I’ve reworked my review of Paint Shop Pro (PSP), the image editing software I used until 2005. I no longer use PSP, for the reasons I discuss in some detail, but I try to keep the review up to date because it gets quite few visitors. Last month Corel updated PSP to version “X3” and renamed it Paint Shop Photo Pro. I also corrected some minor errors in the Getty Center Travel Photo Essay.
The Toyota soap opera (affecting my 2009 Corolla) continues. They’re talking about yet another recall, this time for power steering problems. I have been reading occasional complaints in automotive forums about “wandering” and hard-to-control steering at high speeds, but I’ve never noticed any problem. The Corolla has a new electric power steering system with a somewhat unusual feel that takes some getting used to, which may be a factor in the complaints.
More troubling is the head of Toyota’s North American operations testifying to Congress that he can’t be sure the current recall fixes will solve the acceleration problem. It also appears that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, which regulates the auto industry, lacks the technical ability to investigate problems with electronic accelerators, even when it’s willing to investigate (as it apparently was not during the Bush years).
And then there’s Akio Toyoda reciting an apology straight from the heart (of his committee of lawyers), admitting with suitably feigned sincerity that an emphasis on growth had “confused” the company’s priorities. It’s an impressive circus of political grandstanding that does nothing to answer the question of what the risk actually might be. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who had earlier stated that Toyota owners should stop driving their cars before immediately retracting the statement, told the Congressional committee that the cars were not safe, before immediately retracting that statement. Very helpful.
I’ve added a new Travel Photo Essay on the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. It’s one of the twin museums operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust. But “museum” really isn’t an adequate description of either one of them. The architecture of the Getty Center’s campus is its own work of art, complementing the collection of paintings, sculpture, and furniture. But there’s also a garden that’s a piece of “installation art,” along with an amazing view of the entire Los Angeles basin and the surrounding mountains and ocean (at least on on one of those extremely rare days when smog or foggy haze doesn’t shroud everything). The other Getty twin is the the Getty Villa, a reproduction of a first-century CE Roman villa in Herculaneum that appropriately houses a collection of Roman, Greek, and Etruscan antiquities. In both places, the surroundings are as fascinating (and artistic) as the collection.
I visited the Getty Center early in January, on an exceptionally clear day. (You’re most likely to have such days in Southern California during the winter, just after a storm all too briefly sweeps the air clean of both smog and the foggy “marine layer.”) The buildings and the Central Garden are, of course, fascinating to photograph. The new Travel Photo Essay includes 25 pictures, which I believe is more than on any other page on this Web site. Winnowing the images down to even that number was quite a challenge. (And contrary to the impression you might get from the article, I did spend time in the art galleries, most notably the temporary exhibition of drawings by Rembrandt and his students and the complementary exhibit of paintings by Rembrandt and his contemporaries. I just didn’t find compelling photographic opportunities inside the crowded pavilions.)
So now it’s time to start planning and looking forward to this year’s solo road trips....
Except that the 2009 Corolla I bought just over a year ago, with that purpose in mind, is one of the millions of Toyotas recalled for a problem with “unintended acceleration”— the engine inexplicably racing even when the driver’s foot isn’t on the accelerator pedal. My car has been to the dealer for the official repair, a piece of metal inserted behind a spring in the accelerator pedal. That’s supposed to prevent two plastic parts from binding and jamming the pedal. It’s certainly an easy and expeditious fix, but does it really correct the problem? I don’t know.
Some engineers doubt that a sticky pedal is the real cause. The cars use a “drive-by-wire” system: Rather than the pedal mechanically operating the throttle, it signals its position to a computer that sends commands to the throttle. So there are potentially limitless possibilities for glitches: Interference with the signal from the pedal to the computer or from the computer to the throttle, or perhaps bugs in the computer’s software. Is the problem such an unusual combination of circumstances that Toyota’s engineers haven’t been able to duplicate it? Or do Toyota’s executives know all about it, but they’ve chosen to cover it up instead of acknowledging and correcting the problem? I don’t know.
I do know that Toyota’s slow, conflicting, and prevaricating response to the growing concern has severely tarnished, if not irreparably destroyed, their formerly sterling reputation for quality and reliability. Having owned Toyota cars for over 23 years, I’m beginning to feel like they’ve abused my loyalty and betrayed my trust. Toyota’s executives now seem to have become infected with the American affliction that makes them abandon customer loyalty, quality, and integrity in favor of arrogance, growth, and greed. That adds plausibility to the theory that they know exactly what the problem is, but they chose to “deny and lie” after calculating that defending the occasional lawsuit would be more “cost-effective” than fixing millions of cars. Again, I just don’t know.
The most frustrating thing is that I have no way of assessing the risk. My best guess is that whatever the risk actually is, it’s probably insignificant compared to, say, drunk or cellphone-gabbing drivers. But without any facts, I just don’t know.
Until I heard about the the recall, I was entirely satisfied with the performance, comfort, and quality of my car. Yes, it’s probably still safe and reliable, but there is now enough doubt to demolish my former confidence and satisfaction. Especially since the car had been recalled once before, to fix a faulty air intake that could affect the power brakes. The solution would be simple if I were sufficiently wealthy: Dump the dodgy Toyota and buy a new Honda or Hyundai. But I can’t afford to do that. Or maybe I can’t afford not to do that. I just don’t know.
Happy new year!
I’ve added a new Travel Photo Essay on the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, one of Los Angeles’ lesser-known gems. Tucked away near the west end of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, just north of Santa Monica, it’s a little lake that the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda dedicated in 1950 as a place for people of all religions to meditate and find tranquility. Even if you’re not religious or interested in meditation or spirituality, it’s worth a visit. It’s a pleasantly restful (and very photogenic) escape from quotidian stresses.
I also replaced the Windmill Reflection on the home page— which had been there since I started this Web site in 1999— with a colorful picture of Flag Reflections. That windmill is at the Lake Shrine, and I took the picture during my first visit there in December 1995. Because the weather turned dull and gray soon after I arrived, I didn’t have enough pictures for a Travel Photo Essay. So I put the windmill on the Fine Art page. When I went back to the Lake Shrine last month, there was abundant sunshine. (Southern California has about an equal chance of being warm and sunny or wet and cloudy at the end of December.) Now that I have a proper home for the reflected windmill (along with 16 new pictures), it was time for another picture to represent the “Fine Art” link on the home page.
I’ve been taking advantage of the seasonal darkness to rediscover the joys of scanning film, continuing my ongoing effort to upgrade my oldest scans. I have updated the Travel Photo Essay on the Big Island of Hawaii with four new pictures and improved versions of many of the others. I also added a new Fine Art picture, Bricks and Flower.
I have finished reworking the San Diego section. I added three new Travel Photo Essays and a new menu page, and revised the three older Travel Photo Essays (Old San Diego, New San Diego, and Balboa Park). The “island” of Coronado, formerly part of “New San Diego,” now has its own page.
The two entirely new Travel Photo Essays are La Jolla and Architectural Landmarks. They include 23 new pictures, plus the eight I had temporarily placed on the Scenery and Fine Art pages.
I revised the articles on DNG and the Bestiary of File Formats to reflect Adobe’s and Microsoft’s latest efforts to “evangelize” their respective proprietary standards for camera raw files and general digital imaging; and made assorted minor updates to other commentaries and Links and Reviews.
Rather than offering generic “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings,” I’ll specifically wish everyone (chronologically): Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Io Saturnalia, Blessed Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and/or Happy New Year. And remember that prints of my pictures make excellent gifts!
Last month I visited La Jolla, a picturesque coastal enclave 19km north of downtown San Diego. As the people at work consistently asked me when I got back, “Why La Jolla?” I had neither the time nor the inclination for a lengthy solo road trip, and I definitely did not want to fly anywhere. I wanted a great “staycation” close to home, and San Diego is my favorite place for that. La Jolla was a part of San Diego I had never visited, and pictures I had seen of it suggested good photographic opportunities. That’s why.
La Jolla would seem an odd choice for a solo vacation. The main seaside resort area called “The Village” is known for luxury hotels, pricey shopping, fancy restaurants offering dinner specials for two, and beaches and cliffs meant for sunset strolls. It has all the ingredients for a couple’s romantic getaway, although the main beach park is also quite popular with San Diego families.
Surprisingly, that wasn’t a problem. Nobody charged me a “single supplement” to enjoy scenery that mostly does live up to the guidebook hype. And I even tried some of the fancy restaurants for late weekday lunch, when they’re not crowded and thus more welcoming to a “party of one.” Because I went in autumn and during the week, I found a reasonably-priced hotel with an ocean view room. And as a final pleasant surprise, the 177-kilometer drive home to suburban Los Angeles on a Friday morning took exactly two hours. 65mph (105km/h)— and 39mpg (6L/100km)— the entire way on the notoriously congested 5 and 405 freeways. It surely was one of that day’s hundred million miracles.
Despite unseasonably overcast and foggy weather that the forcasters completely missed, I brought back enough new pictures to require extensive reworking of my current set of San Diego Travel Photo Essays. While I work on that, I have temporarily put five pictures of La Jolla’s coastal highlights at the top of the Scenery page. I also temporarily added three appropriately “artsy” images to the Fine Art page: A fragmented reflection of a 1920s-vintage hotel in the windows of a modern bank building; the brick steps of the War Memorial on Mount Soledad; and a detail of the science-fictiony campus of the Salk Institute.
I finally finished the last Travel Photo Essay from my June road trip. Around San Luis Obispo includes 20 new pictures and covers Morro Bay, the little semi-ghost town of Harmony, the very scenic wine country around Paso Robles, and Mission San Miguel Arcángel.
I updated the Scanning 110-Format Film (and Kodachrome) article to include information about a new film holder for certain Nikon, Canon, and Epson scanners that a reader brought to my attention. I’ve also added some helpful information about working with scans of old negatives. I also updated the Some Pocket Instamatic Resources article to discuss the apparent demise of 110 film. When I sent an e-mail about it to Kodak’s customer service provider, the response I received said that they’re still selling the only 110 film. But it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere.
I updated The Joy of Solo Travel?, mainly in response to the increasing number of readers who reach the article through search queries relating to solo travel for men. Oddly enough, nearly all the other “hits” returned by such queries are actually about solo travel for women. And I made some minor updates to an article about “staycations” that I wrote a year ago.
I have a new Travel Photo Essay on San Luis Obispo. I don’t pretend it’s anything like a comprehensive guide to that pleasant college town, but it includes 15 new pictures of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, the former Carnegie Library that’s now a museum, the Madonna Inn (no connection with the Kabbalistic pop singer), and the uniquely tacky Bubblegum Alley.
I also updated some of my commentary sections on photography because, as of yesterday, Dale Laboratories no longer makes slides from color negatives. This was the service that got Dale Farkas started in the photo lab business in 1973. I used it from 1990 until I switched to a digital camera in 2005.
Dale Labs processed the negatives, printed them onto motion picture stock, cut and mounted the stock into slides, and returned them along with the negatives. The slides were corrected for exposure, thus gaining significantly more latitude along with the convenience of ISO 400 and 800 film (at those speeds, negative film has much finer grain and better color than slide film). They printed the slides on a 35-year-old machine that had reached the end of its life. Since parts are no longer available for it, and there is no new machine that can replace it, they were forced to discontinue the service. For some years Dale was the only lab that made slides from negatives; so now that joins the growing ranks of extinct photographic technologies. Such is the price of progress.
Finally, I’ll make an exception to my usual policy of not mentioning hotels or restaurants. I highly recommend the San Luis Creek Lodge, where I stayed in San Luis Obispo. Their Web site describes it as a “bed and breakfast inn with the amenities of a small upscale hotel.” As a male solo traveler who seeks value for money, those usually are the sort of words that make me immediately click the “back” button. Especially when it continues with “[i]t is the perfect California romantic getaway— for a romantic weekend getaway or mid-week retreat.”
But the rest of the description seemed strangely compelling, so I checked Trip Advisor. The many uniformly favorable reviews— the likes of which I have seldom seen— convinced me to follow the advice sometimes given to female solo travelers, that a solo vacation can be an opportunity to enjoy some luxury. It also helped that the cost was comparable to a chain hotel. The decision turned out to be a very good one, since the Lodge is definitely a cut above a chain hotel. It’s also proof that “value for money” is not synonymous with “cheap.”
Read the Web site for the specifics, since it provides a truthfully accurate description. I particularly enjoyed the architectural quirkiness and my unusually spacious, distinctively decorated room (every room is different) full of nice touches— a skylight in the bathroom, a terrycloth robe, and a large Sony HDTV. It probably would be a great place for a romantic getaway, but I nonetheless felt very comfortable as a solo traveler. The staff were solicitous and knowledgeable; and the breakfast was not only a fine filling start to the day, but an enjoyable opportunity to meet other guests.
My trip last month to the San Luis Obispo area included a stop in Lompoc to visit La Purisima Mission and the famous flower fields. The flowers typically reach their peak bloom in mid-June, just when I planned to be there. My previous visit was in early May 2001, when I was disappointed to find no flowers. This time I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve added five new pictures of the flower fields to the La Purisima Mission Travel Photo Essay. I also added some new information about the Chumash Indians, for whose supposed benefit the mission was built. There’s an “artsy” sixth picture of some well-weathered irrigation pipes I saw in the flower fields, but that’s more appropriate for the Fine Art 3 page.
I also updated the Santa Ynez Valley Travel Photo Essay with more complete information about the origin of the odd name of Nojoqui Falls, which I found while reading about those Chumash Indians. Finally, I updated the travel notes for visitors to Palos Verdes Estates, California to reflect some recent changes.
More to come.
I just returned from my first significant solo road trip since I went to Death Valley in 1992. I spent a week driving 1,225 kilometers, around the beautiful wine-growing region and the foggy coast near San Luis Obispo (roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco). This was the first opportunity in the six months I’ve had my car to drive it for something other than “stop-and-creep” commuting and errands.
A few observations: Satellite radio and an iPod make a solo road trip much more enjoyable than it was in 1992, when AM radio and cassette tapes were often my only company. (They also make the daily “stop-and-creep” less unpleasant.) Although a four-hour solo drive isn’t my favorite way to spend a morning, it’s definitely better than the ordeal air travel has unfortunately become.
And while I normally object to the abuse of traffic law enforcement for generating revenue, I am now convinced that California could solve all its budget problems by ordering the Highway Patrol to enforce the speed limit on freeways. The revenue from all those tickets, along with the income tax on insurance companies’ profits from the resulting premium increases, should be enough to end the deficit.
The prevailing speed on Route 101 was often more than 80mph (130 km/h), as impatient drivers— mostly in SUVs— were still passing me when I (briefly) accelerated to that speed. The old 55mph (90 km/h) limit was correctly despised (and usually ignored) as too slow. But isn’t 65 or 70 fast enough? Even at that “inefficient” speed— using air conditioning, and with some Los Angeles “stop-and-creep” thrown in— my Corolla still got 39mpg (6 L/100 km). So I feel only a little guilty about driving rather than, say, riding Amtrak and a bicycle.
On the way to San Luis Obispo I stopped at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc. My previous visit there in 2001 resulted in a short Travel Photo Essay that gets a lot of visits, most likely from parents in California looking to help their fourth graders with school assignments about the mission. I have reworked that page and added eight new pictures.
On 18 April 1999, I uploaded the first version of Ted Marcus’ Virtual Light Table to the “personal Web space” of my dial-up Internet account. It had four Travel Photo Essays: Grand Teton (which also included a few pictures of Yellowstone), California Deserts (which after later additions and rewriting became Joshua Tree and Death Valley), Mono Lake and Bodie, and Indian Country. Including the grab-bag gallery that became the Scenery and Fine Art sections, it had 97 pictures. There were also a few incomplete commentary articles.
This site has grown since then. With the latest additions, it now has 63 Travel Photo Essays and 1,108 pictures. I’ve also improved my digital imaging techniques. And througout the past decade, it has always been exciting to look through the log summaries each week and see so many visitors from all over the world, along with the astonishing variety of search queries that lead them to its pages. It’s even more exciting when some of those visitors order prints or image licenses!
Those “latest additions” are five new Travel Photo Essays on San Francisco. They include 77 new pictures, plus the eleven I moved from their temporary homes on the Fine Art pages.
I have also added a special version of Cows and Coast to the collection of higher-resolution images available for free download as wallpaper. Appropriately, it’s the tenth image in the collection. It’s formatted for wide-screen LCD monitors in 1440x900 and 1680x1050 sizes. And there are updates and tweaks to numerous pages.
With that work done, it’s time to make some travel plans and take some new pictures.
Ted Marcus’ Virtual Light Table made its Web debut on 18 April 1999.