Ron's Log

The Desert Sun Is Always Helpful

The Desert Sun tells us that rattlesnake season is here! I guess all those snakes rattling at me (I haven't actually seen any of them yet this year) over the past several weeks have simply been staff sent ahead by Big Snake to make sure his desert home was properly prepared before his arrival.

The Desert Sun avoids including any mistaken "safety" suggestions by simply not including any safety suggestions.

More Photos From The San Andreas Fault

These are from a high spot east of Palm Drive, south of 20th Avenue. Much to my surprise, there's a paved road up to this spot. There are a few houses near here, a horse ranch, and lots of illegal dumping.

A 360 degree view starting and ending at Mt. San Jacinto.

A decayed recliner in the desert.

Looking along the San Andreas fault toward Mt. San Gorgonio.

Need Some Windows?

Today Pat and I went exploring some of the ridges and dunes on the Banning branch of the San Andreas Fault south of Desert Hot Springs. You see a lot of strange stuff out in the desert, but today I saw oneof the strangest:

Someone had a quantity of glass door sliders or windows and stored them out in the open desert. Many have been broken, but most look like they are still in one piece, although the frames are probably deteriorating from resting at an angle. If these were surplus or stolen, why weren't they sold?

Entire Town Removes Self From Google Streetview

Last January the city council of North Oaks, Minnesota, asked Google to remove its streetview images in their town. All the roads in North Oaks are private and Google's photo-car was trespassing when it went through there. It's Google's policy to remove images of private homes when requested, but this is the first time an entire city has been removed. Here is an image at the very brink:

Where Google streetview ends in North Oaks, Minnesota. What lies beyond is not for us to see.

Paez Eats Lead, Taken Into Custody, Still Alive

In yet another episode of stolen car, hot pursuit, shots fired, SWAT team called, Anthony "Clumsy" Paez was cornered and finally arrested early this morning in the unincorporated area south of Desert Hot Springs. Currently, he is resting at Desert Regional with three gunshot wounds in him. Two other suspects were taken into custody as well. One of them had also been wounded by the police.

UPDATE: The other man arrested with Anthony Paez was a 15-year old juvenile with outstanding warrants. Now the Desert Sun is saying that ONLY Paez was injured, but they don't say why they earlier reported that a third suspect was also shot. The article says nothing about the third person arrested except that he is still in custody.

"when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope so that they can be somewhat equal to the prey"

Hilarious confession from a rancher who thought he could domesticate a wild deer.

Cinema at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard in (duh) Hollywood will host four movie nights. Yes! Enjoy fine films outdoors with the living among the dead. Tomorrow night it's The Party at 9 PM (gates open at 7:30 PM).

Future films:

• June 7: The Hunger
• June 14: My Man Godfrey
• June 21: Shampoo

Hack Your Canon

A website offering you a method of hacking the firmware on your Canon point-and-shoot giving it addtional functionality. According to the FAQ, these are some of the benefits:

• Shooting in RAW, with RAW Average, RAW Sum, and RAW Develop features
• Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
• Zebra mode (live-view under/over-exposure subject-area alerts)
• DOF-calculator, Hyperfocal-calculator with instant Hyperfocal and Infinity focus-set, and more
• Battery indicator
• RAW and Video space-remaining gauges with custom low-limit alerts
• Scripts execution (exposure/focus/bracketing, intervalometer and more)
• USB-cable remote shutter-release
• Motion-Detection triggered photography (fast enough to capture lightning strikes)
• Customizable high-speed continuous (burst) Tv, Av, ISO, and Focus bracketing (unlimited shots)
• 99 constant bit-rate and 10 constant-quality video compression levels
• 1 Gig video-size limit removed in earlier cameras
• Zoom during video for cameras without
• Shutter, Aperture, and ISO Overrides (shutter speeds of 64" to 1/10,000" and higher)
• High-speed Flash Sync at all speeds up to 1/64,000 second (even faster in some cameras)
• Custom framing, cropping, and alignment viewfinder Grids (user editable)
• File browser
• Text reader
• Calendar
• Some fun tools and games :)
• Fully customizable CHDK display, info placement, user-colors, fonts in menus, etc.
• Custom CHDK User-Menu (for instant recall of up to 10 favorite functions)

More info here.

Anthony Paez on "Most Wanted" List

To update you on recent shootings, Salcido is in custody and Hernandez has been cleared of suspicion, leaving only Anthony "Clumsy" Paez who has been elevated to Riverside County's Most Wanted List.

Anthony Paez.

If you have info about him you can call Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867 and remain anonymous. Or call DHS Police at 760-329-2904.

UPDATE: Hernandez will be charged "with conspiracy to commit a crime and aiding and abetting an attempted crime." She is the aunt of Anthony Paez, which is why the police stopped her on Monday. They thought she had Paez in the car, but it turned out to be Salcido, who opened fire on the police officer.

New Windmills Dedication and Tour This Morning

Short notice, I know, but the new wind turbines near Desert Hot Springs will be dedicated this morning starting at 9:30 AM. Wind turbine tours will follow from 10:30 to 11:30.