Sarah Exhibits Child

[tamaranth]

This post left public for Those With No LJ. lproven will recognise the usual suspects.
Went to inspect my friends Sam & Sarah's offspring (born June 19th) today. (Child was inspected a couple of weeks ago but I forgot to take camera, so that trip was useless in terms of hard evidence).

This time fellow ex-fencer Sharon took me on her bike (Honda CB400). I was her first ever pillion passenger: she was the first to take me as pillion passenger this century. (I think the last time I was pillion on a solo 'bike was on the Isle of Man, possibly with pugwash). It was the hottest day of the year. Mmm, heavy-duty leather gear ...

Nice evening for the return trip, though. I was almost cool by the time we got back.

Photographic evidence (captions on mouseover, probably)


Interesting that the quality is so appalling when I shrink high-quality images, as opposed to taking medium-quality ones to start with ...

Comments

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

with high-quality images the pixels it picks are further apart so you see more discontinuities. better image editing software allows for this; see if you can pick a smart resize or bicubic interpolation

[red-cloud.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It looks like you're doing a PIXEL RESIZE when you shrink your images, which means your image editing software is applying a simple rule along the lines of "pick every fourth pixel". This is very quick (and is used in some browsers to shrink images "on the fly"), but you do end up with that "blocky" look. Other resize options may be available in your image editor. These will apply more sensible algorithms based on groups of pixels.

Also, be sure you convert your original JPEGs to a bitmapped format (such as Windows BMP or whatever proprietary format your image editing software uses) before and during any editing, only converting back to JPEG for the final web image. This is because each save/load cycle for a JPEG introduces (unwanted) compression which will "throw away" bits of your image.

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

That's because you're starting with a lossy image with the high-res JPEG, so no matter what you do to it, you'll be losing information. Unfortunately it's a side effect of the compression algorithms we use for images...

[lproven.livejournal.com]

Woot! Shazza on a bike! Splendid!

And S&S looking insanely happy and hardly sleep deprived at all, really. How sickeningly happy and normal. Gah.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

'normal'? What is 'normal'?

Remember: four days.

And they were insanely happy to see Real Visitors. And to have company at World's Most Expensive Pub (1 pint soda water = £2.60)

[lproven.livejournal.com]

World's, no. You have clearly never drunk in Oslo. Esbjerg (actually, at first I typed "Esblerg", which is somewhat appropriate) does not compare at all.

Half bottle of Newcastle Brown: £4.80

Half litre of Ringnes lager: £4.00

Half litre of Guinness: £5.00 - £6.00

[lproven.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, am NOT thinking about 4 days. Am thinking "hurrah! Am male!"

[tanya-photos.livejournal.com]

science is advancing in leaps and bounds -- soon, perhaps you too will be able to share in the miracle of gestating new life.

I will happily donate some spare body parts which I have no intention of ever using.

[lproven.livejournal.com]

As I recently said to adela_terrell, that's a strikingly kind and generous offer, but I must, regretfully, decline, and that's quite aside from any histocompatibility issues...

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

Interesting that the quality is so appalling when I shrink high-quality images, as opposed to taking medium-quality ones to start with ...

I have a CD to lend you that will help with this.

IoM pillion frenzy

[pugwash.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, probably on Mr Andrex' Blackbird.

may I recommend Ms Tamaranth by way of a pillion - seems enthusiastic and non-worried but clings tightly anyway.

Excuse me, I am just off for a cold shower.

IoM pillion frenzy

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Am very sorry to have over-excited you, but naturaly flattered that the impression has lingered for so very long ...

Worried? What is there to be worried about? Top speed on South Circular very little faster than my normal walking pace.

Re: IoM pillion frenzy

[pugwash.livejournal.com]

Progress on the IoM may have been a little brisker than that.

[margotmetroland.livejournal.com]

Tanya + baby-within-5-mile-radius = no carnage??? Does not compute.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

No, I had lunch before we left.

Anyway, trying to stay off sweet things (and Lily's parents claim she is Sweetest Thing Ever). Teeth already suffering due to therapeutic chocolate intake ...

Chocolate

[pugwash.livejournal.com]

Get thee to Sainsergs and buy an SCP.

[lproven.livejournal.com]

A what?

Acronyms

[pugwash.livejournal.com]

Sticky Chocolate Pudding, as much beloved of T.

[lproven.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh.

Re:

[margotmetroland.livejournal.com]

Chocolate wards off babies? Must remember that one.

Encountered 3 small beings myself last week, all of them under 4. There was no blood or violence, but the father inadvertently taught his 3 year old daughter to scream "Nob" at anyone on a bike. Glad to see education standards are improving.