Cell phone vs. camera, Uncategorized

Is Your Cell Phone’s Camera Good Enough?

I sat at a back table looking forward. The room was marginally lit. My friend Ralph was at the front of the room. He was celebrating a milestone birthday and giving a little speech in this cozy private room of a lovely restaurant. Most events make me want to take pictures, and this was no exception. I pulled out my iPhone 14 Pro and touched the trigger button. A second later, I captured the memory, and the photo looked pretty good.

I have used smartphones and smartphone cameras long before the iPhone existed, and let me tell you that those early cell phone cameras were horrible. They had low resolution and grainy images even with good light, and the image quality transitioned to unusable in dim light. However, people loved having a camera on their phones and the industry listened. Photos taken on recent smartphones are amazing. Sharp, vibrant, and clear even when the conditions are somewhat poor.  

Some of these improvements are based on better hardware, but much of the credit goes to the super computing power of the phone’s microprocessor. That same chip that allows you to watch high resolution YouTube videos is used to maximize every single photon that hits a pixel on the phone’s tiny camera sensor.  

My iPhone 14 Pro has a few extra features including fixed wide angle and telephoto lenses, as well as several computerized effects. For instance, I can take a portrait shot with my phone, and its computer will artificially blur the background to make the image look more professional. 

Why would anyone need a dedicated camera when they carry a phone that not only takes great photos, but also allows instant posting to social media? The answer is that most don’t, a cell phone is all that they need. However, that is not always the case as suggested by the next photo.  

This is a photo taken with my iPhone of the 2024 total solar eclipse. Now that I have told you what it is, you can probably decipher the picture. However, it looks nothing like some of the photos that were shown on the news or on social media. Those photos were sharp, clear, powerful, and amazing. My photos looked more like a Rorschach ink blot. If my phone was so good at taking a picture of Ralph, why couldn’t it take a good photo of the eclipse? The answer is simple. Phones use settings designed to take a snapshot. When you want a picture that is not a snapshot, most phone cameras fall short for many reasons.  

Who should consider a dedicated camera? Here are a few examples.

-The parent who wants to take in-focus photos of their active toddler.

-The animal owner who likes taking photos of their pets. 

-The parent who wants the best close-up action shots of their kids when they are playing sports.

-The drama coach who wants clear and in-focus photos of their actors on the stage.

-The bird watcher who needs to document their finds.

-The person who wants to take photos of the Milky Way.

-The person who wants to take highly detailed photos of their collection of tiny things, like coins or butterflies.

-The person who needs to take close-up photos of objects that are far away.

-The person who has to take pictures in adverse weather conditions.

-The person who must take flash-free pictures in dark places, like a nightclub.

-The person who wants to use a sophisticated flash setup for professional-looking portraits of family and friends.

-The person who documents their hobby by taking photos of moving trains, racing cars, or jets taking off.

-The person who makes their living taking pictures (journalists, wedding photographers, nature photographers, etc.).

-The person who sees photography as a form of artistic expression.

-The person who wants to turn photography into a hobby.

-and anyone else who needs to take photos that are beyond “Instamatic” snapshots.

However, that is likely only 10% of the photo-taking population. The remaining 90% will do just fine with their point-and-shoot phone. If you are in that 90%, you can stop reading now (whew!).

If you check the prices of cameras you will be struck with sticker shock. It is possible to spend many thousands of dollars on a high end camera body, and a magnitude more than that on camera lenses. For most, these prices are completely out of reach, but there is a solution. First, we need to talk a bit about what makes a camera a better choice in some situations, as well as what different types of cameras are available. 

How are cameras different from a smartphone?

Most cameras can be used in a fully automatic mode, just like a smartphone. Additionally, some consumer-level cameras have presets for common scenarios like action shots or low-light photography. Also, their functions can also be fully customized. Let’s look at some of the functions that can be adjusted:

Shutter speed

You can adjust the shutter speed on a camera. A slow shutter speed allows more light to enter the camera’s sensor, so you can get a bright image even under low light conditions. A fast shutter speed freezes action, making it perfect for sporting events and fast-moving subjects.

On this camera the shutter speed is adjusted by the knob on the right. Note, that there is also an automatic setting where the camera automatically picks a shutter speed.

Aperture

You can adjust the aperture of the camera’s lens. A wider (more open) aperture lets in more light for flash-free nighttime photos. Wider apertures can also keep the subject in focus while blurring the background (shallow depth of field). That style is trendy in portrait photography. A narrower aperture makes sure that everything in the photo is in focus. Think about photographing a large group of people standing in rows three deep. A narrow aperture would make sure that everyone would be sharply in focus.

On this camera you can select the aperture right on the lens. You can also have the camera do this automatically by selecting “A.”
This camera uses a different way to select aperture (Av) and shutter speed (Tv) using a control dial and a thumb wheel control. The “A+” selection puts the camera into a fully automatic mode where the camera decides on all of the settings.

ISO

You can adjust how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light, this is called adjusting the ISO of the camera. Keeping the ISO low preserves the most detail in a photo, but raising the ISO allows you to take noise free pictures in darker conditions with a slight loss of detail.  

Different cameras adjust ISO in different ways. The dial on the right has two functions. The main numbers adjust shutter speed, but the dial behind the little window adjust ISO. Again, there is an “A” setting that will adjust ISO automatically.

Exposure triangle

Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO work together to control how much light enters the sensor. Together, this group is called the exposure triangle. You can greatly change the look of your photograph if you know how to adjust these parameters. With a few simple clicks your photo can go from a snapshot to a magazine cover level image, and it is a lot easier than you think. Note, that your camera can adjust all of these parameters automatically, or it can adjust just some of the parameters automatically.  As an example, you can have your camera adjust its shutter speed and ISO, while you only adjust the aperture. 

Use a faster shutter speed to freeze sporting action.

Use a wider aperture to blur the background in a portrait.

Use a higher ISO to take a flash free image in a dark venue.

Or adjust all three to find the perfect balance between effect and image quality.

External controls

All cameras have dedicated controls that allow you to change various settings or set the camera to automatic. Pro-level cameras have many external buttons and knobs, making changing these settings on the fly very easy.

Pro cameras put all of the controls front and center allowing the user to easily change a setting at a moments notics.

The hot shoe

The hot shoe is a connection on the top of a camera that allows the user to electronically connect an external flash to a camera and transform the photo of a subject from a “deer in headlights” look to a polished pro image. Using on and off camera lighting creatively can produce amazing pictures.

A hot shoe is a connection point on the top of the camera that allows the user to connect things, like an external flash or flash controls.
An external speedlight can bounce the flash and give a portrait a much more professional look.

Changeable lenses

Many cameras allow the end user to change out lenses. There are lenses for any need, from super powerful telephoto lenses to lenses designed to get up close and personal with tiny objects (like bugs). I often use a wide-angle lens when I take professional architectural shots as it opens up the space and makes rooms look bigger. I also use a medium telephoto lens when taking portraits. Its long focal length and wide aperture allow me to keep the subject in focus while creating a creamy, blurred background.

There are dozens of different lenses available for cameras. Above (from left to right) you can see a tilt-shift lens for architectural photography, A medium zoom lens, a super zoom lens, a 35 mm prime lens, and a 50 mm prime lens.
I use a wide angle lens when taking interior shots to give the space a more open look.

Accurate focusing

Cameras can focus very quickly in tricky light situations. Some older cameras were specifically designed to be great at focusing and were used by sports and wildlife photographers. Many newer cameras have phenomenal focus, even in their consumer-level offerings. Along with focusing is tracking (the ability to follow a moving object and keep it in focus). The same rules apply here.

Manual focusing

There are times when it is best to focus the camera yourself. If I could have manually focused my phone when taking the eclipse photo, it would have turned out significantly better. The majority of cameras have some form of manual focusing; however, pro cameras make manual focusing an easy option. 

Low light performance

Cell phones use computer calculation tricks to make dimly lit photographs look clear. Cameras do this too, but also have much larger sensors which have the ability to gather significantly more light. For instance, a full-frame sensor has over 30 times more surface area than the tiny sensor of a typical cell phone.

Consumer cameras vs. Professional cameras.

One way to separate cameras is between consumer-level and enthusiast/professional-level models. Consumer-level cameras are less expensive. They can do many of the things that a pro-camera can do, just not quite as well. For instance, many consumer-level cameras can freeze action as they have a maximum fast shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second, while many pro-cameras have shutters that can operate as fast as 1/8000 of a second, and even faster than that when they are in all electronic mode. Note that you can freeze a human at play at around 1/250th of a second; pro-bird photographers usually shoot at a 1/1000 to 1/2000 of a second, and to freeze a speeding car, you may need a shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second. Shutter speeds faster than 1/4000th of a second are only used for exceptional situations. 

A consumer-level camera will have simplified controls. You can often control the same things that you can with a pro-level camera, but you will need to go through additional steps to do this. A pro-level camera has dedicated physical controls front and center, whereas a consumer-level camera may require you to press several buttons or go into the camera’s menu system.  

Consumer-level cameras are usually made of some sort of polycarbonate (plastic), whereas pro-level cameras often have a magnesium frame that is coated in a rubbery material. In general, everything from the switches to the shutter mechanism is more robust and built to last longer on a pro camera. Higher-end professional cameras are also weather sealed and can withstand being in the rain (within reason). Such a situation would short out a consumer-level camera.

Over time features drift from one group to another. High end features like fast focusing drift down from pro-cameras to consumer cameras, and convenience features like flip out screens drift up from consumer cameras to high end ones.

Is it reasonable to buy an older camera?

Technology in the camera world has advanced rapidly. However, older cameras can take stunning photographs in just about any scenario. An enthusiast/pro camera from as early as 2008 and many consumer-level cameras from a few years after that can take amazing pictures. If someone has special interests, like photographing birds in flight or performers in a dark and smoky jazz club, they may need to be more selective when deciding what older camera they should choose, but those options are out there. Many photographers prefer the photos that come out of older cameras, which some say are more “filmic.” (looks more like traditional film) 

What can newer cameras do that older ones can’t?

In the world of photography cameras are always advancing with better specifications and features. For instance, newer cameras may be able to focus at blazing rates or have computerized features like eye detection focusing. However, many older cameras are still very capable. Remember, these cameras were state of the art devices used by professionals who took professional photos. In fact, some professionals continue to use these cameras with great success. 

The question of Megapixels.

Older cameras may have as little as 12 MP sensors, while the highest megapixel count of some newer cameras exceeds 60 MP. However, the pixel count doesn’t really matter unless you are wildly cropping images or if you need to print huge photos that will be viewed up close and personal. Photographers have long created large prints using ten and 12-MP cameras. There have been art photos displayed in museums that were taken with a 6 MP camera. In other words, don’t worry about the MP count. Did you know that traditional 35 mm film has a resolution between 12-16 megapixels? Most photos on social media are reduced by the platform to under 2 MP. In the real world, anything above 10 MP will do you just fine. Most newer cameras are in the 20-24 MP range.

Recommended Image size of social media sites:

Facebook photo 1200 x 628 pixels or 0.8 MP

Twitter Profile photo 400 x 400 pixels or 0.2 MP

Instagram Square 1080 x 1080 pixels or 1.2 MP

YouTube thumbnail 1280 x 720 pixels or 1.0 MP

All about sensor size.

The camera sensor on a smartphone is tiny, and the phone’s computer has to do a lot of work to take the information from that sensor and turn it into an awesome photo. Dedicated cameras have much larger sensors. These sensors have greater surface areas so that they can capture more light. Additionally, the larger sensor size combined with the physical properties of the lens used can create all sorts of interesting effects, the most common being bokeh, where the subject is in sharp focus while the background is a soft blur. 

Often, the larger the sensor, the more expensive the camera. A larger sensor area means the camera can produce good images when light conditions are low. Additionally, larger sensors often have better dynamic range. There are more levels between absolute black and pure white in the image. However, smaller sensors are constantly improving, and with their improvements, their cameras have also gone up in price. Some smaller sensors now rival some larger ones in the quality of the images they produce. Note that all typically used sensor sizes have the potential to create stunning images, and image quality depends on more than the sensor. The camera’s image processor and the quality of the lens used are just as important. 

When quizzed, many professionals can’t determine what size sensor an image came from by just looking at a print made from that image. When they succeed, they use tricks, like looking for the depth of field in an image or other things that consumers would be unaware of. 

Types of sensors.

-1″ These sensors are primarily used in high-quality compact and bridge cameras. These sensors have about five times more surface area than a typical cell phone sensor.

-Micro 4/3. These sensors are used by Olympus/OM systems and Panasonic/Lumix cameras. They have around 9 times more surface area than a typical cell phone sensor. Because these brands use a smaller sensor than brands like Nikon and Canon they can make cameras that have smaller bodies and that use smaller lenses. The lenses may be less expensive as they need less optical glass to cover the smaller sensor. 

-APS-C. This sensor size is used by many different camera manufacturers because it is at the sweet spot between cost and performance. It has a surface area around 15 times larger than a typical cell phone. APS-C cameras can be smaller and use less expensive lenses than Full Frame sensor cameras.

-Full Frame. Used in flagship cameras, full-frame sensors have around 36 times more surface area than a typical cell phone sensor. Because of this, they often have the best low-light performance and the best dynamic range, and they also can produce the best bokeh. However, they are the most expensive cameras, have the most expensive lenses, and are usually bigger and bulkier than cameras that use smaller (yet very capable) sensors. 

DSLR or Mirrorless.

DSLRs are based on an older film camera design that uses mirrors and prisms to share the image from the lens with the image sensor and the viewfinder. Despite being an old design, it is very refined. Mirrorless cameras don’t need this system, as the image that you see is directly sent from the image processor. It is a video image, not an optical one. Your cell phone camera is a mirrorless camera. Manufacturers like Olympus/OM Systems, Panasonic, and Fuji have made mirrorless cameras for a long time. Sony initially built DSLR/SLT cameras, but they changed to mirrorless cameras fairly early on. Canon and Nikon were the DSLR holdouts; however, they recently switched over to all mirrorless cameras.  

Early mirrorless cameras had low-resolution displays, slow focusing, and laggy viewfinders. However, that is in the past. Mirrorless technology allows for more bells and whistles. For instance, some cameras can recognize what a moving object is (car vs. person) and track it accordingly.  

Both DSLRs and mirrorless cameras can take excellent photos; they are just slightly different technologies. Older mirrorless cameras often use a slower contrast-detection focusing system compared to the lightning-fast phase-detection focusing of DSLRs. However, that has also changed, and now, some high-end mirrorless cameras have the ability to instantly focus on just about anything. 

Which DSLR or mirrorless should you buy?

That is up to you. If you are looking for a bargain in a high-performance action camera, you can’t go wrong with an enthusiast/pro-level DSLR. Cameras that sold for thousands of dollars years ago can now be had for a few hundred, and they are still great cameras. Additionally, there are dozens of lenses for these cameras, and they are often sold at much more reasonable prices than lenses for some of the newer camera systems. Nikon and Canon were the DSLR leaders. Both offered cameras that professional photographers loved to use. Both companies switched to mirrorless cameras a few years back. 

The new Canon and Nikon mirrorless cameras are absolutely fantastic but expect to spend big bucks to buy one. Additionally, the lenses (which are excellent) use new mounts that are different from their DSLR brethren and are extremely expensive.

Sony cameras have been mirrorless for quite some time and you can buy some of their earlier (and excellent) mirrorless offerings at reasonable prices. Additionally, there are many older Sony branded and third party lenses available on the used market. However, their new cameras are also stratospherically expensive. 

Sony, Nikon, and Canon cameras use sensors that are either APS-C (smaller) or FF (full frame) in size. Although they have their differences, both sensor types take excellent images. Older full-frame cameras were better at taking photos in low light than older APS-C sensors. APS-C sensors offered lower cost and greater magnification (crop factor). Newer APS-C cameras are very capable of working in low light.

Fuji has always made mirrorless cameras that have a retro and exquisite style. Fuji designs its own image sensor using proprietary technology. Some say that their sensors produce the most pleasing images, but that is a subjective opinion. I felt that the early Fuji cameras were slow to focus, but they have improved dramatically over the years. Most Fuji cameras have APS-C-sized sensors.

Panasonic and Olympus/OM Systems cameras use a sensor size called 4/3 (or micro 4/3). These sensors are smaller than APS-C but still take great photos. Older cameras with these sensors may not perform as well as larger sensors in low light. They offer a magnification (cropping) factor even greater than APS-C sensors, which could be a plus when shooting distant objects. Their bodies and lenses are smaller (due to the smaller sensor), which makes them excellent for travel and street photography. Their lenses use less glass (smaller sensor) and, therefore, are often less expensive. Panasonic cameras have a more traditional look, while Olympus/OM Systems cameras have a retro look. Both used a focusing system called contrast detection, which could be slower than the phase detection used on DSLRs. 

One of my early mirrorless cameras was a 2011 Olympus EPL-2, which used Olympus’s original contrast-detection focusing system. I found its focus reasonably snappy, and the photo quality was excellent. Newer micro 4/3 cameras have great focusing. Micro 4/3 cameras often initiated novel and cool features in their cameras. Things like in-body image stabilization (IBIS), built-in ND (neutral density) filters, and built-in focus stacking. Other camera manufacturers “borrowed” these ideas and have incorporated them into some of their cameras. If you don’t know what these features are, just accept that they are fantastic.

Recommendations.

It is tough to give recommendations as everyone has different needs. However, for the cost-conscious, here are a few suggestions. My focus will be on lower-cost systems that offer high value. I’ll also emphasize still image use. Although some of these cameras can take reasonable video, video is best left for newer cameras.

For sports and wildlife, DSLR cameras like the Nikon D300S, Nikon D500, Canon 7D, and 7D Mark II are good choices, with the newer version performing better than the older one.

The Nikon D500 offers fantastic focusing for action events like sports.

For “Jack of all trades” full frame shooting the Canon 5DII or 5DIII are good choices, as are the Nikon D700, Nikon D600, Nikon D750, and Nikon D800. The Sony A7 II is a more compact mirrorless camera with a full frame sensor. For a less expensive APS-C camera consider the Canon 60D, 70D, or 80D and the Nikon D7000, D7100 models.  

Although fairly old technology, the Canon 5D Mark II is a legendary camera that introduced a usable movie mode. The Mark II has been used to film parts of many TV shows and movies, although newer cameras have greater video ease of use and resolution. The Mark II is still a wonderful stills camera.

For a cool-looking around-town contender, check out the Fuji X-T1 or X-T2 or one of the early Fuji X100 fixed lens cameras, such as the X100S or X100T. A fixed lens means you can’t change the lens. The X100 series of cameras have a fantastic lens, but you will need to “zoom in with your feet.”

The Fuji TX-2 is a beautiful camera.

For a versatile smaller camera, the APS-C Sony A6000 could be a good choice. I also like the APS-C Canon M6 Mark II (although its lens mount is now discontinued). I own both of these cameras and usually wind up grabbing the Canon.

The Sony A6000 is a feature packed APS-C camera.
I love my Canon M6 Mark II. Its lens mount has been discontinued but you can find many used lenses at great prices.

If you are looking for a quality older camera that is also very capable at shooting video consider the Panasonic GH4 which offered cutting edge video when it was introduced.

The Panasonic GH4 set the standard for modern video recording.

If you are looking for an around town or travel camera consider the Olympus OMD-EM-10 or the OMD-EM-5 (original or second generation). These micro 4/3 cameras have smaller camera bodies and smaller lenses. 

Due to its smaller sensor the Olympus OM-D EM 5 Mark II offers a nice compact size.

Naturally, there are dozens of other cameras that could be included in the above list, which is designed to get you thinking rather than trying to influence your decision-making.  

An older camera may lack some of the technical bells and whistles of newer cameras, but they are extremely capable and much less inexpensive than newer offerings. These were the aspirational cameras of photographers when they were launched, and photographers produced stunning images using them. Many of these cameras offer up-front controls, making it very easy to experiment and learn. 

Lastly, some of these manufacturers make cameras with an even smaller 1″ sensor. However, those are primarily used in pocket and bridge cameras and would need to be the topic of a different post. 

Where to buy?

Resellers like KEH, Adorama, and B and H test the used cameras they sell and offer limited warranties. You may pay a little more, but you are assured of a working camera. I have bought used cameras on eBay. however, eBay is more like of a Wild West show, but I have had good luck choosing sellers who have many sales and high ratings. A word of caution. Camera shutters (especially on a pro camera) may function well over 100,000 actuations. However, it is always better to buy a camera with a lower shutter count (75K or less). Also, if a camera looks like it has been through the war, it probably has been, and it is likely not a good choice for a first real camera purchase.   

A little bit about lenses.

One of the coolest things about many cameras is that you can change the lenses out. There are so many different types of lenses, from super wide angle to super telephoto lenses. Additionally, there are many specialty lenses. You can use a tilt-shift lens for architectural photography to eliminate perspective distortion (a building that looks as if it is falling away or towards you in the photo). There are also many macro lenses that focus incredibly closely, and these lenses are used to take amazing shots of tiny things, like insects.

Lenses can be extremely expensive, depending on whether they are designed for professionals or consumers. But there is a workaround. Most camera manufacturers have moderate zoom kit lenses that can be purchased with the camera at a good price. These lenses are frequently made of plastic and have limitations. Some have fairly good optics, while others are a bit crappy. You can find many used ones on eBay and other sites for a very good price, and they can help you start your camera journey. Just google to see if a particular lens model is considered good or bad. Don’t buy a bad lens, and don’t expect a kit lens to perform like a professional lens. However, a decent kit lens is very versatile. Ones with limited range (like 18-55 mm) can get you started, but those that have a broader range (like 18-150 mm) may be the only lens that you ever need. Beyond their plastic build kit, these lenses have a variable aperture. The level of light coming in is reduced the more you zoom out the lens. I often use an 18-150 mm kit lens when I’m hiking with my Canon M6 Mark II camera. Its zooming capability gives me a lot of options, and its lightweight plastic construction is easier to carry than an all-metal pro-style lens. Pro-level lenses often have a fixed aperture that is constant throughout the lenses zoom range.

There are also plastic but reasonably good prime lenses (prime lenses have just one focal length, so they don’t have any zoom ability). Many manufacturers make a 50 mm (good for portraits) and a 35 mm (good for general photography) bargain lens, which has much better optics than kit lenses. New, they sell for a couple of hundred dollars, but used, they can be had for less.

A commonly used professional-level zoom lens is the 70-200 mm F2.8 zoom. You often see this type of lens being used by journalists and other professionals due to its great versatility. This is a fantastic lens when you need to obtain a close-up of something, but you are at a distance. For instance, you can shoot your kids’ soccer game or take photos of them performing on stage. As an example, Canon’s version of this lens for their new RF-mount mirrorless cameras sells for an eye-watering $2,600.00! Canon’s older DSLRs use the EF style mount, and a used pro-level EF 70-200 mm F2.8 can be purchased for $500-$600. If you want to save even more money, you could go with a used Canon EF 70-200 F4 (smaller aperture, so it is less good in very dark conditions) for around $450.00.  

Just like when buying a used camera it is best to buy from a reputable dealer. However, I often buy on eBay for a better price and have had good results. When you buy a used lens, test it out to make sure that the optics don’t have mold growing inside (bad) and it focuses properly. Return the lens if it is defective and try again.  

Remember, lens mounts are specific to a camera brand and can vary within that brand. As an example, Canon’s Full Frame DSLR uses EF mount lenses, while their APS-C DSLR cameras can use cheaper EF-S mount lenses as well as the more premium EF mount lenses. Canon’s new mirrorless cameras use the expensive RF mount. My little Canon M6 Mark II is an orphan model that uses the now-discontinued EF-M lens mount. I know this sounds very confusing, but once you know what lens mount your camera uses (just Google “What lens mount can a XXX use?”), you will be set. It is not difficult at all.  

A word about video.

The first high-end stills camera to also take video was the Nikon D90, introduced in August 2008. It was absolutely revolutionary in this regard, but it could only take 5 minutes of video at a low 720p. Cameras rapidly improved, and the next milestone camera was the Canon 5D Mark II, introduced in September 2008. That camera could take 1080p video and has been used to shoot parts of TV shows and even movies. Yet, older cameras have many drawbacks from newer models when it comes to video. For instance, many older cameras will give you better results if you focus them manually when in video mode. If you are very interested in a camera that can take both still images and also has easy video recording, go for a newer old camera, or perhaps spend the extra money for a new consumer-level camera.

Software anyone?

Photo editing software can raise your photos to another level. There is a lot of free or very inexpensive photo editing software out there. If there is interest, I’ll post about that topic. 

Final Thoughts.

Buying a used camera will still cost money, but it will be a much smaller investment than buying a new camera while giving you all of the tools needed to up your photography results. These cameras may be all that you ever need, or you may acquire GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) and eventually get the latest and greatest camera of the future. I can’t control your desires.

Some of the new consumer-level cameras have amazing features, great focusing, and fantastic low-light performance. However, they are light both on direct controls and construction. Yet, they will still be more expensive than many of the cameras listed above. However, you do you.

As a Kodak commercial once said, “Share moments, share life.”

Peace

Mike

friends, friendship

I Don’t Have Many Friends

I don’t have many friends. I know others who appear to have scores of them, but I only have a handful. Perhaps that is an understatement, as my family is in my friend zone. However, my total “n” is still small.  

Don’t feel sorry for me; my lack of friends is by choice. I don’t want a lot of friends. I like people, and I enjoy spending time with others. Generally, people seem to like me. I’m friendly with many and treat everyone with kindness and respect. I have many acquaintances, just not many friends.

I take being a friend very seriously. I want to be there for my friends in any way that I can be. I want to be trusted, and I want to trust them. I hold my friends close. I hope that their association with me improves their lives, and I feel they absolutely enrich mine. I hope you now understand why I don’t have many friends. Being a true friend takes a lot of energy, and I only have so much energy. However, I’m happy to spend that energy on those I care about.

I am much better at taking care of others than having others take care of me. If you have read any of my past posts, you know the history behind my unwillingness to ask others for help. As I have previously said, in many ways, my lack of help growing up turned out to be a good thing; it made me independent and an excellent problem solver. Remember, things are neither good nor bad; they just are. It is how we approach life that matters.

Over the years, I have become more comfortable asking others for help. Indeed, I ask Julie and my kids to help me. I’m fortunate to be very close to my sisters, who have offered me their emotional help and support on many occasions. Things become more complex when I extend my needs beyond that tight sphere, but I’m trying. I need to grow in that direction.

Yesterday, we had a mini-disaster in Kunaland. It was after 10 PM. Julie and I heard a knock on our bedroom door. Grace said she had been running the shower to warm it up, but it was only running cold. I quickly confirmed her observation and then went to the basement to investigate. There, I could see a puddle of water at the base of the water heater and hear the sound of running water. I tried to shut off the intake water valve, but all of my turning did nothing. It was now almost 11 PM. I told everyone that there was nothing to do tonight and described to them the fine art of the sponge bath. Julie was well versed as her recent hospital stay made her an expert. We all did our best to clean up and went to bed.

My last task for the evening was to send a text message to my friend, Tom. I knew that he would be sleeping when I sent the message, and I asked him to call me in the morning. I said, “Tom, I need your help and advice; please give me a call.” I got a call back at 6 AM the next morning. Tom is a general contractor, and I trust his advice implicitly.

Tom is in the very final stage of finishing up a massive project. He restored a house that suffered flood damage on all three floors. The project took months and was mostly completed. The family was moving back into the home today. Yet, there were still a multitude of small things to finish ranging from installing door knobs to placing appliances. Tom would be enormously occupied today. I felt guilty bothering him, even for a phone call. 

“Tom, my water heater popped last night. The kids are up in arms. Can you use your contacts to help me get a plumber out today?” Tom replied, “Give me a minute; I’ll make some calls and get back to you.” Shortly afterward, he called back to tell me he had left some messages and was waiting. A wave of relief washed over me—then silence, then more waiting on my part. 

An hour passed, then two. There was nothing to do but to be patient. The doorbell rang, it was Tom. He told me the plumbers were busy, so he came out instead. In the bed of his GMC Denali pickup was a huge box, a new Bradford White water heater. Tom dropped everything and went to his plumbing supply house to pick it up. He was here to start the installation process himself.

We struggled to get it downstairs, then he sliced open the box and pulled the heater out. Tom brought down an enormous toolbox and fished around it to find a pipe cutter. Since I couldn’t turn off the broken intake valve on the water heater, I had to turn off the water throughout the entire house. With the cutter in hand, he quickly disconnected the broken unit and moved it off to the side. Despite having the house water off the disconnected water pipe continued to drip on the floor. Tom dug into his box and found a shutoff valve. However, he couldn’t solder the new valve onto a wet pipe.”Do you have any white bread?” Tom asked. I ran upstairs and found the remnants of a loaf. Tom took the bread and shoved it into the pipe, using it as a temporary plug. It worked, and he was able to solder the new valve onto the pipe. Once connected, he had me turn the house water back on, at which point he opened the valve, and the now soggy bread shot into a bucket. He reconnected all of the water pipes with a push here and a pull there. “Mike, I don’t have any black pipe for the gas line. I’ll have to return later tonight when I finish my job. At least you can run cold water now.” I thanked Tom, and he was on his way. I felt guilty as I was making his already complicated day even more complex for him. However, I felt incredibly grateful at the same time. At least with cold water, we could cook, clean, and, most importantly, flush the toilets. I was happy.

Less than an hour later, I got a call from Tom. Instead of returning to his worksite, he had picked up a black gas pipe at the hardware store. In a bit, he was back at my house working. Tom is very skilled, so it didn’t take him too long to make all the connections. It was then time to ignite the pilot light on the water heater. Tom tried and tried again, but it would not light. I recognized that an indicator on the unit was blinking in a sequence, and I counted the blinks, and it became apparent that the water heater was showing some sort of an error code. I looked it up on my phone, and it said it was due to a “thermostat sensor fault.” The service action was to “Check temp probe ohms” and to “check the water temperature.” What?? That was supposed to make sense? Without a mechanical understanding, I had no idea what the service manual was asking me to do. By then, Tom had received several calls from the homeowners and had to leave. “I’ll be back tonight,” he said. I felt terrible that I was messing up his day. He suggested that I try to ignite the water heater in his absence. I cut a large section out of the cardboard box in which the water heater was packed to use as a cushion on the wet utility room floor. I was in an incredibly awkward position in the utility room which was poorly illuminated by a lone flashlight pointing up toward the ceiling (I needed both hands to try to ignite the heater). Every attempt failed as the heater continued to mock me with its five-blink error code. The possibility existed that we would have to disconnect the water heater and return it for another one. That was a horrible possibility. Tom continued to call and check on my progress. “Well, Mike, at least it should be easier to install the next one.” The thought of disconnecting and returning the water heater was heavy. Tom said, “Why don’t you call tech support.” I said, “OK,” but I didn’t even realize that water heaters had a tech support hotline. I started searching on the web for an 800 number for Bradford and White. Finally, I got to the right place and was greeted by a charming lady who said she would help me.

I explained to her that I wasn’t a contractor and was unfamiliar with the water heaters’ ins and outs. She assured me that it was not a problem. With the speakerphone on the floor, and a drainage PVC pipe stuck in my back; I tried to start the heater again, with her giving me step-by-step instructions. They were no different from what both Tom and I had tried. No luck… all we got was the stupid 5-blink error code. 

She had me make sure that all of the external wires were attached. They were. Then, she asked me to remove the faceplate that protects the heater’s computer control board. Usually, this would not be a problem, but I was lying on my side in a dark utility room with a flashlight pointing at the ceiling. Oh, I also didn’t have a screwdriver. I told the support lady that I had to get one upstairs. She said, “Don’t worry… I’m here all day; I’ll wait for you.” I ran upstairs, rummaged through my anemic toolbox, and ran down with a couple of screwdrivers. None were correct. Two more trips finally yielded a broad but sharply chiseled screwdriver. That one worked. “Be careful; there is a ribbon cable that is very short. If it disconnects it will be very hard to reconnect” The cover came off with those words, and the ribbon cord disconnected. I could see where it plugged back in, but the wire was impossibly short. There was no way that I could see the connection point while getting the plug back in. I had to reconnect it by guess and feel, and I started to do that, thinking that I would never get it back in. This way, then that way, then “click” it was in!!  

“Make sure you tighten all of the screws; they serve as the earth ground. The heater won’t start up if they are not tightened enough” Hmm, where were those screws… oh, spewn all over the basement floor, of course!. One by one, I found and replaced them.  

“OK, now reconnect the external wires to the control box.” I crossed my fingers and did my best. “I’ll walk you through the startup sequence. Remember that you must hold the igniter button down for at least 15 seconds after the pilot lights to ensure that the thermocouple stays open.” It sounded like she was talking pig Latin. The words were familiar, but I was unsure if I understood the meaning. “I’ll do my best,” I told her. I turned the control knob to “pilot” and pressed it in. Then, I pressed the piezo-electric igniter 15 times. “Keep pushing the control knob in. I’ll tell you when to stop,” she said. “Tell me when the indicator light goes from red to green.” It seemed to stay red for an eternity, but then, like magic, it blinked green. I heard the “whoosh” sound of gas igniting, and the water heater was running. That little internal cable had disconnected from the control board during shipping. It was the cause of the malfunction. Just at that moment, Tom called again. We have flame!” I shouted. “We have flame!”  

This story has a happy ending, not just because we can all take hot showers tonight. When I first became friends with Tom, I saw my role as helping him. I built his website, took professional photos of his projects, wrote copy, and did many other things. It felt good to help Tom, and I felt good about myself. However, over the years, Tom has helped me countless times in ways I could never have helped myself. Today, he dropped everything to make sure that I was alright, and that is not the first time he has done that. I’m so fortunate to have a few true friends. I am so fortunate.  

fire and flood restoration

Architectural Photography is FUN!

My photography career started in the 8th grade when I received a Kodak Instamatic point-and-shoot camera as a graduation gift. Since I had the only camera in the house, I became the de facto photographer for important occasions. My family told me that I had a knack for taking pictures at that time. Honestly, I don’t know if that was true or if it was just a way to appeal to my narcissism. Let me know that you like something I’m doing, and I’ll likely continue doing it for you.

My picture-taking career continued, and over those early years, I bought a film camera or two, including a decent 35 mm one. I didn’t know how to use it and only shot in automatic mode. At that time, I didn’t realize that I could alter the photo in many ways, simply by a turn of a knob or a press of a button.

Fast forward to the 1990s. For whatever reason, I started to make educational videos using consumer-grade video equipment. I built an editing suite in my basement that consisted of tape players, time-based correctors, character generators, and more. A rat’s nest of wires connected everything. Those were the analog days, and although I got the system to work, I was always unhappy with the final product. Each time I ran a signal through a different machine, the resulting image degraded slightly. My videos looked OK but needed to look more professional.

In the early 1990s, I remarried and started a yearly Christmas newsletter. The format included a family update, recipe, and photos. Initially, preparing the photos was a drag. I would take them with a film camera, have the film developed, scan the images to digitize them, and then insert the digital copies in my newsletter software. I wanted a faster workflow, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon of the new digital cameras hitting the market. I entered a local camera shop and left with a $700 Kodak instant digital camera. It was a rectangular box with a button that didn’t even have a viewing screen. What was its resolution? A not-so-mighty 0.3 MP! Yet, it was so cool to take a photo and instantly use it or send it to someone via email. These were the years before smartphones, multimedia text messages, and FaceTime.

My video work continued, and I went from analog to digital editing. I couldn’t afford a proper video editing computer, so I taught myself and built my own. By going digital, I no longer had any loss in video quality, and I was able to produce very high-quality videos. That started another small chapter in my life and I launched a successful production company that made educational videos and CMEs (continuing medical education) materials for professionals. It was a fun little gig, but video work was highly time-consuming, and eventually, I became bored with the process. I didn’t have a passion for video.

Taking pictures was infinitely more interesting to me. Photographs felt like art. Sometimes, that art was a beautiful or exciting scene; at other times, it was possible to tell an entire story in a single frame. Either way, being a photographer was wonderful. My camera purchases progressed from that simple point-and-shoot to cameras with all sorts of bells and whistles.  

Like most disciplines, the more you do them, the better you get at them. Soon, I was snapping portraits, doing corporate work, and shooting events. It was a lot of fun. Each type of photography involves its own set of rules and techniques. If you know me, you know that I love to learn, and photography offered me endless opportunities.

If you have been reading this blog, you know I have a friend named Tom. I met Tom around eleven years ago, and we became fast friends around nine years ago. On the surface, we appear to be very different, but we share many common interests. That said, Tom has many skills I lack and vice versa. I call on Tom for his help, and he calls on mine for my help.

Tom is a general contractor who does craftsman-level work. Although he is happy to do just about any job, he enjoys significant renovation projects, including those caused by fires and floods. He hired photographers to record some of his completed projects in the past, but their final images were only so-so. Years ago, I took over that role and once again I had to learn a new set of rules and techniques. After all these years knowing Tom, I have a basic understanding of construction, and combining that knowledge with the creative process of picture-taking has been a joy.

Tom is just finishing a significant flood restoration job in a Naperville home. The owners were on vacation when a second-floor toilet started to leak. The flooding destroyed the upstairs bathroom and severely damaged four bedrooms. The main floor was more compromised, and the kitchen, powder room, parts of the family room, parts of the dining room, the laundry room,  and the first-floor study had to have hardwood floors removed and walls stripped to their studs. The enormous finished basement didn’t fare any better, with significant damage to the floor, ceiling, closets, and walls.  

The house was uninhabitable and required a complete restoration. Tom is capable of such tasks, and his efforts gave the homeowners a modern and beautiful home. I took before-and-after shots of the entire project and wanted to share the shots of the kitchen and family room in this post.  

People used to ask me if I was bored being retired. Although every day is Saturday, every Saturday is a new adventure. There is always something to learn and do.  

Here are some shots of the kitchen and family room post flood.

Half of the floor had to be removed in the family room.
The former kitchen.
The dining area.
Here you can see a 90’s style fireplace with a brick mantle.

And now the restoration.

Whitewashing the fireplace completely transformed it. Tom removed the old brick mantle and built a new wooden one by himself using bits and pieces of wood and trim.

Lastly, a plug for my friend, Tom. If you are looking for a general contractor for just about any job, give him at call at Gizmo Home Craft, (630) 585-8369.

Peace!

Mike

kids

Consider Teaching Your Kids How To Cook

It started over a decade ago, and I’m so glad it did. Before that, Julie and I had more traditional roles, but not for the reasons you may think, it was out of necessity.

When Julie was pregnant with Grace, we did the math. Julie was working part-time as a psychologist in my office, and when we contrasted her earnings with the cost of private childcare for two kids, it became evident that we would only be ahead by a few thousand dollars. That calculation didn’t account for the other costs that one incurs to survive working while raising a child. Of course, Julie could have gone full-time, but that had drawbacks.

We mutually decided that she would take a hiatus from work and focus on the family. In turn, I would become the sole breadwinner as I had more significant earning potential. I took that responsibility seriously and worked a ridiculous number of hours. Julie shouldered parenting and made a point to serve the kids a home-cooked meal most nights. This action plan continued for over a decade and was the right decision for our family.

Eventually, Julie returned to the workplace, and meals became slabs of Stouffer’s diners and boxes of frozen pizza. The kids were unhappy with this change, so they let us know. They wanted home cooking again. Julie was at her limit, but my schedule had opened up a bit. I have always been a confident cook, but I had released that role when I married Julie. It was now time for me to don my apron. 

I do  few things casually. If I were to resume meal prep, it would have to have a purpose other than filling bellies. I admit that at least one of my motivations was selfish. I’ll tell you about that reason next.

One of the issues that happens when you work 60-70 hours per week is that you are home less than you would like. I always came home right after work, but it would be late in the evening, and I would be emotionally spent. My family was a solid unit, but in many ways, it was as if I was standing outside the house and looking through a window at them. I wanted to forge a better connection with my kids, and cooking together could be the answer. Additionally, I knew that learning to cook would offer them many skills beyond poaching eggs. It is a complex discipline that has a plethora of learning opportunities.

I started “Cooking with Dad Thursdays.” If you were home on Thursday night, you would mix and chop right along with me.  

I wanted to teach my kids basic cooking skills and give them the confidence to tackle any recipe without fear. We focused on everything from adequately grilling a hamburger to making a smooth white sauce. In the process, I emphasized flexibility. We could omit or substitute something else if we didn’t have one ingredient. I also emphasized organization and “cleaning as you go.” Nothing deters cooking more than having to face a mountain of dishes post-meal. I wanted to teach them the benefits of making things from basic ingredients that could be fashioned into thousands of recipes. A cake mix can make a cake, but flour can make many things. I pushed for balance and frugality. One of our occasional indulgences is the humble Costco roasted chicken. You can’t beat its $5 price point. We would have one meal with the chicken, but I would save the carcass and make a cream of chicken soup a few days later. The kids preferred the soup to the chicken!

The kids prefer our homemade cream of chicken soup.

Along with meal prep, we made sure that we put the leftovers away, washed the dishes, and cleaned the table.

Over the years, we started cooking more days than just Thursday, and meal prep became a time that we looked forward to. As the kids became more proficient, it became easy to direct them, and at times, they directed me. We worked together as a team, an invaluable skill to have in life. We not only enjoyed making a meal, but we also loved sitting at the table as we ate, talked about our day, and laughed. 

The kids working with Julie to make me my birthday dinner. They have the skills to work independently
We have a thing in our house for sculpted butter turkeys on Thanksgiving. My daughter thought it would be funny to “sculpt” some butter for my birthday!

Eighteen months ago, Julie became ill, and I went from cooking several days a week to making meals every day. I was capable of this responsibility, but it was a drag. Eventually, Julie took over Monday meal-making, but more needed to be done. The kids still helped me when I cooked, but it was time to turn over Wednesday nights completely to them. The three had to plan a menu, execute it, and clean up afterward. Would all of my efforts be in vain? 

If they wanted me to buy ingredients, I would do so. However, the vast majority of the time, they created meals from what we had on hand. Recently, I was especially impressed. Our larder was bare as I needed to go shopping. They assessed the situation and came up with a solution. We had the ingredients to make Dutch apple pancakes. However, we had never made them before; in fact, none of us had eaten a Dutch apple pancake. They read the ingredients, knew that the dinner would work, and proceeded ahead. Their efforts turned out great.

The kids were ingenious and came up with a dinner, Dutch apple pancakes, despite the fact that our larder was bare.

Lastly, it is not uncommon for them to pack leftovers for lunch while their peers spend their cash on going out to eat. Another frugal life skill!

So, why is teaching your kids how to cook a good idea?

  1. It gives them a skill that they can use throughout their life.
  2. It teaches frugality.
  3. It teaches resourcefulness. 
  4. It encourages confidence.
  5. It teaches problem-solving.
  6. It teaches organization.
  7. It teaches teamwork.
  8. It can create strong bonds and wonderful memories.

How can you beat that?  

Spend time with your kids. Teach them what you know. Use your teaching to expand their knowledge beyond the task at hand. Celebrate the simple things in life; they are the richest. 

Mike

We were gifted the ham bone from our greater family’s Easter celebration. What to do? We made some 15 bean soup with it. Spices can turn something bland into something delicious!
A delicious chicken coconut curry. Simple to make, but impressive.
A recipe from my past. Chicken and stuffing casserole. Comfort food at its best.
Another of my childhood favorites that the kids now claim as one of their favorites, potato pancakes. Yes, I know more bacon… what are you going to do?
We also bake. Grace found this recipe and wondered if we could make it. Why not!
We had fun making this cake. Yes, I like crazy colors. The kids are now more proficient bakers than I am.

Addendum: I’m sure some of you may feel that we should be cooking healthier or using more organic ingredients. If that is the case, I respectfully would like to say that you are missing the point of this post. However, you do you, and I accept you for who you are.

Uncategorized

Your Battery Bank Is Lying To You!

A few weeks back I took my son on a school tour.  We planned to stay at a hotel for two nights, but I wanted to pack light.  I had just done a review on a small power bank that seemed perfect to use as my phone’s temporary charging system. I had tested all of its many features and they seemed to work well.  The unit was small, and claimed an impressive 20,000 mAh of power. I felt that this should be enough to fully recharge my phone from zero more than four times.  

My phone was at a 50% charge when I plugged it into the fully charged power bank.  The next morning my phone was only at 84% charge, and the power bank was at 21%.  Clearly, it did not have a 20,000 mAh battery. In fact, it likely didn’t even have a 5000 mAh battery. Yet, the print on its case clearly stated 20,000 mAh. I was upset.  However, my motto is “Don’t get mad, confirm or reject your suspicions with hard data.”  

Battery banks (AKA power banks) seem pretty straightforward.  Bigger mAh units should be able to charge a phone more times.  However, my research has shown me that there is no real regulation on battery banks, and that it is necessary to go to extraordinary lengths to figure out the true capacity of any unit. These banks are sealed and you often have to destroy them to get a peek at their actual battery. Battery banks can be branded with bizarre sounding names.  The seller can silk screen anything that they want to on the case. If a product gets bad reviews it is easy to rebrand the next batch that they are selling. Additionally, the industry itself gives out confusing information making it difficult to know what you are buying even when a company is reputable.  Because I review products I had a number of battery banks that were nearly new for testing.  I decided to learn more about the ins and outs about these common products; by the end of my research I was not only disappointed, I was shocked.  

Some terminology

Ports:  Most battery banks have a complement of both USB A and USB C ports.  Many (but not all) USB C ports are bi-directional.  You can charge the bank through them and they can also output a charge.  Some older models may require you to use a micro USB cord to charge, which can be a bit of a hassle as these cords are now less common. 

Metering:  Most battery banks have some method to tell you how charged they are.  Some will have a 4 LED display, while others will give you a more precise digital readout. 

Size:  Battery banks come in many sizes.  Typically, the bigger the bank the bigger the capacity.  However, this is not always the case.  Make sure that the size that you pick is compatible with your needs.  When traveling abroad I had a small battery bank that I could easily slip in my pocket.  I was dependent on Google Maps (which consumes a lot of battery energy).  I would have been lost without that power bank, which was so lightweight that I barely knew that I was carrying it. 

Recharge times:  Some battery banks can recharge faster than others.  Sometimes that difference can be dramatic. 

Watts:  Some battery banks will list watts, for instance 15 Watts or 20 Watts on the front of their case.  This indicates the maximum watts that certain ports, or a combination of ports can deliver to a device like a phone.  Some phones can accept higher watts and will charge faster.  Larger devices, like tablets, may require higher watts to trigger their charging circuitry. I tested the power (watts) output of a few banks and their maximum output was lower than what was listed on the case.

Volts Out: Volts refer to the force of the electrical current. Here is a water analogy:  If you are trying to fill a bucket it will fill faster if the flow rate is faster (more pressure). Likewise, a battery will fill faster if the voltage is higher. The standard power output of a USB port is 5 volts.  However, some phones are capable of accepting higher voltages. and will tell the battery bank to send it. Note that some battery banks can only deliver 5 volts, so that is what the phone will get.  Higher voltage output yields faster charging. As an example, an USB C Power Delivery port can (potentially) deliver up to 48 volts.  Note, both your phone and the power bank have to be compatible with the same protocol for fast charging to kick in.  

Amps Out: Another electrical parameter. This refers to how much charge is moving through the circuit. Using the water analogy, if you filling a bucket it will fill faster if the diameter of your hose is wider.  More amps means faster charging. Your phone will limit the amount of amps that it will accept. An old iPhone AC charger will deliver around 1 amp of power, but newer iPhones can accept up to 2.4 amps so an advanced AC charger will charge a phone faster. Some battery banks can provide higher amps, others can’t. A battery bank will usually list the maximum amps that any given port will provide on its case. Here too, I found exaggerations on several banks. 

A phone may tell a battery bank to provide more amps; it may also tell a battery bank to provide less amps than the bank is capable of delivering.  Exceeding a phone’s charging recommendation can lead to early phone battery failure, and can even cause a battery to explode. 

Lastly, a battery providing 2000 mAh at 2 Amps will deplete faster than one providing 2000 mAh at 1 amp. Higher draws have a negative impact on a battery. That is just the way battery chemistry works.

Watts Law: At this point you may be thinking, “What gives, Mike?  First you said that higher volts will charge a device faster, and then you said it was higher amps!  Which one is it?”  The answer is both, as they work together to calculate power, which in this case we are calling watts.  

Check out this equation: 

volts x amps = watts (power).  

When you increase volts or amps (or both) you will supply more power from your power bank to your device.  More power means the unit will charge faster.

mAh (milliamp/hour): A unit that indicates overall capacity of a battery bank. One milliamp is equivalent to 1/1000 of an amp.  To use the water analogy, think of a battery as a tank.  A bigger tank can hold more water and a bigger battery can hold more charge.   Common battery bank sizes are 5,000 mAh, 10,000 mAh, and 20,000 mAh.  

Depending on the phone, a typical phone battery can store from 2,500 to 4,000 mAh with some phones having batteries that are as large as 5,000 mAh.  

A common misperception is that it is simple to calculate how many times a power bank could recharge a phone by doing simple math.  For instance, you think that a 5,000 mAh power bank should be  able to recharge a 2, 500 mAh battery twice (5,000/2,500 = 2) . To understand why this is not the case we need to get into the weeds a bit. 

If you want skip the sciency stuff then go directly to “The Bottom Line”

Most power banks output around 5 volts (some can deliver higher voltages on demand).  However, the lithium battery inside the power bank is only 3.7 volts. The mAh listed on the case uses 3.7 volts in its calculation which gives a higher mAh number.

Here is a practical example for a 5,000 milliamp power bank

Volts x amps = watts (Watt’s law again)

3.7 volts x 5,000 mA = 18.5 watts

However, at 5 volts

watts/volts = amps (Watt’s law rearranged)

18.5 watts/5 volts =  only 3,700 mA 

Note that the overall power (watts) is the same in both equations, but both the volts and amps have changed. 

The 5 volt value is (approximately) 75% of what the 3.7 volt value is.  This is the case for all power banks. Because of this confusion I think that it is better to compare Wh (watt hours) of a battery bank when trying to figure out its capacity. A typical 5,000 mAh battery will deliver around 18.5 Wh of power.  Some well designed batteries may actually give you a bit more power, but still list 5,000 mAh on their case.  Other battery banks go in the opposite direction and overestimate their capacity, sometimes to the extreme.

A decent battery bank should list its mAh, (mili-amp hours) as well as Wh (watt hours) on its on its case. However, some manufacturers greatly exaggerate these numbers.

Many Factors Impact A Battery: Let’s assume that we are going to test a quality power bank. There are losses to consider.  The power bank has to convert the 3.7 volts of its battery to 5 volts or higher for the USB port.  This results in power loss.  The receiving device may also have to do some sort of voltage conversion.  That could lead to more power loss.  Some cheap gas station charging cables have more resistance than branded ones, and you can have a loss there.  Most lithium batteries have a BMS (battery management system) circuit. The BMS circuit can do many things.  Two of its most important functions are to regulate the voltage used to charge the power bank (too high of a charging voltage can cause a power bank to explode), and to prevent the battery from discharging completely. Completely discharging a lithium battery will dramatically shorten its life. Therefore, the BMS will prevent further discharging once the battery is at 10-20% of its capacity (depending on the programming of the BMS). That last bit of power is not available to the user.  Other factors that reduce the power of a battery include the ambient temperature, and the way that the charger is being utilized. Devices that demand a higher amperage to charge will deplete a battery faster, even if it is providing the same mAh as a unit delivering power at a lower amperage.

The Bottom Line

Unless a power pack is over rated it is acceptable to expect that it will only perform at 60-80% of its rated Wh capacity.  

Therefore, a typical 5,000 mAh battery that is rated at 18.5 Wh will only deliver 11.1 Wh-14.8 Wh in real life.  If a battery has a tested capacity of at least 60% of its listed capacity it is delivering its stated Wh capacity.  If it is lower than 60% the seller is telling a fib. 

The Test

I needed to come up with a way to drain and monitor a battery bank in a standardized fashion.  Luckily, I’m a nerdy guy who has a bunch of electronic tools lying around the house.  I came up with two methods.  The first method was more sophisticated, and a bit more accurate.  However, some of the no name banks could not recognize the first method and would turn off prematurely.  The second method was more crude and was slightly less accurate, but it worked for the majority of the battery banks.  That was the one that I used. Remember, your results may vary.

My fancier setup. This USB multi-meter uses a separate power source for its operations which leads to a more accurate final reading (by a bit). However, some of the battery banks that I tested would not recognize it enough to fully discharge the battery bank.
Here you can see my better system (top) which didn’t work for all cases, and my cruder system (bottom) which did work. The bottom system should still give enough information to determine the good from the bad.

The test was simple, I fully charged each battery bank and then completely discharged them using my gadget. I compared the actual power output of a power bank with its stated capacity.  If the actual output was at least 60% of the stated output the unit passed.  Some packs did very well, others were abysmally bad.  

Here are the battery banks that I tested.

The results

Battery #1 JRT-Japan (however it is made in China) 5,000 mAh pack. This is an exceptionally thin battery that is sexy as far as batteries are concerned.  I have had this battery for a year or two, but only use it rarely.  It probably has been charged less than 10 times.  It claims an output of 18.5 Wh, but only tested at 7.8 Wh, which is 42% of its stated power.  Verdict: FAIL

Battery #2 Dilibird.5,000 mAh pack.   I could not test this battery using either of my gizmos due to the Dilibird’s  limitations.  For a crude test I used the battery bank to charge my phone which was at around 60% charge.  Even in this situation the pack would randomly shut off and I would have to re-initialize it. Despite all of my efforts my phone only charged to 97% and the Dilibird went from 4 full bars of power to 1 bar.  Verdict: FAIL on multiple levels.

#3 Metecsmartme 5,000 mAh pack.  The case on this unit is a nice size.  It is very pocketable and fairly thin and light.  It claims an output of 18.5 Wh and delivered 14.4 Wh which is 78% of stated capacity.  Verdict: PASS

#4 4 Meyin Miusc (no that is not a typo) 20,000 mAh pack. This unit impressed me when I did an initial review.  However, it is also the unit that performed poorly when I used it at the hotel. It is the reason that I developed this test. The pack is loaded with features, which include a digital power level, wireless charging pad, and multiple built-in power cords.  Additionally, it claims 20,000 mAh of power.  It did not list Wh (which battery banks are required to do), but a 20,000 mAh battery calculates to 72 Wh of power.  In testing the unit it only provided 8.2 Wh of power, which is an abysmal 12% of stated capacity.  Verdict:  Despite a lot of bells and whistles it falters in its most important property, battery capacity. FAIL

This battery bank had all sorts of bells and whistles including built in power cords. Impressive on the surface, but garbage in use.

#5 Anker 10,000 mAh pack.  This is a fairly slim unit that is easily pocketable.  It has outlets for USB C, USB A, as well as a built-in USB C power cord.  The USB C outlet is bidirectional. It features a digital power meter.  It states that its capacity is 36 Wh of power. In testing it delivered 24 Wh of power, for 67% capacity.  Verdict: PASS

#6 6 Veektomix 10,000 mAh power bank.  I found this unit in my drawer and added it at the end of my tests (sorry, no photo). This unit is about the same size as the nice Metscmartme, but a bit thicker and heavier.  It has a digital display.  Ports include a micro USB for charging, USB C which is bidirectional (you can charge here too), and USB A. The small size made me think that this unit overstated its capacity.  It claims 38 Wh of power, and delivered 32 Wh, which is an awesome 82% of stated capacity.  Best in class.  Verdict: PASS

Conclusions

When it comes to power banks it is the Wild West.  There is no regulation, and it seems that sellers silk screen whatever values that they want to.  Many of the names are bizarre to English hearing ears.  It is likely that these brand names come and go so there is little reason for some to establish a quality product.

Expect 60-80% true capacity when buying a decent power bank.  However, in my test of 6 units 3 couldn’t even make that level of performance. 

Look for a bank with many favorable reviews.  Although these can be scammed, it is likely that  a well regarded unit with hundreds or even thousands of reviews is legit.  Shopping brand names can also help as a company’s future sales can be dependent on present reviews. The Anker unit that I tested passed and is a safe bet, however two lesser known brands performed better. I was especially impressed by the Veektomix.  It delivered 82% of its rated power and it did this in an incredibly sleek and compact case.  

Lastly, make sure the unit that you buy has the features that you need, including the type of ports as well as the power delivery capability.  If you are charging a device that can utilize a higher Amp or voltage output make sure that your unit can deliver it.  I think the best units have a bi-direction USB C as well as a USB A port. This combo gives you the most flexibility.  If you want a unit for on-the-go use a power bank with a rating of 5,000 to 10,000 mAh should do the trick.  Better brands may have better batteries that could offer more charging cycles before they degrade.  

Please note that this post is my personal opinion.  Testing was done with my available equipment which is not laboratory certified. 

Battery Bank and Power Bank refer to the same thing.

Good Luck

Peace

Mike

Addendum: For those interested, I did go try to modify my Amazon review of the Meyin Miusc power bank (#4).  I initially gave it a good review as I was impressed by all of its bells and whistles and used it to top off my phone a few times  (which worked fine).  However, I became aware of its low capacity when I used it in the hotel scenario that I talked about in the first paragraph of this post.  When I went back to modify my review the product had been discontinued and was removed from Amazon and so it was not possible to change my evaluation.  

camping, Total solar eclipse

Eclipse!

My fantasies of adventure started months ago when Julie asked me if I wanted to go camping. Naturally, I said yes, despite some trepidation, as the last time we went camping, Julie broke her foot. However, this would be the chance of a lifetime.

Also, it would be a great way to test out the new all-electric camper kitchen that Tom and I built and installed last summer. That kitchen started as a simple redesign but turned into much more with my friend Tom’s creative mind. The old kitchen was dominated by a sink and two internal 8-gallon tanks; for the uninformed, I had to contend with 64 pounds of fresh water and 64 pounds of gross gray water. Over the years that I have owned Violet the camper van I have found much more efficient ways to keep my dishes and myself clean on the road. The sink and its system had become obsolete, wasting valuable space in my tiny home on wheels where every square centimeter of storage was essential.

Violet’s new all-solar all-electric kitchen.

My initial plan was to remove the sink and replace the kitchen countertop with a laminate surface. We could easily cut the laminate and install an induction burner. However,  Tom’s idea was to completely rebuild the kitchen, which would be considerably more work but add practicality and storage space. We went with plan B, which involved weekends of cutting, gluing, and screwing. This would also permit us to make a custom countertop from wood we had harvested from fallen trees. Years prior, Tom arranged a deal with the Morton Arboretum to purchase fallen trunks, which we sawed and cured into wood planks. He had used the planks for his home remodel, but there was enough scrap wood to make a one-of-a-kind kitchen countertop for Violet.  

I had played around with my new solar-powered kitchen, but you never know how something will work until you test it in the field. This trip would be the kitchen’s first field test.

I remember seeing my first solar eclipse in the 1960s. I was in grade school, and I recall the warnings to “Not look directly at the Sun.” I made a pinhole projection box to view the Sun as the moon bit progressive chunks out of it. I’m uncertain if that eclipse reached totality, but it impressed me enough to have vivid memories of the event decades later. I remember standing on our front lawn, adjusting my makeshift device while noting all the others standing on their cramped patches of front yard in my South Side Chicago neighborhood.

In 2017, we took our kids to Southern Illinois for that eclipse. We visited St. Louis to check out Washington University as a potential college for my daughter and then drove east to the eclipse. Every place was crowded, but we eventually found our way to a county fairground and witnessed totality with hundreds of random watchers. It was an incredible experience.

This time around, it would just be Julie, me, and Violet, the camper van. Julie had called around for lodging. Bargain hotels, like Motel 8, were being booked at almost $1000 per night. Campgrounds were starting at $250. Yikes! She found a makeshift offering in Marion, Illinois, which was directly in the path of totality. Fifty dollars gave us the privilege to park in a field that belonged to a church. We were happy to get it.  

We traveled to Marion, Illinois to witness over 4 minutes of totality.

We built Violet to be self-contained. We carry water (and water purification), generate electricity via solar panels, and possess simple toilet facilities. We would be fine.  All we needed was reasonably level ground to park on.  

The total eclipse would be on Monday, but we drove to Southern Illinois on Sunday. We initially planned on leaving Chicagoland on Saturday to explore the region, but we wanted to attend a friend’s 65th birthday celebration that day.

Being my compulsive self, I had already gone shopping for camp supplies. The dry goods were already packed in the camper and the refrigerated items were placed in a bag in our home fridge. That way I wouldn’t forget to bring anything. All I had to do was unload the bag into Violet’s chest fridge on the day of the adventure.  

Since we were only going overnight, packing was as simple as tossing a few items of clothing in a backpack. As far as Julie was concerned, all she needed to bring were her personal  items, as I would be taking care of the rest.

With Violet fully fueled and her larder overflowing, we set off on our adventure. The trip to Marion was calculated at around 5 hours, but terrific winds and rain extended the trip to over six. Julie wanted to stop at Carbondale, as that was the epicenter of eclipse activities, but I was already spent and couldn’t imagine the additional hour of drive time. As Violet’s pilot, I made the executive decision to give it a pass.

The field location was obscure, so we used GPS coordinates instead of standard street directions. However, finding the place turned out to be a breeze, as well as a surprise. The Christian church was situated on acres of a neatly cut grass field. The place had it all, a massive fire pit, a pavilion with picnic tables, and…BATHROOMS!! The setting was as lovely as a dedicated campground. Best of all, we had ample space, and our fellow campers were chill and respectful. Fantastic! And did I say, BATHROOMS! When you are a camper used to camping on BLM land, bathrooms are a BIG deal.

Sunday and pre-eclipse Monday were spent quietly. Talking, reading, and a little YouTube watching. My initial test of the kitchen was simple: grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. I challenged the system more on Monday morning as I made coffee in an electric coffee pot and homemade breakfast burritos using both the induction hob and the microwave. Everything worked flawlessly. Despite running my fridge, using the lights, heating the cabin with the Webasto heater, and cooking, I only used 19% of my battery’s capacity. Additionally, the 400 watts of solar on Violet’s roof had my batteries back at 100% capacity by early afternoon—a total success for a total eclipse day.

We had a perfect spot to camp.
The field was large enough so that everyone had enough space.
We spent much of our time talking and reading. Note that the passenger’s seat can rotate into the cabin for more space.
First test, making some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for Sunday dinner.
Then coffee for two the next morning.
Making the burrito filling.
How about some breakfast burritos using both the induction burner and the microwave? No problem!

By 1:30 PM, we had our lawn chairs in position as we saw the moon slowly eclipse the Sun through our heavily tinted eclipse glasses. I took a few shots on my phone by covering its lens with the glasses with fair results. At that point I regretted not bringing along one of my professional camera rigs with me. Alas, you win some, and you lose some.

The first thing that I noticed was that it suddenly became cooler. However, the Sun had to be almost completely covered before the light changed from day to dusk. At 1:59:44 PM, totality occurred and lasted 4 minutes and 7 seconds. We went from dusk to night; the wind stilled, and the birds stopped singing. More spectacularly, the Sun turned into a black disk surrounded by a most amazing coronal ring. It was awe-inspiring and almost spiritual. When totality occurred, there was an audible gasp throughout the campground, which then went quiet. We viewed totality in respectful silence. Minutes passed, and then a tiny crescent of light emerged, then more. In about 30 minutes, the moon had broken its bond with the Sun, and life in Southern Illinois returned to normal.

With most of the Sun blocked it was cooler but still very bright outside.
With only a tiny sliver of Sun remaining the sky turned to dusk.
Then it was suddenly dark!
I put my solar glasses over my iPhone’s camera lens to capture the moon starting its progression. Darn, I wished I brought one of my pro-cameras!
Another iPhone shot, this time of totality. Super cool!

We had cleaned up Violet so all we had to do was to collapse and load our chairs back into her garage. Then, the trip back home.

I have to admit that driving back to Chicago was a nightmare. The 5-hour trip turned into 7 hours and 40 minutes of stop-and-go traffic. This was no surprise, but it still sucked. We arrived home at 10:40 PM. I decided to unpack the camper in the morning, showered, and went promptly to bed.

Was seeing 4 minutes of eclipse worth driving twelve and a half hours? Absolutely!

family, Family relationships, family traditions, spending time with family

Easter, Family, And Love

Easter Saturday morning finds me in the kitchen making heaping quantities of cheesy chivy potatoes for our extended family Easter party. They have been an Easter tradition in our family for over 40 years. I was tasked with making them over 30 years ago and have done so ever since. The recipe is simple… make mashed potatoes and add cheese and chives. I usually spice them up with some hot sauce and garlic but don’t tell anyone, as those are my secret additions. The biggest issue with making this Midwestern food is the mess and pots. I have to pull out my 12-quart stock pot,  my Kitchen Aid mixer, and many utensils, all of which get covered with a sticky potato goo.

This year, my daughter Grace and I also made some CPS (Chicago Public Schools) sugar cookies (see my last post), and Julie made her famous Heath Bar cookies for the party.  

Over the years, Easter has been hosted by different family members: first my parents, then my sister Carol, then my sister Nancy, and now my sister-in-law Kathy. Easter is a communal affair where everyone brings a dish to the party. From sweet potatoes to Jello molds (we are in the Midwest, after all), to lamb cakes, it is quite the feast. A party filled with my siblings, nieces and nephews, and their kids is always a good time.

Our extended relatives drifted away many years prior. We were one of those ethnic families who celebrated every holiday, communion, and confirmation en masse. However, that changed in the early 1970s. More recently, my cousin, Ken, asked me what happened to cause this separation. Honestly, nothing happened. All I recall is that as our families grew in size via marriages and children, it became impractical to host everyone, and the all-inclusive parties of the past ended. However, this was not the case with all, as many of my cousins continued to celebrate events together.

My mother passed away in the 1970s, and my father in the early 1990s. At my dad’s funeral, my sister mentioned to my cousin Ken that it would be nice to have a family reunion picnic. That summer, my sister secured a permit for a park in her town, and the KRF (Kuna Family Reunion) was born. I remember my cousin Ken bringing all sorts of things to that first event, including melting popsicles for all! From the KFR came the Kuna Kampout, the Droby Fest Christmas Party (Droby is a traditional Slovak sausage), and other get-togethers. Ken became the organizer of most of these events.

Over time, Ken’s sister Kris and her husband Bob took over more and more of the responsibilities of these parties. How fortunate I am to have responsible and organized cousins. How grateful I am that they have kept these get-togethers alive.  

This year my sister-in-law Kathy hosted our family Easter party on Easter Saturday. As a twist, she extended the invitation to our cousins, and many accepted. Yet, another connection to our extended family.

The party was a great success, with everyone bringing a dish to pass, more desserts than even a foodie like myself could sample, and a tremendous amount of goodwill and joyful spirits. We don’t talk about politics or other divisive topics. We share stories about our lives, kids, and grandkids. Many of us are now retired and have transitioned from complicated work lives to ones of simple pleasures.

This year’s party was punctuated by a new twist: a DJ with a Karaoke machine. Few have singing voices, but that didn’t stop us from going up to the mic and belting out a song or two. Our efforts were met with rousing applause from the audience. Clearly, sympathy applause, but we will take what we can get!

Easter symbolizes many things, but for me, it represents a rebirth. Thirty years ago, our family reconnected with our extended family. Our mighty clan was reborn, and we have been moving forward ever since.  

My cousins are good, kind people, and catching up with their lives is always a pleasure. The same can be said of my siblings and their prodigy. Naturally, I’m pretty fond of my family too.

Kuna Klan, I sincerely want to tell everyone that I love you! Cousins, thank you for welcoming me back into your lives. Knowing you has made my life richer. I am so proud to be part of our group and pleased that you accepted me back into the fold.  

Happy Easter, readers. Be reborn today.

Peace, Mike

A good time to catch up.
Here I am trying to look Eastery.
Doing our best to sing “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.
The more singers that you have the better your sound.
Even the little kids got into it.
If you come from an Eastern European family you always talk about “the spread.” Here, two of my cousins are starting to assemble our Easter feast. Trust me, it was much larger than what you see.
We all gathered in a circle to pray. My sister-in-law surprised me by asking me to say grace. Yikes! I did my best.
My sister-in-law did a fantastic job putting together our party.
Many brought dessert.
It has been a tradition to take a photo of our kids on stairs every Easter. Well, our kids aren’t kids anymore!
And now a photo of the “old folks.”
Uncategorized

CPS Butter Cookies!

As I have aged my memories from the past have faded.  This is especially true when it comes to memories of my very early years.  Yet, some of those times remain present in my mind.

I attended a CPS (Chicago Public Schools) grade school for Kindergarten and part or all of my first grade.  I know that the second part of that sentence makes little sense, so let me explain.  It was expected that my parents would send me to our local parochial grade school, St Clare.  However, that school didn’t have a kindergarten, so I was sent to the public school for that.  I have very distinct memories of attending first grade at the public school, as well as memories of attending first grade at the Catholic school.  I’m not sure how all of that happened, but it did happen. Did I have to repeat the first grade?  Did they transfer me mid-semester?  I graduated grammar school at the appropriate age, so I don’t think I had to repeat the year.  It is possible that my parents transferred me mid-year due to their moral convictions or due to peer pressure to “do the right thing.”

It is interesting what I  remember from those early experiences.  I remember feeling calm as I stood in line at the start of my first day of kindergarten.  Suddenly, the boy in front of me started to hysterically cry.  After a minute or two I felt the need to cry, as if this was a social expectation.  I wasn’t alone and soon the entire line of kids were sobbing in unison.  I remember that my kindergarten teacher had a thing for Jergens hand lotion.  She kept a bottle in a cupboard with a glass door and would constantly smear the goop on her hands.  I recall its almond/cherry fragrance.  My mother never used hand lotion, and so I thought that the Jergens was the height of class and sophistication. Who wouldn’t like a teacher who smelled of almonds and cherries? At Christmas time our teacher gave each of us a transparent blue plastic peacock ornament.  I proudly hung that ornament on our tree for years, and I still am sad that it has been lost to time.

First grade had its memories.  I remember being taken out of the class to be tested.  The middle-aged tester was a prim and proper no-nonsense woman.  One test involved a series of pictures in rows.  Simple objects like a tree or a dog.  On one line the first picture was a sled.  I knew what it was, but I couldn’t recall the name so I took a logical step.  On that line I identified objects backwards, starting from the end of the line and working my way up to the beginning.  I felt that giving myself a few extra seconds would allow me adequate recall time.  This did not please the tester who scolded me with the racial slur, “What are you, Chinese!”  I had never seen an Asian person, so I was perplexed.  “No, I’m Slovak,” I replied earnestly.  She gave me a harrumph and in a disgusted tone told me that Chinese read from right to left.  This was a revelation to me so I explained that I was just extending my time so I could remember the name of…the name of… the sled!  The word came to me.  We moved on.  I am not sure why I was tested, possibly because I was dyslexic or perhaps it was just standard practice.  I never heard its purpose, and I never received any additional help, so go figure.  

If you know me you will completely understand the next sentence.  I have vivid memories of CPS cafeteria food.  Mid-morning we were allowed to go down to the school’s cafeteria to buy milk and a snack.  In those days food was prepared from scratch by “lunch ladies.”  Much of the stuff available was subsidized by the government, so it was very inexpensive to buy. You could get a carton of white milk for two cents, or upgrade to chocolate for three.  Naturally, I went the chocolate milk route.  You could also buy an unhealthy but delicious snack for a few pennies more.  These snacks would rotate and I clearly remember eating half peanut butter sandwiches, crumb streusel coffee cake, peanut butter cookies, and butter cookies.  I have very fond memories of those snacks, which I thought were beyond delicious.  

My sister, Carol also has memories of those delicacies, but for a different reason.  She is 15 years my senior so when I was in first grade she was a college student studying elementary education.  She became a teacher for CPS and enjoyed CPS cookies at her respective school.  Carol, is now in her 80s, but still loves the buttery and sweet CPS butter cookies as much as I do.

Today, my family and I will travel to my sister-in-law’s place for an Easter Saturday family party.  We are all assigned a dish to bring, mine being cheesy chivy potatoes (mashed potatoes with cheese and chives added).  Yesterday, my daughter asked me if I wanted to bake something with her to bring to the party as a bonus.  She had found a recipe for decorated mini-cupcakes, but I wanted to bake something different.  I knew that my sister would be excited if I brought some humble CPS sugar cookies, so that is what we made.  

These cookies are extremely simple but delicious.  They are firm, but they give way when you bite into them. Your senses are immediately flooded with the creamy luxury of butter, the sweetness of sugar, and the fragrance of vanilla.  They evoke happy memories in me, so I thought I would share this easy recipe with you. We doubled the recipe for 70 average-sized cookies.  The ones that I remembered from grade school were about twice the size of the ones that we made. Yum!

CPS Sugar Cookies

Oven at 350F

2 sticks butter

⅔ cups granulated sugar

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour (scoop the flour into your measuring cup, don’t dip the cup).

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch salt

-Cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

-Add the vanilla extract.

-Add the flour one cup at a time until incorporated.

-Distribute dough onto a cookie sheet and flatten with a finger (two fingers for large cookies).

-Bake until the edge of the cookies is golden brown. Don’t overbake, the top of the cookies won’t brown. Bake between 11-15 minutes, check the cookies so you don’t burn them.

-Allow cookies to rest on the cookie sheet until they are partially cool, and then transfer them to an appropriate container.  Great with coffee, tea, or milk!

Note: the dough will be very stiff.  We used a mixer, which is what I would recommend.  

See the photos below for step-by-step instructions.

Cream softened butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and mix it in.
Do the same with a pinch of salt.
Add flour and mix to incorporate. I did this one cup at a time. Note, the batter will be very stiff.
Add dough balls to a cookie sheet and flatten with a finger. With larger, more traditional cookies, use two fingers. My daughter dipped her finger in sugar for this process, that is a nice but unnecessary step.
Bake until the cookie is set and the bottom and the edges are a golden brown. Don’t over bake. We were surprised that we had to bake for the full 15 minutes for these small cookies. However, ovens vary so keep your eyes on the cookies. They were delicious!

Peace and Happy Easter,

Mike

Uncategorized

A Walk In The Woods

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Today started like many of my days.  The alarm went off and I stumbled into the bathroom to clean up.  Then downstairs to grind beans for the family’s morning coffee.  As usual, I measured the amount of grounds by eye, then reconsidered and spooned off a teaspoon or two. I know from past experience that overfilling the coffee maker’s basket results in a countertop flooded with grounds and hot water.

I looked out of my little study’s window to check the weather to determine if I could still wear my slippers outside, as I needed to move one of our cars off the driveway.  I wondered if the neighbors saw me doing this in my bedroom attire. Then a task here and another there, and my morning was over.

I expected to visit my friend, Tom after lunch, but he had to cancel so I move to “Plan B,”  but I ran into another roadblock, and that option had to be abandoned.  Desperate times call for desperate measures-it was time to freestyle!

The day before I dug out my 10-year-old Fujifilm X100 camera. I hadn’t used it for years, yet it is one of those cameras that I would never consider selling.  The X100 was created during a time when cameras were becoming ever more sophisticated and automatic.  This camera’s designers took the opposite stance and it was deliberately modeled to mimic 35 mm film cameras from the 1950s.  It is a beautiful device that has a fixed lens and a slew of manual dials. Photographers love it or hate it, depending on their sensibilities. I love it, and I always wonder why I leave it to languish on a shelf.

I am fortunate that I have many local forest preserves that give me endless joy.  Today, I wanted to try a place that was just a bit different and so I decided to drive to the southern part of my town to a large preserve with multiple winding paths.  These paths are usually filled with bikers and horses during the summer months, but I knew that they would be empty on this cold November day.  I grabbed my X100 and hopped into Violet the camper van for the 10-minute ride. My goal was simple, I was going to do a little hike and take some photos.  Prior to going I researched the preserve and decided to take its Kestrel path.  I added an additional side path to turn my hike into a 5-mile walk. The paths at this preserve are both wide and flat making such a trek “a walk in the park.”

A more difficult issue was what to photograph.  This particular preserve is mostly trees and fields and doesn’t have notable features even in the summer.  Now, the trees would be barren and the grasses would have already gone to seed making the site less photogenic.  My plan was to go and to see what inspired me.  Indeed, I was surprised by what I eventually discovered.

I did photograph the twisted branches of leafless trees, and the golden deadness of grasses that had lost both their chlorophyll and vitality.  However, I was more struck by the preserve’s close proximity to high-tension power lines.  Giant towers crisscrossed the paths, and when you walked under them you could hear the buzzing and cracking sounds of thousands of volts coursing through the tower’s copper veins.  I decided to shoot a number of them as a contrast to the peaceful, yet lifeless forest below.  Compose, focus, snap…compose, focus, snap…compose, focus, snap…and so it went. 

I continued my walk and saw a toppled tree. I then saw another, and another, and then a whole field where the tops of many trees were gone as if they had been ripped off by some giant hand. An uncomfortable feeling settled inside me as it seemed as if some monster literally drove down a path destroying dozens, if not hundreds of trees, and everything else along the way.

Suddenly, the realization hit me that I was looking at the remnants of the path of a tornado. In fact, it was likely that I was visiting the path of the tornado that devastated Naperville last June. Our neighborhoods have been cleaned up, but this forest remained in its post-apocalyptic state. Witnessing the devastation made me feel small and insignificant.   

If I looked ahead I saw a forest preserve in its peaceful winter slumber.  If I looked above I saw the mighty human-built towers that carry the electricity that allows me to use this computer, make my morning coffee, and sit cozily and warmly in my study’s overstuffed chair.  If I looked to the side I saw toppled trees from several seconds of nature’s fury.  How strange to be standing in a place where it seems that we are conquering nature, only to witness nature conquering us. 

I remember commercials and other advertisements from my childhood that touted our superiority over the planet.  “Better living through chemistry,” one of them proclaimed.  Now we have oceans choking on plastic, aquifers poisoned with pesticides, and the devastation of rising global temperatures.  We are such short-sighted little creatures.  So full of ourselves, and so self-centered. We want to believe that we are powerful, but it only takes a few seconds for nature to put us back in our place.

I thought I would share with you some of the photos that I took today in three parts.  The first part consists of the pleasant and quiet path that I walked on.  The second set of photos are powerlines-I think that they look alien for some reason, and the third group shows some of the devastation left from Naperville’s June 20th tornado. Come along and keep me company, won’t you?

Peace

Mike

Uncategorized

College Kids

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Time passes strangely.  When I was in my work life waiting for a vacation could feel like an eternity.   When that trip finally arrived the first few days appeared to last forever, and then suddenly the vacation was over, almost like it never existed.  For me, time is not constant, it seems to move at different rates depending on a multitude of factors.

When I had my daughter Anne 38 years ago I had a life-changing awareness.  I discovered that liked being a dad.  I know that is a strange thing to say, but it is true.  I not only like kids, but I like spending time with them, and I like teaching them things.  If you follow me on Facebook you already know that, but you are seeing Version 2.0 of me, a version that has been in the making for almost 40 years.

When Julie and I got married we knew that we wanted to have children, but we delayed our plans because of her Ph. D. studies.  As she approached graduation we felt that it was time. We had a certain hubris.  Anne was an accidental surprise, so I assumed all was good with me, and Julie came from amazingly healthy Swedish stock.  We were certain that she would be pregnant within the week, but we were very wrong. After months of unsuccessful trying, we started to adopt all of those folklore things that people do to become pregnant.  None of them worked and our hubris quickly dissolved into frantic desperation. 

Then it was time for the fertility clinic. Tests, probes, pills, shots, mood swings…no fun.  After exhausting less invasive options we advanced to IUI or intrauterine insemination.  IUI is a long process that involves shots, pills, and lots of ultrasounds.  When it is time for the procedure the male provides a “sample” which is then concentrated and mechanically placed.  Yeah, exactly.  

We went through the weeks of prep and a sample was provided.  However, the doctor felt that the sample was not good enough and advised that we forgo the procedure.  The reality was that we had just gone through hell getting to that point and so we told them to do it anyway.  Two days later our car was loaded and our pop-up camper was attached to it.  With Anne in tow we were heading on a long-anticipated vacation, but with heavy hearts. We had gone through so much to have a baby and once again we were winding up with the short end of the stick. We drove towards Arkansas stressed and depressed.  While driving through Missouri our problems compounded as our Ford Explorer started to make a strange noise.  We were about 50 miles from anywhere, and we needed to keep driving.  When we reached West Plains, Missouri we stopped, and I was relieved that the small town had a Ford dealership.  We found a cheap hotel and had the car towed the next morning. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good and we were told that we had to replace the entire engine, a process that would take at least a week.  We were stuck in West Plains.

We tried to make the best of it, but there wasn’t much to do in West Plains.  One day we decided to go to the local movie theater to see a show.  We had already seen the movie in Naperville, but we had to get out of our tiny space.  Oddly, Julie stayed behind and only Anne and I went.  Julie was feeling sick which was very unusual for her, so I assumed that it was the result of the stress from the last weeks.  By the evening she was feeling better, but her nausea returned the next morning, and so it went for the remainder of the trip.  I quipped, “Well maybe you are pregnant.”  We both laughed as the doctor felt that the chances of the IUI procedure being successful was slim to none.

On our return, we confirmed that Julie was pregnant with Kathryn.  Two years later we did IUI again and had Gracie.  Two years later we didn’t do any procedure and we had William. Our family was complete. 

I was 48 when William was born and I remember doing mental calculations.  “When he will be 10 I’ll be 58, when he graduates college I’ll be 70.”  It all seemed surreal and a million years away…but here I am at 68 and my two youngest in college. 

When you are a dad there is a certain pride that you feel when you step onto your child’s college campus.  It’s difficult to explain.  On one level there is a rush of memories from your own college days, but there is also an unfamiliarity that comes from remembering events from decades earlier.

When your kids have been away at college they gain expertise that you no longer have in that situation.  They know the campus, the restaurants, and the attractions.  You go from the leader of the family to a subordinate.  It is an odd feeling, but one that I like.  It’s a subtle sign that Julie and I did the right parenting things.  

We traveled in Violet the camper van to Ohio, a long trip made worse by endless road construction, and arrived at Grace’s campus.  Tired from our travels, our evening consisted of going out to dinner with Grace, and we then headed to our campground, a primitive place that we were able to book on short notice.  The next day we were fully rested and set out on many adventures.  Her roommate was hosting a fundraiser for Parkinson’s disease, so we stopped by there.  Then Grace took us on a tour of campus.  I have been on campus many times and have gone on several tours, but this time we took our time and explored every nook and cranny.  Now a senior, Grace spoke with authority about campus superstitions and folklore.  It was a lovely time made even more pleasant by beautiful weather.  Grace had scoped out other activities and next on our agenda was the Cincinnati Riverwalk.  Another great experience.  It felt awesome to have one of my kids orchestrate a series of activities that she felt would be enjoyable for all parties.  My Grace had grown up!

Two weeks later we headed to central Illinois to see William at this school.  Like Grace he greeted us warmly and had an agenda for our visit.  We would only be on campus for the day, so he kept us local.  William is an RA on campus and it appears that everyone knows him.  This is surprising as the school has over 20,000 students.  However, everywhere that we went people waved to him and called out, “Hi, Will!”  Will took us around campus, which we saw from a different angle than past tours.  Earlier he wrote for and received a research grant and was given lab space to conduct experiments on crickets.  He showed us his lab, his crickets, and his work procedure. At the lab, he took the time to introduce us to a colleague who does bee research and William facilitated a nice conversation between all of us.  On the way back he talked about his aspirations and dreams.  Like Grace, he took charge and made a clear effort to not only plan activities but to plan events that he knew Julie and I would be interested in. Will was acting like a considerate adult.  It felt good.

My Kathryn was in Africa serving in the Peace Corps when COVID hit.  She was at the start of a 2 ½ year tour and was evacuated back to the states after only 6 months..  Kathryn and I always got along, but she was distant towards me.  Now retired, I was the one cleaning the house and doing the grocery shopping. Kathryn and I were in forced contact with each other, which turned out to be a wonderful thing as we became truly close. We talk and make dinner together.  She has become a huge help to me over these last few years as she responsibly does her share to keep our house afloat. 

Lastly, I would like to mention my oldest daughter, Anne.  Now a mother of two children she resides about 3 hours south.  Anne has become a wonderful adult, excellent mother, and good daughter.  She makes an effort to keep in contact with me in a way that let’s me know that she loves me and has a kind heart.

During the early stages of the pandemic, my three youngest kids were at home and isolated from their friends.  Our family life returned to an era from the past.  A time when almost all of their activities involved family.  We cooked together, played games together, watched TV shows together, and went on walks together.  It was a wonderful experience for me as I got to re-experience a much-loved time.

Now my kids are back in the real world.  Anne has resumed seeing her psychotherapy clients in person. Kathryn is doing IT for our school district, and Grace and William are back at university.  I now get to enjoy them all in different ways. My pride explodes not only with their life accomplishments but also with their empathy and kindness. To see them become good, loving, and caring adults makes me misty-eyed, and very happy.

When our children were younger there is a joy in their dependence on us. They look to us with awe as we help them navigate their early lives.  However, it is our ultimate job is to provide them with the tools to become independent adults.  If we don’t do this we fail at our most basic parenting task. I understand that there are some circumstances where this process is impossible or greatly delayed.  In those cases, it is the parents’ job to do their best to help their children to become as independent and adult-like as reasonable. 

People often say that it is easy to make a baby, but it takes work to raise a child.  In our case both took effort-an effort that was well worth it. 

Peace

Mike

Random thoughts and my philosophy of life.