Black light bowling

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The snows cometh...

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DirecTV to launch 3D-HD channel in 2010

DirecTV to launch 3D-HD channel in 2010: "

You know what was so 2009? Television in HD. You know what is so 2010? Television in HD and 3D. HD Guru is reporting that DirecTV is planning to launch an all HD and 3D channel in 2010; with an announcement forthcoming at this years CES show in Las Vegas. The new service will be made possible by a new DirecTV satellite being shot into orbit sometime in the very near future, a satellite slated to be fully operational by March of 2010. The channel will play a variety of movies and sports all conforming to the latest 3D standard. Now before we all get too excited, the new service will work with your current DirecTV HD box, thanks to a firmware update, but you will have to purchase yourself a new 3D compatible HD TV — many of which are to be announced at CES this year. Will 3D be the new buzz word of the 2010 television market? We will see.

Read

"

XBMC "Camelot" update brings lots of new features

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1

Joseph said 7:39PM on 12-28-2009

crazy, this was on engadget 2 days ago, but it feels like it was a week old.

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2

EGOvoruhk said 10:30PM on 12-28-2009

It only came out on Christmas Eve

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3

Chris said 8:57PM on 12-28-2009

Is this update for AppleTV too?

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4

Byran Newell said 2:48AM on 12-29-2009

I tried this—for about a minute. Granted, it's not a whole heckuva lot of time, but Plex, it ain't. I've used Boxee, Plex, XBMC, and about 2-3 others. You know what? Plex is pretty much flawless. Hell, it even comes with a folder action that catalogs your downloaded TV torrents into Name, Episode, and Season so that it can read it properly.

Can someone who has tried Plex, but stuck with XBMC, can they explain to me why? Cause... I don't get it.

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5

EGOvoruhk said 4:46AM on 12-29-2009

XBMC does that too. Plex was forked from XBMC long ago, and no longer has the benefit of seeing all of XBMC's improvements added into it. The only thing Plex has over XBMC, are the plug-ins, which are coming to XBMC in one form or another. Once that happens, Plex will be nothing. XBMC has one thing Plex greatly lacks: Developers, lots of them

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Chris Leither said 7:19AM on 12-29-2009

Yeah I tested XMBC too... versions of long gone... and in its current form...

I can't really say why... but everything SCREAMS PC to me... while Plex feels more OS X-like. Feature-wise I could not really spot a difference...
To be quite frank tho... I probably do not use that many features of the software anyway.
Imo there's room for improvement with both of them... so let's just wait and see... I for once... have 'connected' my video library with BOTH apps...

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Some nice Mac OS improvements

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Incredible! Scientists have built a real cloaking device #fb

http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/Now-You-See-It-Now-You-Dont.html

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Kindergarten party!

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Nikon Learn and Explore Keeps Photo Tips in Your Pocket [Downloads]

Nikon Learn and Explore Keeps Photo Tips in Your Pocket [Downloads]: "

iPhone: There are scads of photography resources on bookstore shelves and on the web, but they're not always available when you're about to shoot a birthday cake scene in pitch black. Nikon's got an app stuffed with portable photography advice.

Of course, if you're somewhere in cellular range, the web's photography resources are, in fact, available on your iPhone. Chances are, though, they're not as organized and immediately on-topic as the information held inside Learn and Explore. Read up on adjusting depth of field, shutter speed, ISO levels, and other fancy-schmancy settings for your digicam or DSLR, and check out examples of what can be done in the situation you're shooting. If you've got a bit of idle time, you can also read the last four issues of Nikon World magazine, and check out the slideshows normally linked to the mag's features on the web.

Neat, free stuff, and it obviously helps any brand of camera.

Learn and Explore for the iPhone [Nikon USA]

"

traffic shaping

traffic shaping: "

The CRTC recently announced regulations around traffic shaping. The way I (and many others) read the announcement, this is a significant restriction imposed on the carriers by the CRTC; they must give customers 30-60 days notice, they must actually prove that traffic shaping is the only option available, and they cannot slow traffic so much that they are effectively blocking the service (which is what Rogers used to do with BitTorrent, although I haven’t checked lately to see if that’s changed).

Anyway, while it’s not the net-neutrality that some people wanted, I think this is actually a victory for consumers. As Michael Geist puts it :

The CRTC’s net neutrality (aka traffic management) decision is out and though it does not go as far as some advocates might hope, it unquestionably advances the ball forward on several important fronts. When considering the decision, it is important to remember that 12 months ago, there was virtually no ISP disclosure of traffic management practices and even an unwillingness to acknowledge that there was an issue. Today’s CRTC decision signifies that traffic management is not a free-for-all and the days of ISPs arguing that they can do whatever they please on their networks is over.

So, the headline in the Globe and Mail today reads:

Big Internet carriers win right to manage traffic

Now I would never accuse a newspaper of being biased (cough, cough), but if you follow the Globe and Mail’s ownership chain upwards, this headline is … disturbing … :)

"

Add Apple's free Backup.app to your backup toolbox

Add Apple's free Backup.app to your backup toolbox: "

Filed under: Odds and ends, Security, MobileMe

When most people think about Apple and backups they probably think about Time Machine or perhaps even Time Capsule. But Apple has a lesser-known application which you might consider using.

The app, simply named Backup, was originally available only to .Mac users, but is now openly available on Apple's website. It lists 'MobileMe account' as one of its requirements. If you do not have a MobileMe account, each backup is limited to 100 MB. The good news is that for what I am suggesting, 100 MB will be completely sufficient for most people. Follow along as I use Backup to create a complete and scheduled backup of personal data and settings on my Mac.

First, install and launch the application. Choose Plan > New Plan from the menu.

If you have a MobileMe account, choose the "Personal Data & Settings" option (second from the top), click the "Choose Plan" button, and then skip the next paragraph.

Continue reading Add Apple's free Backup.app to your backup toolbox

TUAWAdd Apple's free Backup.app to your backup toolbox originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VMware Fusion 3 The Best Way to Run Windows on the Mac Coming October 27th

VMware Fusion 3 The Best Way to Run Windows on the Mac Coming October 27th: "

We are pleased to announce that VMware Fusion 3, the best way to run Windows on the Mac, will be available worldwide on October 27 and is available for pre-order today.

The team has been working hard for almost a year to bring VMware Fusion 3 to you. VMware Fusion 3 makes it easier and faster than ever to run Mac and Windows applications side-by-side without rebooting.

VMware Fusion 3 has over 50 new features and enhancements including:

• Optimized for Snow Leopard. VMware Fusion 3 leverages Mac OS X Snow Leopard’s advanced architecture with a new 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel to deliver an even better Windows on Mac experience.

CPU usage running Windows Live Writer on Windows 7 x64 while writing this blog post

• Ultimate Windows 7 Experience. VMware Fusion 3 is the FIRST virtualization product for the Mac to provide the full Windows 7 experience, side-by-side with your Mac, complete with Windows Aero and Flip 3D. Run 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 -- it is your choice.

Only VMware Fusion 3 Supports Windows Aero with Flip 3D

• Switching Made Easy. VMware Fusion 3 makes it easy for users to bring their entire PC to their Mac in a few easy steps – wirelessly or with a simple Ethernet cable – allowing customers to protect investments in existing Windows software, and to keep using the programs they still need all for the same low price!

Leverage Apple’s Bonjour for the most Mac like way to migrate your PC to the Mac

• Best-in-Class 3D Graphics. VMware was the first to provide virtual 3D graphics and is the first to support Windows Aero in a virtual machine on the Mac. VMware Fusion 3 is also first to support DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0 3D graphics and now adds support for OpenGL 2.1 for Windows virtual machines to enable more Windows applications and games.

Playing Left 4 Dead in a Windows 7 VM!

• Run Windows Apps, The Mac Way. VMware Fusion has been designed from the beginning to make it easy to run Windows apps like Mac apps. VMware Fusion 3 makes it even better with the “Always On” Applications Menu that banishes the Windows Start menu from your Mac and let’s you find and launch Windows apps like Mac apps, even when VMware Fusion is not running. Cycle through open Windows apps with “ command ` ”, quit individual Windows applications with “command q”, and use Dock Exposé with Windows apps.

Kick the Windows Start Menu to the curb with the new “Always On” Application Menu

• Maximum Performance. Finely Tuned. Building on the proven reliability and performance of VMware Fusion 2, the new 64-bit native core engine and 4-way multi-core SMP make VMware Fusion 3 perform even better. In addition, many smaller refinements increase overall performance from better disk and graphics performance on Snow Leopard, improved 2D interactive performance, faster scrolling in Windows applications, faster to enter Unity view, improved application launch times and much more. VMware Fusion 3 is finely tuned to make Windows run even better than before on the Mac.

Sounds great, what does it cost and when can I get it?

VMware Fusion 3 is available in one, all-inclusive edition that includes everything you need to switch to a Mac for just $79.99.

VMware Fusion 3 will be available at all authorized retailers worldwide and from the VMware Online Store on Tuesday, October 27th.

Starting today, VMware Fusion 3 is available for pre-order at the VMware Online Store, the Apple Online Store® (apple.com), and Amazon.com. Buy today and your order will ship by Tuesday, October 27th.

What does the upgrade cost and when can I get it?

We want to make it inexpensive and simple for users to take advantage of more than 50 new features and enhancements in VMware Fusion 3. Upgrades from previous versions of VMware Fusion to VMware Fusion 3 will cost only $39.99 and will be available starting Tuesday, October 27 from the VMware Online Store.

What if I just bought VMware Fusion 2?

Customers who purchase VMware Fusion 2 from October 1, 2009 through end of November qualify for a free downloadable upgrade to VMware Fusion 3. In order to qualify for this free upgrade, customers will need to fill out an online form and provide related proof of purchase. The free upgrade redemption website will be available beginning October 27th at www.vmware.com/fusion. Free upgrades will take up 4 weeks to deliver.

Stay Tuned for More Details…

We look forward to sharing more details about VMware Fusion 3 here on the Team Fusion blog over the next few weeks.

We are excited to bring VMware Fusion 3 to you and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did in creating it for you.

"

Crying Tiger before I get my hands on it

Crying Tiger before I get my hands on it

Cowboys & Broncos need this!

Cowboys & Broncos need this!

Fireman Fred enjoys play time

Family's best iTunes Friend - Mojo

Like more and more people I have a household of internet connected devices and a family sharing those devices. I've long used iTunes to acquire and manage music and until a few years ago having all iTunes activity concentrated on one computer was convenient enough. These days I need the library to be available on each computer. 

iTunes has a music sharing feature which works quite well if all you want to do is listen to the library from a "secondary" computer. However Apple has intentionally crippled library sharing by preventing you from burning a CD using shared songs (in fact you can't even create a playlist of your own using a shared song). My level of frustration from the inconvenience of having to buy music and burn CDs for the rest of my family finally reached the threshold to make me do something about it.

The key use cases I wanted to address were:

1. Ability to log into any computer in the house and burn a CD with music in the library
2. Ability to shop for and buy music from any computer in the house and have it accessible to all the other computers

It took quite a bit of searching to find a solution but I finally found a tool called Mojo by Deusty. Mojo has a free version which provides some nice sharing features. However it is the Pro version which caught my eye because it solves both use cases at a cost of only $11 (3 licenses). 

On each computer I have created a iTunes smart playlist that includes all music added in the last two months. I installed Mojo on each computer and used the Pro version's "subscribe" feature to subscribe to the "recently added" playlist. This means Mojo will monitor changes in the playlist on each computer and automatically download new music. The end result is a "hands off" method of making our music available to everyone in the house. It is working flawlessly and I couldn't be happier (well, if this was a feature of iTunes I'd be happier...).

One caveat - at this point virtually none of our music has DRM. When Apple announced almost all music would move to the Plus format, and have no DRM, I chose to update songs I had previously purchased. I had done some tests and found the audio quality improvement in the "iTunes Plus" versions was significant. If your songs are DRM'd Mojo will not download them.

Now know one has to be frustrated that Dad doesn't have time to get all the music files onto a single machine to burn their CD for them and Dad doesn't have to listen to whining :-)

From a security standpoint no one outside of our network can get to our libraries since our router blocks connections to the Mojo port. 

Getting VNC and the VPN to play nicely together

I work from home regularly but have always found my work laptop's display to be difficult to use for long periods of time. When my laptop wasn't on the VPN I had been using Microsoft's RDP to make use of my incredibly beautiful iMac 24" display to proxy for the laptop display. However this doesn't work when the laptop is on the VPN since incoming RDP connections are blocked by my employer.

As I worked from home more and more I finally got irritated enough by RDP's inability to display a full resolution version of the laptop's display and the inability of any of this to work when on the VPN to do something about it all. At least for now I don't want to have a separate monitor or try to go to a KVM setup.

I had already implemented the ability to SSH from my Windows laptop to the iMac using public key authentication. This allowed me to use VNC from the work laptop to the iMac and ensured I could keep all personal info off of the work machine. This capability is required in order to do the next steps (well, the public key part isn't required, password authentication would be OK but isn't recommended for security reasons). There are a lot of sites with info on setting up SSH and VNC to use from a work machine to a home Mac. I'm not gonna duplicate that info here. Once you have that working the rest should be trivial for you so the exact details have been left as an exercise for the reader :-) But here's the overview...

• I copied my original SSH script to create two more on the laptop. One for use when the laptop is on the VPN (in which case I use the public domain name of my iMac) and the other for when the laptop is off the VPN (in which case I have to use the IP address of the iMac). The scripts are identical to the one I use to SSH from the laptop to the iMac for accessing the iMac except the "-L" is replaced by a "-R" with the "R" telling SSH to set up a reverse mapping. Also the port is changed from 5900 to 5901 (see the note below for why).
• I run RealVNC's service mode server on the laptop. Once the reverse SSH connection is established I can then use Chicken of the VNC to display the laptop's "screen" on the iMac (other VNC viewers should work too).
• Since the iMac accepts incoming VNC connections on the default port 5900 the "Display" number must be "1" (i.e. port 5901) when accessing the laptop's display. Otherwise CotVNC will try to display the iMac's screen in it's window resulting in a cool but useless and frustrating recursion. For an address have CotVNC connect to localhost.

The main point of this blog entry is to let you know this is possible. If you have a question shoot me a message but note I can't provide detailed support. Also, FWIW, the reverse SSH technique is not Mac-specific and can be used on other flavors of OS.

Skype is Approved

Skype just came out with an iPhone version of their app. It allows calls over Wifi - i.e. it doesn't use up your mobile phone minutes. Calls to other users on Skype are free and there are low cost plans for calling landlines. The international calling rates are especially low compared to other long distance options.

The iPhone app is great for a 1.0 app. It's existence prompted me to set up an account and install the Mac and Windows versions as well. Calls on the iPhone are very clear. The one call I've done on my iMac was very good as well (even using the builtin microphone).

I'm a believer. This thing has legs :-)

Space on Mac OS Leopard

I think it is true that many Mac users aren't aware of Spaces. I saw this blog entry today on TUAW which gives an introduction. Since some relatives recently saw me using Spaces while looking over my shoulder and gave immediate ooohs and aaahs I thought it worth doing a post on how I use Spaces. Please read the TUAW post first as I'm not going to duplicate the info here.

I changed the default key to reveal all the spaces to F5 (from F19). This places it right next to the Dashboard and Expose hotkeys. I chose to run with 4 Spaces and use them thusly:

1. My main Space - Mail, Twhirl, Safari
2. Reference Space - iCal, AddressBook, iTunes
3. Secondary work Space - usually just has FireFox but I sometimes park others there
4. Multimedia work Space - usually Aperture but also other photo and video apps open here

I use the Spaces controls to force the named apps into the desired Space. I have DragThing set to appear in all Spaces since it is my main app launcher.

N.B. This blog is not as active as it was. I'm doing quite a bit of posting on FaceBook right now. We'll see how that works out...

Wow, may I have been right?

In my post a week ago I posited that there were indications we may be putting the worst behind us. Since then several positive signs have emerged. While I certainly have no crystal ball I remain convinced the world is not coming to an end and as always Americans, in particular, are adapting very quickly to the new financial reality. All that is needed now is for the government to finish articulating the "toxic asset" plan and then leave things alone for awhile. The ongoing threat of additional government intervention in additional aspects of business and life needs to be put on hold. People need to feel some stability and confidence in what the rules will be for at least the next year. 

Crazy "Customer Service" Letter

Just got a letter from my wireless provider, AT&T. It informs me of their efforts to "better serve you". I can summarize the lette :

1. I will have to change the address where the automatic bill payment is sent
2. My monthly service discount will no longer apply to the additional lines on my account
3. Various features and services will not longer be available (but of course in fine fashion it provides no clue as to what those may be)

Please explain to me how any of this better serves me...

Way out on a Limb

I'm going way out on a limb to say I am seeing some encouraging signs. Not items that are good news in the absolute sense but rather signs that the degree of necessary pain to put the worst behind us are starting to show up. Companies are finally cutting or eliminating dividends is one minor example. I mean, how insane is it to for a company that is facing huge funding and cash flow issues to keep paying a dividend? There is no shareholder value in going bankrupt...

Newly unemployed numbers are still huge but aren't accelerating. There is bound to be at least one more quarter of substantial layoffs. Heck, for all I know I'll be one of them. But with such poor government action there is no way to avoid this round of layoffs and the sooner they're done the sooner the bottom will have been reached. 

The massive numbers of people facing foreclosure and other loan problems is going to be a big boon to the financial service companies that are some of the ones facing the most dire situation. 

And it seems even GM is acknowledging that bankruptcy could be a viable option - something everyone except union-backed politicians has known all along. GM has long been a government subsidized company and can't compete without a bankruptcy to clean up unreasonable financial obligations. 

I'm not happy about all the pain. I'm feeling some now and it will be a miracle if I don't feel a lot more soon. But like a root canal the only option to get to a better days is to push through it.

Newest source of my disdain: People claiming things are as bad as the Great Depression. Get a friggin clue. Better yet, read some history books and pray for forgiveness. 

Death of a Newspaper

Over at CNet Matt Asay has a post about the future of newspapers.

This has been on my mind lately as the local rag, The Dallas Morning News, has been cutting cutting cutting content. I'm not much of a "write the editor" guy but a cut they made at the first of this year prompted my first ever missive. SportsDay used to include a listing of second and third tier area sports events. Things like college sports (basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball...) and minor league games primarily. Their response to my complaint was they needed to save space due to "these tough times". I replied asking why they didn't at least put it on the web site if space was the reason. Of course they never answered me. Their site pretty well sucks and its clear they aren't really trying to monetize its content.

I just don't see how eliminating local and timely information is a strategy to help justify my subscription cost. The only things I still find useful/interesting are:

• Coupons - helps offset the subscription cost but if I don't subscribe I probably have a net savings
• Weekend Guide that is published on Fridays (but omits all sports events?!?!?!)
• Ads with local CD and money market rates (a temporary interest, no pun intended)

If the Observer would add more of the family oriented events typical of the Weekend Guide I'd definitely drop my subscription. As it is I am still pretty close to canceling as I'm sure the usefulness of the DMN is in a fatal decline.

Views on Flickr

No, not some treatise on Flickr but literally some comments on view counts on my photos...

This shot of Vancouver from Stanley Park is my most popular photo, even though taken a long time ago. It has nearly 2,000 views. Most of the traffics is driven by image searches on the word Vancouver. No surprise, eh?


Next up is a photo I titled Long Goodbye leads to the Doorway to Heaven. This photo's popularity is quite surprising to me as I took it using my iPhone, which isn't the best quality camera for sure, and the subject isn't exactly a happy one. Frankly I am not sure why it is so popular and Flickr is unable to really track back visits to its page. This is one of my photos I'm sure is being used without my being notified.


The number three photo is another that has a surprisingly large view count. In this case I know it's due to usage on this web site (scroll down a few times to see it). I took this photo on a whim and just posted it for fun. Never thought it would be seen by so many folks.


Not much to say about number 4. It is a happy image from the holidays. But I did find it is being used on a couple of different web sites (one for cooking and one for BJ Club employees!).


And rounding out the top 5 is a second iPhone photo of a somewhat dramatic sky. Part of its popularity is the fact it has a UFO tag as well as having been featured on Flickr in a iPhone set. But the majority of the traffic can't be tracked so the main driver of views remains a mystery.


Flickr has been an eye opener for me as a photographer. It has been a great way to see how other people see my photographs - and their reactions are often a real surprise.

Kind of a pun, for this blog, but I added Snap Shots

I added a tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, IMDb profiles and Amazon products, display inline videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts and more. Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

You can disable Snap Shots by just clicking the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

Nikon D90

When I bought my Nikon D40x last year I don't recall receiving many comments or questions. However since buying my Nikon D90 I've been getting quite a few so I thought I'd bore you with my opinions/experience. Email me with any questions, arguments or juicy rumors about your love life.

Unlike lenses, digital camera bodies follow the rapid depreciation curve of other electronics as technology makes rapid progress. If you can wait to upgrade your camera you will surely get a better one in the next generation - quite likely at a lower price. If you're debating better glass vs. a new camera body I'd go with the glass unless your current camera actually prevents you from accomplishing something important.

I have an engineering mind so I do a lot of spec and review comparisons for major purchases. Nikon has a very handy spec comparison for its current models. I used dpreview's evaluation of the Nikon D90 as my primary review. From these I came up with a longish list of advantages in the D90 vs. D40x. Here's my list along with my brief comment based on my usage. The first group, in green, are the ones that have proven of real value in practical shooting.

• Much improved CMOS sensor [shared with D300, great high ISO at this price]
  
• Built in dust removal system [so far no visible dust on real or test images]
  
• Exposure and white balance bracketing
  
• Records HD video with audio [a bit tricky but can produce some cool video]
  
• 12 MP vs 10 MP [more is better...]
  
• 4.5 fps [didn't realize how much faster 4.5fps is compared to 3fps until I tried it...]
  
• Can autofocus lenses lacking built in focus motors [wider choice of used lenses]
  
• 3" high resolution LCD [provides great in camera review]
  
• More buttons and other methods to quickly changes settings [handier than I expected]
• More autofocus points (but still only 11) [don't see much improvement in practice]
  
• High speed flash sync
  
• Wireless commander for flash
  
• Custom Picture Controls (can save and export)
• Live View for composing via LCD
• Depth of Field preview button [haven't had much luck with this one]
  
• Active D-Lighting to help with shadow areas [don't use it]
  

From all this the tipping point in my decision to upgrade so soon was the video capability. It is well known the D90 will not replace a camcorder. Lack of autofocus while shooting is one of several major limitations. However I got tired of juggling cameras at kid events. My main love and vehicle of visual communication is photography. But there are definitely times as a parent I want to capture motion and audio. Last year this meant taking two bulky devices (D40x and camcorder) to concerts etc and trying to juggle between them. Cumbersome, makes you look a bit like an obsessed fool, and in the end results in missed shots/video. With the D90 it is possible to instantly switch between photography and videotaping plus you can take advantage of the variety of lenses available on a DSLR.

As a photographer there are definitely things to love about the D90 (over a D40/40x/60). Near the top of the list is the high ISO performance (i.e. ability to take good looking photos, low in noise, even in darker conditions). I created a set of simple shots over on Flickr to illustrate the camera's capability. The D40x was OK up to 800 and pretty marginal at 1600. The D90 looks very good at 1600 (as long as you're not planning poster prints) and up through 6400 is still definitely usable. This sort of performance really opens up the world of indoor natural light photography. This is a great thing for me as I love using natural light for indoor candids and portraits. When you couple the high ISO performance with a fast prime lens (in my case the 50mm f/1.8D) you have a powerhouse on a budget. I think this is a feature even casual users can take advantage of (though they may not know they want it...).

Hope the above info and insight into my twisted decision process is of help to someone. Now back to having fun!

Flickr and Getty

I'm obviously a Flickr addict and love photography. I'm also a business man and of all the web-based services I use regularly Flickr is the one that has always mystified me. They started with a great idea and then - they did NOTHING. Last year they added video in a completely lame attempt to do what???? compete with YouTube? I think it was a waste of money and hasn't gained traction. All the while the low hanging fruit was left to ripen. Maybe now it is on to the rotting stage.

But Corazon Girl twittered today about possible moves Flickr is making to connect at least certain users with Getty Images. Flickr has attracted a large community of very talented photographers yet provides no marketplace for their work. Worse yet Flickr, in spite of their terms of usage and ability to have user's mark their work as copyright etc., virtually facilitates, via their API, the inappropriate and illegal use of photos. As you know it is hard to do a search for a photo someone may have downloaded and stolen for inappropriate use. Yet nearly anyone who posts much on Flickr encounters it on a regular basis. Obviously it is a rampant problem and has been a great source of tension between serious amateurs and professionals and Flickr.

Although I'd be delighted to be paid for photography it's not a focus for me so this isn't a critical issue at the personal level. But I'd love to see Flickr do something to put some teeth behind Copyright and Creative Commons while at the same time making it easy for people to make legitimate use of the great photos on Flickr.

Maybe now that a business person is taking over Yahoo more attention will be paid to monetizing, in a win-win way, properties like Flickr.

Twitting on Twitter...

... or whatever the verb form is! For my peeps (ha!) I now have a twitter account. twitter.com/road_fun. Giving Twitterific a try as a iPhone client.

First discovery, Twitterific doesn't necessarily update its location info when you ask it to add it to a post.

Anyway, this is at least today's shiny new toy.

The Cockroaches are coming out...

Check out this incredible confession Clusterstock regarding corporate fraud...

I can say from experience the type of thinking that led to this large fraud is, sadly, not uncommon. A great example of how a small sin can lead to enormous consequences.

Photography Guides

I recently upgraded to a Nikon D90. I purchased a guide for my D40x and was pretty content with the job the author did but he hasn't put one out yet for the D90. I couldn't find any credible alternative on Amazon (which is the whole world, right?).

Then one of my Flickr contacts mentioned a new guide just published by a guy named Thom Hogan. I was a bit skeptical at first because most of these guides/sites run by individuals are pretty lame (Ken Rockwell's, for example). But I kept seeing strong reviews and finally decided to blow a few Hamiltons. These DSLRs are complex and powerful and a good guide can save a lot of time in experimentation in order to get your desired results.

My guide arrived and, as advertised, is comprised of a CD with a wealth of information including the D90 specific guide in PDF format along with a printed "pocket" version. I am really impressed with the PDF content (which is all I've had time to read so far - it is a massive 764 pages long) which covers the fundamentals of digital cameras, file formats etc as well as details on the D90. Even in the fundamentals and general sections of the PDF Thom brings the info home to the D90. It isn't just boilerplate repeated from guides for other camera models.

Thom's guides look well worth purchasing for all but pro users. You can obtain them from his website. Note that his site also has a bunch of lens reviews, articles and tips on photography.

MacWorld - Some exciting news on iLife...

When they started talking about iLife '09 I was completely uninterested because I stopped using iPhoto and moved to Aperture a year ago. Even the iMovie features weren't that interesting to me because my needs are pretty simple. Then - wham - they introduced the video image stabilization feature and that is enough to make me pay for the upgrade. No matter how good your camcorder's stabilization is there are times more is needed and it looks like iMovie '09 can deliver. This may also save me from buying another lens for my D90 as I don't have VR on a short lens (and VR is really needed for D90 video).

I already know how to play piano and guitar but am excited about the new GarageBand as it will be great for my kids, and others, as well as most likely generating a whole new revenue stream for Apple and artists (and of course Microslop will announce an imitation soon to be delivered some day in the distant future). Oh yea, the new feature is "Learn to Play" which can teach you to play basic piano and guitar via video lessons and on screen examples. But wait, there is more. It includes lessons from famous musicians on how to play some of their songs. Folks like Sarah McLachlan, Sting, Norah Jones, and One Republic. You can bet this is gonna generate a whole new class of YouTube videos... You know, I bet my wife will even give this feature a try...

Upgrade price of $79 for the whole suite is sweet!