Author Archives: Bryan Chaffin

Pics from the Eclipse

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Creepy Shadows

I took some pics of the eclipse from May 20th with a friend of mine. I tried to take blind pics of the Sun itself, but without anything even approximating the proper filters, I didn’t get much. In any event, major eclipses apparently play havoc with shadows. Who knew? It also turns out that taking a picture of a shadow is easier than taking photos of the Sun without any filters.  Again, who knew? Oh, and I’ve no idea how the refracted image of the partially occluded Sun got into that image.

Mountain View Cemetery

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Not too long ago, I went to the Mountain View Cemetery to take some photos. This place was built in 1863 and was designed by  Frederick Law Olmsted, the same chap that designed Central  Park in New York City. It was a product of the Transcendentalist movement, and was intended to be part park and part cemetery.  If you’re able to visit it, this will make sense, because it is beautiful—I’m very glad a friend of mine talked me into going. I only saw a tiny corner of the place, and I plan on going back sometime this summer. In the Continue Reading →

The Game of Thrones is Dead – Long Live The Song of Ice & Fire!

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Why Is This Happening?

WARNING: There are spoilers galore for The Game of Thrones, The Song of Ice and Fire, and even The Lord of The Rings contained herein. Read at your own peril. Update: I added a little section on Jeyne Westerling. As noted above, don’t read it if you don’t want spoilers! The Game of Thrones is dead. The TV show, I mean. It’s dead to me. It’s become a big pile of poop interspersed with gleaming nuggets of gold. Oh, I loved the first season, which tracked the titular first novel, The Game of Thrones, of The Song of Ice and Continue Reading →

Catching Up

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I think I should probably catch you up  a bit, because there have been a lot of big changes for me since I was regularly posting here in…what? 2008? It’s been a while. In 2009, Darla and I had to put down Chandler Bing, my (he had become our) Yellow Lab. A couple of months later, Darla and I divorced. The Country Music Standards & Essentials Bureau contacted me shortly thereafter letting me know my life was officially eligible to be a bad country song with the proviso that it would behoove me should anything unfortunate befall my car within Continue Reading →

Grits & Chops!

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Grits & Chops

I’m in the middle of an eight week self-imposed program of learning/cooking one new recipe per week. Well, not really the middle, this was the second week. Anyway, I started off with chicken korma, because, you know, it was way above my cooking ability. Fortunately it worked out despite my lack of skills. So for the second week, I went for The Pioneer Woman’s awesome Pork Chops with Apples & Creamy Bacon Cheese Grits. This was an amazing dish, and the folks I was cooking for really enjoyed it. Better yet, I enjoyed it!

Incredible iPad Apps for Dummies

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Incredible iPad Apps for Dummies

I wrote half of Incredible iPad Apps for Dummies, but don’t let that fool you. Bob did more than half the work! This was the first book with my name on the cover, though, and I have it on good authority that this made my mother proud. Book Description: The popularity of the iPad is growing at an unstoppable rate and users are looking for help sorting through the tens of thousands of apps available in the App Store. Packed with helpful reviews and valuable tips on how to make the most of each app, this book walks you through Continue Reading →

iPad All-In-One for Dummies

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I’m named as a contributor on iPad All-In-One for Dummies, having written the book-within-a-book on apps for Nancy Muir. The ins and outs of all things iPad and iPad 2—in full color! Packed with the power of a MacBook, iPod touch, eReader, digital camera, portable game console and so much more, the iPad is an awesome device. And, the business world has certainly taken notice. The iPad is moving into the enterprise where power users and professionals alike are using the device to increase their productivity and work smarter at the office and on the go. Long-time For Dummies author Nancy Muir Continue Reading →

Incredible iPhone Apps for Dummies

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 I wrote several chapters for Incredible iPhone Apps for Dummies—working with Bob is always fantastic. Book Description: A full-color directory of must-have iPhone and iPod touch apps! The App Store allows you to browse and download thousands of applications that were developed with the iPhone SDK and published through Apple. The popularity of iPhone and iPod touch apps is exploding and this handy guide helps you sort through the tens of thousands of available apps so you can find the ones that are ideal for you. Packed with tips and tricks on how to make the most of each app, Continue Reading →

GarageBand for Dummies

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I tech edited GarageBand for Dummies for Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, and I also contributed a few of the chapters. What I love about it are all the great recording tips and methods Bob offers, stuff that’s still useful, even though this book is for the original version of GarageBand for Dummies. Book Description: Get ready to rock with Apple’s digital music recording studio Find out how to record, edit, mix, and master like a pro! Are you the next big thing in music – but the world just doesn’t know it yet? Here’s the guide that will help you Continue Reading →