Nikon 1 Discontinued

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Nikon has discontinued the Nikon 1 line, according to Nikon Rumors. It’s too bad that Nikon didn’t keep iterating and innovating in this line. I bought the Nikon 1 V1 early on, and really enjoyed shooting with it. I used it for some time, and shot a few favorite images with it. I wrote about it quite a bit here.

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Anyway, I had a good time with it. The rumor mill suggests that this is clearing the way for a new line of Nikon mirrorless. I hope that whatever Nikon follows it up with is both more successful and follows up on some of the early energy and promise that the 1-series had.

“For Republicans, ‘The Dam Has Broken.’ But for How Long?”

“Past moments that seemed decisive, like the “Access Hollywood” tape and Charlottesville, came and went. For now at least, hurling the treason charge seems more about making a point than making a case in a courtroom or impeachment hearing.”

Indeed. Time for action, not hollow words.

Good, Inexpensive Wireless Charger for iPhone

I came across a wireless charger that works well with my iPhone X. I only paid $18 on Amazon, and while it’s not particularly fast, it’s really hard to beat for the price. It’s nice to have something that holds my iPhone at a good viewing angle on my desk, and it’s really simple to just toss it on there every time I get sit down, and the phone is always topping up. It works well enough that I bought a second one for the wife’s iPhone 8.

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Only two caveats: First, the iPhone X doesn’t quite sit flush on it; it’s just a millimeter or so high enough that the camera bump on the back hits it (see below pic). I haven’t ever found this to be any problem in practice. Second, it comes with a short micro-USB charging cable, but no power adapter. You can use any USB port or adapter with it, and I have a ton of them around, so this was no issue for me, but you might want to pick up a cheap one if you don’t have any around.

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It’s a no brainer, as far as I’m concerned.

“Republicans Rebuke Trump for Siding With Putin as Democrats Demand Action”

“Yet no Republican in Congress pledged any particular action to punish Mr. Trump, such as holding up his nominees or delaying legislation, nor did any Republican promise hearings or increased oversight.”

Words aren’t enough; this demands action. Values are worthless if you abandon them when ignoring them benefits you. It’s sticking to your values even when it’s not in your best interest that shows strength of character. Trump, Congress, and the GOP have no values, no strength of character. They’re craven and cowardly and they act with no honor. Side with them, and this is true of you, too.

Too many I know held their nose and voted for Trump, and supported McConnell, in the name of gaining an upper hand in the Supreme Court. Mission accomplished, but in the most despicable manner possible. This is not politics as usual, nor is it justified by anything anyone else did before.

“Our homes don’t need formal spaces”

“Even if we do use our great rooms and formal dining rooms to host Thanksgiving and entertain those circles of friends, we’re still designing our spaces for maximum occupancy instead of the average family of three to five people who actually live in them every day. If you build a 4,000-square-foot house for a family of four, that’s 1,000 square feet per person, and if the house were being used to its full potential, nobody would ever see each other. There’s a reason why the UCLA study showed that the most-used common areas are the kitchen and the informal living room: People like to spend time together eating and watching TV, without the glare from those two-story great-room windows. Large, unused spaces designed for social functions foster isolation instead.”

I’ve never understood nor appreciated formal living and dining rooms; they’ve always felt to me like they were optimizing for the wrong thing.

“The shift is on: Manual transmissions may be endangered but they’re also beloved”

“Manual transmissions account for just 2 percent of all vehicles sold in 2018, according to data from Edmunds.com. In 2006, 47 percent of new models in the U.S. were offered with automatics and manuals. Now it’s down to 20 percent and dropping sharply.”

Driving is just more satisfying for me when driving a car with a stick. I have my dad to thank for teaching me to drive a car on one with a stick. I’ve passed it on to as many people as I have been able, and hope mine is still going strong when my daughter is old enough to learn.