We went for a walk in the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen today. Heard some bulls bellowing. After a quick walk of the well known paths we discovered three bulls bellowing for supremacy over a dozen cows. Impressive sound and sight.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
caught reading
Or, less than perfect. Noticed his expression, quickly grabbed my camera and was faced with a technical dillema. Either up the iso to 1600 or go for a very marginal shutter speed. I know my colored couch gets noisy easily so I went for iso 800 and 1/30.
It's not quite as sharp as it should have been, both because of the 1/30 and the slight focus error. For me the expression makes up for it.
It's not quite as sharp as it should have been, both because of the 1/30 and the slight focus error. For me the expression makes up for it.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
fishing contest in B/W
Trying dxo optics on a shot I took this morning. Like it even though the whole series is not exactly getting great reviews.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
quite proud of this one
Went planespotting for an hour this afternoon. After almost the complete F70 fleet the KLM owns this big brute came in.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
landscape
Went to one of the local farmers for potatoes. Followed the dog, noticed this and just had to take the shot. For me this embodies the Haarlemmermeer. The mixture of agriculture and modern architecture.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Stormy day at the beach
I decided to go for a late afternoon walk at Zandvoort. Noticed a beginning kitesurfer and this lady a bit further along the beach. Short chat, she was his wife shooting a few pics of her husband in action. (on a day where it wasn't warm to begin with and the windchill made it freezing).
Normally I wouldn't publish a pic of another person. In this case the person isn't recognizable and I really like the composition here.
Normally I wouldn't publish a pic of another person. In this case the person isn't recognizable and I really like the composition here.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Visit to fryslan
Was visiting friends there. took a walk with the dogs and of course I brought my camera. Took a snap of this little cottage. It's probably at least 50 years old and likely just in use for vacations.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
fallow buck
Spotted this one on a walk trough the waterleidingduinen in really rotten weather. Look at it closely and you'll see noise and even some camera shake. look at it in this size and it's a lovely picture.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
rough times for me
New job, pending reorg at the office and now my mother may have a very serious illness.. Sometimes it's all a bit much. The past weekend I've had 2 anxiety attacks which were very scare. I've got a doctor's appointment on friday, last thing I want to do is end up with a burnout.
In the mean time I decided to grab an extended lunch break and go for a walk in Groenendaal park. Had my camera with me and shot this.
In the mean time I decided to grab an extended lunch break and go for a walk in Groenendaal park. Had my camera with me and shot this.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Autumn is here!
My favorite season of the year! Leaves falling, chill in the air, peace and quiet in my neighborhood... love it!
Monday, August 25, 2008
I picked up the 24-85 AF-S today. A shop at the other side of the country was going out of business and had this left in their used section. There's a black rim just outside the front element which has a tiny nick. Otherwise it's in fine condition. Physical aspects of the lens are very nice. There's no motion whatsoever in the front element wether you zoom or focus. "real" af-s is nice too. First results are encouraging but it's a bit early to tell if this will succeed my beloved 28-105.
Below it are 4 vapex batteries. A relatively new brand, supposedly just as good or even better as the famous eneloops but at half the price.
Below it are 4 vapex batteries. A relatively new brand, supposedly just as good or even better as the famous eneloops but at half the price.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
geotagging my pictures.
After reading something about it here: http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1266438 I decided to try it myself. I already own a PDA, an old rx3715 with a bluetooth gps receiver which I use for Tomtom navigation.
I loaded outdoor gps or odgps which I found here: http://www.outdoor-gps.de/ on my pocketpc. Connect to the gps receiver (com6, 38400 baud) and let it get a fix. In the cockpit view it shows the current gps time. It's wise to synchronize your camera's clock as well as you can.
I then ticket the option "CollectData" and went shooting. When I got back I installed http://www.geosetter.de/en/ geosetter. This program recognizes Nikon's Nef files and the gpx file that odgps created. Then it's a matter of simply merging, saving and continueing with your normal workflow.
Only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to make flickr automatically place my images on a map but that's probably somewhere in the options.
I loaded outdoor gps or odgps which I found here: http://www.outdoor-gps.de/ on my pocketpc. Connect to the gps receiver (com6, 38400 baud) and let it get a fix. In the cockpit view it shows the current gps time. It's wise to synchronize your camera's clock as well as you can.
I then ticket the option "CollectData" and went shooting. When I got back I installed http://www.geosetter.de/en/ geosetter. This program recognizes Nikon's Nef files and the gpx file that odgps created. Then it's a matter of simply merging, saving and continueing with your normal workflow.
Only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to make flickr automatically place my images on a map but that's probably somewhere in the options.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Trying to get the hang of dizzler. Sounds good 3 million free tracks to listen to but for some reason it won't play.
Get Disturbed MP3s at dizzler.com
Get Disturbed MP3s at dizzler.com
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Caught in the act!
I caught these two flies having sex in my window. Took the camera, flash in my right hand and fired of a dozen frames before I threw these two out.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Village street
The village street in the Archeon. We visited it again, third time in two years, last firday. Had a lovely time as always.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Renault Kangoo Family Review
I'm writing a review of my 2008 Renault Kangoo Family. I'll try to review the good and bad points of the car. Writing car reviews seems to be an art so let's see if I can do this.
Selection of the car
The company I work for gives people in some functions a company car. These are leased cars I first qualified for that in 2000 and selected an Opel Astra. In 2004 I choose a Peugeot 307 Break. When that was due for replacement this year I started to look around for something with even more space and yet a bit more affordable. I did look at Peugeot briefly but the 308 SW wasn't available yet and the 307 Break was only available in a full options and rather expensive version. So I looked elsewhere. I noticed the Peugeot Partner/Citroen Berlingo and the old Renault Kangoo. Affordable cars with a load of room but also old designs, passenger versions of mid 1990s panel vans with loads of engine noise. Then both Renault and Peugeot/Citroen announced new versions of these cars. Renault was the first to have the car available and that was just in time so I selected that car.
Specs:
I got the Renault Kangoo Family "expression" with the 1.6 petrol engine and the following extras:
Pack Style (required for Pack introduction)
Almost 1600 euros worth of options. Also the first annoyance with Renault, almost all options are sold in "packs".
Delivery
Allowing for the paperwork to make it's way trough corporate burocracy I think my car got delivered after about 8 weeks. I picked it up at my local dealership just in time for my summer vacation. After a week of getting used to it we drove to the Correze in France, a 1000km drive. The luggage net came in very handy. It allowed me to stack the luggage higher than the rear seats.
First impressions
Room! Loads of room. Clear views all around, big side mirrors. Good view all around. Despite the "only" 110hp engine the car doesn't feel all that slow. Handling is good and direct enough. Since it has a huge sail area it is sensitive to wind. Suspension is rather french, soft and yet you do feel something of what's happening under the car. That soft suspension was very usefull on the horrible back roads in rural France.
Steering
It has power steering which is very nice for a car this heavy (1474kg) and big. It's direct enough just like the brakes and accelerator. Don't expect sportscar-like performace, you're not going to get it.
Interior
This is were the car shines. The driver and passenger have ample room. There's a parcel shelf above the dashboard which is nice for things like cds.
Above the rear seats I have the optional airplane like bins. Three seperate doors on those but just one big area behind them. So, store something small, take a few corners and you can guess behind which door that small item ended up with.
In back there's 660 liters of space below the shelf. There's a space just behind the rear seats to store the shelf if you're carrying something bigger than that. There's eyes to tie down heavy loads and there's hooks to hang up the luggage net. The booth is lined with some durable looking rubber.
The kids in the back have two airplane like tray tables. The first few times they fold these away the sound may startle the driver. Of course the kids love these tray tables. The sliding doors are also a big hit with my 2 kids but it does take some practice for them to close the doors themselves.
Bad points
Fuel economy. Even after 4000km the onboard computer indicates that I'm running 9.1 liter per 100km. (25,8 mpg) which I do find somewhat disappointing since Renault thinks I should get 7,9 l/100km. On the display I can clearly see that a quick sprint immediately pushes the fuel usage upto 20+ liter/100km. If the dutch government didn't put a 4000 euro extra tax on diesel engines I'd have gotten the 1.5 dci which has excellent fuel economy
Seats. The front seats are designed for someone a lot shorter than I am. They stop at my shoulder blades and don't offer good support for my upper back. Not a problem on short trips but after 2 hours or so my back starts to hurt. I'll have to fnd a pillow or something for that.
Electronics. My Peugeot 307 allowed me to close the powered windows after I had removed the car. If I pressed and held the close button on the remote control it even closed the windows automatically. With the Kangoo if I remove the key the only available power is to fold back the side mirrors if I turn the knob for that.
Vibrations. At 130km/h something in the car starts to resonate. It doesn't affect the handling but it is noisy.
Audio. As was to be expected from a french car in this price range the quality of the factory supplied speakers is dismal. It's not too noticeable if you use the Renault radio but with my Clarion DB348 it's quite clear.
Quality. At 4000km my Astra had already been in the shop for problems with it's LPG system and my Peugeot was developing issues with it's airco. The Kangoo has (knock on wood) not had any issues whatsoever.
Emotion
Despite these bad points and aside of the occasional nagging feeling of guilt about the fuel economy this is a car that makes me happy. A month after delivery I've always gotten used to a car. I'm used to this car but it still makes me happy. I really look forward to taking it for a drive again. I like it's handling, the view I have from the driver's seat, the color. It's a very likeable car for me. I'm trying to do something about the lousy mileage by coasting whenever possible which is easy because it's such a heavy car.
A nice car, recommended if you want a roomy family car for a decent price. I was a bit surprised to see that it "only" got a 4 star rating at Euro NCAP.
When shopping for a car in this class I would advice you to also check the new Berlingo/Partner and see what they are like. From what I've seen they are a bit more expensive and a comparable trim level.
I'm writing a review of my 2008 Renault Kangoo Family. I'll try to review the good and bad points of the car. Writing car reviews seems to be an art so let's see if I can do this.
Selection of the car
The company I work for gives people in some functions a company car. These are leased cars I first qualified for that in 2000 and selected an Opel Astra. In 2004 I choose a Peugeot 307 Break. When that was due for replacement this year I started to look around for something with even more space and yet a bit more affordable. I did look at Peugeot briefly but the 308 SW wasn't available yet and the 307 Break was only available in a full options and rather expensive version. So I looked elsewhere. I noticed the Peugeot Partner/Citroen Berlingo and the old Renault Kangoo. Affordable cars with a load of room but also old designs, passenger versions of mid 1990s panel vans with loads of engine noise. Then both Renault and Peugeot/Citroen announced new versions of these cars. Renault was the first to have the car available and that was just in time so I selected that car.
Specs:
I got the Renault Kangoo Family "expression" with the 1.6 petrol engine and the following extras:
- Pack Introduction Expression
- automatic lights and wipers
- manual airconditioning
- electric front and rear windows
- 3 airline type luggage bins above the rear seats
- electrically controled and heated mirrors in body color
Pack Style (required for Pack introduction)
- fog lights
- body colored bumpers
- Onboard computer
- radio Renault 4 x 15 W + CD-player (replaced that with my old clarion since an mp3 option was another 500 euros)
- cruise control and speed limiter (cruise control the reason for choosing this pack
Almost 1600 euros worth of options. Also the first annoyance with Renault, almost all options are sold in "packs".
Delivery
Allowing for the paperwork to make it's way trough corporate burocracy I think my car got delivered after about 8 weeks. I picked it up at my local dealership just in time for my summer vacation. After a week of getting used to it we drove to the Correze in France, a 1000km drive. The luggage net came in very handy. It allowed me to stack the luggage higher than the rear seats.
First impressions
Room! Loads of room. Clear views all around, big side mirrors. Good view all around. Despite the "only" 110hp engine the car doesn't feel all that slow. Handling is good and direct enough. Since it has a huge sail area it is sensitive to wind. Suspension is rather french, soft and yet you do feel something of what's happening under the car. That soft suspension was very usefull on the horrible back roads in rural France.
Steering
It has power steering which is very nice for a car this heavy (1474kg) and big. It's direct enough just like the brakes and accelerator. Don't expect sportscar-like performace, you're not going to get it.
Interior
This is were the car shines. The driver and passenger have ample room. There's a parcel shelf above the dashboard which is nice for things like cds.
Above the rear seats I have the optional airplane like bins. Three seperate doors on those but just one big area behind them. So, store something small, take a few corners and you can guess behind which door that small item ended up with.
In back there's 660 liters of space below the shelf. There's a space just behind the rear seats to store the shelf if you're carrying something bigger than that. There's eyes to tie down heavy loads and there's hooks to hang up the luggage net. The booth is lined with some durable looking rubber.
The kids in the back have two airplane like tray tables. The first few times they fold these away the sound may startle the driver. Of course the kids love these tray tables. The sliding doors are also a big hit with my 2 kids but it does take some practice for them to close the doors themselves.
Bad points
Fuel economy. Even after 4000km the onboard computer indicates that I'm running 9.1 liter per 100km. (25,8 mpg) which I do find somewhat disappointing since Renault thinks I should get 7,9 l/100km. On the display I can clearly see that a quick sprint immediately pushes the fuel usage upto 20+ liter/100km. If the dutch government didn't put a 4000 euro extra tax on diesel engines I'd have gotten the 1.5 dci which has excellent fuel economy
Seats. The front seats are designed for someone a lot shorter than I am. They stop at my shoulder blades and don't offer good support for my upper back. Not a problem on short trips but after 2 hours or so my back starts to hurt. I'll have to fnd a pillow or something for that.
Electronics. My Peugeot 307 allowed me to close the powered windows after I had removed the car. If I pressed and held the close button on the remote control it even closed the windows automatically. With the Kangoo if I remove the key the only available power is to fold back the side mirrors if I turn the knob for that.
Vibrations. At 130km/h something in the car starts to resonate. It doesn't affect the handling but it is noisy.
Audio. As was to be expected from a french car in this price range the quality of the factory supplied speakers is dismal. It's not too noticeable if you use the Renault radio but with my Clarion DB348 it's quite clear.
Quality. At 4000km my Astra had already been in the shop for problems with it's LPG system and my Peugeot was developing issues with it's airco. The Kangoo has (knock on wood) not had any issues whatsoever.
Emotion
Despite these bad points and aside of the occasional nagging feeling of guilt about the fuel economy this is a car that makes me happy. A month after delivery I've always gotten used to a car. I'm used to this car but it still makes me happy. I really look forward to taking it for a drive again. I like it's handling, the view I have from the driver's seat, the color. It's a very likeable car for me. I'm trying to do something about the lousy mileage by coasting whenever possible which is easy because it's such a heavy car.
A nice car, recommended if you want a roomy family car for a decent price. I was a bit surprised to see that it "only" got a 4 star rating at Euro NCAP.
When shopping for a car in this class I would advice you to also check the new Berlingo/Partner and see what they are like. From what I've seen they are a bit more expensive and a comparable trim level.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Yoga class
Esther was teaching Rhianne some yoga basics. I was really surprised how serious Rhianne approached it.
Friday, June 13, 2008
my new car
Yesterday I picked it up at the dealer. A brand new renault kangoo 1.6 I love it! It's roomy, it's fun to drive and it has ample room for my whole family. And the color makes me smile,
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Sonim XP1=KPN Porto 300.
Typically for KPN they've bought a phone, had the manufacturer stick on a KPN label and they're selling it for a lot more than the standard price.
Only difference I can see is that they are offering Push2Talk with their business subscriptions.
http://www.kpn.com/kpn/show?aboform=buy&compare=prices&dbid=393631&id=1564392&saleschannelid=102237
Typically for KPN they've bought a phone, had the manufacturer stick on a KPN label and they're selling it for a lot more than the standard price.
Only difference I can see is that they are offering Push2Talk with their business subscriptions.
http://www.kpn.com/kpn/show?aboform=buy&compare=prices&dbid=393631&id=1564392&saleschannelid=102237
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Bas trying a piano
Bas trying a piano lesson. According to the teacher he just may have some real talent. Made me proud of course.
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