Photomatix 4.2 was just released, and includes support for the Canon S100, which I used to shoot this..

Tree bark with moss

Other supporting features include more presets, RAW support for newer cameras, transfer of EXIF data from source to final HDR image, various bug fixes…see details here.

From the Henry Art Gallery at UW, close up views of two favorites from the Seattle ceramics 1964-1977 exhibit…on display till May 6.

Spirit of '76 by Robert Sperry

Wallace, of 'Wallace and Gromit' fame. Didn't catch the sculpter's name.

The tipping point arrived after a drizzly morning commute: I dismounted the 1200GS, hefted it up on the center stand, and my gloved hand came off the frame with new layer of road spray that spread to my clothes. A little bit of wet scrappy dirt by itself is no big deal to a GS rider (right?), the wet Seattle roads were building a grime layer on suit and machine, and it was time to investigate added fender protection.
 

“Support innovation, buy the original”

After a bit of industry research, I realized that the fender protection product segment is occupied by an innovator specializing in BMW twins, and a lower priced product with virtually the same specs. The decision point for me was easy: I believe in supporting innovation in the industry, as well as design originality, much like a Kickstarter project. So I went with the MachineArt Moto front/back fender combo.
 

Front side

The front fender extension is called the Advant 12, and adds a little more than 5 inches to the back side of the front fender to reduce the spray coming off the front wheel. It installs in about 5 minutes with 3 clips and a Torx screwdriver.
 

Before / After front fender extension

Back side installation with a Jesse luggage high pipe mount

I have the Jesse Odyssey II with regular mounts, which means that the left side mount overlaps with a key anchor position on the MudSling MAX.

Notice the Jesse bag mount location and MudSling mount area.

Notice the overlap.

After a quick consult with Andrew @ MachineArt Moto, I decided to carve out the overlapping segment with a Dremel.
 

MudSling MAX before Dremel surgery.

MudSling MAX after surgery. I used the Dremel cutting wheel for the major line cuts, and a small grinder to smooth out the edges.

I performed a few back and forth fit/cut iterations before the left side lined up snugly. I attached the two upper screws, zip ties on the bars, and examined the clearance between the extension and the Heidenau K60 tire…about a quarter inch clearance while on center stand, no rubbing while on side stand.
 

Finished extension, nice and tight to the frame tube

Let’s ride

As timing would have it, the next day featured another drizzly commute, so I was able to get an early preview of the extensions in action:

• Frame bar where I lift the bike onto center stand was dry.
• My boots were far more dry than in previous rides
• My commute takes me through a park with six speed bumps, which I took at various speeds to see if the rear tire hit the fender: no contact at low speeds, some contact at ~25-30mph. This translates to keeping the rear extender on for all street riding and light off roading, and likely removal for rougher off roading, so I can avoid a repeat of what happened last year on the ALCAN with the BMW rear spray guard.

BMW recommends removing the mud guard before riding rough roads. Ooops.

Good stuff, glad I did this. Only wish I had these installed on my Alaska trip year, would have saved a bunch of Dalton calcium chloride from riding up on the machine.
 

Highly recommended.

Mad Men may be the headliner, but zombies pull higher ratings…

Source: TV by the Numbers – Opening night ratings for Season 5 of Mad Men, and mid-season two premiere of The Walking Dead.

The scene: mid-January storm in Seattle, power out for 36 hours, and my computer was on at the start and finale of the blackout.

What happened: the on/off switch did nothing.

Solution: Spend half the weekend researching power supplies, going to Fry’s, and swapping units. Back to normal now.

Corsair AX750 power supply

Installing the power supply

Two thumbs up for the Corsair AX750: quieter, tighter cables, modular install.

Shot this one last summer, and “rediscovered” it while house cleaning my 2011 photo library.

Hilltop on the Denali Highway

Desert camo xbox controller

One of my previous custom paint editions had the grips worn off from use, so I took the opportunity to apply a new desert camo color scheme. Used both stencil and paint brush splash techniques here, and added an additional layer of clear coat to deter perspiration wear-and-tear. I like how it turned out, and received an official nod of approval from the teenagers in the house.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to custom paint a xbox controller, check out this blog post and PowerPoint deck with instructions.