Robot sheep dogs question???

If they are making robot sheep dogs, does that mean they'll be making robot sheep? And if so will we get wire wool from them??????

Robot sheepdogs

Poor old Sheps days are numbered, robot sheepdogs are set to replace him. For the last 2 years scientists have been monitoring sheepdogs with GPS trackers. they now say they understand the way the dogs round up sheep and could program robot sheepdogs to do the same job more efficiently.
Bad news Shep, when you see the farmer get his robot sheep delivered, you might want to hide his shotgun!

File sizes are getting daft!

I saved out a .Tiff file last night as part of an action I'm doing in photoshop, I moved it this morning and it seemed a bit slow to move, so I checked the file size.   347mb, for one picture of a brides face!  Hells teeth, I've got about 1100 more pics to go, thats about half a hard dive full.    Time for a rethink on the action.

Torch review update

It's been a few months since I did the torch reviews so I'll update it slightly.
Well which torch did I end up carrying? 
The main torch will still be the refracter I reviewed a few months back, super bright and well made, it throws a good beam a long way.  The surprise entry however was the cree XML T6, this small pocket torch gives an incredible light for it's size. It's also got a great spread of light, totally ideal for finding your way around in total darkness, you can easily see the side paths and overhanging branches no problem.  To be honest I could live with just this torch easily.... But I do like to have a back-up.....

Cree XML T6

Inbetweeners 2 (film review)

Now I'm not really a fan of the series if I'm honest, but lots of people were saying it was good so I gave it a watch.
Lots of sexual jokes and references, with the same lads as the series (as far as I could tell) not a film to watch with an elderly aunt present.
Was it funny?   Yes actually it was a lot better than I expected, with send up's of things like Harry Potter, I found my self laughing out loud a lot.  Watch the background to see other stuff going on as well.

Waynes rating 7/10     I had a darn good laugh and it's not really my style of humour.

Cyber moth

North Carolina state university have developed a "cyber moth" they can control the moth by a sort of remote control.  They say (and I quote)  that they plan to use the moths in search and rescue applications.
Personally I see a few snags in the plan, moths don't normally carry a lot of weight, and secondly even if they manage to rescue anybody won't they eat the persons clothes first?
But by far the biggest flaw in the plan is many search and rescue operations involve a fire of some sort (plane crashes /earthquake etc)  once the moths sees the flames they've had it, the entire search and rescue team will be flying around and around the fire......   Time for a rethink guys, and pick something a bit bigger next time....Butterflies maybe?????

Doctor Who (update)

I've just realised the Doctor Who I watched last night on the big screen is different to the one shown on the BBC, my version had extra footage not shown on tv.  Worth all that traveling then!

Peter Capaldi and the tardis in the episode Deep Breath.

So much for British justice.

Philip Janks was jailed this week for 33 months for 'stealing' the film fast and furious by filming it in the cinema, yet couriously Yasmin Thomas with 17 previous convictions of assualt only recieved a suspended 12 month sentance for 'glassing' a man in a pub.  
 We really haven't got the priorities right in this country have we!

Not the sort of day I expected

Well today turned out very strangely!  You see I was planning a quiet sort of day for today, yesterday was a longish day, so I thought I'd follow it with a quiet one, and catch up on a few things that need doing around the house.
Sadly my life isn't really my own any more, I seem to spend more and more of it either being a sort of one man Samaritans organisation, or more often being on call to deal with everybody else's problems.
Today started with a dash to Neath and finished with me trying to film Dr Who in a darkened cinema (with the staffs consent)  Dr Who was trying to turn off the cinema lights with his sonic screwdriver, and he did as well.
I then got to watch the new Doctor Peter Capaldi in his first episode on the big screen.... even better it was for free!

Now I wonder when I'll get a quiet day.... When I'm dead probably, nobody seems very keen on the idea of me having a quiet day when I'm alive thats for sure.

Lucy 2014 (film review)

IMDb "A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic."

Lucy, played by Scarlett Johansson changes after a drug overdose, she unlocks more of her mind with amazing results.
The film gets off to a good pace quickly, and from then on in there's a fair amount of action and some pretty good special effects (as we've come to expect) the film keeps up the excitement right until the end, and it's not the ending I expected.
All in all a cracking good romp.

Waynes rating 8/10   worth a watch on the big screen

Classic Hollywood glamour look

I fancied doing a pic with the classic Hollywood glamour feel to it, yesterday I got the chance to get a pic that would work for that style.
The original looks was all done in camera with a soft focus filter over the lens, mines done in photoshop.

New weapon in war on extremism!

New weapon in war on extremism.  Home secretary Theresa May gets tough, she's bringing out the big guns in our war on extremism!  No more Mrs nice girl!    Yep it's all over for the terrorist extremists!   
Theresa May want to bring in....... ASBO's for the extremists.  I kid you not, you couldn't make this shit up could you!.   
ASBOS or anti social behavior orders were brought in by Tony 'we need a war' Blair in 1998, since then they have had a somewhat troubled past, the last figures I could find (2012) said over 70% had been breached.  So hardly the most effective answer to terrorism.
I can see the terrorists running for cover, throwing away the AK47, tossing aside the machete, ripping off the suicide bomb vest in terror of getting an ASBO!
Lets be honest, ASBOS didn't work against 12 year old kids for riding their bikes without lights, what bloody fool thinks an extremist will take any notice?  Well it seems the bloody fool is Theresa May for even suggesting the idea.
I suspect Theresa Mays chance of being prime minister needs something a bit tougher on terrorists than a bit of paper......  How about a .50 caliber bullet through the forehead!   They probably won't just ignore that anyway.

A few sunsets from the other evening.

Nobody should shop in Tesco's Port Talbot

Nobody should shop in Tesco's in Port Talbot.  No really!  I went in there today for a few bits and pieces as I was passing, and it's mental in there!

The nutter count was off the scale!    How so many crazy people can gather in one place outside of an asylum baffles me.
I don't understand why Tesco allow it, it's putting the proper shoppers off and the nutters simply don't buy anything.  I watched one man walk around the shop with his arms out at his sides like airplane wings, I mean WTF?   Nobody could pass the idiot and he certainly wasn't shopping, I couldn't resist telling him gliders were in isle seven.

But seriously, as a shopping experience it's close to putting your head in a vice and tighting it, not fun at all, frankly I can feel my blood pressure going up as soon as I go in. 
Tesco need to move on the people just standing around talking or staring into space (they are not buying anything) and secondly they need to move the clumps of people away from the outsides of the check-outs, they've alread bought so need to piss of and make room for those who are trying to bag their shopping, the morons just get in the way. 

Come on Tesco please do something, it's really grim in your Port Talbot shop, and it's not just me saying it either, most normal people I speak to say the same.

Five in one photographic reflector

I treated myself to a birthday present by buying one of these 5 in 1 photographic reflectors.  Now I've had a plain white one for years, a proper Lastolite one.  But I used a gold reflector the other week and really liked the effect, so I treated myself.
The reflector is about 3 x 4 feet so a decent size, the way it works is the inside springy bit is translucent, so it softens the light (or you can shoot a flash through it)  then the zip on cover has white, silver, gold, and black (to kill reflected light)  Ok the quality is cheap but it works fine, and I don't use a reflector all that often anyway, and it's easy to lose these things, I've seen them blow away in the past, and at under a tenner I won't loose too mcu sleep if I loose or break it.

The courious case of the early fireworks.......

Yesterday (my birthday) was also a walk for the Macmillan nurses charity, we'd originally planned to do the walk and have a picnic after and watch the fireworks display at the end, sadly my back was just too bad, and Shirleys foot was also too bad for the 10k walk, although the boys were fine with it.
So we switched to plan B, always best to have a plan B, and CDEF and G for that matter.

Anyway plan B was to walk the few hundred yards from a parking spot to the old Margam abbey which overlooks Margam castle and the fireworks display. Which is what we did, we took our picnic, some flasks of tea and a bunch of torches, and went and chilled out.

Now I haven't been out in the countryside in the pitch dark for a while, but it's still magic to see the bats ect.   Back to the fireworks,  the display was supposed to start at 10.oclock  sharp, the time the nurses come on duty or so the website said.... in fact it started at 18 minutes to 10 sharp, why the odd time I don't know, but luckly I'd set up ready.

Heres some pics of the firewoks and one I've called Dante's inferno (the steelworks) plus a slightly spooky pic of the castle itself at night..

Todays is my birthday

As well as being an old git, I came across some facts that I found ... well sort of interesting.

• I was born on a Sunday.
• My star sign is Leo.
• My birthstone is Peridot.
• My birth flower is Poppy.
• The season was Summer.
• I was born in the Chinese year of the Snake.
• The US President was Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican).
• The UK Prime Minister was Winston Churchill (Conservative).
• I am 61 years 0 months 0 days old.
• It is 364 days until my next birthday.
• In dog years I am 427 years old.
• I am 22,280 days old.
• I am approximately 534,732 hours old.
• I am approximately 1,925,033,521 seconds old.

Couriously The poppy is my favorite flower, and I like snakes, so maybe all this rubbish actually means something...   The jury is still out on that one.

Lowepro flipside AW400 update

After bit of fiddling with the layout in the bag I've now got two gripped bodies,  six lenses, my flash and a light meter, that lot added to the spare batteries and filters is fine.... well only one slight problem, the bag is now so heavy it's started to develop (pun intended) it's own gravitational field..... Bugger, now all I need is an assistant... or three.

US develop money sniffer to stop smuggling

The US have such a problem with currency smuggling from the US to Mexico that they have developed a machine that can "smell" money, the idea is border guards will use the machine to detect people leaving the US with currency on them.......  So that will be pretty much everybody then!

Jarhead 2 field of fire (review)

IMDb "Battle-scarred and disillusioned by the war, Corporal Chris Merrimette is put in charge of a unit whose next mission is to resupply a remote outpost on the edge of Taliban-controlled territory. While driving through the hostile Helmand province, a Navy SEAL flags down their convoy and enlists the unit on an operation of international importance: they must help an Afghan woman famous for her defiance of the Taliban escape the country. Without tanks or air support, Merrimette and his team will need all the courage and firepower they can muster to fight their way across the war-torn country and shepherd the woman to safety."

The film has little in common with the original jarhead other than the title (jarhead = US marine) And is filmed in Bulgaria, although the locations look pretty good.

Sadly for me the film didn't work, after the original Jarhead this was a poor follow up.  I never really engaged with any of the characters, and frankly there were too many mistakes. The small squad keep saying how low on ammunition they are, but still keep blazing away on full auto, the truth is they'd have been out of ammo in about 3 or 4 minutes right at the start of the shooting.  Even when they kill enemy soldiers (some with vehicles) theres no attempt to take the enemys weapons or ammo (or the vehicles for that matter) they just keep on with what they have and never run out of amunition.

Waynes rating   3/10   (don't watch if you enjoyed the original movie)

Robin Williams died today

The actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead today.
Williams started his tv career as the alien Mork in an episode of Happy Days, he was so popular a spin off series Mork and Mindy was made.
Williams was also famous for his stand up work as well as the many films he stared in. With Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting, Popeye, Dead Poets Society. The Fisher King, Peter Pan (in the movie Hook)  Toys, Mrs Doubtfire,and many other movies, including my favorite One Hour Photo.
Sadly like so many comedians and funny men he suffered from depression, his death is suspected to be suicide but may have been accidental.
Thanks for all the laughs Robin.

Lowepro flipside AW 400 (camera bag review)

The Lowepro 400 aw. 
The bag is a useful size without being too big, but it holds a surprising amount of kit inside.  The AW part means all weather, the bag has a built in rain cover in the bottom, it just pulls out and fits over the bag.  Does it work?  Yes actually it works really well, I was caught out in a heavy downpour yesterday and the bag and it's contents stayed totally dry (I was pretty wet though) 

That said the bag itself is pretty thick and well padded, it would take a fair time to soak right through even without the rain cover.

The bag has several pockets, some for memory cards and a big-ish pocket on the outside for filters, etc, not massive but enough for most people, theres also add on pockets for even more kit, although they are not included. 

The bag has a good tripod strap with a clever "foot" holder thingy to hold the tripod steady on the bag.  It also has a number of other straps and loops for ajusting ot hanging other goodies off.
The shoulder straps are well padded and have tons of ajustment, as does the waist belt.  Part of the strap system allows you to "flipside" the bag around to get at the contents while still wearing the bag, handy if the ground is muddy or wet.

But the best and cleverest part of the design for me is the way the bag opens, the main opening to get at your cameras is on the inside part of the bag (the bit that sits against your back) this means that people cant steal your kit out the back of the bag in a crowd, and an added bonus is if the zip should fail all your stuff wont just fall out on the floor while your walking along.

I can easily get two gripped bodies with lens on,  a flash, and 3 or 4 other lens in with all my spare batteries, cards, and some filters.

Heros and Villans (at Margam castle)

Heres some pics for the heros and villans si-fi event at margam castle today.

Dunraven beach model workshop evening.

To be truthfull I didn't actually get many shots of the models, I was fairly busy either holding the reflector or talking to various people, still towards the end I did take these few...

Some I fancied in black and white

Yesterdays pics part 2

A few pics from yesterdays day out.