If you're like me, you get your news online. It's more convenient than a newspaper. It's there when you need it, and you don't get ink on your fingers.
But, as with a lot of things, there is a downside to online news. You don't always get the classified ads. Sure, some online newspapers have a classifieds section.
But in larger cities, there are numerous papers that run ads. And tracking the ads down on different sites can be tedious.
If you want an easy way to search your local classifieds, visit Oodle. It is a search site dedicated to classifieds. It gathers them from local papers and puts them in one convenient place!
TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITE, GO HERE: www.oodle.com
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Hungry Pioneers Take A Wrong Turn
A wagon train was lost and low on food. But the pioneers saw an old Norwegian man sitting beneath a tree. "Is there some place ahead where we can get food?" "I think so," he said. "But don't go over that hill. Someone told me there's a bacon tree over there."
The lead pioneer went back and told the others what the man said. They decided to ignore the man's advice and go over the hill. Suddenly, Indians attacked them. Only the leader survived. He told the old man what happened.
The man picked up an English-Norwegian dictionary and thumbed through it. "Oh, I made a big mistake! It wasn't a bacon tree. It was a ham bush."
The lead pioneer went back and told the others what the man said. They decided to ignore the man's advice and go over the hill. Suddenly, Indians attacked them. Only the leader survived. He told the old man what happened.
The man picked up an English-Norwegian dictionary and thumbed through it. "Oh, I made a big mistake! It wasn't a bacon tree. It was a ham bush."
Kim Komando Q&A: "Buying DLSR camera lenses"
QUESTION: My wife bought me a digital SLR for Christmas. She doesn't know much about lenses, so she didn't buy one. I'm trying to decide what lenses I should buy. I want a general-purpose zoom lens. I don't need a really powerful zoom at this point, though. I'm also thinking about buying a wide-angle lens. Can you help me out?
Steve in Joliet, IL, listening on WLS 890 AM
ANSWER: Digital SLRs are becoming increasingly popular. So I bet more and more people will face this question. And it can be a confusing situation. With a 35mm film camera, choosing a lens is fairly simple. A 35mm lens captures images as you see them. Shorter lenses take wide-angle pictures. For example, 28mm, 24mm and 20mm are common focal lengths for wide-angle lenses.
Lenses with focal lengths greater than 35mm are telephoto lenses. They allow you to take close-up photos without getting closer to your subject.
Unfortunately, choosing lenses for a digital SLR is more complicated. That's because the sensor that captures images is usually smaller than a frame of 35mm film. Lenses, on the other hand, are still labeled for 35mm film cameras. That is, unless you buy a digital-specific lens. I see few of these advertised.
Because digital sensors are smaller than film frames, images are magnified. This is called field of view crop.
Field of view crop is also called the focal length multiplier or multiplication factor. Common values for field of view crop range from 1.3 to 2. You multiply a lens' focal length by the multiplier to determine its 35mm equivalent.
Finding the focal length multiplier can be difficult. For my camera, I found it on a camera review site on the Internet.
Say, for example, your camera sensor's field of view crop is 1.5. A 50mm lens will give you a focal length of 75mm.
With a digital SLR, you'll probably want lenses with shorter focal lengths. This is particularly true when it comes to wide-angle lenses. On a digital, 28mm and 24mm lenses may not produce wide-angle photos.
When you look at lenses, you'll see two different types: fixed-length and zoom. Don't confuse zoom lenses with telephoto lenses. Zoom simply means that the barrel of the lens extends to change the focal length. You'll find both wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses.
Which is better? A zoom lens will give you more versatility; it is also cheaper than buying many different lenses. But some people believe zoom results are less crisp.
If you're just starting out, I'd recommend a standard zoom lens. About 28-105mm is good for beginners. This allows you to take pictures from a variety of perspectives. Of course, you'll probably miss out on wide-angle shots.
If you like to take landscapes, pick up a wide-angle lens. A focal length shorter than 16mm will give you the fisheye effect, though. This distorts the image, causing it to curve around the edges.
When you pick out a lens, you'll also see f-numbers. They refer to aperture, or how wide the lens opens. Aperture affects shutter speeds and field of view.
F-numbers are confusing; they're really a fraction, but rarely expressed that way. You'll see lenses labeled f/2.8-4, for example. This means it has aperture openings ranging from 1/2.8 to 4.
A large f-number gives you a wide depth of field. Shutter speeds are slower, as the aperture doesn't open very far. Small f-numbers give you a shallow field of view and fast shutter times.
Ideally, the lens should have a wide range when it comes to f-numbers. But it is more important to have a lens with a small f-number (for example 1/1.4 as opposed to 1/2.8). The smallest f-number is often referred to as the lens' speed. That's because it will dictate the fastest shutter speed you can get with the lens.
And finally, make sure the lens will fit your camera. Manufacturers such as Tamron and Sigma make lenses that fit other manufacturers' cameras. If you buy a third-party lens, make sure it is compatible.
I would spend a little more for a lens made by the camera manufacturer. You shouldn't have compatibility issues, and all the features should work. And, if you have problems, you only have to deal with one company.
If you're thinking about upgrading to a digital SLR, check out my buying guide.
You may be able to use lenses from your old film SLR. I have a tip that covers what you need to know.
Still using a point-and-shoot camera? You can also add lenses to it.
Steve in Joliet, IL, listening on WLS 890 AM
ANSWER: Digital SLRs are becoming increasingly popular. So I bet more and more people will face this question. And it can be a confusing situation. With a 35mm film camera, choosing a lens is fairly simple. A 35mm lens captures images as you see them. Shorter lenses take wide-angle pictures. For example, 28mm, 24mm and 20mm are common focal lengths for wide-angle lenses.
Lenses with focal lengths greater than 35mm are telephoto lenses. They allow you to take close-up photos without getting closer to your subject.
Unfortunately, choosing lenses for a digital SLR is more complicated. That's because the sensor that captures images is usually smaller than a frame of 35mm film. Lenses, on the other hand, are still labeled for 35mm film cameras. That is, unless you buy a digital-specific lens. I see few of these advertised.
Because digital sensors are smaller than film frames, images are magnified. This is called field of view crop.
Field of view crop is also called the focal length multiplier or multiplication factor. Common values for field of view crop range from 1.3 to 2. You multiply a lens' focal length by the multiplier to determine its 35mm equivalent.
Finding the focal length multiplier can be difficult. For my camera, I found it on a camera review site on the Internet.
Say, for example, your camera sensor's field of view crop is 1.5. A 50mm lens will give you a focal length of 75mm.
With a digital SLR, you'll probably want lenses with shorter focal lengths. This is particularly true when it comes to wide-angle lenses. On a digital, 28mm and 24mm lenses may not produce wide-angle photos.
When you look at lenses, you'll see two different types: fixed-length and zoom. Don't confuse zoom lenses with telephoto lenses. Zoom simply means that the barrel of the lens extends to change the focal length. You'll find both wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses.
Which is better? A zoom lens will give you more versatility; it is also cheaper than buying many different lenses. But some people believe zoom results are less crisp.
If you're just starting out, I'd recommend a standard zoom lens. About 28-105mm is good for beginners. This allows you to take pictures from a variety of perspectives. Of course, you'll probably miss out on wide-angle shots.
If you like to take landscapes, pick up a wide-angle lens. A focal length shorter than 16mm will give you the fisheye effect, though. This distorts the image, causing it to curve around the edges.
When you pick out a lens, you'll also see f-numbers. They refer to aperture, or how wide the lens opens. Aperture affects shutter speeds and field of view.
F-numbers are confusing; they're really a fraction, but rarely expressed that way. You'll see lenses labeled f/2.8-4, for example. This means it has aperture openings ranging from 1/2.8 to 4.
A large f-number gives you a wide depth of field. Shutter speeds are slower, as the aperture doesn't open very far. Small f-numbers give you a shallow field of view and fast shutter times.
Ideally, the lens should have a wide range when it comes to f-numbers. But it is more important to have a lens with a small f-number (for example 1/1.4 as opposed to 1/2.8). The smallest f-number is often referred to as the lens' speed. That's because it will dictate the fastest shutter speed you can get with the lens.
And finally, make sure the lens will fit your camera. Manufacturers such as Tamron and Sigma make lenses that fit other manufacturers' cameras. If you buy a third-party lens, make sure it is compatible.
I would spend a little more for a lens made by the camera manufacturer. You shouldn't have compatibility issues, and all the features should work. And, if you have problems, you only have to deal with one company.
If you're thinking about upgrading to a digital SLR, check out my buying guide.
You may be able to use lenses from your old film SLR. I have a tip that covers what you need to know.
Still using a point-and-shoot camera? You can also add lenses to it.
Lauren goes horseback riding!!
Sienna Stables
Originally uploaded by JetMan777.
Lauren got to spend the day horseback riding - an all day camp on Fri Dec 29 at Sienna Stables.
How to help adult kids stand on their own two financial feet
“If your child is buying a better car than you or taking better trips, it's time for them to move out.”
http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/29/magazines/moneymag/boomerangkids.moneymag/index.htm?section=magazines_moneymag
http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/29/magazines/moneymag/boomerangkids.moneymag/index.htm?section=magazines_moneymag
Aviation History - Charlie Brown's Story
Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton, England. His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.After flying over an enemy airfield, a pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.
Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.
Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to and slightly over the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.
When Franz landed he told the c/o that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.
More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.
They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.
Research shows that Charlie Brown lived in Seattle and Franz Steigler had moved to Vancouver, BC after the war. When they finally met, they discovered they had lived less than 200 miles apart for the past
50 years!!
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