Monday, September 21, 2009

The Old Republic Gazette


The name of this blog has changed today to The Old Republic Gazette because that name seemed to me to be more in line with some of the issues that have been touched upon in these pages and in recognition that the Old Republic of these United States was better in most ways than this new republic is fast becoming.

The breadth of topics covered has not changed and we will still talk about issues like science, technology, the environment, politics and policy, literature, history, relationships, world events, and more.

Welcome readers and bloggers to The Old Republic Gazette - Where Free Speech Gathers with Thought.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Tsunami of Taxpayer Discontent Reaches Washington


If you have time and want to watch some of the speeches from the historic 9/12 taxpayer march on Washington DC, this link is to the C-Span video of the event. It's about two hours. Many moving and passionate speeches.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

What Is the Best Digital Camera?


By nature, people are different and use their cameras for taking different kinds of pictures. So the best digital camera for one person may be different than another’s best. But overall, most people who use a camera have similar requirements. With that in mind we can determine what the best digital camera is for most casual to serious digital photographers.
Picking a digital camera can be easy if you think about what you want in one. If you don’t think about it first, you may at some point feel a huge lack of love for your new camera. A little knowledge, a little research, and wallah! “I love my camera.”
OK, let’s get serious. Consider the following when buying a camera. These features are more important than all the rest of the functions or options you can get on a digital camera:
  • Optical Zoom
  • Resolution
  • Size
  • Price
Let's discuss each of these necessary features briefly.
Optical Zoom -- Most of the smaller digital cameras today are really lacking when it comes to zooming in on a target. Zoom gets you closer to your subject, without you having to actually move closer. For instance, if you are at the zoo and want a closeup of the White Tiger (but don’t want to get closer!), a 2 times or 3 times optical zoom will not close the gap very much. The tiger will still seem far away. The camera may have a digital zoom feature as well and you try that, but when you get back home and look at your tiger closeup you won’t be happy. Digital zoom uses the camera’s software to “zoom in” on something artificially. The result can be a blurry, pixelated (grainy) mess. A telescoping lens is used in optical zoom, and the result is a clean and clear closeup of your target.
Optical zoom should be as high as you can afford. If you want to see the eyelashes of the White Tiger, then 10 or 15 times optical zoom is perfect. But this will make the camera a little bit bulkier and more costly. A good optical zoom lens though is something you’ll put to use every time you turn on the camera, and it is a critical component if you want what is the best digital camera for your needs.
Resolution -- You'll see a camera’s resolution referred to as MP or megapixels. Besides military police, MP stands for millions of pixels. This number is the quality and size of the picture that a camera can take. It is always better to get a camera with the highest number of megapixels you can. At least 5 megapixels will be enough take professional-looking shots, and since you are going to use your camera to take pictures that are important, often memory-making events, you will be happy you chose a camera that gave you clear, non-pixelated (ungrainy) pictures.
Size – Cameras can be very small these days, and many of the cameras sold are credit card sized. These small cameras are perfect for fitting in your pocket or purse, but you'll often find them not worth the 60 or 80 dollars that you paid for them due to their lack of functionality when you need them. The optical zoom is usually very poor on these smaller cameras, though sometimes the resolution is okay.
Price – The best digital camera for your needs doesn’t have to be expensive, but it is something you will hopefully use for many years to come. If you think about the features you want and need and make sure your camera meets some of the requirements that we’ve discussed here, you won’t have to buy a camera every three years. You’ll also save money in the long run. But even in the short-run, a camera with these features shouldn’t be too expensive. As a general rule though, stay away from the cameras that you see on sale at drug stores, Target, Wal-mart, and Kmart.
Good luck!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Health Identity Theft


When we have Health Care Deform imposed on us in the United States, and our medical records are digitized (as they want to do to "save money") am I going to have to buy Lifelock to protect my medical records from theft and misuse as I currently do for my financial information? The abuse and theft will happen. No digital information is safe from prying eyes, as we have seen over and over.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Real Party of No

Welcome the "real" party of NO in American politics.
As a party, these "changers" in the Democrat Party consistently say no to nuclear power, no to storing nuclear waste, no to a strong defense, no to TORT reform, no to Clean Coal, no to drilling for American oil, no to enforcing the border, no to windmills in their towns or off their coasts, no to solar panels in the desert, no to the freedom to drive what we like, no to choosing our own light bulbs, no to guns, no to school choice, no to Fiscal Restraint, no to less taxes, no to Capitalism, and no to Liberty. "Yes, we can't."

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Happy Labor Day!


A legal holiday from (and for) labor in the United States and Canada.

On September 5 in 1882, thousands of workers walked together from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade. The parade was to honor the workers of America and to call attention to the many labor issues that workers had at the time, including long hours, low wages, and continuing exploitation of child workers. These parades were held in the following years, grew in popularity and spread to most other states. The United States Congress declared the first Monday in September as a legal holiday (Labor Day) in 1894.