So yesterday I was blogging about how I want to take up some/a new hobby, right? I also mentioned something about how my fight with staying where I am with Digital Photography or moving forward was based in this idea, right?

Well enter yesterday. The decision was made for me by another blogger, who linked me to this guy’s page on the web. Go. Go ahead, take a look at his galleries; I’ll be here when you get back.

You’re back? Good, now we can continue. OK so maybe you know where I’m headed, maybe not, so I’ll just spell it out: There’s no way in hell that I have the kind of talent that this guy does. I’m good, but I’m not that good. And honestly, seeing as how I’m not that good, does it really make sense to keep spending money on it? I mean, let me break it down:

I can take pictures that are 90-95% the quality that I currently take with a $200 Point-and-Shoot Canon Elph. My kind of setup would currently cost (using the same level of goods, not the actual goods – “entry-level = entry-level”) somewhere around $1,000. So for $800 more than what The Girl has, I have gotten like ~10% improvement in my images. So from where I’m at, I could conceivably spend some $5,000-$8,000 more to have the equipment “Mr. Hot-Shot photographer” has, and maybe see another 5% improvement in my shots (I almost typed sh!ts, which ironically wouldn’t have been far off the mark considering), but still be a world away from where this guy is.

So then I have to ask myself: Why the hell should I spend $8,000 more to achieve results that are incremental baby-steps from what I could take with a P&S anyway?

The answer of course is that I shouldn’t. And honestly, I don’t I’m not going to. I’m going to sell my equipment, and the funds from that will pay for my new Canon Elph. Simple.



No more galleries?
Actually I expect that it’ll result in more galleries, as most my galleries anymore are of “me” things, not artistic things. This type of camera that I plan to have will allow me to have those types of moments caught quite a bit faster and put up on the web quite a bit faster. So yeah, maybe more pictures actually.

So I guess depending on what side of it you’re on, that’s either good news, or bad, bad news. See you on the other side.



Entertaining read
If you have a sick sense of humor, you may find this blog funny. I did.

Peace.

Tags: Technology

I covered someone’s early-morning shift today and got off work around 3:30p. I had expected to come home to an empty house, but lo-and-behold The Girl was home studying on the couch. She was supposed to work tonight but found someone to cover for her. Hey, we’re both home, this is a good thing.

Except of course neither of us planned it nor what to do about dinner in such a situation. Being hungry as we were and with all the meat still in the freezer, we opted for a night out to eat, something we haven’t done in a long long time now. Our destination? Marie Callender’s. They make pies. I eat pies. Sounds like a match. Let’s go.

So some turkey dinner later, and back home I feel like a zepplin; heavy, filled with noxious contaminants, and ready to blow. Holy sh!t do I feel like it might be the last time I ever eat out. Seriously. Here’s how I’m looking at it. We sat around a bunch of people that irritated us, ate food that wasn’t all that good, paid too much for it, now feel sick, and all we really got out of it was convenience. Wow. How convenient. Now I feel like a dog and I’m broke. Yeah, sign me up.

No thanks. Organic dinners have spoiled me. And they surely cost less. And I feel like a champ instead of a chump. I’ll be dining in from now on, thanks anyway.



Thinking of a Hobby between 1 and 10…
So in case you hadn’t noticed, I sort of enjoy being outdoors and doing that sort of thing. Yeah I know it doesn’t always seem to fit with my love of technology, does it? Well believe it or not the two can coexist, it’s just finding a way to meld the two together, which was in large part what the whole “Digital SLR vs. Pocket Camera” was about: I want to enjoy the life I’m making up here, but I want to enjoy the hobbies I love as well. I like photography. But at what cost? At what point does it hinder my enjoyment of other hobbies?

Well anyway, that’s not what this is about. This is about new hobbies I want to take up. And you were supposed to be guessing, by the way.

One of the things I have yet to grow tired of up here is hiking. I love it, and again part of the reason I love photography and want to continue in some sort: it’s pretty and I want to capture it. But there’s more to me than walking around. I want to run it. And once I start running it, I need something to keep me going. Like a bear. A bear chasing me would definitely keep me going, I think.

Ah, but maybe I don’t necessarily need a bear. Maybe it’s just the challenge in general that I need. Yes, maybe that’s it. Maybe a challenge. Like a race. Yeah. A race.

You see I’m a competitive soul. I have no idea why, because I’m a sicilian male perhaps, I can’t say for sure. But I do know that I’m always game to play a sport and chase a ball, even if it’s a ball I hate (I’m looking at you, baseball…). So I’m looking into things like adventure racing or at least competitive off-road racing. Seems to me like it might be something that interests me. And it would definitely give me a goal for training & such, and I love having goals for training & such as anyone can attest. Especially if they’ll like good ol’ Miles Join me.



For the Record
This does not mean that Ju-Jitsu lessons are out. No, that I’m not taking to be directly competitive, and have no desire to try and “get to the top,” mainly as I feel that likely that involves losing more teeth than I maybe even have.

So Ju-Jitsu is still a go. And hey: if I find my way to the UFC? So be it.

Peace.

Tags: Technology

Tags: Entertainment

Tags: Technology

Tags: Technology

Since we moved up here, we’ve been trying to eat more healthy. Like owners like dogs, and thus we have experimented with lots of organic and other “all-natural” varieties, some of which weren’t as well-received as they should have been by mere dogs, others that were scarfed down but then came out a little – shall we say, Loose? – all over the lawn. Finally we settled on a brand called Evolve. It’s an all-natural food, not sure if it’s all organic, but healthier for sure than most the Petco foods that’s for sure. Thought we had a winner on our hands… dogs loved it, lawn loved it, everyone was happy…

Except that, as you may recall, Zoey started having issues about her skin. Well we didn’t really think it was the food, but we changed a few things we thought might be problematic so that we could get her healthy again fast, and worry about troubleshooting later. That worked, and recently we tried reintroducing the food again, since the others we were back on were, well, sloppy if you get my drift. Anyway, reintroduce food, relive the skin irritation with Zoey appears to be the thing. She started getting red bumps on her head again, and her skin on the belly started to rash up as well – again.

So it appears that Zoey’s going to have to go to that big boneyard in the sky. Yes it’s sad, she had so much character, but what else can we do? The time has come; Zoey? We’ll miss you for sure. I just don’t see how you can go on like this, though.

What’s that you say? Just Give her a different food separately than Miles?…

Well… that might work. It’s worth a shot, I suppose. Maybe we’ll try that first.

Zoey? You’re safe. For Now.



Heath Ledger found dead in NYC Apartment
At a mere 28 years old, suffice to say it’s a young life cut short. You may remember him, he played “that gay guy” in Brokeback Mountain.



In More Important News…
The Dark Knight, the much-anticipated sequel to Batman Begins in which Heath played The Joker, had already finished filming. Phew!

Good thing, too. Otherwise I’d have been really pissed off. Because I’ve been waiting for that movie, gawdammit, and if Heath and f*cked that up we’d not be on good terms at all.



You know what, Mr. bob?
Yes, I know; I’m going to Hell. Dammit...

Peace.

Tags: Entertainment, Animals

As featured on ABC, apparently “legginess” is a trait whose desirability cuts both ways. So women prefer men with longer legs as well as vice versa.

So that’s why I can’t keep the girls off me. Now I know!



Atkins, you’re a genius
Studies prove that protein makes you feel less hungry.

Now I’m not saying a diet high in meats only is ideal. People seem to think that since I agree with statements like this I must simply despise fruits & veggies. Nope. I believe in a balanced diet, and also I believe that vegetarians are nucking futs!. Seriously, we’re supposed to eat meat. Our digestive systems, dentation, & organs are all designed to have meat. We eat meat. Get over it, and have a cow. For breakfast, lunch or dinner.

And also I despise fruits & veggies a little. OK just kidding. I love fruit. :-)



Starting to see room for improvement
At my work, I am starting to see where they could really stand to streamline certain things, and make the whole process more efficient. This of course, is what I’m best at: finding ways to make things more efficient.

And tt should come as no surprise to any of you that most of this efficiency gain revolves around switching to Macs.

But yes it’s actually true. I watched the Store Manager show me how she reviews orders for just cigarettes, which is only 100 upc’s of the 30,000 we carry, and modifies what the system automatically orders (which is always too much). Using this antiquated DOS-based system we have, it took her 20 minutes to perform a 3-minute task. All because there was no mouse and the system/program was designed to be futuristic in the 1930’s or something.

Time to get with the program and get a Mac, eh? Methinks, methinks. Less time spent pressing an arrow key over & over and more time actually managing the store seems like a good thing. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a genius.

Hey Atkins, wanna hang out sometime? Oh right, I forgot..

Peace.

Tags: Technology

So on Thursday I scheduled us (on the calendar) to see Cloverfield on opening night during the 7:45 showing (on Friday). I had to be up early to open shop the next morning, and the later show wasn’t until 9:40. So this was good spacing.

We made plans around it, according to when I got home that day, what time to begin working out, what time to begin dinner…. And whether we could fit in a shower. Well we got done with dinner around 6:45, and figured we could fit in a nice shower & shave before the showing. Of course I always finish getting ready first (in case there’s ever a prize for it), and was waiting around for The Girl when around 7:20 I decided for some odd reason to recheck the show times.

And discovered that the theatre had decided to move the show time forward about 20 minutes. Meaning that in 5 minutes, we had to be at the theatre or wait until either 9:30 for the next showing or sometime the following couple of days.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened with this theatre, either.



On Dasher, on Prancer, on Dancer, on Vixen
Well this being the smallish town it is, I figured that if we ran for the door right about then, it would be conceivable that we made it in time for the show. We ran, I drove fast, cut through traffic like a knife, and maybe made a car’s length headway for all my troubles.

However, we did make it in time for the show. Other than standing in line behind 4 people (the most ever since we’ve been here), there wasn’t much issue.

Funny thing, everyone in front of us was in for the same flick. One asked if the theatre was going to be packed, to which the attendant said most definitely. “Crap,” I thought, “maybe we should have waited.”

However my fears are ungrounded, and I had to laugh at what this place calls “crowded.” We got prime seats, though we did miss the first couple of seconds of the preview (thanks to being late).



Yeah but what about the Movie?
Oh that? Yeah I was getting to that. Calm down, it’s not like you actually read this stuff anyway, huh? Sheesh.

Anyway. The movie overall was pretty good. Lots of people complained about the camera work (done in Blair Witch -style, meaning “through the eyes of the camcorder of the people “really there”). And I could see how if you really hate that style, yeah this movie might make you sick. But I think that the way it was done really does add something to the effectiveness of the film overall. It’s a gritty movie, and I think had they shot it ‘normal,’ that might not have come across quite so well.

The basic story is that Godzira! Has been unleashed upon New York. While this is happening, regular folk are trying to get the hell out of the way. And we are there, camera in hand, along for the wild little ride.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the flick, as in who dies and who doesn’t, but I will say this: watch who you put your money on. In fact, don’t bet, it doesn’t become you. But pay attention to the level of detail. The effects are by and large very, very good. With the exception of a few direct shots of the monster itself (yes, you get to see in full), you really do feel like you’re peeking in on these people’s experiences.

And also, be prepared to remember 9/11. Complete with falling buildings and the enormous, growing pillars of smoke rolling through the chasms of New York. Yes, many have made the connection between the mayhem in his movie and the experiences of that fateful day. Some have even gone so far as to say that it should have been called “9/11: The Thrill Ride.” I can see it.

Overall though, how would I grade it? B+. I’m contemplating putting it in my library eventually.



One complaint though
I know it’s cliché to go for the happy Hollywood ending, but… Well, if you get the chance to see the movie, you’ll understand, but let me just say that there’s no reason they had to end it like they did. They could have left the camera somewhere prior to its final resting spot, and have still had the same basic formula beginning to end. And maybe left the rest to imagination. I’d have gone for open-ended over the choice they went for.

I know that doesn’t make sense to those of you that have yet to see it.

So go. See it. Then you can understand. And even disagree if you feel so inclined.

Peace.

Tags: Entertainment

I’m referring of course to Cloverfield. Tonight’s opening night, and although I've said that once I go Blu-Ray you can count me out of the movie scene, there’s one piece of the puzzle that’ll prevent me from staying indoors tonight: The movie is produced by Paramount, one of only two companies holding out on the HD-DVD side of the fight (losing fight, I might add). So, since it’ll probably be at least a year or more before this movie hits the Blu-Ray shelves – if not longer – I’m going to splurge tonight and partake in this “Movie Night Out” experience once more.

Review to follow, but of the few one-liners I’ve read, it appears that it’s basically “Godzilla-meets-blair-witch.” Which I hope isn’t literal or too Frankenstein, because quite frankly I could do without ever seeing either of those movies on their own.

But hey, maybe it’s one of those things where two wrongs make a right. You know, two ugly people getting together, bumping super-uglies, and producing Marisa Miller or Heidi Klum or something.

Or maybe two ugly people get together and produce Quasimodo. God I hope not. Especially after $20 in tickets.

Peace

Tags: Entertainment, women

So a few days ago, at my new job, the head honcho let me know that at my year date I’d be eligible for two-week’s vacation time, as well as 4 personal days. She also informed me that I’d only have until September 30th to use them all up, as they’d expire by then, so I should probably go ahead and request the timeframe I want off so I’m more or less guaranteed to be able to use my time off for the year.

So this probably means that they expect to keep me that long, right? This is a good sign then, no? I hope so. I think so… I hope so.



Bill Clinton Stumps
This was the newspaper headline today, the day after Mr. Bill Clinton was up campaigning for his other half. I grabbed a copy during lunch, as I had listened to the speech and wasn’t stumped at all, so I was curious to read about what the hell everyone was so confused about.

Much to my surprise, “stump” is some sort of slang I guess for “campaign.” So he was here “stumping” for his wife.

What a damn boring article. So many ways that could have gone. Went the most uninteresting one.



What’s wrong with Family Guy
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the show. But since it came back, something’s been different. Different and wrong, by the way.

I am referring to Stewie Griffin. If you’re a fan of Family Guy, then you probably remember the good ol’ days. You know, the ones where Stewie was constantly trying to kill Louis and take over the world. Where before he was fun and interesting, now they’ve turned him into a little flaming wamby.

What’s a wamby? Well, it’s a little baby that goes “waaaa” all the damn time, crying constantly over spilt milk. Well yes, yes Stewie is a baby. But that’s not material here, he’s a damn cartoon, and the Stewie Griffin that I’ve come to know and love is a murder-plotting, vile-filled, megalomaniacal brain with a flare for revenge. You go Stewie, you kill your mum, you take over the world. It’s all we can expect of you.

Dammit, I don’t tune in to watch a baby do baby things. I’d have a real kid if I gave a damn about that. I want the little nerf-headed bastard to create ruckus. Now create ruckus, dammit! We, your loyal fans, are counting on it.

Peace.

Tags: Politics, Entertainment

In the 1990’s, the Smashing Pumpkins were popular, but they weren’t. They made great music, but they didn’t. At least, it wasn’t fully appreciated at the time. The songs were understood as good, winning awards here & there, but overall they weren’t revered like they probably should have been. Now though, a decade later, when their songs grace the radio, they don’t sound dated or out of place in the least.

Listening to other bands of that era now, they don’t sound like they should be in the mix. Bullet with Butterfly Wings? Come on, that song might well rock into the next millennium, OK? Zero? Same. Cherub Rock? Their stuff was progressive enough to sound superb over 10 years later, while still being understood then, and even now it sounds like some bands are still playing catch-up with this decade-old group that is no more (they are no more. Don’t bother me with silly links to new albums, I refuse to listen).

They rocked. They still do. They are only now beginning to be understood to have been masters of their domain. They were Dark Horses of the 90’s, regardless of their fame. They changed Alternative Rock in ways that weren’t even visible then. They changed Alt Rock in such far-reaching way that we have seen bands of today try to rebel from their shadow (think girly dressed fag bands like about every single new band of this decade. I’m looking at you, EMO pansies). They dabbled in futuristic sounds and sights & palettes, and at the time some of it just wasn’t understood; it was just considered ‘odd’ at the time and thus many just considered them eccentric asses. They were, of course, but they were so much more than that, too.

This is how I feel about Muse. I really like their music. And the more time goes by, the more I am drawn to tracks not on the radio yet. Their music has a quality that reminds me of The Smashing Pumpkins. They rock out. They say it with feeling & angst. But they’re mature about it. And they are blazing trails in Alt Rock while doing it, in similar fashion to what the Pumpkins did oh so long ago. Anyone who’s seen the video to “Super Massive Black Hole” can maybe take away similarities in how the Pumpkins approached the medium in their day. This is a band that will not be heralded like the American Idol flops, but regardless 10 years from now we’ll have them to thank for keeping Alt Rock on track. Even if they don’t get the credit for it.

Muse: They’re really good. This is what I’m saying.

Peace.

Tags: Entertainment

MACBOOK AIR
No it’s not the Michael Jordan Edition with the “Air-ness” logo instead of an Apple, it’s Apple’s latest, smallest, most ultra-portable laptop ever. Ever.

For all it’s coolness, I just don’t see it. And I don’t mean that I can’t see it literally, but that I can’t see it being a worthwhile purchase. No optical drive (that means no CD’s, DVD’s, etc). Non-replaceable battery. Only an 80GB hard drive. Slower processor than what’s otherwise available. For me (and I am guessing many others), losing less than ½” in thickness and two pounds of weight over the MacBook “Normal” (is that what it’s called now?) just doesn’t compute, what with all you lose. Faster processor. Larger hard drive. Optical drive (yay DVD’s!). Plus, for the privilege of having Apple remove all the nicer stuff, they’ll let you pay them an extra $500? Seems like a sore deal all around to me.

Not to take away from its innovation, however. I mean, technically? C’mon! It’s a half-inch thin! Runs for 5 hours on a charge with wireless ON! Weighs three whole pounds! Comes equipped with software to allow you to control optical drives on other machines on the same network! It’s amazing! And I’m glad Apple released it, as it will drive innovation in everything else. We’ll see some of this tech, some of that same R&D come to other lines as well. And for that, I’m very happy.


ITUNES MOVIE RENTALS
About damn time. Too bad they’re overpriced. Look, you’re getting less than a DVD or less than an HD-DVD or BD disc if you try their HD content. Yet you’re paying about the same as you would at a video rental shop, but with more restrictions?

Let’s put this in perspective:

They are competing with Blockbuster, Netflix, and any other similar competitor. If you rent a movie one at a time from any of them, it’ll run you on average about $4-5. The new iTunes movie rentals are no different. Same cost.

On the side of convenience, iTunes wins. Hey, it’ll never be checked out when you get there, guaranteed. Compare to the rental shop, that you have to drive to in order to check and see what they have, and hope it’s not checked out once you actually get there. Netflix? Well kiss spontaneity goodbye, huh? You better have what you want picked out a week or so in advance. But of course, Netflix has no late fees, you can keep it as long as you want it, and watch it however many times you want to when it's in your possession. iTunes? Well, you have only 30 days to view it (better than the store, worse than the Netflix), but once you Do start watching it, you only have 24 hours to actually do so, then it's gone. Oops, accidentally hit Play when you didn't want to watch it until tomorrow evening? You're screwed, sorry. Oh and don't try to rent any new releases within 30 days of wide release. They won't be on iTunes until 30 days after the DVD has gone on sale. So we see that here is where iTunes excels, if you only care about a "need something right now, I don't care what" kind of night. Otherwise, it still loses to the entrenched veterans.

Content. Well, here iTunes loses. The question is how bad, and the answer depends on how much you inlcude in the argument. If we restrict it to just what material is actually viewable, then it loses quite handily, as there’s more room on disc than what they are going to send you, and you get special features, etc. But if we include everything, then it loses handily times 10. If you are still on a Standard Def TV doing DVD’s, now you only get stereo as opposed to Dolby Surround on the disc. But in reality, you're not losing as much as some... If you are in the new Millenium like me and are watching HD content, you’re limited to 720p which is inferior in quality to 1080p, what is otherwise available on Blu-Ray discs, and you don’t get the same high-quality audio options, either.

So in the end, you pay the same price, gain a debatable amount of convenience or lose a lot of convenience or both, and lose quality of content. To me, that’s the recipe for a loser. I’m sorry, but if you want me to shell out the same amount of money (oh yeah, you have to buy the Apple TV too, at the minimum of $229), you either have to up the convenience factor that I already have going, or up the quality factor I already have going, or both. You can’t charge me the same or more, then take away quality and give in return a minimal amount of convenience or none really at all. Sorry, I’ll wait out the Microwaved Burrito and opt for the slow-cooked steak on this one, guys. Especially if they’re the same cost, am I right?


Apple TV
Ah, the Apple TV. Tied closely to the aforementioned iTunes rentals, I give it a thumbs down. No DVR? What? Still? Still can’t play discs? No slot? Can’t output anything above 720p resolution? What?

Wait, what’s that? It’s the same exact Apple TV from last year, but with a new software interface? Yeah OK you lost last year, you lose again. What. The. Hell.

I want 1080p, full audio quality, I want cheaper rentals for everything and TV shows included, and DVR functionality. I want it to be a cable/Blu-Ray replacement, not an overpriced kiddy toy. It’s too expensive for what it offers, and honestly if they gave me what I wanted, I’d say that they could justify a $150 price hike on it. It’d be worth it then. But not now, not even at the “low” price of $229. Not with that content.

Such great potential. Such lousy execution. Sigh. Get it right next go around, Apple.


IPHONE 1.1.3
The iPhone is great in concept, it really is. Again though, not for me. I have a laptop, and when I want to compute, I’d rather work on a full keyboard and have a mouse, as well as a 14” or so screen rather than a 2.5” or so screen, and real horsepower. Call me crazy.

Anyway, the 1.1.3 update added some good functionality. However, it should be mentioned that it was functionality that was sorely missing in the original release. Should have been there from the get-go, but at least now it is there. This is good, even if late (and luckily, not that kind of late, ha ha).

Unless you’re an iPod Touch owner. They want to gouge you $20 for the same additions. Yikes. I’m not going there…. Sorry for ya.


TIME CAPSULE
An addition to go along with Time Machine, Time Capsule allows you to back up your Leopard-Equipped Mac Wirelessly. It was pulled from the features list shortly before Leopard was released, but now apparently it’s back in!

I’m on board for this. I’ll be putting down money for the Big One. Yes indeed. Well worth it, it could be cheaper, but it’s not and it’s still reasonably priced considering all it has and that it’s a one-trick pony that is going to be covered by Apple because it’s their baby. Buy one now. No joke. If you have Leopard, buy one yesterday.

I’m buying mine in a few weeks :-). So much for taking one’s own advice. Hey, gotta make sure the January finances are looking alright, no?




This concludes our Emergency Macworld Blogging
That was fun. Yes I still love me my Apple MacBook. Yes I still think their OS implementation is right most of the way. It’s better than the alternatives, even if it’s not perfect. Hey, they haven’t hired me to do consulting, so that’s the price, apparently.

But criticism is what’s going to keep them moving forward. If everyone drank the koolaid, there wouldn’t be much reason to innovate, huh? And that’s what it’s about: they release some good stuff, it’s not quite perfect, we tell them why not, they make it what we want. Such is the circle, when it works right. Let’s keep the circle going around.

I want my Full-HD Apple TV sooner rather than later, after all.

Peace.

Tags: Technology

Eh, oh well. Indy’s not my team, but I do root for them because when their offense if firing on all cylinders, it’s a thing of beauty to watch. And it’s no secret that I love offensive football. After all is said and done anyway, he with the most points wins, so you may as well get the most points from the start. Which is something that the Patriots have excelled at this year as well.

I’ll be rooting for the Pats from here on out. Why? Well it’s not every day that a team goes through a season battling their peers, and comes away undefeated. It’s a chance to see history in the making. I’m game for that.

Let’s go history!

Peace.