Thursday, May 26, 2011

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker’s Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

Think that lumbar support chair and framed photo of your family make your cubicle a pretty nice place to work? Then check out Mark Parker’s office. Try to control your envy. The Nike CEO is an avid art collector and has been with the Swoosh for 30 years, which has led to this extensive portfolio of sneakers and Nike-inspired pieces. If this isn’t motivation to move on up, what is?

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

A Look Inside Nike CEO Mark Parker's Office

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Unbelievable Nikon custom rig for capturing insects in flight

 Fotoopas unbelievable Nikon custom rig for capturing insects in flight

 Fotoopas unbelievable Nikon custom rig for capturing insects in flight

 Fotoopas unbelievable Nikon custom rig for capturing insects in flight


Here is a list of used equipment and settings:



  • Camera Nikon D300.

  • ISO 100.

  • Manual bulb mode limited at 60 sec to avoid noise.

  • Camera set at 14 bit resolution, RAW mode.

  • Macro lens, AF105/2.8D set at F16 or F22 manual on the lens (camera can’t drive this due to the external shutter).

  • Burst mode set at 2.5 pictures/sec if detection stay active and I hold the start button down.

  • SB-29-S flash manual at 1/32 power, both sides active.

  • SB-80-DX flashes at 1/64 power, but level can change over 6 steps (1/3 EV steps) via knob on the frame.

  • Balance set neutral or +3B-3 to -2B+2 in 6 steps.

  • Max IR detection delay 120 usec (0.12 msec).

  • Detection lens: AF60/2.8D macro.

  • Photodiode BPW41N with integrated band filter.

  • Detection controller: AVR Attiny45.

  • 2 IR lasers pulsed 980nm 20 mW at 30 us ON,30us OFF.

  • Central controller: MAX II CPLD board Terasic, current 150 mA.

  • 2 Visible 10mW green lasers to align the D300 camera, pointed to the same virtual focus point.

  • External shutter pulse duration: 3.0 msec.

  • External shutter voltage start at 70V, end at 56 V (due to the capacity tank).

  • AVR Attiny26 controller to control this 70V shutter voltage and monitor the battery voltage.

  • External shutter lag 3.3 msec.

  • Flash delay set at 3.5 msec (200 usec later, to be sure the shutter is always full open).

  • When external shutter is open all lasers are disabled (not to be visible on the picture).


The results are stunning:


 Fotoopas unbelievable Nikon custom rig for capturing insects in flight


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Nikon Collectible Cameras

F2A (Photomic) 25th Anniversary- Nikon USA presented this special edition model to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its establishment in the United States. 4,000 of this special edition was only made, only in the chrome finish, and has a silver plate under the shutter release with the inscription '25th Anniversary'. [In-stock, EX and LN conditions. Prices range $399-819. Find them here.]
F3P- The 'P' is for 'press', and is a special F3 version for photojournalists shooting in extreme climate conditions. The larger controls were created for easier use with gloves. It also has the greatest sealing against dust/dirt and moisture because of the elimination of certain features including the cable release socket, self timer, multiple exposure lever, viewfinder blind, and back cover locking lever. The F3P has an additional film pressure roller and improved rubber seals. This model also has a taller shutter speed dial, modified meter switch, and a hot-shoe contact on the prism. [Multiples in stock with different back and motor options. Condition and prices vary. Find them here.]
F3 Limited- Similar to the F3P (above), this camera appeared only in the Japanese internal home market in 1993, with an addition of about 2,000. Has a HP titanium-coated prism housing, higher-profile shutter speed dial, a hot-shoe contact attachment, a fixed Type B focusing screen, a splash-proof shutter release (without cable release screw thread). The viewfinder blind and multiple exposure lever features were also eliminated from this model. [In-stock, LN condition, $1599. Find it here.]





FM2/T Titanium 1994 Year of the Dog- This special edition camera is one of the rarest since the edition was only 300 cameras. This camera was not offered to Nikon dealers as a regular product, and was produced in the Chinese Year of the Dog, which was 1994. [In-stock, LN condition, $2999. Find it here.]







FA Gold/ FA Grand Prix '84- A special version of the FA plated with 24-carat gold with a high-quality lizard leather covering. The FA was voted 'European Camera of the Year 1984', and so the camera was produced to commemorate this honor. 500 were made. Comes with a 50mm F1.4 AIS lens. [In-stock, EX condition, $1539. Find it here.]



FM2 Millennium Limited Edition, Year of the Dragon- 2000 of these were made commemorating the new Millennium Year 2000. 2000 was the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which represents fortune and good luck. The camera has a Chinese dragon illustration under the FM2 marking on the front and is also marked with 'Year 2000' on the back. The camera comes with a matching Nikon 50mm F1.4 AIS lens. [In-stock, EX+ condition, $849. Find it here.]







F5 Limited/ F5 50th Anniversary NPK- In 1998 Nikon introduced this special version F5 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the first Nikon 35mm camera. Production of these was limited to 2000 units. The early Nikon lettering style (of the Nikon I) is used on the front of the finder. On the back is the old 'Nippon Kogaku' trademark logo with '50' below it. The camera is black and gray. (This is the only auto-focus camera from all of the above). [In-stock, EX condition, $889. Find it here.]

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Presentation Skills 101 by GioDati Part 1

Not so long ago, I was part of a very large company, enrolled in a Management Program - I was a Trainee in the World of Opportunities.

Large companies usually tend to spend quite a lot of money on educating such talents, hiring various consultancy firms or professors from well known universities. The same was a case in my story.

To Keep the long story short, I will get to the point of this post and say that I want to share my experience about Presentations, how to prepare them, what to say and what not to say, etc. Representatives from Percepti Global International gave us a full day class about it, presented in front of us, watched us present, shared detailed feedback, recorded everything on the camera and let us watch it on tape. This was a lifetime experience in terms of developing proper presentation skills.

So to beging with, let's talk about the Introduction.

The introduction IS difficult - It might take as much time to prepare a good introduction as the main party but it's worth it as you need to impress the audience. Make sure that it's not too long, you want to impress people and get to the point as soon as possible.

Some suggestions would be to:

  • Appeal to the audience's curiosity
  • Tell a relevant short story
  • Begin with a specific illustration or visual
  • Use an exhibit
  • Ask the Audience a provocative question
  • Start with a shocking fact
Some suggestions on what NOT to do are:
  • Don't tell jokes
  • Don't say "I am happy to be here" unless your body language sends the same message
  • Don't apologize
  • Don't turn the lights out (people might fall asleep)
  • Don't read off the visuals or from a script
Defining Objectives.
Your objectives must answer these questions: Why are we here? Why is it important & What is in it for the audience? When the presentation is over, what do you want the audience to do? to say? to believe or to remember? What is the purpose of presentation? to persuade or to inspire? to inform, instruct or enterntain? Remember that the audience needs a reason to listen to the presentation, something that has to  important for them.

Speech Anxiety
There are 4 main things you have to keep in mind in order to get rid of your speech anxiety, but still every good speaker has had it and still has speech anxiety, so thte key is not to get rid of it but to focus it constructively:


  1. People want you to succeed - All audiences want speakers to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They don't want you to fail
  2. Don't Apologize - If you mention that you are nervous or apologize for any problems you thing            you have with your speech, you will only call attention to it
  3. Turn Nervousness into Positive Energy - Transform your nervous energy into vitality and enthusiasm
  4. Gain Experience - Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. 
Not to make my post very big, I decided to split it up, so let this be Part 1 and I will soon post Part 2, where I will discuss Presentation plan, core message, timing & agenda, visual aids, conclusion, etc.

Stay Tuned!
GioDati

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Humorous T-shirt Designs T






Balloon Ecosystem




Bat Mobile




Bat Stairs




Batteries not Included




Captain Baghead




Cashed Up




Cheeseburger




Crash Simulator




Double Opportunity




Dukes Vacation




Efficiency




Fish House




Funny Furniture




Glass Test




Healthy Eating




Le Fortress De Sofa




Lift Home




Mistaken Identity




Murder Weapon




No Watering




Paper Prey




Plastic Platoon




Pocket Knife




Pool Attack




Ransom




Ruined




Shotgun




Sunburn




Useless




When Animals Attack