Listening to the Voices in my Head

New and Improved?

Once again, I tried Topaz Labs. They have come out with "New and improved" versions of their AI software. I coughed up the money, and 'renewed' my yearly plan (not going to renew it again, for reasons that will follow.) But I was willing to give it another shot.

I loaded an Olympus ORF file into Topaz DeNoise. It did ok, but left the image kind of dull and flat. So, I closed that, and opened Topaz Sharpen AI, opened the same ORF file. It does have a rudimentary denoise function. But the finished results again were lacking.

To use the Topaz software, you need to open them in another program, adjust exposure, then use one Topaz plugin after another. And although you can get good results, the Sharpen AI takes a long time (6 minutes).   

On1 NoNoise 23: opened the same Olympus ORF file in NoNoise. Not only was I able to remove the noise, but I could also sharpen the image at the same time. And it was finished in about 30 seconds.  If I want to have even more editing, I could open file in On1PhotoRaw, get it all done in about a minute.

On1 for the win, again

Due to early intervention with marvellous anti-virals

The worst of COVID-19 has passed in a week. The worst it got with me was an upper respiratory issue. I got a set of sore ribs, and sore abdomen from the coughing, but now, other than that first 'icky' cough in the morning, I'm feeling mostly well.

I get tired easily, and am noticeably short of breath, have a bit of 'brain fog', but well enough to be discharged from the WA Covid care nurse daily call. I'm still self-isolating, even from Alan and Wing.

I caught Covid, but because I was double vaxxed, and had boosters, it was no where as bad as it could be. I really feel sorry for people that didn't have them and got sick. I remember watching videos of anti-vaxxers begging their family and friends to get vaccinated after they caught it. I'm not one of them, and I am grateful and relieved.

Dear universe, short of death, are you going to let up on me anytime soon?

Collapsed disc, mass removed from back, right knee replacement, car accident, pneumonia, seizures, compartment syndrome, left knee inverted, left knee replacement.

Now fucking COVID?! I was just starting to get to the point I could get around without cane or crutches, and I get Covid.

Is it any wonder I've got depression and PTSD?!  Seriously, enough for a while. Please.

p.s.  I've been coughing a lot, so if you see a spleen or kidney wandering on by, please tell them to come home?

Another day, another list of aches and pains

Simon the Sadist altered the list of rehab exercises.  I do try to them all every day, but some days are harder than others.  This morning on the stationary bike, I had about 4 rotations of the pedals where the tendons felt as if they were being scraped across jagged rocks.  (#6 on the scale from 1 to 10). I didn't stop, I kept going because I had to. The pain faded, and I managed the full 10 minutes. 

On an aside, I have found two perfect songs for a 10 minute ride. Both are Moody Blues songs. "Nights in White Satin" and "Question".

And in other news, I have decided to become a dual citizen. U.S./Australia.  With the anger in the world today, I don't want to travel on a U.S. passport, even though I have an Australian visa. I am not giving up my U.S. citizenship, but I don't want to be 'stuck' . The good news is because I am an 'old fart', I won't have to sit the Citizenship test, just an interview.