 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeArticlesDiving DestinationsLearning Scuba DivingMarine LifeMiscellaneousDiscussion GroupsGeneralScuba EquipmentScuba LocationsAustralian ScubaUK ScubaDirectoryScuba Clubs |
Scuba Forum / General / June 2007Does "Kombat Kramer" still post here???
Most groups that he posted in have seen through the old fraud the latest being rec knives. Just wondered if he still posted his crap here still........ > Most groups that he posted in have seen through the old fraud the > latest being rec knives. > Just wondered if he still posted his crap here still........ Nope. He had some redeeming qualities, but the bully/snob/liar in him overshadowed any contributions by two orders of magnitude. > > Most groups that he posted in have seen through the old fraud the > > latest being rec knives. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > He had some redeeming qualities, but the bully/snob/liar in him overshadowed > any contributions by two orders of magnitude. Wow. You really are amazing. You constantly physically threaten the guy and bombard him with private e-mail until he threatens to call your ISP and complain and then you have the gall to call him a bully? If Kramer's contributions were overshadowed by two orders of magnitude, you overshadow any of your contributions by at least a factor of 10. It's too bad you can't afford psychiatric help. You really need it. > > "Larb Gai" <larb...@lycos.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Wow. You really are amazing. He's not amazing. He's sick. Just like this other fellow LarbGai. Both devoted half their waking hours thinking about me, researching me, archiving my posts going back YEARS! > You constantly physically threaten the guy and bombard him with > private e-mail until he threatens to call your ISP and complain and > then you have the gall to call him a bully? I didn't threaten. I DID contact several ISP's for Pinkie and had several of his accounts shut down. That was the only way to stop him from e-mailing me. It worked well. :o) Take a look at how many posts this LarbGai fellow makes per day about me in rec.knives. It makes Pinkie look like a beginner. > If Kramer's contributions were overshadowed by two orders of > magnitude, you overshadow any of your contributions by at least a > factor of 10. I'll give Scott this; at least he used his real name and address in his posts. That's far more than LarbGai will do. Of course both punked out of meeting me face to face, but that's understandable with such cowardice. The word 'Larbgai' is a Thai chicken dish.... I love the irony of it. > It's too bad you can't afford psychiatric help. You really need it. Hey, without food stamps, Pinkie can't afford to eat, much less pay doctor bills. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > Hey, without food stamps, Pinkie can't afford to eat, much less pay > doctor bills. That's pretty good from a guy who sucks his money out of the VA. Any time little girl. You be sure to let me know next time to travel through SEATAC. > Any time little girl. You played that tune once too many times for anyone to listen. I offered time, place, and weapons. You punked out. Simple as that. Now run along to the welfare office. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com On Jun 2, 3:57 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: Unfortunately, this is the only way to get free of these guys. I'm sorry that they follow me around, and arrived in rec.knives, leading you to come up with this solution to the problem. We've had a long and interesting time in the knife group, with a lot of great information sharing, on many different topics. Real discussions with many people participating, and good clean fun. You don't find that in too many unmoderated groups these days. It's true that it's my fault that these three followed me here, and I apologize to all for it. I haven't posted to the soc.culture.thai group in a very long time, and never answer these three at all. But that doesn't stop a true crazy, and with the Google Alerts system, they always know when I post. Frankly, I'm surprised that they waited so long to come to rec.knives again, and this time, in force. My apologies to everyone for the disturbance. Crazy people really make you crazy. Steve Kramer ******Nice one Pinkie......... *GRIN* > > Any time little girl. > > You played that tune once too many times for anyone to listen. I > offered time, place, and weapons. You punked out. Simple as that. Now > run along to the welfare office. I am not the one sucking a check fro the government of the US, you are. I am not the one sneaking in and out of the country, you are. Your offer was me barehanded versus you with a sword. Your a coward, a punk and a liar, and always will be. > "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > offered time, place, and weapons. You punked out. Simple as that. Now > > run along to the welfare office. > I am not the one sucking a check fro the government of the US, you are. You can't. You got kicked out of the military. They don't give money for that. I earned mine the hard way. By serving my country and deserving it. Don't you suppose they check on these things before they hand out benefits? > I am not the one sneaking in and out of the country, you are. You can't afford to leave the country unless someone else pays for it. We understand this. > Your offer was me barehanded versus you with a sword. Puleeeezz..... there is such a thing as Google archives which tells a VERY different story... I won't bother to pull up the posts where I offered you your beloved Marine sword as weapons of choice. Just you and me and two swords. And you punked out. Again. > Your a coward, a punk and a liar, and always will be. It is the biggest losers that are the most eager flamers. Keep burning, Pinkie. :o) Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com On Jun 3, 12:39 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: ******Love this................ > I am not the one sucking a check fro the government of the US, you are. I earned mine the hard way. By serving my country and deserving it. Don't you suppose they check on these things before they hand out benefits? Deserving it?????? DESERTING it more like Stevie. *GRIN* > On Jun 3, 12:39 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > *GRIN* Say Hey Stevie: I receive several checks each month. One is from Uncle Sam which continues until I go belly up. Sad that you haven't been paying into the system for 17 years. If you don't pay, they don't pay. 5555 Yee-Haw !! On Jun 2, 10:57 am, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Any time little girl. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > "PhotoEnvisions" Photography > Chiang Mai, Thailandhttp://www.photoenvisions.com Say Hey!! Poor old sod is feeling the pressure these last few days. Finds release by entering his world of fanasty. 5555 Yee-Haw !! > That's pretty good from a guy who sucks his money out of the VA. Hmmmm...... you say I take money from the VA. The other idiot says I'm a deserter. One or both of you must be incorrect. But just think, Pinkie... if you hadn't been kicked out of the Marines, you might have been one or the other too! :o) Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com On Jun 2, 8:45 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hmmmm...... you say I take money from the VA. The other idiot says I'm > a deserter. One or both of you must be incorrect. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Steve Kramer Hmmmmmm Maybe it was Justin Steve, either way you are bludger on society. You are a shockingly narcissistic dunce and a vacuous, bug-eyed cause of wailing and gnashing of teeth. > Hmmmm...... you say I take money from the VA. The other idiot says I'm > a deserter. One or both of you must be incorrect. You said you get money out of the VA. > But just think, Pinkie... if you hadn't been kicked out of the > Marines, you might have been one or the other too! :o) I didn't get kicked out, asswipe, and I have made my information public, you have not. What unit did you serve with, and what was your MOS? Don't bother to answer me, you're back in the shitbox where you belong. On Jun 2, 12:01 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > I'll give Scott this; at least he used his real name and address in > his posts. That's far more than LarbGai will do. Of course both punked [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Steve Kramer *****Say Stevie, you're still here old bean. The "boys" over at rec.knives sure put the frightners on you eh??? So much so that he had to actually apologise.... Unfortunately, this is the only way to get free of these guys. I'm sorry that they follow me around, and arrived in rec.knives, leading you to come up with this solution to the problem. We've had a long and interesting time in the knife group, with a lot of great information sharing, on many different topics. Real discussions with many people participating, and good clean fun. You don't find that in too many unmoderated groups these days. It's true that it's my fault that these three followed me here, and I apologize to all for it. I haven't posted to the soc.culture.thai group in a very long time, and never answer these three at all. But that doesn't stop a true crazy, and with the Google Alerts system, they always know when I post. Frankly, I'm surprised that they waited so long to come to rec.knives again, and this time, in force. My apologies to everyone for the disturbance. Crazy people really make you crazy. Steve Kramer ****We're still there Steve and you're still biting. What a sad old blaggard you are. "steve@seatraveler.com" <SteveKramer2@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :He's not amazing. Neiither am I. Hi Steve, hows your wife and my kids? Where have you been diving lately? Did you see any nice fish? Did you take any good pix? etcetera, etcetera, etcetera Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> pounded away at his > keyboard resulting in: > > :He's not amazing. > > Neiither am I. Actually, you are. You are still the only rec.scuba regular not to get involved in bad-mouthing others. Sorry to see that things are still the same here, year after year. Hi Steve, hows your wife and my kids? Where have you > been diving lately? Did you see any nice fish? Did you take any good > pix? We've been diving our usual venues, doing live-aboards in the Andeman Sea, diving the Burma Banks, Richelieu Rocks, etc., diving Palau, Sipadan area, Sanagalaki, et all. Having a nice time underwater..... It's a lot quieter there then here. Owning my own business in Thailand gives us a lot more freedom of choice in timing our diving, than I had when working at the university in Japan. I just bought the Nikon D200 camera, and am trying to sell my wife and kid so I can afford the housing for it and new strobes. Hell of a camera (I think.... really complicated set up with a long learning curve) but the photos that come out of it are stunning. I really want to see what it can produce under water. Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > been diving lately? Did you see any nice fish? Did you take any good > > pix? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > curve) but the photos that come out of it are stunning. I really want > to see what it can produce under water. Glad to hear you're doing okay, Steve; let us know what the results look like. I've jumped over to digital for land photography (visited Tanzania last summer), but haven't yet done so for UW... -hh > Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I just bought the Nikon D200 camera, and am trying to sell my wife and > > kid so I can afford the housing for it and new strobes. Hell of a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Glad to hear you're doing okay, Thanks. Better and better every day. Business is growing well outside Asia and my photos are getting a lot of air miles in in-flight magazines these days. For something to keep me busy in retirement, I can't complain at all! >Steve; let us know what the results > look like. Once I figure out the sub-sub-sub menus, they should be fantastic. Right now I just on the sub-sub menus..... in four different shooting banks in five different modes..... > I've jumped over to digital for land photography (visited > Tanzania last summer), but haven't yet done so for UW... If it's good enough for Nat Geo, it's good enough for me. And it's nice not throwing away 99 cents out of every dollar spent on film and processing. The savings in time alone not having to bracket every single shot make it even more worthwhile. Having an RGB histogram to consult after the first shot allows a shooter to set the next series perfectly, making braketing 'almost' obsolete.' I can't wait to see what it does under water, but I'll have to learn how to use the camera to its full potential first. That will take some time. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com "steve@seatraveler.com" <SteveKramer2@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :I just bought the Nikon D200 camera, and am trying to sell my wife and :kid so I can afford the housing for it and new strobes. Hell of a :camera (I think.... really complicated set up with a long learning :curve) but the photos that come out of it are stunning. I really want :to see what it can produce under water. When I switched from film to digital, I also switched from really good cameras and lenses to point and shoot. For light, I use either the camera's internal flash or natural light. The little woman and I are going to the Florida Keys in a couple of weeks. Looe Key should be a photo paradise because it's shallow and has lots of pretty fishies. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > When I switched from film to digital, I also switched from really good > cameras and lenses to point and shoot. For light, I use either the > camera's internal flash or natural light. The little woman and I are > going to the Florida Keys in a couple of weeks. Looe Key should be a > photo paradise because it's shallow and has lots of pretty fishies. Some people were using the small point and shoots, and hand-sized videos when we were diving in Palau. I was amazed at the amount of light resolution these little gems have! Even down at 30 meters there was more than enough light to shoot clearly although the colors were pretty much gone except for macro stuff. And when you consider that the housings for them cost only a couple of hundred instead of thousands, it certainly makes sense for the great memories they produce. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com "steve@seatraveler.com" <SteveKramer2@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Actually, you are. You are still the only rec.scuba regular not to get :involved in bad-mouthing others. Mike Gray, aka El Stroko Guapo doesn't bad mouth others. There are probably some others as well, but I can't think of them at this very minute. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> pounded away at his > keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > probably some others as well, but I can't think of them at this very > minute. You're correct. I didn't think of him at the time. But you two are certainly in the minority in the Usenet community. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > You're correct. I didn't think of him at the time. But you two are > certainly in the minority in the Usenet community. And you have been a shining light of reasonability, maturity and decency on Usenet. You are a bully, a punk and a liar, and you do it all from behind the safety of your monitor. You are *exactly* one of the reasons Usenet sucks. The only thing you ever used this group for was to brag, build up your self important image and bully others. Which is why you have anonymous trolls following you around from group to group. Any time old woman. > You are *exactly* one of the reasons Usenet sucks. Isn't it funny.... In all these years of you getting fired from job after job, you fighting with person after person, you getting cheated by so many, that is ALWAYS 'the other guy's fault.' Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > Isn't it funny.... > In all these years of you getting fired from job after job, you > fighting with person after person, you getting cheated by so many, > that is ALWAYS 'the other guy's fault.' You might want to be a bit more careful with those analogies, Steve... That same type of logic would imply that it is *your* fault that those kooks keep following you from group to group... <grin> On Jun 3, 7:09 pm, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote: > On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:40:11 -0700, "s...@seatraveler.com" > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > That same type of logic would imply that it is *your* fault that those > kooks keep following you from group to group... <grin> ******TOUCHE..................Stevie........ Over to you son. btw Grummy.... Not Kooky, just a few average people fighting back at a known cyberbully. I don't think he likes it. *GRIN* On Jun 3, 2:09 pm, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote: > On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:40:11 -0700, "s...@seatraveler.com" > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > That same type of logic would imply that it is *your* fault that those > kooks keep following you from group to group... <grin> I never said it wasn't my fault. *grin* In fact, the one person who does have a legitimate gripe; calls himself either 'justiceforall, pickleking,' or 'wiseoldgentleman, was a man we (a group of local business people,) worked very, very hard to put out of business here. It took a group of us several years to get the word around about him in Chiang Mai, but finally he had to sell out as no one would purchase his products. Had to sell his entire business, vehicles and machinery included, at fire sale prices. We all had a large party when we got the news. The other two, including the one who's been posting here, is just your garden variety psychotic. Kind of like Pinkie... :o) Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > I never said it wasn't my fault. *grin* > In fact, the one person who does have a legitimate gripe; calls > himself either 'justiceforall, pickleking,' or 'wiseoldgentleman, was > a man we (a group of local business people,) worked very, very hard to > put out of business here. I think I killfiled those IDs a long time ago... Are you just attracting new kooks or are they using different IDs these days? On Jun 4, 4:16 am, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote: > I think I killfiled those IDs a long time ago... Are you just > attracting new kooks or are they using different IDs these days? *GRIN* Please visit...................... http://photoenvisions.tripod.com/ On Jun 3, 11:16 pm, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM- gmail.com> wrote: > On Sun, 03 Jun 2007 11:24:37 -0000, "s...@seatraveler.com" > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I think I killfiled those IDs a long time ago... Are you just > attracting new kooks or are they using different IDs these days? Same ones since day one. Insanity is a remarkable lifestyle. I'm only ONE of their targets. Imagine how much time they must spend at this.... One of them posts to the Thai culture news group daily using 4-5 different Id's, having long conversations with himself. (He's the one making all the Tripod web pages in my name.) The one I referred to above has had over 30 different ISP's cancel his accounts. Now THAT is f.cking nuts! One ISP even took him to court over it. We are still working to get him thrown out of the Kingdom. We've gotten two out so far, and it's a dedicated group that's working on it. It just takes time. They have researched every word I've ever posted to Usenet, sought out every magazine reference, newspaper article, interview, etc., that I've either written or been written about, going back years and years. Think what Pinkie did to Dr. Black.... these guys make Pinkie look almost sane. And just like Pinkie, no matter how many times I offered to meet them face to face, none would ever show up. The most interesting part of it all is that during all this time, I've only even SEEN one of them once in the last seven years. He's the one who lives five minutes away from me, but spends his time behind locked walls with five motion sensor alarms defending him. I've never even met the other three. Since I switched to 'Thunderbird' for most of my news group reading, I don't even see what they post unless someone quotes them. From time to time I use Google to look at the news and am amazed that they are still around. Frankly, I hope they live a long, long time. It's got to be worse than dieing. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com On Jun 4, 12:29 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: . From time to > time I use Google to look at the news and am amazed that they are > still around. Frankly, I hope they live a long, long time. It's got to > be worse than dieing. > > Steve Kramer **** GRIN* You never miss a post eh Stevie. We're great for your ego huh??? Please visit...................... http://photoenvisions.tripod.com/ Steve On Jun 3, 11:24 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > I never said it wasn't my fault. *grin* > In fact, the one person who does have a legitimate gripe; calls [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Steve Kramer *GRIN* Please visit...................... http://photoenvisions.tripod.com/ > On Jun 3, 2:09 pm, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > a man we (a group of local business people,) worked very, very hard to > put out of business here. It took a group of us several years to get Why? Unsafe products? ripping people off?  SignatureDennis "For instance, on planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on, while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were more intelligent than man, for precisely the same reasons." --Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, chapter 23. On Jun 4, 7:22 am, "Dennis \(Icarus\)" <nojunkm...@ever.invalid> wrote: > "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote in message > > I never said it wasn't my fault. *grin* > > In fact, the one person who does have a legitimate gripe; calls > > himself either 'justiceforall, pickleking,' or 'wiseoldgentleman, was > > a man we (a group of local business people,) worked very, very hard to > > put out of business here. It took a group of us several years to get > Why? Unsafe products? ripping people off? Actually, his products were pretty good, and his prices fair. It was the man himself that was so bad. He has alienated himself with EVERY ethnic group here, including the Thais, to such an extent that he now has to remain in his home behind locked walls with five motion detector alarms set up. His Thai neighbors have already poisoned his dogs, (it's a shame, but that how things get done around here,) and a group of local business people have been working to get him removed from the Kingdom as an undesirable. Chiang Mai is just too small a place to get away with behavior like his. But this is Thailand. Unfortunately, he has enough money to pay the right people to stay. But he has to stay behind locked walls. For a quick overview of just a few of his quotes, see; http://www.photoenvisions.com/RobertJohnson.htm A paper similar to this one was distributed by the thousands all over Chiang Mai two years ago, until finally no one was buying his products any more and he had to sell out. Now, just one more step to go... :o) Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com On Jun 4, 3:22 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Why? Unsafe products? ripping people off? > > Actually, his products were pretty good, and his prices fair. > Steve Kramer *****Well said Steve.............. Crazy people really make you crazy. Steve Kramer > You might want to be a bit more careful with those analogies, Steve... > That same type of logic would imply that it is *your* fault that those > kooks keep following you from group to group... <grin> =;-) > =;-) Do you notice the prominent brow ridge, the close-set eyes, etc..... A little Google.... and.... Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata auct. - slack jawed vertebrates Class: Mammalia Order: Archonta Family: Hominidae Genus: Baboon Species: imbecilius Figures.... Pinkie, who's paying your freight these days? Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > "steve@seatraveler.com" <SteveKramer2@gmail.com> pounded away at his > keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > probably some others as well, but I can't think of them at this very > minute. ;0) LD. On Jun 1, 8:55 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > I just bought the Nikon D200 camera, and am trying to sell my wife and > kid so I can afford the housing for it and new strobes. Hell of a > camera (I think.... really complicated set up with a long learning > curve) but the photos that come out of it are stunning. I really want > to see what it can produce under water. I too just bought my D200, but I'm less patient about taking it underwater. Today was the first day of the SoCal ScubaShow and after meeting with my u/w camera salesman and a Light & Motion rep, I ordered my housing with a dome port for the 12-24 wide angle and a flat port for a 60mm macro lens. They're still working on a flat port to fit the 105mm VR, but promised me a free upgrade in a month or so when it's ready. Housing should arrive in a week and I'll get a chance to play with it a bit in Grand Cayman a couple weeks later. > On Jun 1, 8:55 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I too just bought my D200, but I'm less patient about taking it > underwater. At lunch today I discovered another sub-sub-sub menu... Fantastic! > Today was the first day of the SoCal ScubaShow and after > meeting with my u/w camera salesman and a Light & Motion rep, I > ordered my housing with a dome port for the 12-24 wide angle and a > flat port for a 60mm macro lens. They're still working on a flat port > to fit the 105mm VR, but promised me a free upgrade in a month or so > when it's ready. That's the size I want. I want to use my 105 macro with it under water. I also want twin strobes. I also want a big bag of money so I can afford all of this. Have fun with it in the briney. Let us see some results. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > Housing should arrive in a week and I'll get a chance to play with it > a bit in Grand Cayman a couple weeks later. Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > At lunch today I discovered another sub-sub-sub menu... Fantastic! Sub-sub? >From a UI perpective, sounds like I got lucky in building around Canon years ago. > Have fun with it in the briney. Let us see some results. T'aint wet, but its published: <http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2006/Tanzania_album-2006s.pdf> -hh > Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > At lunch today I discovered another sub-sub-sub menu... Fantastic! > > Sub-sub? Nooo.... sub-sub-SUB! There are so many options upon options in this machine that it will take me months just to find them all. > >From a UI perpective, sounds like I got lucky in building around Canon >From a white balance perspective as well. Canon's white balance is spot on. Nikon's needs some tweaking in too many lighting situations. On the other hand.... Nikon's batteries (using two in the battery pack) gave me almost 3,000 shots before running down. (I was running them down on purpose to cycle them through a couple of time before taking them on the road.) Thank God for continuous shooting. It's nice to know I can get 1,500 shots from one battery, providing I don't use an image stabilized lens. That brings it down to about 1,000. Canon's batteries seem to last a couple of hours. My students are always having to recharge theirs during our lunch break. But other than batteries, (and Canons changing lens mounts with every other new body,) I think Canon makes a better product. > <http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2006/Tanzania_album-2006s.pdf> Is that a wild bicycle on page 16 or domesticated? Do they charge when wounded? These are some really nice photos. Must have been one hell of an experience! I'm jealous! I really hope you had a looooong lens for the cape buffalo! I see your lady is wise enough to wear a Tilley hat. I use the same model, but added grommets to the crown for extra venting. This place is a photographer's dream, and you did it justice with these photos! I think it's time for me to move to the southern hemisphere... Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Sub-sub? > > Nooo.... sub-sub-SUB! There are so many options upon options ... Egads. IMO, 'screw it' and just go fully manual :-) > >From a UI perpective, sounds like I got lucky in building around Canon... > > From a white balance perspective as well. Canon's white balance is > spot on. Nikon's needs some tweaking in too many lighting situations. That explains why I've not had any real headaches there. > On the other hand.... Nikon's batteries (using two in the battery > pack) gave me almost 3,000 shots before running down. (I was running [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > batteries seem to last a couple of hours. My students are always > having to recharge theirs during our lunch break. 1000 shots from a pair of Nikon batteries while using a VR lens would be ~500 each, which is consistent with what I see with the Canon while using an IS lens. In any case, power management for the camera body is quite adequate in comparison to other battery-powered items in the bag (predominantly, digital wallets). > But other than batteries, (and Canons changing lens mounts > with every other new body,) I think Canon makes a better product. While there's no disputing that Canon has changed mounts, the 'too frequent lens mount changes' claims is IMO a piece of illogical sour grapes: within the past 40 years, there's only been 3 mounts since 1964 (FL, FD, EF) and the one transition that wasn't backwards- compatible (FD to EF), occurred in 1987 ... ie, two full decades ago. On the Nikon side of the fence, they are supposedly "better" because didn't have a clear break in backwards-compatibility, but while "everything" is compatible with "everything" from the aspect that it will mechanically fit, the shortcoming is that "everything" won't necessarily actually work with "everything", which creates a massive headache to keep track of what does work where, and results in product compatibility cross-reference charts: http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html The problem may not be too confusing initially, but when lenses & bodies proliferate, it can rapidly become a royal pain in the a.s and IMO, more trouble than its worth. > > <http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2006/Tanzania_album-2006s.pdf> > > Is that a wild bicycle on page 16 or domesticated? A bike is a sign of a relatively well-to-do person out in the countryside, since it means that he could actually afford a bike instead of having to walk (GDP per capita is only around $700). > I really hope you had a looooong lens for > the cape buffalo! (Page 27) I'll have to check the EXIF data to see what the actual zoom was and figure out what the standoff distance was; I'd guess it was around 40ft, plus or minus. I don't recall cropping that image. My basic telephoto setup was a 70-200L f/2.8 IS with a 1.4x on a 20D, so maximum 35mm equivalent was only ~450mm at f/4. For the next trip, I want a better rig for birds, so I might consider a 400mm f/4 DO IS and perhaps stacking it in the same fashion, which would yield a 35mm equivalent of ~900mm at f/5.6 Considering the IS and an ISO bump, I could probably get away with handholding this, although I would take along my Kenesis sandbag again. > I see your lady is wise enough to wear a Tilley hat. I use the > same model, but added grommets to the crown for extra venting. Its not the same model: there's some newer Tilley designs that include a perimeter vent. See their website for their 'Airflow' models. > This place is a photographer's dream, and you did it justice > with these photos! I think it's time for me to move to the southern > hemisphere... Thanks; one of the bigger challenges was from transportation with the camera considerations: the fly-in to Katavi and Ruaha had perscribed weight limits of 15kg/person for everything (ie, both clothing and cameras). -hh > Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Egads. IMO, 'screw it' and just go fully manual :-) Even fully manual, there are still hundreds of settings that can be made. I've never seen anything like this before. It's the first time I've ever had to actually 'study' the manual to use the camera fully. > > On the other hand.... Nikon's batteries (using two in the battery > > pack) gave me almost 3,000 shots before running down. (I was running [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > be ~500 each, which is consistent with what I see with the Canon while > using an IS lens. I guess I wasn't clear. I get 1,000 shots PER BATTERY while using a VR lens. 1,500 without the VR. > > Is that a wild bicycle on page 16 or domesticated? > A bike is a sign of a relatively well-to-do person out in the > countryside, since it means that he could actually afford a bike > instead of having to walk (GDP per capita is only around $700). Here too. Our first housekeeper didn't know how to ride one because no one in her village could afford one when she was growing up! > A bike is a sign of a relatively well-to-do person out in the > countryside, since it means that he could actually afford a bike > instead of having to walk (GDP per capita is only around $700). That's just about $100-$150 less than here. A hundred a month is considered a very good salary. A college grad can do better. They can average $1,400 - $1,600 a year. > > I really hope you had a looooong lens for > > the cape buffalo! > > (Page 27) I'll have to check the EXIF data to see what the actual > zoom was and figure out what the standoff distance was; I'd guess it > was around 40ft, plus or minus. I think I'd prefer to be on the plus side. I did notice one of the guides carrying a large caliber rifle while walking behind some people. That's comforting. Did he have ammo? > For the next trip, I want a better rig for birds, so I might consider > a 400mm f/4 DO IS and perhaps stacking it in the same fashion, which > would yield a 35mm equivalent of ~900mm at f/5.6 Considering the IS > and an ISO bump, I could probably get away with handholding this, > although I would take along my Kenesis sandbag again. For $29.95 there is a guy in Florida who sells a 'Flash Extender.' It folds up to fit in a shirt pocket, and throws your flash out to 75-100 yards using a Fresnel lens. I've used mine many times for birding, and it really does light up the little critters high up in dark canopies. > > I see your lady is wise enough to wear a Tilley hat. I use the > > same model, but added grommets to the crown for extra venting. > Its not the same model: there's some newer Tilley designs that > include a perimeter vent. See their website for their 'Airflow' I wear the Airflow LTM5. It has mesh all around the base of the top. But I still added more vents to mine. I've worn it for four years now, and despite throwing it in the wash 2-3 times a week, still looks as new as the day I got it, although the green underbrim has turned tan. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > That's just about $100-$150 less than here. A hundred a month is > considered a very good salary. A college grad can do better. They > can average $1,400 - $1,600 a year. So, you're saying that the difference between a "very good salary" and what a college grad can do is only $200-400 per *year*? Doesn't seem to give much of an incentive to go to college... So, labor costs over there are cheap... What about the cost of other things like land, houses (built to US standards), food, fuel, etc? On Jun 6, 2:25 am, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 09:39:19 -0700, "s...@seatraveler.com" > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > what a college grad can do is only $200-400 per *year*? Doesn't seem > to give much of an incentive to go to college... Sorry, I blew it again. That should read 'a hundred a WEEK ' is a good salary, and $1,400-$1,600 a MONTH for the college grad... but only if they have post graduate degrees. Most university profs here get $900- $1,500 a month plus accommodations. It's the 'other' benefits that make it worth while; air conditioned offices, 9-6 work, no manual labor, clean work, people with whom you can have a good conversation, no bugs or snakes at work, etc. (And more holidays than any three countries put together!!!) Remember, here education is only free up to 6th grade (about 12 years old for the UK folk.) And that extra few hundred is the difference between living well and living poor. Most folks live poor. There is a VERY big disparity between the social classes, but due to the cultural norms even those living in corrugated tin shacks or bamboo huts spend most of their time laughing and partying. Just so long as there is rice on the table.... > So, labor costs over there are cheap... Look at it this way; the Burmese sneak over the border to work construction here for $1 a day..... To put it in real life terms, I busted up (on some rocks) the auto transmission on my Honda Civic. To buy and have installed a rebuilt tranny cost me less than $400.00 USD. When we first moved in, we hired a team of workers to do some work around the house. Five days of having five carpenter/electrical/plumbing workers cost under $100 UDS. When I provide the cloth, it costs me $4 USD to have my shirts made to order. The cotton costs me about $3 per yard. >What about the cost of other things like land, Foreigners aren't permitted to own land in the Kingdom, but the prices are commensurate with the standard of living. We are allowed to buy condominiums and we can own and have houses built, but we can't own the land they are on. Foreigners will take out 30 year (longest allowable by law to us) leases on the land, and pray we can renew. > houses (built to US standards), food, fuel, etc? Almost no such thing as 'built to US standards' unless you import the raw goods and watch over the workers. Workers will use screws in every 'other' hole and pocket the ones not used so they can trade them for a bowl of rice. Unless you tell them to do so, the plumbers won't bother to use pipe tape on joints. It saves them money. One learns quickly NOT to buy Thai brands of anything except food, and to test every product you purchase in the shops before you take it out the door. In fact, this is so common that the counter people in better stores will open and test everything without even being asked to do so! Gas prices are very high right now, and it costs me about $20 USD to fill the tank in my 4X4. But food costs next to nothing. You can eat like a king on less than $6 USD per day if you eat out. $3 a day if you eat 'student food.' It's cheaper to eat out than to cook for yourselves, and good, clean, streetside restaurants sprout up every day around 4pm, lining the sidewalks all over town, and stay open long into the night. Going into 'better' restaurants costs more. Three meals a day can average $10-$15 USD per day in nicer, upscale restaurants. There are many 'all you can eat' buffets all around that cost about $2 USD. Dinner in the Thai restaurant in my building costs about $1.50, while the lunch special in the Japanese restaurant in my building costs between $2.00-$3.00 Many of the street restaurants open at 6am for breakfast, then close down again until dinner. There are plenty of them that only open for lunch. It depends upon where they can find sidewalk space to rent. For young people, just as with most young people everywhere, sharing apartments is the norm, or living in a 8x8 room with no windows, and eating at streetside is the daily way. The Thais seem happy with this lifestyle, and there is little suicide other than the foreigners who come here looking for 'the good life' they can't find at home. They call Thailand "The Land of Smiles" because the Thais are usually smiling despite standing knee deep in sh.t. Just so long as the baby get rice. I charge my students between $100-$200 per day for lessons. I only cater to the tourists. The Thais can't afford these rates. The only Thais I've had as students have been retired bank presidents, high ranking police or military, or high ranking business execs. But for someone coming from the States on vacation, a hundred bucks for a private lesson is usually less than half what they would pay for a large group lesson back home. It's all relative. Thailand is a wonderful place to retire to. It's not a place to come to get rich. Everything is here that an older person would want or need in terms of food, good medical care, cultural diversions, education, social life, etc., and in general the Thais are some of the friendliest people I've ever met. You've just got to live by their cultural standards and not judge them with western eyes or try to compare them with western standards. That just doesn't work. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > Foreigners aren't permitted to own land in the Kingdom, but the prices > are commensurate with the standard of living. As with everything, there's probably some way around it... Paying off the appropriate government official, starting up a corporation and having the corporation on the land, etc... > Almost no such thing as 'built to US standards' unless you import the > raw goods and watch over the workers. Workers will use screws in every > 'other' hole and pocket the ones not used so they can trade them for a > bowl of rice. Unless you tell them to do so, the plumbers won't bother > to use pipe tape on joints. It saves them money. Mainly wood frame housing or concrete block construction? > Gas prices are very high right now, and it costs me about $20 USD to > fill the tank in my 4X4. Either you have a very small fuel tank on your 4x4 or gas is cheap by our standards... It costs me about $75 to fill up my 4x4 pickup these days and it doesn't even have the *large* tanks in it like the ones with the 8 ft beds do... Around $2.95 per gallon around here lately... > But food costs next to nothing. You can eat > like a king on less than $6 USD per day if you eat out. $3 a day if [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > are plenty of them that only open for lunch. It depends upon where > they can find sidewalk space to rent. Yeah, but can you find any *real* BBQ over there? I guess Tex-Mex is totally out of the question, right? > They call Thailand "The Land of Smiles" because the Thais > are usually smiling despite standing knee deep in sh.t. Isn't that because it is legal for the hill tribes to possess opium and that they smoke it? I suspect that could keep a smile on their face... A goofy stoned smile perhaps... <grin> > You've just got to live by their cultural standards and not judge > them with western eyes or try to compare them with western > standards. Any particular examples that you would like to share? On Jun 6, 11:44 am, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM- gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:17:44 -0700, "s...@seatraveler.com" > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > the appropriate government official, starting up a corporation and > having the corporation on the land, etc... That 'used to be' the case. You would start up a business, which must be 51% Thai owned, as mine is, (but none of my partners know each other and I hold proxy power for all voting,) and your business can purchase the land. However.... now, if your business does not show a profit the government can shut you down and confiscate your property. This is to prevent exactly that method of land buying. > > Almost no such thing as 'built to US standards' unless you import the > > raw goods and watch over the workers. Workers will use screws in every > > 'other' hole and pocket the ones not used so they can trade them for a > > bowl of rice. Unless you tell them to do so, the plumbers won't bother > > to use pipe tape on joints. It saves them money. > Mainly wood frame housing or concrete block construction? Other than old teak, all new house are made of either cement or concrete block, with all the wiring and plumbing visible on the walls, but painted white.... Looks very shabby and cheap to the western eye, but necessary to prevent termites destroying everything. I have friends who when they first moved into condos, placed their desks and furniture against the walls. It wasn't long before the termites had made nests inside computers, armoires, book cases, etc., I keep a 2" gap between all walls and furniture, and keep it well sprayed regularly. Even though this is a fairly modern building, it is already termite infested. > > Gas prices are very high right now, and it costs me about $20 USD to > > fill the tank in my 4X4. > > Either you have a very small fuel tank on your 4x4 or gas is cheap by > our standards.. It's all relative. The tanks are the same. The prices are in keeping with the local standard of living. Two weeks ago it only cost me $15 to fill the tank. >. It costs me about $75 to fill up my 4x4 pickup these That's one reason I live here. :o) > Yeah, but can you find any *real* BBQ over there? I guess Tex-Mex is > totally out of the question, right? Surprisingly, some of the BEST BBQ pork ribs, quesadillas, lasagna, wienerschnitzel, souvlaki, falafel, tacos, French goat cheeses, German wursts, Norwegian smoked salmon.... the list is endless. I can get more variety and better quality here in Chiang Mai than I could in Osaka or Boston, and without traveling more than 10-15 minutes to the restaurants or supermarkets. So far, the only thing I can't get here is 'Clausen's' brand Kosher Dill spears. I can, however, get them down in Bangkok. Every item of every brand name that you find in US, UK, Oz, Japanese, German, etc., supermarkets is available in most of the larger supermarkets in town. For the 'real specialties' you might have to go to one of the three import supermarkets... It's unbelievable! It's an eater's paradise. Add to it all the fantastic Thai foods, and the only problem is the size of your appetite. > > They call Thailand "The Land of Smiles" because the Thais > > are usually smiling despite standing knee deep in sh.t. > > Isn't that because it is legal for the hill tribes to possess opium > and that they smoke it? Not legal at all. Neither are any amphetamines or marijuana. In fact, one town, closer to the Burmese border that 'was' very popular with the backpack tourists is now giving random wizz quizzes to foreigners, and if they test positive, have their rooms and bags searched. If nothing is found they are immediately kicked out of the kingdom, and if there are drugs found, immediate imprisonment. It's not the Thailand of 10 years ago. This is NOT to say that these things can't be found easily here, but the norms are to just shoot the dealers and imprison the users. On the other hand, you can go into any drug store and legally purchase Valium, xanax, oxi, Tylenol 3, or any other prescription drug other than narcotics or amphetamines. The drug that causes the biggest problems here is called 'ya ba,' "crazy medicine.' It's a mix of crystal meth cut with strychnine. Very popular with over the road drivers who get paid by the hours spent behind the wheel. There aren't any rules governing how much they must rest vs drive. Thailand has the highest per capita road fatalities in the world..... > > You've just got to live by their cultural standards and not judge > > them with western eyes or try to compare them with western > > standards. > > Any particular examples that you would like to share? Probably the most visible to the westerner is the sex trade. As westerners we view it with a Judeo-Christian ethic. The SE Asians see it as a way to put food on the table (not drugs into their arms,) keep parents feed and healthy (no federal old age help,) keep younger brother and sister in school so they don't have to enter the sex trade, and earn enough so they don't have to live in that 8x8 windowless room with three other people. Westerners just see it as prostitution. It's very common for a bar girl to wind up marrying a foreigner and getting out of the business. I have several friends who have done just that. In some cases it's purely a business arrangement. She has her jobs, (household, family, treating husband like a king,) and he has his jobs (supporting her, her family, her extended family.... all the ones she 'was' supporting by turning tricks in the bar.) It's a business contract and both parties play by the rules. In many other cases, it turns out to be love as well, and I know several very happy couples who've been together for years. Imagine a street hooker going home to Podunk, Iowa. People who know what she does will cross the street to avoid her. Here, she's treated with respect. Not for what she does... That isn't respectable. But with respect for the fact that she has sacrificed her life to support her family and sometimes her entire village. Oddly enough, Thailand is very Victorian about its morality, and nudity is a real no-no. When most of these girls aren't working, they dress very modestly. Most won't even wear bathing suits when swimming as they are too revealing! They go in wearing their shorts and t-shirts! I was at a lake two days ago with a friend to play some guitar. His bargirl girlfriend was with us, as was her mother, sister, and sister's husband, all having lunch together and listening to us play music. That just would NOT happen in the States or in Canada. No one treated her any differently than you'd treat any other woman. She has a job that most wouldn't do, but needs to, to support her family. Her boyfriend paid for every-one's food, as is expected. Those are the rules of the game. This is just one small, but very visible difference. If you really want an eye opening experience, read the novel "Bangkok Eight." It's a murder mystery set in Bangkok that gives a VERY accurate insight into Thai culture from a Thai perspective.... and a pretty good read as well. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com On Jun 6, 7:23 am, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > This is just one small, but very visible difference. If you really > want an eye opening experience, read the novel "Bangkok Eight." It's a > murder mystery set in Bangkok that gives a VERY accurate insight into > Thai culture from a Thai perspective.... and a pretty good read as > well. I read that before my trip to Bangkok. The sequel, Tattoo, is very good as well and made me want to go back. > On Jun 6, 7:23 am, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I read that before my trip to Bangkok. The sequel, Tattoo, is very > good as well and made me want to go back. I just picked that one up yesterday. It's next on the list to read. I think that every male coming to Thailand should be required to read "Private Dancer" by Stephen Leather before arriving in Thailand and falling in love with a bargirl. Not all of the the girls are so ethical..... This book is a real life story by a well known writer, of his experience being married to one for three years. Also a VERY accurate insight into another side of Thai culture. Years ago I found it amusing to hear of local girls in foreign countries being called 'horizontal dictionaries.' Then 17 years ago, when first coming to Thailand to vacation, heard that foreign men living here were called "walking ATM's." I've met many over the years who have been cleaned out by their 'girlfriends,' after being together several years, who then left their man to move on to another man. After all, someone has to feed the baby and the parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts.... Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com > I think that every male coming to Thailand should be required to read > "Private Dancer" by Stephen Leather before arriving in Thailand and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it amusing to hear of local girls in foreign countries being called > 'horizontal dictionaries.' We just called them LBFMs... No one ever accused a sailor of being politically correct though... On Jun 7, 12:23 pm, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: " I've met many over the years who have been cleaned > out by their 'girlfriends,' after being together several years, who > then left their man to move on to another man. After all, someone has > to feed the baby and the parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, > uncles, aunts.... > > Steve Kramer *******That will never happen to you Stevie.... No money...No honey.. *GRIN* On Jun 7, 2:23 am, "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > Not legal at all. Neither are any amphetamines or marijuana. In fact, > one town, closer to the Burmese border that 'was' very popular with > the backpack tourists is now giving random wizz quizzes to foreigners, ******No doubt you've had a few "wizz quizzes" when you've been out looking for the elephants that lie down eh Stevie????? On Jun 6, 2:25 am, Grumman-581 <grumman...@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM-gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 09:39:19 -0700, "s...@seatraveler.com" > > <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > So, you're saying that the difference between a "very good salary" and > what a college grad can do is only $200-400 per *year*? Doesn't seem > to give much of an incentive to go to college... Most university profs here get $900-$1,500 a month plus accommodations. 1,000 baht a week (about $20-$25 USD) is a 'good' salary for a Thai with a BA degree. It's the 'other' benefits that make it worth while; air conditioned offices, 9-6 work, no manual labor, clean work, people with whom you can have a good conversation, no bugs or snakes at work, etc. (And more holidays than any three countries put together!!!) Remember, here education is only free up to 6th grade (about 12 years old for the UK folk.) And that extra few hundred is the difference between living well and living poor. Most folks live poor. There is a VERY big disparity between the social classes, but due to the cultural norms even those living in corrugated tin shacks or bamboo huts spend most of their time laughing and partying. Just so long as there is rice on the table.... > So, labor costs over there are cheap... Look at it this way; the Burmese sneak over the border to work construction here for $1 a day..... To put it in real life terms, I busted up (on some rocks) the auto transmission on my Honda Civic. To buy and have installed a rebuilt tranny cost me less than $400.00 USD. When we first moved in, we hired a team of workers to do some work around the house. Five days of having five carpenter/electrical/plumbing workers cost under $100 UDS. When I provide the cloth, it costs me $4 USD to have my shirts made to order. The cotton costs me about $3 per yard. >What about the cost of other things like land, Foreigners aren't permitted to own land in the Kingdom, but the prices are commensurate with the standard of living. We are allowed to buy condominiums and we can own and have houses built, but we can't own the land they are on. Foreigners will take out 30 year (longest allowable by law to us) leases on the land, and pray we can renew. > houses (built to US standards), food, fuel, etc? Almost no such thing as 'built to US standards' unless you import the raw goods and watch over the workers. Workers will use screws in every 'other' hole and pocket the ones not used so they can trade them for a bowl of rice. Unless you tell them to do so, the plumbers won't bother to use pipe tape on joints. It saves them money. One learns quickly NOT to buy Thai brands of anything except food, and to test every product you purchase in the shops before you take it out the door. In fact, this is so common that the counter people in better stores will open and test everything without even being asked to do so! Gas prices are very high right now, and it costs me about $20 USD to fill the tank in my 4X4. But food costs next to nothing. You can eat like a king on less than $6 USD per day if you eat out. $3 a day if you eat 'student food.' It's cheaper to eat out than to cook for yourselves, and good, clean, streetside restaurants sprout up every day around 4pm, lining the sidewalks all over town, and stay open long into the night. Going into 'better' restaurants costs more. Three meals a day can average $10-$15 USD per day in nicer, upscale restaurants. There are many 'all you can eat' buffets all around that cost about $2 USD. Dinner in the Thai restaurant in my building costs about $1.50, while the lunch special in the Japanese restaurant in my building costs between $2.00-$3.00 Many of the street restaurants open at 6am for breakfast, then close down again until dinner. There are plenty of them that only open for lunch. It depends upon where they can find sidewalk space to rent. For young people, just as with most young people everywhere, sharing apartments is the norm, or living in a 8x8 room with no windows, and eating at streetside is the daily way. The Thais seem happy with this lifestyle, and there is little suicide other than the foreigners who come here looking for 'the good life' they can't find at home. They call Thailand "The Land of Smiles" because the Thais are usually smiling despite standing knee deep in sh.t. Just so long as the baby get rice. I charge my students between $100-$200 per day for lessons. I only cater to the tourists. The Thais can't afford these rates. The only Thais I've had as students have been retired bank presidents, high ranking police or military, or high ranking business execs. But for someone coming from the States on vacation, a hundred bucks for a private lesson is usually less than half what they would pay for a large group lesson back home. It's all relative. Thailand is a wonderful place to retire to. It's not a place to come to get rich. Everything is here that an older person would want or need in terms of food, good medical care, cultural diversions, education, social life, etc., and in general the Thais are some of the friendliest people I've ever met. You've just got to live by their cultural standards and not judge them with western eyes or try to compare them with western standards. That just doesn't work. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Egads. IMO, 'screw it' and just go fully manual :-) > > Even fully manual, there are still hundreds of settings that can be > made. I've never seen anything like this before. It's the first time > I've ever had to actually 'study' the manual to use the camera fully. A lot of the settings are probably for doing very specific things, such as making your strobe's TTL fire at EV -0.5 relative, etc. Its still stuff that you always would have done manually at some point, since photography has always been "all about light". > > 1000 shots from a pair of Nikon batteries while using a VR lens would > > be ~500 each, which is consistent with what I see with the Canon while > > using an IS lens. > > I guess I wasn't clear. I get 1,000 shots PER BATTERY while using a VR > lens. 1,500 without the VR. Guess not. In any case, I was being conservative with my 500 per estimate on the Canon: I generally don't shoot more than that per day and if I'm shooting a lot, I'll preemptively & conservatively swap out to a freshly recharged battery each day. I've gone well past 500 on a charge only when my routine was disrupted and I inadvertantly started a second day on the prior day's used battery. I'd get a battery warning by mid-day, so I'd guess around 700 or so shots with IS {VR}. Overall, if your Canonites are having problems before 500, I'd say that they're simply not making any effort at battery conservation between photo opportunities (ie, turning the camera off), or shooting with a lot of internal strobe (or maybe you're using an external strobe?) > > > I really hope you had a looooong lens for > > > the cape buffalo! [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I think I'd prefer to be on the plus side. I might have already rounded up; my initial guess was ~25ft or so! I'll have to go find the original and do the math on the physical geometry. > I did notice one of the guides carrying a large caliber rifle > while walking behind some people. That's comforting. Only superficially so: we were always unarmed in the jeeps, as only Park Rangers are allowed weapons and they were available for escort only if you were doing a *walking* game drive. > Did he have ammo? Would it reallly have made any difference? Their rules of engagement required: --> a clear threat *and* --> that the animal has closed to less than 20m away (FYI, a lion can charge at 22 meters per second) *and* --> an 'overhead' warning shot to be fired first. As such, how many folks do you think can successfully get off 2 shots in 1 second out of a large caliber, 40 year old bolt action rifle? > For $29.95 there is a guy in Florida who sells a 'Flash Extender.' It > folds up to fit in a shirt pocket, and throws your flash out to 75-100 > yards using a Fresnel lens... I had Walt Anderson's "Better Beamer" (same thing); I didn't use it too much because of the 'too much loose crap' problem while bouncing around in the jeep. Nevertheless, it didn't get not used: you can see the difference it made on the lions on page 50 and 49, which were in post-sunset twilight. They're repeated at: http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2006/tanzania/evening_brothers.jpg and http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2006/tanzania/katavi_lion(20D_20060627_3135)c.jpg IIRC, the first was shot with a conventional P&S, whereas the second is with the dSLR with tele, strobe and Beamer (slight crop). -hh > IIRC, the first was shot with a conventional P&S, whereas the second > is with the dSLR with tele, strobe and Beamer (slight crop). > > -hh ******Both very average snaps, looks like they've been taken with a throwaway camera similar to the type Steve uses. This page is my home page. http://photoenvisions.tripod.com/ Thanks Larby for posting it. Steve > Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > I really hope you had a looooong lens for [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > I'll have to go find the original and do the math on the physical > geometry. Did the math, based on published average sizes: around 50ft. > I had Walt Anderson's "Better Beamer" (same thing); I didn't use it > too much because of the 'too much loose crap' problem while bouncing [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > IIRC, the first was shot with a conventional P&S, whereas the second > is with the dSLR with tele, strobe and Beamer (slight crop). The math on the latter was around 75ft. It was also 1/60sec @ f/4 @ ISO 800, which translates into an EV=7. IIRC, the elephant next to the banda shot (not particularly obvious) was post-sunset also and EV=5, and lastly, the milky way & cabin shot was EV= -5 -hh > > Steve "s...@seatraveler.com" <SteveKram...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > I really hope you had a looooong lens for [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > -hh ******No matter how much technical guff you spout -hh....They are just average snaps, stuff my 10 year old could do with a throwaway camera. This page is my home page. http://photoenvisions.tripod.com/ Thanks Larby for posting it. Steve > > > IIRC, the first was shot with a conventional P&S, whereas the second > > > is with the dSLR with tele, strobe and Beamer (slight crop). > ******No matter how much technical guff you spout -hh....They are just > average snaps, stuff my 10 year old could do with a throwaway camera. Gosh yes: you made a very correct assessment that the "ordinary" shot that was stated as the baseline was indeed an "ordinary" shot. How expertly profound of you. And speaking of 'technical guff'... 222.155.132.102 - - [05/Jun/2007:14:27:32 -0700] "GET /photo/2006/ tanzania/evening_brothers.jpg HTTP/1.1" 200 24176 "http:// groups.google.com.au/group/rec.scuba/browse_thread/thread/ 453536ef384fed5a/028b11ef2e8af86e?hl=en&" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)" 222.155.132.102 - - [05/Jun/2007:14:27:44 -0700] "GET /photo/2006/ tanzania/katavi_lion(20D_20060627_3135)c.jpg HTTP/1.1" 200 99775 "http://groups.google.com.au/group/rec.scuba/browse_thread/thread/ 453536ef384fed5a/028b11ef2e8af86e?hl=en&" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)" ...I see that you didn't even bother to look at the main portfolio: <http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2006/Tanzania_album-2006s.pdf> -hh > > > > IIRC, the first was shot with a conventional P&S, whereas the second > > > > is with the dSLR with tele, strobe and Beamer (slight crop). [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > -hh ******As I said, very ordinary average snaps. I realise you are used to people sucking up to you telling you how wonderful they are. But they are toadies and bootlickers. Your snaps are nice but ordinary and no matter how you want to show off your "knowledge" of photography here they will remain that stuff that any one could take with a cheap camera. > ******As I said, very ordinary average snaps. The only skill you've ever demonstrated is dragging other people down. YMMV, but I think that the image on page 20 was a highlight of the trip, but you've not bothered to even look at that page yet. I doubt that you'll even look at it now. Your loss, not mine. -hh > > ******As I said, very ordinary average snaps. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > -hh ******* sigh.............. If you can't take a bit of criticism -hh then don't post yout urls. Not everybody feels the need to suck up to you. > sigh.............. If you can't take a bit of criticism -hh > then don't post yout urls. I'm happy to receive valid criticism. Yours isn't and I'm humored by the degree that you perpetuate your faux critique when the website has your IP blocked, -hh > > sigh.............. If you can't take a bit of criticism -hh > > then don't post yout urls. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > -hh ****Hmmmmmmmm So anyone who criticises your snaps gets blocked by your website???? Sounds fair. *GRIN* > > ... I'm humored by the degree that you perpetuate your > > faux critique... > So anyone who criticises your snaps gets blocked by your > website???? Nope. As I said, you are providing entertainment in your (cough) "critique" of that which you can't see. > Sounds fair. > > *GRIN* Exactly. You had your chance the first time, but chose to hang yourself with the rope that you were given. Your loss...although not that anyone really expected any better of a loser like you anyway: all of your rantings are simple jealosy. -hh > You had your chance the first time, but chose to hang yourself with > the rope that you were given. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > -hh I hate to disagree with you, hh, but it is a very complex jealousy. It is borderline psychosis, not just simple envy. The more you ignore them, the more they insist that you respond, even going so far as to create an account in your name so that they can respond FOR you. These are real sicko whack job nut cases you're dealing with, and nothing you can say or do will have any effect upon the content of their posts. Just do what everyone else does... ignore them, killfile them, or better yet, discover their true identity and publish it. Cowards can't continue if they can't hide. Steve Kramer "PhotoEnvisions" Photography Chiang Mai, Thailand http://www.photoenvisions.com |
Enable EMail Alerts
Start New Thread
Reply to this Message