For a long while, I've wanted to use Photomatix, a program that helps to make great 'HDR' (High Dynamic Range) pictures, but couldn't afford to spend $100 on it. I finally found out that students and educational customers can get the whole program for $30, so I bought it. I take a lot of outdoor and indoor pictures that have very bright and very dark areas, and HDR can make those pictures look spectacular!
The Cardinal Glennon College Seminarians (along with our College Director, Fr. Cronin) are featured on the St. Louis-based REAP Team's online podcast, praying the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary. Now you can pray with us at any time of day or night; just download the pocast episode (a handy MP3 file) and listen to it on your computer, iPod or a CD!
I posted pictures of flowers growing on trees and in the ground around the Seminary. Spring is a wonderful time for someone who likes taking pictures of the beauty of new life in God's creation!
(Can you see the bee?)
(Does anyone know the technical term for these flowers?)
For the third year in a row, Cardinal Glennon College held it's 'German-Irish Day,' a day (more like a few hours) of friendly (and not-so-friendly) competition between the seminarians with more German heritage and those with more Irish heritage. Since I'm a blend of German/Irish/Dutch/French/Etc., I was on the German team this year.
First we played kickball - here's the victorious Germans, cheering on the seminarian at the plate:
And here's a picture of the trivia contest (also won by the Germans):
I love spring (which begins tomorrow)! Besides the fact that my eyes start itching from all the pollen and other allergens in the air, I like seeing all the new growth and the birds returning for the summer. This morning, some birds flew to my window ledge to get some bird seed I had left there, and one of the cardinals was kind enough to raise his head for an up-close picture:
I tried to get a little closer so I could get a better picture, but cardinals are very jittery birds, and this one flew away the instant he noticed me moving. Patience is a very important virtue for those who would like to take pictures of birds!
In what is now a fairly old news story (but not old for me, as I was 'out of the loop,' as it were, and just found this news today), the Vatican office in charge of the website has switched to using Linux servers and Mac workstations.
They surely have a lot of work to do to get the Vatican Website up-to-date (it has been image-map-based and not very innovative, design-wise, for many years... but it is one of the oldest and most well-known websites in the world). But I know of a few other great sites maintained on Macs. This site would be included in that list ;-)