, because this old staircase was truly stunning. It was pretty dark inside and I barely saw that the underside of the stairs was painted, and only after exposing the shot for a few seconds, I realised what my naked eye had missed.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 16-35 mm f/2.8L: 29mm, f/8, 4s, ISO 100.

Apple’s Butterfly Keyboard Might Make a Comeback →

June 3, 2020 · 10:02

L0vetodream on Twitter:

apple did not give up on butterfly keyboard, they are trying to improve on the structure, and solve the issue, we might see it comes back again in future.

L0vetodream’s leaks are 90.5% accurate, according to AppleTrack.org, so I’m really hoping this is one of those that he get’s wrong. I have been using the butterfly mechanism on my own MacBook Pro for years now (since December 2016) and having had the chance to use the new MacBook Pro 16″ (late 2019) and MacBook Air (early 2020) for a month or so, typing on them daily, the new/old scissor mechanism, with twice the key travel, is clearly superior for my needs and preferences.

Apple Doubles the Price for Entry-Level MacBook Pro RAM Upgrade →

June 2, 2020 · 10:29

Taylor Lyles, for The Verge:

The price increase is actually a price correction […] The price to upgrade RAM from 8GB to 16GB is $200 on other Macs, including the iMac and MacBook Air, and this change is meant to keep the fee consistent.

I’m seriously appalled at what Apple is charging its customers for RAM and SSD upgrades. This was OK while there were 3rd party alternatives available, but not now.