Third reminder for “N” stories voting

Posted on 5August2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “N” Stories are sitting there, looking pretty and waiting for readers (and voters). You could be a reader (if you’ve not already read the stories) and you could be a voter (if you’ve not already voted). And, guess what? Unlike the US elections, you don’t have to choose the lesser of two evils . . . you have three evils to choose from!

You have no obligation to do anything . . . but it sure would be swell — if you’ve not already done so — if you would read the stories and cast your vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge N-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link

Oh, here are a few photos before you go reading the stories . . .

That’s another photo from The Big Island. Specifically, an ocean-side memorial to a surfer.

Continue reading →

Posted in About Writing, Big Island of Hawaii, National Parks, Photography Stuff, Photos, Samsung Note 8, Smartphone Photography, Topaz Plug-ins and Studio, Travel Stuff, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Second reminder for “N” stories voting

Posted on 4August2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “N” Stories are active and the stories are fiercely battling for supremacy . . . sort-of.

You have no obligation to do anything . . . but it sure would be swell — if you’ve not already done so — if you would read the stories and cast your vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge N-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link

Oh, here are a few photos before you go reading the stories . . .

That’s an offering to Pele<<link in front of a steam vent on the rim of the caldera at the Hawaiʻian Volcano National Park. The photo was taken after most of the activity had subsided . . . so, obviously, the offering worked.

Continue reading →

Posted in About Writing, Big Island of Hawaii, National Parks, Photography Stuff, Photos, Samsung Note 8, Smartphone Photography, Topaz Plug-ins and Studio, Travel Stuff, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Reminder for “N” stories voting

Posted on 3August2020 by

The Alphabet Challenge “N” Stories are active and the stories have yet to drawn first, second, and third blood (as I write this). You can be the first to vote!

Of course, you have no obligation to do anything . . . but it sure would be swell — if you’ve not already done so — if you would read the stories and cast your vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge N-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link

Oh, here are a few photos before you go reading the stories . . .

That’s from the pond at King’s Shops on the Big Island . . . home of our favorite fish and chips (the previous post where I mention them is HERE<<link — the fish and chips, not the fish).

Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Feathers, Nikon D7500, Photography Stuff, Photos | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Alphabet Challenge: “N” Stories Voting

Posted on 2August2020 by

Assuming everyone has read the stories, this is the place where you can vote for your favorite of the “N” Stories.

For readers who stumbled here or who need a refresher, the stories can be found by clicking on their respective names.

Here are the links to the stories:

Neighbors<<link

Novel<<link

Nolo Contendere<<link

All readers have to do is read each story and choose the one they liked best. Voting is open until the publication of the next group of stories (the “O” stories) at which time the votes will be tallied and a winner declared.

As a reminder, to have your vote count, click on the circle next to the story you’re voting for, and then click on “Vote”. If you don’t click on “Vote”, your choice won’t be recorded.

If you would like to leave a comment for the writers — either here or with the individual stories posts — please do so. I will forward each comment/question to the appropriate writer.

The writers will appreciate hearing from you and will likely respond.

The next round of stories — the “O” Stories — should be up around the middle of August.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website. Could be they also torture small mammals.

Note 2: it’s perfectly OK to share a link that points back here.

<><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><>

If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, it’s definitively a good idea to read both the About page and the FAQ page.

Posted in Writing Stuff | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Alphabet Challenge: “N” Story No. 1 of 3 — “Neighbors”

Posted on 2August2020 by

This is the 14th round of The Alphabet Challenge mentioned in THIS<<link post. As a refresher, the Broxson twins, Gary and Perry, and I will each write one story for each letter of the alphabet. Meaning, a story whose title begins with the given letter. For this round, it’s the letter “N“.

Readers have until the publication of the next round of stories (about two weeks between rounds) to vote for their favorite story in the current round. Points will be assigned to each writer based on total votes received.

In each round, the story with the most votes gets three points. Second place gets two points, third place gets one point. In the case of a tie, the points for the tied rankings are added and then split equally among the writers who tied. At the end of the year, we tally up and crown the winner with the most points.

Long or short, each story will appear on its own post and the trio will be followed by a fourth post where readers can vote.

Here we go. Presented anonymously, the first of three stories with titles beginning with the letter “N” as submitted by its author.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Alphabet Challenge: “N” Story No. 2 of 3 — “Novel”

Posted on 2August2020 by

This is the 14th round of The Alphabet Challenge mentioned in THIS post. As a refresher, the Broxson twins, Gary and Perry, and I will each write one story for each letter of the alphabet. Meaning, a story whose title begins with the given letter. For this round, it’s the letter “N“.

Readers have until the publication of the next round of stories (about two weeks between rounds) to vote for their favorite story in the current round. Points will be assigned to each writer based on total votes received.

In each round, the story with the most votes gets three points. Second place gets two points, third place gets one point. In the case of a tie, the points for the tied rankings are added and then split equally among the writers who tied. At the end of the year, we tally up and crown the winner with the most points.

Long or short, each story will appear on its own post and the trio will be followed by a fourth post where readers can vote.

Here we go. Presented anonymously, the second of three stories with titles beginning with the letter “N” as submitted by its author.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Alphabet Challenge: “N” Story No. 3 of 3 — “Nolo Contendere”

Posted on 2August2020 by

This is the 14th round of The Alphabet Challenge mentioned in THIS<<link post. As a refresher, the Broxson twins, Gary and Perry, and I will each write one story for each letter of the alphabet. Meaning, a story whose title begins with the given letter. For this round, it’s the letter “N“.

Readers have until the publication of the next round of stories (about two weeks between rounds) to vote for their favorite story in the current round. Points will be assigned to each writer based on total votes received.

In each round, the story with the most votes gets three points. Second place gets two points, third place gets one point. In the case of a tie, the points for the tied rankings are added and then split equally among the writers who tied. At the end of the year, we tally up and crown the winner with the most points.

Long or short, each story will appear on its own post and the trio will be followed by a fourth post where readers can vote.

Here we go. Presented anonymously, the second of three stories with titles beginning with the letter “N” as submitted by its author.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

An update on the “N” stories and other stuff

Posted on 1August2020 by

Perry and Gary have sent me their “N” stories . . . and I’m close to getting an idea for a story. Yes, I’m late again. If I get hit by a flash of inspiration and a case of fast-finger-typing, there’s a small chance I might be able to put something up later . . . 

. . .but — realistically — I’m more likely to have something by tomorrow. Still, I want to post something . . .

Remember that guy? He appeared in THIS<<link post. Continue reading →

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos, Travel Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Alphabet Challenge “M” Stories voting results

Posted on 31July2020 by

The polls for the”M” Stories are now closed. Soon, the “N” Stories will go live.

You can check the results of the voting HERE<<link (M Stories). But, as I know no one cares, I’ll force the results onto you now.

Here’s a photo before I continue . . .

It’s leaves from the Volcano Village in the Big Island of Hawaiʻi treated to Topaz Impression 2.0 and Restyle, and framed using Topaz Studio 1.0.

Continue reading →

Posted in Writing Stuff | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Topaz Labs has Sharpen AI on sale

Posted on 31July2020 by

Topaz Labs is having a small sale ($20 off) on Sharpen AI (HERE<<link) until August 7th. It’s not much off, but if you are in the market, it’s not bad. Better than a poke in the eye (maybe).

Here are a couple of examples:

Original

Auto Settings — Sharpen AI

That has introduced a few minor artifacts which I can remove by other means. It could be choosing different settings would reduce/eliminate the artifacts.

This is, perhaps, a better example . . .

Original

Sharpen AI — Auto Settings.

You can click to get a larger view, but here’s a gallery . . .

Original
Auto Settings — Sharpen AI
Original
Sharpen AI — Auto Settings.

Note: I was not asked to do this post, nor am I receiving any compensation or commission from any sales.

I think the product does a pretty good job in many instances, and — if you can afford it — it’s worth having.

By the way, about the second image . . .

This is the second time this year I’ve seen a similar scene . . . it looks like a Song Sparrow feeding what looks like NOT a Song Sparrow fledging. Unless fledging Song Sparrows are much larger than what they will be as adults.

I’m assuming this is an instance where another bird added their egg to the Song Sparrow’s nest and the sparrow is now raising the young as its own.

I’m also assuming this is a Brown Cowbird fledging because they are notorious brood parasites, although I’ve not noticed any Brown Cowbirds around during my time here.

I was trying to find the incidence of such devious trickery because, as I said, this is the second time I’ve seen this, and I’ve yet to see a Song Sparrow feed any of its own young (although I don’t know where they nest near me).

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website.  Could be they also torture small mammals.

Note 2: it’s perfectly OK to share a link that points back here.

<><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><>

If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, you should read both the About page and the FAQ page.

Posted in No Category | Tagged | 5 Comments

Juneau in Monochrome – Alaska Cruise 2017 – Part 1

Posted on 30July2020 by

The previous Juneau 2017 post is HERE.<<link

That post has color photos and rather than mix color and monochrome photos, I decided to duplicate the post with the monochrome versions of the photos. Think of it as a nod to the days before color was invented . . .

This is the first (monochrome) post documenting our September 13, 2017, visit to Juneau, Alaska, a now even longer-delayed continuation of my documentation of our 2017 Alaska Cruise. Current and previous posts relating to this cruise are HERE<<link. The following introduction is the same as that of previous posts so that’s something else you can skip.

There’s a gallery at the end of each post and a SmugMug gallery HERE<<link. Photos in SmugMug can be viewed full-size. Note that the SmugMug gallery will eventually contain all the (monochrome) photos from Juneau; those from this (monochrome) post (Part 1) and those from subsequent Juneau posts.

You can click on the photos in the body of this post to see a larger-but-less-than-full-size-version. If there’s a panorama, I’ll link the full-size files but be warned . . . they’re typically huge. Huger than people have ever seen before. Don’t click on those links unless you’re enjoying a biggly Interweb connection. Also, if you have biggly Interweb but you’re reading this on a phone — which is sad; VERY SAD — I wouldn’t bother with the full-size photos because they are HUGE; huger than anyone else’s huge photos. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska 2017, Black & White, Boats/Ships, Nikon P900, Photography Stuff, Photos, Samsung Note II, Travel Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Down to the wire for “M” stories voting

Posted on 30July2020 by

Man, it’s a tight race! . . . except for first place and last place.

If you’ve not already done so, you can read the stories and cast your vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge M-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link

Here are a few photos reworked and presented as a thank you for your participation . . .

That’s the canyon at Yellowstone. Continue reading →

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos, Travel Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Juneau – Alaska Cruise 2017 – Part 1

Posted on 29July2020 by

I’m writing this on the 28th of July, 2020 . . . my last post about our 2017 Alaska Cruise was exactly one year ago (HERE<<link) and covered the last of the Haines photos. Had I been aware of it, I would have tried to post on the anniversary of my last post . . . alas, there’s no way I’ll finish this in the next ninety minutes.

This is the first post documenting our September 13, 2017, visit to Juneau, Alaska, a now even longer-delayed continuation of my documentation of our 2017 Alaska Cruise. Current and previous posts relating to this cruise are HERE<<link. The following introduction is the same as that of previous posts so that’s something else you can skip.

There’s a gallery at the end of each post and a SmugMug gallery HERE<<link. Photos in SmugMug can be viewed full-size. Note that the SmugMug gallery will eventually contain all the photos from Juneau; those from this post (Part 1) and those from subsequent Juneau posts.

You can click on the photos in the body of this post to see a larger-but-less-than-full-size-version. If there’s a panorama, I’ll link the full-size files but be warned . . . they’re typically huge. Huger than people have ever seen before. Don’t click on those links unless you’re enjoying a biggly Interweb connection. Also, if you have biggly Interweb but you’re reading this on a phone — which is sad; VERY SAD — I wouldn’t bother with the full-size photos because they are HUGE; huger than anyone else’s huge photos. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska 2017, Boats/Ships, Nikon P900, Photography Stuff, Photos, Samsung Note II, Travel Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Again, still pining for “M” stories votes

Posted on 29July2020 by

Only a few more days to make a difference in some unknown writer’s egos . . . not that they need any help in that regard.

If you’ve not already done so, you can read the stories and cast your vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge M-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link

Here are a few photos reworked and presented as a thank you for your participation . . .

That’s access to a beach on Martha’s Vineyard.

Continue reading →

Posted in Photography Stuff, Photos, Travel Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

A Dresden book review and “M” stories voting reminder

Posted on 28July2020 by

A departure from the usual with just one photo for this The Alphabet Challenge M-Stories voting reminder.

If you’ve not already done so, you can read the stories and cast your vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge M-Stories” are HERE.<<<Link

Here is the photo . . .

Fallen sequoia’s roots next to an upright sequoia

That be from 2016, when we headed out to California to catch a plane for the Big Island.

Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Photography Stuff, Photos, Reviews, Writing Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments