Sunday, January 26, 2014

A Non Vancouver Motorcycle Show Weekend

What to do when it's the weekend for the Vancouver Motorcycle Show and you don't go.  I just didn't feel like driving 4 hours to Abbotsford, BC by myself when I had nothing to buy

Saturday morning found myself trying to find a way to unlock my Yahoo email account


It started a couple of weeks ago when I started to receive notifications from Yahoo that attempts were being made to access my account from the USA.  As I don't live in the USA, I doubt it was me.  I decided to ignore these messages even though I kept receiving them


I couldn't figure out why I hadn't received any Yahoo emails for a couple of days and then I received notification that my Yahoo account was "locked".   I wanted a way for others to contact me and for that I use either Yahoo or Hotmail.   It took a while but eventually Yahoo sent an ID code to my phone which I used to "unlock" my account and I had to reconfigure my Google Nexus 7 tablet and iPhone as this is what I generally use to read my emails.

Oh, before I forget . . . I found a link for some FREE  software which you may like.   You can either use it as a stand-alone application (Mac or PC), or it interfaces with other programs such as Photoshop.   Here is the  LINK    I am not afflicated with this Company and you can either use it or not use it but their FREE offer expires on January 28th and after that you will have to pay $99. US to try it out.   I follow a few photo forums and that is where I found  Perfect Effects 8  .  If you click on the link you will see what this program does.  It is full featured and takes the guess work out of many functions of Photoshop without knowing how to do them.

To take advantage of this FREE offer you have to click "add to cart" but the price will be Zero $0.00  You then fill out your email address and they will email you the activation code.  In their email there will be two download links to either download the MAC or PC versions

I wanted to do down to False Creek and snap a few panorama photos

    Canoe Bridge,  False Creek, Vancouver BC

I have always been drawn to this footbridge.  It is so photogenic


It seemed like a warm day.  It was about 11°c  (51.8°F)  and nearly shirt sleeve weather when in the sun, but it was cold in the shade

 
That's  BC Place  Stadium in the background and we are on the South Shore of False Creek


We also have very big birds in the area


and that's Science World in the background

and this is my first attempt at a full 360° spherical panorama.   Feel free to use the navigation tools to move around and zoom in and out

I'm having problems embeding the image so click    THIS LINK



27 comments:

  1. Beautiful pics! I almost swooned at the giant bird statue. I doubt you missed much at the show. They're always tempting to attend, but I usually find them far too crowded. Maybe because I am easily overwhelmed amidst chaos?

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    1. Kathy:

      I'm not that interested in exotic bikes and what I have gathered from the local bike forum is that there were not many deals on accessories with most trying to get rid of last years stock. I am not in buying mode right now so it didn't make sense to be sitting on bikes which I had no intention of buying, so I decided to go and take photos

      It was very "hard" light on Saturday. Deep shadows and harsh, you know what I mean. A bright cloudy day would have been better. We are lucky that the fog lifted. We couldn't take photos last week due to lots of fog

      Delete
  2. Man you got some big birds....careful to not be under one when it decides to "let go".....

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    1. oh, and thanks for the link, will check it out.

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    2. Dom:

      Check out those picture frames. You could never figure out how to do that yourself using Photoshop. I've tried and gave up. You could always register and get your activation code and decide later if you want to use it, but for the price, it is a good deal.

      Delete
  3. Nice pictures and the 360° pano came out really well.

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    1. Richard:

      I decided to order a proper Panorama Tripod Head so I can spin on the nodal point. I also decided to buy a proper program like PTgui. After all, it's my hobby and it keeps me busy. I am just trying to figure out where I can host these QTVR images so I can embed them, rather than upload to Photosynth. I'm looking for a free alternative, like Skydrive or iCloud but I'm not sure I can link to their URL. I cannot link with Google+ drive.

      I think my (free/included) provider gives me web storage which I am going to check into

      Delete
    2. QTVR as in QuickTime VR? I remember doing a bunch of them in the early days of the web for a campus tour.

      I really like the design of the pedestrian bridge. Pretty unique.

      Delete
    3. Richard:

      Technically, QTVR is dead. Apple has delisted it as one of their products but everyone knows what you are talking about if you mention QTVR, it is known simply as VR now.

      That bridge is neat. I like it too. It has a metal grating so you can see the water below, similar to bridges in Alaska

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  4. Lovely pics Bob! Now that is one giant bird, glad its a statue and not flying overhead - yikes that could be terrifying. Its funny I wasn't in the least bit interested in going to the motorcycle show this year. I figured not much has really changed and I like you am not in the market for anything new bike wise or gear wise. Instead I spent the day walking my dog in the sunshine and then watching movies.

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    1. Dar:

      There is more than one bird there. I thought of you. If you had come over, I would have picked you up and driven there but was not interested to go alone. I was thinking of getting another bike for my next trip so we shall see . . . either that or take my Beemer again.

      It was nice to walk in the sun. It felt warm but not in the shade

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    2. Wait a minute, getting another bike? I am curious…

      By the way, there is something black (?) on your feet...

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    3. Sonja:

      So glad you noticed my Merrell Barefoot style shoes. Zero Drop, like not wearing shoes at all. Very thin soles to feel the ground, not so good when it was -8­°c in December but okay to wear around freezing.

      I am taking one last, long bike trip so may consider a final new bike. Either that or fix up my Beemer. Nothing exotic, perhaps the new Vstrom DL1000, waiting for reviews . . . Getting ready to downsize to one bike. Right now I have a spare for visitors.

      Delete
    4. Bob's retirement bike. Hmmm Harley or Goldwing? Or maybe a trike!

      ;-)

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  5. Beautiful photos Bob!

    I would sure hate to see that bird flying overhead. . .

    Smooches,
    Sash
    www.SashMouth.com

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    1. Tina:

      I never mentioned it, but during my trip I had a big/large bird fly into me. Hit my helmet and there is a big scrape mark there. If these birds were real then perhaps they would swoop down and grab you with their claws and hopefully not let go . . . until they land

      Delete
  6. This looks like you had a better time than at the show anyway. Sometimes it gets boring to keep going to the shows. Same thing and unless you really something or there is something special there, its not worth the price most of the time. In any case, it was a beautiful day to get to that bridge to photgraph. Very nice indeed!

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    1. Kathy:

      It was nice to enjoy the sunshine and not be rushed. Gave me a chance to work on my panoramas. I wanted to go somewhere less crowded. Perhaps someday soon I will go to the Market and get some shots down there

      We are about half way through Winter and so far it's been a mild one for us. Our temperatures are nearly normal, not like the Arctic Vortex in the East.

      Your weather should be bearable this time of year. Hope you are getting some riding in, and that your back is feeling better

      Delete
  7. Bob you got the panorama nailed with the bridge...but what's with the guy in shorts and a tank at the edge? Let me explain, it's Canada and it's winter. There are no shorts, tanks or sandals allowed in January, ok? The rest of us get a little testy when we see what it's like out there and we're up past our knees in snow here.

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    1. Karen:

      It was about 50°F (+11°c) and felt very warm in the sun. I wished I had my shorts and sandals on too. Lots of people here wear shorts all year around and many exercise . . . We have had a mild winter so far but we are feeling sorry for those in the East with all your bad and freezing temperatures. We can only dream of snow as high as your knees

      Delete
  8. Thanks for the software tip. Perfect Effects is cool. It's like one of the myriad photo editing apps you can get on your phone. I've only played around a little bit, but it's fun. Just in time, too!

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    1. Kathy

      I'm glad you noticed it in time. It has a lot of options but I wanted to use the "picture frames"., They take a long time to do in PS, Using Perfect Effects just takes a click or two.

      AND, the price is right. I haven't played around with it either but it is installed and working

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  9. Beautiful pictures as always. Love the giant bird.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      thank you but when the scene is nice then the photos also turn out nice, not necessarily that I did anything except to point my camera in the general direction and then it did all the work for me. There are actually two birds. Another one was behind me

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  10. Hi Bob and belated new year greetings! Unfortunately, I don't manage to keep up with blogs at present but I did see that you bought a Sony RX 100 camera an were well pleased with it. On the strength of that, I've just ordered one from the USA which is a heck of a lot cheaper than in NZ! Just wanted to say thanks!

    Take care and happy travels,

    Geoff

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    1. Geoff:

      you're alive !! glad to hear from you. A little bird mentioned you may be making an appearance soon.

      The Sony RX100m2 is probably the best pocket camera available. Good IQ, nearly the same as M4/3's and can rival APS-C sensors in good light, and of course, you can put it into a pocket. I think you will like it.

      we have been missing you . . .

      Delete
  11. I'll never forget my first run on Hwy 50 on a WindJammer equipped Suzuki GT750 two stroke triple. With the big fairing I wasn't really aware of how much headwind the bike was bucking cruising along at 70 mph. When I ran onto reserve I still had about 40 miles to to to the next town and half a gallon to do it on. The sinking feeling hit me; " I'm going to be walking soon ". Just then a transport passed cruising along at 45 mph against the wind. I tucked in close behind (not recommended!!!) and I almost made it to the top of the last hill. A bit of huff and puff hoof and push and I coasted into town and up to a gas pump. Nothing like a little anxiety to print something forever on the mind.

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