D70 n' Chips

I haven't taken that many photos in 2006, and here's the reason why. Through messing with several old lenses and extension rings to do some marco work I've ended up with an unpleasant amount of dust, hair and other crap on the chip.


I decided enough was enough. It was time to spend a silly amount of money and clean the thing myself. Eeek!

I'm glad I spent that bit extra and bought the Pro kit. I ended up using 6 of the swabs to clean the chip. It took some getting used to, and to be honest the chip was clean after the 2nd swab. I thought it would be nice to make extra sure, and ended up covering the chip in hairs again. Doh!

I suppose I'd better go clean all my lenses now. I think I've learnt my lesson.

Shark!

We're gonna' need a bigger foyer!

When Label Printers Attack!

My Digital Lifestyle

First of all, sorry for the lame post about the Microsoft Origami project. It was so poor I deleted it all together and thought I'd start a fresh, more structured post.

Let me start by saying that I am a gadget nut. I love gadgets, and they cause an unhealthy but welcome drain on my savings. The one proviso I have for any gadget is that is must be useful and easy to use. Digital cameras, mobile phones and iPods all fall easily into this category.

But recently I've been having doubts about where some of these so-called gadgets are trying to lead us. The Microsoft Origami project is an example that got my temperature rising last week. Particularly when I saw the media proclaim it as 'Microsoft's iPod Killer'. Have you seen the size of that thing?! I wish the press would excerise some common sense when reporting these stories.

That aside, the purpose of the Origami project is so vague as to cause me some concern. What is it? Why do I need it? Microsoft claim that you can use it to email, surf the web, write documents, watch videos, listen to music, and browse your photo albums ... which is nice. Isn't it basically a PC then? It's a PC, but you've made it smaller? And in all honesty, once you add the keyboard and removable DVD drive, you've not made it THAT small, have you?

But the fact that Microsoft is touting this device as somthing that merges a PC and a PDA, and even aims to take on the PSP and the iPod, you have to ask yourself, 'Do I really need an All-In-One super gadget?'. I mean, do you really need to carry ALL your photographs around with you ALL the time? Sure, I like the feature on my Windows Smartphone to send a recieve emails, but I'd never have it replace Apple Mail, or MS Outlook. Is all this stuff really necessary?

And who the heck decided that the future was 'being able to watch full length feature films in the palm of your hand'? I enjoy going to the cinema, and for the times I can't get there, I've built a home entertainment system that attempts to replicate the scale of the cinema. The idea of paying to watch a film on a PSP or iPod doesn't appeal to me at all. Yes technically it's possible, but how useful is it?

It's all about your lifestyle. About fitting these things in. A truly useful gadget is one that requires very little effort to do this. The iPod is a great example. It's clean, simple and unobtrusive. I already had my music collection. I was already using iTunes. I knew what kind of music I liked, so the iPod just helped me listen to it more often, and in more places.

On the other hand, carrying 25'000 photos around and watching full length movies on a device the size of your wallet ... why? When did that become our most pressing demand?

We're always going to need our desktop PCs. They'll always be more powerful, and therefore more enjoyable to use. They'll always have bigger screens, which give you the space to organise your work. With that in mind, why should we have our hearts set on creating a true mobile 'Everything' gadget?

For this reason I can see why Apple have been so tentative with the development of the video iPod and associated services. For the same reason I can also understand why Microsoft have released the Origami project on us. In most cases Apple seems to wait to evidence of demand before producing something. Microsoft seems to think they can create that demand. "Build it, and they will come!" ... well, it looks like I'm finally getting tired of being told what my life is lacking. I like my life the way it is, and I want gadgets that can make me enjoy it more often.

It's all very well me saying this now, but I know that Steve Jobs' reality distortion field is out to get me at least one more time :o)

Snowed In

It doesn't look like we're going out today!

We're Engaged!

Donna and I are now engaged to be married. Crikey!

I proposed to her on her birthday, the 14th of Feb. I was terrified, and she was totally surprised ... but thankfully she said yes ... three times in fact :o)

I'm not really with it at the moment. I've been in a far away place for about a week now. Give me a few days, and I'll write some more :o)

One more thing....

So then. There it is. The Apple Expo in California. An eagerly anticipated event for anyone passionate about Apple products, as they invariably launch new software and hardware. In the past, even if we've had a pretty good idea about what Apple are going to launch, they always seem to have a trick up their sleeve.

So then. How did they do this time? Personally I thought the event was pretty tame for Apple ... but that's not to say the updates weren't interesting. They just didn't have the 'Oh my, look at that', heart racing, giddy as a schoolboy, dreaming about how this new box will change my life .. kind of effect.

To jump in at the deep-end: Apple released their first ever Intel-based Mac. This in itself is a major milestone for Apple ... but it was overshadowed by the hype they gave the shift to Intel in the latter part of 2005. We were all expecting at least one member of the Mac family to replaced with Intel hardware for this event. Yeah, OK. So they surprised us by having not one, but two members of the family upgraded: The iMac and a complete revamp of the Powerbook (now called the MacBook Pro, thus dropping the IBM/Power association). They're nice looking machines, and they're faster than their IBM counterparts ... but I'm hesitant to start dreaming about owning one :o)

This is the first time that the Intel-based version of the Mac OS-X operating system has been made available to the public, and there are bound to be teething troubles. Especially since any software that has not been recompiled for the Intel CPU will be run through a subsystem named 'Rosetta'. In theory this is great, as it means older applications will always run on these new systems. In reality, however, any application running through Rosetta is bound to suffer some performance degradation, which may frustrate new owners of these super-fast machines. I think I'll wait for a while :o)

The other thing I find suspicious is the lack of information about the new Intel 'Core Duo' chip. Is it a 64-bit chip? Yes, I know the benchmarks show this thing is almost twice the speed of the G5 ... but in order to achieve this has Apple / Intel taken a backwards step?

There were other semi-interesting updates today too: A new iLife suite (iLife 06), which had some pretty tame new features for a major update. The addition of a web authoring package, iWeb, looked more promising ... but it's not clear whether it's only for .Mac subscribers.

With so many recent updates to the iPod, it was hard to believe they'd come up with anything new .... but they managed to squeeze in an iPod remote/radio adapter which allows you to listen to FM radio on the iPod. Great. Just what I always wanted .... oh, wait. It's only available for the new iPod video :o(

All that aside, I think that the shift to Intel looks promising. If anything I would guess that Apple are making a point by keeping the design of the new iMac and the laptop almost identical to the previous model. They're saying "Look. We've shoved Intel chips in these things, any everything stays the same. We're still Apple". I'm sure there'll be many more innovative Apple products over the next 12 months, but for now they're playing it safe.

There'll be more Expos. (Fingers cross for NAB and Final Cut 6 :o)

UPDATE: Apple have posted a TV ad they've made about the Intel switch.

Flickring Boat

I've decided to upgrade to a Flickr Pro account.

I figured: What am I going to use Flickr for? Am I going to fill it full of random holiday photos and images of empty coffee cups ... or am I going to put my better photos on it, and see what people think?

I was surprised then, after uploading this photos I took in Tunisia, that it only took 10 seconds to get the first random comment posted about it. Another 10 minutes go by, and all the other photos I uploaded were getting a look in. Not bad, eh?

After hunting around the Flickr website, finally trying to figure out what's available, I discover 'Groups'. Groups are communities of Flickrites who share a common interest, or like a certain genre of photography. There are groups for black n' white photography, photographs taken in West Yorkshire ... even photos of Apple Macs. Joining one of these groups allows you to publish your own photos in the group for comments. They're also a source of amazing and inspiring images.

If you already use Flickr, then you probably said 'duh!' while reading the last paragraph. I can't believe I've been a member for so long, and never bothered to find out how the site works. Ah well.

Hopefully my new year's resolution (No. 6), which is to 'Get out and use my camera more often', will result in a very Flickry year :o)

New Phone

I got a new phone last week. It's not the smallest one I've ever owned!

I don't know what happened. I was all set for getting a smaller phone; the story of Tim's Nokia Communicator fresh in my mind ... and then I bought this. Ah well. It's cool anyway!

2005: The Year of Stuff

Hmm. I can't think of any better way to describe it:

"Yeah, I remember the year of '05. Stuff happened."

To be honest, I just got on with living. I did some pretty amazing things in the
latter half of the year, which are still hanging around on this front page.

So then, what did I do then? Lets have a look (in no particular order):

• I had the most amazing holiday to the USA in July. Cost us a fortune, but worth every centy-Americany-penny-thingy.
  
• Joined the gym in January. I even went to it a few times. :o)
  
• Bought a new car. Ever since I bought my Renault Clio six years ago, I've always fancied owning a Laguna. Yes, I know it's a bit of an old-mans/reps car ... but I've never been too bothered with the outside of a car. It's the inside that I spend all my time in :o)
  
• I've technically owned four ipods this year. Not bad. I'm aiming for less this year.
  
• Attended IBC at Amsterdam. Finally!
  
• Miss T's entire family moved to Spain ... and then back again.
  
• I bought my first Apple computer. A shiny G5 iMac. Miss T has had to fight for attention ever since :o)
  
• I discovered that Miss T and I weren't the only folks to painfully enjoyed the Eurovision Song Contest. Here's to more Eurovision parties.
  
• I went rock climbing in the Lake District with my good friend, Emma.
  
• Hmm ... and I can't quite remember which year I discovered geo-caching ... but I certainly did quite a bit of it in 2005.
  
• I started a blog!
  
• ... and a load of other stuff that's probably important, and that I should remember.

Working on the principal that a picture speaks a thousand words (that's about 5 Power-of-TV questions), here's Oli's 'Images of 2005'....

Enjoy.

Christmas Tree

I love Christmas. Turning my livingroom into a shrine to a confused mixed-up mess of religion and tradition makes this dark, cold and wet part of the year seem so much nicer.

The Northern Lights

Wow. I've just got back from an amazing trip to South Norway at 38000 ft, where I took this photo.

Amazing stuff. I'm very tired, so I'll post more pics in the morning.

UPDATE: My photos are now on Flickr. Click here or on the photo above.

I floo!

I did it ... after several years of 'saying' I was going to do it, today I actually managed it: I flew a plane. Me!

We went to the Hull Aero Club, somewhere near Beverley, and I had a one hour flying lesson. Apparently I did quite well ... which I suppose means I didn't barf or scream during takeoff.

The experience was not quite what I had expected. The planes are a lot smaller than I expected, and they're so light they get thrown around quite easily up there. The view was amazing, when I got chance to actually look at it. We flew out to Bridlington and over the sea before turning around and flying over the Humber Bridge.

I was expecting the session to be a case of me sitting back until the pilot got the plane up to about 2000ft and level ... ah. No. I had to do the whole lot! He had me taxi to the runway ... (the runway: it's that field ... made of grass ... very rural!) ... then he had me takeoff ... ascend ... the fly the plane around all over the place ... play with the radio and locators ... then descend an hour later and land. I hate landings, but was surprised when I brought this hunk of metal crashing into the field how light it was.

All in all, a fun day. Thanks to my girlfriend and sister who got me the lesson as a gift. :o)

I've uploaded the photos to Flickr if you fancy a peek.

Flickrtastic!

Finally, after months of playing with the website, I decided its time I joined. I can't believe how easy it is to upload and manage photos ... and post to my blog. And it's free!

Anyway, have a look at some of the photos I've posted. Miss T and I went for a walk at St. Ives forest, and took some lovely photos.

iPod Woes

My repaired iPod arrived this morning (Yay!). They sent me the original one back instead of replacing it, but that's OK. A coating of Mr Sheen will hide those old scratches :o)

I get it home, and start putting all my music back onto it. 10 minutes goes by, and I notice it's only transferred 5 songs. Not a good start.

I take it out of its dock and discover that the iPod has locked up. I reset it, and all seems fine ... but now I can't get iTunes to recognise it. I take it out of the dock again, reset it ... and this time it starts making weird mechanical clicking noises. This is tres tres not good.

It finishes this theatrical display of clicking and resetting and finally I see a familiar icon on the screen:



Ah heck. Back to Apple.

It worked ... albiet for 10 minutes. I had 10 minutes of iPod pleasure, but alas ... it did not last.

What have I dont to deserve this, Steve?

:o(

Today IMDB, Tomorrow ... Hollywood!

Hey, check me out. I did a Google search for myself (You know ... as we all do from time to time to make sure we don't have a stalker), and look what I found:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1399408/

There are a few films missing that I want to get added, but it's not a bad start.

How cool is that?

Well, I'm impressed ... and I'm having a muffin to celebrate :o)

Birthday Bowling

I've not been 10-pin bowling since I was a ... well, since I was fairly small and had a high, squeeky voice. I thought I'd include these two photos, since my mum almost knocked me out with the first shot ... and my sister looks silly in the second one. Always a good thing :o)

UPDATE: These photos are now available on my Flickr account. Click here to access the photo set.

Birthday!

It's my birthday!

Well, it's actually the day after. I didn't feel it necessary to take time out of my busy birthday schedule to write in my blog.

Hmm. OK, so it wasn't that busy. I spent most of Saturday recovering from the previous night. After loosing the lightweights at around 7.30; Tim, Tom and I carried on. The rest of the evening is a blur (mentally and visually), but I remember a very long walk back to Tim's house at about 1am, and waking up in his spare room. Ughhh! Not drinking that much again! Thankfully I didn't take any pictures, so there's nothing more to post here :o)

I managed to recover enough to go to a Greek restaraunt with Miss T last night. Now we're off again .... this time for Sunday lunch with my family. Busy busy busy.

:o)

Hacking The Airwaves

This is weird. I'm sat in my car waiting for those nice people at Pizza Hut to burn by Pizza ... so I open my Powerbook to do some work. Without thinking I open my web browser, and curse myself for being so stupid ... but hang on a minute ... there's my homepage. Wuh?

I try clicking on a link ... and it works ... eh?

Let me go through this one more time: I'm in my car (Check), I'm not anywhere near my house (Check); I'm browsing the web (Wuh?).

After a bit more investigative work I find that my laptop has automatically found and connected to someone's personal WiFi network. Dunno where it is, but it's not secure and I'm connected :o)

Let this be a lesson to all those WiFi users: SECURE YOUR NETWORK!

Hmm. Having said that, my network is not secure. I wonder if the sheep have been using it? It is a risk. Maybe I should turn on the encryption.

Anyway. Pizza awaits.

Oli Out.

One Unhappy iPod

Not again!

One moment, everything fine: Happily playing songs. The next minute, a sad face on the screen and its now refusing to play anything.

I think it's depressed and needs to be sent back to the Apple hive for motivational therapy. Either that, or I must live in an area not covered by the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field :o)

Thankfully it's still under warranty, so it'll get replaced. This will be my 4th iPod ... and the 3rd I've had replaced under the warranty. Not bad, eh? I never knew warranties could be so much fun. That said ... I'm now seriously contemplating extending it!

Just to put this into some sort of context, here's a photo of my previous ipod from only 3 months ago:

Ho hum. Back to listening to the radio in my car for a while.

C'ya.