Ramblings
December 30, 2002
Up until now, I've been pretty anti-digital camera, vowing never to give up my 35mm for the new style. But since we got ours (as mentioned earlier), I'm starting to change my tune.
I've always liked the immediacy of digital cameras, but the photo quality (for anything besides the web) was lacking. The off-color, pixellated prints made from family member's cameras kept me away. And another major issue I had was the lag time between pressing the button and the camera actually taking the picture -- I saw too many blurred photos when the "shutter" was open while the camera was moved away from the subject after it was assumed to have been taken.
But after some research (including a very useful "What to look for" article on CNET), I settled on a Canon PowerShot S230, and it (along with Apple iPhoto) has been a blast. With the exception of some redeye issues, even when using the redeye reducing flash -- which (usually) iPhoto can easily fix -- it's a great camera: small, fast, light, and feature-rich.
I've read articles in photo magazines where 35mm stalwarts took to the fun of digital cameras very quickly, to the point of nearly abandoning their 35mm on the spot. I always thought that was an exaggeration, but I can now count myself among those people. I can't wait to drop film for a nice digital SLR ... which I would do now if it weren't for the insane price tag.
I've always liked the immediacy of digital cameras, but the photo quality (for anything besides the web) was lacking. The off-color, pixellated prints made from family member's cameras kept me away. And another major issue I had was the lag time between pressing the button and the camera actually taking the picture -- I saw too many blurred photos when the "shutter" was open while the camera was moved away from the subject after it was assumed to have been taken.
But after some research (including a very useful "What to look for" article on CNET), I settled on a Canon PowerShot S230, and it (along with Apple iPhoto) has been a blast. With the exception of some redeye issues, even when using the redeye reducing flash -- which (usually) iPhoto can easily fix -- it's a great camera: small, fast, light, and feature-rich.
I've read articles in photo magazines where 35mm stalwarts took to the fun of digital cameras very quickly, to the point of nearly abandoning their 35mm on the spot. I always thought that was an exaggeration, but I can now count myself among those people. I can't wait to drop film for a nice digital SLR ... which I would do now if it weren't for the insane price tag.
December 23, 2002
Terrible news on the music front: Forget about any possible Clash reunion. Punk Legend Joe Strummer Dies at 50.
"It's nice to know that our government is making a serious effort towards marketing anti-terrorism... I think you will agree that this official logo clearly illustrates the fact that we mean business?" (via k10k)
December 16, 2002
Quick iTunes Playlist
Here's a way to quickly create a mix on your Mac: create a new iTunes Smart Playlist where "track #" is 3 (or any low number). It'll create a mix of songs consisting of the third song of every CD you've ripped in iTunes.
Here's a way to quickly create a mix on your Mac: create a new iTunes Smart Playlist where "track #" is 3 (or any low number). It'll create a mix of songs consisting of the third song of every CD you've ripped in iTunes.
December 12, 2002
"The more I think about it, the more I love chicken — a great, great meat."
Norm MacDonald doing Larry King's "News & Views" on SNL was hilarious. A lot of people don't think Norm's very funny, but dammnit these are hilarious!
December 11, 2002
December 9, 2002
If there was ever a job that you don't want advertised on your back, it's this one. Also, I think that's stretching the term "engineer" pretty far.
I have been unable to find a good garden/landscape design software for the Mac (preferably OS X-native, but it's not necessary). Everything I've found is either quite inadequate or very expensive high-end CAD software. It doesn't even have to be a standalone application: some garden-specific Illustrator libraries would be great.
If anyone knows of any mid-level Mac landscape design software, please contact me and let me know!
If anyone knows of any mid-level Mac landscape design software, please contact me and let me know!
Labels: gardening
December 6, 2002
If this was anywhere else besides Texas, I'd have a hard time believing this...
Texan Killed Friend Who Drank Last Cold Beer
"There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer," Brasher said in a taped statement that was played during the trial. Testimony showed Brasher shot Lawson in the head with a pistol after the two began arguing over the missing beer.
Texan Killed Friend Who Drank Last Cold Beer
"There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer," Brasher said in a taped statement that was played during the trial. Testimony showed Brasher shot Lawson in the head with a pistol after the two began arguing over the missing beer.
December 4, 2002
If being quoted in a press release is my 15-minutes of fame, then that's pretty weak...
Also, I'm sick of lazy headline writers using the obvious "in the Groove" pun (up there with "getting his Groove on"). It's been done to death, so think of something new, guys!
Also, I'm sick of lazy headline writers using the obvious "in the Groove" pun (up there with "getting his Groove on"). It's been done to death, so think of something new, guys!
December 3, 2002
I'm a bit confused by men who are a little too comfortable being naked. Inspired by my wife, I recently joined a gym. The other day while getting my stuff in the locker room, a guy was standing naked -- facing me -- blowing his nose.
Now, I was wondering why the nose blowing required being pantsless. How bad did he have to blow his nose that he couldn't put on pants first? Obviously not too bad, since he had time to remove them. I figured he could at least face the other way, which is usually the polite thing to do when blowing your nose, whether you're clothed or not. Weird. Maybe it's just me, or perhaps it's just some locker room anti-etiquette that I haven't yet figured out.
Now, I was wondering why the nose blowing required being pantsless. How bad did he have to blow his nose that he couldn't put on pants first? Obviously not too bad, since he had time to remove them. I figured he could at least face the other way, which is usually the polite thing to do when blowing your nose, whether you're clothed or not. Weird. Maybe it's just me, or perhaps it's just some locker room anti-etiquette that I haven't yet figured out.
If you use Google and Mac OS X, download Searchling 1.0. It's a great little search utility that gives you 1-click access to Google searching from anywhere in the OS.
December 2, 2002
Fed-Up Apple Decides To Just Add 1 GHz.
"The 1.25 GHz dual processor PowerMac?" Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. "Yeah, that's now 2.25 GHz. The 1 GHz PowerBook? 2 GHz. Any questions?"
"The 1.25 GHz dual processor PowerMac?" Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. "Yeah, that's now 2.25 GHz. The 1 GHz PowerBook? 2 GHz. Any questions?"
Wired News: What makes Mac users so loyal?
The answer, of course, depends on who is asked: Marketers say it's the brand, psychologists say it's a social relationship, and Apple loyalists say it's the merits of the machine, its friendliness, its simplicity. But some common themes emerge: community, the alternative to Microsoft, and the brand, which connotes nonconformity, liberty and creativity.
(I'm not quite sure exactly what the reason is for me, but if you can't already tell I'm quite an active member of the Cult of Mac.)
The answer, of course, depends on who is asked: Marketers say it's the brand, psychologists say it's a social relationship, and Apple loyalists say it's the merits of the machine, its friendliness, its simplicity. But some common themes emerge: community, the alternative to Microsoft, and the brand, which connotes nonconformity, liberty and creativity.
(I'm not quite sure exactly what the reason is for me, but if you can't already tell I'm quite an active member of the Cult of Mac.)
December 1, 2002
As an early Christmas present, I gave Jill a digital camera. (OK, it's really for both of us...and no, I'm definitely not giving up my 35mm.) So now we've begun playing with Apple's iPhoto, another fantastic program: It does to digital photos what iTunes did for digital music. iPhoto makes it easy to organize photos; create web pages, books, prints, screensavers, etc.; and it's fun to use.
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