The Moon with a Smartphone and Binoculars

Waxing gibbous moon on 25.05.2018 Since I was not able to get a better quality shot of the moon with my current camera and objective, I tried using binoculars and a smartphone instead. Finding the right settings and focusing were much easier since the moon appeared larger on the screen, but working with the phone…

Halikko Church – June 2010

Medieval stone church in Halikko, Finland. The church was constructed in the 15th century and extended in the 19th century. The current bell tower was built in 1773. The view is from the north-west. [Source: Halikon seurakunta – Halikon kirkko]

Photo blogging 2017 recap

I wanted to post more this year than in 2016 and I managed to do only two posts and five photos more. It is not much of a success but at least I got back to participating in the Weekly Photo Challenge. New Year’s Eve 2016 Fireworks Ylisjärvi Cattails Königstuhl Heidelberg Castle in Winter Frozen…

My top games in 2017

According to the Xbox statistics, my most played games this year were Elite: Dangerous and Destiny 2. Contrary to the number of hours played I got the best experience from older single player games I finished this year. Rise of the Tomb Raider I have not played the original Tomb Raiders, but I enjoyed the…

Elite Dangerous: Hauler

The trusty Hauler brought in the money for a Cobra Mk. III. Then I sold it. [Elite Dangerous © 1984 – 2016 Frontier Developments Plc]

My photo blogging 2016 recap

Due to job search and other things I was able to post fewer photographs than I desired. Here you can find a retrospective of the photos I posted during 2016. Weekly Photo Challenge: Circle Winter Sunset Weekly Photo Challenge: Weight(less) Play Traktor Frog Prince Weekly Photo Challenge: Harmony Heidelberg from Philosophenweg Johannes Lohilampi Museum Paikkarin torppa…

Game of the Year: Destiny

Destiny has been around a while but it was still my most played game of the year. It received negative of critique but has improved significantly over the years. I do not have too much time to play games and Destiny is enjoyable as bite-sized chunks: a couple of crucible matches, a strike, a mission, or…

Runner Up of the Year: Elite Dangerous

I first tried Elite Dangerous when it was still in the game preview on Xbox One. I did a bit of exploring and tried combat missions and hauling but did not find it interesting enough to continue. Recently I got back to the game and even bought the Horizons expansion. I have not played a space sim since Independence…

Disappointment of the Year: Tom Clancy’s The Division

I was looking forward to Tom Clancy’s The Division, and the game felt good at first. Unfortunately, the gameplay soon became tedious with bullet sponge and a significant amount of grind required to play effectively, so I quit playing after finishing all the story missions. I returned to the game briefly to check the DLC, and…

Find of the Year: Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition was already released for Xbox One last year. I had not played Divinity series before and dismissed the game as an another Diablo clone. The game was on sale before Christmas, and my brother recommended it, so I decided to give it at try. The setting of the game is…