Fun from a broken Camera
Often when a camera of my friend or a friend of friend has broken down,
that camera was brought to me to have it repaired or for me to have a fun.
But a compact digital camera, Canon Powershot G9 was dropped in the muddy
water and beyond the repair = so, I had a fun ! (and beyond. 🙂 )
The inside of the camera had, not only a water but also a lots of sand too,
hence like a lens barrel got stuck etc — rather hard to even disassemble
(not mention the rusted and stucked screws) — still, some of the parts were
survived well and still functioning ! The photo above was a 16 MP image sensor
and its left, pale green grass was a filter to remove the effect of Infra-red ray.
I think, this sensor is still usable though, what for ? —– Make yet another
imaging device ? = nothing creative = just buy a security camera would be cheaper.
This was an interesting device = rather early design (this camera appeared
on the market 2007) of the Image-stabilizer.
As you might know a projected image is upside down. So that, when the camera
was shaken down, the image would move upward. Therefore, if a part of the optics
in which carrying the image, which was already upside down was shaken down,
its movement cancelling the shake. = With this theory, Canon designed an
Image-stabilizing optics with rather heavy magnets and the driving coils.
—– The whole unit was suspended by 3 springs therefore, it’s bounce with
camera shake to the opposite direction = but as I said, the projected image was
upside down, the camera shake was cancelled. = It was a clever design though,
as its bounce was affected by the gravity, it wouldn’t be consistent with the different
positioning of the camera (holding the camera vertical or horizontal, or aiming
up or down may affect to sense the direction and a strength of the movement. )
In the device, orange colored mouth (eye ?) shapes were the electric coils to control
the movements of the magnets. (on the photo left, it was heavily rusted ) On the photo
right, round shaped component was a stepping motor to drive an Iris (F-aperture)
and this motor and Iris was working, I’ll use it somewhere on future.
The photo left, this is the back of the Image-stabilizer, and it’s showing
two drive unit for the shutter and the built-in ND filter.
And the center and right photos, they shows the last (4th) optical group before
the image sensor and this optics might be a focusing unit which was driven by
a stepping motor with a screw movement.
(I’m planing to make something with its fine and precise movement.)
The photo left, this was the first group of the optics or the front lens, and as a convex
lens, it would be used as a simple single glass lens. (Somewhat, 55 mm F2 lens. 🙂 )
The center photo was the second group of the optics which is acting as a concave lens,
creating zoom effect though, it seemed, those 2nd and the 3rd groups move together
with very complexed movement, it was not easy to say how zooming was done.
The photo right shows the grooves on the barrel, by which how each group of
the lens moves. (Small pin on the plastic barrel moves in those grooves = you see,
how those lenses were flimsy and fragile = one drop would destroy the camera and
it is cheaper to buy another camera than to repair (by replace the lens all together.)
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One broken camera provide quite useful components and the opportunity to
think “What could be designed and made out of those components” —– the game
of the creativity. So, it is a fun. ( —– without the cost !)
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Jazz at the Cafe
Every last Thursday evening of the month, at Small White Elephant Cafe
in Peckham, South London has a Jazz Night.
The music starts 8:00 o’clock evening till 10:00, and this night had Tris Harris,
the Drummer Trigger Finger with Les Booth the Bassist and a guest
Saxophone player, Adrian Northover. = naturally, it’s a collection of
Horne Musics — even down to Take Five !
——— The Drummer Tris Harris —– Bassist Les Booth —– and Adrian Northover
Taking the opportunity of the evening people having a party as well,
bringing their own party food and the drinks.
I like this kind of rather casual (not a snobby “Jazz club like” ) atmosphere.
To the owner, Dale, it’s a once in a month occasion — a bit of pressure though,
Don’t worry you can manage.
It’s an occasion for his friends coming down too. —– and it’s turned out to be
a small world. = The lady here happen to have her studio next door of Dale.
And I met her in the Immersive Cult party when she told me about this Cafe !
—– indeed, our world is pretty small. ( still, your world may be big 🙂 )
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Ai Music — What ? ? ?
This music said to have composed entirely by a computer. It’s mean, a computer
(its program) had its mind how to compose a music, in other words it was an
Artificial Intelligence to be a classic music composer in Bach’s style.
—– It’s pointless to talk about the music without listen it first. (So, ask your ears.)
Sound somewhat a part of J.S.Bach’s clavier collection —– though, what did you
find of this composition ? — In my feeling, I found this, very irritating to listen.
So that, it convinced me that how the man who composed the original
Well Tempered Clavier, Book one = J.S.Bach had human mind and a sensitivity.
I think, the mind was conceived phrase by phrase such as “I like this flower”,
“A is equal to B” or “As A was equal to B, therefore A plus B will be the amount
of twice of A” kind. So, the music expression has more or less the same structure,
whether it has a poetical dialogue inside of the composer or the description of the
landscape etc, in any case, each phrase, description etc is a complete packet.
They never drug the argument endlessly, as they ought to settle somewhere.
Yet, this “so called, Ai composed Music” has no such packet structure, but just
continuing on and on for the sake of making it to the length. How irritating !
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—– My guess is, that the man who programmed this so called Ai, just made an
algorithm “What most likely choice of a note after the note, according to the
statistical tendency of J.S.Bach” not the artificial emulation of Bach’s Mind.
Music is not a permutation of the note, but the emotional phrase induced by
a musical language. —– Language need to have a structure and the words.
They are not an endless line of alphabet.
I don’t mind if this music was played to a computer, but human ear is not a machine.
If you like to follow this Ai story, the link was :
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Hoben (方便) / Upaya — (2)
Most of the books I refer to, are I brought from Japan and unless I need to find
the English word, I do not look into Wiki kind. —– So, I tell you the truth,
until few days ago, I didn’t know that there a Sanskrit word for Hoben (方便), Upaya
existed. In Japan Hoben is a widely used word spread out of the Buddhism,
which has an extended meaning of “convenient mean” or “easy alternative” kind,
and the original Buddhist context was masked by those common usage.
Lord Buddha’s witty teachings, which was timely and suit to the occasion, or to
the person speaking to, is a well known stories, hence those witty talk style has
been adapted by the Zen talk, or even by the children’s comic book “Ikkyu-san”.
As its casual use became so common, we almost forgotten it had a Buddhism origin.
—– So that, to find this word, “Upaya” really surprised me, not because of its
meaning but the attitude, the ancient monk did created a dedicated nickname for
Lord Buddha’s talking style, yet still, they couldn’t find the meaning of
Lord Buddha’s silence.
[]
Do you talk about the prostitute or prostitution in public ? I don’t think you do.
It’s a dirty talk and officially, it’s not exist in your life. And if it’s not in the society,
neither a word prostitution exists. It’s mean, even if anybody asked about it, you
can not understand what it mean nor able to answer.
To Lord Buddha, talking about Atman or Self never happened, because no such things
of the Self exists and to talk about a thing which is not exists was nothing but a
delusion and it is a dirty talk. Because of it is not exists and as he doesn’t have, it was
no use to make a question about the Self or its reincarnation to him, because
he wouldn’t answer anyway, since even no word, no notion was there.
= This was the reason why, to those questions, there was no answer from
Lord Buddha at all.
[]
And when the teaching was related to the Self, there was no explanatory words
but to show the practice which would lead to the “Selfless State of the mind” —–
or just to give a smile, otherwise (if you can’t get it), the excommunication.
(This was the reason why no explanation of “No Self” was in the scripture.
—– either it was omitted because of the conflict with the Hinduism or it couldn’t
be written down because, no such things like a Self exists.)
(In Buddhism, especially in Zen, there is nothing between Yes and No.
Yes mean 200% commitment but if it was No, even a word No itself is no longer exist.
= it is not a denial or even an argument but a total erasure = the subject, the matter
is completely disappeared. = hence no psychological conflict.
When no-self, there is even no subject, who is thinking the matter.)
___/\___
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HOBEN (方便) / Upaya — in Buddhism
In one before previous post, “Why live”, the author of the book Dr. Ogoshi was
saying that the Hoben (方便) (upaya = Sanskrit) = the mean or way (to lead others to
the Enlightenment) as the vital part of the human relation therefore that makes
the Reason to live.
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Among the religions, the only one asking the followers “to understand (the matter)”
is the Buddhism. All others need just believe what was said or written.
With this reason, only the Buddhism having a notion of Direct transmission or
Hoben/upaya and the Pathway. All those are just the mean and the process. —–
Why those mean or process was talked about, but not the goal itself was = that
because, the goal couldn’t be explained, even if anybody knows. Because, it is Void.
Indeed, it’s a funny religion and the strange deal = on the end, you may get the Void
at its best. If it was short of best, you get nothing. Get nothing, yet even if you did
the best, get Void ! —– How Fantastic ! ! !
( at least the another religion is promising the heaven or paradise kind of good deal!
— whether it was fraud or not in the eyes of Advertising Standard Authority.)
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In the famous Kisa Gotami story, what she was instructed was to obtain the
mustard seeds from the house never had bereavement. — After knocking all
the doors in the village, and running all the day, she was convinced that the
bereavement is the truth of human existence. —– The advice of
Lord Buddha, “To save the dead child, it need to get the mustard seeds” was not
necessary true though, the action she took, definitely brought her the enlightenment
and helped her to overcome a sorrow of the lost child. —– And to give such a good
advice and lead the person to get enlightened IS the Mahayana Buddhist duty.
(It must be much harder to enlighten the other. Who got the brain of
Lord Buddha, in this world today ? ! )
___/\___
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PS: In the mainstream Buddhism, Kisa Gotami’s story
was understood only as a sample of Hoben shown by
Lord Buddha. But, what I’ve been talking about is, its contributory effect of
“Repeating Actions” (running and knocking all the doors next by next) to her
brain function. = (Repeating input to the brain lead the apathetic response =
input would be handled emotionally detached = this is all about
the Buddhist’s practice and the VOID in the mind.)
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Fake Lens ? ? ?
While looking for the items in the ebay, I found a small article “How to spot
the fake Nikon lens” by gmek111 in which, they says 7 points to check — but
in fact, it was try to sell their App. —– Think about the “Fake camera lens”
—– on the market, there are thousands of the cheap camera lens though,
I never heard of such as Fake Nikon or Canon lens kind.
[]
In the world, one particular county is notorious for their fake products —– in fact
80% of counterfeits in the world found to be coming from there. And in there,
such as cooking oil made out of fat from the sewage has been sold and so on, the list
of the scandals were endless. And their cheap products such as the netphone of
Shaomi sold very well and eating away Samsong’s share. —– Yet still, its screen
was made by Japan Display, camera sensor was made by Sony etc etc = more than
60% of the component inside were imported from Japan = they can copy the product
using the same components imported from Japan = but they don’t have the
technology to produce those components by themselves.
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You might have seen a cheaper Memory Card from that country —– half price for
128 GB kind = do you know, only 5 companies in the world having such nano
technology and non in china. —– So, where those cheap memory came from ?
When those electronic component were produced, there always defective reject
found on the test, which goes to the bin — somebody pick-up those from the dump
and sorting them for such as the one, 90% of memory is still usable —> make a package
and the label then export. The device jump the address of dead memory = still usable.
It may have only 127GB, and due to register dead address and jump = a bit slow for
industrial use though, the amateur on the street wouldn’t notice on their camera. 😀
—– the reason of defect might be caused by the mis-process and the memory would
deteriorate further by its heat, then the photo would be disappeared next by next !
= on the market, you will get what you paid. There is no such things of good bargain.
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When Contax camera was produced in Japan, their “Carl Zeiss Lens” was said to
be made by Tomioka-kogaku — though, after the production of Contax camera was
ended, the rumor said that the Zeiss lens for other DSLR were made by Samyan.
(under license of Zeiss, using their design and microchip — in fact I have one, but
that one says “Made in Japan” and the other rumor says, it was made by Cosina.)
(But I couldn’t find where “Zeiss lens” for Sony camera was produced now.
—- of course, optical part of Sony was former Minolta, they got own production line.
And Minolta was the inventor of the Auto-focus system, = they got top technology.)
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To make a fake Rolex watch is easy = it’s a matter of making a copy of its outer case and
put a cheap moving-unit inside. = it shows the time, therefore not much trouble to sell.
Similar situation was such as a fake computer HDD — inside may have just a SD card.
Though, to make “Convincing, working copy” of the Nikon, Canon lens is very difficult.
Those lenses are as sophisticated as the camera body itself. In fact, having a Zooming,
auto-focusing drive mechanism, let alone the tricky optical design =
It wouldn’t pay for making counterfeit. And to defraud the buyer, it doesn’t need to
make a counterfeit —– just show a real photo, then grab the money and disappear.
If the company has such technology and capable production line, the company would
do much more profitable business, instead of taking a risk to commit a police matter.
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So, the article in the ebay, “How to spot the fake” is just a scaremongering
only to sell their App. This article or advertisement itself is the fraud !
I buy small adapter, filter-ring kind, from ebay, but about £2~£7 of cheap products.
Because, I prepared to lose money = I never trust them. In fact, I never be successful
with the internet shopping when it was more than £50 price. — Ebay is having useless
“Claim system” — we need to report the transaction-code kind — Type-in — they says
“Code is wrong” — Type again “Code is wrong” repeating for ever. 😦 😀 😀
On the End, sake of security, pay a bit more in the shop would bring more peaceful life.
Ha ha ha.
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Why Live ? ? ?
[ —– 以上のように、名越さんはご自身が仰るように仏教の專門家ではない「門外漢」ながら、
お坊さんでも避けがちな問題に正面から取り組み、行や瞑想を実践することで気付いた
大乗仏教のあり方にまで思索を及ぼしています。大きな問いを掲げ、その具体的な
解決方法を述べつつも、最終的には身近なところからの方便の実践に尽きるという結論は、
お寺やお坊さんの社会貢献の必要性が叫ばれる現代において、非常に大切な視点であると
思います。ぜひ本書を手に、まずはとにかく簡単な行や瞑想を試してみて、そして少しずつ
方便ができるようにチャレンジしてみてくださいね。 合掌
http://www.higan.net/book_review/2015/01/whylive.html?utm_source=mm&utm_medium=245
[]
I’ve come across a small book review (as it was so small, I should say “introduction” )
of a book titled “Why live as we are going to die anyway” on a Buddhist’s website
called Higan-dera. Its article is small and only minute portion of the book was
quoted, (and I haven’t read the book itself) I may not to have enough source to talk
about —–still, what I noticed was, that despite the “review” was written by a
Pure-land sect monk, and the book was written by a psychiatrist/alienist doctor,
their understanding of the Buddhism were so casual and romanticized. =
May be the indication of the social/spiritual situation of Japan today.
= So much (too much) information of everything, hearsay they-say, stereotypical
idea (not necessary correct) saturating the society yet, non of the correct,
systematic understanding of the Buddhism was upheld.
[]
The author of the book, Dr.Yasufumi Nagoshi was deducing how individual was
connected to the human-network from a mandala drawing —– what a fancy idea !
Mandala was a symbolic depiction of the Buddhist’s idea of the world, created
2000 years or so ago, — still, long before any Mandala was drawn, human being
has been living in their network/society. —– or Nagoshi was try hard to make a point
“Human relation HAS to be in the Buddhist’s context” — was he ?
[]
It seemed, Nagoshi didn’t give the answer to the question “Why live” but telling that
the Buddhism is providing the Rules, the Practices, the Guidelines for the daily living
and through this daily life, we can connect to the others, and this vital helping network
makes the people to live and make their life living-worthy.
—– and a Pure Land monk, Jokun who gave this review seemed to have very impressed
by this view, as this human network is the way of the Mahayana Buddhism. —– sound
sweet though, still it didn’t make the answer. Obviously they two were talking about
“How to live” but didn’t aware, or know how and why we exist here.
Otherwise, the burst majority of the world population is living without good cause or
living-worthy reason. The reason why we live is not dependent to the romanticized
Buddhist’s idea but by the hard rational.
[]
So, Why live ? ? ? — the answer, which they should have given was, that We are having
the life which was given by the Dharma. (Mind you, since Dharma runs the Universe, it
covers non Buddhist as well. = Same as the gravity affecting anything any people.)
We didn’t ask or chose to exist. We exist neither by accident or random occurrence.
Our existence came from all the cause in the moment of the conception and all the
preceding condition of which the Buddhist calls Karma. So that, the one exists here,
was made by those cause and the condition = it was a rational consequence almost like
a direction. This direction can be seen almost like a will or the plan of the Dharma and
the reason why such direction created the Person WAS that there was a needs of which
the person to fulfil. = This on-going total system IS the Dharma. Law of the Universe.
—– It’s mean, we were here to fulfil the role. = it was not our free choice, neither we can
refuse or escape. Therefore we live, = we have to.
—– (So that, actuary to undertake the project, “to be me” = we need to find “who me”
and the role to play. This was the reason why “Self awareness” became crucial to be a
Buddhist — though, don’t mix-up with the “self conscious Ego”. —– the
difference is, the detached eyes to see the self or the self imposed imaginary self.)
___/\___
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Blinds and Elephant
Among the millions of metaphors human culture has, the one such as
“Moon and Pointing Finger” was known to be associated with Zen Buddhism.
A story of the Blinds and Elephant was too widely known and seemed to have
lost its origin. But this story/metaphor has Buddhist origin too, and this
metaphor was exactly about the Buddhists themselves, was forgotten.
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There are tens if not hundreds of the descriptions to explain Buddhism. Such as
Mushin, Void, Mindfulness, Middle way, Clear-eyes, Detachment, Impermanence,
Ichijo, Compassion, Dharma, Karma, Delusion, Contemplation, Enlightenment,
— etc etc. So that, the people whether believer or the outsider, they think that
there are many aspects, or the elements in the Buddhism which necessitates to
master next by next — though, it is the utter misunderstanding or misguided idea.
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Since those Notion and the Words were used to describe a state of the mind,
people were made to believe that such each state IS exists. = Just same as
one blind man told while touching its flapping ear saying “The Elephant is a
soft thin disk just like a nan bread” and the other said “Oh, it is a very thick
rubbery hose, like a vacuum car’s hose” etc etc.
—– The trouble to deal with Buddhism was, that the most of its phenomena,
state of the mind are in the subconscious of the person, hence it is invisible to
the people, even to the person himself. Inevitably, all those descriptions were
nothing but a guess work of the person, mixed with the hearsay. —– It’s mean,
a person who couldn’t even see the own mind speaking about the Buddhism, let
alone whether he himself had reached to the level to know what the Buddhism is.
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Typical sample of it in these days is, the fashion of “Mindfulness” even in a kind of
business lecture ! The most funny things about this word “Mindfulness”, there is
NO Japanese or Chinese word of this notion exists. = It was a western invention or
made-up —– probably, a sham doctor selling miracle portion kind of “Zen monk”
had used the word first, while having a misunderstanding that the Zen is “a kind of
concentration of the mind”.
If you know about the Zen Buddhism a little bit, you may know the word “Mushin =
Mind of no-mind” —– sound somewhat opposite of “Mindfulness” though, as a state
of the mind, those two is in-separable one. (and nothing like a concentration at all =
Zen is a completely relaxed, open, detached mind = hence No-mind / Void = in fact,
all those different explanations were about the same state —– the person who said,
didn’t know the real situation / state in his real experience — came from hearsay )
= So, it is clear, the person who is using a word “Mindfulness” is a person who is
pretending to know the Zen Buddhism, (and telling “It’s a hose of vacuum-car”) 😀
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—– A funny story in Japan is, one of the big University, Waseda Uni’ has a
student group called “Mindfulness Society” = obviously following a book (or two)
written by the westerner. —– Or, they might have learned that “Mindfulness is no
longer the Buddhism but New religion” = Cool western religion !
— What a hose. 😀
___/\___
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Soft Effect by Camera Shake
While experimenting the effect of the camera shake, I got the idea to use the old
images on the PC screen as a subject. (Give a shake to a screenshot.)
Shaking photography become an industrial scale —– and it’s much easier to give
a different way of shake in the room = hand-held or a tap on the camera, mounted
on a flimsy shaky tripod. —> It created pretty nice soft blurr. (Photo above )
On the screen, this was the original image taken by Zeiss 85mm F1.4 Lens.
The photo above, the soft effect was made by a free program Picasa. = It’s obvious,
a mechanical shake gives much more interesting effects. — and a fun !
Though, the screenshot having an inherent trouble to show the grid of the screen.
(If you enlarge this and next image, the grid would be seen.)
If there wasn’t a trouble of the visible grid, this was a rather pretty image. Pity.
(When right amount of the shake was given, the soft effect dissolve the line of grid.
Too much shake spoil the image but too little leaves sharpness and the grid too.)
There is a possibility to use the Image Stabilizer for an opposite effect =
make an image blurred ! (Though, it needs to hack-in to the control program
otherwise the lens has to be modified !)
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Camera shake
(This image above was shot by tri-color pinhole and 10 second exposure. )
Among the photographers in the net-sphere, Karen McRae of “Draw and Shoot”
must be the master shaker of the camera. Not only incredibly precise macro
photography, she covers fantastic landscape, some of them were mixed with
subtle camera shake, multiple-exposure, layard images etc.
(I strongly recommend you to visit her site and see them by yourself !)
Her effective use of camera movement for the sake of creative imaging, such
subtle blur of the image, showed not only the movement but also a
flow of the time, depth in our time and space =
even a feeling being in the spiritual infinity.
(I’ve been trying to learn and simulate her movement of the camera,
while calling them “Karenisque Photography” — I succeeded very little. )
(The trace of the light while camera has been shaken = 10 second exposure here)
( While try to copy the movement of her photo, I realised that she must have
exposed the camera even minutes long — with 10s of test shots if not hundreds.)
—– On her photo of ” lingeringlights 1.jpg ” = camera might be held and exposed
even 30 second long.
But, the use camera shake to the everyday objects, = it become clear, not only
the choice of the subject but also the lighting (weather / cloud) overall darkness
become crucial. —– otherwise, the photo become just a mess. 🙂
Karen’s use of camera movement was very complexed = not only the overall movement,
but also a combination of a follow-shoot (such as to keep aiming to one subject while
moving in a car) the background would be totally blurred but the aimed subject would
maintain less blurred image. = still, it’s just a technique.
The matter is the end result. = and she’s been creating utterly puzzling images. =
I couldn’t guess what she did it —– So, I described it a “Magic”. 🙂
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