I have a few filters that I no longer need.
- UV
- Neutral density (ND8)
- Circular polarizer
The camera I used to use them with doesn’t work anymore.
If anybody would like any or all of them, just drop me a line.
55 mm filters available
Easement work
SCE&G had some workers out today doing some work on the power line easement behind the house. Over the afternoon, they took out a fair number of trees to widen the easement. Not sure what the reason was for all the tree removal, if it was just for moving the tree line back from the power lines, or something related to the planned move of the power lines that’s supposed to be happening further up the street.
Whatever the reason, it sure left a mess behind the house.
New power supply
Ordered a new computer power supply after we got back from Rome to replace the old one that flaked out. Went with a 750W EVGA SuperNOVA G2 supply from Newegg based on favourable comments at The Tech Report and jonnyGURU.
The power supply came in a nice sturdy box, and was securely packed inside.
All the cables that can plug into the power supply along with some cable ties, screws and a testing plug that lets you test the power supply without having to plug it into a computer.
It’s a pretty slick looking power supply that comes in a nice black finish.
The modular connectors are all labeled so it’s easy to figure out what cables go where.
Plenty of ventilation holes out the back for the fan to push hot air through. The ECO ON/OFF switch toggles a power saving mode that turns on the fan only when the power supply needs additional cooling. The fan is pretty quiet and I can’t hear it over the noise of the other fans in the system.
After about 30 minutes of routing and re-routing the cables, I got the power supply installed. Installation was pretty easy. The cables are all labeled, so there’s no guess work about what cables are used where.
Turned the power on and everything came up without any smoke appearing. The cable routing is pretty messy right now. At some point if I get motivated enough, I may tear everything apart and re-route everything to make it look nicer (the insides need a good cleaning anyway). For now, everything works and I’m happy to have an operational system again.
Rome: Je ne parlo Italiano
Connie taught me a few words and phrases in Italian before and during our trip, so by the end of our trip she was able to send me out to get groceries or food. I managed well enough, and most of the people I encountered could speak English well enough so that there were no significant miscommunication.
My brain, however, would constantly slip into trying to reply to people in what little French I still remember, because it’s the only other language I kinda sorta know. I think at one point I might have actually responded to someone in a mix of French and Italian.
I kind of surprised myself with how much French I still remember though.
Rome: Hotel La Scaletta
Hotel La Scaletta was our home away from home during our vacation in Rome. It’s one of the places Connie stayed last year and we returned this year because she enjoyed staying there so much.
Hotel La Scaletta is a very nice place to stay. By US standards, it’s pretty small (only 21 rooms), and the rooms are small as well. The rooms are comfortable though, the staff are friendly and speak English (can be very handy). It’s across the street from the beach, a short walk to a stop on the Roma-Lido train line, and there are lots of food choices nearby to pick from.
Our room was on the side of the hotel with a long skinny balcony that ran out to the front with a very nice view of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Although you’re outside of Rome, it’s pretty easy to get to. A short walk (~10-15 minute stroll) over to the Lido Centro station. and then ride the train to the Porto San Paolo/Piramide stop (at the very end) where you can transfer to a metro train that takes you further into Rome (you can also transfer to the metro train at two other stops before the end).
If you’re looking for a nice, inexpensive place to stay in Rome, I highly recommend Hotel La Scaletta.