Nikon Four to the Floor
This past week I was invited to the Nikon Four to the Floor media event at the Buddha Bar in Manhattan’s Ganesvoort neighborhood. “Nikon”, is obvious, but “Four to the Floor” refers to music - rhythm specifically. Wikipedia says:
Four to the floor is a rhythmic pattern in dance music in which the kick drum falls on each beat of the measure in 4/4 time. The four to the floor beat was popularized in the 1960s and in the disco music of the 1970s. Other music genres based on the beat include house, techno and trance.
The invitation specified that the event would feature a combo of music and photography, which was pretty appealing. Music, of course, is a big part of my life, not to mention I was keen on getting a chance to handle Nikon’s latest SLR/professional cameras. The Nikon D70 (5 SLR generations ago) has been a legendary camera in my mind for years.
So, after my guest and I arrived in the neighborhood, we found our way to the Press line in front of the Buddha Bar. They took my business card and checked my name off the list (I was listed as a photoblogger). Our picture was snapped on the red (actually, it was yellow) carpet, and we were escorted up to the Media area. It was dark, techno music was thumping in the background, and people milling around in pretty clothes. Not my usual scene, but that didn’t really matter at that point.
Upstairs, I was momentarily distracted by the giant black buddha at the end of the walkway. They don’t call it the Buddha Bar for nothing. Then I was presented with a shiny new point-and-shoot camera on a silver platter, and was told, “this is your camera for the night”; the woman also clarified that it was for me to keep, which was totally awesome. It’s a Nikon Coolpix S51c (release date 10.15.07), and is a lot of fun to use. I expect I’ll be using this much more advanced camera for the near future.
As I entered the Press area, I couldn’t resist veering off to the “learn to DJ” area, and learned a bit about mixing and scratching. Apparently I was doing a good job, because Ray the DJ asked me, “Do you play an instrument or something? You’re really getting this!” I had to laugh, and said “Yes, I have a doctorate in music”. Well, that just blew his mind. That experience was a lot of fun, and I even have a CD of my maiden voyage into DJ-ing.
Later, I talked to the Nikon reps about the point and shoot, and the SLRs. Gorgeous, gorgeous cameras, that both looked and sounded great. I was particularly enamored with the D40X, which took wonderful pictures and was extremely light to boot. The D3, on the other hand, was substantial in its weight, and impressive in its speed.
I had a decent cosmo and enjoyed the passed hors d’oeuvres - chicken samosa, pork potsticker, and a spicy tuna roll (my favorite). FYI, I love passed hors d’oeuvres. The vibe was relaxed and I had a terrific time. My guest did too, which is saying a lot. What a great way to spend an evening. At some point I’d like to go back to have dinner, as a regular guest.
This year I decided I would learn to compost indoors. I have so many vegetable and fruit scraps, it seems a shame to just throw them away and have them end up in a landfill. I also don’t have any outdoor space in which to compost, so my solution: a worm bin indoors, otherwise known as vermicomposting.
They then taught us how to set up a worm bin. My bin is a big plastic tub with a lid; some are wooden, though. Holes are drilled in the sides of the bin, to help with oxygen circulation; I purchased my bin at the workshop, and it was already outfitted with holes, with the bonus of those holes having vents fitted inside them. Then plenty of strips of newspaper (as bedding) are placed in the bin, dampened with a little water. The worms are placed on top of the paper. My worms came all the way from Georgia in some dirt a paper bag in a cardboard box. After I placed the worms on top of the bedding, I left the lid off to let them burrow into the bedding. Worms hate the light so they headed for darker digs. I then placed the food/vegetable scraps on top of the bedding, then covered it with more strips of newspaper.
I feed my worms usually once a day, though sometimes I skip a day if I’ve given them too much the day before. I monitor the moisture level, as it can’t get too wet or too dry in there. Too much fruit can cause fruit fly infestations, something I’m not interested in, so it’s best not to overload the bin with fruit scraps. So far, the worms are doing their thing with the food I give them, and the other day when I was poking around in there, I discovered a pocket of compost already! Everything inside the bin smells dark, wet and earthy, with no off odors at all. It’s working out well so far and I’m looking forward to harvesting my compost in a few months. I’ll use the compost on my little basil plant, which will greatly improve the quality of the soil. I may even do some “guerilla composting”.