Official A2K Gathering in Chicago, May 7th, 2006!

Revised forecast for the weekend:

Friday
mostlycloudy
high 57/low 47
Extensive cloudiness, even cooler. NE winds limit peak shoreline temperatures to the low/mid 50s (53° Waukegan). Mildest inland highs: Low 60s Fox Valley.

Saturday
partlysunny
high 55/low 46
Becoming partly sunny, but cool. NE winds extend into a third day. Official highs 12° below normal. Inland and south suburban highs: Upper 50s/low 60s.

Sunday
mostlysunny
high 66/low 51
Generous sun, lighter winds set the stage for a 10°+ temperature rebound, especially inland. The day's light SE flow modestly lowers shoreline readings.

Monday
mostlycloudy
high 73/low 58
Increasing cloudiness, SE winds, milder temperatures. Highs: 62° Waukegan; 68° lakefront; 76° well south & west. Night-time showers/thunderstorms?

Thanks, Joe (and here just now temperature go up to the high 20's ... Centigrade [up to 70°F])


Wishing Thomas a good flight, too!!!

Wow, 55 to 73 in just a few days is "unpredictable."

That's nothing. Tomorrow it is supposed to hit 80 degrees.

Chicago's weather can be quite mercurial.

Nice pun.

It can do that in a few hours around these parts.

I'm bringing my leather jacket.

Me too c.i. - it's about four sizes too big, but it's the warmest thing I've got.

When I was in New York City a couple of Aprils ago for a visit, it went from 40 degrees daytime temp to 80 degrees, in one day. Yipes! And LA can have substantial changes in winter, going from, say, 53, to 90 under Santa Ana wind conditions.

Dunno about a coat for Chicago - most of my coats are still packed/in storage facility. I did find my purple suede coat... too bad it was that one I found as it doesn't go with anything at all in my closet and is years out of style; nice and soft though.


Changing the subject, how long does a charge hold in a digital camera? I dug my not-yet-used-by-me camera out and have it charging now. I'm trying to figure out if I need to pack the power adaptor, which is a tad heavy.

osso, Digital cameras depend on its use; the use of LCD rather than the peep-hole uses more juice. Looking at shots uses juice, and not turning off the camera after a shot uses juice. Different people use their cameras differently, and get different battery life. Bring your charger, and some extra batteries. You'll regret missing a shot, because your battery ran out.

Well, that makes sense. Thanks, CI.

Nikon is said to have used the strongest rechargeable battery pack for the new D200: up to 2,000 shots, they.

That might be true, but a digital camera uses power even if you don't use it.
I played a lot around with the various menus, but only took about 20 photos and had to recharge it.

(I've a "Multi-Power Battery Pack" [for my D80 as well] and can use either two rechageable batteries [they change automatically with the D200] or use 'normal' batteries.)

I can get about 100 photos/1 day out of one set of fully charged Sony batteries. That's with a lot of on-site editing/deletion/re-tries going on.

Gotta carry a second set of batteries for that reason.

ehBeth, I'm careful about deleting too many pictures after taking them, because I have found that seeing the picture on the camera's LCD is different when you look it with your computer monitor. Just a cautionary note.

c.i., I usually take about 200 shots a day when I'm on a roll.

Experience has taught me what I'm going to like/not like.

Out of the roughly 100 left at the end of each day (after my on-the-spot editing) , I'll probably keep about 20- 30 - and maybe post 2 - 5 on a blog. Unless my original 'eye' was spectacularly 'on'.

I've got a pretty keen editing eye - at all stages of the game. About 40 years behind the lens helps with that.

With your experience behind the lens, I'm sure your good at what you do. I'm sure the more inexperienced of us can accept the caution for what it's worth.

I'm a mad photographer with a film camera. Presumably the digital camera will help me cut down my expensive ways, whether I edit before or after transfer to the computer. I'll probably do some of both when I catch on to how photos show up on transfer.

Dang, I wish I could get out there!
I expect a picture taking/posting frenzy.

I expect moving pictures.

I expect to be moved by those pictures.