Now with the iPhone 6s out, it’s time to talk turkey about
the potential build of the iPhone 7.We’ve
got to be nearing cell phone saturation, right?Especially since there have been so many iPhones sold that must still
work.Right?That said, one of the rumors about the new
iPhone 7 is that it will lose its headphone jack.
What?
Yes, the headphone jack, which has been largely been in use
since the 19th century at telephone switchboards in its ¼” form is
going the way of the dodo.There must be
a better way to listen your music that doesn’t impede the thickness of an
iDevice says Apple (hypothetically).That’s the real reason.Apple devices are almost at their thinnest
with the retention of a standard ¼” jack socket.Everything else in the phone can shrink, from
the processors to the memory to the screen and, most importantly, the battery.
Why is this good news then? Supposedly, Apple has been licensing
the “Lightning” specifications to headphone companies in an effort to get in front
of this maneuver.After this transition,
you’ll plug in your headphones the same way you’re currently charging your
device, through the lightning port on your phone.Also, in addition to streamlining the
technology, it may afford new Apple iDevices to be that much more water
resistant.Less openings means less
chance of yucky things getting inside.So there’s that.
The big question is: will I have to buy new headphones?Yes and no.Certainly, there will be an immediate market for lightning supported
headphones.However, I also estimate
that tech companies will be creating lightning-compatible Digital to Analog
Converters (DACs) where one end will plug into the phone, and the other will
allow you to plug into your conventional headphones.
Yes, if you are committed to buying a new iPhone where the
socket has gone bye bye, you will now need to either be stuck with Apple’s
consistently poor headphones, or buy one of these DAC adapters for your
already-owned headphones.And, while
that sounds annoying, or expensive, I think it may be good news for wannabe
audiophiles like myself.Why?I’ve been waiting for the iPhone to be able
to reliably play hi-definition music.This may force the issue.Right
now, while iPhones can support Apple Lossless Audio Codec files (read: Hi Def),
they can’t push that extra sound out through the headphones…because the built
in DAC in the iPhone doesn’t have the power.Instead, we’ll be able to buy DAC/headphone amplifiers that specifically
work to push those highfalutin sounds out to our ears in our already too
expensive headphones with high impedance ratings.
Translation: I’m pumped!As an industry leader in portable entertainment (which is really what an
iPhone is…less so a phone), this may bring new capabilities for audio quality
to those of us who care.
For the rest of you, which should be the
majority, I’m terribly sorry.I’ll be
thinking about that as I am jamming out to Dark Side of the Moon in my 32ohm
cans…hearing none of your complaints…hearing all of the wonderful bassline and
subtle screams during “The Great Gig in the Sky.”
I know what I want to write, but am afraid that I’d be
insulting or overstepping my authority to speak on this subject, but it’s constantly on my mind and I need to let it out.
Our friends have Cancer.Big “C.”One with an actual
medical diagnosis, and the other who is dealing with the first’s
diagnosis.It’s the family who must live
with it.And, as he gets weaker, needing
more and more treatments, she is the rock.And, for the rest of us, she is the mouth.She is the point-source for information about
his condition…and it’s an exhausting job to have.She regularly posts on Facebook.There’s a huge community of people concerned
with their diagnosis;concerned with
their well-being as a family, our extended family. People want to help.Meal trains have been organized as well as fund-raising
drives.A second round of “swabbing” has
been announced to see if there’s a donor match for her husband, as he now needs
a second transplant.
And then there’s the kids.Both have been amazing, mostly due to mom, grandma and grandpa, who are
holding this fragile family together.There’s only so much we as friends can do as we’re not putting them to
bed at night, and we’re not waking up with them in the morning.And, there is no good news.At least, there is no satisfying news.Good news is relative.From my limited understanding, the doctors
have yet to say “there’s no more we can do.”And, with that, it may be the best news, or the most positive take on
what’s happening…what’s been happening for well over a year.
And, through it all, she posts on Facebook.Her writings are matter of fact and to the
point.There is no sugar coating.There can’t be.Even in the most dire of times, it seems,
based on the posts, that she’s holding it together.And I don’t know how she’s doing it.
Put in perspective, my family’s ordeal lasted a mere 26 days
in hospital, and then a couple of months out of the hospital, and there’s been
measurable success, improvement, change.During that time, I kept telling myself that I needed to hold my shit
together.Keep cool in front of the kids
at all times.Screaming is OK…in the car…alone.Being angry is OK.But, to tell the truth, it didn’t really come
to that because my mind was swimming with medical acronyms and status updates,
speaking with the nurses, updating family and friends, and being completely
consumed in the hospital environment.I
was my wife’s sentry, trying to protect both her and everyone else who was
concerned.I was numb.
Amplify that by a power of at least 10, and that’s what she’s
going through.At the point where the
most recent diagnosis was a return of the Cancer, I am not sure how she didn’t
explode.It’s a setback for his recovery and it pushes relief for her back
because none of us can carry her burden.And, right now, that burden is limited to more waiting.Why only that?The Cancer has already divided her
family.It’s done its damage.It’s weakened her husband.It’s caused her to be more intimately
knowledgeable with medicines and healthcare of a loved one than anyone outside
of the medical field should be forced to know.It’s taken the joy out of anniversaries, birthdays, events, holidays,
every days.Not because there wasn’t acknowledgement,
but because the Cancer overshadows.The diagnosis pushes back the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel…and
it’s hard.But, most difficult of all is
knowing that you have to continue to be that sentry, and that there’s no one else
who can play that role.
I am writing this because she can’t.She has to be outwardly realistic and
politically positive.There are too many people who
only know a peripheral amount of what happens in a hospital daily.And that’s fine.I’m not sure we would be able to handle all
of the ins and outs as well as she has.But, we need to help.We want to help.We’re going to help.
First, as you read this, say out loud the following “FUCK
CANCER.”It’s nothing she can write or
put on a t-shirt.It’s absolutely
appropriate.Every time there’s news,
good or bad, say it.That motherfucking
disease is hurting someone I care about.Next, say and believe the following “CANCER DOES NOT DEFINE ME.”She’s inundated, yes, but her family is not
defined by this disease, and it doesn’t define us as a community.Yes, it’s what brought us together right
here, right now, but not what will keep us together.We are not friends or friendly because of
Cancer.We are bound together because of
other interactions we may have had in the past as longtime friends, as family,
as members of the JCC or the greater Westfield area…the kid’s teams, or even
friends of friends.We are here because
of those connections, and those connections will endure even after Cancer is
gone.
Our job is both to let her and her family breathe, but to be
ever present and ready to do whatever seemingly small task we can to make her
life and her family’s lives easier.It’s
nothing we wouldn’t do before Cancer, and something we will continue to do
after Cancer.
She's so strong that she will say that we’ve done enough, and
mean it.
I'm sorry...but you know, back, deep in your mind, that your photos are significantly different than what you see in magazines and in print. Why is that? You have the $500 camera with those lenses. Or, you just got the top-of-the-line "point and shoot" camera, and it's got a zoom that is almost unreasonably fantastic. The tools are there, but the product? It's lacking. So, all of you who got some very nice (read: expensive) cameras this holiday season, pay attention. Here's my top ten ways to improve your picture taking skills:
1. Simplify your photo composition. Most times, when on vacation, you're trying to take someone's picture, and, what you walk away with is a shot of them fairly far away with a ton of stuff going on around them. Look at the magazines, beyond landscape photography, most portraits or photos "of something" are taken with very few things happening in the background. It's why when you went to SEARS for your portraits, the professional photographer has a very neutral background behind you. It makes it clear what/who the subject of the photo is. And, if that isn't possible then...
2. Move in close to your subjects! This is huge. We can't very easily control what's going on in the middle of Manhattan at Rockefeller Center. So, instead of having those thousands of people in the photo with you, get in close to your subjects so that some of that extraneous business just simply isn't there.
3. Look your subject in the eye and make sure it's in focus. Whether it's an animal or portraits of your kids, if the eye is out of focus it's completely noticeable. Make sure that the autofocus trains on the subject's eyes, because, as humans, that's where we look first. Everything else can be out of focus...but if the eye is good, you're golden.
4. Use a flash outdoors and during the day. Why? Because Earth's yellow sun is so supremely bright, it tends to cast shadows...on your subject. And, the extremely bright highlights to the very dark shadows is really hard for your camera to negotiate. However, if you can soften the impact of the sun by providing your own flash, that will allow for the colors to be more "true" and for the details to pop.
5. Know your flash's range. OK, so I did what you said, but they still have shadows all over their faces. Well, how far away did you take that picture from? Typically, a flash on the top of your camera is only good up to 10 feet. That's right, if your subject is more than 10 feet, the built-in flash is almost completely useless. That said, some of the DSLRs and the more expensive cameras have what's called the "hot shoe" where you can add an external flash, and some of those can beam nearly 100 feet...if you have the money, that is. Flash ain't cheap.
6. Move your subject from the middle. Whether you want to admit that your vain or not...you are. You are biologically programmed to enjoy things that are more symmetrical. They are more beautiful to us. So, when you take a picture where things are kinda the same from left to right, but aren't...people notice. And, one way to hide those potential imperfections is to offset your subject. Look at those magazine pictures again, subjects are rarely set in the middle.
7. Take some vertical pictures. Right? Seems silly, but most people take pictures with their cameras horizontally...not to say that the person is laying down, but that the resultant image is oriented landscape. But, what if you're taking a picture of a tree, or mountain, or person (unless they're laying down)? It's far more efficient to just rotate the camera and take the shot capturing the long view. It also allows you to move in closer to your subject (see #2) and to simplify your composition (see #1).
8. Whether it's taking pictures of people or scenery, be a picture director. You know that wedding photographer that you didn't like who was constantly moving/shuffling people around before the shot? That's you now. If you want your pictures to look like a professional's, then act like a professional photographer. Move people. Have them in the light...or out of the light. When you're taking shots of stuff outdoors, move yourself so that the subject and backgrounds are compatible. If your taking pictures of your dog...don't take them from above, get down and shoot that dog in the face (wait, that came out strangly). It's up to you to make your photos better, so, take as much control of the situation that you can, and make them better.
9. Take as many pictures of a particular subject that you can...and then take some more. Why? Memory is cheap, and you will never have that particular moment of time back, ever. This solves the problem of lining everyone up and taking one shot only to find someone's eyes are closed. Or, if you're someplace exotic that cost a bit to get to, what's the likelihood that you're going back to take the images you forgot to take? You may get there, but it won't be the same, and probably will take a while to save up for the return trip.
10. This is the most important one: only show friends and family the good pictures. This does two things: it impresses the hell out of your audience. Because of the small sample size, their opinion will likely be "wow, these are amazing...all of his/her work must be just as good!" They may be right...they may be wrong. But, one thing's for certain, they'll never know. The second thing that it does is truncate the number of photos you would potentially show someone. Why is this important? It keeps them from getting bored of you, your vacation that they obviously didn't go on, and your subject matter. Selling someone on seeing your vacation photos works best when they're a fraction of the total shot, and that they're the best you took.
I hope this helps. Other things to make sure you have are power and memory cards. If you run out of either, you're done taking pictures. I don't always practice what I preach, but examples of all of the above can be seen on my website. Next time you're ready to take a picture, think about these 10 things and see what kind of results you get. I guarantee you're going to be impressed with yourself...or at least frustrated...but at least you know what to do now, and knowing is half the battle!
Happy New Year! God, 2015 was hard. I can't say it "sucked." While certain components certainly did, I have some fantastic memories as well. But it was always hard and I'm not sure that makes it terribly different from any other year.
But, I digress. During this time of year, we typically try to look a bit more forward than usual. Resolutions and all of that. Instead of making grand sweeping promises that are totally specific, this year, I'm going to be a bit more general in my New Year's resolutions. Who's to say I can't have more than one? So, without further ado...
1. Take more pictures. This sounds easy as I'm never far away from my iPhone. But I mean "real" pictures taken with a "real" camera. 2015 was so busy, I lost focus. I lost interest. This year I'm going to double down and get some really great nature photos going. Not sure where or when, but it's going to happen.
2. Play more music/see more music. I've got a great guitar and a serviceable bass. I've got amps for both. I've got a basement where it's all set up. I've got two kids who might dance/sing if I play. What's my problem? Time? Not a good enough excuse. Besides, it'll help me stay away from...
3. Watch less TV. To tell the truth, since DVR and Netflix and the like have become prevalent, I don't find it terribly necessary to watch TV as it happens unless its a sporting event. Still, when it gets to about 8:30 at night, I typically default to Antiques Roadshow or repeats of Chopped, and get brainless. Instead, I could grab my very portable guitar and...see #2 above.
4. Eat better. Actually, I think I eat a fairly mixed diet, but I mean eating better when I eat out. A hamburger is a "treat." And, I want to try new stuff, and always eat what the chef prepares as the chef has prepared it. I understand if you have dietary restrictions which require you to be picky about how something is cooked...but if it's preference...be the bigger person and "prefer" to eat it as the chef has envisioned it. Start thinking that dining out is you sampling someone's art. Start asking yourself if you would have called Paul and John in 1968 and said "Listen, about those 'nah nahs', maybe a few less of those towards the end of that 'Jude' song? They offend. Thanks."
5. Be more regular about my posts. I'll admit that towards the end of 2015, for one reason or another, my blog posts got thin. And, to be frank, I didn't have much to say. Between that and holidays, shit got busy and this was the first thing to get cut. Regardless, I've got some ideas about tech (Thanks Apple and CES 2016) and about food and a wrap-up of football season all brewing in my brain. I hope that you and yours had a happy new year, but now it's time to get things done. May you be successful in your resolutions, and may the force be with you.
