One of the wonderful things about the Internet is that it allows others to share their extraordinary talents with millions of others who have access to cyberspace. Many of these talented people would go unheralded and we would miss out on some truly amazing skills and perhaps some that are a bit bizarre.
I had never heard of the Bottle Boys who can make music using only beer and wine bottles. The only way I can make music is via radio or other music-playing technology so I really do admire them.
Not only does the music sound like a cross between the Native American flute and the pan, but watch the rhythmic motions and style that these players exude; truly entertaining.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You may have found it on JBRish, but it definitely is not gibberish!
The paragraphs below were quoted from the YouTube video website:
Hi everybody! Once again it is time for BOTTLE MONDAY (last monday [Sic] of the month) which means, that a new video is released! We are so excited for this one, because we simply just LOVE Michael Jackson. Billie Jean is a really great song and it is perfect for trying out our new technique: double bottle playing. The dentists don’t recommend this we can assure! ;-D
Nerdtalk: We decided to make the video in a church because of the nice reverb. For recording we used two Neumann km184 stereo mics with Apogee Duet 🙂
At the moment we are insanely busy with a lot of concerts (a lot of them abroad), mainly because of our youtube [Sic] videos, and for that we are truly grateful!! So thank you everybody for supporting us:-D
Also Thanks to Mariendal Kirke for letting us film in the beautiful church.
Do you remember when you first learned to play pickleball and you had to learn to respect the double bounce rule? A key understanding is that the ball must first bounce on the receiver’s side before it is returned and then it also must bounce before the serving team can hit it and then almost anything goes. Did you ever forget and hit the ball before it bounced? I bet most people did at some time or another.
Well, there is more to bouncing than you probably thought. Mark Renneson of Third Shot Sports (Pickleball) uses the video below to highlight the importance of moving almost constantly during each point. It prevents inertia from settling in and keeps your body ready to make movements in a required direction. As Mark clearly points out, many of these are small adjustment moves (BOUNCES), but they help maintain focus and allow for quick adjustments to the ball.
“Good sense is the best distributed thing in the world: for everyone thinks himself so well endowed with it that even those who are the hardest to please in everything else do not usually desire more of it than they possess.” — Rene Descartes
“If you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.” — Robert Kiyosaki
“I am still learning to love the parts of myself that no one claps for.” — Rudy Francisco
“How long a minute is, depends on what side of the bathroom door you are on.” — Unknown
Part of the story of the award winning wine label pictuerd below from the Schild Estate Winery website:
“The striking new labels for Schild Estate wines have won a prestigious DOUBLE GOLD at the San Francisco Label Design Awards. This striking label features the gnarled hands of Ed Schild, holding Barossan dirt. The clarity and texture of the image perfectly captures the family’s sense of place, and its commitment to crafting authentic wines. The GMS also won Individual Gold and Gold Series awards whilst the Cabernet Sauvignon won Individual Sliver. Each new label represents a member of the Schild family, or a long held family emblem, sharing special family stories with consumers.”
At this point my plans seemed to be stymied. I didn’t want to make a significant investment in new gear because I am waiting for the Fuji. I thought long and hard about this and then I had a bit of a brain storm. OK, perhaps just a drizzle.
I know that some older cameras are heavily discounted even if they were rated as “good to very good” when they were introduced. I wondered if I could score one of those for a price near the range I would have paid to rent the gear.
I began my search. I didn’t want a point-and-shoot since I already have one of those. I wanted something approaching a DSLR. I would consider almost any format, APSC, Mirrorless, etc. if I could be assured the Image Quality (IQ) was good!
I began reading reviews for cameras under five hundred dollars and there were many dead ends, BUT one camera began to appear over and over again as a “best buy” for the money. It was the Nikon D3300. It was rated, according to DP Review, higher than any of the cameras I currently own and it had some significant advantages.
Now remember, I am just using this to “hold me over” until I can buy the camera I am waiting for. If it wasn’t for my planned trip of a lifetime to Yosemite, I wouldn’t even be taking this route. Click the following link for the summary page for the Nikon D3300 from DP Review. Also see the chart below:
“Graphic Depicting Strong/Weak Points of the Nikon D3300
From DP Review’s Website”
For the price (Currently around $400 +/-) I am impressed with these specs. I shoot in RAW mode and as you can see (red oval) it does quite well. Even the jpegs are respectable. Understand, of course, I am not a professional. I am an enthusiastic hobbyist and I want consistently reliable, good quality photographs. I am not interested in many of the advanced features in the most current cameras. I want an easy way to change aperture, shutter speed and ISO and this camera has it all.
Imaging Resource also had similar things to say about the camera. This is a quote from the review.
“All in all, though, the image quality achievable out of this “entry-level” camera is top-notch for this class of camera. Image sharpness and detail resolution are both very good, as is high ISO performance and dynamic range, which matches our experience with Nikon’s other recent 24MP APS-C cameras as well. Not only do digital images look excellent, but print quality is also impressive with large prints sizes at a wide range of ISOs.”
Next I took a tour of the shopping sites to see what owners of this camera had to say and they were generally very positive about their purchase. I checked the following sites as I am writing this and this is what I discovered.
[ Note: Links may stop working when this camera is no longer available ]
Adorama (A resource for professional photographers, large mail order company) – Nearly all the reviews are 4-5 stars
B & H Photo (A resource for professional photographers, large mail order company) – Nearly all the reviews are 4-5 stars
Lastly, but far from least was Ken Rockwell’s review for the Nikon D3300. If you don’t know Ken and you are interested in photography and you might be thinking about purchasing some gear, I strongly suggest you visit his site. He has very comprehensive reviews and he is very knowledgeable.
In addition to writing a review, Ken Rockwell includes a series of resources which, in many respects, are better than the manual:
If you want to buy any photography gear, I suggest you use Ken’s links as this helps support his wonderful research that he puts out there for all of us at no charge ! Look for the purchasing links on his web pages!
If you want to learn even more, he includes sections abot… KNOBS, BUTTONS and CONTROLS and the various MENUS
For a video tour of the Nikon D3300 to see how it operates and functions, you can watch this YouTube video which gives a hands-on, front row seat view of the D3300
Nikon D3300 Users Guide
After reading the above and doing due diligence, I ordered the Nikon D3300. The next part of the series will show the unboxing, some sample photos and some follow up comments. If there is anything else you would like to know, ask questions via the comment section below!
Read the fourth and final post in My Photography Conundrum series:
“Diligence is the mother of good fortune.” — Miguel de Cervantes
“Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick
“Do not assume that she who seeks to comfort you now, lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. Her life may also have much sadness and difficulty, that remains far beyond yours. Were it otherwise, she would never have been able to find these words.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
“It is a secret in the Oxford sense; you may tell it to only one person at a time.” — Oliver Franks, English civil servant & philosopher
One would think that a pickleball paddle needs little attention and that day-in and day-out it just works the way it was intended to work and basically this is true, but there are a couple of things to consider about maintaining your paddle. One item which may need some care is the grip. Just think about how many times you might grip and re-grip that paddle. Consider how much perspiration might be shed onto that paddle over time.
It is only logical then, that whatever material the paddle grip is made of will change texture, thickness and perhaps position over time. If your paddle grip is slipping or slippery, perhaps it is time to get an overgrip. An overgrip is one that goes on top of the existing grip and sometimes they are made of materials designed to keep the moisture collecting on the handle to a minimum to avoid slippage.
NOTE – If your paddle feels just large/wide enough with the grip you already have, then you wouldn’t want an overgrip and perhaps replacing the grip with a different material is the solution (see replacement videos below). Of course these can all be done by some sporting good stores that carry pickleball supplies, etc., but it is something that can be done “at home” by most average players with relative ease.
The videos below demonstrate the various techniques involved.
Add an Overgrip
(to an Existing Grip)
How to over-grip your pickleball paddle’s existing grip — with Mark Renneson
How to over-grip your pickleball paddle’s existing grip — Jennifer Lucore and Bob Youngren
Changing the Grip Completely
(with a New Grip)
How to Change a Replacement Grip on your pickleball paddle — Jennifer Lucore and Bob Youngren
How to Change a Replacement Grip on your pickleball paddle — Neil Friedenberg
