test post
February 3, 2009 by admin · View Comments
Review of the Creative Gigaworks HD50 Speakers
December 31, 2008 by admin · View Comments
The Creative Labs GigaWorks HD50 speakers are very disappointing. For the high price tag and superb build quality I was expecting a speaker set that rivaled the premium offerings by Bose and other manufacturers. I was so surprised with how poor the sound quality was that I had to hook it up to a few additional sources to be certain it wasn’t my equipment.
Sound is tinny and chock full of distortion even at moderate volume settings. The “BasXPort technology” is nothing but a marketing exec’s description of a hole at the top of the speaker. The reality is practically zero low range bass. The set could benefit from a subwoofer but at that point there are already plenty of more affordable options.
I rarely give a one star review, but I simply can’t recommend these speakers at the asking price. They are nothing more than mid range computer speakers wrapped in a more attractive package.
I am a a member of the Amazon Vine Voices program. Every month Amazon sends me a few products that are new or coming soon to market to review on their site.
Twitterer Tweets After Surviving Plane Crash
December 22, 2008 by admin · View Comments
Twitter made the news during the attacks on Mumbai last month as witnesses at the scene were sending live reports to the world at a significantly faster pace than traditional media. Accuracy and reliability of sources, however, is another story.
On Saturday, a Continental Airlines jet skidded off the runway in Denver. Thankfully it looks like everyone survived the ordeal, including passenger Mike Wilson who not only escaped the crash relative unharmed, but also managed to update his Twitter page with live updates of his ordeal, starting with a very understandable reaction:
“Holy f%#$$# s%$# I wasbjust in a plane crash!”
You can see more of Mike’s tweets here.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Review
December 14, 2008 by admin · View Comments
Photo technology has advanced more in the last five years than it probably has in over a century. For me, the unfortunate side effect of all of this digital wizardry are the hundreds of gigabytes that are crying out for easy organization and efficient editing. Thankfully both Adobe and Apple have stepped up with heavy duty apps that largely solve the many challenges the digital revolution has thrust upon advanced amateur and professional photographers.
Mac users find themselves with a difficult decision between Apple’s Aperture and Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom 2. Both products are focused on efficient workflows for organization and editing but take dramatically different approaches to getting that work done. As an Aperture user I was excited to be sent a copy of Lightroom to review for the Amazon Vine program. After several hours of poking, prodding, and a whole lot of photo editing, I came to the conclusion that both are superb for what they do. While there are a few things that I like better on Lightroom and vice-versa (I much prefer Lightroom’s file management for instance), nothing stood out for me as a deal maker or breaker for either product.
And while this wishy-washy conclusion may sound like a cop-out, it really comes down to how you, the photographer, edit photos and which workflow will best fit into how you approach that work. The problem is that once you’re committed to Lightroom or Aperture it is difficult, if not impossible, to switch and maintain all of the editing and organizational data. Neither Adobe or Apple provide a pathway to import a library created on their competitor’s product.
So here’s my suggestion: try before you buy. While Apple and Adobe are locked in the grips of deadly competition we the consumers benefit not only from two great products to choose from but also 30 day fully featured free trials of each. Download both and begin experimenting to see which of the two will best fit your needs.
You can find Apple’s Aperture trial here, and Adobe’s Lightroom 2 trial here.
The decision is easier for Windows users. That’s because there’s nothing better for Windows than Lightroom. Users in a mixed Mac and PC environment will also find that Lightroom’s libraries are also completely cross-compatible, so work can be started on a Mac and finished on a Windows PC. Users upgrading from Adobe Photoshop Elements as well as the older Photoshop album can import their existing album structures into Lightroom with relative ease.
Adobe continues their proud tradition of redefining photography with this product. It’s clear that everything they’ve learned from two decades of Photoshop, combined with feedback from their customers, has gone into this version of Lightroom.
Podcast Stuff for Brian
November 25, 2008 by admin · View Comments
PodCastStudio USB Bundle PODCASTSTUDIO-USB
Testing CoveritLive
October 17, 2008 by admin · View Comments
Fun with the RNC Green Screens
September 7, 2008 by admin · View Comments
One would think after that disastrous speech in Lousiana, the McCain folks wouldn’t put their guy in front of solid backgrounds again.. Of course this entire week at the RNC convention has been one irresistible chroma key screen after the other. I was just waiting for the modified footage to roll in, and the above mashup is probably the best one of the bunch.
It mixes the great ‘Barack roll’ video (already up to 2+ million views on YouTube) with RNC footage. Stephen Colbert, who created the “Green Screen Challenge” to take advantage of poor McCain set choices, probably wishes he thought of it first!
Special thanks to Kevin Bondelli who found this one.
Oh, in case you’ve been living under an Internet rock, click here to discover the significance of the song choice.
Nikon’s Amazing D300 and D90
September 6, 2008 by admin · View Comments
While the above isn’t my most amazing photographic work ever, what is notable about this shot is that it was only lit by a single 100 watt light bulb on the opposite end of the room. No flash. ISO 1250 on a $100 50mm Nikon lens, taken with Nikon’s D300 camera
I was previously using a Canon Digital Rebel that I bought way back in 2003. It is an equally impressive camera, the first digital SLR to break the $1000 price barrier with a lens. It took excellent shots when the lighting was adequate, but fell short in low light conditions. Although Canon and Nikon both introduced some incredible cameras over the last seven years, neither manufacturer really did much to improve sensor sensitivity in low light conditions. While it was possible to boost the ISO of the digital sensor, the results were usually grainy and just not workable.
Starting with the ridiculously awesome D3
If you are thinking of taking your pictures to the next level and purchasing an SLR, you owe it to yourself to pick up a D90. It’s competitively priced, has the same sensor as the D300, and now does 720p movies. Yes an SLR that does movies with all of the incredible depth of field and low light performance Nikon delivers for still photos. Check out some sample movies of the new gadget here.
Thoughts on This Evening
August 29, 2008 by admin · View Comments
I will post some photos tomorrow when I have a little more energy 
. But I did want to convey some thoughts while they are still fresh in mind.
I knew that tonight would certainly be different and much larger than the last several at the Pepsi center, but something about this evening far exceeded expectations. Perhaps it was the fact that 84,000 people came out to a football stadium to hear a speech about the future of their country. Or maybe that so many in the audience were young people who have been inspired by a presidential candidate for the first time in their lives.
I spent most of the evening wandering around on the floor of the Mile High Stadium, looking up at the tens of thousands of people that slowly filled the seats over the course of the evening. It added such a new dynamic and a new energy to the week. All of us pumped up and excited to help Barack Obama close the deal and get elected our next President of the United States.
The moment that stuck out the most for me was right before Barack Obama took the stage. For a few minutes the entire stadium, every one of the 84,000 in attendance, was completely silent watching a biographical short film of our nominee. The silence, of course, was broken with a sustained five minute roar when Barack Obama appeared on stage at the conclusion of the film.
At the end of this exciting evening my wife Melissa, who came here as a Clinton delegate, turned to me and said “now I see what you’ve been seeing in this guy.” A united house once again.
Pictures from Day 4 and Update on Activities #dnc08
August 28, 2008 by admin · View Comments
Click here to view the entire slide show to date!
Another day with very little time to post. Yesterday was an electric night at the Pepsi Center, with a surprise appearance by Barack Obama following Senator Biden’s speech. President Clinton was amazing as always, as was Senator Clinton’s motion to close the roll call vote on the floor. I happened to be right in the tunnel leading to the New York delegation as she made her way to the floor, so I was able to snap a quick photo before she headed out!
Everyone here is fired up for the big night at Invesco field. Security is going to be tight there this evening and there are a bunch of restrictions on what can and can’t be brought into the field. Unfortunately one of the restrictions is on camera lenses larger than 75mm, so tonight’s photos won’t be as cool as the last couple of nights.
We have a ton of video recorded.. Jen Just has been all over town the last several days getting some awesome footage. We even got Will i. Am speaking about how the “Yes We Can” video came about. All of that and more will be coming later this weekend, we just don’t have time here to edit all of it together unfortunately.
Stuff I find interesting- Does the iPhone 4 hate the AT&T MicroCell? August 8, 2010
- FCC calls off net neutrality negotiations August 5, 2010
- The Nightmare Scenario August 4, 2010
- Long lived new windows June 10, 2010
- Vintage Apple II Sites June 10, 2010
