So, I've finally gone to an all Linux workflow for photo editing. Here's my (current) process. It'll still need some fine tuning as I've only been using this system for a couple weeks. I'm sure my workflow will either be abandoned entirely or greatly tested in the coming months.
I shoot a Canon 20D, and I'm only shooting RAW now. I figure I can convert to JPG easily on the computer, so for the times I'm just doing snapshots, it's not that much more difficult than having them from the camera. The tools I use are Digikam, RawTherapee, Raw Studio, and The GIMP.

My process is, I connect the camera to the computer, and have it set to open them in Digikam's importer. Usually I set up a folder for each date, unless I'm working on a specific project, then I use the project name. I import all the images and then then go through them using Page Down and ctrl+n to rate them. My system is:

• 1 Star: Crap. Delete.
• 2 Stars: Snapshot at best. Just convert to JPG and delete the RAW
• 3 Stars: Possibly Salvageable, worth exploring
• 4 Stars: Good. Clean up and post
• 5 Stars: Amazing. Who was using my camera when this got taken?

Then I sort by rating. 1s get deleted, 2's get sent to Raw Studio and batch converted to JPG, then the RAW files are deleted. Then I open the 3s in RawTherapee and see if playing with exposure/saturation/contrast/etc. helps them. If yes, I'll up them to a 4, if no, drop them to a 2. 4s get the Raw Therapee treatment. If I'm happy with them as taken I'll convert them to JPG for uploading to flickr, if I think they need more work, I'll convert them to PNG to play with in GIMP. 5's get the same treatment as 4s.

I'm not (yet) using the tagging features and such in Digikam, but I think I will start to soon.

So, that's my work flow for now.

It's been a couple weeks since I posted my Friday Roundup (bad Sean!). So here goes.
I haven't explored ChaCha yet, but it looks like it could be very interesting. (via GapersBlock)

I like lists, and these cought my eye: 25 Ways to Jump Start Photography Inspiration, 18 Five-Minute Decluttering Tips to Start Conquering Your Mess, and 7 Insanely Simple Ways to Ensure Your Project Gets Done.

I found Thinking Rock and it seems to be a great way to organize projects in a GTD format. So far getting rolling is slow, but that just because I've got a lot of crap I need to do.

And this is just plain awesome. DIY flash triggers for taking pictures of things breaking! Expect some pictures before too long.

I've mentioned the Strobist site before, and it's a great resource for learning about how to use lighting in photography. It's also strongly focused on working low-budget and portable. Both of which I'm in favor of. Additionally, a fairly vibrant community has sprung up around it on Flickr. Recently a group of people from the Chicago area decided to get together and have a group photo session. Last Saturday, about 25 photographers and several models met up in Downers Grove at the Microsoft offices and spent the day trying stuff out and learning from each other. It was a resounding success, and plans are already in the works for more meetings.

Surprisingly, I didn't take very many pictures. Rather, I took the opportunity to watch and learn from the more experienced people how they were able to work with their lights and their models. It was very interesting to see how things combine to get different results. I'm used to a world where you use an entirely different fixture to get a different look from your light, and usually (because on the stage, people are moving) you work more with intensity than with finnesse. It was a great day, and I had a lot of fun. I look forward to the next meetup, and I'm grateful to the models who volunteered their time, as well as the other photographers who made their gear available for others. Of course, I hate you all because now I want to spend a bunch more money on more flashes and wireless triggers.

And, in the "small world" file... One of the attendees is the brother-in-law of a friend from high school. Neat!