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Lake Wobegon effect

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via vowe

We all have – at least one time ;-) – the impression that we are delivering better outcome/results/outputs than the “average”. At work, during our education, by making sports, etc.

I haven’t know, as Volker, that this kind of positive illusion or overestimating was studied and has a name. Actually it is called the “lake Wobegon” effect. Have a look at the Wikipedia’s description.

The Lake Wobegon effect designates either: the human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others (in academic sources this is more usually called the above average effect or the better-than-average effect); or the finding that in many educational tests a vast majority of participants achieve results above the norm.

It is named for the fictional town of Lake Wobegon from the radio series A Prairie Home Companion, where, according to the presenter, Garrison Keillor, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” […]

The above average effect or better-than-average effect is one kind of positive illusion. It describes the tendency for people to evaluate themselves as ‘better than average’ on desirable skills, characteristics or behaviors. It is a characteristic bias of social comparison where people usually compare themselves to an unspecified peer and, despite the mathematical odds, en masse judge themselves to be better than their average peer.

I am learning every day! Or is that also a “lake Wobegon effect”?

;-)

My new lens: Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

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canon EFS 28 200

I am using a Canon EOS 20D since April 2005 (!) with 2 lenses:

I have taken a majority of my pictures with the 17-40mm, which is really very nice. Now, for travelling, and specially when you are in a “non-safe” atmosphere (humidity, dust, sand, etc.), it is quite difficult to change your lens. Without speaking about the transport ;-)

Canon has released this autumn a new lens, which is to my mind the “perfect” compromise between an ultrawide-angle and a zoom lens, the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6, with Image Stabilization, but without the USM (Ultra Sonic Motor). Perfect compromise for the usage means also automatically … some optical compromises! Which “forces” me to start to use a “post-production” software, to be able to correct some very visible optical aberrations (barrel distortion, chromatic aberration, softness, etc.) with this lens. I am using DxO Optics Pro, but I will talk about that in a coming post!

Good summary from Wikipedia

Reviews indicate that the 18-200 does not compare to the 28-300L in terms of image quality, though this is understandable since the latter is priced much higher, due to it belonging to the L-series line. Most reviewers have criticised the lens for high levels of barrel distortion at the wide end, and chromatic aberration and softness evident at all focal lengths and apertures. The lack of an UltraSonic Motor has also been noted by reviewers, and along with the 18-55 IS has given rise to concerns that Canon may be moving towards removing USM from their lower-end lenses. It has generally been rated higher than Sigma and Tamron’s offerings however, and has gotten generally positive reviews with the caveat that it is designed for convenience rather than image quality.

Some detailed reviews

New U2 album announced – March 3, 2009

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via U2log.com

No Line On The Horizon

 

U2

Mark your calendars! U2.com reports that ‘No Line on the Horizon’, the new studio album from U2, will be released on Monday 2nd March, 2009.

More on U2.com:

No Line On The Horizon, the new studio album from U2, will be released on Monday 2nd March 2009.
Written and recorded in various locations, No Line On The Horizon is the group’s 12th studio album and is their first release since the 9 million selling album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, released in late 2004.
Sessions for No Line On The Horizon began last year in Fez, Morocco, continued in the band’s own studio in Dublin, before moving to New York’s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and finally being completed at Olympic Studios in London.
The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.

Actually, the new album is already available for pre-order on amazon.com!

Wow, that’s a *very* good news.

Steve Lukather

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For a while I had a discussion about the guitarist Steve Lukather with a friend of mine and I have discovered that Steve is not the most well-known guitarist, although he has played on over 1’000 albums in the last years!

Some information about

 

WIKIPEDIA /

 

Steve “Luke” Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American Grammy Award winning guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto.

Lukather has also released several solo albums and, as a studio session guitarist, has arranged, composed, and recorded on over 1000 albums.

Lukather was recently voted #1 guitarist worldwide in over 40 countries at VoteNumber1.com.

While his work with Toto is predominantly based on pop rock music, Lukather’s solo work spans many genres including rock, prog, jazz and funk.

Lukather has been nominated for a Grammy twelve times, and has won five awards.

[…]

Influenced by blues-rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, jazz guitarists such as Larry Carlton, and jazz fusion players such as Al Di Meola and Frank Gambale, Lukather is known for fast, melodic lines that often combine blues phrases with jazzy ‘out’ notes.

His vibrato is very pronounced and his exaggerated wide bends are instantly recognizable.

Well versed in theory, Lukather can follow chord charts and changes as a jazz musician would, and this enhances his value as a session musician. In interviews, he has explained how he thinks of the guitar in a “chordal cluster” format, and not the typical “linear scale” format.

 

INTERVIEW /

 

You said many times that your heros are Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Harrison and so on… You also got to work with Jeff Beck at one point… I just wondered if you ever got to meet these “heros” you’ve mentioned as being so important in your (musical) life and how it was to finally be “face to face” with them?

Luke: All these players are so awesome and have inspired me more than words. Jeff Beck… I have known him and played with him many times. We did a record together that never came out ’cause he wanted to get into electronic music but he’s a main influence and a great friend. Jimi… Well I never met him but if he was alive I would most certainly know him. Major influence. Clapton… I did his Behind the sun record and played live with him with Elton John at the Hollywood Bowl. WAY cool. Jimmy Page… What a gentleman. He made a point to take me aside and tell me that he really dug my playing, I have never worked with him but I would love to sometime. I felt up my first girlfriend summer of 1969 listening to Led Zepplin 1, hahaha. SRV… never met him but I LOVE his touch. What a player! George Harrison… Well HE is the reason I play the guitar. I met him right after we lost Jeff Porcaro and I talked him into playing with us at the tribute at the Ampitheatre in L.A. What an honor. He took me out to dinner that next year and Bob Dylan was there, Jim Keltner, Jeff Lynne and we had a jam at Jeff Lynne’s house after. What a trip that was.

 

SHORT-LIST OF ARTISTS HE PLAYED WITH/FOR /

 

Among others, he has played with/for:

  • Jimmy Cliff
  • Alice Cooper
  • Gilberto Gil
  • Elton John
  • Eric Clapton
  • Lee Ritenour
  • Barbara Streisand
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Donna Summer
  • George Benson
  • Al Jarreau
  • Quincy Jones
  • Herbie Hancock
  • Michael Jackson
  • Joni Mitchell
  • Lionel Richie
  • Diana Ross
  • Joe Cocker
  • Paul McCartney
  • Chet Atkins
  • Rod Stewart
  • Trilok Gurtu
  • Van Halen
  • …

 

PART OF HIS DISCOGRAPHY /

 

http://www.stevelukather.net/Discography.aspx

 

SOME INTERESTING VIDEOS /

Hurricane Omar: Saint Barth now recovering…

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via Journal de Saint Barth (pdf)

So, the Omar hurricane is now away from Saint Barth (about 300 km), strength decreasing very rapidly.

Some pictures below from Saint Barth during and after the hurricane.

Le Journal de Saint Barth, the weekly newspaper from the island (in French), was publishing the first information about the damages:

  • Nobody injured
  • Wind of 140 km/h and about 50mm of rain within some hours, hurricane didn’t pass directly on Saint Barth but about 50 km away in the night of Wednesday to Thursday
  • The real problem was the extremely strong swell coming from the SW, which is a very atypical orientation
  • Production of water stopped, it will take weeks to reach the normal production again (one meter of water in the plant!)
  • People can again circulate all around the island, roads are re-opened
  • Schools re-opened on coming Monday
  • Harbor is heavily hit, wharfs destroyed, 5 boats have sunk, thereof 2 in the harbor!
  • The Corossol, Shell and Colombier beaches seem to be very affected by the strong swell, part of the sand is just gone there…
  • Airport re-opened

via Tim, living in Saint Barth, and moderator of the “Insiders’ guide to St. Barths” forum

The little airplanes soaring into the sky all day here were a perfect metaphor for SBH’s soaring efforts toward a speedy recovery from Hurricane Omar. Government services returned as both trash and recycling were picked up on schedule this morning. Gustavia, the hardest hit, was hopping with activity that was not slowed at all by this afternoon’s rain:

  • Dead vehicles that were Omarred were being hauled quickly away by wreckers.
  • The portion of the dock not totally Omarred was being removed by a crane.
  • Trucks full of rocks, trucks full of debris, trucks full of muck(muck-trucks) were scurrying from Gustavia to unload their loads and return for more.
  • The veggies in Omar’s soup(aka seaweed) were being fished out of the harbor by a half dozen boats filled with energetic fishermen using rakes. The boats were being piled high with the grass and then unloaded elsewhere.
  • Firemen were spraying down and sweeping the remaining muck from Gustavia’s streets.

There will be many tasks remaining, but the big question right now seems to be whether the cleanup will be complete by party time Saturday evening. Even Shell Beach, which has lost a lot of sand, doesn’t look near as bad today after the water receded to a more normal level. It gives one a good feeling all over to see such positive energy, a characteristic that has always been the trademark of St. Barth’s self-reliant people.

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Good luck to everybody there for the coming days!

Saint Barth being hit by hurricane Omar

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Wow, I have heard at the radio this morning that Saint Barth and Saint Martin are being hit by the Omar hurricane…

Omar seems to be at about 115 km away from the islands, and is now in the category 3 (110-130mph, i.e. 175-210km/h), with a 30km/h movement (actually very strange, from SW to NE, which is not the “normal” movement of hurricanes in this region…), accelerating and strengthening!

The alert-level is now “purple” (the 5th from 6), which corresponds to the so-called “confinement stage”. People are forced to stay in shelters or at home if it has been prepared for (reliable doors and windows closings).

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To all my friends & people there: take care!