First thing is that I have been able to locate MP3s of Wait Wait shows from early 2003 through early 2006, stopping where the first show was made available as a podcast. My goal is to listen through each show and fill in scores and other information that is currently missing.

Along with that, I will be entering in not only which panelist had the correct bluff, but also the panelist that the listener chose. Once I get that information entered, I will find a way to display both on the page.

Next, I have been slowly collecting where the show has been recorded and will be entering that into the database as well. I will also have to figure out how to display that on the page.

I will also be working on filling out the panelist scores when they start the Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank round and how many they got correct. This will eventually make it on to the page as well.

In the meantime, I will be working on building up a new version of the site. I’ve got a basic mock-up built, but it isn’t quite ready to be made public… yet :)

First, as this post’s title states, I have joined the ranks of Leica rangefinder owners. I have been lusting over Leica film and digital rangefinder cameras for a while (2-3 years), mainly due to the major retro experience. My fascination with Leica also deals with how small the camera and lenses are, as well as how the whole system works. The fact that the Leica M system is manual focus only did not bother me, as I already own several manual focus-only lenses for my Nikon D300. I was also getting tired of lugging around my D300 with its support system every time I wanted to take pictures.

I had been reading up on various articles covering how to use a rangefinder camera to reviews of cameras and lenses. At that time, I wasn’t seriously considering buying one due to the cost of the body and lenses. A really good condition M3 double-stroke body went for around $3,000 and used Leica M8 was still fetching for over $5,000 and various lenses were fetching for over $1,600 each used and in okay condition. The seed of lusting over a Leica was planted, but the cold, harsh economics kept it from germinating.

Zip all the way past November of last year, the economics of a Leica system seemed to be a little bit sunnier and that seed started to grow into a seedling. As much as I would love to get a Leica film camera, my entire photography workflow has been built around digital. If I wanted to go film, I would want to at least process my own film and then send it to a print shop. Unfortunately, that will have to wait until I can have a space semi-dedicated to that purpose.

With that said, I started looking at used M8, M8.2 and M9 bodies. The prices on used M8 bodies had dropped a bit, but a couple of things kept me from fully considering an M8 or M8.2. First, there is the whole lack of IR filter on the M8/M8.2′s sensor and would require purchasing and using an add-on IR filter attached to a lens. Sure, it’s no different than using a circular polarizer, but I don’t always use a CP.

Secondly, the M8/M8.2 sensor is still a crop sensor, meaning that it is a percentage smaller than the size of a 35mm-equivalent sensor (36mm x 24mm) that is found in a Nikon D3/D700 or a Canon 1Ds Mark III. In the case of the M8/M8.2, it has a crop factor of about 1.33x (close to that of the Canon 1D series). If I were to go all out, I wanted to go to a full frame, so that left the M9. The downfall in making that decision was caused the overall cost to jump dramatically. So, the seedling growth stalled out.

That was until I decided to actually get my hands on an M9 at a local photography store and used a rangefinder camera for the first time. The salesperson was extremely helpful in walking me through the focusing setup, how to use the framelines, the various controls and the concept of zone focusing. I was immediately hooked and had to go home before I made a rash decision at that point.

During that following week, I started to look at the various lens options and seeing if I could find a used M9 in steel gray. I had found a couple of M9 bodies in black; which, would is a more discrete option, but I do not like the rougher leather-like finish and would look funny when using lenses that are not painted or anodized black. Also, I really liked the two-tone look of the steel gray M9.

As far as choosing which lens I wanted first, I looked at which lens that I used the most with my D300. That answer was simple, the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX, which provides a field-of-view equivalent to a 50mm on a full-frame camera; so, I wanted to get a 50mm lens. Looking at the prices for a 50mm f/1,4 lens, used or new, was just too expensive for my budget. Having used the Summicron-M ASPH 50mm f/2 lens, I found it provided the DOF I was looking for and it is just a hair slower than my 35mm f/1.8 DX lens. I also considered a Zeiss 50mm f/2 ZM lens, but no one had any in stock and had been that way for weeks.

So, that next weekend, I decided to pull the trigger on a new M9 in steel gray and the Summicron-M ASPH 50mm f/2 lens. On the plus side, the ‘cron-M ASPH lens was priced below that of ones sold at Adorama or B&H. I didn’t have to buy a new camera bag, as the camera with the lens mounted was a perfect fit for my Think Tank Photo Speed Changer.

My first actual outing with the new camera setup was on 4 February 2012 when I went to take photos at Portland Cars & Coffee. Not only was the camera a hit with the guys and gals there, but so were the pictures that came out. Even though the camera comes with a license of Photoshop Lightroom, I already had a copy of it and had been using it for a while.

Almost every time I’ve been out to Portland Cars & Coffee, I have left my D300 at home and only brought my Leica. Heck, I even took the camera out to a double-header matches at Jeld-Wen Field. While I had to keep the ISO setting kind of high and had to crop the photos quite a bit, the outcome was still awesome.

Between then and now, I have picked up three additional lenses: an early copy of a Elmarit-M 90mm f/2.8, a Voightländer Nokton Classic MC 35mm f/1,4 and a Voigtländer Ultron 28mm f/2,0. The purpose of the 90mm lens is to use it at future Timbers matches. I picked up the two Voigtländer lenses were to provide a wider field-of-view and to provide something that provides a feel of film in my digital pictures. Neither lenses are as super sharp as an equivalent Zeiss or Leica lens, but they are a fraction of the price of either Leica M lens. I also picked up a Think Tank Hubba Hubba Hiney to house my entire setup and it is a perfect fit.

I still love the small package, relatively lightweight body and lenses, and I can compose and focus much easier than on my D300 (being about to see more than just what the lens sees is a huge plus). Is it worth the super high price tag? My heart and mind still say yes. Could I have gotten away with a m4/3 or Sony NEX setup? Sure, but only if I cared about a small body; decent and fast primes are kind of another story.

And before anyone asks, I am not selling my Nikon setup. Okay, I might sell a couple of lenses to help recoup some money :)

Even with the 35mm fast prime lens, the camera is pretty darn light; quite a bit lighter than my M9 with a Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f/2,0 (yep, I’ve crossed into the Leica world with a foothold in the Nikon DSLR world). At first, it almost felt too light, but got used to it and it felt quite nice to hold. The dual viewfinder is pretty dang cool to use, with the EVF being a touch better than the OVF for focusing.

In terms of price, it’s a whole lot cheaper than an M9 and is more in line with a high-end m4/3 camera. Jury is still out on lens availability and selection over the next 2-3 years (critical as it uses a unique mount).

If I wanted a digital camera that would be shared between my mum and I, I would probably just pick up an Canon S95 or S100 and be done with. Sorry Nikon, the 1 and the Coolpix cameras do nothing for me.

FATAL: You don't have permission to read/execute '/etc/ppp/peers'

The problem occurred after installing the “Security Update 2012-001″ update.

Looking at /etc/ppp, I noticed that the directory listing looked like:

d--------- 16 root wheel 544 Sep 7 18:00 ppp

So, I changed the permissions on that directory so that it would be world readable and executable with the following command:

sudo chmod ugo+rx /etc/ppp

Even with that change, it wasn’t enough as the error persisted. I then checked the directory listing for /etc/ppp/peers and it looked like:

d--------- 5 root wheel 170 Feb 23 11:28 peers

Changing the permissions to match that of its parent directory, by running the following fixed the problem.

sudo chmod ugo+rx /etc/ppp/peers

Thankfully, that was pretty simple to fix.

If you would like to learn more about the two dangerous legislations, please read “A technical examination of SOPA and PROTECT IP“. For more information about the blackout and the dangers that SOPA and PIPA, please visit AmericanCensorship.org.

So, instead of remembering a long URL or sending people to Google or Bing, all you need to remember is a simple URL: wwdt.me/stats. Yep, it’s now that simple to remember! :)

You can still access the page using the current URL, as I will be setting it up so that it automatically redirects you to the new URL.

Now, go and pass it on!