FWIW - For What It's Worth

I'm So Pretty

2012-01-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

Posing was not challenge for this beautiful peacock in Prague, Czech Republic. She (assuming she not a he) was absolutely stunning as she spread her feathers in this display. Noisy too!

I'm so pretty by Andy Hayter

On My Photography - Part II

2011-12-30T16:57:00.002-05:00

Time for an update about my photography. 2011 was a year for some investment in equipment. First and foremost was a 300 mm f4 AF Nikkor. Bought this from e-bay in MINT condition. Came with case, both caps and the requisite 39mm internal filter holder and filter.

Here is a sample from that lens.

The green heron was photographed locally near Gettysburg, PA.

Ebay has been kind to me this year. Soon after the lens arrived a mint condition TC140B Nikkor teleconverter popped up on Ebay and I grabbed it at an exceptionally great price. Been lucky with mint condition, both caps and clean inside and out. Need more practice with both the 300mm and the 1.4 teleconverter, but I'm getting the hang of it.

It became obvious to me that I had outgrown my trusty ThinkTank Urban Disguise 30. Shopping around for a new camera bag is not an easy task when where you live does not have a single full service camera store with anything more than point and shoot bags. My travels allowed me to visit camera shops all over the states and try different bags. I wanted another ThinkTank bag. The quality and thought that goes into their designs and manufacturing are not equaled by any other bags on the market. I also needed a bag that would allow me to carry a laptop when necessary. The perfect solution was the ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro. You would be amazed at the amount of equipment you can fit safely and securely into this bag. I highly recommend the bag for any one with the need to carry around more than the basics and a laptop.

One more major purchase (Ebay of course) was a mint condition Nikon MB-D200 battery grip. I was running with one battery till then and found myself more than once running low on juice. The battery grip allows you to install two rechargeable Nikon batteries at a time. When one battery drains the grip switches to the second battery for more battery life than I need for one session.

I made on mistake this year. I purchase a low price "Nikon" EN-EL3b from a store on Amazon. Fully charged I headed out for a full days field trip with the Harrisburg Camera Club to Gettysburg, PA. It was not even halfway through the day that my D200 started to act flaky. Error messages, sometime it worked other times it froze. Thinking the worst, I sat down and went through a full problem determination sequence. Of course the first thing I check ( and last thing I expected to find) were dead batteries. How could I have possibly gone through two batteries in such a short amount of time? Lucky for me another club member had a spare EN-EL3b I could borrow and the rest of the days shooting was saved.

Once I got home into the charger both batteries went. After they both showed full charge, I tried them in the MB-D200 grip again, checked the battery meter and found that one battery was already low. Hmm, maybe I had a defective battery grip? Trying each battery in the camera without the grip gave the same results. One battery fully charge and one about 80%. Wait a minute. What's wrong with this picture. Aha, picture. At that moment I remembered a Nikon technical article on counterfeit batteries. Wow, was I surprised to find out that the "low price" battery purchased through a store on Amazon was counterfeit. That explained all the trouble I was having with the camera and the grip.

Move forward a month to the PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. Knowing what a real vs. counterfeit battery looked like I was able to purchase at a reasonable price a real Nikon EN-EL3b battery. I recommend visiting the Nikon site to check before buying batteries so you won't get burned on a cheap imitation like I was.

Oh the trip to Gettysburg....yeah. Here is an example of what you can find in the area.


Sauck's Covered Bridge from the inside. Nikon D200, 29mm, f5, 1/6sec, ISO 100

For what it's worth,
Andy

Holocaust Memorial - Berlin

2011-12-29T22:08:00.002-05:00

Holocaust Memorial - Berlin
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000
Wonderful photo opportunities await you in Berlin. The Holocaust Memorial affords endless photo opportunities.

Monolithic stones of varying heights form the monument giving way to paths and alleys where the light varies with the height of the stone. A must visit in Berlin.

Via Flickr:
Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany

Harrisburg Camera Club

2011-12-28T16:00:00.001-05:00

Recently, I joined the Harrisburg Camera Club. Very eclectic variety of members. From beginners to advanced the club has something to offer anyone interested in photography. Challenge your skills and enter one of the monthly competitions. The critiques on many images might surprise you.

Find your way to the Camp Hill Giant on Tuesdays (check the calendar of events on the Website for schedule.)

Andy

A question

2011-02-08T21:31:00.002-05:00

Is photographing art recursion?

NJTrout

Monarch Butterfly

2010-08-27T20:26:00.001-04:00

Monarch Butterfly
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), wings spread, hanging on to the butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) to which it is so attracted.

Yellow Butterfly on Butterfly Bush

2010-07-18T19:26:00.000-04:00

Photograph taken around 6:30 p.m. EDT with a Nikon D200, 55mm Micro Nikkor at 1/1500 sec. f2.8.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/njtrout/4806711178/

Daylily in Bloom

2010-06-22T21:05:00.004-04:00

Daylily in Bloom
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000
I've been waiting for the perfect time to photograph this daylily. The peach color, curves and light were aligned perfectly. Nikon D200, 55mm Micro Nikkor, f2.8 @ 1/320 sec. ISO 400.

Andy

All this for me?

2010-06-01T23:02:00.002-04:00

All this for me?
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) rabbit out for a quick snack and finding a feast.

Chirping Sparrow - Spizell passerina passerina

2010-05-10T17:23:00.002-04:00

Chirping Sparrow - Spizell passerina passerina
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

This chirping sparrow posed for only a second. Shot through window screen and glass gave this image a very soft focus..

Andy

Reflections from the Garden Pond

2010-05-05T21:25:00.003-04:00

Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000
Bright Day, Clear Water - Reflections

What you can find when you open your eyes...backyard photo.

It’s the little things…

2010-05-02T10:59:00.001-04:00

It’s the little things (and some stupid things) that drive up the cost of medical care in the US.

For example, I received a call from the mail order prescription company, Medco that is part of my medical plan to confirm an address prior to filling a prescription. Caller ID displayed an 877 number for the incoming call. Listening to the message and giving the appropriate voice responses I was was informed that the call was being transferred to a representative for assistance. No more than 30 seconds later the programmed voice tells me that all representatives are “busy now”. Please call another 877 number by Tuesday or the prescription would not be filled.

Wait a minute! You called me! I immediately called the 877 number provided, provided all the same voice responses and actually connected to a human representative. The person didn’t seem to concerned when I explained the previous call they made to me.

With the rising cost of medical care attention to the little things could help save everyone money.

Let’s consider who placed the original call; the mail order prescription company. I am sure they know how much that cost along with the infrastructure to handle the voice responses.

I have to call back on another toll-free number. Gee, I wonder who get’s billed for that. Well you know the mail order prescription company gets the phone bill. Had their system worked the resulting charge would have been for only one phone call by the company. Since they had a pretty uncoordinated system, not having a representative available, I had to place the second call adding to the phone bill. Cost? Pennies maybe. Add all the calls made and not handled properly by the prescription company forcing the plan member to call back and the cost now doubled.

Maybe not so small…just stupid.

Andy

White and purple Trillium – Muir Woods

2010-04-01T22:38:00.004-04:00

Under the canopy of the giant redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument are beautiful samples of both white and purple trillium (trillium erectum).

Night Snow

2010-02-05T23:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday

2009-12-23T12:28:00.004-05:00

When one door opens...

2009-12-21T11:14:00.001-05:00

Door Number 12, Geneva, Switzerland
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Big doors, small doors, in between size doors. I have been photographing doors during my travels to show you the size and variety around the world.

Check out a Flickr collection of doors starting at #12 door in Geneva, Switzerland.

Andy

Geiko and Maiko and Taiko Performance in Kyoto, Japan

2009-11-12T21:43:00.004-05:00

The entertainment at our banquet dinner for AVAR 2009 Conference held in the Hya tt Regency Kyoto was spectacular! The delightful and colorful Maiko and Geiko performance provide a quiet reflection on the culture of Japan.

Once dinner was over the need for quiet faded into the beat of Taiko drums. The main Taiko player had the largest bicepts and tricepts I have ever seen. The pounding of the ōdaiko drum could be felt through your entire body. Check out more photos from Kyoto on my Flickr pages at

Great Egret (Ardea alba), Kyoto, Japan

2009-11-12T00:46:00.001-05:00

AVAR, Japan 2009
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

The scenery and wildlife were easily viewed in Kyoto, Japan. The were dozens of Great Egrets, Grey Heron and other birds at this location. None were shy about having people around. Amazing to get so close to photograph and observe this beautiful bird.

Andy

On My Photography

2009-10-06T22:02:00.026-04:00

It has taken over thirty-five years to feel confident enough to show others my work. Now that I have broken the ice with this blog let me tell you more about my approach to photography and the obligatory equipment list.

I've been doing serious photography since I was about 15. Armed with a Lord 4D rangefinder I started out exploring B&W photography and developing. In those days my darkroom was in the basement. I covered all the windows with rubber lined blackout material and prayed for the best. Reading many photography books I began to develop and print my own B&W images. There are very few moments in life that are more special than seeing the first print you ever made come to life in the tray of developer. (Kodak Dektol if I remember correctly.) Into the stop bath tray (Kodak Indicator Stop Bath) and on the the fixer. I worshiped the Great Yellow God, Kodak, for all of my film life. Rinse and more rinse until the print reached the final step of rolling on a ferrotype plate to dry and create the glossy finish. If you have done this you certainly remember the dreaded paper "curl". I should point out that all of my equipment was from my aunt's darkroom who gave it all to me when she began to shoot nothing but color. My enlarger at the time was a Federal 450 (4x5 Diffusion type). For you digital novices, that is an enlarger that can handle up to a 4x5 negative. The difficult part of working with the Federal 450 was it's use of glass plates to sandwich the negative in the carrier. Glass plates make visible every scratch and defect in the emulsion. Nose grease to the rescue. (I'll let you think about what that is.) It might have been the smell of the photo chemicals that kept me behind the camera or the challenge of photographing and processing my own film that kept me in photography. In those days Plus-X (ASA 125) or Tri-X (ASA400) were the staple of 35mm B&W photographers.

With more experience came the need for more camera. Enter my Rollei 35SL. Certainly one of a kind, but I have very few good things to say about the body. The Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.8 lens was very sharp. Armed with a set of close-up lenses as my only accessory I explored the world around me. The Rollei SL35 made it through high school and then some. When I began to study Photographic Communications at Ramapo College of NJ the need for more camera evolved.

The Nikon Years - I still rmember the day in 1980 that I bought my Nikon F2-DP1 from Olden Camera in NYC. This was a fine photographic instrument that deserved to be treated like royalty. For the next 27 years almost all my images were created with the F2. Over time I added Tamron 28, 35, 105, 135 and 300mm lens and a Nikkor 55mm Micro. For more history on Tamron lenses check out Adaptall-2.com. Under the ever critical eye of my professor at Ramapo, Ed Scully, I improved all the skills I had self taught, especially in the B&W darkroom. A Gossen Luna Pro light meter and a gray card for initial exposure than measurements taken with a densitometer in the dark room and my images took leaps forward.

Leap many years ahead to the one of the worst days of my life when our house got burglarized. Not only were many valuables taken, but my Nikon F2 and all my equipment was gone.

Once the insurance claim was settled, I had to decide on what to buy to replace my dear old Nikon F2. I had almost 30 years of images with that camera. Should I stay with film or go digital. Film or digital. It took almost 4 months to decide.

The results of my decision have been depicted here with recent images. The Nikon D200 is a very welcome replacement for my beloved F2. (You have to have owned an F2 to understand the emotion of losing one.) For those interested I purchased the camera at L.A. Cameras in Chambersburg, PA.

I don't travel anywhere with out the D200. It has all the function of my F2 plus the benefits of digital. Of course it is NOT as heavy as an F2, but you have to compromise somewhere. (Another one of those you have to have owned an F2 to understand.)

So for the past 2 years I have been relearning how to develop an image (post processing). Sometimes the results are the same as when I was 15 and developing prints in the basement. Oh, by the way, I did eventually build a darkroom in the basement.

The tools now are Nikon Capture NX2, Nikon ViewNX and Nikon Transfer. I have GIMP installed in case I need function it offers that Capture NX2 doesn't. Additionally, I purchased a copy of Microsoft Expressions Media 2 for DAM. If I can offer one initial piece of advice to a new digital photographer, learn all about DAM (Digital Asset Management) before you have thousands of images to catalog. I've added to the mix a Huey Pro for monitor calibration. I wonder if anyone has bottled the scent of B&W photo chemicals.

In the future, I'll write about my post processing philosophy.

Andy

Phare, Paquis, Geneva, Switzerland

2009-10-06T22:01:00.001-04:00

Phare, Paquis, Geneva, Switzerland
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Lazy Day on Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

Nikon D200, F 6.3 1/640, ISO 100, 200mm.

Comments? - Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz at dusk

2009-09-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

_DSC4868_055
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

I've been slowly cataloging my photos from around the world. Every time I view this one the array of colors is just overwhelming. What do you think? Pushed the image pretty far with a very high ISO probably 1600. Lots of grain...ignore that. The colors!

Pickerel Weed in pond

2009-07-06T23:02:00.002-04:00

Pickerel Weed in pond
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Second year maintaining the pond; The pickerel weed looked sad last year, but water quality has improved dramatically and the pickerel weed is the better for it.

House wren heading out to gather more food for the family

2009-06-25T23:02:00.002-04:00

House wren heading out to gather more food for the family
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

This house wren stays very busy all day hunting for tasty morsels to feed the family with.

Delivery for Mrs. Bird

2009-06-23T21:10:00.005-04:00

The house wren nesting in a house attached to our pergola has hatched a brood of very hungry little ones. The two parents take turns hunting for live food. Pictured is one of the parents making a delivery and passing to the bird who's turn it is to mind the nest. Photo was taken on June 21, 2009.

On Creativity

2009-06-15T11:22:00.003-04:00

Seth Godin makes one of the most provocative statements I have ever heard regarding creativity in a review of the new book "Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity". Here are the first two lines of the review:

Creativity is not a genetic trait, nor is it reserved for professionals.

Everyone is creative sooner or later, but unfortunately, most people have it drilled out of them when they're kids.

Do you have any memories of creativity being drilled out of you? Coloring out side the lines? Clouds are not blue, they are white?

Andy

Beautiful day for a walk

2009-06-14T13:54:00.001-04:00

_DSC5103_078
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Berlin is a very dog friendly city. It was not unusual to walk into a restaurant and see a dog at each table during dinner.

Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin , Germany

2009-06-14T13:52:00.001-04:00

Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Very difficult to describe in words the remnants of the Berlin Wall. This is a view from the "Western" side of the wall.

Potzdamer Platz, Berlin at night

2009-06-14T13:48:00.001-04:00

Berlin
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

The lights at night at Potsdamer Platz offered some intriguing opportunities for images.

When I saw the light...it was black & white

2009-06-02T22:37:00.004-04:00

Wandering around Budapest, taking in the sounds, smells and sights this wonderful gentleman was also spending the beautiful spring afternoon outside. The first time I looked at the image my mind immediately switched to B & W.

Had this been in color film I might never have seen the image the same way. On the screen though, the B & W perfection of the scene jumped right out at me. What do you think?

Best In Show - CeBIT 2009

2009-06-02T00:26:00.003-04:00

With so much to see at CeBIT, how does one product stand out in the masses of new products?

The crowd around a small booth in Hall 2 listened as a representative from PhotoFast outlined the capabilities of their latest product CR-7200 Quad Slot microSD(HC) to CF Adapter. The adapter accepts up to four 32GB microSD(HC) cards for a total capacity of 128GB. That would be great to slip into the CF Type II slot of my Nikon D200! Even better than the capacity are the 80MB/s read and 40MB/s write speeds. So much in such a small package. Check out PhotoFast Web site at www.photofast.tw

Stupid Tradeshow Booth Planning

2009-03-19T23:59:00.001-04:00

CeBIT 2009. For the amount of money a vend or spends on a booth at CeBIT you would expect more planning to go into it. No photos to protect the guilty, but I lost count of how many corner booths that did not have the company name on each side. If I have to walk 20 extra feet at CeBIT to find the name of the company, that is 20 feet too much.

On a brighter note, CeBIT is so different than any other trade show when the official end of the day comes. The place is party city. Every night of the week, in every hall there was a party. Bands, dancers, beer and and more beer. Never happen in a US based event. Of course, spending most of my time in Hall 11 allowed me to have fun at the ESET party with live band, Gdata seemed to have a show every night and then there was the Kaspersky bash. If you didn’t get a chance to say “hello” to someone during the day you would most certainly run into them after hours.

Still lots of competition from the vendors in Hall 11 to see who had the bigger shopping bag. I think ESET won, but it was almost too big to carry. My favorite was the shopping bag from the openoffice.org group.

I still wonder though why everyone is interested in shopping bags. So many are in the garbage due to walking the floor and upgrading your bag on the way. The goal is to get a strong canvas one and leave all the paper bags behind.

So, my first experience at CeBIT was a good one. I’d go again. If not for the bags, bands or beer.

Andy

Technorati Tags: CeBIT,Hannover Germany,Kaspersky Labs,Gdata,eset,Hall 11,beer

Trade Show Observations - Coffee, Tea or Sell Something

2008-12-28T00:10:00.005-05:00

Once again I'll make an observation on what some vendors are doing to attract prospects. Let's see if this makes sense. This observation was made in April 2008 during the Information Security Europe 2008 Conference.

The latest trend is to have a coffee bar setup in your booth. A nice shiny brass coffee machine or espresso/cappuccino maker fills a corner of the booth. What's great about the venue of this event (for the last time) is the ability to view the entire show floor from the balcony of the Olympia.

It is very easy, from the balcony to see, how the vendors make every mistake in the book when they have coffee in the booth. What you will observe first is every staff member of the booth has a cup in his or her hand. WRONG! Booth workers SHOULD NOT be drinking the coffee during show floor hours. There is one exception will get to in a minute. Eating or drinking anything in the booth with prospects walking by is a huge no-no.

The next scenario which is also pretty obvious shows the booth workers are more interested in how the coffee make works than there own products. In some cases I found they knew more about the coffee maker than their own product. The rule should be no hanging around the coffee pot unless you are preparing a cup for a qualified prospect.

New Rule: If the person you are offering the coffee to is not a qualified prospect then your booth is only function as a coffee shop. Offering a cup of coffee to everyone that walks buy only promotes the java beans (pun intended) not your product or service. Take the cost of your booth including peoples time and your cup of coffee will actually cost more than at Starbucks and that ain't cheap.

If you want to offer a coffee service in your booth do so for all the right reasons. When you greet a prospect ask your initial qualifying questions... remember BANT (go here for a slightly different approach to BANT) from sales training? Budget, Authority, Needs and Time Frame. Once you have qualified the prospect offer them a cup of coffee. Have a small table that a person can stand or sit at with you for a brief overview of their needs and how your product, solution or service can fulfill their needs. Sitting with them will help you make them feel special and not just a coffee shop customer. While at the table it is pretty easy to fill in the your lead book and set a follow-up time with the prospect. It is perfectly OK at this point for you to join the prospect with a cup of coffee.

Let's revue the rules:

No eating or drinking by the booth staff at anytime during show floor hours
Booth Staff should know more about their product, solution or service than the do the coffee machine.
Offer a cup of coffee to pre-qualified prospects. Every person who shows interest in stopping at your booth should pass the BANT criteria.
It is OK to have a cup of coffee with a prospect that has the time to sit and discuss their needs and you give them the time to explain how your solution fills their needs.
I only drink decaffeinated coffee - think about this when you offer your prospect the next cup.

Following the rules gives your booth a professional look, makes the prospect feel special and will provide high quality leads for your sales team to follow-up on.

Andy

Downtown Ottawa Canda

2008-12-13T18:07:00.001-05:00

Downtown Ottawa Canda
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

The view of the Parliament Complex in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, This was the view from my room on the 9th floor. Great area to walk around in and some superb restaurants.

Andy

Lee Valley - Favorite Place to Shop

2008-10-23T21:27:00.004-04:00

Recently I attended a conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Not only was I anticipating attending a great conference, but also an opportunity to visit the corporate store of Lee Valley.

Lee Valley manufactures and sells some of the best woodworking equipment, hardware fixtures and gardening tools in the world. I am a huge fan and try to visit a store whenever I am in Canada. They offer the best mail order service to the US and other parts of the world. Customer service is THE model every organization should strive for.

If you drool over their catalogs, be prepared with a large towel to wipe your sell when you enter their stores.

Andy

Trinkets and Trash - Another Trade Show Obsession

2008-10-23T20:52:00.003-04:00

Some time I wish the vendors who hand out all sorts of gifts also knows as "trinkets and trash" or chachke would look around to see what happens to it during the trade show. Take for instance an observation I made at the a security industry event this year. (Can be any industry trade show.) As you entered the main room, your badge is scanned and you are handed a well made shopping bag advertising one of the events sponsors and exhibitors. The bag is brightly colored to resemble the product packaging. In other words it was a bag made to look like the product box. Well think of how this can go wrong for you the sponsor?

Well into the first day of the event the cleaning staff began to collect the garbage from the strategically placed garbage cans and pour it into big dumpsters. The cleaning staff then pushes the ful dumpster through the venue to the exit. What do you think is the most notable feature sticking out of the garbage pile? You guessed it -- the brightly colored shopping bag printed to resemble the product box. I'm sure that was not the image the marketing team wanted. Many more were lying around the trade show floor or traded in (to the garbage) for a much sturdier cloth bag from a differnt vendor. Personally, I prefer the cloth bags. They can be reused at home for all sorts of purposes. My family gets lots of use out of them and of course helps to advertise the high tech product during the summer at the local swimming pool.

Anyone want a pen? There are cheap pens, good pens and really excellent pens given away at trade shows. I don't think I've personally bought a pen or for that matter a mouse pad, notepad, key chain, badge holder, cold drink cozy etc. in 20 years. In fact my entire "home" office is adorned with all those trinkets. Are they serving there desired purpose. Hell no! I just need a new mouse pad at home and a key chain to store the lawn mower keys.

Marketers think twice about what you give-away. Select a really decent pen, with some heft to it, with blue ink and your logo engraved, not printed on it (last much longer) and I'll visit your booth. I really don't need another paperclip magnetic holder, cheap notepad, use once and throw away calculator and so on. OK, I do like the self stick notes :-)

Next time we'll discuss the latest gimmick to draw visitors into your booth. The coffee bar.

Andy

A Haunting We Will Go

2008-10-17T20:42:00.003-04:00

Visit one of my favorite books shop, Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop on Saturday, October 19 to learn about haunted locations in South Central Pennsylvania.

Visit the store online at http://mysterybooksonline.com. In the area, drive to the store and browse through shelves of the best new, old and used mystery books. I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and they have an excellent inventory of books on the great detective. You can also find them at LibraryThings.com at http://www.librarything.com/venue/31533/Mechanicsburg-Mystery-Book-Shop.

Andy

Iron, Chromium and the American Presidency

2008-10-16T22:23:00.003-04:00

In his article on September 13, 2008, "Making America Stupid" NY Times Op-Ed writer Thomas Freidman writes "And imagine for a minute what these observers would have been doing when Rudy Giuliani led the delegates in a chant of “drill, baby, drill!”. Mr, Friedman goes on to state they were also thinking about the US lust for more oil and not interested in "kicking the habit.

What else should we as Americans be thinking about? Strategic minerals reserves.

Look to the sources of our strategic mineral reserves. Strategic mineral reserves are defined as "minerals not found or produced domestically in sufficient quantities to meet our needs in times of foreign threats to national security and/or the economy". (1) Our strategic mineral reserves come from countries that we are not always on the most friendly terms with, but come they must. Our reliance on minerals in all our manufacturing industries is huge. From the production of specialty steel used in surgical instruments to cans soup sold in the supermarket. We use minerals...literally by the ton. Those minerals are imported. Needless to say international relations are partly based on the strategic need for a particular counties non-energy mineral resources.

For an understanding of the US inventory of mineral reseources go to the USGS Minerals Information: Minerals Yearbook. Another excellent reference is the online publication of Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy by the Committee on Critical Mineral Impacts of the U.S. Economy, Committee on Earth Resources, National Research Council.

Next ask yourself the question "What has the current President done with our strategic mineral resources? Buy or sell?

Andy

(1)U.S. RELIANCE ON AFRICA FOR STRATEGIC MINERALS, The Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia, Major R.A. Hagerman, United States Marine Corps, April 6, 1984

Stupid Cellphone Sightings

2008-03-24T13:52:00.010-04:00

Proof that drivers on their cell phones are not aware of their surroundings occurred today while driving back to the office from lunch. Approaching a very busy intersection, four lanes in my direction, both outside lanes turning lanes, I noticed a truck with Hazmat placards on it in the center left lane set to go through the intersection. The placard note the truck was carrying Class 1 - Explosives Division 1.1 Explosives with a mass explosion hazard. Here is a list of what could have been in the truck: Listing of Class 1 materials

I have no problem with the truck transporting hazardous materials. It was the minivan with the soccer mom who pulled up behind it I have the problem with. Initially she stopped a reasonable distance behind the truck, also right next to me. She was chatting on her cell phone and I could see a little one in the back seat strapped into a car seat. As we waited for the light to change, she gradually inched her way all the way up to the bumper of the truck carrying the explosives. Of course chatting on the cell phone the whole time. Had she been hit from behind at this close range, surely there would have been injuries, but who knows what cold have happened to the load of hazardous materials. DUMB, DUMB and DUMBER.

The driver of the minivan clearly needs to take a defensive driving class. Go to the National Safety Council for their list of Defensive Driving courses.

I'm pretty sure the driver of the truck carrying the explosives has had much training on transporting and handling the materials. Too bad the general public is clueless to protecting their own safety, that of their passengers and all others around them.

Andy

An Odyssey continues - Arthur C. Clarke

2008-03-19T09:12:00.007-04:00

A wonderful writer, scientist and explorer, Arthur C. Clarke has passed on. I wonder where his journey will take him now.

He created this video on his 90th birthday. His words and wishes should be heard the world over.

I read 2001: A Space Odyssey a very long time ago before seeing the movie adaptation and at the age of 11 made perfect sense to me. I still meet so many people who have no clue to what the movie was about. My explanation goes like this. The movie is broken into three parts. Each one is an attempt to explain the origins of man. Sounds simple? It is.

Follow these links to learn more about Arthur Clarke, his life and work.

The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation
Wikipedia - Arthur C. Clarke

Clarke's Three Laws

Clarke formulated the following three "laws" of prediction:

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Although not a quote from Clarke, he truly believed and lived his life as this quote from from Charles Kettering:

"My interest is in the future, because I'm going to spend the rest of my life there."

God Speed, Arthur

Andy

Bilbao, Spain

2008-02-05T23:36:00.001-05:00

DSC_1753
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Bilbao has so many colors and shapes to photograph. Walking along the river, this bridge just past the Guggenheim Museum, stood out on this sunny day in January 2008.

Reflections - Seoul, Korea November, 2007

2008-02-05T23:29:00.001-05:00

DSC_1270
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Changdeokgung palace, originally built in 1405

Street Performer - Vienna, Austria

2008-02-05T23:19:00.001-05:00

DSC_0233
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

I found this charming street musician at the edge of a park in downtown Vienna, Austria. The weather on that afternoon in September 2007 was just warm enough to bring out many talented performers as well as the more than eager tourist.

Brno, Czech Republic

2008-02-05T23:03:00.001-05:00

DSC_0074
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

Some of the places that I have seen in the last few months. From my hotel window in downtown Brno, Czech Republic during a trip in September 2007.

Where in the World?

2008-02-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Thinking all the time about providing regular updates to this blog...traveling has gotten the better of that idea.

So where in the world have I been?

Brno, Czech Republic

Vienna, Austria

Seoul, Korea

Bilbao, Spain

I've selected photographs that represent the character of the city when I was there. All photographs were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 17-200mm ED-IF VR lens.

FWIW,
Andy

Are you following me?

2007-11-20T00:32:00.001-05:00

nathan01
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

This is Nathan. He's a 5 year old Australian Silky Terrier.

What's on the sidebar

2007-11-19T23:36:00.000-05:00

Time to seriously get into blogging. Let's start out by checking the sidebar. I've added a few of my "cultural" Web sites.

If you have a library at home and would like to share your catalog with others you MUST sign up at LibraryThing. Add up to 200 books for free and for a small fee you can add an unlimited number of books. Once you have a few books entered check out the variety of tag clouds showing who you have books in common with. Since I've first joined, LibraryThing has grown both in the number of books as well as features.

Also on the cultural side of life, I've added a sidepanel to Pandora Internet Radio. Enter a music artist, song or genre of music and Pandora will build a radio station based on your original selection. There's much more; explore.

NJTrout

Strange Bluetooth Sightings

2007-02-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

You know you are spending too much time on your Bluetooth mobile phone when...here's the strangest sighting of too much Bluetooth I've seen to date.

Took my son for an afternoon session of ice skating at Skylands Ice World in Hardyston, NJ. The ice was pretty crowded. Skating around I saw a guy with his young kids following them as they flopped around on the ice. He was engaged in a pretty serious conversation from the look on his face. I was wondering who he was talking with. Certainly not his kids. As he spun around -Dick Button has nothing to worry about - I could see the Bluetooth receiver in his ear blinking away as he talked. "C'mon, give it a break why don't ya!" I wanted to say.

What's your strangest Bluetooth sighting? Add a comment and I'll post them as the list builds.

FWIW,
Andy

More on the B.O.R.G

2007-01-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

So Home Depot does it again...a new CEO. Check out the write up at The Consumerist Home Depot: Introducing Li'l Franky. Do you think he can handle the Golden Hammer the same way as Bob? Based on his bio it's hard to tell.

Here is a riddle for you. How many Home Depot CEO's does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Answer:_______

Provide you answers...I'll publish the best ones.

FWIW,
Andy

Movies, Movies, Movies

2007-01-24T23:26:00.000-05:00

I'm really not that big a movie addict. Really.

I keep my own database over at IMDB (Internet movie database) of my favorite movies. Here is the current list. This list supersedes an earlier entry to this blog.

You can vote on my favorites. It will be interesting to see if anyone agrees with my selections. If there is a movie on the list you have or have not seen and want to comment upon please do so. I'm interested in what you think.


	Bless the Beasts & Children (1971) [Must See]
	Casablanca (1942) [Must See]
	The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995) [Must See]
	Field of Dreams (1989) [Must See]
	Gandhi (1982) [Must See]
	Gigot (1962) [Must See]
	High Road to China (1983) [To Buy]
	The Last Samurai (2003) [Must See]
	Life as a House (2001) [Must See]
	Local Hero (1983) [Must See]
	Love Actually (2003) [Must See]
	Red Dawn (1984) [Must See]
	A River Runs Through It (1992) [Must See]
	Saving Private Ryan (1998) [Must See]
	Snow Dogs (2002) [Must See]
	Violon rouge, Le (1998) [Must See]
	WarGames (1983) [Must See]
	We Were Soldiers (2002) [Must See]
	West Side Story (1961) [Must See]
	Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) [Must See]

FWIW,
Andy

Commercially Yours

2007-01-24T22:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to talk about the contestants on tonights American Idol. Instead find your way to the commercials that aired during the evening.

Ghost Rider from Sony Pictures. See my previous predictions.
thetruth.com aired the "Melting Mom" commercial. Wow. I've never smoked, and based on their commercial I never will. Look for the TV link on their Website for all the commercials. Extremely well produced and powerful, if not disturbing, message. Will kids get it?
Coca-Cola commercial was wonderful. I'm looking for a direct link. The production of the bottle of Coke takes place inside the vending machine by a hoard of arctic creatures. This one should be added to the archives of Coca-Cola commercials in the Library of Congress.

FWIW,
Andy

Prediction

2007-01-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

Since this is my blog I can make predictions. Here goes:

Someday, in the not too distant future, Nicolas Cage will admit that Ghost Rider will be one of the worst movies he has ever made.

Remember, this is my blog.

Andy

Can he swing a hammer?

2007-01-03T18:45:00.000-05:00

Today, it was announced, Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli resigned. He gets to leave a the company with a $210 million severance package.

What took the board so long to do this? It was pretty obvious that from the beginning of Bob's tenure he was out of touch with his customers. If you have walked in your customers shoes, you are better prepared to provide them what they need. Not sure many customers walk into any Home Depot store in wing tips. This was no more evident than in training videos shown to new employees in 2003. The orignal founders and co-CEO's along with Bob were featured in the video discussing the history and mission of Home Depot. There were the original founders dressed for work - blue jeans and work shirt with the signature orange apron. How was Bob dressed? In his work clothes - blue blazer with brass buttons and button down oxford shirt.

Seth Godin says today in "Do you want to be like Bob ?"

"My best advice is that if you can get a severance package like that, you should go ahead and get fired. Failing that, though, I'm at a loss to figure out why you would deliberately ruin a pretty decent brand by aggressively annoying all your constituents."

I guess now that Bob is leaving he can use the $210M for some pretty nifty DIY projects.

Do we call it a "golden parachute" or a "golden hammer" in his case?

FWIW

2006-12-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

FWIW – Car commercials that disturb me for different reasons.

The current commercial for KIA’s winter sale called Kia Fest is so disturbing in how really bad it is. Set inside a dealership, badly dancing sales people, all in the same logo wear clothes, sing “So Long, Farewell” from the Sound of Music. They destroy a great Rogers and Hammerstein song from an even greater Broadway play and Academy Award winning movie. Meant to motivate the car buyer to get to the dealership before all the cars are sold, it is a lame production that repels me, not attracts me to Kia. Is there a chance that you will walk into a Kia dealership and encounter anyone so overjoyed to the point of song? I don’t think so. I say “so long, farewell” as I pass the dealership on the highway in my Scion.

Now for a disturbingly good commercial. Volkswagen has created a commercial that in my mind has a dual purpose. Two guys are having a conversation while driving in their Jetta down a suburban street in Anywhere, USA. Not paying attention to the road, an aided by excellent editing, the car t-bones another vehicle passing through an intersection. Whoa! Airbags deploy, horrible noises and …go to the VW Website and see the commercial for yourself. If you have ever been in a serious car accident when the airbags deploy you might want to cover your eyes when watching this commercial. I’ve been that unfortunate and jumped (literally) out of my seat the first time I saw it on TV. VW is sending a powerful message about their cars and safety. The commercial works almost too well.

Bottom line, the Kia commercial is remarkably bad. The VW commercial is remarkable!

FWIW

Effective Trade Show Management

2006-12-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

In Jon Miller's blog, Modern B2B Marketing, a recent entry as part of Ten Practical Trends in B2B Marketing titled Embrace Online Channels states:

The tradeshow must die – at least as a way for B2B companies to drive leads. The same dollars invested in webcasts, online demos, videos, and other online methods are more measurable and more effective.

If marketing properly participates in trade shows high quality leads can be generated. Maximizing your effectiveness at trade shows takes lots of planning. Many companies either go to all the shows that cover their product category or customer segment without question. Still others act as if they have thrown darts at a calendar to select which events to attend. The worst selection method has your going to shows because a.) we always go to that one. or b.) we went there last year. There is a better way.

Your company does not have to attend every trade show. I use these criteria to determine if the show is one we should attend as an exhibitor

Demographics - Look at the previous years demographics. Did decision makers or strong influencer's attend? Is this a show attended by the staff to satisfy a training requirement? Ask the organizers for the current demographics on who is attending this year. Is there a difference from previous years? Why?
Vendors - Compare from year to year the vendors that attend. Are your competitors going to exhibit this year? No. Why? Might take some research. I plot on a calendar all my competitors and what events they are attending from year to year.
Location - Is this an event being held at a resort or is it a large exhibit hall in a major city? Is golf the main attraction? Decision makes go the trade shows and events held at the resorts. Remember, you want to meet with decision makers. Location can also limit the number of attendees. Some companies who are potential customers have limited budgets to attend trade shows, conferences and events. The more exotic the location, the higher the cost. For the same reason many companies select events in the nicer resorts and consider it a paid vacation. AKA boondoggle. Carefully understand your companies politics on this issue. Be upfront when presenting your event plan for the year. Marketing simply cannot go to events so others can take a vacation.
Size - How many attendees? 100, 500, 1,000, +10,000? Large events are nothing more than a moving walkway of attendees past your booth. Look at events with a smaller numbers of attendees. If they meet the demographic criteria than it is highly likely you'll meet them at the event, invite them to your exhibit space and create a relationship that leads to a sale. Size also refers to the number of exhibitors. Smaller numbers of exhibitors raises the likelihood that attendees will stop by your space
Program - Does the events program contents address cover issues and problems that your solution or product provides answers for? If not, why are you there? I've been forced to attend events or inherited attendance from previous marketing teams only to discover that my company does not fit the purpose of the event.
Speakers - Closely associated with program is the list of speakers. Did you submit a proposal to the Call for Speakers? The Call for Speakers can be a year prior to the event long before decision needs to be made on exhibiting. If you do have members of your company speaking on the program then exhibiting is a great idea. Start by listing the speaker on your Websites "events" page. Promote the speaker as well as the exhibit to your opt-in list. While at the event cross-promote your speaker and your booth. I find the companies credibility is greatly enhance when you have a speaker on the agenda.
Cost - There are two parts to cost: a.) cost to exhibit and b.) cost to attend.

Exhibit Cost - although the prices vary wildly by venue, city, even country there is usually a very strong focus on this when presenting your event plan. High price does not mean high quality. Factor in all other reason to attend and get an approximation of the value of the event. Be careful to figure the entire cost including space rental, exhibit costs, travel and lodging, services, collateral and promotional giveaway (if you have one) and shipping. I'm very cautious of events that constantly lower the price to attract vendors. This is sending a message that exhibit space is not selling well. Why?
Attendee Cost - How much does it cost to attend? I have found the higher quality leads come from events that have a significant cost to attend. Greatly influenced by location factors (see above), decision makers will be there especially if there is significant cost. Events held in large cities and in large venues typically do not attract decision makers.

Time of year - Here is where you would think the organizers of the event would have spend some time. Surprisingly, many event planners don't look at a calendar when selecting a date for an event. Bad timing for an event can be a disaster not only for the event organizers but also the exhibitors. Take for instance the InfoSecurity 2005 held in NYC at the Javits Exhibit Center the second week of December. It was a horrible time to schedule an event. It was too late in the year to make a difference in your sales numbers, especially for enterprise level decisions. Who wants to travel to NYC in December? I attended and found a very dead event. Many vendors made the decision then and there not to attend the following year. I know there are counter arguments to this. The National Retail Federation has its major event, Retail Big Show, the third week in January in of all places the Javits Exhibit Center in NYC. I've exhibited at this event as well. It is packed. Neither snow, nor sleet, nor cold of winter keeps retailers away from this event. Go figure.

How to make the shows you do attend successful.

Planning - an all encompassing topic. Proper planning starts as soon as an event is announced and continues till well after the event is over. Planning needs to cover logistics as well as content, promotion, staffing, lead capture and follow-up.
Content - What message are you trying to convey with your exhibit? Is it obvious and unambiguous? Does it catch the eye (in a pleasing way)? Are you exhibiting products and doing demo's or does your company provide a service? Will you be announcing a new product or service at this event?
Promotion - Post the event on your Website events page as soon as you sign the contract. Give time for prospects and customer to plan their attendance. Your event listing should provide a link to the event sponsors Web page to make for easy registration. Schedule a press release around the time prior to the event or on the first day of the event. Promote directly to your opt-in list.
Staffing - Selecting the right staff and motivating them to actively participate is a challenge. Most sales teams have little to no event training. Marketing needs to step up and train the staff on how to be effective at events. Covering everything from how to dress, scheduling, engaging attendees as they walk by etc. It is very helpful to have a well trained member of the marketing team at most events to insure this goes smoothly. How many times have you passed by an exhibit space and no one has stepped up to greet you? Depending on the size of the space, I like to have someone in the aisle to quickly engage attendees and pass them to the sales or product specialist. I refer to this as the "snag 'em and bag 'em" method.
Lead capture - after all, that's why you are exhibiting. All some companies do is order the lead capture device offered by the event and leave it at that. Bad idea. The lead capturing device in almost all cases capture no more than you can get from the prospect's business card. In some instances it will take days to weeks to get the information back from the device. Too late to act on a "hot" lead. Others prefer to order the lead capture device with the paper printout. The thermal paper printout. The "you can't write on this paper" printout. The paper that curls into a tiny ball. The paper is torn off, shoved in someones pocket and forgotten. Bad idea.

Here's a better way. Order the lead capture device with or without the paper. Design a lead sheet. The lead sheet I design is an 8.5"x11", three hole punched sheet kept in the Lead Binder. The lead sheet has a place to staple the business card, sans business card fields are available to write down the basic info name, title, company name, address, phone and email address. Below that is the BANT section. BANT stands for Budget, Authority Needs and Timeframe. You should be determining this from your prospects. The BANT criteria can be listed as check boxes. You can create check boxes for company or product specific criteria. Finally, the entire bottom section of the lead sheet contains an area for notes.

I frequently hear from the staff prior to the event that there is "no way I'm going to fill out the lead sheet." My answer to that is there is no way you are going to fit all the information needed to qualify a prospect on the back of a business card. The sheet can be filled out with the customer if that is appropriate, right after the prospect leaves while the info is still fresh in your mind or right before you go for your break or at the end of your shift. This actually works! I've used the form many times and the information is invaluable. Marketing takes the completed forms at the end of the event and enters them immediately into the lead management systems and assigns them to the appropriate sales team. If you have the info from the lead scanner it can be merged with the information from the lead sheet.
Follow up - Conduct a post event debriefing with the staff. Find out what worked or didn't work. Were most of the contacts made tire kickers or decision makers. Have all requests for immediate follow-up been handled. Send a post event e-mail to all prospects offering a white paper. How many prospects did you meet? How does this compare to previous years? Did other vendors at the event have the same success rate you did?

A successfully planned and executed trade show event will provide high quality leads for your sales teams and qualified prospects for you opt-in list and online marketing activities.

FWIW

What's behind this?

2006-12-20T12:14:00.000-05:00

Seth Godin references in his blog today the following ad by Sony that uses horrible copy.

He's right to conclude that if you are paying megabucks for the ad the copy MUST be effective.

I submit there are a few possible reason that this ad is really bad. Here's one possible reason

Ego - The marketing team had all good intentions when developing the creative brief for this ad/campaign. I'm sure the ad agency submitted several drafts of ad copy. Some marketing VP at Sony, who has no experience in the real world, selected this against the objections of the marketing team. How do I know this? Been there, done it

So many times marketing decisions are made by executives that lack real world experience. They are completely out of touch with the customer or in this case the reader of the newspaper. What they think goes no matter what the much more experienced marketing team says. They use ego to make decisions just because they can.

FWIW

Movie List

2006-03-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

What would observations on life be without a favorite movie list. Is it too cliche? Too bad. It's my blog.

Not in any particular order:

High Road to China - Tom Selleck, Bess Armstrong -- Fun, Action and GREAT scenic photography
Local Hero -- Burt Lancaster - a sleeper if there ever was one
Life as a House - Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christiansen -- One of the best films Kevin Kline has ever done! Overlooked by everyone... see it and see it again.
Love Actually - Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson and many, many more. Wonderful weaving of many lives and loves during the holiday season in London.
Snow Dogs - Cuba Gooding Jr., James Coburn -- I know, silly movie and utterly harmless. Hmmm we need more movies like this.
Red Dawn - Patrick Swaze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson -- Haunting premise, improbable but well portayed.
We Were Soldiers - Mel Gibson, Madeline Stowe - I heard the book is even better

That's the short list.

FWIW

First Post

2006-03-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

If I talk to myself, is anyone listening? Sometimes. Well, maybe by writing in this blog on what I observe in daily will be therapy. One can try.

Let's start with the TV coverage of the Olympics.

Watching the coverage on NBC TV is making me nuts. The actual coverage is great. But why do they stretch the programing till 11:30 p.m. EST? I would love for my son to see the complete competition, well let's be correct, a replay of the coverage. I suppose in order to sell advertising and boost ratings they stretch out the night as late as possible.

Are the Olympics about young athletes achieving dreams so that even younger people can make it their dream? Then why are the greatest performances shown so late. It's not live. As is the case with the Olympics being held outside the US most of the coverage is "held" till prime time -- 8 p.m. Kids are missing the best performances because they are held so late. Oh Well.

FWIW