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Video-Ohs – A Poignant Story – A Life with Chess

Jeff

The Last Chess Shop in NYC

“I came here to get a PhD in American literature, and here I am, with pictures of American writers on the wall—a chess vendor.”

In my teenage years, through high school, I was an avid chess player. We would spend hours playing chess, reading chess magazines and competing. Believe me, chess can add a lot to one’s life. Unfortunately after the Fischer-Spassky match, my interest waned. The video above is an inside look at another era when a quiet game like chess could affect lives in profound ways.

 

More Vide – Ohs

To See additional Interesting Videos, click HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2018 – JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot — Aged Doorway – Sintra, Portugal

Jeff


An Old Historic Doorway in Sintra, Portugal

If you have done much traveling of any kind, you might have seen posters, T-shirts or other artwork that depicts interesting doorways of a particular city. Perhaps they were doorways of Boston, doorways of Georgetown or doorways of San Francisco, etc.

I am a sucker for old or unique doorways. The picture above is of a doorway we came across in Sintra, Portugal in the vicinity of the National Palace of Sintra. This doorway is reminiscent of a bygone ancient era. The wood is old, cracked, discolored and partially rotted. The metalwork is well-used and rusted, but still attractive in design. The doorway exudes character!

The craftsmanship is enhanced by the cementwork frame and the ornamental details increase the beauty of the entranceway. Onlookers quickly come to understand that this building has been an eyewitness to history.

 

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Metadata

File Name: DSC_2646.NEF
Capture time: 11:18 AM
Capture date: May 10, 2018
Exposure: 1/60 sec @ f/9
Focal Length: 18mm
ISO: 180
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18.0 – 55.02mm f/3.5-5.6
Edited in Lightroom & Photoshop

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2018 – JBRish.com



Pickleball: Welcome to the Ball

Jeff

One nice perk of playing pickleball is that there is not a lot of equipment to worry about. Gym clothes and a paddle will usually get you entry into the pickleball scene. Of course you can add a variety of accoutrements, but the bare eseentials are few.

An important item that often gets short shrift is the pickleball itself. Many players just use whatever ball is provided, BUT…there can be a big difference in your game depending on the ball being used!

Whenever we are playing where there are multiple courts and a shot goes astray, there are times when the ball from our court is switched with a ball from another court. Most players just accept this and go on with their game; hmmmm! Is that the best protocol?

If you have been playing with a ball that is a bit softer (from usage) or harder than the one that was replaced, does that affect your game?

Was the ball you were playing with newer or older than the ball you received? Is it smoother or rougher? Does it make a difference?

You might be surprised by the answers, but you can read more about this topic in a post written by Sarah Ansboury: “Tennis Balls vs Pickleballs…There are Differences”

Don’t be confused by the title, there are some good points related to pickleballs and how it affects our play.

*** NOTE ***– I play with several pickleballers who have a color preference for a variety of reasons. Some like the dark green pickleball, others like the light lime-green color, a few like only the white and many prefer the dark orange. There is no right or wrong, in my opinon, as long as it is a USAPA approved pickleball. After all, each side plays with the same ball and needs to adjust accordingly.

One other thing…It is my opinion that when playing on an “indoor”surface like a wooden gymnasium floor, players will have a better pickleball experience if they use an indoor ball. I have seen players use and outdoor ball on such surfaces and they skid quite a bit and this changes the game!

More Pickleball Videos

To See additional Pickleball Videos Covering Many Aspects of the Game Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Info and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017 – JBRish.com



Photography: What Was Old Is New Again

Jeff

I have to confess that I am a bit of a hoarder. If you asked my wife perhaps she would snicker at the phrase “a bit.” This trend carries over to my digital life, but let me jump in here to profess that it isn’t all bad either.

In going through some of my old, make that ancient, photographs taken with cameras that were considered nearstate-of-the-art when four or five megapixels was considered good resolution, I came across photos that could be enhanced these many years later with the available technology. Yes, Lightroom (Lr) and Photoshop (Ps) can help breathe new life into old images.

Just examine this ho-hum photograph, for example, taken with a Canon PowerShot AS590 IS. There really is very little saturation and contrast. It is a nice scenes and the composition is fine, but it is rather flat and dull.



Bringing the same picture into Lr to add a bit of contrast, bring out the shadows, enhance some of the colors, etc. provided more of the feel I remembered from the experience.



One element in the photograph above that I find problematic is that big white cloud in the upper-right. It has a tendency to draw the eye away from the focal point of the river extending into the mountains.

Now understand I am not a Ps expert. As a matter of fact, I have only been using Ps for a couple of months. I gladly bought an online course from one of the photographers I follow and it covered everything from beginning to end. I realized that some of my photographs didn’t render the way I saw the scene and I also wanted to extend my creativity.

So…into Ps, the picture went and I reduced the size of the cloud to make it look as natural as possible with my current skill set. Is this an award winner? I don’t think so, but it is a way for me to present it at its best. I equate this to putting on the last touches before going out on an important date. Let’s all take opportunities to look our best.




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Metadata

File Name: 8673.jpg
Capture time: 10:19:27 AM
Capture date: August 16, 2012
Exposure: 1/500 sec @ f/4.0
Focal Length: 5.8mm
ISO: 80
Canon PowerShot AS590 IS


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Readers of JBRish probably enjoy my daily quotes and here is one that sums up the idea behind this post:

“Creativity is making marvelous out of the discarded.” – Unknown

Have you had this experience, i.e. making something good out of an item targeted be discarded? Why not share in the comment section?


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017