It’s leap day and the following sums it up nicely.

if year divided by 400 remainder is 0 then leap
else if year divided by 100 remainder is 0 then no leap
else if year divided by 4 remainder is 0 then leap
else no leap

I am sure there are many of you who started accessing the internet with Netscape Navigator which owned the majority of market-share in the mid-1990′s. I still recall using it on my Macintosh (and later a PC) with dial-up access, not the quickest option but with less embedded media in webpages it did suffice. Netscape was not the first browser I used, those were the text based Lynx and Mosiac in some of the computer labs at the University of Arizona.

Over the years other options sprung up and soon Internet Explorer started taking market share from Netscape until passing it in the late 90′s with a better product. Netscape was bought by AOL and the downfall of the browser continued, finally leading to the demise of it as of March 1, 2008 when support will no longer be provided for Netscape Navigator.

Right now as you read this post, I would guess you are using one of three browsers: Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox. The majority of users do use Internet Explorer, however Firefox is continuing to grow in usage with now 15% of internet users. This is significant for the browser wars as one which competes directly with IE forces innovations to be developed resulting in the users of the product benefiting, which is something we didn’t have for a while. It should be noted the underlying basis of Firefox is based on technology from the Mozilla Corporation which came from the Mozilla Foundation and before that the Mozilla Organization created by Netscape. So while Netscape Navigator is no longer an option when viewing the web, Firefox continues to grow and who knows someday we could be reading a post like this regarding Internet Explorer… you may laugh but anything is possible.

If you haven’t given Firefox a try you can find more information by clicking below.

If you are returning you may have noticed a different look to the blog from the last time you stopped by to check out the latest postings. For those of you making their first visit welcome, and I hope to see you visiting regularly.

The blog was due a change from the default style used previously. One, of the things you may have noticed is a wider area where the entries are posted. This additional area allows images to be posted in a larger size than in the previous version of the blog. However the main reason for the change is to integrate the blog into the format of the website which is scheduled to be completed in a few weeks. If you would like to receive notification when the new site is complete, I recommend signing up for the Neil Corman Photography e-mail list. This will provide you with news, updates and exclusive specials directly to your inbox. The information collected is not provided to any external entities and is only used to provide updates regarding Neil Corman Photography. If you would like to register you may do so here.

On the evening of Wednesday February 20, 2008 a total lunar eclipse will be viewable to the mainland United States. During the eclipse you could expect to see a different color in the appearance of the moon making for an interesting evening. The eclipse of the moon will last around fifty minutes, with the mid-eclipse occurring at 8:26pm MST (3:26am GMT)

If the weather conditions are good be sure to check this out, as the next total lunar eclipse is in December 2010.

More information

Yesterday I wrote a posted an entry about the Loveland Sweetheart Balloon Rally and the weather conditions not allowing the hot air balloons to fly when I was there. One of the scheduled events to take place was a wedding in one of the balloons. The wedding did take place just not in the balloon. Prior to the ceremony the operators of the balloon attempted to inflate the hot air balloon, which ended up being aborted soon after the picture below was taken due to the wind. Even against the winter ground conditions with snow in some areas the colors from this balloon show in the February sky, though I will have to wait to later this spring and into the summer to capture hot air balloons airborne in the Colorado sky.

This morning I woke up early and headed north to Loveland for the Sweetheart Balloon Rally held at the Larimer County Fairgrounds. Arriving prior to sunrise a chill was in the air which along with the breeze helped make things quite brisk. While sponsors were setting up their booths, there was no sign of any hot air balloons now less than an hour away from the expected launch time. After determining where the balloons would be set-up I found my way to the building where the briefing would soon be held for the balloon pilots. Once the briefing started and they went over some logistical details, the weather forecast was discussed in detail. A lot of standing around took place, and finally a couple of pilots brought out their baskets in hope the wind would die down. To help judge the winds a helium balloon was put up into the sky to get a measure of the winds more so above the ground. The first one went off and then took off at a good rate of speed to the southeast, not encouraging. The organizers waited a half hour and with winds dying down near the ground put another helium balloon and this time it went towards the southwest at a slower pace but also not encouraging since the event could not launch knowing the winds would take them near the Loveland Fort Collins airport. By this time it was decided to cancel the morning launch, and as I waited the winds completed their 180 degree shift and started to pick up once again.

They will try again on Sunday, but some weather is suppose to move in this afternoon and stick around on Sunday as well. Hopefully it will work out for them. I was able to get a couple of images however the one below pretty much sums up the morning.

Take me out to the ballgame.
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks.
I don’t care if I ever get back
For it’s root, root, root
For the White Sox.
If they don’t win it’s a shame.
For it’s 1 – 2 – 3 strikes you’re out
At the old ballgame!

Pitchers and catchers for the Chicago White Sox reported today in Tucson, Arizona. With a storm moving through on Friday dropping snow in the mountains it must be a nice sight to see. Only 11 more days until the White Sox play their first spring training game, with opening day only 44 days away.

I was looking at some images I took in Hawaii in January and picked one of those images for this week. While photographing Akaka Falls, located about 20 minutes north of Hilo, the options to include the entire falls was a little more challenging since they are doing some construction on the path. Thus instead of trying to get the complete 442 foot falls in one picture, I pulled out my telephoto lens and looked at how a portion of the falls may look as the photograph. I took quite a few pictures doing this, and quickly found you lost the whole perspective of 442 feet. However in the following image by including part of the depression in the rock wall you start to get the perspective of size once again showing two images how two captures can tell a entirely different story.

Here is an interesting site which was posted on the blog LifeHacker this morning. The Newseum website allows you to browse newspaper front pages from around the world. By searching for a newspaper through a list, gallery or interactive map the actual newspaper front page is displayed letting you grasping the headlines in a specific area. You may also go further and look at a PDF of the front page, or go directly to the newspaper website.

I found this quite interesting today, with the Super Tuesday results in focus today in many newspapers not only in the United States but also in other regions in the world. With the difference in time zones and deadlines for printing, I would suspect the Thursday front pages may provide some more insight.

Newseum Newspaper Front Pages

This evening I participated in my first caucus, and it was an interesting experience. For the past few weeks reminders had been airing on the radio and television in addition to campaigns calling telling us to be at the caucus site by 6:30 PM since the doors close at 7:00 PM. Even with the chilly evening and icy unshoveled sidewalks I decided to walk to the caucus which was a little over a half mile away. Upon nearing the caucus location there was a steady stream of individuals also making their way to Morey Middle School to participate in the caucus. Entering the door to to the school, since it was a multi-precinct location there were hundreds of people, and making my way to the end of the line was a challenge in itself. They had expected a large turnout, but nothing like this. After waiting in line for close to 25 minutes they decided to usher everyone into the second floor auditorium as well as the lunchroom to explain the rules of the caucus. Every seat was taken in the auditorium in addition to people standing around the perimeter. After explaining the rules, we broke up into our precincts to start the caucus process, or the waiting process. I made my way downstairs to join over 100 people from precinct 535 who participated in this event.

Since we were unable to do so before 7:00 PM due to the volume of people, the first order of business was to sign in by our line on the voter roster, and receive a voting sticker. However, they ran out of the stickers and had to find some more. This sticker was used to ensure everyone was accounted for who was eligible to have a vote. Once we got to the voting process, the first step was to take a straw poll and see who people were supporting. I found myself in the middle of the room as an uncommitted and since we did not have the necessary 15% to earn a delegate we had to decide. Some individuals spoke trying to sway us to join their group however my mind was already decided prior to attending, my decision to go uncommitted was since the candidate I supported dropped out of the race in the week prior. I made my way to my new candidates group and on the next vote was counted as part of that caucus group. Once the numbers were added up and the precinct delegates determined, they were split 8 to 2.

Each caucusing group then elected the number of delegates allocated as well as the alternates which would attend the city and county convention in March. If I was in town that weekend, I would have tried to be a part of the process but warmer weather will have me out of town. This is also the first step in trying to become a delegate in the national convention, as the delegates are narrowed down at the county and then state levels. The chance of going all the way to the national convention is quite slim. The next order of business, was to ask for donations for the party. Not a party for us, but the political party. Once the donation time was complete a preference poll was conducted for the open senate seat coming up for election this year. Like the presidential poll a vote was taken and the delegates selected. There was not much dispute in this vote. The final step was an open floor to suggest platforms which should be discussed at the county convention and possibly further if ratified at the convention. A couple of people in the group had some ideas which they presented to the caucus group which by this time had decreased by about half. All of the ideas passed, and will move forward to additional reviews.

The precinct caucus has always been a part of the political process, however when there are primaries most people just skip attending the caucus itself. While it was an interesting experience, there were so many people attending this year the coordinating staff was overwhelmed and the facilities were way over capacity. This brought some confusion to the process, but in the end everything worked out and I was quite glad I attended.