Choosing A Digital Camera (Part 3): Goodwill, Good Stuff

We've discussed a few options of purchasing used so far, but now let's take a expression at the gemstone of all used stores: Your local Goodwill.

Goodwill, Good Stuff

This is another secret some of us photographers utilize as a resource, and I probably shouldn't be mentioning it here for the fact I'm going to have got competition when I cruise the aisles of my local Good Will store. But that's ok.

When I purchased my Nikon D100 dorsum in the summertime of 2002, I didn't have got many lenses. In fact, I had none. I had a 50mm f/1.4 lens system system on the way, and an AF-S 80-200mm inch transit, but that didn't assist my current situation--I needed to set a lens on my photographic photographic camera NOW, or I was going to interrupt down and outcry like a small girl.

The same twenty-four hours I'm talking to my grandfather, and I advert I got a digital camera. He said something to the consequence of, "Hey, I've heard of those!" After a few minutes of explaining the general digital photographic camera to him, he states to me, "So, you're going to be hanging out at the thrifty stores, aren'tcha."

Whah? Huh? Good Will stores...ehhhhh, yeah, Oklahoma whatever.

After getting off the phone, I decided I had nil to lose (except for my dignity, and since no 1 knew about my soon-to-be trip to the Goodwill, I was clear). My first visit to the Good Will was a loss. I didn't see anything except for a few used disposable photographic cameras (I have got no thought why they were there--maybe had a few images left on it too take?) and respective of those "Get A FREE 35MM Camera!" thingies you see when you have your recognition card statement, and about a few twelve promotional stuffs autumn out. Yes, that sort of 35mm camera.

I decided to ship to another Good Will which was in a less busy location. As soon as I walked in the presence door, I glanced at the glass counter, and I saw the Nikon name on what appeared to be a 50mm lens. I immediately went over to take a closer. Yep, certain enough. It was a 50mm lens. It was an aged AI-S 50mm 1.8. Price? Well, you better sit down down. $15. The lens system system was in good condition, not excellent, but it was certainly deserving the $15 Iodine immediately whipped out of my billfold and said, "I'll take that lens, thanks."

Will you always happen a gemstone like this at a Good Will store? Probably not. However, that kind of ruinations the mystical and cryptic Hunt for treasure, now doesn't it. I can state you, that you have got a much better opportunity of determination a trade there, than other places. A regular trip every weekend certain isn't going to kill you, and it could pay off considerably.

Pawn Shops

Now, pawn stores aren't all what they used to be. Today, pawn stores have got a highly inflated terms tag on most of their items. You might as well travel to a regular photographic camera shop and pay the terms of a new point because you wouldn't be paying much more. In some cases, you might be paying less. However, there is a opportunity you may happen a pretty good trade on a lens, tripod, or even a camera. Tripods usually sell for really cheap, and I would definitely urge looking around your local pawn store bunch if you're in a big city, because you will probably happen one. And considering if you're in a little town, you will probably happen an even better deal. Why? Because there isn't the sort of wares flowing through and the expertness is not as present as, say, a trader in New House Of York City or Los Angeles. Most of us may dwell in bigger cities, so don't anticipate to acquire a Manfrotto for $20, but there are other trade names which come up very fold to the high and might tripod brands, and are extremely discounted. Velbon for example. I've seen $150-$200 Velbon tripods sell for $35, in batch condition. Did I purchase it? Well, long story short, I didn't cognize it was this expensive until I remembered the theoretical account number, went online, had a bosom seizure, then immediately drove back to the pawn shop.

It was gone. You win some...you lose some.

In the adjacent portion of Choosing A Digital Camera, we will discourse some of the photographic photographic camera characteristics you should prioritize when buying a digital camera. Yes, it may acquire technical, but I will be there with you every measure of the way.

Oh the Weather

As we watch the North East Flood, we are reminded of El Nino in the Western United States, well that is to say after the Santa Ana Winds and Wildfires subside. Well we are done with El Nino and ready for La Nina for a few years right? Not so fast say meteorologists. But El Nino was not within the proper 9-year cycle right? Right but why; Solar Activity, Solar Flares, Ionosphere thinning, Global Warming? Hmmm?

Very interesting my friends; we know that certain things can occur in any system and that well; "events occur" that is to say situations or also called by non-scholarly gentlemen like me "Sh_T Happens" type events can be figured into a program, which takes into consideration multiple trends converging and gives each trend or event a value number or probability rating and thus many, many points of your data set can be figured to give you the answer you seek? Ah like Murphy’ism; complexity and chaos and all that? Yes, like that.

Well if so, is such a system valid, can it still predict weather? Yes, it can however the people who value such items are not always correct about weather and to be adequately calculated must take into considerations such things a micro events or trends which can change weather patterns so slightly that they can eventually change the whole to such a large degree that the big event predicted will not occur at all. This is true and though we have had weather people and TV Media blow out of proportion storms for the simple fact they wanted higher ratings, it is possible that the best possible super computer may render irrelevant data based on faulty assumptions on valuations of micro trends on the macro dominant trend. Luckily we are learning lots about weather and collecting so much data that the predictions are becoming better. But simple long term predictions of will there be another El Nino type year, where the Pacific ocean rises and heats up a few degrees above normal or will we see the trade winds and the Pineapple Express render itself back to the normality of what we have come to expect over years of farmer's almanac studies and data collection? Here are some predictions on the question of El Nino - LA Nina cycle;

http://www.dynapred.com/_Predictions/El-Nino/el-nino.html .

The Internet as much as we love information contains a high degree of conjecture, opinion, junk science, un proven theories and garbage. If you study textbooks, it is the same, with little value of reality or any relevant perception of truth. Even books like "What your History Teacher Never told you" is half questionable. Oh the weather, will we ever get it right? Yes, some day soon all the hard being done by NASA will have it all figured out and well, Now you know. Think on it.

Martingale Betting System - Are You SURE?

Very common and popular system among newbies who like roulette, but not a very useful one. Sure, it seems simple and logical - you start with, let's say, 10 bucks and you double it every time you lose in order to win it back.

Let's look how the bets increase with every loss - 1) $10, 2) $20, 3) $40, 4) $80... 9) $2960! Okay, it's very rare to lose 9 times in a row when playing roulette and betting on red/black, but let's face the facts and more important - the ODDS. The chance of losing 9 times a row is somewhere near 1/500, meaning that chance of losing 3 grands in order to win back your $10 is around 1 in 500...

You may get lucky, of course, and probably you will first few times, but in the long run you lose and when you lose, you lose really big. Hey, I've seen roulette ball landing on black 13 (thirteen!) times in a row and I have heard stories of people getting 17 reds in a row. Now, if you take this initial $10 bucks and calculate, you can see that if you keep using Martingale and if you wait long enough, you will lose hundreds of thousands. For example, if you start with $5 and lose 17 times in a row, your last bet will be $327,680. Now - how sick is that?!?!

"If I had the money and the drinking capacity, I'd probably live at a roulette table and let my life go to hell," said Michael Ventura once. I think he forgot to mention "Martingale Betting System".

Some people use Anti-Martingale System, where you have to predict a win (6 blacks in a row, for example) and where you have to double every time you have won. If you've won three times in a row, start all over again. If you lose, start over with minimum bet (do not increase!).

GamblingRalf recommends Anti-Martingale System (if any system at all, and IF roulette at all...), because it's not as nerve-wrecking as the others - you don't have to place cosmic bets to win back your pocket change.

Unruly Airliner Passenger Discharge System

So often we have got boisterous air hose riders who endanger to interrupt a flight or cause a scene. Some have got been known to assail passengers, effort to open up a door in flight or even assault a stewardess. I suggest we set cod on the underside of aircraft, which hold exactly one to two boisterous passengers. If things acquire out of control we lodge them inside and allow them travel like a bomb?

Once the cod acquires to 10,000 feet a parachute will deploy and a tracking device activated for the government to pick them up later. Once they landed they would be apprehended if convenient, their recognition cards charged for the deployment and system, they would be bummed and then lose lifetime flying privileges too. This idea is based on another thought of taking the full cabin inch the event of desperate exigency and jettison it from the aircraft like a lading cod from a C-17 in flight, then the airplane pilots could find with the lighter loading if it was safe to set down the aircraft or seek to glide down or go forth themselves.

In this lawsuit it would be a little flight pod. You cognize the F-111 had an flight cod for the pilots.

http://www.ejectionsite.com/texans/f111d_34rt.jpg

http://www.ejectionsite.com/f111restore.htm

http://www.f-111.net/ejection.htm

http://www.f-111.net/museums/68-019-284.jpg

Just state see ya and jettison the drunken sap off the airplane and therefore no more than than problem, no more air traveling for them (put them on the make not wing list) and then complaint them a immense fee? That ought to learn them? Think on this.

Repeating Myself Myself

Not a million old age ago, I was planning how to work out the jobs of the human race by removing safety warnings.

However, some of the more than dainty among you may have got establish that a small extreme. Fear not. I have got another idea.

As I've said, the job with the world is that there are too many people in it, and that there are certainly too many stupid people out there.

So, I'm proposing a brother system. There are 6 billion people on earth, and lucky for us that's Associate in Nursing even number, 'cause otherwise one cat would always be left out, which is mean.

Simply enough, my new thought is that everyone is assigned a individual at birth to pass their full life with and expression at the things they don't. Let me give you an illustration of how this works.

Today (5th September, 2003) is Michael Keaton's 52nd birthday. First of all, happy birthday Mr. K. But, while I was looking into his filmography out of idle involvement I came across a movie he had done that was based on existent events. His character, and by extension the name of a existent person, was Henry Martin Robert Wiener.

Now, I don't have got anything against British Shilling Wiener. He's probably an noble guy. But clearly, when they were handing out surnames, this fella’s ascendants made a bad choice.

To give you another example, my male parent cognizes a adult male whose wife's maiden name was DeBank. I crap you not, she have a blood brother named Robin.

Robin DeBank.

And this is where the brother system come ups in. When immature Robin was concieved, or when Mr. Wiener's [not a euphemism for any portion of my anatomy] distant relations were picking a name, they could have got got used outside help.

For example, Mr. DeBank's assigned brother could have said "Hey, I wouldn't name your child Robin if I were you. He'll be laughed at, and eventually there'll be an article on the cyberspace about him where he's made an illustration of."

"You're right, by gum!" Mr. DeBank would reply, "I'll name him something else!" Problem solved.

I'll give you another example. Some among you may believe I'm superior and preachy. I am, but this is neither here nor there. In the involvements of public relations, I'll state you about my hat.

A piece ago, I bought a cowpuncher hat. I was not drunk. I was not under the influence of drugs. I was neither at gunpoint, nor was I blackmailed. I just believe they're cool.

Now, wouldn't it have got been far better for me, my loved 1s and anyone who associates with me in public if I'd had person at my side with a helpful "Say, Luke, I don't believe that hat's such as a good idea. You won't be able to travel anywhere without individual cheering 'YEE-HAA!' after you, and it frightens the children..."

As it was, I had no such as advice, and now I can't travel anywhere crowded without at least one person cheering "Yee-ha!" in my direction.

Granted, the system is flawed. Idiots are, by the expressions of things, in a majority, these days, and so it wouldn't be practical to pair off up smart people with the more than challenged elements of society. Simillarly, if a smart individual had to travel around telling their comrade to halt purchasing chapeaus and not name their children after arrestable offences, it would acquire a small trying.

And while we're being candid, it would do sexual activity embarassing and awkward for all concerned, although perhaps this is deserving it. I can't figure the number of times I've needed person other than the miss I was with to give me some friendly pointers.

Still, all great strategies have got teething problems, and this volition turn out no exception. I counsel all of you to pick your brothers in advance, to avoid getting stuck with Jade Goody. (But put off Elisha Cuthbert from "24." It's my scheme, and I acquire dibs!)