Apple, photos, uncategorized

Curves Adjustment Tool for Photos

Rick Mc

I’m enjoying experimenting with this way of editing photos in Pixelmator Pro. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. 

It does feel easier and more precise than other tools. 

Actually I start with the default Machine Learning quick fix. Move to Curves Adjustment IF I want. Finally I might tweak specific colours. 

This pic was much improved, for example, using Curves Adjustment. Cluttered, I played around to make the texture of the art work on the wall more 3D.

Here’s the photo before being uploaded to Instagram. The Instagram version is compressed. Lower quality.

I’m still using the Apple Photos app to move pics from cameras ➙ to folders ➙ to my Flickr master archive.

In fact, Apple Photos is a surprisingly good photo editor now. Less powerful than Pixelmator, but fast and easy for those I’m not posting online. It does have Curves Adjustment, as well.

In fact, Apple Photos has an Extensions tab where you can quickly pull up all the Pixelmator tools without opening that more powerful app. Cool.

economics, education, ethics, GOP USA, government, human rights, things getting better

Martin Luther King Jr in 2022

Rick Mc

Would King be happy with what’s happening in the USA?

The murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin has led to some improvements. Here’s what’s WORKING.

The phrase “defund the police” was always stupid. It should have been “reform the police“. Reallocate funding.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

cycling, hiking, photos, travel, video

DJI Mini SE Drone Test #1

Rick Mc

I tried and failed to fly a DJI Spark drone when it was released 2017. Did not once get it off the ground. It was a dead weight on my Patagonia trip that year.

In 2021 the (Mavic) Mini SE is their entry level model. CAD $349. … How long before I break it? 😀

I’ve either gotten a lot smarter — or their drones are much easier to operate now.

Click PLAY or watch the 1st flight on YouTube.

books, TV

Dalgliesh – season 1

Rick Mc

Excellent. Like many of the best British TV shows, the cast is very believable. Plots fascinating. And the actors look like real people, crooked teeth and all.

Dalgliesh is a crime drama TV series based on Adam Dalgliesh novels by PD James. 

Bertie Carvel stars as the titular character, an enigmatic detective–poet. …

It’s set in mid-1970s England. Thatcher times.

Dalgliesh in the books is dour, cerebral and private. A poet.

In this TV adaptation, to keep the pace lively he’s partnered with LIVELY colleagues.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

books

Zero Day by David Baldacci

Rick Mc

Zero Day (2011) is the first of the John Puller series.

An Army detective, Puller has been compared to Jack Reacher (sometimes unfavourably). A large, tough man, whose peak physical fitness is matched only by his intellectual superiority.

Puller is now working for the US Army’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID).

He partners in this tale with police sergeant Samantha Cole. An appealing couple.

I’ve often criticized Baldacci for his dumb over-the-top plots — and this one is dumb. BUT I do recommend this book. It’s entertaining. And I really got to like Puller and Cole.

First half of the book is far better than the rest.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

books, food

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Rick Mc

An ideal gift book for a teen who likes Harry Potter — and baking. 😀

But I actually enjoyed it.

Fourteen-year-old Mona’s magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

THEN she’s called on to save the city.

Author T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) has won the Hugo for past books. I’m not surprised.

Amazon

Apple, photos, product endorsements, things getting better

My 2022 Workflow = Notes & Notion

Rick Mc

Cooped up in my unheated garage WORLD HEADQUARTERS, I’ve been experimenting with BETTER ways to create NOTES and TO DO lists.

When on the run with only my iPhone, I’ll use Siri or jot down a quick note from the Lock Screen.

Click PLAY or watch how to edit the Lock Screen function to your phone on YouTube.

Once in a while I’ll take a photo (or scan) with my phone and save it as a Quick Note.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If I’m on my laptop and want to take a quick note, I’ll either use Siri — or move my cursor to the HOT CORNER of the display I’ve set up to launch the app. (That works even in full screen mode.)

OK … ALL those methods put my quick notes into a folder in the app called “Notes” via iCloud.

From there, I’ll file them into the best of the folders I’ve created. It looks like this right now.

Done. Notes will archive my brain farts.

Any of those whims that become ACTION PROJECTS I’ll move over to the NOTIONS app.

It’s much more complicated Project Management software.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

cycling, product endorsements

My Bike Helmet Mirror

Rick Mc

I’d always been a skeptic of helmet mirrors: Easily breakable. And WHY would I be riding in traffic?

BUT so far I’m quite happy with the EVT Safe Zone Bicycle Helmet Mirror:

  • quickly removable
  • looks very durable
  • adjustable with one hand
  • more relaxed with assurance about what’s coming up behind
  • easier to decide when to cross the road
  • 100% made in the USA

The largish mirror makes it easier to see what’s coming. But it’s nowhere near as good as a car mirror.

AND it’s quite expensive. About CAD $90.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.