Your photographer friend needs to do some research. If he is interested in seeing bears fishing for salmon the time window is fairly short. I believe they only run for about a three week period, sometime in July. Don't trust my response (or most others here on the Hog) - do some more serious research to get the real story. You can watch live video of Brooks Falls here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5mu_febWXg. There were a few bears in the river when I just checked (and a few salmon jumping), but nowhere near the level of activity as two months ago. Good luck.

The study's claim that they can measure lead levels at the resolution of a month is crap to the n'th degree.

My sympathy. I started having kidney stones back in 1985, and get around 4-5 every year. If you ever dehydrate your body the urine in your kidneys becomes a super-saturated solution and tiny crystals start to grow in your kidneys. Once that happens, get ready for a life with your new friends. The good news is that after 30-40 of these things your ureters get scarred and the pain in the back lessens somewhat. The bad news is the urethra doesn't seem to lose any sensitivity, so the end game remains a challenge. Get familiar with an OTC drug called Azo - my Number 1 go to treatment. My last major stone (i.e., worth seeing a doctor for) was 1.6cm. Don't be thrilled if they tell you that you are going to have a lithotripty procedure. All that does is turn that 1.6cm sphere into an uncountable number of 2-3mm bundles of joy. Good luck!

There are a million different shots you could take, so I suggest you try to visualize it in advance and set up for it early. Crowds usually get in the way, and it's tough moving around the course due to the traffic restrictions. I shot this about a mile from the start, when the runners are still bunched up.

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I loved the map that said that Canada doesn't "have" any nukes. Back in the 70's their planes would fly down to the USAF base I was stationed at and we would conduct exercises where we loaded our nukes on their aircraft. Don't know if they still do this.

Recoletta Cemetery in Buenos Aires.

Everything depends on where you sit, or what you are trying to capture. If you sit at the finish line and try to capture the car crossing the line, panning is your only hope, but I still don't think you'll have much luck. A top fuel or funny car is crossing your FOV at around 330 mph. If your shutter is running at 1/1000 the car will still move close to 6 inches while the shutter is open - tough shot to get. If you sit back at the starting line the shots can be easier. Burnouts are easy to get and look fairly dramatic. If you want to see flames coming out of the pipes you'll have to wait until after dark. The NHRA only runs after dark during qualifying on Fridays, so that is your only chance. The top fuel cars can go from 0-100 mph in 0.8 seconds, so you end up trying to get a night shot with a fast shutter speed. VERY difficult. Strongly suggest fast glass and a camera with excellent high ISO performance. Good luck!

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Brass hammers are used a lot by gunsmiths. Brownells has a big selection. Check out: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/hammers/index.htm

Where is Lex Luthor when you need him?

This is just crazy. Your formula is wrong. Power (in watts) = voltage times current (for a DC circuit). Current = power divided by voltage. Enough.

I'm pretty (i.e., very) sure I remember this: In a DC circuit, power (in watts) = volts x amps. So, (according to the article) 4,000 MW = 600 kV x current in amps, or current = 6,666 amps.

I may be 30+ years removed from betting my BSEE and MSEE, but 4000MW of power on a 600 kV line (DC) is going to take 6,666 amps of current. Who is confident that the crack regulators at the DOE have fully considered the impact of the MONSTROUS magnetic field that will surround these transmission lines.

Doesn't anybody read manuals anymore? On the D810 (and probably most other Nikon DSLRs) you go to the Shooting Menu, select ISO Sensitivity Settings, and turn Auto ISO on or off. If it is on you can select the Maximum ISO Sensitivity it will expose up to, and the Minimum Shutter Speed you can go to before it starts upping the ISO.

I've seen them in both Alaska and Iceland. They were green.

While you may not need it for every situation, there is one where it is mandatory. You can't shoot the aurora borealis without it. Assuming, of course, that you have some nights ashore (i.e., cruise tour vs cruise only). Also handy if you get a chance to shoot a waterfall with a long exposure/ND filter.