Ironically, one of my favorite pics from our “leaf peeping” weekend in Vermont doesn’t have any leaves in it.

As planned, I finished reading The Da Vinci Code before the movie is released on May 19th. Once again, Dan Brown did not fail to deliver. As with all of his novels I’ve read, The Da Vinci Code kept me engaged and was a great read… very thought provoking. It’s no wonder he’s sold over 40 million copies.

As you’ve probably heard, this book has been very controversial since it challenges traditional teachings of the Catholic Church. I won’t go into all the details (there’s no shortage of that discussion in the media and on the web), but I intend to research the claims raised in the book. Although Dan Brown mentions at the beginning that “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate”, I’d still like to dig-in deeper and see for myself.

In a previous post I mentioned I read Angels & Demons (the prelude to The Da Vinci Code) as an ebook. I also read The Da Vinci Code as an ebook on my Cingular 8125 Pocket PC phone, which worked out well. However, after finishing this ebook I ran out and purchased the Special Illustrated Edition hardcover. I plan to read the book again and refer to the artwork, symbols, and photographs along the way.

I’m also looking forward to the movie (directed by Ron Howard) coming in May. The trailer and cast look pretty good (Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen).

BTW, I took the panoramic photograph above during a visit to the Louvre in Paris in September 2000. Click on the thumbnail for a full-size version. I can’t wait to visit again in the future.

I was browsing through my 19,000+ photos in Apple iPhoto and on a whim decided to update the main graphic on Exit 171. I noticed this picture I took in Vermont in 1999 and started messing with Photoshop. Long story short, I ended up with the new header graphic above… a combination of photos I’ve taken and some neat Photoshop effects.

My old graphic now lives on my “About” page. Special thanks to Chris Huller for some creative inspiration (he’s created some cool graphics on his blogs)!

In case you’re wondering, “KW2DIO” is my amateur radio (a.k.a. Ham) call sign.