5/28    Hey kngharv, you said "it's *IMPOSSIBLE* to make a good 6x zoom."
        http://csua.com/2002/06/16/#25111
        But Nikon and Canon came out with a 11X zoom. The 18-200mm.
        Ironic how times have changed eh?
        \_ You haven't justified that they are "good", only that they exist.
        \_ Tamron also has a 28-300mm.  Don't know if it's good though.
           \- i own an older version of this lens which i bought very cheaply.
              it's only useful for situations when you want to shoot
              something but shooting isnt a priority but other things
              are ... like not carrying multiple lenses, or not having
              to swtich lenses a bunch.  also it is a cheap way to get
              out to 300mm. they way i would phrase it is "a 10x is
              out to 300mm. the way i would phrase it is "a 10x is
              going to have a number of compromises".  this is pretty
              obvious if you understand the issues ... i.e.  it isnt a
              kngharv opinion but an engineering+economics statement.
          \_ soft when wide open, soft when zoomed. I also used the
             18-200mm VR. The VR is a joy, but the image quality really
             sucks at either end unless you're at f/8.0, which makes it
             useless at night time. In short, I hate using super zoom
             lenses, partly because I shoot mostly at night. Prime baby!

5/28    Reading camera posts got me curious about rangefinder cameras. In an
        era of DSLR, full automation, and instant digital imaging, why would
        anyone want to use a rangefinder camera? Why are Voitglander and
        Leica even making modern rangefinders when DSLRs are clearly superior
        in terms of lens selection and features?                -DSLR guy
        \_ Rangefinders are still more quiet, have less vibration, and are
           capable of higher sync speeds than SLRs.  -- owner of 3 SLRs
           \_ sync speed higher than 1/250? I find that hard to believe.
              \_ Rangefinders can use leaf shutters.  Most SLRs use focal-plane
                 shutters.  -- PP
                 \_ I thought most rangefinders out there (M6, M8.2, etc)
                    still use cloth shutter.
        \_ I think they are just trying to milk their "premium" brand
           good well.  There isn't much point of making rangefinder camera
           when you view things electronically.  By the way, same thing
           goes with DSLR.  If you are willing to give up optical finder,
           you could get rid of mirrors and pentaprism to make camera
           lighter, smaller, and quieter.  I think Olympus got one of those.
           it still called it a "DSLR"  but I really think it should just
           call it "DSL"  since there are no "reflex" involved.   kngharv

5/28    "China volcano may have caused mass extinction"
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090528/ap_on_sc/us_sci_volcano_extinction
        "WASHINGTON - A mass extinction some 260 million years ago may have
        been caused by volcanic eruptions in what is now China, new research
        suggests."
        It's all ChiCom's fault!
        \_ Please, that was during one of those dynasties.  Don't you know
           your history?
        \_ I am smart and read the New Yorker and it tells me that last
           mass extinction was caused by the Yucatan meteor

5/28    Is there anyone into martial arts here?  Is there any place in the
        East Bay for kids to learn Wing Chun?  I live in Fremont and I have a
        5-year-old.  Thanks.
        \_ everybody wing chung tonight
           \_ Huh?

5/28    Washington Post Correction:
        The May 27 editorial "The President's Pick" incorrectly referred
        to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the daughter of
        "immigrant" parents. Judge Sotomayor's parents were not immigrants
        but were born in Puerto Rico after passage of a 1917 law that
        automatically conferred U.S. citizenship on island-born residents.
        \_ Suck it, bitches!
        \_ You cannot imagine how much I don't care.
           \_ which of course makes you an ignoramus. but you don't care, so
              shut up.
           \_ which of course makes you an ignoramus.
                \_ Not really.  I really do not care where Sotomayor's parents
                   are from.
                   \_ The correction wasn't about her parents. It was about
                      the misuse of the word "immigrant".
        \_ Tell that to Tom Tancredo.
         \_ Or Gordon Libby who is pissed that she speaks "illegal alien".
        \_ The Republican Party will implode in 10..9..8..7..