Ubuntu: root Missing from /etc/group Problem

This isn't a photography post, but I would like to consolidate my findings in one place, as it seems this information is sparsely available, and not widely spread.

It seems that some installs of Ubuntu (I'm talking about 10.04, before 10.04.1, perhaps earlier) lack a root user in /etc/group. The two errors I have recently seen that have been plagued by this issue are one regarding "/tmp/.X11-unix" (bug 623294 on Launchpad), wherein at some point an apt update/ugrade is run and then one no longer has access to their graphical front end. For the systems I administer, the symptom seemed to be sitting on the window where X loads... X never loads, so the graphics card gets really, really hot over the duration of failed initializations.

The other problem I've run into that has been solved by adding root to /etc/group is "dpkg-statoverrides: syntax error: unknown group 'root' in statoverride file"; in my case the package that could not be updated was hplip. I have had to address this issue twice, and in both cases root was missing from /etc/group.

Short instructions:
First, cat or less your /etc/group

Scroll to the top of the list; if there's no "root:x:0:", add it by running sudo vigr. (You may also use your favorite text editor, but why you would want to use anything but vi makes the mind wobble.)

Type gg to get to the top of the file, then type O to insert a new line above the current line and go into text insert mode. Type root:x:0: and hit ESC. Smile (because you're happy to be using vi and/or using linux) and type :x to save and exit out of vigr.

If your problem is with X, reboot. If your problem is with dpkg or aptitude, running the usual apt commands should now work.

I recommend using vigr to edit /etc/group with vi (duh). I also take no responsibility if this advice breaks your box (it shouldn't).

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Fargo AirSho 2009 - Blue Angels

Time for a very long overdue update to the blog. Hum. Let's see, the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Hornet Blue Angels came to Fargo this summer. Here are a few selections, some of them I am pretty happy with, especially considering I had never shot anything moving quite this fast (several hundred miles per hour, tens of feet off the ground).

Seeing as this was months ago already, I have processed all the images I would consider keeping, though not to a final state. Some of them aren't even available on the web yet.

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February's Lunar Eclipse

A month ago today a total lunar eclipse occurred, and Wisconsin actually had clear weather! The weather was skin-freezingly cold, making the air crisp and clear... and cold. Really cold.

These exposures varied from 1/200s at around ISO200 to 1/8s at ISO1600. In 2010 I'll rent a longer lens to get closer, as 400mm was fairly insufficient.

For those considering purchasing one of these montages, sizes greater than about 8x10" will probably suffer from some quality loss. I have printed several at 8x10, and they're beautiful, and a couple have gone to schools for educational purposes.

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Winter's Garden

I had two (of three submitted) pieces juried into the Winter's Garden show, which is hosted at the Riverfront Arts Center in Stevens Point, WI from January 18th through February 17th, 2008.

The show has a floral theme. Accepted work is hung, and then the Riverfront displays a couple dozen orchids of various genera throughout the duration of the show. The orchids, like some of the displayed works, are for sale.

My two pieces are Every Which Way and Departure, shown, respectively, below:





If you're around central Wisconsin, head on over and check it out. It's definitely worth a visit.

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Enigmatic Geminids

Tonight are the Geminids, a meteor shower caused by 3200 Phaethon. In classic Wisconsin fashion, this astronomical event will probably be obscured by clouds. (Argh!) But that won't stop some of you from seeing a show that has been getting better and better through the years.

While viewers in Alaska and Asia will see the peak of the show, a crescent moon should allow dark skies that will make the meteors visible for viewers with clear skies.

Recent years have seen peaks of 120-160 meteors per hour. Geminid meteors move at a rather sluggish 22 miles per second. This, combined with their greater density, lead to easy-to-spot, slow-moving meteors, some of which are spectacular fireballs, breaking up and streaking throughout the atmosphere.

So how do you photograph such an event? First, find an area with a light pollution-free view of the east-northeastern sky. I like using a high ISO with a shorter shutter speed. This allows for the least burn-in of light pollution, lower noise values, and a more vibrant representation of the short-lived events that are space debris in our atmosphere.

Also aiding in light gathering is use of a wide aperture. I use f/4, because that's the largest the 17-40L will get. If I had a faster wide angle, I would use it. Gathering the greatest amount of light in the least amount of time will give black skies with bright stars. For those looking to do star trails and meteor trails on digital, many short exposures can be combined to produce star trails containing any photographed meteors.

Tripod. One will be needed for meteors.

A wide angle will allow coverage of a great portion of the sky. Pre-focusing your lens at infinity, before dark, is a good idea. Use the distance scale on your lens (if it has one) if it's after dark. Many lenses will focus "beyond" "infinity", so cranking the focusing ring all the way to infinity will probably not lend very nice results.

Where to aim the lens? Put the radiant off towards a rule-of-thirds intersection and let the camera do its thing. You can point the camera at any area of the sky, but there isn't really a guarantee on which area will be the most rewarding.

Some background on 3200 Phaethon: There is debate about whether 3200 Phaethon is an asteroid or a dead comet. The leading arguments tend towards an extinct comet that has picked up debris and become asteroid-like. The path 3200 Phaethon follows is elliptical, and extends towards the asteroid belt, just beyond Mars. Until we can visit 3200 Phaethon, we can enjoy the mysterious Geminid asteroid-meteor shower.

Some additional information:

Meteor Showers Online

NASA

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Consider the Donkey

Seattle-based professional outdoor recreation and lifestyle photographer Chase Jarvis put together this half-hour video discussing how he shuffles his gear from here to location:



It's contains a lot of great information, especially for those who travel and photograph overseas.

If you don't have time for the 30-minute Advanced version of the video, Chase also posted a truncated, ten-minute version to YouTube.

-30-

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Using Natural Light

Focal Point Camera Club's November presentation was given by me, and it covered some of the technical and practical points involved in seeking out and capturing naturally-lit scenes. I have made an abbreviated version of the PowerPoint available as a download to club members.

I will gladly field any questions in the comments section of the blog, and I invite anyone with an opinion to chime in as well. I will also field e-mail questions, but I will probably just end up posting them anonymously in the comments section in an effort to make the discussions as diverse and community-wide as possible.



Here is the abbreviated version of Using Natural Light. The password was sent with the original e-mail. If you've misplaced the e-mail, the password is the club president's first name all in lowercase letters.

An outline of what was covered:

Technical	f/8 & Be There
RAW & JPEG	Magic Hour/Golden Hour Aplenglow
Exposing Right	Night
Bracketing	Difficult Light Daylight & Noon
Color Temperature White Balance	Macro
	Filters

I planned on handing out a few website URLs to go along with some of the points I was talking about. Off the top of my head, The Luminous Landscape is a great resource, especially this article on exposing right. Posted just today (Nov. 21) is an article entitled JPG Follies, which touches on flexibility in white balance and correcting exposure "mishaps".

The November 2007 issue of Popular Photography had an article on RAW vs. JPEG with a brief, but beneficial slideshow featuring some images from the talented Marc Adamus.

A few other resources that I didn't use in writing this presentation, but are useful to have at one's disposal: fredmiranda.com (especially the forums, with a grain of salt), Nature Photographers Online Magazine, POTN (Canon), and The Radiant Vista (Photoshop tutorials, critiques).

Again, feel free to ask questions in the comment section. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.

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