There. Now we have one of these. So two things. The first is that for my mother-in-law's birthday we're throwing a big bowling surprise party for her. As part of the party we're buying everyone who attends a special bowling shirt to commemorate the occasion. Unfortunately we aren't set on a name for the bowling team to have printed on the backs of the shirts just yet. Her name is Elaine, this is her 60th birthday and it's bowling. I need a good punny name. So far the best I have is Lainey's Lanes, but I'm convinced that better can be had. Second, I'm taking a photography class and need an SLR camera that can do manual mode, save in RAW format and preferably won't break the bank. The teacher says that you can do cheap on a body if your lenses make up for it. I've done a bit of research, but I know there are some great photographers here. There's probably a thread where people have discussed this, but popping into a thread packed with great pictures to post this felt gauche. So what would people suggest for a beginner? Both in terms of a good camera body and recommended lenses for a starting amateur photographer.
For the camera, if you don't mind going down the consumer level route, the Nikon D5000 and D5100 can be had for relatively cheap now. The D5100 has just been updated to 5200 so there's probably shops selling off good deals. The D5000 is the older again model and I'd imagine they're being sold off very cheap in some slow moving shops. A D90 is probably a better bet if you can pick it up second hand for a cheap price and if you plan on taking photography seriously. It just lets you build a more long term lens collection as well as opening more second hand routes. For the lens the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 is probably the best bang for buck (although I don't know about their VC (Image Stabilisation.) They have them for both Canon and Nikon. Some would advocate going down the prime route, in which case you couldn't go far wrong with picking up a 35mm f1.8 as a "normal" lens, and then deciding between a 50mm f1.8 if you want to take portraiture type shots or a wide angle lens (18mm or less and where aperture is less important) if you wanted to do landscapes. If you want to do sports (which most photography courses don't really deal with) you're talking about going into relatively expensive territory that needs it's own talk. I however can only speak about Nikon.
Can't think of a punny name for your bowling team right now, but the camera one is straightforward enough. Your photography teacher is right, insofar as a DSLR is a DSLR is a DSLR. Functionally, there's very little difference between, say, a Canon EOS Rebel T3i and a Canon EOS 1d Mk III. The latter has more features, the build will be better, it probably has a larger buffer, more auto-focus points, better CMOS, more and wider options for ISO etc., but the nuts and bolts of both cameras are essentially the same and they both take the same lenses. There are better lenses but you can take good photos with the 18-55mm lens that comes bundled with most kits, so I'd suggest figuring out how much you can spend and then finding a kit that matches your price-point. If you've a bit of extra cash, supplement that with an extra lens. I would recommend a nifty fifty, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, which is a very good value lens - not as good as the f/1.4 or f/1.2 versions but it's also a hell of a lot cheaper and is generally regarded as a good value lens that produces pretty sharp images even at it's widest aperture. Beyond that, the best advice I can give you is this: DSLRs and lenses are pretty good at holding their value, especially if you keep the boxes and manuals, so make sure you hang on to that stuff. That way, if you decide to upgrade to a more advanced body or lens, you'll get a better price if you sell off your old gear.
Just gotta keep pushing that boulder up the hill. Anyway, isn't it nice to have one thread for all advice requests? Yes, I answered knowingly, it is. To those with advice, thanks! Especially the bit about saving the box and manual, dermot. I would have just thrown that stuff out.
The name is 'Elaine' ? Elaine Elites, Elaine Train, cratera gutteram el aine, bola de precisar elaine, or just pick anything that combines 'Lane' and 'Elaine'
Did you know a bowling lane is 60 inches wide (including channels) and 60 ft long? No, neither did I.
For a first lens (assuming you don't get a kit), I'd go with a 35mm over a 50mm. On a non-pro camera, which has a smaller sensor than a pro camera, there is a crop factor that makes the 50mm a little tight, so the 35mm is a little more versatile.
Lane à la Elaine When I was slobbering over researching some cameras that I could never afford wanted, I picked up some pretty cool tips. (Granted, I couldn't get one in the end so take this advice with a grain of salt. This is based on research not personal experience.) If you want a large selection of lenses and other neat accessories, go with the larger brands. Also, lenses are not interchangeable between brands. Once you choose a brand try to stick with it. If you know people that might let you borrow lenses you may want to buy the same brand camera they use. (I'll probably get a Canon someday since my father bought one and has gotten some fancy lenses.) If possible try to handle the camera before you buy it. Some people find weight, button placement, or whatever uncomfortable and then never want to use the camera.
So, anyone hired a math tutor recently? I've been contacted for a job tutoring a high school senior in discrete math, and I'm not sure what to charge. I was thinking $30, other people are telling me $40. I don't want to sell myself short, but I don't want to chase people off as I'm trying to pick up tutoring work. If it helps pricing, I've got a B.Sc. in mathematics with honors and whatnot and several years experience tutoring/assisting undergrads with all three of the typical calculus courses and other courses here and there. I've seen fliers advertising as low as $20, but these definitely aren't people with my qualifications. Edit: Since my response came from craigslist, I searched around on there and settled on $40 to undershoot a couple people with similar qualifications charging $50/hr.
I recently tutored someone in a computer class and he offered $50/hr, so I assume that's the going rate. It was awesome.
With those qualifications you should squeeze the little Harvard-track bastard for every penny you can get. Jesus, tutoring specifically in discrete math? Do you actually need the marginal income, or is it a partially charitable side bit of fun?
Since this is the 'My life is a mess and I need some help' thread, I am going to make a suggestion to Jason... Stop making glib comments about 'how it's only money'. For some of us an extra 50$ a week means going out to eat, or the movies, or buying a game. So yes the majority of us could use the extra $50. Bringing in another topic - some of us don't have 100$ for an energy audit or 5000$ for insulation. It's getting annoying
Jason works for MS and is unmarried without kids - he cares a lot about the working poor in the grand scheme of things, it's just that he's never actually known any, so on occasion he forgets that some people makes do with a lot less than 100K+ a year and might even have expenses of sorts.
Worth noting before anyone gets too grumpy that 'marginal' has a different meaning when paired with income in an economics/business context. Knowing his wonkish brain I suspect Jason was just talking about the final 'take home' income (as in Griot's charges ($40) minus his variable costs (transport/per pupil materials).
Oh man, I got one of those audits a month ago. It was fun, because I got an infra-red picture of my dog, but it cost $100, I didn't learn much I didn't already know, and their proposals for insulating my home and better efficiency appliances were ridiculous, with break-evens that were 5 to 10 years out only if I could afford to pay up front and avoid finance charges. It was really disapointing. The best thing I can do is go around my house now and seal up gaps with spray foam and fix leaks in my cold air returns to the furnace. I'll have to do that one of these days.
Sorry. Thought it was "just" a GF, not that there's anything wrong with that or the details are really any of my business. He is however next In line, when Ballmer suffers a massive heart attack jumping around on some stage... I'm certain of this.
It depends on the geographic area. My sister is in the Cleveland area and gets $40 an hour for tutoring AP English. Locally, college students tutoring other college students in life sciences make about $25 per hour. If you've been tutoring/assisting undergrads in math as part of university employment, you probably aren't getting anywhere near what the hourly tutoring pay would be. My suggestion would be to contact your local high school's math people and ask them how much private tutoring costs in your area. The other option is to contact the math department and ask what a private tutor would charge. From where I sit, though, $40 per hour sounds good. Build up the clientele and then see if raising rates to $45 per hour scares them off. You can also tier the price. You charge $45 per hour, but if they pay for 2 sessions up front, it's $80 instead of $90.
If they're specifically looking for math tutoring though you can probably get away with charging $45 per session hour, but then charge them $100 for a 2 session "package deal" instead of $90.
This is pretty much the advice I would have given. And I agree that $40/hour is a good starting rate for someone with your background, etc. Last spring I did some on-campus math tutoring at the Intro Stats/College Algebra/Calc 1 level and charged $25/hour. That was low (others were charging in the $35-45 range), but I was just trying to utilize extra time that I had to spend on campus anyways and making a few bucks out of it.
White people problems. Yes, I'm white. I'm also broke (although, paycheck will hit soon). I'll happily serve you guys hot dogs and beer, hit me up! no, seriously
So we heard some strange sounds coming from outside last night. Just a little while ago we noticed that the cat had a patch of fur missing. After taking a good look at it, there seemed to be some kind of puncture wound. I don't know if the cat got clawed or bit or what. It's rather strange as it's just one puncture that I could tell with the only other damage being the missing fur. (I'll double check it later. He's hiding under a bed at the moment.) My mother seems hesitant to take him to the vet (probably for expense reasons, we aren't exactly swimming in cash at the moment). I recommended that we do our best to clean and and put antibiotics on the wound. I'm also thinking we should keep the cat inside for about two weeks to monitor his condition and make sure he didn't catch anything. The cat is up to date on his shots, but does anyone know what else I should do in this situation? Should we take him to the vet anyway or wait to see if the wound gets worse or he shows symptoms of disease?
My initial reaction is "yes of course you should take him to the vet!" but it's hard to say for sure without seeing how severe the wound is. Is it a very deep puncture? Keeping him inside is definitely a good idea. Additionally, you'll need to find a way to keep mr. kitty from licking at it, since that can slow the healing process.
For what it's worth, my dog has been in a few fights and I did not take him to the vet after any of them reasoning that as long as I cleaned the wounds and made sure to keep an eye out for infection he should heal up by himself since he did not appear to be seriously hurt. Which he did. But that's a judgement call where you have to consider the nature of the injuries and the risk of being wrong and what that would mean.
Alligator The puncture is half an inch deep at most. We just put on some antibiotic and then tied a handkerchief around him so he can't lick it. Hopefully the handkerchief will stay on...for a little while. I'm going to keep a close eye on him and the wound. If anything seems unusual I'll convince* my mother to take him to the vet. Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind. *And by convince I mean I'll probably have to get into a loud argument with her and make her cry. Goddamn it.
