58923

Fly Fishing For Trout

Fly Fishing is such a traditional sport many refer to as an art form, and compared to other modes of fishing, incorporates so much to learn in terms of casting technique, and more particularly the study of the trout's diet, and their imitations, that it can distract anglers from focussing sufficiently on their quarry's habits and behaviour. If you want to catch more Trout, and particularly larger Trout, you need to know more about the Trout than you do about casting and their diet.

The deeper I looked, the more things just didn't make sense. I reared both Brown and Rainbow Trout in my lounge room aquarium and studied them closely. From atop steep banks of clear pools on the stream, I experimented and studied them.

There was finally but one conclusion I could make. We, as fly fishermen, to a large degree, have been kidding ourselves for a very long time. Looking realistically at many of the trout flies, it seemed that the trout must either be half blind, or quite stupid, to accept many of them as the insects being imitated. Either way, it detracted from the achievement of having deceived them.

The more I critically analyzed the whole routine of fly fishing, the more assumptions I recognised as having been made to compensate for our lack of understanding. At best, some of the assumptions may have been correct to some degree, but could never be proven or confirmed. At worst, some were just blatantly wrong.

These assumptions have been cycled for so long they have just been accepted as fact. The Trout have been considered 'Unpredictable' because their behaviour or actions didn't always fit what we would have expected when fly fishing. No-one, it seems, had ever thought about the possibility of their actions not matching our expectations because our beliefs could be flawed.

I started evaluating alternative possibilities. Gradually I put the puzzle together. Eventually, those long standing questions had answers. The trout behaviour then became extremely predictable. I started taking advantage of these findings. Having realized I didn't need to imitate anything to induce takes, I was able to construct flies which could do specific jobs for me rather than imitating anything.

With each of the situations I encountered on the water mastered, the results just automatically followed. I had seemingly mastered the sport of fly fishing.

posted by aasdas38493 @ 10:46 PM 0 comments

Homemade Projector Screen - The Principle & How to DIY

Projector screens are generally divided into two types base on their functionalities: reflection projector screen and transmission projector screen. It can be also divided into soft and hard screen base on the materials they are made from.

Home theater generally uses soft reflection screen. My brother-in-law originally wanted to buy a 1000 (~$150) so-called "import screen", but a friend of his who sells projector screens told him that it is hard nowadays (in China) to distinguish the genuineness of an import screen, it is hard even for himself. Some of them that are labeled with 'import' or 'joint capital' were actually manufactured somewhere in the south of China. He felt that he'd rather to buy a 300 domestically manufactured screen with good feelings than buy this kind of "import screen". What this friend said makes perfect sense. But after doing some research, my brother-in-law found that all screens on the local market are made from high gain Bolivian bead that is used for projecting newspaper clips, they are simply not suitable for video frequency.

Theoretically speaking, a white wall with one smooth side actually is the best "screen". Because its gain is 1, meaning that the light projected can be completely reflected out, which is an ideal state of being "no absorption, no gain". Unfortunately, for the purpose of absorbing and proliferating the sound wave, he already made the wall a background wall with sound-absorbing material and plywood installed. making it impossible to serve as a "projector screen', he had to find another solution.

You might be wondering at this point: why do people still bother purchasing expensive screens if we can all use white walls?

Well, there are always benefits and advantages of using a professional screen: convenient, artistically beautiful and dignified, good screen can also make up the insufficiency of a projector and improve visual effect. Among the expensive screens, one type is "gray screen" (cost about 15,000, roughly $2000). This kind of screen probably was originally designed for liquid crystal projectors. The biggest problem with liquid crystal projector is that the color appears dark and grey, insufficiently calm. This is its "congenital defect" that is caused by its liquid crystal board and path of rays.

Regarding gray screen, we all know that gray is merely a lighter black, and black absorbs all visible light. Gray can only partially absorb visible light, it is like brightness of the picture is reduced. If you have used any picture processing software's "brightness / contrast gradient" option, you should certainly have noticed such phenomenon that reducing brightness is equivalent to increasing contrast gradient? Same concept, since the brightness has been reduced, it in turn increased its contrast gradient. The black effect gets improved due to the bigger contrast. We can also experience the same effect when we look out through the sunshade glass of our car. In fact, there are many ways to just reduce the brightness, you don't have to use gray screen. There are magazines recommending putting the light gray filter of a photographic camera to the projection lens, the principle is the same. You can even use more simpler method, namely you need to adjust the projector's output brightness or increase the contrast gradient. No need to spend a cent, you may achieve the similar effect, but the premise is that showroom must be dark enough.

Back to the bottom line, if a gray projector screen cost you $2000, definitely it is not just because the screen color is changed from white to gray. Speaking from the optical principle, I'm afraid there's a lot more behind. I'm guessing probably certain chemical compositions have been added to the material of the screen that changed the reflection or absorption intensity of different wavelength of light, thus changed the luster and the contrast gradient of the entire image, that, makes up the inborn flaw of liquid crystal board after all. In addition to this, what other tricks do you think they can play? It doesn't seem to be possible with the meager knowledge of physics that I have.

It sounds more like it to throw in a 150,000 screen if your projector cost you 15,000. But adding a 15,000 screen to a 15,000 projector doesn't make much sense at all. If I have to buy a 15,000 screen, then it would simply work better if I put the money together and buy a 30,000 higher level projector to achieve better effect without any extra effort. A 15,000 screen is a crazy price to my brother-in-law (imagine his monthly income is merely 3000). Also if he buys a name brand Japanese gray screen, then he actually spend most of the money to pay for the labor which he personally doesn't feel comfortable.

The ideal screen for the DLP projector that my brother-in-law purchased should be like a white wall, just let the project light reflected completely without any "reservation". He figured that he really didn't need such costly screen. So he finally decided to make one on his own.

Exactly how did he do it? You may not believe how simple and inexpensive it really was! He spent a bit over 10 (about $1.50) in a home decorating store on a self-adhesive pure white matted formica PVC panel with dim grains, cut the right size, pasted to his original background wall, that is it, flat and smooth! With such PVC screen, he doesn't need to worry about the 'curl-up' phenomenon that may occur to a regular projector screen after around 12 years of use, he also doesn't need to worry that it would turn yellow one day due to natural oxidation. But remember it requires some pasting techniques to make it work perfectly for you. The result? Great!

Here are couple of self-made projector screen photos from my brother-in-law as 'evidence':
www.news-blogs.com/_images/entertainment/diy_screen.jpg
www.news-blogs.com/_images/entertainment/diy_screen2.jpg

Note: You may freely republish this recipe as long as author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact. Thank you.

posted by aasdas38493 @ 7:43 PM 0 comments

Dog Clothes make Great Gifts

When it comes to the art of giving, a gift of clothes is fraught with peril. We all have stories to tell, and if you don't, you will. Just give it time.

Mine started early. My grandmother, having survived the Depression, knew how to stretch a dollar. Clothes for her grandkids were always purchased 3 or 4 sizes too big so we could "grow into them". And she passed this charming trait on to my mother. So, we endured our baggy clothes, with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up, until we were finally big enough to wear them with dignity. By which time they were ready for donation.

Then there's my husband. Heaven forbid I should try to give the man a Polo shirt with an uneven hemline. Most Polos are made longer in the back to help them stay "tucked", but hubby goes un-tucked -- always. He rejects any polo that breaks the rule, no matter how subtly. For an otherwise easy-going guy, his behavior is almost perverse.

If you must give clothes this season, there's one giftee on your list who's sure to look great in any outfit you buy him. He'll wear your gift with pride and appreciation, head held high and tail wagging.

That's right, your dog. Or your best friend's dog. It's so easy you'll wonder why you didn't think of it before.

Dogs love any kind of attention you lavish on them. So, Spike will wear his outfit - whether it's cute or ridiculous - as soon as he sees how happy it makes his owner. Spot will eat up all that extra attention he gets from strangers. And Fifi might even want to Vogue for the camera.

Clothes shopping for dogs is a lot like clothes shopping for babies. Unless you're going for practicality, cuteness is what counts. And that's easy to accomplish, given that any dog wearing clothes looks pretty darned cute.

Choices in dog clothes range from winter sweaters to football jerseys and summer tees. You can get a set of flannel PJ's for bedtime or a terry robe for after bath. There's even an entire line of Harley clothes for dogs, complete with leather cap and studded collar. Dog costumes made for parties and holidays are just too cute for words.

If you really want your gift to be a hit with admirers, accessorize. Try a designer dog collar and maybe a cool pair of sunglasses--they make them just for dogs. And I recently heard that leg warmers are making a come back.

Got a mischievous sense of humor? Making the baby look silly might be a no-no, but it's good clean fun when it comes to dressing up a dog. There are some really creative doggie costume out there that are good for a chuckle or two.

There's really only a couple of rules you'll need to keep in mind when shopping for dog clothes:One is that if the dog in question is an avid chewer, you should avoid buying him anything tempting. Shiny buttons, fringe, and feathers are examples that come to mind. An object that can easily be chewed off and swallowed is a choking hazard and can get stuck in the dog's digestive tract.

The other rule is that any dog, no matter how tolerant, will be more comfortable wearing clothes that fit. Proper fit typically requires measuring from the dog's collar to the base of her tail for length. Most garment's girth can be adjusted with velcro tabs, but could still be an issue with a barrel-chested breed such as a bulldog. Measurements are typically in inches.

Remember that a dog will never "diet down" into an outfit that's too small , or -- unless you're shopping for a puppy or a pregnant female -- "grow into" an item that's too big. (Sorry, Grandma.)

Oh, and one more thing--if you're handy with a sewing machine, you can make your own dog clothes creations. Just don't forget to include an opening for the dog to relieve himself. Don't laugh, it happens a lot!

Now, if you're shopping for your own dog, you're all set. But if you're buying clothes for someone else's dog, I've got a few more tips for you.

Surveys conducted on the subject of gift preferences of men and women have shown that men prefer gifts that are more playful or practical. So, if the dog's owner is male this might translate into a doggie Harley jacket, a funny costume, or a reflective hunting vest (more on practical clothing in another article!).

Women, on the other hand, prefer gifts that are beautiful, memorable, and personal. It shouldn't be hard to find an item of clothing for a woman's dog that's either beautiful or memorable or both, and it will of course be personal!

Exception: if the woman is someone you don't know well. The more distant the relationship between giver and receiver, the riskier it is to give a personal gift. So, be they man or woman, if you don't know the dog owner very well, you probably shouldn't be buying dog clothes for their pet.

I hope you'll have fun picking out something nice for the canine on your shopping list. If you get a chance, send me a photo!

posted by aasdas38493 @ 4:24 PM 0 comments