Project: Soft Box Mount

Helping to build my home studio, my mom gave me a Neewer 250 Watt strobe for my birthday and I want to attach a Loadstone Studio Ultimate Soften Light Soft Box to it.

The only problem is that the strobe has a non-standard mount...or maybe I just don't know the standard.  I guess that's what happens when you buy online without real knowledge.  Also, my soft boxes are designed to fit around a custom quad light socket mount.  The strobe has an outer diameter of 3 3/4" and the soft box base has a diameter of 6 1/4" with four post holes.

The Novatron N7301 Universal Speedring would be perfect for the job, so I bought it.  Unfortunately, The ePhoto Universal Speed Ring arrived instead, labelled as the N7301.  Amazon's customer service is pretty amazing though (again ranked #1) so I'll return it.

This leaves a whole in my studio.  I wasn't able to find another brand and I can't trust that I'll receive what I order next time, so to Home Depot I go!

They carry a 2"-4" bushing for PVC pipe:

A 4"-6" bushing would be perfect, I could just screw holes for the soft box rods and add some tensioning screws, but Home Depot doesn't carry that size.  Amazon does, but it costs $22 plus shipping, which is more than the N7301.

So back to Home Depot!

Here's what I bought for just under $20:

• A 7" light reflector (which fits on the back of some random light)
• Four 3/8" coupler nuts
• Some copper attachments used to secure piping
• Weather stripping

Here is it partially assembled.  I lined the interior with weather stripping and drilled eight holes using a hand drill.  You can see a tiny piece of weather shipping sitting on the right side of the ring where the next coupling nut will go.  I use this to keep the nut from slipping and to provide a little lift since the metal ring is slightly curved and I want the nuts to be square.  Plus, I had a lot of extra stripping left over.

Beware!  Drilling metal is not like drilling wood.  It's not sufficient to hold onto the part with your bare hand (and it's dangerous to use gloves with a drill, since catching a glove will cost you more than a little bit of skin).  If the drill bit catches the metal ring at 2000RPM, in a battle between your hand and the metal disk, it's not hard to guess who would win.  I'm glad I used my foot and proper shoes to hold down the piece as the metal did catch once after drilling my first hole - I lifted my foot before the drill bit stopped completely.  Bad move.

Also, use protective eye ware.  Metal chips are not your friend.

Here is the unit fully assembled and sitting atop one of my strobes.  It's not as pretty as it could be since I ran out of small screws.  To a keen reader, you'll notice that I'm also using my tripod-to-light stand tip adapter.

And finally, here is the unit assembled on my birthday light with the soft box inserted.

And for a little fun, here is the soft box I built quickly for my first test shoot that the new unit is replacing.  It worked okay, but kept falling down under its own weight.  I expect this new one to work much better.

Project: Light Stand Tip

I've been working on setting up a home studio, mostly to see what I come up with.  However, it's quite expensive so I've been doing on the cheap.  Also, I enjoy building things.  So when I needed to mount a background light, the obvious choice was to use an old tripod that's too weak for my camera.

See mom, it's good I don't throw anything away!

In order to do this, I needed an adapter form the tripod mount to the light stand mount.  I could buy one from Amazon for $12 including shipping, or I can spend half an hour at home depot wandering the halls.

The end result should look like this:

Obviously, it would be best to use a lathe, but getting one of those would push the price a little bit past $12.

Here's what I did:

Using a large washer, small washer, 1/4" coupler nut, and small 1/4" bolt, I screwed the nut onto the tripod and the screw onto the nut.  That's all!

And all for less than $2, given that I only needed to buy the coupler nut.  And here it is doing it's job:

Your mother's kitchen

Growing up in the 20th and 21st centeries, I've become accustomed to the race of technology.  When I was young, our TV was black and white and our remote control (which was awesome) was wired.  Now I can hook up my phone to a projector, both of which fit in my pocket, and watch movies anywhere.  Then there are computers, wireless HDMI, self-driving cars, and 3D printers. The world today is unrecognizable from the world my parents grew up in.

Which is why is surprises me that my kitchen hasn't changed.  The same appliances that exist today existed when my mom was my age.  There were microwaves, stand mixers, blenders, fridge-freezer combos, garbage disposals, ovens, stoves, and can openers.  With all the technology in the kitchen I would expect things to progress faster.  Even knives are the same.

More people now have espresso machines, and I'm sure the Slap Chop hasn't been around for long, but tell me it isn't odd that your grandmother would be immediately at home in your kitchen but likely be stimied by the operation of your TV or telephone.

And why is this?  Is food inherantly simple?  Have we been playing with food for so long that we've done everything possible to it?  Or is innovation slowed by either the multitude of useless single-function vapourware they sell on late-night TV that all appear to be variations on the blender or, at least, the belief that these are all useless?

I don't know, but it surprices me.

Crown Royal Maple Review

I like Crown Royal.  It's my favourite whiskey.  When I was younger I drank Crown and coke, which is still my staple at the bar.  As I've matured and become able to afford better alcohol, I've switched to either Crown Royal Limited Edition and coke or occasionally Crown Royal Special Reserve on the rocks, as it's painful to mix that.

Crown Royal recently came out with a new flavour - their first flavoured whiskey - Crown Royal Maple Finish.  As soon as you crack the bottle you'll notice the difference.  This isn't a subtle hint of maple.  The smell is potent.  The moment you twist the lid your friends will perk up, step out of their rooms, and come to the kitchen expecting pancakes.  It's like smelling the deep heart of maple syrup kingdom, which I assume lies somewhere in central Quebec.

After opening the bottle, Tom and I poured ourselves a drink, mixed with coke.

And it was horrible.  It's hard to describe how bad this was, but those two liquids shall hence forth never again be mixed.  We resolved to finish our drinks and I even poured a second, vowing to drink what I bought, and immediately regretted that decision.  While I did finish both drinks, it was through sheer pride and I would refuse another if one were to offer.  Ian's rating: undrinkable.

So time passed and the shock dissolved.  I brought the bottle to Aaron's place as a prank.  We each had a small cup neat.  It was much better on it's own, but still not great, and Aaron labelled it the pedophile's whiskey on account of the sweetness.  It is as good as drinking Crown Royal original unmixed, which is doable but not pleasant.  Ian's rating: passable.

Then Aaron tried it with coke and was immediately horrified.  I was pleased.

Next, I tried mixing it with lemon juice.  Ian's rating: also undrinkable.
Then, I tried it with limeade.  Ian's rating: drinkable but not entirely pleasant.

I was nearing my limit.  If it's maple then I will allow it to do what maple does.  I will fulfill it's destiny.  I will make pancakes.  And that's what I did.  I replaced the milk with whiskey and milk powder and the results looked great:

And with my first bite I was much more than surprised.  Shocked might be a better word.  That is a lot of alcohol for one pancake.  But the pancake was okay.  And then the burning sensation set it.  I don't know if the whiskey became more concentrated in the process, the alcohol boiled off and just left contaminants, if whiskey and flour should never be mixed, or water is necessary for flour to become edible, but whatever it was, it burned.  Except for that, and the overwhelming alcohol taste, the pancakes weren't bad.  Ian's rating: regretfully inedible.

And finally I tried Crown Royal Maple Finish with lemonade.  Surprisingly after the previous episodes, it was not bad.  One might even make the claim that it's good.  Ian's rating: well worth a second cup.

In the end I made it work, but seriously, don't waste your money.

We're smarter now

Within thirty minutes of returning home with four jars of my mom's jam, my wife and I had a serious conversation on how to handle the situation.

The decision was unanimous and we labelled the jars.

Crisis averted.

Businesses supplied by green energy

While enjoying an organic mocha over the weekend, the cup told me that Mercury Coffee is a PSE Green Power Partner, receiving 100% of its power from green energy sources.

That's a load of crap - the power grid does not support energy segmentation or dedicated delivery from specific sources to specific customers.  So I looked it up.

When you give PSE money to call yourself a Green Power Partner, PSE uses the money to buy renewable energy certificates (RECs) from green energy providers on your behalf (with some lost to advertising and administerion of the program).  These providers receive the certificates from the state as a proof that they produced energy from green sources.  Certificates are only given to facilities produced after 01/01/1997 so that providers are not rewarded for energy created from processes that existed before the REC system existed.  The energy produced by these facilities is sold separately, just as it is from any power plant.

What does this mean? 

From the provider's point of view, these certificates basically increase the price of electricity produced by green power plants, incentivizing them to create the plants.  The price of these certificates is based on supply and demand - the more people who want to buy them, the more they cost, and the more the providers are rewarded for their energy.  When you buy an REC, you are giving money directly to the green energy providers as a thank you for producing clean energy.

According to Dominion energy, you are "buying the right to claim the environmental benefits that were created by adding that renewable energy to the grid."  So, you're not directly helping the environment, you are purchasing the right to claim you are helping the environment, and participating in a system that gives people the incentive to produce cleaner energy.

What happens to the RECs after you give money to PSE to buy them?  PSE will have a stockpile of RECs that they own.  If they can sell the RECs at a later date, your purchase is useless.  In some states, RECs expire, which alleviates the problems.  Although not explicitly stated, it sounds like if the REC is registered with Green-e (82% of the market), only the first sales is authorized.

I started looking into this assuming that it was a crock.  But it seems legitimate.  I might just have to celebrate with a cup of coffee.

Water and Ice

I took this photo a few months back after an afternoon of wake boarding.

I took it for a few reasons:

• To fill the family foot album
• To remind myself how great water and alcohol mix
• So this post would have a photo

Ontario has very strict boating laws when it comes to alcohol.  You cannot carry alcohol or even have bottle caps in your boat unless the boat has sleeping quarters and a galley, and no alcohol can be consumed unless your boat, which has sleeping quarters and a galley, is anchored or tied to a dock.  You cannot even display alcohol near your boat, such as on the dock, if your boat does not fit this criteria.

So I grew up without even considering the possibility of drinking on the water.  My mind was opened when my American coworkers considered it a necessity.  I gave in.  I brought Smirnoff Ice (from Canada; the malt version here is inferior).  And I relaxed.

Ontarians, you are missing out.  There is something so relaxing about leaving work early, being warmed by the sun, sitting back, riding above the waves, and drinking a Smirnoff Ice.  I can see why people get hooked on boats.  And in that moment of tranquility with the wind blowing past my face, the sun setting, and the music pumping, its easy to realize how great life is.  I took a break from this feeling to take the photo and got straight back to it.

Related to my last post, life is great when you live in the moment.

Also related to my last post, my wife is funny.

I gave her one week to finish what was left of my mom's famous raspberry jam.  Two days pass and the jar remains in the fridge.  Four days pass and it's still there.  Eight days pass and it's still there.  Excited that I had another opportunity to enjoy the jam but still responsible enough to warn my wife, I informed her that I was about to finish the jam if she would not.  She replied that it's already gone.

She continued.  She finished it a week earlier, but didn't want to crush my dreams.  If she put it on the counter or in the sink, I'd see it and be disappointed that it's gone.  But if she left it in the fridge, I'd increasingly get my hopes up all week and then be surprised when I try to eat it.  Then she laughed for a few minutes at her trickery.  Well played, dear.  Well played.