Holiday Message...

Fire, Fire...

Fire, Fire..., originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

When I arrived at work on Thursday December 4th, there were several fire trucks and fire personnel running around the front of the Ferry Building.

I kept walking to the front entrance expecting some official person to halt my progress into the building and explain that it wasn’t safe to enter due impart that a large brokerage firm had caught fire, because someone had left a portable heater on too close to something flammable and burnt the office down… Nope nothing, nothing was said. Matter of fact, they were all hopping onto the trucks and driving off.

As I got to my desk I heard the sirens blaring past the building towards the water. I guess they had the wrong building after all. From what I could tell something triggered the fire alarm in the World Trade building at the end of the pier. This building has essentially been unoccupied by tenets for sometime. I figured it was a rat living in the old restaurant that set off the alarm.

This is the shot I took of the activity.

Sunrise Fog

Sunrise Fog, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

As Magellan pointed out last night, I have been slacking on my Office Windows Post....

Here you go Magellan this one is for you... Taken November 13, 2008...

October Twenty First...

Here is a series of images I took on Oct. 21st. @ 7:10 AM. With smoke from the fires and a little inland valley smog blow out to sea by light Diablo wind, we get a incredible sunrise.

USS Unknown is now the former USS Tripoli (LPH-10)

USS Unknown is now the former USS Tripoli (LPH-10), originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

Can anyone identify this old surplus Navy Vessel? It looks like they are pushing it back to the Benicia Mothball Fleet.

Post a comment if you can identify this vessel.
__________________________________________________________________

Udated 10/21/08:

I found out what this ship is or was. It is the USS Tripoli. She was towed into San Francisco from Hawaii on Friday 10/17. I owe thanks to the San Francisco Citizen bolg for the identification.

LPH-10 an Iwo Jima class amphibious assault ship. Launched on 31 July 1965, commissioned on 6 August 1966. Following three months fitting out at Philadelphia, the amphibious assault ship put to sea on 6 November 1966, bound for the west coast. She transited the Panama Canal at mid-month and arrived at her home port, San Diego, on 22 November 1966.

She was decommissioned in 1995 and as of 2004, she was on loan to the Army, but remained laid up at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. In December 2006, the ship was towed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where it now has a high-tech role as a launch platform with the nation's developing ballistic missile defense program. Three times the ship was towed some 100 miles off shore and used to launch small ballistic missiles, which are then intercepted by Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Missiles, test-fired from the Pacific Missile Range Facility. The last test in the series was performed October 26, when the ship fired a "scud-like" missile, which was successfully intercepted.

The ship will be towed back to the San Francisco Bay Area for the winter. Kaua'i lacks a suitable land-based launch site, and the costs of building one would far exceed the approximately $600,000 per year it costs to use the old warship, so the vessel will return to Pearl Harbor for a second series of tests in late spring 2008

Morning Tower...

Morning Tower, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

Oakland Bay Bridge Tower and Reflection in the calm morning water.

Another beautiful morning on the Bay (7:03 AM). Couldn’t resist taking a picture of the “Magic Hour” just before the sun crest the East Bay Hills.

Bonhomme Goes Home...

Bonhomme Goes Home, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

USS Bonhomme Richard departs to her home port in San Diego. Taken yesterday as the USS Binhomme Richard passed unde the Oakland Bay Bridges western span.

Black, White & Blue Angels

Black & White & Blue Angels, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

Blue Angels are back in San Francisco for Fleet week. Yesterday they spent two hours running survey flights from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM.

This is a shot I took from my office window yesterday, as flights BA-1, 2, 3, 4 headed back to San Francisco International Airport after practice. It was a lucky shot. I took this image with my Panasonic DMC-TZ3 camera, through a tinted plate glass office window, and the Blue Angels cruising at 450 knots.

Blue Angels shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. The rest of the air show will start at 11:00 AM including the Canadian Snowbirds.

Here is the link: www.military.com/fleetweek

Notes: Converted the JPEG to Grayscale in Lightroom. The painted with light in CS3 using a little of Scott Kelbys seven point system.

Good to go...

I found my iLife 08, it was right were I left it. Actually it was with the supplemental install dicks. Remember those two grey disks labeled Disk 1 and Disk 2, well that’s where it was. It was confusing at first because when you install and run Disk 1 it shows you Mac OSX Tiger. Tiger is the old OS, which is why I was confused. You have to run Disk 1 first then Disk 2. Disk 2 is where the iLife 08 lives.

As of 10:00 PM Wednesday night, I completed the install of the last program MAC: Microsoft Office 2004. All I have left is to pick and choose some files to migrate back and some plug-ins for web based programs.

I am really glad I did this clean install and erase. When I purchased his MacBook Pro last year in Dec. I thought it was cool and easy to migrate all my user information that was on Magellan’s MacBook to my new computer. What I didn’t know, was this would migrate everything. Programs, plug-ins, files, folders, music, and anything else I didn’t want.

My notebook has a 120 GB HD, when I was done I had 60GB left and the 40GB of photos I have taken since last December took up of the rest of the hard drive. The is why it became very sluggish.

After the clean install of Mac OSX Leopard and only installing the MS Office 2004, Adobe Lightroom, Toast, iLife 08 and one copy of Photoshop, I still have a ton of room. According to the internal HD info I have used 20.3 GB that leaves almost 97 Gig of free clean space. My computer runs faster and the fan doesn’t run as often.

Time Machine works great on my 1 Terabyte external HD. Once Time Machine is set up, I plug the HD in either with the USB or Firewire connection and Time Machine does the rest for me. It backs up my system every hour.

When you initially set up Time Machine it will take longer then usual to back-up your system. However, every time after that It only backs-up the changed data. All other data is left the same unless it had changed.

If you delete something that you didn't mean to, all you have to do is go back in time on Time Machine and tell it to load from that point. Wow, what a relief that will be, when I delete an entire photo album that I don't have a copy of. I have done that!

My only issue that remains is trying to hook up the 1 TB hard drive up to the Airport Extreme to back up wireless. I can see the drive and download/upload to it, but the Time Machine program will not work through the Airport Express.

Moving City

Moving City, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

I am work watching the Market come completely unraveled. I looked out the window and noticed a huge wall lights steaming past my window. I grabbed my camera and snapped this shot.

It’s not the best picture, but at least it shows you what I was looking at.

Now back to the blood letting of Washington Mutual… Yikes!

Half-on, Half-off... My install is Half done.

Start - 4:00 PM September 23, 2008
Finish – To Be Determined

After spending a few hours backing-up and doing an “install and Erase”, will say “it was a success we have ignition.

As I left my house this morning at 4:30AM the 1 terabyte external HD was still going through its MAC OS Extended Journaled rewrite. When I checked on the process as I walked out the door, it still had three hours left… Whoa!

My only hiccup has been I cannot find my iLife 08’. I checked the Leopard install, I also checked the separate MAC OS install bundle disks.

Once I get the iLife 08 figured out I will finish the migration and software install.

Update to follow…

Off-Line

Off-Line tags:, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

Today is the day I make the migration to two new storage platforms. Before I make the move, I will be making a clean slate.

1. Back-up existing files and folders (twice)
2. Make new list of necessary software to reinstall
3. Create virtual image of software.
4. Double check system
5. Triple check software and system.
6. Reformat internal HD
7. Reload OS
8. Download critical upgrades
9. Verify OS functionality
10. Make virtual image of HD
11. Initiate Time Machine on New External HD
12. Make additional virtual image.
13. Reload software
14. Migrate file and folders back to internal HD
15. Test system and Bob’s your Uncle.

Goggles… check! Hard Drives… check!, Software… Check! Patience… Double check, CHECK!

Wish me luck I'm going in…

Breaking Light

Breaking Light
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

6:16AM same shot just 36 minutes later in the morning. This is my favorite time of the day to photographs… “First Light”. If you notice I do it a lot.

Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

5:40AM I have been here at work for 15 minutes already. It stays darker later and the sun won’t rise for another hour. Sunrise is scheduled for 6:37AM.

Have a nice long weekend and stay cool, it’s going to be a hot one this weekend.

Cheers~

HMS Bounty

HMS Bounty
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

My Uncle had the pleasure to gas her up after she had left dry-dock in Boothbay Harbor, Maine in July 2007.

I took this shot in July of this year 2008, as "The Bounty" was leaving San Francisco Bay and passing under the Oakland Bay Bridge. Another picture from my office window.

Replica of original HMS Bounty, built in 1960 for the MGM movie version of Mutiny on the Bounty, which starred Marlon Brando. She is now on a world voyage, reenacting portions of her namesake's voyage to French Polynesia. The first leg took her from the United States to Maryport, on England's western coast, and home of Fletcher Christian, Captain Bligh's master's mate, and instigator of the famous 1789 mutiny. Through September, Bounty will be calling at several ports around England for tours.

Morning Fog

Morning Fog
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

Shot this just a few minutes ago at 5:59 AM. The light was great coming up from the East Bay above the fog over Oakland. I just had to snap a few shots.

Alaskan Explorer

Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

This was the post I was talking about from earlier today. This was the first image I took from my office window. This is the Oil Tanker "Alaskan Explorer". It has bee the largest boat I have seen come past my office window.

Below is the the text from my original post on the blog Click... Here is the
link to the blog http://fisheyestudio.blogspot.com/

I am here

I am here
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

I have been a slacker on posting to Office Window blog. I have been out of town and busy at work. I will work harder on posting more.

This is the view from my seat at my desk. I really to look out that window… I turn my head to the right and looking into the San Francisco Bay. Unfortunately the little program that I am using to adjust my pix here at work, will not allow me to fix the blow out highlights from the window. I will run it trough “PS” Photoshop and repost latter.

For those of you who enjoy a big boat, stay tuned. I have captured in the past week some real “Big Canoes”. Sometime I am amazed these ships fit under the Oakland Bay Bridge.

For those of you that can’t wait I posted a Picture of one of the largest tankers I have seen sail past my “Office Window”. Here is the link to keep you satisfied. Click… here.

Stay tuned more to come…

If you would like to view or contribute to the “Office Window” flickr group page Click… here.

Morning Storks

Morning Storks
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

7:00 AM and this is the view from the Kitchen window in our office. I thought it looked better as a black & white. Post Production via PicNik @ PicNik.com to edit and upload this image.

July 31, 2008

July 31, 2008
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

Another gorgeous morning on the bay... 5:40 AM

Post Production via PicNik @ PicNik.com to edit and upload this image.

Morning Fog

Morning Fog
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

Taken this morning at 6:10AM. It's a liitle foggy in the Bay Area today.

Post Production via PicNik @ PicNik.com to edit and upload this image.

Morning Bridge

07-29-08 Bridge
Originally uploaded by Kirk Howard

Taken this morning right after I walked into work. It was still dark
outside 5:45 AM. The picture is a little blurry and the reflection from the
office lights didn't help. I think I solved the reflection problem with the
use of a modified paper coffee cup, to act as a lens hood on my
point-n-shoot.

>

Post Production via PicNik @ PicNik.com to edit and upload this image.

Lightroom 2

Today Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 software released. It has been a highly anticipated release of a very popular photo management and editing software.

In April 2008 Adobe Labs released the BETA for Lightroom 2. According to the information released by Adobe over 130,000 copies were downloaded.

I did not download the BETA version, so do not have any fist hand experience on the software. However, I am an avid user of the first version of Lightroom. I think it is a great tool. Most of my images posted to this blog and others have been adjusted with only the Adobe Lightroom software. For photography work flow and management, I don’t think there is better software out on the market. For features of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 Click… Here.

Check out the upgrade comparison chart Lightroom 1 vs. Lightroom 2. Click… Here
Check out Matt Kloskowski blog, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips for additional information and news. Click… Here.


Disclaimer: I borrowed this post from my other blog Click...