“Photographer” shoots Photographer

At the bloggers meeting mentioned in the last post, I noticed a photographer bringing out some serious gear, and fixing his dual Canons and wide-angle lenses, and of course, being a member of the intelligentsia that I am, I went over, introduced myself and asked “I guess you are the official photographer, huh?”

Somehow photographers often make good subjects (with notable exceptions, who I won’t mention ) and Lewis Louis proved no exception, sure sign of a pro and not a “camwhore.” Either that or he was trying not to laugh at my tiny Lumix…

Blogging guests at Cafe Libre.

The last few weeks have been interesting for Cafe Libre. We were used, at very short notice, for a few hours filming for a Chinese drama due to be shown on TV this year. And we get our fair share of “famous” people, who will remain nameless and picture less because they are mainly Yasmin’s friends and won’t sign my model release forms.

But we have had a few bloggers, and I have been very remiss in posting the photos taken on those occasions. That will be corrected - be afraid, be very afraid!

Anyway, as I type there is a blogging meet happening at Cafe Libre, courtesy of happy.com.my and looks like being a fun evening, with the Nintendo Wii set-up on our Plasma TV, much competitive shrieking and yelling and the food prepared by the Cafe team.

I escaped, to finish off my “other” job at the local gym, but I am sure regular bloggers will recognise some of the bloggers that I managed to snap before I left!

Leaked UK gov’t doc reveals plan to “coerce” Brits into national ID register.

I’m just going to copy and paste the headline fom Boing-Boing’s Cory Doctorow - someone who knows about screcy and abuse of freedoms! - verbatim.

And the linked file is here: Take me down, chaps, take me down! nis_options_analysis_outcome.pdf

Leaked UK gov’t doc reveals plan to “coerce” Brits into national ID register — MIRROR THIS FILE!

Posted by Cory Doctorow, January 29, 2008 3:01 AM | permalink

Phil from the UK anti-ID-register group NO2ID sends in this nugget — note the call to action there. We’ve got a sensitive government document revealing the British government’s plan to trick us into a database state and we need as many copies as possible, as quickly as possible! If you mirror this document, please add a link to it in the comments for the post.

UK campaigners NO2ID this morning enlisted the help of bloggers across the world to spread a leaked government document describing how the British government intends to go about “coercing” its citizens onto a National Identity Register. The ‘ID card’ is revealed as little more than a cover to create a official dossier and trackable ID for every UK resident - creating what NO2ID calls ‘the database state’. NO2ID’s national coordinator, Phil Booth, exhorted bloggers, freedom lovers and anyone who gives a damn about personal privacy to mirror the annotated document on their site.

“The charade is over. While ministers try to bamboozle the British public with fairytales about fingerprints, officials are plotting how to dupe and bully the population into surrendering control of their own identities.”

“Biometric ID cards are a sham; a magician’s flourish to cover the biggest identity fraud there has ever been.”

Yet another new “toy” - Panasonic FX33.

I have a fantastic DSLR, the Pentax 100D, with the Limited set of prime lenses as noted in a previous blog post. But I also like to carry a simple Point&Shoot for shots that I might otherwise miss, and also as a visual notebook.

I was using the Canon A550, a nice simple semi-compact automatic camera which gave the usual smooth Canon picture results, like this one:

Nice, but limited in low light, had no wide angle, and used AA batteries which meant it was not truly “pocketable.” And I missed the Image Stabilisation of my old Pana FZ30 and my Pentax, which gives anywhere from 2 to 4 stops additional capability in low light.

So I took my A550 and spent a pleasant afternoon in Low Yat Plaza, just checking all the new cameras, and seeing if anyone was interested in part exchanging the Canon for a new camera.

Got a few decent responses, and then sat down at one shop for the best part of an hour, testing cameras and haggling over the trade-in value of the A550 (which was mint condition, with all papers etc.)

I was really impressed by the latest small Lumix, the FX33, which has an extremely useful auto Intelligence system that works out your best settings for the picture you intend to take, and is very fast for a P&S. Usually dubious of Auto only cameras, this one really impressed after extensive testing at all zoom lengths and lighting. And it starts at 28mm for those wider shots which are very important to me. Retail was 1399, but to my pleasant surprise we managed to get it well under 1000, including a case, spare 3rd party battery and screen protector. Very nice indeed! And I just love the style and size - tiny, rubber black on steel, solidly built in Japan, Leica lens - and impressive capabilities.

It’s small

Nice case too.

One of the problems with all P&S cameras is sensor noise at high ISO settings, but this new model surprises with it’s relatively low noise at higher ISOs. This next, and last, picture was taken by the FX33 at ISO800, which would normally be unusable, but even unprocessed it came out pretty clean.

So overall a very satisfactory purchase, and a decent camera to always carry - so small, no excuses! -  very highly recommended by me!

25 years on - Blade Runner reborn! :)

In the pantheon of great Sci-Fi movies, one of the greatest for pure visual effect and atmosphere has to be Blade Runner. Conceived in 1980, and finally released in 1982, it was one of the most amazing spectacles to watch on a big screen cinema. The soundtrack by Vangelis became famous in it’s own right, and perfectly accompanied the film at every stage.

The only flaw was that the original had a totally unnecessary voiceover by Harrison Ford, explaining idiot style what was going on as the film progressed. The later Director’s Cut removed this, changed the ending, and inserted additional material that indicated more clearly that Dekkard, Harrison Ford’s character, was himself a replicant. As a “Blade Runner” working for the police, his job was to hunt down rogue replicants and “retire” them. IMHO, it was one of the best acting roles of his long career.

There was a DVD release made of the Director’s Cut in the early 90’s, but even Ridley Scott who directed was appalled at the dismal quality, and practically disowned the DVD version. Legal wrangles continued for years, with fans clamouring for a quality release, but it never materialized - until now.

Re-mastered digitally, using cutting edge technology, Ridley Scott has managed to turn a visual epic into a virtually holographic 3D cinemascape of glorious colour and rich detail. My sister-in-law bought us the collector’s set, which contains 5 discs, all the various releases, and artwork from the original storyboards. A beautiful package indeed, and much appreciated as a belated Xmas gift.

Watching it last night, on a 32″LCD, using an upscaling 1080i DVD player, and a quality Yamaha surround sound system, was the most amazing experience. Although I know the film backwards, new details shone out of the newly clarified footage, and it really came alive in a way that made the previous version feel like a joke knock off copy from a bad DVD stall! The soundtrack has been boosted as well, so all the atmospheric background noise is clear and unhindered.

The packaging is lavish, and a very nicely designed piece of work, but the film itself stands out mightily, and is rightfully called “Blade Runner - The Final Cut.”

It is not enough to buy a stall copy of this package - every penny of the purchase price is repaid through it’s quality - and I highly recommend any fans of the genre, and especially one of the finest Sci-Fi flicks of all time to invest in an experience that simply demands the best home theater set-up. Then sit back and be transported to another world.

Reviewing the evidence.

I would say that you could apply this equally to religion. Especially since they are fundamentally based on the same thing.

Kudos as always xkcd

NOW have you Apple cultists got what you wanted ;)

NO - Not THIS! ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Another “leak” that kept Apple fanatics awake at night, wondering what God Steve had lined up for them this time. Well, of course we knew it was going to be another Macbook, d’uh. But how small? Touch screen, tablet, UMPC, voice activated and solar powered?

Sheesh, the more I saw these rumours on the various sites (and they were virtually unavoidable!!) I couldn’t wait for the 14th so that everyone could A) Go home muttering disappointment, or B) Go home and whack off whilst counting their small change hidden in the sofa.

By the way, note the picture above. I am not an Apple Hater, far from it. Just a Cult hater, and a disliker of arrogance, which Apple has displayed in huge amounts since, well, since Steve came back on board. Tacky advertising, media whoring and staged “events” are not about computing, they are merely about corporate presence and the final bottom line - the balance sheet and “shareholder value.” Admittedly they have moved forward the field of Industrial design, not just in computers, but other areas as well, but that is due to the brilliance of Jonathan Ive, who IMHO would have made the best looking “anything you want me to design!” Just lucky Apple got him first!

So, the Macbook Air. Yes, it looks amazing. You want to stare at it all day? Buy a photo of one - it’ll be cheaper. New battery? Back to the shop; millions of Apple iPod users groan “not again!” $1799? Not bad with the disintegrating Dollar, but I would want to see real world, day-to-day business use with this machine before judging it finally. Can something this thin and light really survive in the real world, not the precious world of Apple Fans.

As an entirely different type of litmus test, I stayed home customizing my Asus EeePC Remove the kiddie interface for KDE, and start getting some goodness into a pretty neat machine. Under a kilo, 3-4 hours battery life (with WiFi on all last evening) legible, and even the keyboard is OK for those of us with slim fingers…or nails. The only gripe that I have is that the manual is almost entirely devoted to informing you how to install Windows on the machine! I don’t want bloody Windows, I bought it because it was a flavour of Linux, which I want to learn better. And having tarted it up with some decent apps, it runs faster than any Windows laptop., especially since I stuck a Gig of RAM in it to replace the 512 standard.

Anyway, to each their own. I love my Mac Mini which is thrashed daily, and I think I’m going to like my new MiniLaptop, even if I only ever do the basics on it when traveling around.

And if Steve promises to make a Macbook Air in scratch proof Matte Black, I’ll buy one.

The Asus? OK. No optical drive. No problem for me. Limited storage. Add SD cards. Use an external HD in an enclosure.

Sling it in my backpack in it’s neoprene sleeve; no worries. Although, yes, I wanted Black, but most of the black one’s available in town are the 2G “Surf” models, less HD space and no webcam, shorter battery life too!! So for the additional bucks, it was worth getting the Pearl White 4G - I have no patience!

19 years ago - “I Do”

Nineteen years ago today, Yasmin & I eloped to Las Vegas, under mysterious circumstances and returned to the UK as a married couple. No shotguns were involved, but I did have to dodge a few bullets when I next went to Malaysia!

Nineteen years! Seeems like a lifetime, seems like a day. But always solid as granite.

So a nice few days retreat somewhere is appropriate - and look forward to the 20th!

New Year - Another chance to get it right! ;)

A firm belief in the proofs and underpinnings of Darwinist evolutionary theory grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; and try not banging my head against a brick wall trying to change them as usual

the courage to change the things I can; even when it costs blood, sweat and tears, struggle and depression

and the wisdom to know the difference. Damn, I knew there had to be a catch somewhere!

Peace and love to your doorsteps, y’all :)