GT5 - Prologue

Gran Turismo 5 - Prologue.

I got this game for the PS3 from my brother a while back and at first it wasn't quite what I expected it.. Unlike the earlier generations (GT2) where you could overly power a car up (Pikes Peak - 1000HP car on a 1000lb frame.. hmmm) this version is based on real cars and the only tuning one can do is basic HP addition (no buying parts like massive Stage 4 turbos), downforce and traditional racetuning once you're in S class. Once I got into it the game is quite fun and challenging. I basically had 3 cars that got me though the whole game. the Subaru WRX for class C/B, the Viper/tuned for B/A/S and then the S2000 for the really hard S class races (S10 for instance).

I did fairly well and got first place in almost all races except a few, namely S10 which took me quite a few hours and painful frustration to get 3rd. How did I do it? well I used my Logitech G25 racing wheel, the S2000 and basically gave as much traction as possible and tried to keep the HP up as possible while under the 750 point limit (I added an extra 10% weight). This didnt make me scream past everyone, in fact it was a bit slower on straights... BUT it did take control of the windy track very well! For anyone who races this event all I can say is use the S2000 since it has the best overall control of most cars (doesn't loose traction or spin out easily) AND take it slow/steady though corners! The first lap I passed 4 cars (out of 16), pass 2 in the second lap (out of 5), 3rd lap passed 1 and 4/5 lap is where you finally catch up with the rest of them. To me it seemed that by not powering though corners (power slides, going crazy fast and burning rubber) makes the AI run slower, like the S10 is trying to teach you to go slow and steady to get the super class license. I spent many hours pounding cars up with 700HP and couldn't pass 13th place or over power any car but as soon as I slowed down and took corners.. well smoother I was passing people fairly easily. It also helps if you have a real wheel instead of thumbs and fingers for throttle/steering.

(FYI, I bought the Ford GT test, Lotus Eclis 111/tuned(CRAP IMHO) and a few others that online forums suggested, the Ford GT is a MR car and can easily spin or slide corners which can work well if you really know exactly when to brake and turn. I was able to do this and did very well for a few laps (passing 6 in first lap) but with that risk of sliding, once you hit the dirt slightly or just overdo a corner slightly you're done for it, same thing with the Eclis or any other MR car).

Now that I have the S-class license the F2007 (Formula car) is quite something! Dont expect to use this for any of the S-class races since the min point is around 920 but it's sure fun to lap everyone in the other classes >:)

Pinout?

No it's not a crazy game or anything but something very useful online for those who hack devices :)

http://www.allpinouts.org/index.php/Main_Page

The wiki gives pin connection (and sometimes schematics) of devices that could be useful for other things! Imagine, you can hack the ps2 controller to use for a remote control robot or finally figure out that connector for your wide & annoying cell phone... or if you have a o-scope and schematic drawer you can make your own pinout and help others. Sadly I don't have an o-scope :(

The Wedding

I was recently presented an opportunity to photograph a wedding as being the 'Pro'. Well suffice to say this really was my first time in such a situation. Being the prepared type I researched the where/when aspect and places. This proved to be very useful in that the restaurant where the wedding/reception was held in is a dark place, luminosity wise that is. Given that it was darker than what is desired I knew the flash would be utilized 100%... so pack tons of AA batteries! To my surprise I didn't do a single replacement :)

The gear that I had sufficed and 'did the job' though when compared to someone who does this as a profession it probably sucked, either way I was more than happy to help out with the photos :) On me I had a Canon and Nikon camera, 50/1.8 and 28-70/2.8 (or something close in zoom range). I used the Nikon mostly due to the nature it had a 12MP sensor and a good wide/narrow lens with wide aperture. The aperature is key for weddings from what I understand, not only does it let in more light but makes portrait like pictures work well by blurring surrounding objects (aka depth of field).

For advice I asked my brother for some help as he, in my opinion, takes MUCH better images than I do. He gave me some great pointers such as shoot in manual mode and keep the aperture as wide as possible. I did this and the feel of the picture shifts dramatically, something like that in a fantasy. Amongst other pointers he gave I feel the job went well in comparison if I just went and took pictures. Hats off to my bro for his help!

Here's some snaps from the wedding (all un-edited!)
This picture was taken by a good friend, Erica, and I'm thankful since I was the photographer :) I'm sure others got images of me in action that I'll never see but none directly show off the massive hunk of a camera I was holding. You can also get a sense on how dark the room was, notice the lights are easily visible while the background is very white (that goes to a much brighter room with skylights). And if you're wondering.. yes I was very warm in that suit!
Here's a setting of the rings and the bouquet that the bride carried. The rings were carried by young cousins of the family.
The Bride and Groom, congrats to Nick and Ann!

Those are just some sample shots. I cant really upload all 600+ images, some good and some bad. They are posted on Nick's Flickr account.