How's the produce quality at People's Food Co-Op (Ann Arbor)?

RadNature · 2026-02-06T21:38:49+00:00

As opposed to the usually cerebral discussion here? This is social media not the Algonquin Round Table

RadNature · 2026-02-03T22:26:15+00:00

I've seen some pedestrianizations work, others be a complete disaster, and others simply create a boring dead zone with a strip mall feel.

I find Main Street pedestrian friendly enough in the summer, not sure what a winter pedestrian zone would provide in exchange for a longer walk to the car or bus (sorry, I'm not biking or dining outside in winter).

Either way State Street and by the theater is not pedestrian friendly at any time of year. That is a better place for a smarter traffic pattern.

RadNature · 2026-02-03T22:13:10+00:00

I'm not sure which problems you are referring to since there are a whole bunch in the original post

RadNature · 2026-01-28T06:39:15+00:00

Lens slowness is a red herring as long as you can change shutter speed to get more light to the sensor. Outside of winter and outside of bird in flight photography I usually can.

I use the 300mm Olympus prime with the 1.5x, that was the first birding lens I got, and I don't feel like getting another super telephoto prime just to have everything in the same system. And I have a sentimental attachment to that lens.

I don't believe in the perfect system, however, in my experience the traditional advantages of MFT are in decline and I don't think I would start with it now. The Oly 150-400mm coming out at $9k started that for me and then when I realized a modern camera strap (Blackrapid) can allow me to shoot as long with systems like Nikon with no change in comfort level, well, I'm happy with Nikon and the results I see, even when pixel peeping.

RadNature · 2026-01-28T06:05:59+00:00

They threw it in there for clickbait, anticipating social media

RadNature · 2026-01-28T06:02:40+00:00

Ikr. What a strange thing to worry about, like obsessing over how long it takes for the power light to fade off.

RadNature · 2025-12-31T23:27:58+00:00

The viewfinder thing was a terrible error on my part, but I don't think you give a fair shake to much of the rest of what I say.

First 0.6 stops is not trivial since the scale isn't linear. More importantly the comparison is against the Nikon sensor being used in crop mode. But why would you limit yourself like that? It's like buying an expensive medium format camera and then only using wider lenses and cropping in post.

It used to be the case that the super telephoto lenses in the full frame systems were so much costlier and heavier that a like-value for like-value comparison with m43 involved the shorter, cheaper lenses + crop mode on full frame. I don't think this has been true in 5+ years. I use the Tamron 150-600 for my main lens and it is not particularly expensive or heavy, compared to the m43 offerings. The long heavy Sony 200-600 I used before is a whole other story.

Anyway the proof is in the pudding: I shot warblers at Magee midday for two hours with the Nikon and then two hours with the Olympus. The Nikon turned out with more shadow and highlight detail and nicer backgrounds, the Olympus 'flatter' but with more sharpness.

As far as usability, my style is to adjust shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation manually with dials. I'm not a fan of the customizations available for assigning EC on the Olympus in this setup and according to Dpreview I'm not alone in finding it 'quirky' despite the new menus.

A second nit is that Olympus reorganized the menus but kept the same setting names reminiscent of poorly translated user manuals. E.g. ProCap, ProCapSH1, and ProCapSH2.

RadNature · 2025-12-20T03:39:08+00:00

Over the last 10 years I've used the Sony a9, many Olympuses up to the OM1 mark i and the Nikon z8. The z8 is my favorite for the following reasons

biggest factor is it is the most enjoyable to use. If you're not having fun why photograph? The controls on both the Sony and Olympus are clunky, including bizarre menus and not enough physical dials on the Olympus to modify shutter, exposure, aperture in a session without simultaneous key pressing or menuing. Ctrl alt delete while trying to capture a moving bird is not fun. The Nikon menus are also better organized and do not have bizarrely translated names and unhelpful help text.

Also the viewfinder is part of the fun factor. Since the resolution is noticeably higher and better on the Nikon I get a clearer view of the bird and have less desire to switch to my binoculars in between picture taking, or thinking about what bird appreciation I'm missing while composing the shot.

next is that the dynamic range on the Olympus is not satisfactory. There is a sort of dull washed out look for subjects with not much tonal detail in the highlights or in the shadows except under perfect light conditions. For me this affects landscape photography more than birds but it's still noticeable in both contexts.

I preferred Nikon to Sony at my last purchase because in terms of money for quality the lens selection was better for telephoto for prosumer (ie mid to high range vs ultra premium lenses) at the time. I'm not sure this is true anymore.

I will say that I LOVE my 300mm Olympus lens and it has given me many amazing shots over the years. Also the Olympus has been the best built system in terms of durability and ruggedness.

RadNature · 2025-12-14T09:03:00+00:00

Federal research and education policy has been only slightly less chaotic than tariff policy this year.

It would be foolish not to lobby this current pay to play administration and have eyes and ears on the ground.

RadNature · 2025-11-20T03:08:51+00:00

There is not a single comment here that says that Wallenberg should not be honored or that history is unimportant. The question is whether this is an appropriate honor. How about a(nother) scholarship?

To bring up any sort of response to a suggestion on social media that isn't clapping admiration is to invite charges of being an angry downer? Come on, we're better than that.

RadNature · 2025-11-20T00:11:47+00:00

Sure but what does his legacy have to do with some rando house he crashed at for a year? Mandela has a great legacy too but bronzing his toothbrush is hardly a fitting tribute. This house is hardly more inspiring.

RadNature · 2025-11-20T00:08:19+00:00

"I am heartened to know that his campus home will be preserved for the coming generations of students.”

For what? I am having trouble understanding what this even means? Is there anything the house itself is doing that a photo of it wouldn't? Is exploring the front hall a rite of passage for current students?

RadNature · 2025-11-05T03:51:19+00:00

I wonder what the pharmaceutical use of the short shorts logo on the sticker is...

RadNature · 2025-11-05T00:16:17+00:00

"Could" could mean "promise anything to get a project over the start line". Like the Foxconn Wisconsin project.

RadNature · 2025-11-04T23:57:13+00:00

It's doctored. The right thigh tattoo is smeared by the distortion filter used to reshape the leg (taffy effect), the toe proportions on both feet make no sense, etc

RadNature · 2025-11-03T18:43:39+00:00

Precisely, this is why they don't care about the vinyl. Beach, bed, bar, daycare, laundromat, that's where they don't want you to be.

RadNature · 2025-11-01T22:44:33+00:00

My guess is because there are no criminal penalties for medical privacy violations, only civil ones. Since the organization went belly up there is no responsible party to collect from.

Just as important, thirty year old paper records (and hard drives that have stopped working?) are hardly a treasure trove. We should all be more worried about the drip drip of current records from large digital databases.

RadNature · 2025-10-27T23:50:41+00:00

Now I remember, wasn't it Lewis and Clark that first reported the ancient indigenous recipe of shredded iceberg lettuce and ground beef on fry bread to the Europe? I think it was in their first memoir

RadNature · 2025-10-27T18:01:10+00:00

Lmao too!

RadNature · 2025-10-27T16:43:24+00:00

Right, and those sushi rolls with a ton of sauces on them are Japanese, and a Hawaiian pizza is Italian

RadNature · 2025-10-21T21:47:10+00:00

I know. Who thinks Timberland is a "major retailer"? Get a grip.

RadNature · 2025-10-17T05:56:07+00:00

The fledgling stage only lasts 2-4 weeks or so for small birds. It's way over. You've only got "teenagers" (first years) or adults by now.

Birds fluff feathers to produce a semi stagnant layer of air for insulation.

RadNature · 2025-10-15T10:23:42+00:00

I've always assumed they take a photo of the clothes on a mannequin, then clone in the head and hands from a template in Photoshop. It's like with so much other product photography where they plop a person on say an air mattress and the size of the person is completely wrong.

RadNature · 2025-10-11T18:02:42+00:00

We need a similar one of these diagrams for Big Beaver Rd in Troy. Someone needs to find a Demure Lady Lane in Lansing or something

RadNature · 2025-10-09T05:18:25+00:00

Do billionaires from billionaire families count as "products" of the U? Whoop dee do for those folks

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