I’ve wanted this camera for a while. I’m not sure why I haven’t posted about it earlier. Maybe because I thought I already have. I hate when I do that. My interest was resparked when I found it on sale at Circuit City. Of course this one does not have the 25mm pancake. Anyways, who wouldn’t want a small camera that creates quality images? I considered a Sigma DP1, but it just has too many flaws. I love the Foveon sensor, but the speed of the lens, focusing, and operations apparently is way too slow. The Olympus E-420 is not quite as small or light as a DP1, but it is still considerably smaller and 25% lighter than my current Nikon D80.
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Netflix just released a new $100 box by Roku that will allow you to watch Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” movies on your TV. I wish Apple would allow this on their Apple TVs, so I don’t have to buy another peripheral. Maybe iTunes Music Store should offer a subscription based service for videos. As a side note, “Watch Instantly” does not work on any OS X browser.
As far as some tech specs go, its got HDMI, component, and optical outputs. No HD quality yet, but can be updated. There is no hard drive, everything is streamed. And you can connect wirelessly or wired to your router.
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I set up my Super T-Amp this weekend. It was attached to my PowerMac via a really old Onkyo USB DAC. The speakers of choice for this setup were the $40 a pair Polk Audio R15s. I marveled at the sound and my cheapness. By the way, I plugged my Super T-Amp into my Kill-A-Watt. It measured 2 watts while playing music…loud. In off position, it measured 1 watt.
I’ve been wanting a replacement Class-D amp like the Pop-Pulse T40i for a while now. In my research I discovered a company I’ve never heard of, Nuforce. They make high end hi-fi gear. We’re talking about $5,000 for a pair of mono-amps. They also make this $250 desktop amp I now want, the Nuforce Icon, bringing high-end sound to the masses.
It is so great for so many reasons.
- Only $250. Or $200 for the special introductory offer.
- Built-in USB DAC.
- Built-in headphone amp.
- A true integrated amplifier. You can switch between 3 different sources: USB, RCA, and 1/8″ mini.
- Can be used as a preamplifier.
- Can be used to biamp if you have two.
- Looks cool. Reminds me of the Naim NAIT 3 I always wanted.
- Some great reviews already. Check this one out at 6moons in particular.
- It uses Cat-5 cables as speaker cable. Weird.
- SPDIF would have been nice.
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My new want is the MacBook Pro. I currently own a MacBook which is a great computer, but as you all know if you really want to be cool, you need the Pro version. Whenever I see people with the MacBook Amateurs, I honestly think, “Wow, that guy is not very serious. He only has a MacBook.” I don’t think I’m alone on this, I hope I’m not at least. I wonder if that’s what people think of me. Hmm. I suppose other times when I see people with MacBook Pros I think, “Wow, what’s that guy trying to prove?” But that’s something else. Anyways. Let’s look at the main differences.
- MBP has a dedicated video card for the gaming I’ll never do.
- MB has an integrated video card sharing memory with the main memory.
- MBP has an optional matte display.
- MB has a glossy display.
- MBP has a lighted keyboard which I would find very useful.
- MBP has a larger screen. 100px more height, 160px more width.
- MBP is aluminum.
- MBP has an express card slot.
- MBP has FW800.
- MB is a newer design.
- MB has the magnetic clasp.
- MBP has the little button with hooking thing clasp.
- MBP has the multitouch trackpad.
- MB has a user replaceable hard drive.
- MBP has slightly better battery life.
- MBP is cooler than the MB. (I think Apple should restart doing the “What’s on your PowerBook” ads.)
The MBP is probably due for a more major redesign. It has essentially stayed the same since the Titanium PowerBook. It makes sense that Apple has stuck with this proven design. What other improvements can be made? My main thing right now is a user replaceable hard drive. I’ve heard rumors that new MBs and MBPs are introducing at WWDC. Maybe I’ll want the new MB by then. No, wait. I have to be cool and get the Pro.
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MacUpdate is offering a bundle of all these apps for $64.95. One little catch, that shouldn’t be a big deal is this. The last three apps are locked until target numbers of bundles are sold. Once a target is reached, a locked app will be available to you. The last two bundles sold reached the final target number. This offer expires April 29th.
- Hazel - Cleans and organizes your files
- Art Text - Creates pretty text
- MenuCalendarClock - A menu item on the top of your screen with lots of info
- Leap - Like spotlight but a lot more
- StoryMill - For writing stories
- Typinator - fills in your commonly typed words or pictures for you
- DVDRemaster Pro - Compress large dvds to fit into standard size ones. Compress for iphone, ipod, etc.
- Sound Studio - Edit sound files
- BannerZest - create flash slideshows
- Parallels Desktop - run windows on your intel mac.
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I have a point and shoot that I love, the Fujifilm F11. It’s a great camera, especially under lowlight. I bought it off ebay a few years ago from a Japanese seller. The F11 wasn’t being sold in the US, just the F10. Anyways. I think I need a replacement. Even though I hate Canon because of the problems I’ve had with their dSLR service department, I’d still consider getting one of their P&S’s.
One day I was perusing the internet, and I found this site for CHDK. Basically it’s site dedicated to a firmware hack but not a hack that allows certain Canon cameras to do a lot more cool stuff. I say hack but not hack because it doesn’t really change your firmware. It’s just a little app that is saved on your SD card that the camera just runs. Below is a list of some of the features:
- RAW capabilities. *.CRW must be converted to Adobe DNG.
- Live Histogram
- Zebra mode (flashing highlights)
- Shutter speeds of up to 1/64,000 for freezing things like bullets through apples
- Longer video recording limited only by card size
- Longer exposures
- depth of focus
- exposure bracketing
- motion activated shutter for shooting things like lightening bolts
- ability to run scripts
Most of the Canon cameras that can use this hack are a little bit older. Check the CHDK site to find if your Canon is compatible. The Canon camera I’ve been looking at is the SD1000. I like it because it looks a lot like the old APS Canon Elph, the one I never owned. I love the super square shape. And it can be bought for about $150. So much power in such a little package!
This would be great solution for a tinkerer. It will be be especially awesome when I force people I take pictures of to wait even longer while I’m trying to figure out the best setting to use via my new hack.
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I just got back from Hawaii, and it has inspired me to want a new set of stuff.
- A waterproof camera like the Olympus 1030 SW. Well not just waterproof, it is shockproof, pressure proof, and freeze proof. It also has 28mm (35mm equivalent) lens.
- A portable computer like the eee pc 701 4g or 900, so I can move the images off the camera to a hard drive and upload to a blog or flickr.
- A camera/notebook backpack like the Crumpler Sinking Barge to put all my goodies into. I have a $5 Million Home Crumpler bag that is really solid.
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A few years ago Sonic Impact came out with a $30 amplifier that shook up the hi-fi market. It was compared favorably against amplifiers that cost thousands of dollars. It became so popular, Sonic Impact came out with another version, the Super T-Amp, using better components which is the one I bought. The heart of these little amps is a Tripath TA 2024 which gives the sound of a Class A-B amp but the efficiency of a Class D. Because the amp is only 5 watts per channel, it requires very efficient speakers. As an aside, highly efficient speakers (aka single driver full-range speakers) is a whole world I’ve just recently explored. To me, they just look like home made looking speaker boxes with one driver. The prices are usually in the thousands. Why is everything in hi-fi so expensive? The Bel Canto eVo 2i amp uses a similar Tripath chipset and costs $3200! This is why I like finding jewels like these T-amps. On another side note, hi-fi companies ripping audiophiles off is not uncommon. Gainclone, monster cable, and Virtual Dynamics Power 3 are other examples.
Anyways, to the point of this post. I was looking for a new DAC to hook up my Mac’s optical out with my Super T-Amp. This is when I found this interesting site that looks like was born from the t-amp craze. On the front page was a new amp called the Pop Pulse T40i that has caught my fancy. It too is based on a Tripath chipset but with a higher 40wpc. It even has a remote and a digital display! The price is only $225 which is a bargain compared to the other Tripath based amplifliers on this site.
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I’m looking for something that organizes ideas and thoughts for the Mac. These are the choices I have so far:
- Journler - I used this for a while when it was free. The developer is going to start charging with v2.6. It’s mainly for organizing written thoughts though you can integrate music, pictures, weblinks, etc.
- Yojimbo - I’ve heard good things about this. This just feels like an information database.
- Bento - Pretty new. From Filemaker.
- DevonThink
- VoodooPad
These apps kind of do the same thing but not really. Some focus more on text, some more on just keeping data organized. It all seems so vague to me thinking about it now. I’m basically looking for a hub for my life, a centralized spot where I can start my day. A place I keep attachments like pdfs, pictures, docs, whatever. A place where I can go to when I think, “Oh I need to pick up some milk,” or “Oh I really want that USB coffee warmer so bad. I should blog about that soon,” or “Oh I need to remember to buy those tickets when it goes on sale next week.” Basically an app that does everything! That’s all I want.
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I don’t care which. I want a really fast lens. These are Nikon’s fastest lenses. Canon and Leica make faster at F1.0. Unfortunately, Nikon’s bayonet mount limits the fastest speed to f1.2 which is still ok way with me. Choices:
- 55mm F1.2 in AI and non-AI can be found relatively cheap.
- 50mm F1.2 in AI and AIS are more expensive (newer than the 55mm).
- 58mm F1.2-Noct is super expensive. Corrects coma.
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