Canon 7D Focus Squares Tutorial

7D Focus Squares Tutorial, by Michael Andrew. A good and important lesson for those of us looking to develop our Canon 7D shooting skills.

The Miami Heat: 2013 NBA Champions Parade

Like a great championship team, the Miami Heat fought hard for the coveted Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy throughout the entire nail-biting NBA playoffs; and when the clock ran out on the seventh game of the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat owned the 2013 NBA Championship title. 

Here then are some stats from the Big 3 Miami Heat Players: LeBron James, who is only 28, stamped his seal of basketball excellence winning his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player award, to go along with his two NBA Finals MVP titles in 2012 and 2013. Dwayne Wade, age 31, won his well deserved third championship ring and was selected for the ninth consecutive year to the NBA All Stars. Chris Bosh, 29, takes his second championship ring, and like his teammate D-Wade, Bosh has been selected to the NBA All Stars for the past eight consecutive years. 

 

 

Congratulations to all the Heat players, coaching staff, and the entire organization who brought to Miami a third NBA Championship - Now, let's go for four!

IT Made Easy: Functions, Processes, Procedures, and Instructions

Living and working in an IT world, I am often asked “What’s the difference between processes and functions, instructions and procedures?” These terms are often and incorrectly used interchangeably; however, each is actually a separate and distinct part of the ITIL Service Management framework. Therefore, I thought it would be beneficial and helpful to share some insight into how we understand these terms.

At the broadest level of the service management order are the organization’s functions. A function is a group of individuals within an organization who are responsible for performing a specific and specialized type of work, and are accountable for its end results. A function includes the people, systems, and specialized collective knowledge and skills necessary to carry out the activities that help achieve the company’s objectives.

At the next level in the hierarchy are the processes. A process will meet a specifically defined goal, delineates what needs to be done, and its results must be measurable. It requires some sort of input or requirements, one or several activities of execution, and provides a specific output or report. A good process will also contain an effective method for self-improvement with feedback and corrective actions. A process requires a set of procedures to be executed successfully.

Drilling further into the hierarchical map are the procedures. A procedure is a specific set of tasks that define how and who will carry out the activities required to complete a process. It defines the individual resources, and describes the detailed step-by-step tasks that must be performed to meet one or more of the pre-defined objectives of the overall process.

Lastly, work instructions are the final and most detailed components in the service management framework. Work instructions provide the details, resources and specific technology used to execute each task in the procedure.

In summary, a function is the team responsible for a specialized type of work (e.g. Network Operations Center), the process determines what needs to be done (e.g. Incident Management), the procedure defines who and how the tasks must be performed (e.g. Network Service Order), and the work instructions provide the details for executing each task (e.g. Router Configuration Script).

How familiar are you with your own organization’s functions, processes, procedures, and work instructions? Knowing and applying them effectively can increase efficiencies, improve quality, and bring about greater overall capabilities for your company – and that’s a priceless opportunity.

2013 Sony Open

Some photos from the 2013 Sony Open Tennis Tournament

2013 Art Deco Weekend, Miami Beach

Where can you find plenty of sunshine, beautiful palm trees, coconut cocktails, great food, streets filled with vintage cars, and hordes of people dancing in the streets to the latest salsa beat? If you said Havana Cuba, you’re too far south. I’m referring to the annual Miami Beach Art Deco Weekend. Three of the most fun-filled days South Beach has to offer, and if you missed it, you also missed some of the best Miami weather of the year.

Art Deco Weekend takes place every year during the month of February to take advantage of the cool winter breezes, and it covers eight animated blocks, from Fifth to Thirteenth Street on Ocean Drive.  The beach side is lined with a multitude of tents of antique vendors of all kinds, across the street every restaurant is filled to capacity, and parked on the center of the road or next to the curb classic car owners display their pride and joy; some of the most pristine and treasured automobiles in the country.

As you walk up and down the crowded Ocean Drive, you can’t help but notice all kinds of costumed characters, including W.C. Fields, The Blues Brothers, and someone resembling Carmen Miranda on stilts. Local restaurants have indoor and outdoor seating, and although they’re packed to capacity, it’s definitely worth waiting for an outdoor table so you can enjoy some of the day’s activities and music from a comfortable seat.

Most restaurants on the Beach can be quite pricy, especially during Art Deco Weekend, so if sitting in a restaurant is not your thing, all through the event you can find numerous food vendors offering everything from Polish sausages, to pretzels, arepas, burgers, paellas, and roasted corn, just to name a few of the many different tastes available at lower prices.

This is a Miami event worth experiencing, so if you missed this year’s don’t despair – there’s always next year.

 (for more photos of the 2013 Miami Beach Art Deco Weekend, click here.)

Boeing 307 Stratoliner

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner made it first successful flight on December 31, 1938, followed by production deliveries to Pan American Airways (Pan-Am) and Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) in 1940. The aircraft were manned by 5 crew members, including a flight engineer, and held capacity for 33 passengers. It was the first commercial airliner able to provide a pressurized cabin, allowing it to fly at 20,000 feet, and avoid many adverse weather conditions.

The Clipper Flying Cloud, shown in the photograph above, was one of three delivered to Pan-Am in March 1940, and was used for commercial scheduled flights between Miami and Latin America. The Clipper Flying Cloud is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia - it's the only remaining Stratoliner in flying condition, of the original 10 ever built.

(for more photos of aircraft displayed a the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, click here.)

MiamiSeaplane N84114

 

This MiamiSeaplane is a fixed wing, four-seat, single engine, Cessna 172K Skyhawk Seaplane. It’s one of several seaplanes operated by MiamiSeaplane Tours & Charters, offering spectacular aerial views of the Miami Skyline, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and the Miami Coastline. It’s an exclusive way to see South Florida from an intimately unique vantage point, and a chance to enjoy the thrilling water takeoff and landing experience these aircraft provide.

Clevelander at Marlins Park

As soon as you step through the gates of the Clevelander lounge, you’ll feel transported away from America’s pastime, and beamed directly into party central USA, South Beach style. The Clevelander serves up refreshing cocktails, savory snacks, and a nightly array of sexy female performers, dancing a variety of lively routines to the sounds of today’s most popular dance tunes.

It’s a uniquely untamed way to spend the evening at the ballpark, among the flashing multi-colored lights and tropical atmosphere. The food is plentiful, and the music kicks it up into another dimension, and anyone can thoroughly enjoy the night in their own way. Diehard Marlins’ fans can watch the game from several rows of comfortable loveseats that look onto the outfield, while others are free to splash around or play a friendly game of chicken in the pool. But get there early, because several highboy tables will quickly fill with bustling party-goers, singing and dancing to the game away, while the bar at the far end of the lounge will be crowded two rows deep.

For those who truly enjoy a good mix of sports and party, welcome to the ultimate sports bar!

(for more photos of the Clevelander at Marlins Park, click here.)

2012 Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest

Arrrg, the 2012 Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest was almost the festival that didn’t happen. Two weeks before the big event, the program promoters packed their bags and left the city to fend for itself. Luckily, a group of local merchants and strong supporters of the annual event came together, and in a very short time were able to push through desperately needed permits, allowing the show to go on as scheduled. A variety of street performers, including dancers, magicians, and musicians entertained children and adults alike.

The weekend event kicked-off Friday night, with the Pirates’ Ball at “Ugly’s”, which included music, dancing, and the annual Best Pirate Costume Award.  Saturday started with a hearty buccaneer breakfast at Beach Pierside Grill on the boardwalk, and then a leisurely walk through the tent-covered Old San Carlos Boulevard, where local vendors displayed a mixed array of art, crafts, souvenirs, mock era-weaponry, costumes, handmade jewelry, and artisan works.

A breezy afternoon was just the right ambiance for relaxing al-fresco at Nervous Nellie’s Crazy Waterfront Eatery, where we enjoyed a few cocktails, live music, belly dancers, photo-ops with a mermaid, and a grand view of the exciting canon battle demonstration. Later that afternoon, a bright warm-orange sun, set behind the bay waters of the Gulf Coast, followed by a cool-warm and clear star-filled sky. It was the perfect back-drop for a filling pirate-fest dinner at the Yucatan Bar & Grill. We wrapped-up the day’s events at Ugly’s, sharing good wine and dancing the night away as the Pirate DJ spun the latest pop tunes on his digital mixer.

It was a great Pirate Fest, and we owe it all to the fast thinking and even faster acting local merchants of Old San Marco Boulevard, and specifically the owners of Nervous Nellie’s and The Shipwreck Motel and Emporium, who rallied the local community to ensure the show would go on. Kudos!

A final note: I rarely get lost, but when I do, someone will almost always ask me why I don't just ask for directions; my answer is always the same, "Pirates do not ask for directions. They rely on gut instinct, a compass, or a treasure map."  Happy plundering...!





(for more photos of the 2012 Pirate Fest, click here.)

Space Shuttle Discovery

The Space Shuttle Discovery was NASA’s third operational orbiter. Its name originated primarily from the British full-rigged ship HMS Discovery, captained by James Cook during its final exploration voyage of 1776. The spacecraft Discovery was first launched in 1984, and flew more missions than any of its sister shuttles by the time it was retired in 2011. Today, the Space Shuttle Discovery is displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia – just a few minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport. If you have an opportunity to see her in person, I highly recommend it. 

It’s difficult for me to imagine a national space program without these magnificent space machines, majestically taking-off and landing periodically, but times change and there are some very intelligent individuals in the space program who I’m sure know better than I. So, in my own small salute and tribute to the many years of wonderful and astonishing memories from the Space Shuttle Program, here are a few of Space Shuttle Discovery’s many notable accomplishments:

- Discovery completed 39 successful missions in 27 years.
- Discovery flew 149 million miles and completed 5,830 orbits.
- Discovery spent a cumulative total of 365 days (1 full year) in space.
- Discovery was chosen for the “Return to Flight” orbiter in 1988, after the 1986 Challenger disaster.
- Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990.
- Discovery is the first American spacecraft to carry a Russian into space (1994).
- Discovery carried 77 year old Mercury astronaut John Glenn, back in to space in 1998, making Glenn the oldest person to have ever gone into space.
- Discovery carries the first Spaniard to ever travel into space (1998).
- Discovery was the first shuttle to dock with the International Space Station (1999).
- Discovery was chosen again for the “Return to Flight” orbiter in 2005, after the 2003 Columbia disaster.
- Discovery was the first operational NASA space shuttle to be retired (2011).

(for more photos of the Space Shuttle Discovery and other aircraft at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, click here.)