http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Equestrian-Sport-Productions-Announces-the-Release-of-the-First-Annual-FTI-WEF-Yearbook.html?soid=1101946722070&aid=i_fglQ7amlc

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Equestrian-Sport-Productions-Announces-the-Release-of-the-First-Annual-FTI-WEF-Yearbook.html?soid=1101946722070&aid=i_fglQ7amlc

ManciniPhotos

Last winter, when everything seemed to be coming apart in my life, I was asked to sell saddles for a friend of mine at the Winter Equestrian Festival or, WEF as it is commonly referred to, in Wellington, Florida and the equestrian world. While doing this I started taking pictures. Over time people asked to buy them. In late spring I started a company called ManciniPhotos and started to sell the pictures that I was taking.

It has been 10 months now since I started taking pictures, and about four months since I started selling them. It is now a reality! ManciniPhotos is the direction I am heading. As much as I love Technology, the reality is, that I have to take care of my family. So I am investing my time where I see the opportunity.

The equestrian world is a great industry. I have been in and around it for most of my life. I am now looking forward to being a part of it and WEF. I have been asked to take pictures for Equestrian Sport Productions, the organization that produces WEF. Here is a link to their web-site: http://www.equestriansport.com/

I am going to be at all their events as I have been over the last year. The biggest event is WEF which begins in January and runs through April. WEF is an amazing event and I encourage anyone who happens to be in the south Florida area to attend. The best Hunter and Jumper riders in the world are here for the event. The parties and peripheral events are outstanding.

After WEF is the Spring Circuit, which next year, runs through the end of May. Then the Summer Circuit will go into September. The Fall Circuit,where we are now, goes until mid November and then the Holiday Circuit. A full year of exciting equestrian events!!

I will start writing about the events hosted by ESP. I also encourage your comments and suggestions.

I will be shooting the show this weekend starting tomorrow, so most likely it will be next week before I write again.

Until next time, here are a couple of shots for you.

Jack

Palm Beach International Film Festival... wooohoo!!

As the Great Depression of 2009 rolls on, many of us are forced to re-invent ourselves in order to make ends meet. I have been trying to supplement my income taking pictures and trying to sell them on the internet.

Well, I think I have my first break in this new line of work for me. I am going to be photographing the events of the Palm Beach International Film Festival beginning on April 23rd, and running through April 27th.

It is very exciting for me, because up to now I have not had an assignment. I have been shooting what I want and trying to sell them. This will be my first real step into professional photography. I am also working on several other angles in this new profession and will keep you posted if they come through.

I am excited by this new opportunity and hope that it will give me some more options going forward. I hope you all are making it okay, and that the "FUD", (fear, uncertainty and doubt) has not caused you to crawl under a rock to hide. It is a perfect time to set you goal in a different direction and to see what new paths of opportunities will open up for us.

I am continuing my work with Secure Technology Partners, and will keep of any new development on that front as well.

Don't lose faith.... this will pass.

Mac or Windows, do you have an opinion?

I just read an interesting blog on CNET, "Is Apple More Form than Function?" by Brooke Crothers. The article discusses a very interesting position, based on pure technical.
specifications. So they lined the spec's lined out side by side to ask you, which would you go with a new Vista Laptop loaded to the max, or a new Apple Macbook with moderate spec's?

Also, the article tends to suggest the idea that Apple's popularity by PC purchasers is more for astetics than functionality. Yes, those that carry a Mac look cooler, because they are.... and most likely more educated on the true form and function of a "PC".

Technically it is the OS in the Mac that beats Windows boxes hands down, but it is the total package from, ease of use, to the cost of software, reliability........... and of course the perceived coolness.

When Microsoft released Vista, it shot itself in the foot. The newly re-designed interface is nothing more than a nightmare for previous XP and Windows users. So if you have to learn how to operate your computer from start..... AGAIN, why not look to alternative systems that might provide better service and reliability.

In addition to the tremendous faux pas, with Vista, Microsoft is about to get it's clock cleaned by new Linux OS's for NetBooks, which cannot run Vista due to it's massive hardware requirements and its design for full sized laptop monitors.

See if this does not set Microsoft back on its heels. You have to wonder about an OS that costs almost as much as the machine it runs on.

One last comment on the Apple Revolution, for $99/year you can take one, 1-hour class per week on any Apple product, hardware or software. I have done this to learn the Apple Aperture application, and I am very impressed at the quality of the session.

Watch, I think the next 18 months will be interesting.

I Must Be the Luckiest Person on Earth!

This morning I am the winner of not one but two lotteries and a sweepstakes. I won the Netherlands lottery of 1 million Euros, a Hyundai sweepstakes for 500,000 pounds in England, and I won 2,500,000 GPB's in the Canadian Lotto Promotion.

Not bad for a nights sleep. Is it just me.........no, that is getting all these lotto, sweepstakes, and miscellaneous phishing emails? I cannot believe how much more phishing emails I am receiving now over six months ago.

I wonder how successful these scams are. Are people really responding to them and give all their personal info? Well, I am going to turn a positive to a negative, and say that I must be lucky!

So Far So Good...No Virus Here!

It is almost 10:00 PM, I have just turned on the news and..... not one story about the Conficker Virus! What's up with that? I thought that almost 30 percent of the Window's PC that have internet access are affected and the time was today to do the damage.

Oh well, another diaster narrowly missed. Can I say that? I guess it is like when you were a little child and there was a threat of a snowstorm coming. For a couple of days before the ETA we would all get excited about the chance of a natural diaster. Of course the stores would run out of everything consumable and schools would be off the day before so we could get prepared and then the storm would never arrive.

I hope that that is what happens with Conficker. It is fun to think about the diaster. but not much fun if you are in it.

I guess we will have to wait a few more days to find out.

Conficker's ConSmicter, or whatever.......No it is not PCI

Here we go again another virus to be worried about! The "Conficker"! I was listening to the news today and the newscaster said that I would be okay if I just downloaded the latest Windows Patch. Which one would that be??

I don't know how to download Windows patches onto my Mac. Should I be worried? Oh No!

This sounds like an opportunity to sell more AV software and raid the grocery store to clear the shelves of all the bread and milk..... oh yeah, and beer! There must be a disaster coming...

Well, I guess I'd better start trying to figure out how to get the latest Microsoft Patch onto my Mac...

And of course Good Luck with Conflicker!