I've Got Me Surrounded

So this is where I spend my workdays. When working, I do best if my surroundings are creative and familiar. So here I have hung some of my photography on the walls along with some of my favorite skateboards and a few pieces of art that reflect my interest in aviation.  Although this panorama makes my office appear well lit, in reality I usually work in near darkness to eliminate glare and to minimize eye strain. I also like the uncluttered, quiet serene feel of this office. It allows me to focus, be more productive, minimize stress, and maximize energy. My job often involves responding to multiple and often changing deadlines so a Zen attitude and environment are big advantages. This 11 shot panorama was taken with my really right stuff, BH-55 ball head's precision panning base which is laser engraved at 2.5 degree intervals and allows me to perfectly align my camera's sensor to the nodal rotation point. This ensures that my panoramas are rotationally symmetric and are not affected by parallax errors.

Big Pixel Pusher

Big Pixel Pusher, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

After more than a year of research and contemplation, I have replaced my previous computer with this monster for which I specified all of the parts and assembled myself. Ever since I purchased my full frame camera, my old computer had struggled to handle my typical 10 frame HDR sequences. This new computer rips through them with no hesitation whatsoever.

Featuring a water cooled i7 3930k CPU overclocked from 3.2 to 4.8Ghz, high speed solid state drives and a special fan controller to cool the VCORE chipset, I have been impressed and awed by the raw power and stability it has demonstrated.

The case which holds a the components is huge. It's as tall as my desk and weighed nearly 50 lbs empty. It is designed to allow for expansion, efficient airflow and tidy wire management. I'll be posting more images of the actual build and components soon.