Just got my Nikon D80 DSLR from KEH today! I have to leave for work about 2:30PM on Wednesdays, so I was sweating the FEDEX delivery - he came about 1:30PM, so I at least got to receive it, and got a chance to look it over and charge the battery. It cost me about $650US in "Like New" (with everything, never used condition). KEH and B&H are about the only camera stores I would trust for this kind of thing. Too many scans out there today, especially for used equipment.
I fugured it was about time to get a new DSLR body. The D70 has given me great service and is still a very viable camera, but it's to the point where you can get a lot of nice features for not too much money now. Yeah, I would have liked a D300 body like everyone else, buy I didn't want to spend $1800 for that! ^^ All of my lenes and accessories work with it of course, except the D80 uses SD cards, not CF like the D70.
Posted by MikeyMike at 09:23 PM on September 17, 2007 in Tech, iPod.
When they dropped the price, I just couldn't wait any longer! I looked very closely at what I wanted to be able to do with a single integrated device - and the iPhone does it all - elegantly! I am delighted so far.
Just came in today (I tracked it all the way from China!) And got everything going already. Activated, email set up, as is voice mail, Wi-Fi is working... pretty slick! (watching Youtubes with Wi-Fi is *very* cool!)
I don't think the price is that high now, considering the price of some smart phones on the market now, and the fact that it is a *real* ipod in every way.
This is an excellent real world set of reviews of what it's like to own an iPhone at this point. A no-holds-barred discussion of the good and bad points. Short of plunking down your own $500 + to possess one, this is the article to read. I was tempted, but I think for most of us it would be prudent to wait...
Greetings irrational fanboys and Apple haters! Ten days and 12,000 words later, our stone-cold look at what it means to own an iPhone is done. Before we get to the in depth hands-on, here's the verdict I'd give any good friend: Wait to buy the iPhone.
Wait for What? Wait until Apple updates the software on this iPhone. That was a hard sentence to write, since I'm thumbing through my own iPhone like a teenager with his first Playboy. This is what the phone of the future will look like, and Steve Jobs and Apple should be proud. iPhone of 2010 aside, this model must be judged on what it is today. Like every other journalist will tell you, its multitouch UI, browser and iPod are all pants-worthy. But as the honeymoon sets, I find myself left with a phone that could be a lot more functional. I could make comparisons to high-end Nokia or Helio phones that have endless lists of wonderful features like GPS, YouTube video uploading and more. But only a douchebag would tackle the iPhone for lacking esoteric tricks; things that belong on a Wish List for v2.0.
So what's your main problem with the iPhone? The real elephant in the room is the fact that I just spent $600 on my friggin' iPhone and it can't do some crucial functions that even $50 handsets can. I'm talking about MMS. Video recording. Custom ringtones. Mass storage. Fully functioning Bluetooth with stereo audio streaming. Voice dialing when you're using a car kit. Sending contact info to other people. Instant friggin' messenging. Sending an SMS to more than one recipient at a time.
You are Missing the Point, Lam. I know these minor things don't sound like much to bitch over, but the negative sum of these granular functions really bites into my satisfaction; I've come to miss the little things as I live with this superphone and realize its staggering shortcomings in the practicality department. And while writers are covering these facts in a glancing manner, alongside the quirky QWERTY, lack of 3G, and weak email support, I feel like they are under emphasizing the flaws in light of the shock and awe of the phone's Wonders. This isn't anything as sinister as journalistic corruption; I believe we all are genuinely impressed. But maybe lots have forgotten what it is like to camp, buy, sign a contract and depend on a lone phone for many years. I'd trade fancy Cover Flow for that list of basics any day.
Are you going to ignore the good stuff just to be a contrarian prick? Anyone decidedly anti-Apple who is grinning at what I've written so far should also know how much this is NOT a takedown; likely, you are using a handset I wouldn't even pee on. I'm being hard on this phone because I have profound respect for this device, and want it to do better. In homage, let me quickly rehash the ass-kissage which has been told many times before: I have spent many long minutes fingering the LCD, enthralled by multitouch's effortless ability to zoom into photos and scroll through long lists. It makes the 3.5-inch screen exponentially more useful than any 480 x 320 pixel LCD should be. What can Microsoft do with multitouch? They can put it in a friggin' $10k table for the Sheraton and T-Mobile. I love the buttonless design, and even if the keyboard is not as effective as a hardware model, it can be damn fast. While many tech luminaries have said they'd wanted to defenestrate the iPhone after struggling with its ghost QWERTY, people have been running at 35-40 WPM three days in. Safari on the iPhone is the best browser ever seen on a mobile, with or without Flash, because it actually renders everything "as it should". The iPod's use of Coverflow, coupled with decent battery life for media playback, and the big screen make it the best media phone the world has ever seen. I hadn't previously used an iPod for video, for lack of want, but I find myself loading it with home movies and photos just to celebrate the iPhone's talent. That EDGE connection we were all bitching about pre-launch? When reception is good, it's surprisingly decent for browsing and even YouTube. And as Jason Chen wisely puts it, "People who are patient enough to wait for a 3G version of the iPhone should theoretically be patient enough to wait for EDGE downloads." The hardware is wondrous; that LCD, covered in optical grade glass happens to be the brightest, most contrasty little screen I've ever seen. The minimalist design makes every other cellphone look as stodgy as a rotary phone. How's that for gushing?
More than 143 million Americans work on a computer each day, with 88% of them suffering from computer eyestrain, according to estimates. In addition, nearly 54 million children work at a computer each day either at home or in school.* Prolonged computer use can stress a child's eyes and impact his or her vision development.
What Are the Symptoms of CVS?
If you or your child spend more than two hours each day in front of a computer screen, you likely experience some degree of computer vision syndrome. CVS includes:
Headaches
Loss of focus
Burning/tired eyes
Double/blurred vision
Neck and shoulder pains
What Causes Computer Vision Syndrome?
CVS is caused by our eyes and brain reacting differently to characters on the screen than they do to printed characters. Our eyes have little problem focusing on most printed material, which is characterized by dense black characters with well-defined edges. Healthy eyes can easily maintain focus on the printed page. Characters on a computer screen, however, don't have this contrast or well-defined edges. These characters (pixels) are brightest at the center and diminish in intensity toward their edges. This makes it very difficult for our eyes to maintain focus and remain fixed onto these images. Instead our eyes drift out to a point called the "resting point of accommodation" or RPA.
Our eyes involuntarily move to the RPA, and then strain to regain focus on the screen. This continuous flexing of the eyes' focusing muscles creates fatigue and the burning, tired-eyes feeling that is so common after long hours at the computer.
What Can I Do About It?
The solution is simple: see an eyecare professional that specializes in computer vision care. In most cases, standard reading glasses or over-the-counter readers are not accurate enough, because viewing a computer is usually at a different distance (18"-28" than reading distance (16"-21". Once an eye doctor accurately diagnoses your computer vision problem and determines your correct computer working distances, it's a simple matter to prescribe computer eyeglasses that will allow you to work comfortably and productively.
The top 25 Internet scams of all time, according to PC World magazine... Awww... the memories these bring back! And I'm still waiting for my 1 million dollars from that Nigerian bank!
These online spoofs and shams have made the rounds on Web sites and through e-mail. Perhaps you even believed one or two of them yourself.
Steve Bass
Thursday, May 03, 2007 1:00 AM PDT
Hoaxes 1 Through 5
From the supposed last photo taken at the top of the World Trade Center to the endlessly revised request for assistance from a Nigerian functionary, here are our top five Web and e-mail hoaxes.
1. The Accidental Tourist (2001)
Quite possibly the most famous hoax picture ever, this gruesome idea of a joke traveled around the Web and made a grand tour of e-mail inboxes everywhere soon after the tragedy of September 11. It depicts a tourist standing on the observation deck of one of the World Trade Center towers, unknowingly posing for a picture as an American Airlines plane approaches in the background.
At first glance it appears to be real, but if you examine certain details, you'll see that it's a craftily modified image. For starters, the plane that struck the WTC was a wide-body Boeing 767; the one in the picture is a smaller 757. The approach of the plane in the picture is from the north, yet the building it would have hit--the North tower--didn't have an outdoor observation deck. Furthermore, the South tower's outdoor deck didn't open until 9:30 a.m. on weekdays, more than half an hour after the first plane struck the WTC. The picture is a hoax, through and through--and not a particularly amusing one, under the circumstances.
Image courtesy of Snopes.com.
2. Sick Kid Needs Your Help (1989)
This gem had its roots in reality. It all began in 1989, when nine-year-old cancer patient Craig Shergold thought of a way to achieve his dream of getting into the Guinness Book of World Records. Craig asked people to send greeting cards, and boy, did they. By 1991, 33 million greeting cards had been sent, far surpassing the prior record. Ironically, however, the Guinness World Records site doesn't contain any mention of Craig Sherwood or a "most greeting cards received" record, presumably because the fine folks at the site don't want to encourage anyone to try to break his mark. (Astonishingly, Guinness doesn't have an entry for world's stoutest person, either, but it does honor the World's Largest Tankard of Beer.)
Fortunately, doctors succeeded in removing the tumor, and Craig is now a healthy adult, but his appeal for cards has turned into the hoax that won't die. Variations on the theme include a sick girl dying of cancer, and a little boy with leukemia whose dying wish is to start an eternal chain letter. A recent iteration tells a tragic tale of a girl who supposedly was horribly burned in a fire at WalMart, and then claims that AOL will pay all of her medical bills if only if you forward this e-mail to EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!! Okay, enough already.
Image courtesy of Snopes.com.
3. Bill Gates Money Giveaway (1997)
No, it's true. I thought it was a scam, but it happened to a buddy of mine. It seems that Microsoft is testing some new program for tracing e-mail, and the company needs volunteers to help try the thing out. He forwarded me an e-mail that he received from Microsoft--and get this, from Bill Gates himself! Two weeks later, as a reward for participating, my pal received a check for thousands of dollars! Sure he did. Another version of this hoax claims that AOL's tracking service is offering a cash reward. Tell you what--when you get your check, send me 10 percent as a finder's fee, okay?
Posted by MikeyMike at 06:51 PM on April 28, 2007 in Tech.
So what is Web 2.0? It's one of those terms that is thrown about, and is often hype. But... at it's core, there is a new way to Internet... I'd say that VOX is one of these new services at allow people to communicate in powerful new ways and convenience. I never wanted to become a programmer to make and keep a blog, and I suspect that few really do in the long run. This video shows and explains a lot about what these new services have to offer!
Mike from (Spring Valley) San Diego, CA
Uses Nikon P5000 digicam and Nikon D70 DSLR for most pictures here.
Mike's Crazy Hours (Pacific Time -8):
SUN: 10am-9pm
MON/TUES/WED: 3pm-1:30am
THU/FRI/SAT: Off - ;)
mavila_92111 AT yahoo DOT com
http://www.personalitypage.com/ISFP.html
from KEH
than reading distance (16"-21"
