TrevorCarpenter.com

So, earlier this week Qik released their mobile app for the Android platform. If you’ve been under a rock this past year, then you wouldn’t know that I’m sporting a sweet T-Mobile G1 phone, that runs Android. So of course I immediately downloaded the app and got it up and running. Bummer was that it took me a couple of days to find something worth filming.

Oh, I forgot to mention. Qik allows you to share live video from your mobilephone. Yeah, you read that right! Live video!

I’m currently working on the final stages of a paint job for a cool new gun cabinet. With just one coat of silver paint on the door, I thought I’d take a short video. At first, I couldn’t get the Qik app to work, so I went ahead and recorded it with the built-in camcorder app. I posted that to YouTube, to test it all out. Kinda cool. My first real mobile camera recording from my mobilephone.

A few kinks later, I got the Qik app working. So I recorded a short clip. The reviews I’ve read indicated that it clips off the first few and last few seconds. This is true for me.

Below are the YouTube and Qik videos, in that order. If you bookmark http://qik.com/trevorcarpenter you’ll be able to see any future live videos. Cool!

*****Update*****

Huh. Watching the Qik video kinda sucks! Yeah, it clipped out about 8 seconds of content. I knew it was choppy, but that’s bad.

I’m not sure how often I’ll need/want live video from my mobilephone, so we’ll just keep that one as an in-a-pinch tool.

In the mean time, I think I’ll stick with recording it, sharing it with Twidroid (which auto posts to Twitter), and uploading directly to YouTube.

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So, my pal Evan, serving in the United States Army, currently deployed to A-stan (Afghanistan), just requested some cool ideas for funny military patches. His example is the word “NINJA”, in the form of a Ranger Tab.

I googled around, and found several really funny ones. Some involve not-so-appropriate-words, so I’ve tried to skew them a bit. Please, please, please, share your own ideas in the comments below.

Let me give you a bit of background. The military switched their battle uniforms back in 2005. Read the Wikipedia article for more info. Not all branches made the switch at the same time, and even lately I’ve seen a handful of Air Force personnel wearing the old woodland camo BDU.

Anyway, the photo to the right is the Army’s current ACU (Army Combat Uniform).

The “Ranger Tab” is a small patch worn on the left shoulder by an Army soldier who has completed the US Army Ranger School. The soldier need not be assigned to a Ranger Unit in order to wear the tab. In fact, they’ll get to wear it for the remainder of their military career.

Ok, so on with the patches. All are funny, none are approved. Here’s a great place to buy several of the ones below. What can you come up with?

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I’m working tomorrow. So, my fam celebrated today. This is what the wife brought me home. I love Chicago style, deep dish pizza. Only one place we’ve found near us that makes it. Yuuuummmm!

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Today’s submission to the 2009 Challenge. The theme? BRIDGE.

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My first submission for the 2009 Challenge in quite a while.

This one is for day #169, CHECKERBOARD.

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So, I’ve been a photo-loser lately. I have a whole day’s shooting sitting in my Aperture queue, just waiting to be processed. Please forgive me!

And since I haven’t posted enough regular posts lately, I thought I’d toss up some of my more popular photos from the past year or so. These are my personal favorites, from your favorites of mine. Enjoy!

"Smith & Wesson M&P 40C"

"Where much is done..."

"Mt. Zion"

"USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)"

"Sunrise, Santa Inez Valley"

"Self Portrait"

"2008 Challenge, week #12"

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Much is being debated and discussed today. First we had the news that Barry Obama is planning to nominate Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court. Then we learned that the California State Supreme Court ruled on their consideration over the constitutionality of last November’s Proposition 8, the one that clarified that marriage is only between one man and one woman, in California.

I’m not interested in debating those issues here. I jumped in the maelstrom this morning, on Facebook, and quickly got sick of it all.

So, I thought I’d change my aim this afternoon, and tell you all about my current dilemma. Which gun should I get next? I have decided on three. Each is very different. My last purchase was made mostly because it was so affordable. But, now it’s time to fulfill a couple of other slots in the necessary arsenal.

I have no shotgun. I have no CQC carbine rifle. I have no full-sized semi-auto handgun.

Yes, yes, I know that most of you will quickly tell me to get some kind of AR-15 next. I’ve heard it before, “Get one because Barry’s gonna ban them again.” Well, I don’t like the .223. Don’t argue with me on this, I just want more punch. That’s it. I actually want a 7.62 caliber carbine of some sort. I also want something that doesn’t scare away all the black-rifle-haters. (FYI, I reject the idea that some firearms are “assault” variants and others are plain. I prefer the term firearm.)

I’ll start with the handgun. I want a 1911. I was considering a compact model, but I already have a compact handgun. There are a gazillion 1911 manufacturers, but not all have a good reputation. I’ve read up, and quizzed many for their opinions. I have selected Kimber, and their basic model, the Custom II. These are easily had for well under $1000, and have a good reputation. I don’t need or want many of the features on their higher end models.

The next on my list is the shotgun. I really like the Remington 870 line. It’s what many law enforcement agencies use, as does mine. They’re comfortable, and reliable. The action is over a half-century old. It simply works. There’s a part of me that wants a side-by-side or an over-under model, but those are mostly valuable for hunting. I’d want my shotgun to be primarily a home-defense weapon. Plus, the racking of a shell is the universal sign of “get out of my house!” These can be had for outrageously low prices on every-other-month sales at Big 5.

Lastly, I’m looking at the Springfield Armory M1A as my CQC carbine. No pistol grip, and a wood stock makes it look less like those big scary black rifles, the cowards in our society are so scared of. Plus, this is the grandchild of the beloved M-1 Garand, that many many great Americans used in several wars of past. This rifle is based on the M-14, which is based on the M-1. Great lineage! It’s completely California legal, with the ditching of the flash suppressor and adding a muzzlebreak. They can come this way from the factory. Sweet!

So, what are your thoughts?

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Several months ago, Deanna came across a sweet idea she wanted us to recreate for Mother’s Day. She’s a MASSIVE fan of Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Ree is friends with this guy named Ryan, who’s blog she also follows. The project was Ryan’s.

When it came time to organize the work for this project, we scheduled a whole afternoon, after church. Our first plan was to head out to the Guadalupe Dunes, and photograph all over the smooth sand dunes. One problem, some lame bird is protected out there, and all summer long the entirety of the dunes is closed off to human access. Gotta love them tree-huggers!

So, that idea was destroyed. No problem, I can adapt!

On the way out there, I passed this sweet old barn. So we headed back to the barn, just off the PCH. I set up my guerrilla lighting and one at a time, the kids jumped out of the car and ran over to me at the barn. I shot about 20 frames each, of the kids making all sorts of funny poses.

These were the best four:

We didn’t want the same shot for each set, so we headed northward. My back up plan included hwy 166, just over the San Luis Obispo county line.

Following the 166, for several miles, you increase in elevation and continue along in the rolling hills that make the Central Coast so beautiful. I didn’t have any specific location in mind, I just knew that we’d fine at least one good place. And, just around a bend, we saw it. A nice country road, with the most gorgeous place to get out and wander a bit.

That’s where I shot these four:

So, all in all it turned out to be a really great day of taking photos. I had a great time, and I think the kids did too. We took several other poses in a few different locations. You can see them all at my Flickr Photoset of them all.

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Recently I blogged about the Santa Barbara fires. In it I included a few side comments about government agencies using social media to increase their level of communication to those in their coverage areas. I’ve felt strongly that tools like Twitter, and others, can be harnessed to better communicate with the general public. Imagine a regional combined dispatch center posting short, facts only, blog articles about current events. I’m not talking about something that happened last night, or yesterday. I’m talking about the car wreck that happened 5 minutes ago. The wreck that is still being dealt with on the scene!

We don’t need reporting, like the news provides. We need the most basic of info, fast. The details are not as important as the speed. I foresee government agencies restructuring their policies surrounding the use of Public Information Officers. Today, we have select PR-oriented PIO’s. Tomorrow we’ll have a small team of staff, under a Senior PIO. Each staff member will have authority to not only be interviewed on camera, but will also be free to write AND publish content to the web, rapid fast!

Many law enforcement agencies use actual peace officers for their PIO roles, others use hired guns. Which route they take in the future doesn’t matter as much as the freedom they are given.

Tomorrow will look more like this:

The car accident happens. A passerby calls 911. The dispatch center takes the call, and dispatches the police, fire, and ambulance. The shift’s PIO hears the call, and responds to the scene. As Fire makes the scene safe, and Po-po helps control the flow of traffic and determines what potential traffic laws were violated causing the accident, the EMS team begins treatment of all the casualties.

Meanwhile, the PIO is standing off to the side, gathering information. Within moments, he/she is posting a single paragraph post, to the regional public safety blog. Automatically, the post is Twittered. Updates will be added to the original post. This way there is a common thread of information, and late-comers will read the whole piece in one location.

The point here is that the PIO is publishing information, before the local news agency. Raw information, right on time!

So, I took my vision, and wandered around for a bit. I’m curious how many others feel this way. What do you know?! I found several law enforcement agencies already using Twitter! Awesome! They may not BE where they need to be, but at least they’re taking the risk. Good for them! Below are the few legit agencies I could find.

• Santa Fe Sheriff, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Ada County Sheriff, Boise, Idaho
• Johnson County Sheriff, Johnson County, Kansas
• Fresno Police Department, Fresno, California
• Manteca Police Department, Manteca, California
• Baltimore Police Department, Baltimore, Maryland
• Boston Police Department, Boston, Massachusetts
• Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Boynton Beach Police, Boynton Beach, Florida
• Texas A&M Police, College Station, Texas
• Toronto Police (Traffic Services), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Police Notes, Anonymous Law Enforcement Officer, Florida

Oh, and don’t forget about me! My Twitter.

I thought I’d add a few quotes from a handful of the Twitter accounts above. Very well done!

“Deputies conducting free boat inspections in the Wal-Mart parking lot bring your boat or personal watercraft to be inspected and stickered!”

“Injury Accident just came out at 199th St. and 169 Highway. Initial reports are Semi Truck and two vehicles involved”

“HOMICIDE ARREST: Sami Abduss McCargo was arrested for the April 11th murder of Quinton Savage @ 2800 Winwood Ct.”

“Can you ID this armed robbery suspect? http://bit.ly/17NFc5″

“Texas A&M Police May 2009 Crime Map (updated 5/12/09) http://ow.ly/6wu1″

“Robbery is theft from your person when the perp uses force, threats, intimidation, or is armed. Your house can’t be robbed but you can.”

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On August 28th, 1997 I met Deanna Smith. We were at our pastor’s home, for a small meal. She and the pastor’s daughter were close friends. I was the high school Sunday school teacher. About two months later, I took her on our first date. Today, we have 4 children, and have been married for nearly 11 years. She’s a keeper.

On this day, I celebrate what a tremendous mother she is to my children. At that age when young men stop acting like boys and starting thinking ahead to the future, I could  not have conceived of a woman like Deanna. Most young men dream of a beautiful wife, who is also wise. Most settle for one or the other. My wife is both…and then some.

The list of her great qualities is too much for just one blog post. It is not just a bullet list. It would merit description and detail.

Few men have a wife who honors and respects them like mine. It is amazing how much easier it is to love her, through all of life’s experiences, when I know how much she respects me. You know, when faced with the opportunity to humbly compromise, for her sake, it’s so much easier when I know that she honors me.

There are times I wake in the morning, and she’s already up and starting the day. I lay there, listening to the sounds of our home, as she is steering it like a large ocean-going vessel. Yes, two of the boys are fighting and their sister is yelling at someone. But, Deanna is still guiding the whole thing. Meanwhile, something smells good in the oven, and the coffee has been made.

As I listen in, she is passing out wisdom to the younger ones, helping them learn to respect each other and not be selfish. Then she’s guiding the older two with the wonderful concepts of our Lord; “Wouldn’t God be happy if you did that?”…I hear her say.

This is the kind of woman who doesn’t need a man to fiddle with the hot-water heater. She doesn’t wait for me to take care of it. She just goes out into the garage, and reads the simple instructions. If it’s not there, she hits the internets and finds the solution herself. She’s not too lazy to chase a new bicycle rider around the park, just in case she falls. She’s not so inept, as some, that she won’t try to hang the picture all by herself. My wife is the kind of woman most men wish they had married.

Sometimes in life, we are faced with those self-realizing moments. Times when we are seeing ourselves more clearly. An old friend once described this like that Lord is sitting with us in a dimly lit room. The room is our life. In the beginning, the light is low, and we can only see a small bit of the room. The Lord helps us clean up that part. When we’re ready, he turns up the light a bit, and we see a bit more that needs cleaning up. This goes on and on, throughout our whole walk with Him.

Recently, I was at a stage where the Lord had turned up the light a bit. I was looking around, and seeing some more things that needed order, repair, and cleaning. As I began to struggle with it, my wonderful wife was right there beside me. She had seen much of this already, but had waited for the Lord to reveal it to me. She was right by my side, ready when the Lord had made me ready.

That’s the kind of wife you wish you had. That’s the kind of wife I have.

When it comes to being a mother, there are few women who genuinely deserve it. In the context of our relationship with God, we all deserve so very little, other than punishment. In the context of our relationship with those around us, just a few more deserve the earthly blessings we receive. My wife is one of those.

The strength God has given her to face many of the challenges she has had victory over, is quite amazing. Through this, God has blessed her with amazing gifts and talents, that equip her to be a very rare kind of mother.

Throughout history, there have been just a few mothers that were noteworthy. In time, our kids will more-than-likely see their mother that way, as noteworthy.

I have been blessed.

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In case you didn’t know yet, the hillsides around the city of Santa Barbara are on fire, again. This fire is being called the Jesusita Fire.

As you may recall, last year during our annual fire(s), I posted an article highlighting a local news agency and their high quality coverage of the up-to-date information about the fire. They did a superb job!

This year is no different. The local ABC affiliate, KEYT, is poor. Their site is lame, and malnourished from solid content. The nearly dead Santa Barbara News Press has basically one story on their website. Oh, and of course you must register to get the detailed information (isn’t that SO 1999?) If you’re a local, and depend on those organizations for your news, you’re clearly uninformed.

However, the Santa Barbara Independent is once again rocking the casbah! Look, they’re treating this fire as if locals really want as much information as possible, and they want it right now! Locals want to see a map, with up-to-date information on evacuations and where the fire is now. I said, NOW!

Over the past few weeks, with the likes of Oprah, CNN, and Ashton, we’ve seen an increase in interest, from normal folks, in tools like Twitter. Yeah, there’s more, but Twitter has captured the hearts and minds of non-geeks wishing they were.

I’ve even shared a few conversations with the likes of my dad, and others, about the potential use of tools, like Twitter, within government agencies. FEMA has a Twitter account, so do many others. Yeah, the politicians do too, but they ain’t getting any click traffic from me. They just want your vote, not to really help you.

Back to FEMA. So, they’re using Twitter too. Cool, right? Heck yeah! Just this evening I see the FEMA feed had a link to the official County of Santa Barbara website for tracking info on the Jesusita Fire. Sweet! NOT! I hit the link, and it’s loaded with crap! CRAP I TELL YOU! At 8pm it’s saying no structures have been harmed. Crap! Of course just a few minutes before I stood and watched an LA news station show video of a home burning. HOMES ARE BURNING, WAKE UP COUNTY OF SB!

OK, I got that off my chest.

***disclosure*** I work for the county. ***disclosure***

Anyway, this quality blog post has digressed into a full-fledged rant. Sorry.

When will our government agencies wake up and realize that they have the opportunity to be the source of solid, verifiable information? Information that the public wants, and would be just fine getting from them.

One day, we’ll get automatic posts to our Facebook walls, we’ll read accurate info from our local sheriff on his/her Twitter feed, and the local Police Chief’s blog will teach me about the signs of drug abuse in my kids.

Someday, the government will catch up. Unfortunately, we’ll no longer be using Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. We’ll have moved on to something else…and the government won’t get it either.

My Twitter

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The May Challenge kicked off today. All month we’re shooting the next letter in the English alphabet. Today is, of course, the letter “A”.

I’m kinda glad I already had an easy subject to shoot. We have a few letters lying around, representing our kids’ names. I grabbed a white “A”, and shot a few choice locations.

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