If you are feeling hungry…fast food….
Thought for the day….”You cannot live a positive life with a negative mind”
“Success is a ladder that you cannot climb with your hands in your pockets”
If you are feeling overfed after the Christmas indulgence, then spare a thought for Nela Zisser (New Zealand). This woman has undertaken the challenge of eating to excess and is posting on YouTube. Her latest attempt failed. She was attempting to eat 100 MacDonald burgers in a row. Not surprisingly, the attempt fails, and she ‘only’ managed to eat 45 burgers. Apparently, after eating 45 of them, she said that the taste got to her. The record is held by a Japanese, Yuka Kinoshita, who managed to eat 62 burgers at one sitting. Also in the news this week is that the world’s heaviest man, Andres Sepulveda (Mexico) had died at the age of 38. His weight had been as high as 450kg. What will your New Year’s Resolution be????
and another photo from the archives…fireworks over the Norwegian city of Bergen…..
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Political correctness – something is wrong here.
Thought for the day…”Why does a round pizza come in a square box?”
“If electricity comes from electrons, then does morality come from morons”
If you have visited Sweden recently then you will have seen the large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers in the cities and in the train and bus stations. Whilst normal tourists need to apply for a Schengen visa to enter, it appears now that the borders to Europe are open to all, and without limit. Swedish Television has now issued instructions to it’s staff that they are not to use the words ‘immigrant’, ‘black skinned’, ‘dark’ or ‘African origin’ for fear of insulting people. The use of words such as ‘white skinned’ is still allowed though. Is that fair? Is it not discrimination?? Even worse is that anyone accused of racism by an immigrant is not going to be allowed time on TV or radio to defend themselves. And whilst people in Sweden have had to put their names on waiting lists for sometimes several years in order to get public housing, asylum seekers are being put into housing quickly. Across the border in Norway, asylum seekers are housed in hotels (at public expense) and are given a daily living allowance, whilst Norwegian people have to pay to stay in hotels and are taxed on the priviledge. Is that fair?
The photo today comes from the lakeside town of Pembroke Wanaka, on the South Island of New Zealand. A typical morning view of the lake from near the town centre.
and another photo from the archives….window cleaning in Ljublana, Slovenia
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Making the same mistake again (and again)
Thought for the day…” We cannot control the wind but we can direct the sail”.
” If you want a happy ending, that depends of course, on where you stop the story” (Orson Welles)
I should have learned my lesson before. Having suffered the fiasco of Windows Vista, I ‘upgraded’ to Windows 8, only to be caught again by all the bugs and problems of that system. So you would think that an intelligent person would learn. Once bitten, twice shy, as the saying goes. But no, along comes an offer from Microsoft to ‘upgrade’ free to Windows 10, and I again fall into the same trap. Not only are there serious privacy concerns about the new operating system, but Microsoft seems to want to take control of YOUR computer and decide for you how things will run and which programs will run. Perhaps worst of all is that there is a clause in the user agreement which allows Microsoft to monitor in real time your activity and also which keys you are using (a keylogger). Even if you want to you YOUR choice of music player, the Microsoft own music player (called Groove) tries to take over instead. And Microsoft even made deleting its Groove player difficult, needing a user to go to a command line prompt just to delete a program. The more that you read about the loss of privacy with Windows 10, then the worse it becomes. Somehow I just cannot accept that they would be watching every key that I press on MY computer, every webpage that I look at, and every program/game/application that I use, all in real time.
So Windows 10 had to go, and gone it has. I regretted installing W10, hopefully this time I will learn my lesson. Experiments with the LINUX operating system have been far happier. It is a much simpler system, it works as it should, and its privacy policy is far better. Windows 10 be gone !
Lakefront in the South Island, New Zealand town of Pembroke Wanaka for the photo today…..
and another photo from the archives…the Challenge Wanaka triathlon competition, held each year in Pembroke Wanaka, New Zealand.
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Festive Times are here again
Thought for the day….”Success is when preparation meets opportunity”
“Value is more expensive than price”
It is that time of year again. It used to be called Christmas but now to keep everybody happy, they are referring to it as the ‘festive season’. One ultra extreme local council in the UK decided a few years ago to refrain from using the word ‘Christmas’, resulting in Christmas trees being renamed as ‘horticultural elements of a festive nature”. Political correctness !!! I was about to buy some Christmas cards when I saw that even those are now being made in China, more jobs going overseas with no doubt, untold damage done to the Chinese environment where they make them. Did you know that in the song ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ that if you add up all the gifts in the song then they total 364 gifts !!
Today’s photo is from rural Malaysian island….children playing.
and another photo from the archives….having a hard day in Tallinn, Estonia…..
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Out of the camera -JPEG photos
Thought for the day…”Dreams do not work unless you do” “Do not wish for it, work for it”.
One of the great bonuses of the Fuji X-E1 camera is that the photos straight out of the camera are so good, even in jpeg form. Previously I would spend many hours with RAW files, adjusting and ‘developing’ the RAW image into finished JPEG photo, but now things are so much easier (and quicker). The standard jpegs straight out of the camera are so good…..have a look at the 2 photos below. Great colours, great sharpness and great contrast. Not quite ‘point and shoot’ but certainly much faster and much easier than previous digital cameras. And having been so impressed by the quality of the glass in the Fuji lenses, then another lens purchase might just be on the horizon..but will I be able to bring myself to pay the 2000 euros for the new zoom lens?????? Quality costs.
and another photo from the archives…night train to Oslo from Trondheim….
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Jack of all trades, master of none
Thought for the day…”If you cannot do great things, then do small things in a great way”.
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score”
Just been watching some people using a drone to capture photos, something else that I would like to try. Recently I was using TWO cameras at the same time, one for stills and one for video. Had I had an action camera then I would have probably used that as well. And there is an idea in my head to try underwater photography too, and the wonderful macro photos that I see in the magazines have fired my imagination too. But I am wondering now if I should SPECIALIZE, instead of trying so many areas. Video is a different matter, needing tripods, more editing and also a lot more preparation, no doubt drone photography and underwater would not be so easy either. So the question is, should I just concentrate on getting good still photos with one camera. Jack of all trades and master of none????
And some street colour from the Slovenian capital of Ljublana for the photo today….
and another photo from the archives….before the storm, Longyearbyen, Svalbard Spitsbergen.
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Two sides of Oslo, Norway
Thought for the day….”Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it”
“Be nice to people on the way up because you will meet them again on the way down”
Today’s photo is of the Opera House in the Norwegian capital city of Oslo. Opened in 2008, the shape is supposed to resemble an iceberg. The cost was a staggering 4.1 billion NOK, or about USD 720 million. A new public library is to be built nearby as well as several office blocks. Despite the wealth, the streets nearby have many beggars and drug addicts, as well as rubbish and grafitti. Even nearby the Opera House, there are parts of the city that are run-down and are dirty, a fact that often surprises visitors to Oslo. It is known as the heroin capital of Europe, with 248 deaths from drugs in 2010. Again, visitors are often surprised by how obvious drug use and drug dealing on the streets is, something which does not fit in with the image of clean, well-run Norway. Reality is sometimes very different.
and another photo from the archives…a dramatic sunrise in Pembroke, New Zealand.
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Deep Thinking
Thought for the day…”The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary”
“It’s not that I am smart, just that I stay with problems longer” (Albert Einstein).
It is sad and also annoying to see how in New Zealand, that a MINORITY is now trying to take control of more and more. Many people believe that the Maori people were the original people of New Zealand (not to be confused with Australian aborigines) but in fact they are not. It was the Moriori who were the original people in New Zealand, later to be followed by the Maori, who arrived from Polynesia around 1250 or 1300. The census in NZ shows that about 600 000 people claim to be Maori, or about 15% of the total population of NZ. So it is extra annoying to see that a MINORITY is trying to claim more and more rights for a land that was not theirs to begin with. Currently in NZ, they are trying to get many place names changed to their names, despite the fact that they were not the original settlers. Names such as Mount Cook (New Zealand’s highest mountain) are being replace by Maori equivalents, and even the names of the two main islands in NZ are now appearing under their Maori names. They even are even trying to replace the words ‘New Zealand’ with their own names for the country. But many NZ people are forgetting that the Maori are a MINORITY and that most of them do not use Maori language as their first language. Politicians are giving in to the minority, and even government departments are being given Maori names to keep the minority happy. Look on the internet for a telephone number for Picton Department of Conservation (DoC) and you will see that the DoC offices are now listed under their Maori names. Gradually this MINORITY is trying to claim more and more land for themselves, despite the fact that they were not the original owners of the land. And the NZ government is giving in to them, costing the taxpayers millions of dollars. All wrong.
On a happier note, today’s photo comes from the Pacific Island of Niue, where a local is deep in thought…..
and another photo from the archives…..beautiful Picton in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand
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Afghan market trader
Thought for the day….” You may delay, but time will not”
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled”.
Sharing borders with 6 countries, Afghanistan (population 32 million) became independent from the UK in 1919. Pashto (a form of Persian) and Dari are the two official languages. Kandahar was the original capital, before it was moved to Kabul. The national game is not football, but buzkashi, or goat grabbing, where people in two teams on horseback try to catch a goat. Kite flying is also a popular sport. The highest mountain, Nowshak, rises to 7485m. It is the world’s largest producer of opium, and since the US occupation which started in 2001, opium production has been on the rise. It is said to also be the largest producer of cannabis in the world.
Today’s photo is of an Afghan market trader, complete with the usual headscarf…..
and another photo from the archives….a 747 of Singapore Airlines leaves Zurich, Switzerland….nearly 400 tonnes !
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Peaceful Swiss Alps – Gstaad
Thought for the day…”Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it”
“We learn the ropes of life by untying the knots”.
Did you know that there are 4 official languages in Switzerland (Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansh)? Swiss German is the main language, with about 64% of the population using it. And did you know that the abbreviation for Switzerland, CH comes from Confoederatio Helvetica, which is latin, and was chosen as a neutral alternative to using one of the 4 official languages. It has the second highest life expectancy in the world (Japan is first), and also a high divorce rate (around 43%). The wrist watch was invented here in 1868 (Patek Philippe). The photo today is of the Swiss town of Gstaad, in the southwest of the country. About 9200 people live in this expensive resort, home to the famous such as Julie Andrews, Bernie Ecclestone and previously Roger Moore, Elisabeth Taylor and Roman Polanski. It looks very quiet in the photo though……
and another photo from the archives….fireworks over Bergen, Norway
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The megapixel race
Thought for the day…” Remember- you are unique. Just like everyone else”.
“Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects, so keep taking it regularly”.
Just been reading the latest issue of Amateur Photographer magazine, and learning about the latest and greatest cameras that are being released, some of which now come with over 40 megapixels of resolution. I read a very interesting letter on the dpreview.com forum (dpreview.com is an excellent website for anyone interested in photography) from a man who was selling his Fuji camera. He was very happy with the excellent quality photos that it produced and the very high resolution BUT he went on to say that all he ever did was to look at his pictures on the computer screen, so having so many pixels was wasted. The camera produced fantastic quality pictures, but for HIS needs, it was too much. I am sure that many people will sympathize with his views…do we really need upwards of 40mp resolution? How many photos are we actually going to print or enlarge to a huge size? And if we are just going to look at them on a computer screen then those extra pixels may indeed be wasted. I will stick with my 16mp Fuji camera for now…the results are totally ok for my needs. No need to upgrade to a 40mp camera…..I just do not need the extra pixels. Sorry Canon, sorry Sony, I am just not interested !!
Today’s photo is reduced in quality for the internet…..but shows Furusund in the Swedish archipeligo at sunset..
and another photo from the archives….a happy cyclist in the Challenge Wanaka Triathlon competition…..
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Street corner colour – Riga, Latvia
Thought for the day…”About the time that we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends”.
A bit of street life in the Latvian capital city of Riga for the photo today….and not much action judging by the photo. About 640 000 people live in the this city, or about 1/3 of the entire population of Lativa. Temperatures in the city in winter can fall to -20 or -25 degrees. It became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, and interestingly, after independence around 290 000 people (about 14% today) were left with no citizenship of any country. Latvia is also home to Europe’s widest waterfall, the 110m wide Ventas Rumba Falls. Apparently, the studs on jeans were invented in Latvia, when the Latvian Jacob Davis joined with Levi Strauss.
and another photo from the archives..the waterfalls at Iguazu, Brail…..
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Last light of the day….from above
Thought for the day…”I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, and three times to make sure” (Mae West).
“Sex is emotion in motion” (Mae West).
Up in the air……Who is the biggest? The largest airline in the world (in terms of revenue, profit and fleet size) is the American Airlines group. In terms of passengers, Delta is the world’s biggest private airline, with around 129 million passengers a year. Emirates Airlines (UAE) is government owned, but their revenue last year was around USD 24.2 BILLION. It used to be fun at one time, but now the security checks, check-in procedures and overcrowded airports have certainly taken the gloss away. I often wonder who actually votes for the airlines that ‘win’ the awards for the world’s best airlines, but Singapore Airlines get my vote…..as does Singapore Airport (SIN) for the world’s best airport. Norway’s Oslo (OSL) airport certainly deserves an award, not for comfort or for convenience, but for the lack of facilities and unpleasant surroundings. Every time that I fly into or out of OSL I am struck by what a DISGRACE it is for Norway. It does not get any better either.
Work means that I fly more than I would like but occasionally there are some perks….like this sunset last month, seen from an aircraft window in Norway….
and another photo from the archives…an unlucky weekend motorist (Ferrari) gets a ticket in Stockholm, Sweden….
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And it does not work for them either…….Windows 10
Thought for the day….” Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit”.
“Its not that I’m so smart, just that I stay with problems longer” (Albert Einstein).
Well I am wondering if there is any hope for the rest of us, if the experts cannot get it to work…..At a recent presentation of the features of the new Windows 10 operating system, the chairman of Microsoft, Satya Nadella could not get the Cortana (the ‘personal assistant’ contained in the new system) to work. After asking the ‘personal assistant’ Cortana to identify most at risk activities in business, the ‘intelligent’ system replied with details of where he could buy milk. Further attempts to get the system to work as promised also failed, which led to the Microsoft chairman uttering words such as ‘oh, come on”, and ‘no, this is not going to work’. He was finally helped by some behind the scenes experts, but it was hardly a good endorsement for the new system. And especially if you are the chairman of the company that makes the product and are supposed to be promoting it at a large event. So if the chairman of Microsoft cannot get it to work properly, then what can the rest of us expect???? Bring back Windows XP !!!!
and another photo from the archives….southern Oman….
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Are you one?
Thought for the day…” For sleep, riches and health to be truly enjoyed, they must be interrupted.”
Are you one? Are you one of the annoying people who walk down the pavements (sidewalk for the Americans) glued to their mobile phone?? I am so tired of these people who have no consideration for others walking towards them. Now I am refusing to move out of their way. Videos on Youtube show people walking into fountains and falling into rivers because they are fixated on their mobile phone. They deserve it. Almost as bad as those who text whilst driving. Perhaps there is an app for people like these……..
Two photos from the Norwegian coastal town of Alesund. This town was destroyed by fire in 1904, and was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style. This means that most of the buildings in the centre date from 1904 to 1907 and share the same style. Around 45 000 people live here, with fishing, tourism and a small oil-support industry being the main occupations. The first photo was taken at the top of the 488 steps which lead up from the town to the viewpoint.
and another photo from the archives….riverside in the Paraguayian capital of Asuncion
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Crown Range road in New Zealand
Thought for the day…” A mind is like a parachute. It does not work unless it is open”
“Teamwork – Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success” Henry Ford.
If you are fortunate enough to be cycling in New Zealand, then the road linking Queenstown with Wanaka, the Crown Range is going to test the legs. The road climbs up to 1119m, including a section with zig-zags and also some great downhill sections. Easy to get up to around 80 km/h on the downhill sections, although the bends will make higher speeds difficult. Great views down into the Gibbston Valley below, and also towards Queenstown and Arrowtown. The road is the highest sealed main road in New Zealand, winter snow and ice make the road difficult in winter time, but summer it is a joy to cycle. On the Pembroke-Wanaka side of the pass, there is the small settlement of Cardrona, which was once the site of a gold rush. Nowadays Cardrona is more known for its pub (in the second photo) , which has featured in advertisements, and also for the nearby bra-fence. The bra fence has been moved from the main road due to repeated theft of the bras and the problems caused by too many cars stopping to admire this New Zealand curiosity.
and another photo from the archives….one of the early test pictures from the then-new X-E1 camera which was on one of its first outings
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View from above – Aruba
Thought for the day…”Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action”.
“You cannot live a positive life with a negative mind”.
Off to the Caribbean for the photo today and the island of Aruba, seen here from above. Aruba is about 30km off the coast of Venezuela, and is one of the group of islands known as the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). About 103 000 people live on this small island, which is only 32km long and about 10km wide. It is dry and arid (there are no rivers), and also very flat, with a year round average temperature of 27 degrees. Tourism is the number one industry here, with oil refining and offshore banking also important. About 1.5 million tourists a year visit, including many arrivals by cruise ships in the capital, Orangestad. The beaches were very quiet when this early morning photo was taken…..
and another photo from the archives…..a girl in rural Laos.
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Lofoten Islands & Hurtigruten boats.
Thought for the day….” When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not with your brain” (Mark Twain).
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” (Thomas Edison).
Two photos from the Lofoten Islands in artic Norway…both with the Hurtigruten ships in them. One of these boats leaves Bergen every day of the year for the 5.5 day journey up the coast all the way to Kirkenes, near the Russian border. Lofoten Islands are about half way up Norway, at about 67 degrees north (so north of the Artic circle). Fishing has been important here for over 1000 years, now tourism is also important during the very short summer season. The islands have the midnight sun from 25th May until 17th July. In the photos, the Hurtigruten boat ms Trollfjord passes another Hurtigruten boat, ms Finnmarken. Fuji X-E1 camera again, and the 18-55mm kit lens, a great combination. As others have said, the Fuji X-E1 camera makes you want to take photos again.
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Two from Trondheim
Thought for the day…” You can never cross an ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore” (Colombus).
“Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racing car not called a racist?”
Off to the Norwegian city of Trondheim for the photos today. Trondheim is the 3rd largest city in Norway, with about 170 000 people living there. It was the capital of Norway until 1217 and has an interesting history, including a time when it was controlled by Sweden. Many of the old buildings in the city are wood, and the city centre has had several large fires over the years. As well as a university, the city also has some technology industries. It also has the world’s only bicycle lift (Sykkelheisen Trampe) which carries cycles and their riders up a 20% hill, at a speed of about 7 km/h. Riders remain on their cycle, and place their right foot on the special mechanism, which then propels them up the incline (link to the website here…. http://trampe.no/en). Two photos now from the old part of the city centre…..
and another photo from Trondheim….same street but from the other end….
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Hurtigruten sunset
Thought for the day…”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”
“You do not stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing”.
A couple of sunset photos from the deck of the Hurtigruten coastal steamer boats. These boats travel between Bergen on the west coast of Norway and Kirkenes at the top of Norway, next to the Russian border, a journey of 5.5 days each way. 11 ships travel the route, and call at 34 ports along the way, including a trip up the famous Geirangerfjord in summer. Interestingly, Norwegian Television did a live TV sending of the whole 134 hour trip. The photos today were taken near the middle of the trip, just north of the Lofoten islands, again with the Fuji X-E1.
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Rice terraces in China
Thought for the day…” Do not make excuses, make improvements”.
“Expecting and accepting are two sides of life. Expecting can end in tears, but accepting will bring you cheers”.
A photo from the south west part of China for the photo today, from Yunnan province. Around 45 million people live in this province, which borders Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. The western part is mountainous, with the peaks reaching over 5000m. Ethnic groups make up about 1/3 of the population, so local dialects and colourful local costumes are very much evident in the towns and markets here. The hills in the west border the Tibet autonomous region, with deep valleys and hillside farming. It is also very rich in minerals, so mining is very important, as is agriculture. Seen here are some rich terraces not far from the border with Tibet.
and another photo from Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands……
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Sea Eagles in Norway
Thought for the day….”Those who do not learn the lessons of history are bound to repeat them”
” Do not wait for the day of judgement, it takes place every day”.
Also known as the fish eagle, the sea eagle can grow up to 1 metre in length and have a wingspan of 2m. The white tail feathers show that the birds are adult. Some sea eagles have been measured at over 7.5kg in weight, with the largest populations being found in the Artic north, including around the Lofoten Islands (where these photos were taken). Despite their name, the fish eagle also hunts small mammals but they are largely scavengers, and will often steal food from other birds.
The photos below were taken with the Fuji X-E1, hand held on a moving boat (!!) with a 50-230mm lens.
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North Norway duo.
Thought for the day…” The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow”.
“Life leaps like a geyser for those who drill through the rock of inertia”
Up to the Lofoten Islands in Norway for the photo today, and some typical Lofoten scenery. These islands are situated at around 68 degrees north, and inside the Artic Circle. Humans have lived in the islands for over 5500 years, despite the long, cold winters. Fishing was traditionally the main industry here, mainly for cod. The mountain peaks rise to over 1100m, whilst surprisingly, the sea here has a form of coral. As Lofoten is above the Artic circle, then the sun does not set between 25th May and 17 July, meaning 24 hours of daylight. It is also the home of the Lofoten Insomnia cycle race.
The photo was taken late evening, north of Svolvaer, Fuji X-E1 with the 18-55mm kit lens.
And another photo from northern Norway, colourful houses by the sea…another triumph for the Fuji X-E1 camera.
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Fishing boats in Norway’s easternmost town
Thought for the day….” People who say that money does not buy happiness do not know which shops to shop in”. ” Adversity is the weight that strengthens us”. Back online after some internet problems, and another photo from the north of Norway, far above the Artic circle. This photo is of Vardo, in the province of Finnmark. As Finland is so close at this point, then it also has a Finnish name (Vuorea) and a Sami name, (Várggát). Only a small population of around 21oo live here, although with the extremely long winter, then that is hardly surprising. It has the honour of being the easternmost town in Norway, with Russia being not far away across the bay. It actually lies further east (31 degrees) than Istanbul, Kiev or St. Petersburg. Much of the land around is barren and treeless artic tundra. Fishing and fish processing are the main industries here. Interestingly, it is also the site of Globus II, a radar tracking station for space junk, although given that Russia is so near, then this station may also have other uses. Vardo is one of the stops on the famous Hurtigruten coastal boat service in Norway. Another photo taken with the Fuji X-E1 camera. 
and another photo from the archives….4 modes of transport in this photo from Cuba……. 
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jeritilley 