I have never participated in a discussion with anyone from Topaz about a "subscription" until yesterday when I was told that my SharpenAI subscription was expiring. It was news to me. My only arrangement with Topaz until AI came along was that all updates were at no expense to me and I could install my downloads on as many computers as I chose to. Suddenly, all that changed when they saw an opportunity to incorporate what is being called Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their programs in response to the release of Photolemuer which doesn't fit the definition of AI as it existed when we first became aware of it 40 to 50 years ago, something I dabbled in the programming of in the early 1980s. I am a fan of frequent updates but not necessarily a fan of companies that shift the cost of their R&D to keep them competitive in the market from the company to the customers in conflict with the original agreement between the two although I do realize that often it becomes a matter of necessity. I will remain a fan of Topaz.

Yep, just yesterday. I'm a long time user, selectively, and by that I mean certain modules. I got Studio when released, likewise Studio2. I upgraded Denoise and Sharpen to AI when released and added GigapixelAI. If I haven't missed something, which is always possible, all my upgrade offers since then have been a paid upgrade which I have not done. Yesterday I got a message that my yearly subscription upgrade renewal for SharpenAI was due for $49 and I could get a yearly renewal of all the modules I use, which was referred to as "the photo bundle," comprised of SharpenAI, DenoiseAI, and GigapixelAI at a reduced price of only $63, "which only makes good economic sense." It sounded like they had opted me into a yearly subscription deal to which I had not only not been informed of previously but had not agreed to. I didn't ask them about it - just went ahead and paid the $63 so I don't know the downside of not going along with them. I'm just really tired of discussing this with people in the ever-evolving software industry who committed to certain behavior like "always free updates" only to subsequently discover they had "counted their chickens before the eggs hatched" and have to change their minds when they discover they clearly didn't understand the downside of a saturated market and had to bail on their commitment or sink. It is what it is. They may be phasing in the new process that I've been hit with gradually, starting with older users to dampen a backlash storm. It'll be interesting to see...

I think it's been a couple of years since I was offered a free update. I'm beginning to think they have unequal treatment for different customers?

/

Thanks. Do you recall how you learned of that - what industry authority or manufacturer is saying that? It's only been about a year since we had the conversation I referred to here on uhh and since I'm slowing down on some of my reading, perhaps there's something I've missed but I haven't heard anything like the comment you just made about an improved time span for security of data.

Not sure why I would consider that when the faster Samsung T5 can currently be bought from Amazon for $119.

I've been waiting on someone to say they "store" long-term on SSDs. I read that SSDs aren't a good long-term solution because they will lose their charge and start to "leak" data. Seems like someone in a previous conversation, user "Trix" maybe, or not, said the leaking would begin in about two years. Might be a consideration. I use SSDs as one of multiple devices for backup for the relative speed and then, on another computer, transfer longer term storage to HHDs and use EZ-Dock for ease of access from there on. I don't think, at 84, that I need to worry about HHDs going bad in my lifetime, but SSDs - well, perhaps...

Yep, you're right - I'm pretty bad about leaving nothing to the imagination but the good part is that I'm really good at stating the obvious. 😁

First, it isn't my idea. I read about it and thought it was a good idea. YMMV - suit yourself. Not being a NatGeo guy, I don't spend a lot of time in mud up to my ears but likewise didn't buy my cameras to sit around and protect so I can resell them in pristine condition - I get them to use and don't buy the latest at top dollar. So far, so good. It isn't about saving $40 on a battery - it's about the inconvenience of changing a battery every few minutes.

Some cameras have a cutout slot to accommodate the cord with the door closed and others you can easily remove the door. One of my cameras does neither but you can carefully dremel a slot or, as I do, just leave the door open and. Be mindful that it's open.

Here's a battery substitute to cure Sony battery worries. It's not particularly cheap but you won't soon run out of battery with this setup. The inline plug lets you swap out any battery with any camera. The urls lead to the parts you'll want. I have a dummy battery harness for my a7Riii, a6500, RX-10 and RX-100, as well as a couple of Canon bodies and six batteries which fit nicely in a front pocket or a belt pouch which I don't use. If on a tripod I use a small bungee to secure the battery to a leg. You will need to cut the usb plug off the cord and splice on one of the white "tamiya" plugs so you can hook to the battery and then to the charger. I show 5000mAh batteries in the pic but lead you to 3000mAh batteries. If you want 5000mAh batteries you can search for them. I have 4 3000s and 2 5000s and two chargers. 3000mHa is more than adequate for a day or two worth of shooting. You do need the 8.4v batteries.

Gene Essman <gessmansr@gmail.com>
8:55 PM (24 minutes ago)
to me

Need these four items...

dummy battery. You need to pick the right one for your camera...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284329693827?hash=item42335ed283:g:PZMAAOSwFYdgw--n

connectors...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/301895745736?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=301895745736&targetid=1288994547554&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9028756&poi=&campaignid=11613469917&mkgroupid=117473130610&rlsatarget=pla-1288994547554&abcId=9300455&merchantid=111872977&gclid=CjwKCAjwuIWHBhBDEiwACXQYsXbA1lR2uXtpZujHnU9hiE4XZxoc_yDMB1rmXt2NNqvwOR0oq1Ov3xoCqjkQAvD_BwE

batteries...
2 each 8.4v $27.89
https://www.ebay.com/itm/383616645110?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D232853%26meid%3De89742b319b44b2cabad75d01569cac4%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D383595508229%26itm%3D383616645110%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseUnbiasedWeb%26brand%3DZEEE&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A383616645110e89742b319b44b2cabad75d01569cac4%7Cenc%3AAQAGAAACADOC1s%252FhrSVkTt9WpQFYqAswUxPuSd68QguO9VzkcWXjG3FEQwHgi5UpaKoz%252FiDZYu6Ia%252F1kD7ItbxGFrPVrhxmpa2ESaE7he%252BU4218L8aP6Tb3fy6d36O2TuFHDUcGGTewO1BdoyCsewOp6LeBDR6fxnalnAqLUjxauFzv21fNhYTgrFSa2kdjKFLPXSOVWmpm2IZIvHiGl6DPy9ps%252BEmEk8qigfCysaMncwP2rNYvarEW5E%252BVv%252BAtzArTAw%252Bs1%252Fk40Tpukr22p7fzSG7L%252BUL1Ld027Li0pzwNCY1ykHjXEIf87wPGzulLhnjGT4SkynC4bRAlfITSypDgvzlW5oEgxGkEUR7XGwuNg8O8LjIzswJ66YiuKJLxsbwJ8yfM1S0Y5BT8GhOciA%252BKjO83lQ0u6ZQJ8MjOBJ1BVAvwuBQEgcn7C5XcS1WK9U1%252FfKp2VlKqsEJvRF7Bpof0mInsNyqsp4pOBPFNhWZHGO6qxNjmd81BGalFiOiieDJdtKTMIcGQKh3OHQ7rf7slmfsqhEmVsySgnPto6y4qoYBoqPuOeh6Kea8wKXbKb65uhJJTKy2YBJNfWcJqWkQLHYB3Xr%252B%252BkEA32MokfMom4GA2D67VZvA8%252BFzxg9RuPxO8geWJCwcB0XoRc405WHHa0hmOD7DbmEZXr6GxMjO%252FaCCluGdQH%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2047675&epid=3040375681

charger...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283660899597?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item420b81d50d:g:6qwAAOSwFItdiuvh&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSwcmzw5CLtzTE60FqHcnq2AAA4dKAAJ1uX0BcMxkyo%252BLamALIZNsvhORxwwMwPolcfDab%252B5DyMcX4X3Ab1s4YjuE5u4NtburQnoh4juT4dqTFKWM8lOfQ5lUCEdMkJSUjZzhv3d%252B1oWowRsZoDA%252Bxm6qHYucGFne4uoyTsy6VkfJJhs2fSK9vz4xXvMb6KbbtGZeE7nu5o9%252BCEdEm%252BQsP2dHX8W0wkJNqFMJPkmL1EgPQJlNKqp3DLxTK6BD%252ByD94FQ004IsxJDNyGGSgcXYEo1jSc1RDqYnhccsEdDTBqiBr3c6OxIVuEQS3YJXX2JYqQpr8AmELx%252FoNbJGsGA8bxlf%252BLvVx9So4yr6Zw3SDZAzUj9AKBRar0N439QiyAl0%252BVoMniRoD7qFvhAMB4DMqisUIq6KhYDmqWimLco2p7MBfaWPWGz86wwft%252BGppo6WVNfp5amQBYlTvisais%252F9Wu%252F8xM1eSaToz01LqCJr%252Bwb1ganDRzXiEW4hBMFE5LVy21rOkiQu%252BtfNMPb5y63HDWrveqqhufzfMSrha%252BXltCfx%252F1QSdwhtY2PRJXU7Su%252B2VhbTzwWVXr1rLDJ0PSjA91QYQcfwfwyb%252F2A48Li9Z%252FvpCmCN1vnBMTj%252F8TpqW0aYh7zjrq5kquJr%252BCqFlpEQ37nrD6%252BAQmXe%252Fb%252BsvXIDc4wTK4PUVNGxnF0zLx0LffRDTpx93S2K1b6zxXDcgJqLAFJmuOmFl7pmvSdY2w8IulbKuyLedI2rUoXZy%252F3RPHf0%252F6S%252FN2ezoI1FC2HtETA1%252B%252FY8WrsQIsE654j4fBjJs8AuGKji1Fqkmnsqbmo18EcuF%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524

(Download)


(Download)

Here's the battery substitute I mentioned earlier. It's not particularly cheap but you won't soon run out of battery with this setup. The inline plug lets you swap out any battery with any camera. The urls lead to the parts you'll want. I have a dummy battery harness for my a7riii, a6500, RX-10 and RX-100, as well as a couple of Canon bodies and six batteries which fit nicely in a front pocket or a belt pouch which I don't use. If on a tripod I use a small bungee to secure the battery to a leg. You will need to cut the usb plug off the cord and splice on one of the white "tamiya" plugs so you can hook to the battery and then to the charger. I show 5000mAh batteries in the pic but lead you to 3000mAh batteries. If you want 5000mAh batteries you can search for them. I have 4 3000s and 2 5000s. 3000 is more than adequate for a day or two worth of shooting. You do need the 8.4v batteries.

You need these four items...

dummy battery
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284329693827?hash=item42335ed283:g:PZMAAOSwFYdgw--n

connectors
https://www.ebay.com/itm/301895745736?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=301895745736&targetid=1288994547554&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9028756&poi=&campaignid=11613469917&mkgroupid=117473130610&rlsatarget=pla-1288994547554&abcId=9300455&merchantid=111872977&gclid=CjwKCAjwuIWHBhBDEiwACXQYsXbA1lR2uXtpZujHnU9hiE4XZxoc_yDMB1rmXt2NNqvwOR0oq1Ov3xoCqjkQAvD_BwE

batteries
2 each 8.4v $27.89
https://www.ebay.com/itm/383616645110?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D232853%26meid%3De89742b319b44b2cabad75d01569cac4%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D383595508229%26itm%3D383616645110%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseUnbiasedWeb%26brand%3DZEEE&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A383616645110e89742b319b44b2cabad75d01569cac4%7Cenc%3AAQAGAAACADOC1s%252FhrSVkTt9WpQFYqAswUxPuSd68QguO9VzkcWXjG3FEQwHgi5UpaKoz%252FiDZYu6Ia%252F1kD7ItbxGFrPVrhxmpa2ESaE7he%252BU4218L8aP6Tb3fy6d36O2TuFHDUcGGTewO1BdoyCsewOp6LeBDR6fxnalnAqLUjxauFzv21fNhYTgrFSa2kdjKFLPXSOVWmpm2IZIvHiGl6DPy9ps%252BEmEk8qigfCysaMncwP2rNYvarEW5E%252BVv%252BAtzArTAw%252Bs1%252Fk40Tpukr22p7fzSG7L%252BUL1Ld027Li0pzwNCY1ykHjXEIf87wPGzulLhnjGT4SkynC4bRAlfITSypDgvzlW5oEgxGkEUR7XGwuNg8O8LjIzswJ66YiuKJLxsbwJ8yfM1S0Y5BT8GhOciA%252BKjO83lQ0u6ZQJ8MjOBJ1BVAvwuBQEgcn7C5XcS1WK9U1%252FfKp2VlKqsEJvRF7Bpof0mInsNyqsp4pOBPFNhWZHGO6qxNjmd81BGalFiOiieDJdtKTMIcGQKh3OHQ7rf7slmfsqhEmVsySgnPto6y4qoYBoqPuOeh6Kea8wKXbKb65uhJJTKy2YBJNfWcJqWkQLHYB3Xr%252B%252BkEA32MokfMom4GA2D67VZvA8%252BFzxg9RuPxO8geWJCwcB0XoRc405WHHa0hmOD7DbmEZXr6GxMjO%252FaCCluGdQH%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2047675&epid=3040375681

charger
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283660899597?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item420b81d50d:g:6qwAAOSwFItdiuvh&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSwcmzw5CLtzTE60FqHcnq2AAA4dKAAJ1uX0BcMxkyo%252BLamALIZNsvhORxwwMwPolcfDab%252B5DyMcX4X3Ab1s4YjuE5u4NtburQnoh4juT4dqTFKWM8lOfQ5lUCEdMkJSUjZzhv3d%252B1oWowRsZoDA%252Bxm6qHYucGFne4uoyTsy6VkfJJhs2fSK9vz4xXvMb6KbbtGZeE7nu5o9%252BCEdEm%252BQsP2dHX8W0wkJNqFMJPkmL1EgPQJlNKqp3DLxTK6BD%252ByD94FQ004IsxJDNyGGSgcXYEo1jSc1RDqYnhccsEdDTBqiBr3c6OxIVuEQS3YJXX2JYqQpr8AmELx%252FoNbJGsGA8bxlf%252BLvVx9So4yr6Zw3SDZAzUj9AKBRar0N439QiyAl0%252BVoMniRoD7qFvhAMB4DMqisUIq6KhYDmqWimLco2p7MBfaWPWGz86wwft%252BGppo6WVNfp5amQBYlTvisais%252F9Wu%252F8xM1eSaToz01LqCJr%252Bwb1ganDRzXiEW4hBMFE5LVy21rOkiQu%252BtfNMPb5y63HDWrveqqhufzfMSrha%252BXltCfx%252F1QSdwhtY2PRJXU7Su%252B2VhbTzwWVXr1rLDJ0PSjA91QYQcfwfwyb%252F2A48Li9Z%252FvpCmCN1vnBMTj%252F8TpqW0aYh7zjrq5kquJr%252BCqFlpEQ37nrD6%252BAQmXe%252Fb%252BsvXIDc4wTK4PUVNGxnF0zLx0LffRDTpx93S2K1b6zxXDcgJqLAFJmuOmFl7pmvSdY2w8IulbKuyLedI2rUoXZy%252F3RPHf0%252F6S%252FN2ezoI1FC2HtETA1%252B%252FY8WrsQIsE654j4fBjJs8AuGKji1Fqkmnsqbmo18EcuF%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524

(Download)


(Download)

There's an inexpensive work-around for the battery issue. I'll try to post it a bit later after I get some pics of it.

Absolutely! ...and when all this began to come to light back in the 80's, Florida was our 14th largest state, projected to become our 4th largest in the ensuing years. In 1980, 60% of our population nationwide lived within 50 miles of the coast. We are fast approaching a point where 80% will live within 50 miles of a shrinking coastline, if not already. If projections hold up, as we back away from the coast, it becomes clear that much of the economy of the nation will be threatened as the relocation process will not be cheap, not just of the people who will be forced to move who must deal with job interruptions, but the cost of rebuilding the infrastructure to accommodate the influx of the dislocated people, when and where it is even possible.

Several of our largest cities sit right on the water. How are we going to move New York City out of harms way when there's no buffer zone left to move anything to from the areas that will be threatened by the rising water level. How serious will the interruption of the maritime process of importing goods from our offshore suppliers be when the waterfront ports have been decimated as we are more and more dependent on imported goods. I cannot even begin to imagine the ultimate ramifications.

One thing seems for sure - whatever abatement process any one area utilizes to hold back the water is going to be at the expense of some nearby location because the water is definitely going to go somewhere and fortunes will be lost. A lot of that high rent coastline property that looks like gold now will submit to the upheaval and lose a lot of its current shine which will ripple through our entire economy.

This was expected, is a long time coming, and is probably just the first of many to follow. If you don't believe in global warming, now's a good time to think about investing in real estate in Florida because if there's one more collapse, if that's even needed, prices will hit rock bottom. I was there, doing that, in 1984, when Dr. Stephen Schneider's documentary on global warming was released on PBS, a place where a lot of compelling social issues have been raised. I figured in six months it would be mainstream news, a year at most. It took a little longer than that but by mid-1986 President Reagan had asked Congress to assign a task force of renowned scientists to study Schneider's concept in terms of reality and what the worst case scenario might be if true, so Dr. James Hansen, head of NASA was picked to head up the team. President Reagan wanted the report on his desk by Dec 31st and he had it. I have soaked up everything I could find on the subject, even got my hands on a copy of Hansen's report before President Reagan did and it's amazing, the foresight of Hansen's team and watching it play out almost daily in terms of the predictions in the report.

A book by Dr. Orrin Pilkey of Duke U., entitled "The Beaches are Moving" is a must read prior to considering Florida as a place to make your fortune unless you want to work picking up building debris for a living or helping people move with scuba gear on. I came to the conclusion that I just needed to sell out and move back to Colorado. The market has remained strong longer than I thought it would and I lost some short term profits but Dr. Pilkey predicted the collapse of large buildings around the coastline in the future and it has taken longer than I expected based on Pilkey's findings in such matters as he surveyed the entire USA coastline. Pilkey has since written some other books, one entitled, "The Last Beach," which are also worth reading if you want to understand what Florida and other places that are built on sand are facing, more especially those built on barrier islands which is supposed to be against the law. For your convenience: https://www.google.com/search?q=orrin+pilkey&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS850US850&oq=Orrin+Pilkey&aqs=chrome.0.0i355j46l2j0j0i22i30j69i61j69i60l2.6045j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The southeast side of Miami is battling water in the streets as we speak and the drinking water supply is in an aquifer beneath the city and in serious danger of salt water pollution - it needs some form of encapsulation of the aquifer but that can't happen with all the buildings on top of it. Those folks have a problem.

You might want to check out my post just above this one...