Lights: Fenix L1D-CE, MiniMag
Me: well as long as you have it, I recommend you go have some fun with the light, compare it to minimag and whatnot
Mike: i already did
Mike: i opened the box
Mike: went "ick"
Mike: and closed it
Mike: and i used my blue minimag for about 2 hours today
Mike: one of 2 blues
Me: when the head is fully tightened it comes on at full power, half press strobes it. head loose, comes on low, half presses step through two more levels. go adventure with it
Mike: too fancy
Mike: it should have
Mike: on
Mike: and off
Mike: and patented adjustable beam
Mike: and candle
Mike: thats all i can comprehend
Me: if you want on and off, leave the head tightened down and just press the button on and off, dont do the half presses
Me: you wont even have to deal with the extra features
Mike: too fancy!
Me: press, on!
Me: press, off!
Mike: it has an integrated circuit
Me: easy
Mike: too FANCY
Me: pft
Mike: too FANCY FOR A FLASHLIGHT
Me: you'll never get to see how much better your minimag is if you dont compare em
Mike: i already know
Mike: a minimag is like a 1988 ford ranger 2 wheel drive
Mike: it just doesnt get any better
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Conversation: Mag 6D - The best flashlight in the world.
Mike: 2 hundred dollars!
Mike: for a FLASHLIGHT!
Me: yup
Me: now theyre gone so theyre expensive
Me: I got mine in the going to be gone sale
Mike: are they really better than 10 minimag leds?
Me: sure are
Mike: how could you need that much light!
Me: its not how much light
Me: its how well it controls that light
Me: and how well its all put together
Mike: patented adjustable!
Me: how perfect the beam is
Me: how the tint is guaranteed white
Me: it has a patented adjustable beam level
Me: I used mine tonight, on the 2.5 and 42 lumen settings
Mike: i have a minimag
Mike: it's blue
Mike: i paid 0 dollars for it
Me: how's its regulation?
Mike: FANTASTIC
Me: cool
Me: is it like this? [HDS regulation curve]
Mike: yep
Me: that's pretty good then
Mike: 6D's is better
Me: I'm sure it is
Me: it gets brighter during use right?
Mike: yea
Mike: its hyperbolic
Me: down then up towards the end? over and over?
Mike: infinitely fantastic
Me: so is that how you vary the output, just wait for it to hit the level you want?
Mike: it knows
Me: how does it know!
Mike: it uses a neural network to predict what output level i require
Mike: judging on previous uses and heuristics
Me: well that's pretty good
Mike: it's feed forward
Me: hm?
Mike: i'm not explaining it
Me: I wouldn't understand?
Mike: i only basically understand them
Mike: theyre crazy
Mike: and in their infancy
Mike: it means its outputs can be used as inputs to itself
Mike: so it essentially feeds itself with its old decisions to influence new ones
Me: you're saying it can learn and think!
Mike: yes
Mike: its how anything that resembles artifical intelligence works
Me: 6D is scary!
Mike: yea it knows what you want
Mike: thats how good the 6D is
Me: not bad for 20 bucks
Mike: 20.95
Me: I want one
Me: put 18 AAs in it
Me: jam an air raid searchlight on the front
Mike: why modify perfection?
Mike: thats like getting rims for your enzo
Mike: now like a surefire or a streamlight
Mike: i can see modifying those
Mike: thats like leaving your vw stock
Mike: you just gotta mod that ish
Me: my surefires roll just fine stock, aside from the occasional engine swap
Mike: for a FLASHLIGHT!
Me: yup
Me: now theyre gone so theyre expensive
Me: I got mine in the going to be gone sale
Mike: are they really better than 10 minimag leds?
Me: sure are
Mike: how could you need that much light!
Me: its not how much light
Me: its how well it controls that light
Me: and how well its all put together
Mike: patented adjustable!
Me: how perfect the beam is
Me: how the tint is guaranteed white
Me: it has a patented adjustable beam level
Me: I used mine tonight, on the 2.5 and 42 lumen settings
Mike: i have a minimag
Mike: it's blue
Mike: i paid 0 dollars for it
Me: how's its regulation?
Mike: FANTASTIC
Me: cool
Me: is it like this? [HDS regulation curve]
Mike: yep
Me: that's pretty good then
Mike: 6D's is better
Me: I'm sure it is
Me: it gets brighter during use right?
Mike: yea
Mike: its hyperbolic
Me: down then up towards the end? over and over?
Mike: infinitely fantastic
Me: so is that how you vary the output, just wait for it to hit the level you want?
Mike: it knows
Me: how does it know!
Mike: it uses a neural network to predict what output level i require
Mike: judging on previous uses and heuristics
Me: well that's pretty good
Mike: it's feed forward
Me: hm?
Mike: i'm not explaining it
Me: I wouldn't understand?
Mike: i only basically understand them
Mike: theyre crazy
Mike: and in their infancy
Mike: it means its outputs can be used as inputs to itself
Mike: so it essentially feeds itself with its old decisions to influence new ones
Me: you're saying it can learn and think!
Mike: yes
Mike: its how anything that resembles artifical intelligence works
Me: 6D is scary!
Mike: yea it knows what you want
Mike: thats how good the 6D is
Me: not bad for 20 bucks
Mike: 20.95
Me: I want one
Me: put 18 AAs in it
Me: jam an air raid searchlight on the front
Mike: why modify perfection?
Mike: thats like getting rims for your enzo
Mike: now like a surefire or a streamlight
Mike: i can see modifying those
Mike: thats like leaving your vw stock
Mike: you just gotta mod that ish
Me: my surefires roll just fine stock, aside from the occasional engine swap
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Post-Bright Eyes show
Lights: HDS B42XRGT, SureFire L2
It was probably about 3am on the morning of March 11, 2007, and Samy and I were back from the Port O'Brien/Bright Eyes show at the Great American Music Hall. We were staying in Oakland at Van & Cammi's apartment, sleeping on the floor of the living room with Liana and one or two other guys. Everyone else had passed out after a very long and hard day, but I—being the most accomplished nightowl, the most obsessive detail freak, and the only one who had not inhaled intoxicating smoke from burning leaves—was still up getting the night's gear stowed and preparing for bed. I was able to do this very silently, except I found that I needed to turn my light on and off quite frequently for some reason, and the polite click of my B42 turned into an obnoxious crack when echoing through a dead silent room with wood floors. After a few embarrassed and silently apologetic clicks were needed, I gave up on the clicky switch for the sake of the others sleeping all around me and switched to my SF L2 with red filter. So this is actually more a story of a light failing to provide what was needed and being replaced by another. I record it here for the memory more than the story.
At the show itself, I carried only the L2. I didn't want to go into an environment with unknown security loaded down with too much gear, so I picked one light, which was the one that would be most valuable if I ran into trouble in the shady neighborhood surrounding the hall (100+lm and 6" of bludgeoning force). With the red filter, it was quite perfect for lighting up my recording gear, which I had to keep stealthy since the hall did indeed have some security.
Interesting little side note, just for my amusement: That show was the first place I went without my new G2Z, which I'd gotten a week or so before. That doesn't matter, but I just remember well how much I liked that light, how I made a point of carrying it everywhere, until it came down to choosing only one. In hindsight, I should have taken the B42 along too. It would have been no trouble at all and I see it as a little sad that it wasn't with me for that night; that light, more than any other, is like a friend to me.
It was probably about 3am on the morning of March 11, 2007, and Samy and I were back from the Port O'Brien/Bright Eyes show at the Great American Music Hall. We were staying in Oakland at Van & Cammi's apartment, sleeping on the floor of the living room with Liana and one or two other guys. Everyone else had passed out after a very long and hard day, but I—being the most accomplished nightowl, the most obsessive detail freak, and the only one who had not inhaled intoxicating smoke from burning leaves—was still up getting the night's gear stowed and preparing for bed. I was able to do this very silently, except I found that I needed to turn my light on and off quite frequently for some reason, and the polite click of my B42 turned into an obnoxious crack when echoing through a dead silent room with wood floors. After a few embarrassed and silently apologetic clicks were needed, I gave up on the clicky switch for the sake of the others sleeping all around me and switched to my SF L2 with red filter. So this is actually more a story of a light failing to provide what was needed and being replaced by another. I record it here for the memory more than the story.
At the show itself, I carried only the L2. I didn't want to go into an environment with unknown security loaded down with too much gear, so I picked one light, which was the one that would be most valuable if I ran into trouble in the shady neighborhood surrounding the hall (100+lm and 6" of bludgeoning force). With the red filter, it was quite perfect for lighting up my recording gear, which I had to keep stealthy since the hall did indeed have some security.
Interesting little side note, just for my amusement: That show was the first place I went without my new G2Z, which I'd gotten a week or so before. That doesn't matter, but I just remember well how much I liked that light, how I made a point of carrying it everywhere, until it came down to choosing only one. In hindsight, I should have taken the B42 along too. It would have been no trouble at all and I see it as a little sad that it wasn't with me for that night; that light, more than any other, is like a friend to me.
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Stair lighting in Cuesta Humanities Forum
Light: HDS Basic 42XRGT
This story is an old one but it's still a memory I enjoy, a good surprise moment. It took place in Dr. Wilson's post-Civil War American history.
He turned out all the lights to show his photos, then he walked to the back/top (it's stadium seating)
behind the top seats is a long narrow room with windows through which stuff is projected
he came up, went in the room, selected picture he wanted, came out and down a few steps to tell about it, then went back to room to change to next one
I sit on the end in the second from top row, right in front of the door to the projection room
I had HDS [0.08lm] out on low to see paper in case I wanted to make note of anything
he came out and almost tripped coming down the stairs
I immediately swung HDS around and kicked it up [I think to secondary, 2.5lm]
he didn't notice until he came back out, he commented on it to the class and thanked me
This story is an old one but it's still a memory I enjoy, a good surprise moment. It took place in Dr. Wilson's post-Civil War American history.
He turned out all the lights to show his photos, then he walked to the back/top (it's stadium seating)
behind the top seats is a long narrow room with windows through which stuff is projected
he came up, went in the room, selected picture he wanted, came out and down a few steps to tell about it, then went back to room to change to next one
I sit on the end in the second from top row, right in front of the door to the projection room
I had HDS [0.08lm] out on low to see paper in case I wanted to make note of anything
he came out and almost tripped coming down the stairs
I immediately swung HDS around and kicked it up [I think to secondary, 2.5lm]
he didn't notice until he came back out, he commented on it to the class and thanked me
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Peak lighting while staying in San Diego
Light: Peak Rainier 2005 CPF Special
While down in San Diego to see Radiohead, I stayed at Joe's new house. It was partially furnished, about halfway moved into, and the room I took (Rushi's) was filled with boxes and had no lighting. This was still towards the beginning of my light obsession, so all of my stuff was pretty basic, all single level (which is hard for me to comprehend now, how I was ok with that). I was traveling with my main EDC and favorite light of that time, the Peak Rainier 2005 CPF Special. This light was nearly cutting edge for the time. It puts out about 60lm for ~45 minutes while running on an RCR. It uses a nicely tinted Luxeon 3, I think a T bin. This light was an almost two level in that it can be switched to a regular CR and it becomes a long running medium output light, about 10lm for 12 hours before output diminishes. So every night, I retired to my room, switched it to a CR, and tailstanded it on a box to bounce light the room. I'll admit I was kind of glad to not have any lights in there, it was fun getting to "camp out" and make use of my light.
While down in San Diego to see Radiohead, I stayed at Joe's new house. It was partially furnished, about halfway moved into, and the room I took (Rushi's) was filled with boxes and had no lighting. This was still towards the beginning of my light obsession, so all of my stuff was pretty basic, all single level (which is hard for me to comprehend now, how I was ok with that). I was traveling with my main EDC and favorite light of that time, the Peak Rainier 2005 CPF Special. This light was nearly cutting edge for the time. It puts out about 60lm for ~45 minutes while running on an RCR. It uses a nicely tinted Luxeon 3, I think a T bin. This light was an almost two level in that it can be switched to a regular CR and it becomes a long running medium output light, about 10lm for 12 hours before output diminishes. So every night, I retired to my room, switched it to a CR, and tailstanded it on a box to bounce light the room. I'll admit I was kind of glad to not have any lights in there, it was fun getting to "camp out" and make use of my light.
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