"When David Hein's mother told him she was gay, he barely flinched. "My dad had a girlfriend. I couldn't see why she couldn't have one," the 33-year-old Toronto singer-songwriter says. And when she said the new woman in her life was Wiccan, he just shrugged. But when she said she was rediscovering her Jewish faith, Hein was shaken. "She didn't just say, 'I'm Jewish,' she said, 'We're Jewish,' " Hein says. Raised by a Jewish mother and a Catholic father -- neither of whom was very religious -- Hein was suddenly trying to figure out if being Jewish was part of his heritage or a religion he'd largely ignored. "Some people feel it's part of their skin, part of what makes them who they are," he says. "And others feel it's just what they practise." Hein's experiences are explored in his new musical, My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, which opened Saturday at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"You know it's going be bad news when the ER doc slides a chair over to sit on. Good news is quick, a simple "You're gonna be fine! You can go home!" Seeing that chair slide over with her let me know I was in for some long explanations of bad news. Of course the worst part is that I went to the hospital with a bad flu and two hours later this ER doctor is explaining that during the routine CT scan on my head, a lump was found. She couldn't tell if it was blood, a mass, or a collection of both. She couldn't tell if it was benign or cancerous either. I was immediately rushed to the area major hospital OSHU for MRI scans that could provide higher resolution data."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
My daughter has put Adobe Photoshop on her Christmas list. She does a great deal of image editing and is pretty good with gimp, but wants to do more. I am almost completely ignorant about the Photoshop line but it looks like Elements would be the only option. What kinds of things should I be thinking about?
Elements is pretty basic, but I've never tried Gimp and don't know how the features would compare. Since she is a student, make sure you check out the education discounts before you buy anything; there are some pretty good deals out there. Is there somewhere she can try out Photoshop and Elements without purchasing just to see what the differences are?
- Laura B.
oh, right... that's one thing I forgot to mention: she's using a Dell Inspiron E1505 with Windows XP an 80G hard drive and 1G of RAM. I think I can go up to 2G RAM in that thing.
- Jim Hearts FF
when people say "Photoshop" what are they usually talking about? Are there products other than Elements, Lightroom and CS4?
- Jim Hearts FF
Local College Book store has the education versions also OfficeDepot and Staples has some versions of Ed Apps.
- CW™
Thanks. I hadn't thought about the education line. Adobe does allow free trials of their consumer packages via the online store. Those apps are primarily what I'm looking at.
- Jim Hearts FF
CS4 comes in different bundles based on the need of the buyer, but all the Photoshops in CS4 are the same, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know much about elements, but I use Lightroom strictly for working with my images and I love it. It's a really powerful standalone program. The CS4 Photoshop is really much more of a design program now, but if she wants to work with adjusting and pimping out images, Lightroom is the business.
- Derrick
Photoshop is the graphic design "standard". it's very robust (some would say bloated) and is capable of designing everything from flyers to web pages mockups. you can also do some amazing things with photographs (if you practice enough). I'm not sure if 1GB of RAM would run it efficiently (it's a resource hog). if you go with PS, definitely bump up the RAM and go with the standard...
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- jbrotherlove
Might want to think about getting her the full CS package for her to start to work with other Adobe apps that might interest her. If she becomes proficient in more then two it helps in the job market, plus she might create some wonderful art.
- CW™
Thanks for your suggestions. Feel free to post more, hence BUMP. The post office will have to call me in every day from now until Christmas for me to afford CS, plus a new computer to run it on. Even Lightroom would be a stretch unless I can get some sort of deal.
- Jim Hearts FF
Looks like I can get Lightroom for $99 through the education store with validation. I'll give them a call and see how it goes.
- Jim Hearts FF
If editing photographs is what she's mostly doing then Lightroom would be my strong recommendation. It is a powerful editing tool but it's also great for cataloging images. If she's into digital photography she'll be shooting a lot and finding that one image from 3 months ago that she wants right now is really easy in Lightroom. And it's got some good gallery and printing features that make it pretty much a full service package for all my digital photography needs.
- Michelle Jones
If I can get it for $99 it will be an easy decision. I'm hoping I can do that without her knowledge since it's supposed to be a gift.
- Jim Hearts FF
Jim - Do you know if there's any specific reason she asked for Photoshop by name? If she's mostly doing photo editing, etc., Corel's Paint Shop Pro is actually a really, really nice program, and it's a fraction of the price of Photoshop.
- Curtiss Grymala
Thanks Curtiss.I'll certainly consider that. However, I know nothing in this sphere. Anyone else want to comment on Paint Shop Pro?
- Jim Hearts FF
Photoshop. If not all the way then elements.
- Jeremy
Do you think she knows that Photoshop CS4 is a $700 application? Is she familiar with the tools or is she just asking for "Photoshop" as sort of a brand name recognition thing? If she's just asking generically, then I'd for sure go with Elements.
- Ken Sheppardson
Personally, if I asked for Photoshop and got Lightroom I'd be a little... well... peeved. Lightroom is primarly a digital photography workflow/processing tool. (It's what I use, btw) Like a darkroom for digitial photo processing. Lots of photographers don't need anything more than what it offers, but if you want to do pixel level editing on individual images and graphic/web design stuff I think you'd almost certainly want Photoshop. I think many photographers augment Lightroom with Photoshop Elements.
- Ken Sheppardson
Ya how serious is she with graphic design? Photoshop is expensive.
- Rodfather
If she is only interested in editing photos, I would seriously consider Lightroom over Photoshop. PS is very complex to use for the beginner and casual user. It is also very expensive. I own both and rarely use PS anymore. Lightroom does about 95% of what I need to do with my RAW photos. The only thing I use PS for anymore is for perspective correction and panorama stitching. Just about everything else I need to do can be done in Lightroom and is generally easier to do there anyway.
- Jeff P. Henderson
Elements is a stripped-down consumer version of Photoshop, which is why it's cheaper. I haven't used GIMP but GIMP is more of a regular Photoshop competitor. I'd check to make sure that Elements actually does enough stuff that GIMP doesn't before buying Elements.
- Spidra Webster
I'm in the same boat as you, Jeff.... I rarely use PS these days and think Lightroom's a better (bulk) photo processing tool... but no way would I spend $300 on Lightroom for somebody who asked for Photoshop, unless I knew *exactly* what their workflow was like, what they wanted to do, and and what other tools they've used. Seems like $99 (or less with educational pricing) on Elements would be a good intro to Adobe's tools, get the ball rolling, and she could always mess with the Lightroom and CS4 trials...
- Ken Sheppardson
She does photo editing. Many of the photos she works with are those she's taken herself. She doesn't know about CS4 and its pricetag... but I do. CS4 is not an option. Lightroom is if I can get it at the student price. Elements is the only thing I was considering before I launched this thread but after reading all the comments, I'm now on the fence between Lightroom and Elements.
- Jim Hearts FF
oh, and thanks for all the insightful comments. I'm glad I asked!
- Jim Hearts FF
Is this for Mac or PC, Jim? Just to make things more complicated, on the Mac there's sort of an epic, ongoing battle between Lightroom and Aperture, Apple's photo processing software. It's sort of like the Nikon vs Canon war, or even PC vs Mac. Aperture's base price is $100 less than Lightroom, so it might be pretty reasonable with an educational discount.
- Ken Sheppardson
PC. Oh and btw, the Lightroom educational price is $99.
- Jim Hearts FF
Doh... yeah, I just saw the specs at the top of the thread. Nevermind :-)
- Ken Sheppardson
Jeez... I need to go back to school. I'll bet what I'd save on Adobe products would cover tuition... If you could swing Lightroom + Elements, she'd have a really, really slick setup.
- Ken Sheppardson
Ken - Add on top of that that you can get Windows 7 for $29, and it really is worth it. Especially if you go to community college (which is generally about 35% of the cost of most 4-year institutions)
- Curtiss Grymala
Jim, the version of Elements I use at work came with our scanner. I don't know if there's a stand-alone version that would do more or not.
- Laura B.
Okay... I may do both, but not at once. What would be better to start with? She wants to do image manipulation but she doesn't typically do the pixel level kind of stuff that has become it's own verb. As Derrick said in a comment above she wants to "pimp out" the images. If the eventual goal is to go with both, which should be first?
- Jim Hearts FF
Well, I'm going to change my answer. At $99 I think Lightroom's a great gift for a photographer/photo editor. If it doesn't do enough, you could always add Elements later. BTW, here's a thread over on Flickr that points out that there are lots of photographers who do 90%+ of their editing in Lightroom http://www.flickr.com/groups...
- Ken Sheppardson
Thanks Ken. And thanks everyone else too. Really appreciate the advice.
- Jim Hearts FF
from IM
wow BitTorrent has photo manipulation capabilities? WHO KNEW!!!???
- Jim Hearts FF
Are you running Windows? How old is your daughter and how likely is it that she will pursue a career in which Photoshop will be the primary software skills she will need to have? If she will not be pursuing a career in which that software will be very important to know, or if you are unsure at this time, then consider the photo editing/art application that is above the GIMP, but below...
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- April Russo (app103)
Was thinking along the same lines as Spidra, I think Elements is actually less feature-rich than GIMP
- Louis Simoneau
I agree. Get CS4 or Lightroom 3. Adobe actually have a great education store discount. I have lightroom 3 in my sights. You can download a trial of CS4 and lightroom and use it for 30 days and see for yourself.
- Roberto Bonini
"Here is an old Mini DV tape case—do people use these anymore?—as an iPhone stand. Sometimes the best inventions are out there in plain sight, waiting for that dohment of obvious realization."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"The war between Stephen Colbert and Miracle Whip reached new heights last night, with the sandwich spread debuting ads calling out Colbert by name, and the Colbert Report host facetiously admitting defeat on his show. The dispute began in October, when Colbert defended mayonnaise against Miracle Whip's new ad campaign from mcgarrybowen, which says the Whip is way hipper than mayo. Colbert even did a pro-mayo PSA. In response, as MediaFreak reported yesterday, Miracle Whip bought time during every ad break on Colbert's show last night to remind him just how "massively dope" Miracle Whip is. It aired three new spots (see one below) dissing Colbert. For his part, Colbert devoted his opening segment to the duel (that clip's also posted below). "Miracle Whip, I know when I've been bested," he said. "Thank you for buying ad time on my show. Because let's face it, revenue is down throughout the television industry, and I could certainly use the money. To buy more delicious mayonnaise!""
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"don't have a clue about what is a Philco Dynamic Tester or what it did back in 1946. Quite frankly, I don't care. I want to believe it was used to carry the navigational computers inside Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"Nancy Lieberman has become the first female head coach of an NBA basketball team. The first women to play pro basketball with men, Lieberman has taken charge of the Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate in the NBA Development League, which will tip off next November. Lieberman said: “I feel like I'm the right person for the job. “I know how these guys feel. I played in the minor leagues. I’m ultimately connected to that part of development in a player’s life.”"
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"At first glance, the term “jazz rabbi” might seem incongruous, but the recent installation of Greg Wall, a well-known jazz musician, as the rabbi at the Sixth Street Community Synagogue, a modern Orthodox congregation in the East Village, shows that the porkpie and the yarmulke are not necessarily mutually exclusive."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
Isn't a porkpie trayf? Perhaps a nice Homburg?
- Spidra Webster
"The most versatile little black dress! Add a belt and this basic little black dress goes from casual to chic in an instant."
- pea ♥ fierce as a woozle
from Bookmarklet
I don't even drink coffee on a regular basis, but I will now be drinking one daily. Grande, nonfat, please.
- Derrick
I wish I could get all the fancy coffee stuff without the actual coffee. Some other drink with, like, toffee and caramel? YES. I just don't like coffee. :(
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
Oh MY! most of the Starbucks took that off the menu? where the heck is this Starbucks? I may be moving...
- Robyn Hawk
I might have to get one this morning. Robyn this is in Los Angeles in the neighborhood of Eagle Rock, but according to my brief use of Google search, it can be found at many Starbucks. Mine even sells the syrup so you can have it at home.
- Derrick
Jandy, you can get just steamed milk with the flavoring added!
- Rochelle
One of the photographers from the show I curated last month came by my house to pick up his stuff and brought me a pumpkin spice latte this morning. He said "spending moratoriums suck." I love people!
- Michelle Jones
Too bad it's a latte and not a mocha. I'll have to see if any of my local Starbuck's have this in the mocha variety (it's got to have chocolate, otherwise I'll just stick to my plain old regular coffee)
- Curtiss Grymala
Curtiss, you can have the toffee nut flavor added to any drink.
- Rochelle
"Fleur-de-BLING wallets, y'all. They tell the world: "I am from Louisville, and I am totally loaded." And buying one will only take $10 from your CURRENT wallet. Go for it!"
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
Thanks, looks like they fixed it, both links work now. I had even tried before in an Amazon-logged in browser and also going in clean with no cookies of any kind.
- LogEx
I have... 4 USB mics, 6 regular mics, 3 headsets and 7 cats, you can borrow one if you *neeeeeed* to, but when I get into the new home, expect that to increase as I develop my HAM rig! HAM RIG! <font size=+9 billion>HAM!!! RIG!!!</font>
- Tsali, The Native of FF
"School made a sudden “no helmets or masks” rule for the parade portion of the Halloween fun. As if Devin Hester would trip or bump into anyone! Nora did not seem too upset about that. LT said, “When you’re not wearing the helmet, you still look like a football player—just like one that’s on the sidelines.” To which Nora responded, “I’m on the sidelines because I just made a touchdown.” Well yes. Of course. Trick-or-treating the following night involved not only candy but also high-fives and slaps on the helmet."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
Want. I'm not allowed to spend any money at the moment but I've hit the jackpot of things I want today so I'm bookmarking them all here. You've been warned
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
Jellybeans used to have a lot of her stuff on Etsy, it's awesome to see it being sold elsewhere.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
Want. I have to buy this for B. "Don't Panic!" is her new favorite phrase. She uses it completely inappropriately. After we move and get settled this is a definite purchase.
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"The 21c Museum Hotel calls Louisville, Kentucky home. Normally when you think high end hotels decked out with amazing artwork, we aren't usually thinking Kentucky—but maybe we should be. The best part is, there's several great ideas you can borrow to use in your own home."
- Michelle Jones
from Bookmarklet
"You don't have to have pumpkin pie to still enjoy pumpkin and spice in a Thanksgiving dessert. This tender, moist cake uses pureed pumpkin to replace much of the fat and is delicately seasoned with classic Thanksgiving flavors."
- Derrick
from Bookmarklet