Better Pictures

I follow several food blogs, like this one, and then I also follow folks who like to photograph food, like this one. I’m a little upset they have such fabulous photographs of their foody exploits in the kitchen.

I’m jealous.

What I notice about both is that

a) they set up their shots (backgrounds, etc.) b) they’ve got light

So… I naturally am using this as an excuse to buy more camera equipment.

This will make more light, but I may also need something that can produce more close-up lighting.

For an upcoming trip, something wide-angle might be nice, too. But by Canon, or Sigma?

And finally, while in the throws of camera lust, I might mention the extra battery grip.

Or should I just concentrate on making better food, and not pictures?

Bing Ad

I was visiting a website today about technology news and in the sidebar of the page was an ad for using the new Microsoft Bing search engine.

Recently I found a fortune cookie that told me “bing” in Chinese (now, I know for a fact this isn’t the only interpretation) can mean “disease.” The opposite side of this “fortune” read: Truth can be harsh, but it can be helpful.

So maybe you can use Bing (or bing) to help you find things. But what I really want to comment on is the ad itself.

First, they’re out to use “bing” as a verb. “Google it,” might become “bing it.” Okay, they chose a probable word in English and they want to attach meaning to it. We’ll see if that works out.

But the example in question is a Microsoft product, their own webcam. Their silly “cashback” program is at play here (a poor icon choice, I think, because cash sounds like squishy green paper money, not gold coins from an arcade game), but would you use their search engine maybe only to search for products they themselves made??

Then there’s the hilarity involved, in using your own product as a prop, and learning “it’s not the best.” It’s only a 4-star webcam, not 5. Only 86% of people found its size a positive factor? Where do these metrics come from? Is Bing chasing Amazon (with the stars and orange color) or Google?

Lastly, would you type in web cams (with a space) or webcams?

Let’s go to Bing and find out if this works the way they propose.

No, I didn’t get a nice picture of a webcam and arrows pointing out the benefits. The ad is contrived.

I clicked on “top 10,” hoping to see the graphics with arrows and reviews. What shocked me was what a knock-off of Google bing really is. “Sponsored sites” on the right, blue headings with links for the results, and green URLs with cached versions. Take away the stupid surfer at the top (now, if the search results page put in an image that related to my search, say, a big fancy Microsoft webcam, then I’d be impressed, but what surfing has to do with webcams is quite foreign to me), and you’d think you were looking at a Google page, perhaps.

More curious notes:

• the word “web” at the top left is not on the same line as the next words.
• MSN and WindowsLive is also not on the same line as the rest either.
• Why do all of their properties need a Bing search bar at the top? It’s on WindowsLive, MSN, etc. Oh, that’s right, you might not be using Internet Explorer.

Poorly done.

Evolution of HiFi

While I’ve seemingly been quiet here, at least in talking about music, I’ve been busy trying to determine where to take the hi-fi system as of late. I discovered a problem and I’ve recently come up with an intermediate solution.

For those that don’t know me well, I enjoy listening to music in two primary locations: in my office and in our Salon de musique family room. Each of the two rooms contains important assets.

1. The office has my workstation where the media files are stored.
2. The family room uses the better loudspeakers and a more sophisticated hi-fi system.

A computer-based hi-fi system isn’t atypical today. I’m currently taking analog audio from my computer and passing that into an integrated amplifier. That, in turn, drives two bookshelf speakers on either side of my head here in the office. I use iTunes to drive the music, available in varying qualities, from 256kbit MP3s to lossless files ripped at 750-800 kbits.

I used to stream music downstairs to an Aiport Express using a Toslink cable plugged into a rather clear-sounding digital to analog converter. This little box is magic, and in a future upgrade, it will find its way upstairs with the computer.

Needless to say, since upgrading to iTunes 8.1 (and unchanged in iTunes 8.2), I noticed some sound quality issues downstairs. The music, especially with certain types (say, solo violin) became strident and ugly. Extensive testing revealed the “bad” link was the Airport Express. That’s not to say another cable might not have helped, but using the same cable, going directly from computer to DAC revealed correct-sounding music.

Some reading indicated it may be a problem with clock jitter.

I therefore upgraded the system from an Airport Express to a Mac mini computer. Because i fancied running the mini headless (without a monitor), and I want to keep the media on my main workstation in the office, I set up an auto-mounting function in Mac OS X Leopard called autofs. This auto-mounts the media volume from the workstation on the mini. I made a copy of the iTunes library on the mini. Now, when it plays music, it’s “streaming” it over the network. The machine also goes to sleep and wakes up on a schedule. The jittery-problems have not surfaced.

The issue then becomes, “What’s next?” Obviously, this solution needs maintenance (upgrading the library to the auxiliary mini). However some point to USB as a superior communications medium between the computer and the DAC. Wavelength Audio’s products especially look enticing.

The iPhone works as a great remote control, operating volume, track selection, and start/stop.

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend it’s a good time for reflection. I am going through some of my photos I’ve taken over the past five years and am finding some favorites.

I took this photo a couple years ago when visiting Staunton, Virginia. I was about to get into my car. We were parked right next to this church. I looked up, and the sun was right behind the tower.

This weekend is also a good time to catch up with new music purchases.

Old School Mac

This brings back the memories…

My mother was editing a document for work with our family’s Mac Plus in 1990. At this point, it was going on two years old. She was using Microsoft Word. Interesting to me is how slow it drew the choices in the dialog box that appears.

Time for a new computer?

I am feeling it’s time for a new computer. I can’t precisely choose what I want to replace it with, but tonight I came across an article that caused me to look up some old details about my current setup.

My screen was acquired in October, 2001, for $2500.00. The Apple Cinema Display’s price had just been slashed from $4000.00, so I bought up the same display for a sweeter price. That’s right, today I use the same screen. It still looks and operates great. The only thing wrong with it is the resolution isn’t as sharp as some of the newer offerings.

I estimate that I’ve put between 10,600 and 21,300 hours on the display. That’s a big discrepancy, but my guess is it’s right in the middle: let’s say 15,000 hours. I’ve owned the display for over 2500 days, and I’ve figured the cost per hour, when I divide the cost of this thing, is around 18-19 cents. That seems high. But $2500 was a lot of cash in 2001 for a monitor.

My PowerMac G5 tower has not been my favorite computer. When buying it, it required two trips back to the Apple Store for repairs. They ended up replacing the power/cooling unit more than once, and eventually, the entire motherboard. Ouch. Thank goodness for warrantees. This is the first desktop computer where I purchased AppleCare. The computer to this day is awfully loud. The fan constantly goes up and down and the slightest thing to keep cool.

In contrast, my work computer, a Quad-processor G5 tower, is quite quiet. From what I detected at the Apple store, the current crop of Intel-based towers is likewise very quiet.

The computer at the time cost me $2999.99. I am confident i no longer need the fastest thing Apple puts out for my hobbies and such, but I need something fast.

So, I made up a little comparison chart. Click it for a full-size version. Surprising, perhaps, is that the quad-processor machine I have my eye on is about the same price as the dual G5 from 2005. I then compared the price of this machine against Apple’s fastest iMac and their fastest MacBook Pro, with the legendary 8-hour battery.

It turns out the laptop isn’t value priced, but check carefully. For $2869 you’re getting almost 3Ghz with 1920 pixels; the iMac is a value for a little more speed and the same number of pixels… at about 800 less.

I am using my current Mac as a workstation and a media server. I had planned on using the new computer in the identical capacity, but I have to now consider what to do with the old machine.

Sell it? Keep it as a media server (i.e., iTunes)?

GeoTagging

I’m really in love with the concept of geotagged photos. These are photographs where the location of the camera is embedded with the digital actual photo stored on your memory card (in a digital camera). Before going on my recent trip, I assumed all the latest cameras had this feature, and almost bought one.

What I was looking for was a high-quality point and shoot camera. My research told me only one model actually does this, and it’s the Nikon P6000. It has a built-in GPS receiver and does geotagging. It’s up to other software to take these codes and place them on a map or identify their location. In other words, the camera records 44 degrees north by 25 degrees west, and software like Flickr (for sharing photos) or Google Maps (for finding locations) identifies this location.

Why are geotagged photos valuable? I think this is valuable because it’s very useful metadata to have. “Here’s a picture of Susan in front of this giant bridge, and yes, to get back here, go to these coordinates.” But think of it this way… you can create a map where all of your photos were taken.

Of course, it is possible to take geotagged photos with other equipment aside from the P6000. Many cell phones with GPS capabilities (including the iPhone and iPhone 3G) record geographical data, and many add-ons to higher-end cameras now add geotagging data (memory cards and battery grips).

We were snapping away on part of the road trip off of the Golden Gate bridge and it would be nice (now) to know where those spots actually were.

Imagine you were house hunting, and shooting candidates. You’d know precisely where those homes were.

Of course, Google has already geotagged photos as part of their Street View program in Google Earth/Maps. But what makes geotagging compelling to me is this:

If folks are sharing their own geotagged photos, we’re building an enormous library of data about the world around us… what if GPS systems in cars could tap-into this data and show us the most recent photos from intersections, roadways, and points of interest?

Social computing is still under development.

Beach Ball of Death

Did you know the so-called “Beach Ball of Death” on Macs is actually a killer vegetable?

Lobster Shanty

I recently installed a new application on my computer called Leap which is kind of a tagging, find it, organize it application. It does things we all wish the Mac Finder did, by itself.

I found this blog post from December 29, 2001, I thought I’d share.

One evening, my dad took us to Jack Baker’s Lobster Shanty, a little family-style seafood restaurant in Rio, Florida. You can read the entire history of the place on their website, if you like. I’ll save myself the trouble. But my dad orders chicken. Seems odd, wouldn’t you think, for a seafood place? Then he only eats half, and claims he’s sick. My mom blames it on the corn fritters which she adored. They had been fried, you see, and my dad doesn’t react well to fried foods. I had a crab cake and shrimp, and my mom ordered the entire fried shrimp dinner. At Jack’s, you get a choice of salad bar or chowder with your meal, and a seemingly complimentary little scoop of cole slaw. Odd, we thought. But my mom started on those hush puppies, pretty much ignored the slaw, and joined us at the salad bar. But come time for the entrees, she was unsure she could finish the large platter. I admit, I was pretty full upon finishing mine. It was decent food, not gourmet, but a worthy dinner. My mom–and this is the interesting part–claimed she was “done” when the waitress came to clear plates. She said, “Oh– you’re done?!” in a half-believed kind of way. The thing was, my mom’s plate was at first glance still very full. But upon close inspection, you could see that she had cleanly bitten-off only the tips of the shrimp. When questioned, “I don’t want to eat the tail.” Hmm. Seems to me you could divide a fried shrimp into thirds: tip, middle, and tail. But out of a petrid fear of getting to close to that handle of a tail (and I’ve known some Filipinos who eat the tail), she only ate the tips. It could have been said, “Oh, there’s a lemon-scented meal o’ SHRIMP TIPS over at table 4…” So yes, my mom only ate a third of her shrimp, the tips.

So, the next time you invite my mom over for a catered affair, be ready to sink an awful lot of money into shrimp tips, because she’ll leave the rest.

Apple Lisa

My dream machine.

This was the first GUI computer I laid eyes on; it was very early 1984 before Macintosh was released in our computer store, Mace Electronics.

It’s glowing light; the separate hard disk drive. And the mouse. Ah…

Martha and her MacBook Air

Martha Stewart recently blogged about getting a MacBook Air.

As long, longtime readers of biberfan most certainly know, I am not Martha’s biggest fan. I ate cake when she went to prison.

But in retrospect, I have watched some of her shows, and bought some of her ideas on paper. She’s certainly an inventive businesswoman, and you have to give her credit for that.

But reading her blog… and all the folks to read it… I began to think.

1. She gets blog traffic because she’s famous and people trust her judgement. She’s built brand, and she is the brand.
2. Any joe can start a blog and recommend products.
3. What’s the difference between her and someone else who’s in the know?

While I might go to Martha for a suggestion on cheap, good-looking sheets, I am not sure she’s the best authority for what computer to buy. Simply the fact that she prefers to work side-by-side with two suggests she’s not hitting either one very hard.

I have found many bloggers whose opinions and judgement I value; I likely value their judgement even more than some of these folks value Martha’s.

Now the question is: how many blogs do you follow written by felons?

Apple TV

Tonight, after contemplating a lot of hard work I’ve endured over the past couple of weeks, in addition to my current poor state of health, I decided I deserved “something” that I had been considering purchasing for about a year: Apple TV.

Some have passed this device off as “a flop.” Earlier, I got the Eye TV 250 to record TV shows from cable. What I did want was a TiVO-like solution without their subscription fee. While the Eye TV did its job, it didn’t put the shows on my TV (but did on my iPhone). I knew that maybe the Apple TV was going to be the solution.

Apple obviously sells this device, along with its iPod, and it’s no secret that once you buy the device, they hope you begin buying the TV shows, music (and now, movies). I already am paying over $100/month to Comcast, so I have little interest in paying Apple to watch TV.

But there is homemade content, podcasts, YouTube, Flickr, and music to contend with. And that’s where I see some value. So, with the introduction of Apple’s “Take 2″ version of Apple TV, I picked one up. The rest of this post details my experience.

The Box

There are three things in the box: the remote, the Apple TV, and sealed directions. I never opened them up.

The cords

My HDTV does not have HDMI; so I purchased an HDMI > DVI cable from the store. I also used some spare RCA plugs I had to connect the Apple TV to my Samsung television. The box also contained a power cord, and that got connected, too.

I am not sure if there is an “on/off” switch. Immediately, I began using the device, looking at settings, and playing back movie trailers off the Internet, after I connected the Apple TV to my computer and before that, to my home wireless network. The thing just “worked.”

Soon after, I began to install the update.

Take 2

The update took what seemed like 4-7 “restarts,” and while I knew it was doing “something,” some verbal feedback would have been helpful. Instead, a slowly-moving progress bar was the main type of feedback.

Next, once it finally booted, I made some settings changes: I moved from 720p to 1080i resolution. This worked on the TV, and there was a slight upgrade around the Apple TV graphics when it was observed “up close.” Next, I watched some HD movie trailers.

After owning this TV for some 2 years, I have never experienced such bright, crisp, and clear viewing as I did with these HD movie trailers. I felt TV was finally “being used” for what I got it for. Even the HD digital cable channels aren’t his good. I was impressed.

Next, I went to my Mac. This, with its iTunes software, is still a “hub” of the system. Back at the Apple TV, I could access a lot of my video podcasts, my entire iTunes collection, etc., etc. Basically, Apple TV was an extension of my computer for media. I liked this idea. I watched a number of podcasts, from things I have made at work, to TED talks, to how-to videos on graphic design topics.

The “MacBreak” podcast looked awesome.

As I type this downstairs, the computer upstairs is transferring a lot of content I selected (namely, the podcasts) to the Apple TV’s hard drive. My EyeTV software is transferring (compressing) my TV shows into AppleTV H.264-ready videos (thanks to the USB-based Turbo264). So, tomorrow, I can begin watching my recorded TV programs–get this–on TV!

I also looked at Flickr photos on the TV. Amazing brightness and clarity. It’s actually more fun watching vacation videos this way–on TV–than on the computer.

So, yes, I bought the Apple TV, despite some folks saying it was a flop. I might soon rent a movie via the new iTunes software. But having access to all my media in the comfort of bed, including the ability to watch YouTube, or listen to music while I read, will be great. So far, I’m a happy camper.

Update: After living with this for a few days, I have to say I am very disappointed with the arrangement. The EyeTV (using their newest 3.0 version of software, coupled with the Turbo264 accelerator) has been very disappointing. I am tired to writing complaints for support tickets to the company.

The idea is: record shows on computer, send to Apple TV. This works, but not very often!

Upon exporting the MPEG-2 encoded programming to the AppleTV-compatible H.264 Quicktime files, the exports will get “stuck.” Two whole days, and my computer could only churn-out 3 half-hour programs?? Gimme a break! I have had to restart the computer, cancel exports, etc., and it’s just so frustrating.

What’s more, the EyeTV software doesn’t “tell you” when it’s exported a copy of the show. No check-mark or anything. Just like you had never done a thing. It does move the files to iTunes, etc., but gimme a break. Let me know if you successfully exported the show/movie.

So, AppleTV’s effectiveness for my needs is less if this EyeTV partner-in-crime can’t keep up.

Update (March 2, 2008): I have had better success with an EyeTV software update with my AppleTV. It now doesn’t crash/hang when exporting recordings for MPEG-4. I need to figure out how/when to automatically dump the MPEG-2 versions to save space. The compressed versions in iTunes are fine enough for my watching needs.

I rented my first HD movie today with AppleTV. It hung 4 times. Getting it to start was rough; I am not sure what was up there; it hadn’t fully downloaded, but it wasn’t “up” yet to the part where it hadn’t progressed with the download. It also hung further along; but once some momentum had been acquired, the rest of the experience was okay. The HD quality looked good. You wondering what we watched? Hehe. Balls of Fury. Not a great movie, but not awful, either. I’m a big Walken fan, and old Max Zorin was great.

Full Potential

In reading about the Microsoft-Yahoo! merger proceedings, I stepped across this line describing Microsoft.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. (emphasis mine)

I know this is 98% marketing hype, but does that belong in a statement like this? And if it weren’t hype, then what it suggests is quite bogus.

It suggests, at least at one level, that without their software, services, and solutions that you might not ever reach your full potential. That with Linux, or a Mac, or someone else’s word processor, you’re simply not going to be all you can be, because, well, they’ve designed their software in such a way to pull out your best.

I like this explanation, as it clearly gives a reason for why they make such bloated software, that many times has begged the question “who designed this this way?” from me. While annoying at the time, it was simply their great ploy at figuring out how to get my “wheels spinning” so to say, inspiring me with my creative thoughts, number keeping, and lofty presentation ideas. Thanks!

Mac Book Air

I don’t know why I feel compelled to speak about this, but I do.

There are a lot of people who don’t like the new MacBook Air from Apple, announced this week at Macworld 2008.

A colleague whom I work with mentioned he thought it would be the Mac Cube, take 2. Revolutionary, perhaps, but not a big seller.

I’d like one, myself, but I am not sure I need one. It would make an excellent machine for reading websites, checking mail, writing blog posts, and controlling music to my wireless hi-fi.

But the complaints swirl about a number of different areas:

• too big
• no Ethernet
• no optical disc
• needs a second computer
• no Firewire
• too expensive

I mean,cry me a river, folks. If you don’t want it, then don’t get it. Apple makes perfectly good laptops that have more ports, more power, more flexibility. They’re not that thick, either.

As always, Apple is making a statement here with Air. Thin is in, sure, but let’s cut back on the storage media and wires. It was gutsy with the iMac, and it’s about time someone challenged us with a product like the Air.

Corporate environment? Get a bigger laptop. One with a Kensington lock, etc.

Education? Same deal; get the cheaper laptop. No kid needs a $1800 laptop, when a $1000-1200 will do.

I think Apple does get in trouble when they try to establish that “3rd” in-between level in their product matrix. But it worked for iPod nano: small like a shuffle, but the screen/features of a classic. The Cube, I liked it. I’m sorry it didn’t catch on; it was perhaps too evolutionary for its time. But when you have two products that do not differentiate themselves terribly, putting a third in-between can be confusing to the customer. They’re going to see the extremes, and the product in the center suffers.

Apple needs a compelling reason to sell a super-thin computer. The space savings with the cube was negligible. Space-saving with this Air is several degrees richer: its design, new trackpad, and weight/physical dimensions are going to appeal to a good number of folks who want a good computing experience without the bulk.

I know for one, a very close friend bought the MacBook Pro because it was silver (aluminum). “Don’t like black, white looks cheap.” Okay, that’s your opinion, and you bought based on color. Now, he could have gotten the color he wanted at a cheaper price. He never uses Ethernet; he backs up to a Firewire drive (which also supports USB 2). Same screen technology, slightly more area. He would have been a good candidate.

My friend Todd thinks they’re going to sell like hotcakes. “Hotcakes, John, like hotcakes! So thin and supple… they’ll be the most popular Mac ever!” He may even have drooled. I’m less optimistic, but I don’t see 2008 as the year of cube, part 2.

Goodbye, Word

Not everyone likes using Microsoft Word. I bought Scrivener and used it to write my book (which is now available for preorder).