Thursday, July 20, 2006
Dan does sensors: a detailed discussion
Dan's Data is the geekiest of the geek sites, a one man operation by a guy who knows all, writes all. Today he does camera sensors: Enough already with the megapixels. He doesn't do it all in this one article (omitted: CMOS vs. CCD, why big sensors still want a prism ...) but he covers the details better than anything else I've read. I learned a few things ...
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
The Canon SD600 digital: disappointing
I've had five Canon digitals: the tough-as-nails S230, the reasonably robust s410 (though the rotary settings dial failed there, happily I had the AMEX extended warranty), the ultra-rugged G2 and the excellent Digital Rebel XT. Oh, and the brand new frail and feeble Canon PowerShot SD600.
Oh, it's not a terrible camera. It's inexpensive, the images aren't worse than the s410, the shutter lag is somewhat less ... but I expected more. Yes it's smaller -- but only outside of the case. Put it inside the somewhat bulky case (you wouldn't want this fragile toy any other way) and it's about the same size as the s410 in its case.
So the size drop doesn't bring much practical value, but the large display and small size have some unfortunate side-effects. The flash is microscopic and the battery is too tiny to power the big display for long. Speaking of the big display, it doesn't leave much room for the almost invisible controls. Yes, the display is nice for doing on camera image review and editing, but we do that on the 20" iMac display. It's made for consumers who don't use a computer.
Maybe it was the lack of space that made Canon remove the mechanical switch between 'Auto' and 'Manual' settings. That hurts. My wife uses auto, I use manual. The switch used to be foolproof, now it requires quirky menu navigation.
And so we come back to the build quality. On the one hand the camera has a one year warranty. On the other hand it probably doesn't cover the camera door coming off in your hands. This camera is 'Made in Japan', but evidently that doesn't mean what it once did. The first time I inserted the SD card it wouldn't pop out again, though it did on a second try.
The Digital Elph's had an enviable reputation for solid construction, Canon has tossed that out the window. If I were Canon's CEO I'd be calling for an internal inquiry.
A few positives to end with. It still uses a standard mini-B USB connector and Canon's compact and plugless wall charger is as well designed as ever. For the price it may still be a competitive offering, but in the past I used to tell friends to save their time and buy Canon. Now I have to tell them to look around first.
Oh, it's not a terrible camera. It's inexpensive, the images aren't worse than the s410, the shutter lag is somewhat less ... but I expected more. Yes it's smaller -- but only outside of the case. Put it inside the somewhat bulky case (you wouldn't want this fragile toy any other way) and it's about the same size as the s410 in its case.
So the size drop doesn't bring much practical value, but the large display and small size have some unfortunate side-effects. The flash is microscopic and the battery is too tiny to power the big display for long. Speaking of the big display, it doesn't leave much room for the almost invisible controls. Yes, the display is nice for doing on camera image review and editing, but we do that on the 20" iMac display. It's made for consumers who don't use a computer.
Maybe it was the lack of space that made Canon remove the mechanical switch between 'Auto' and 'Manual' settings. That hurts. My wife uses auto, I use manual. The switch used to be foolproof, now it requires quirky menu navigation.
And so we come back to the build quality. On the one hand the camera has a one year warranty. On the other hand it probably doesn't cover the camera door coming off in your hands. This camera is 'Made in Japan', but evidently that doesn't mean what it once did. The first time I inserted the SD card it wouldn't pop out again, though it did on a second try.
The Digital Elph's had an enviable reputation for solid construction, Canon has tossed that out the window. If I were Canon's CEO I'd be calling for an internal inquiry.
A few positives to end with. It still uses a standard mini-B USB connector and Canon's compact and plugless wall charger is as well designed as ever. For the price it may still be a competitive offering, but in the past I used to tell friends to save their time and buy Canon. Now I have to tell them to look around first.
Google Approved Headsets
Google has begun selling hardware to support some their software products. An interesting development!
Google Talkabout: Hands Free Talking
Google Talkabout: Hands Free Talking
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Automator World
Apple seems not to have given up on Automator (though I expect them to replace AppleScript with 10.5. Automator World is a good source of ideas an actions to add to Apple's limited starter set.
I've added there RSS feed to my bloglines collection.
I've added there RSS feed to my bloglines collection.
osx.iusethis.com: why it's interesting
The trouble with most software news sites is that they're biased to the newest fashion. Older, mature apps get no credit. LaunchBar, my all time favorite, isn't free and it's updated with care -- so it doesn't get much attention.
osx.iusethis addresses this problem. You simply say what apps you actually use, and optionally, why. Great idea. Seems like it might apply to other domains in which the excellent but older loses to the fashionable. Books, records, movies, etc. (Come to think of it, this was first done for movies -- but we don't think of it that way ...)
osx.iusethis addresses this problem. You simply say what apps you actually use, and optionally, why. Great idea. Seems like it might apply to other domains in which the excellent but older loses to the fashionable. Books, records, movies, etc. (Come to think of it, this was first done for movies -- but we don't think of it that way ...)
Solving the iMac Night Light Problem: My latest measure
The G5 iMac screen cannot be turned off without putting the machine to sleep. My automated backups don't work when the machine is asleep. The light from the iMac, even at the lowest brightness session, illuminates my daughter's room. We can't shut the door because the air conditioner is in the computer room.
A conundrum. Others have variations of this.
One approach is to use a single black pixel as a screen saver, then tile it (Mac OSX Hints). I like my photo screensaver though, and switching screensavers night and day is a nuisance. Brightness Control is great, but the screen is not all that dark, and I think when the screensaver (photo show) turns on BC turns off.
Now I'm using Basic Black 2.0 (donationware, but I don't do PayPal. Wish Google Checkout did person-to-person payment). Of course that has the same issues as the single pixel problem. Except it occurred to me that I could make it the screensaver on the child account, and switching users is easy. So that's the compromise for the moment ...
Apple should have done something about this (hmpphh), but doubt they'll bother with it for their older machines.
Update 8/11/2007: Dockables screen sleep puts my iMac screen to sleep! I didn't think that was possible.
A conundrum. Others have variations of this.
One approach is to use a single black pixel as a screen saver, then tile it (Mac OSX Hints). I like my photo screensaver though, and switching screensavers night and day is a nuisance. Brightness Control is great, but the screen is not all that dark, and I think when the screensaver (photo show) turns on BC turns off.
Now I'm using Basic Black 2.0 (donationware, but I don't do PayPal. Wish Google Checkout did person-to-person payment). Of course that has the same issues as the single pixel problem. Except it occurred to me that I could make it the screensaver on the child account, and switching users is easy. So that's the compromise for the moment ...
Apple should have done something about this (hmpphh), but doubt they'll bother with it for their older machines.
Update 8/11/2007: Dockables screen sleep puts my iMac screen to sleep! I didn't think that was possible.
Update 5/22/2009: In 10.5 (Leopard) Apple added an undocumented screen off shortcut key.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Call to Mac attack: Safari support on Star Tribune news site
It's killing Safari! If you like that browser, help with ... Mac Attack the Minneapolis Star Tribune!
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