Recently, I’ve had an opportunity to help a friend utilize Google Base.
I searched for Traxxas Slash; these are web results (and an ad.) To use Base, I'll click the link I've circled at the top in red.
I agreed to write the code necessary to create the file that packages his inventory (over 30,000 items) for Base, do the uploading, and generally handle the process for him. What could go wrong? It’s Google, right? A company with enormous respect from the technical community, a huge web presence, and a mantra of “do no wrong.” Well. That’s what makes this worth writing about.
I didn’t think it would take a lot of time to implement as I wrote his entire e-commerce system for him and was familiar with the lay of the land, as it were, and in that, at least, I was right. Base is very easy to integrate with; using Python, it only took me a few hours to be able to generate the required data file to Google’s specifications. Uploading the resulting data file to Google is trivial. But… unfortunately, Base has many problems that go far beyond just uploading a correct data file to the system.
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to drive multiple monitors from the VGA output of a 16-channel security DVR. It’s a small, flat black box with all connections on the rear, nothing on the front but a single red LED indicating it is powered up.
is a great lens. The bokeh is fine. The lens is pretty fast. f/2.8 to f/22 is useful as a creative range. The optics are sharp and the all-time focusing is a boon. So what’s not to like? Well, here’s the thing. The Canon EOS50D, which I use, has the ability to use the viewfinder in “live preview” mode, and when doing so, will allow you to zoom in on your focus point (or anywhere else, but that’s irrelevant to my point here) such that you can see extremely fine detail. At which point you can manually focus the lens so that it is exactly right. Marvelous, right? 
![fyngyrz posted a photo:Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm] @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/6th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. Processed from RAW to JPEG in Aperture 3.](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4415978034_fb4688df16_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm] @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/6th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. Processed from RAW to JPEG in Aperture 3.")
![fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; it didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/125th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4413105737_2afaca02ce_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; it didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/125th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.")
![fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; the area didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/125th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4413872540_7a54750c7d_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; the area didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/125th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.")
![fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; it didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/50th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4413101589_29d43fd652_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; it didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/50th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.")
![fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; it didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/50th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2713/4413870152_853fa263a1_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:I was up all last night, prodding a hack attempt on some servers I maintain, and all night I could see freezing fog swirling in front of the IR-illuminated security cameras. I watched it accumulate on some of the trees, and when first light made itself felt, I got into the tracker and took off down some country roads. It was really fun to do; it didn't look even the least bit familiar in the dim light, with some snow on the ground and the ice on the trees.Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], @ ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, 1/50th sec. exposure, handheld, available light. RAW to JPEG conversion using Aperture 3.")
![fyngyrz posted a photo:Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], SRAW2, handheld, ISO 400, ƒ/1.4, 1/30th sec. exposure, SRAW2 to JPEG in Aperture 3.](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4412053887_b43abe2156_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], SRAW2, handheld, ISO 400, ƒ/1.4, 1/30th sec. exposure, SRAW2 to JPEG in Aperture 3.")
![fyngyrz posted a photo:Yeah, you give 'em smartphones, soon they're gonna wanna go to college, get all uppity n' stuff... mebbe hit you up fer wunna them there eye-pawdz... hey, girl, ain't you pregnant yet? How 'bout that football team, huh?Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], SRAW2, handheld, ISO 100, ƒ/1.4, 1/250th sec. exposure, SRAW2 to JPEG in Aperture 3.](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4412821634_636d24a477_m.jpg "fyngyrz posted a photo:Yeah, you give 'em smartphones, soon they're gonna wanna go to college, get all uppity n' stuff... mebbe hit you up fer wunna them there eye-pawdz... hey, girl, ain't you pregnant yet? How 'bout that football team, huh?Canon EOS 50D [modified IR response in Hα range], hooded Sigma EF-S 30mm ƒ/1.4 EX DC HSM prime [ø62mm], SRAW2, handheld, ISO 100, ƒ/1.4, 1/250th sec. exposure, SRAW2 to JPEG in Aperture 3.")