GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

Wow, it's been a slow weekend on here! Everyone must be out riding or something?  :dunno:  I've been pretty busy, off and on this weekend but noticed it's been pretty quiet. Sometimes that is a good thing.

Just for "gits and shiggles", here are some random photos.

Me pretending to be cool when I know otherwise...  :roll:

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/richwcar111205.jpg)

...dunno what the hell this actually is, do you?
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/oldtrainsepia.jpg)

..same thing, different shot...

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/oldtrainthing.jpg)

:dunno:

By the way I love my Suzuki GS500F  :kiss:

Looks like a train car of some sort. Maybe a mobile train fire-putter-outer thing?

where's your posse man?  :lol:

Quote from: JetSwingwhere's your posse man?  :lol:

They were chillin at the crib, yo.

i like the last 2 shots!

(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b244/jakedechant/SummerFall2005001.jpg)

Isaac all geared up and ready to go

(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b244/jakedechant/IsaacsSecondbirthday060.jpg)
The moon over my house last night at about 3:30am.

That's a yard-built ballast spreader.  Or what's left of one...  The reservoir on the back is an air accumulator to operate the air-powered cylinders of the the moldboard and wing.

If it's on standard gauge track, it's built on what appears to be an AAR 30' standard flatcar.  The flatcar probably dates from before the turn of the century.  It was probably retrofitted as a spreader in the 20's due to the riveted construction of the air resevoir.  Arc welding started to take over pressure vessel manufacture by 1930.

This is supported by the truck style.  They're called "archbar" trucks due to their fabrication.  They're built out of a steel arch and a steel bar with the journal boxes bolted in-between.  They were outlawed in exchange service in 1941 due to the nasty tendency for the bolts to work loose causing "messes".

Closer examination, such as length, wheelbase, and journal size could narrow it down significantly.  If it still has a painted on car number, a little research will probably tell you the day it was put into service.

This was probably more information than you wanted...    :?

Oh...  I'm BORED.  But then you've figured that out by now.   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Hah, thanks GeeP. I guess I am going to have to google "Ballast spreader" since I don't even know what that is.  :P  Thanks for the information!

Ballast Spreader was my nickname in college.  

Your posse is dope.

Quote from: Jake DPhaedrus, you're a dope.

Fixed!  :mrgreen:

Mmmkay, if anyone cares, I think a ballast spreader is the machine that spreads the rocks/gravel on the railroad bed evenly. That's what I gathered from Google.  :thumb: We've got some smart fellers on this site.  :thumb:

Phaedrus, you have the crappiest title  :lol:

:nana:  Whatever  :lol:

Quote from: Phaedrus:nana:  Whatever  :lol:

i would be crying if my title were "Wants Phaedrus' Boobs"

but do you really want my boobs? if so, i'll let you touch them  ;)

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Quote from: PhaedrusMmmkay, if anyone cares, I think a ballast spreader is the machine that spreads the rocks/gravel on the railroad bed evenly.

Yup!  They were also pressed into uses as snowplows.

It's a very early example of a Jordan-type spreader.  Here's what it would have looked like in service.  (Link due to copyright):

Jordan Spreader

BTW:  Nice title.   :lol:

seen a slightly smaller ver of that  used by the F.E.C.

2 cars working together, one maps out the track with long telescopic riggers on wheels and lazers, this same machine also picks up the track and ties, and scoops rock under the ties and sets it back down.   rolls on, the other scoops the sides up into the middle and uses a chain flail (for lack of a better term) that spins around slapping the rocks out  kinda leveling the layer between the rails and just to the outsides.  both operators were sitting in nice AC cabs sipping drinks.

I have been bored this weekend too.  I only got out for about 2 and a half hours Saturday afternoon.

Random pics?

Which contacts are better?
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/Blazinjr/immortalEYES.jpg)

or

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/Blazinjr/bansheeEYES.jpg)

The cat eye ones look stupid. Go with the blue, if you absolutely need colored ones.

Yellow.

I got them for Halloween.  I used the yellow banshee eyes for my werewolf costume.  They freaked a lot of People out at the bar too :thumb:

personally i think the cateyes are cool.  i dont think i'd notice they were fake at first, just that u had weird ass eyes... FREAK!  :cheers:

The yellow ones!

Perfect for job interviews, conferences with important customers, dates, and DMV photos.   :mrgreen:

Quote from: AlphaFire X5The cat eye ones look stupid. Go with the blue, if you absolutely need colored ones.

tell us how you really feel.

Quote from: jake42

Quote from: AlphaFire X5The cat eye ones look stupid. Go with the blue, if you absolutely need colored ones.

tell us how you really feel.

What do you mean? I thought I did. I think the cat-eyed ones look stupid. I personally don't feel people need colored contact lenses, as they should just be happy with what they were doled out in the genetic pool. If you've got brown eyes, what's not to like? Brown eyes are pretty. It seems that people play into some vanity thing about eye color, and that only people with blue-eyes are pretty, or something similar to that. I wear contacts too, and I had the option of getting colored ones. They seem to be all the rage with the kids my age, but ya know what? I'm happy with who I am. I took the regular old boring clear ones. The blue ones also just look too fake. It's obvious they are contacts; they don't look to be a natural color at all.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5

Quote from: jake42

Quote from: AlphaFire X5The cat eye ones look stupid. Go with the blue, if you absolutely need colored ones.

tell us how you really feel.

What do you mean? I thought I did. I think the cat-eyed ones look stupid. I personally don't feel people need colored contact lenses, as they should just be happy with what they were doled out in the genetic pool. If you've got brown eyes, what's not to like? Brown eyes are pretty. It seems that people play into some vanity thing about eye color, and that only people with blue-eyes are pretty, or something similar to that. I wear contacts too, and I had the option of getting colored ones. They seem to be all the rage with the kids my age, but ya know what? I'm happy with who I am. I took the regular old boring clear ones. The blue ones also just look too fake. It's obvious they are contacts; they don't look to be a natural color at all.

These are cosmetic only, just for Halloween and fun.  I wouldn't want to walk around 24/7 with the banshee eyes in.  You can't see them real well in the picture but the outer ring is red then fade to yellow.

Banshee eyes

The blue contacts are from the movie Underworld.  Thats why they "look fake" because they were meant to be really bright blue.  Really erie around black lights too.

Blue Immortal

Here are the two I can't decide between for next Halloween.
Nitrous
OR
Blackout

I think the blue ones look awesome. The cat eye ones are cool if you like that "Hey, I want to be on the discovery channel as a serial killer suspect" look.  :thumb:

For next Halloween, I'd go with the black outs... those look f%$king freaky.

Does anyone want to see my nipple as a random pic? I'm not an immature, attention-starved lesbian. I'll really show it.  :lol:

Quote from: PhaedrusDoes anyone want to see my nipple as a random pic? I'm not an immature, attention-starved lesbian. I'll really show it.  :lol:

ha ha

:thumb:  :thumb:

Quote from: PhaedrusDoes anyone want to see my nipple as a random pic? I'm not an immature, attention-starved lesbian. I'll really show it.  :lol:

hmmm...no strings attached? let me think about it.  :roll:

Everyone has already seen my nipple.

:bs:

$200 for a cosmetic contact lens??

Quote from: Roadstergal$200 for a cosmetic contact lens??

Those cover the whole eye(thus named Sclera) and are used in movies, tv series( Angel, Buffy the vampire slayer, Star Trek TNG, and a long list of others) and now can be purchased by individuals.

I almost bought Anakins contacts in Revenge of the Sith but I would not of been able to get them by Halloween.

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/DSCN2212.jpg)

Here I am hard at work today. Notice my desktop background.  :thumb:

I love the yellow ones. :thumb:

go for the black out next year.

Please buy a U, E and an O and refer to avatar!!

Grow up, AJ.  :roll:  Get over it - it is done and over with. Let it go. I know you thrive on the drama on the GStwin board, but you are really starting to look pathetic. No one cares about your nipple hijinks or your stupid games. I am starting to feel bad for you. You must really need some attention. But harassing me isn't going to get you any attention - atleast not the kind you are looking for. If you have a problem with me - then by all means, PM me and we'll talk about it. Otherwise, swallow it down and get over it and find something else to do.

Like I said - you can knock it off now, or we can take it to PM/private chat. I'll tell you this once, and once only. Those are your only options. Got it?

PM sent!!!

Quote from: Phaedrus

Here I am hard at work today. Notice my desktop background.  :thumb:

Sweet looking office, I'm stuck gophering in a crappy cube.  :(  Work really sucks!  Cold weather really sucks (and I used to like winter before getting the GS)!  No beer!  No riding!  No fun!!!

Yeah, it is a pretty cool office. I share it with my boss, it is our computer room. We have 10 servers in there (plus our 2 PC's) believe it or not..and since it gets so hot in tere because of the equipment, we have an overhead air cooling unit directly above my head which is COLD in the winter. Somedays I have to wear my fleece just to stay warm.  :roll: .  Another cool thing about the office is that all the cabinetry and desks are custom made by our maintenance guys.  :thumb:

Casual Friday, or is that normal attire???


EDIT: Man, that's sounds soo ghey after asking it!!

Quote from: flyingbeagle71Casual Friday, or is that normal attire???EDIT: Man, that's sounds soo ghey after asking it!!

:lol:  :lol:  :lol: Sounds like Phae *wanted* to tell you what he was wearing. ;)

:lol: Yeah, we do the "casual fridays" thing. I usually don't dress too much different than that for work anyway, in case I get suckered into running cable, crawling around on the floor setting up a system or climbing my fat ass into the electrical rooms where we keep our switches and equipment.

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/bwkimdarien.jpg)

A blurry picture of my GF that I tried to turn into something better than it was. It is better, but still blurry.  :x

She's a total cutie, and it comes through in that pic.

uh oh...watch out! rg's hitting on your woman  ;)  :lol:

i think the picture looks fine...it would be better if her face was bit sharper. one thing you never want to do it take a portrait of your gf and blow it up make it super sharp so you can see every detail on her face. you want to keep it on the soft side when you're doing a portrait if you know what i mean.  ;)

Thanks RG.

Jetswing -  :lol:  The entire photo started out as blurry as her face. So I converted it to greyscale and then used Photoshop's manual blur tool to add EXTRA blur to the background, thinking it would make the face actually look sharper. It did work, but it is more of an illusion than a fix. Then I put that super cool border on it  :P And yeah I know what you mean. I've met very few people that actually LIKE their picture taken. And they certainly don't want anyone to see it if it IS taken.  :lol:

you had the audacity to focus on the background rather than on her face. you really should be ashamed  :nono:  :lol:  :lol: :lol:

right right...it was the camera's fault  ;)

rich, how did u make the border?  im a dummy

I might be doing it the long way, but when I make a border in Photoshop...

Select All.
Select->Modify->Border
Enter width.
Paint with brush.

I really should border more often - it deliniates pics nicely - but I'm lazy.

(http://www.roadstergal.info/11_19_05/569.jpg)

For a blurred border like Phaedrus', go to Select-->Feather after Select->Modify->Border and before filling it with black.  It's faster to fill the selection by just using Edit->Fill.  It's best to start a new layer and do the fill on that layer, so it leaves the original photo alone.

The easiest way to make a hard border is to select the layer, go to Layer->Layer Style->Stroke, set 'position' to inside, and go from there.  The nice thing about that is the border is non-destructive, meaning it leaves the  in caeoriginal image untouched in case you want to change the border or get rid of it.

Quote from: RoadstergalI might be doing it the long way, but when I make a border in Photoshop...

HEY!  I saw that Lusty Lady photo before you changed it.  Don't pretend it wasn't there.

It looked like crap either with the border or without, I decided.  LL always has punny marquees, but it's hard to take a pic without getting nailed by a cab:

(http://www.roadstergal.info/11_20_05/75.jpg)

(http://www.roadstergal.info/11_20_05/76.jpg)

I walk by the Lusty Lady sometimes on the way to/from work.  Some of the puns are better then the other puns, but over all, I like 'em.

Ja - I think my favorites are still (during the WTO meeting) "WTOoooooooh!" and (during the Oscars) "We would like to spank the Academy."

OK, now that this is getting hijacked:

(http://www.roadstergal.info/11_20_05/80.jpg)

I worked there.  Now I work here.

(http://www.roadstergal.info/11_20_05/90.jpg)

I'm sorry you had to endure the tortures of Starbucks employment. Did you loathe being surrounded by yuppies? I worked in an "upscale" grocery store with a Starbucks in it. Always had a slew of uppity rich white women come in on their way to work and complain that their coffee wasn't made to their perfect and exacting standards, despite the fact that it was.

Starbucks coffee just tastes like shaZam!.

I admire your picture taking ability though. Always impressive.

They really treat their employees well.  I had better health coverage when I was a barista than in any other job I've had.  The Starbuck's that are in Borders and in QFCs are independent entities; in Seattle, at least, all baristas are trained at the corporate office, while only the managers of the spinoffs are trained there, and employees trained by the managers.  It makes a difference - the quality of drinks really does tend to be lower.  Of course, you can get a bad drink from a trained barista if he or she doesn't give a damn, but at my home store (Oaktree), we really did have a good bunch, and in return, we had a really fun bunch of regulars as our customers.  I had a good time as a barista.  Ja, the pay was chickenfeed, though we did get discounts, free coffee (1lb free a week and free drinks while working), and the aforementioned really good health coverage (including vision and dental - if you work there longer than I did, you get stock, too).

Quote from: BlazinjrI got them for Halloween.  I used the yellow banshee eyes for my werewolf costume.  They freaked a lot of People out at the bar too :thumb:

. how bout one of each? :thumb:

Phaedrus: your girlfriend is pretty damn sexy!  

Nice work, bruda.

Quote from: RoadstergalI worked there.  Now I work here.

Now you work in a ditch???  :dunno:

Great pictures though!  :thumb:  :cheers:

Quote from: flyingbeagle71Now you work in a ditch???  :dunno:

Feels like it, some days...

That's in the middle of the U of WA.

My brother works in that very same Starbucks.  He's the rediculously tall guy.

Quote from: aaronstjMy brother works in that very same Starbucks.  He's the rediculously tall guy.

Is that a requirement for working at Starbucks?  :?

If it was wouldn't they ALL be rediculously TALL?

:dunno:

I was just sayin', so RG can pick him out if she ever goes in there.

Quote from: aaronstjI was just sayin', so RG can pick him out if she ever goes in there.

so she could look like a stalker

Quote from: aaronstjI walk by the Lusty Lady sometimes on the way to/from work.  Some of the puns are better then the other puns, but over all, I like 'em.

I used to wait for the bus right across the street every day...  Some of the puns were pretty damn funny...  Most weren't.

Quote from: Jake DIf it was wouldn't they ALL be rediculously TALL?

:dunno:

:dunno: Not sure, they might all be "rediculously TALL".  I've never been in a Starbucks.  I'm not even sure I have ever passed a Starbucks...  :dunno:

I'm told that some Starbucks employees are quite short.

However, Aaron's brother is not.  So he should be easily recognizable to RG.

Really? You've never passed a Starbucks?  Hm.

Quote from: Jake DReally? You've never passed a Starbucks?  Hm.

I just checked mapquest and their are four within 40 miles of me...funny thing is three of them are within 1/2 mile of each other.  But, nope, never been in or even passed a Starbucks.  :)

Hey, RG, say hi to Aaron's brother for me.  ;)

I mean, rediculous.  Like 6'8".

According to the store locater on Starbucks.com, there are 56 Starbucks stores within two miles of my home.

We have one - like 40 miles away  8)

There isn't a store within such a great distance from here that I killed their website.   :lol:

I hope it stays that way too.  Damn urban plague...   :roll:  :mrgreen:

That's because the real men out here get our coffee in the local greasy spoon for $0.50 per thermos.  It's boiling hot, blacker than Bunker C, and even smells like FFO sometimes.  That, and you get free refills.  See, coffee out here isn't used for enjoyment, it's used as a drug.  It's sole purpose is to keep us awake, active, and warm.  :lol:

Couple more pics I took a few weeks ago. I like the first one, but something about it just doesn't "grab me". Any suggestions? As for the second one, I think it is a coolshot but I don't like how the sky got washed out so much. I am sure I can fix it in photoshop, but does anyone have some good tips on how to avoid it to begin with? Any input is appreciated :thumb:

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/autumn-facility3.jpg)

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/phaedrusGS/photos/autumn-canon2.jpg)

u can try saturating the color. it looks over exposed tho.  the best way to fix this is to have a circular polarizer filter when taking the shot.

(http://svjohn.trix.com/spider.jpg)

Circ polarizer like weasel suggested and sometime in extreme cases a circ pol will not do the trick, so you can take two exposures and merge them later in photoshop. (back before photoshop you'd need to use a neutral grad filter so it underexposes the sky) Nowadays with photoshop I usually just take two with different exposures and fix it later if I don't have any filters on me. For example the pic below, I had to make two copies of the same picture, one that I darken and another I saturated the picture, then I merge them into one picture to get it where it's supposed to be. Of course if I had a good copy of the sky I wouldnt' have got the blown highlights.

(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d13/toole2go/picphae.jpg)


Not sure how good you are with cameras but if you want the saturation high (especially for fall pictures) right out of the camera, you can set the contrast to be the highest in the camera itself. Otherwise tweak them in photoshop later on (which is what I usually do).

Also sometimes the washed out look may be from the sun shining on your lens at an angle which you can resolve by getting a hood for your lens or trying to shade the sun from your lens without getting in the way.

-

Thats a cool pic John  :thumb:

Thanks for the advice weaz and toole2go. Also, thanks for the touch up! It looks good, much closer to what I would have liked it to look. How hard would it be to "fix" the sky in the canon photo? I'll play around with it in PS later, but it will prolly be fruitless  :P

well if we are doing spider pictures...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v113/weaselnoze/spider.jpg)

Kinda reminds me of my former mother in law..... :mrgreen:

Quote from: weaselnozewell if we are doing spider pictures...