Free Shipping!

That's right, free 2 day shipping with Amazon Prime. It's only $79 a year. As Jon Stewart pointed out in an interview with Jeff Bezos, "then it's not free." Marketing fluff aside, I love the service. It makes impulse buying on Amazon so easy.

On Thursday, I decided to order the tripod I had been eyeing for months. For only $4, they send it with next day shipping. That's still cheaper than sales tax.

Soaking Up Sun

The beaches opened this weekend. Not that they were closed before, but now the lifeguards are on duty. So we spent the morning on the sand, thumbing through the Times and taking a few cheesy snapshots with the point n shoot camera. Until the humidity rolls in, it's quite comfortable at the beach, with the temperature in the mid 80's and a nice sea breeze.

Done baking, we headed home for lunch and a nap for Bonnie.

The afternoon led us to Target where we picked up Mario Kart for Wii. What a game! Nintendo is going to sell a boat load of this title. It's easy enough for anyone to pick up but has plenty of tricky courses to keep the more experienced players entertained.

And tomorrow it's back to work.

iPhone Fun to Come

I'm sitting here watching today's iPhone SDK presentation.    SDK stands for software development kit.    Basically, Apple has created a programming environment that will allow people to create applications for the iPhone.   Some of the tech speak was beyond me, but the demoed sample software was pretty slick.   A few games were shown that use the full functions of the touch screen and accelerometer.   Nintendo Wii games came to mind.  Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few Wii games converted to the iPhone platform. 

But games weren't the sole focus.   AOL IM was shown along with SalesForce marketing tools, and even Epocrates, a mobile drug guide for the health care industry (and the consumer). Check out their consumer lookup using the link.    

Apple is also going right after the Blackberry market with the announcement of a major behind the scenes infrastructure change to the phone.  If I'm able to use my phone for work I'm sure I'll prefer using using it over MS Outlook any day of the week.   I may even want to check my work email on the weekend.   Find me a full size keyboard, and I'll never use Outlook again. 

It's also great to see that all the new applications, which we'll start to see in June, will also be available on the iPod Touch.  

The growth for Apple may be just beginning.  

Sunny with highs in the 70's

We enjoyed this weekend at Shelby's, around the beach, or shopping at the Town Center (I continue to wonder what will support the high end shopping now that the luxury of cashing out home equity is no more).   The weather has been just perfect, a little cool in the evenings, but so comfortable in the sun during the day.   The searing heat is just around the corner, so we're trying to the make the best of the weather.

Bonnie heads off to St. Louis tomorrow for a class.   So I'll be holding down the fort.   I'll have plenty to keep me busy - a few books to page through, maybe a movie (Sicko should be arriving from Netflix soon), and with a wedding assignment next weekend, I'll be double checking my gear. 

The last few evenings we've been enjoying HBO's The Wire on DVD.  As Bonnie put it, "It's like Law and Order, but a little more raw."

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Lens Rental - Nikon 80-400mm

While spending over $1400 on a Nikon 80-400 VR lens would be fun, it just isn't very practical.  So I decided to rent one for a week.   If nothing else, I learned that it makes a lot more sense to spring for the Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR instead (which I rented last summer for the Tips From The Top Floor Workshop).     Both lenses are beefy by any standard.   But the 70-200 is a bit more versatile and slightly easier to handle.   I found the zoom ring on the 80-400 in a lousy position up against the tripod collar - zooming was tricky on or off the tripod.    While just as bulky, the 70-200 is significantly faster and accepts extension rings, which will get awfully close to 400 mm. 

That being said, I got some great shots at the zoo and beach over the weekend.  Shooting in aperture priority typically meant shooting wide open at the zoo.   I've just realized that I don't have any images in a mid range f stop, which should technically be sharper.  Wide open, the focus plane is razor thin.   Despite that challenge, I was able to nail the focus on several images. On an animal (or model), that's typically one or both eyes.

Hopefully I'll have a few of the beach shots posted tomorrow night.     

Google Apps at Work?

Yes! With this new version of Google Apps (watch the video), Google is clearly aware of people like me who loathe the productivity options available at our workplaces. Anyone working in even a small corporate environment knows software is updated less often than Microsoft releases a new version of Windows. But virus and security patches are made daily, which are installed without any thought to the productivity needs of the employees. 

Work with me for a week and you'll hear me complain about Outlook at least twice. At my work place, we're blessed with a whopping 70 megabytes of email storage, yes - 70 MEGABYTES. As of today, Gmail is granting me 6404 megabytes - FOR FREE! The worst part about Outlook is that when it comes to finding a particular message, well just don't bother because you won't find what you're looking for. Searching in Outlook is pathetically poor.

Perhaps Microsoft is finally getting the hint as evidence by its offer for Yahoo. In the meantime, I'll be giving Google Apps a serious shot.

HD Signal

Question - If the coaxial cable is the sole input feed to a HD cable box, how does the signal get better coming out using an HDMI cable? Even my favorite engineer couldn't tell me.

MacBook Air

If you haven't checked out this new machine, you're missing out on some incredible innovation. In typical Apple fashion, the product gets smaller and more elegant with each iteration. What's unique about this notebook though is that the specs aren't faster. While the clock speed, ram, and drive space are conservative it's clear that the target selling point is simply size (or lack of it). I've listened to a few reviews and I can't believe these guys continue to complain about what it doesn't have. One would think they understand how Apple thinks, but I guess not.

I don't take my 12" PowerBook out much. The most travel it sees is typically from the living room to the family room. It's seen a few airplane rides and enjoys a taste of the free WiFi at Panera, but generally it stays inside. In the last year, I've probably used the optical drive no more than 3 times - once to install Leopard. Apple solved that obstacle with the optical drive sharing software (it even works on a PC). The Ethernet jack has seen even less action. My point is that if my trusty PowerBook wasn't still cranking away, a MacBook Air would be perfect. The 13" screen and backlit keyboard seals the deal. For the serious horsepower and photo work, my Mac Pro picks up where the smaller machine leaves off. And with the screen sharing in Leopard I can control my Mac Pro from the couch.

Why these guys don't get the bigger picture is beyond me. They'll probably all buy one anyway - because that's what they do (buy stuff and complain about it). Otherwise, they'd have no show.

Affording Those Toys

Here's a great essay on affording those expensive hobbies. Ken Rockwell can be a little long winded, but his advice is usually pretty solid. I keep meaning to do a bit of personal finance on this blog, this is some great inspiration.

Where are the Crowds?

With Christmas only a few days away, I've yet to see many jam packed stores. Even at the St. John's Town Center, Jacksonville's newest and most high end shopping mecca, the crowds appear light. Of course it is possible that some of the new stores are just too high end for this town's red neck roots. But even the essentials like Apple and Target have been rather quiet.

If the Jacksonville retail activity is even remotely indicative of the national trends, the holiday earnings will be quite gloomy. Maybe now is a good time to start hoarding the cash.

Then again, maybe it's the balmy weather. With sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's, it just doesn't feel like Christmas.

Shopping for a new PC

No, not for me. Bonnie's old laptop has about had it. With the old USB ports, it takes her what seems like hours just to load a few songs to her iPod. Even with Apple's marketing muscle (including the very amusing new Vista attack ads) and my testimonials (which might have worked against me), she insisted on getting a PC with Vista. The last Windows machine I bought was my original college computer, about 10 years ago. I don't know the first thing about the virus software and I tend to shun the idea of shelling out another few hundred bucks for an extended warranty, so I wasn't much help in the process.

Our first stop was the local Circuit City. She found a model she liked on sale, but of course it was out of stock. We asked the associate (it appeared to be his first day at work) if models were in stock at other stores. He found a few but didn't know which stores were which (they were only identified in the system by store zip code). After the first couple blank stares, he finally was able to call and confirm the stock at a store about 20 miles away. Incidentally, I was able to find the other store's phone number faster on my iPhone than he was. It was a nice day for a little road trip, so we jumped back in the car and headed to Orange Park.

Arriving at the second Circuit City, we headed in to find another sales rep. Of course, whenever you actually need assistance the reps are nowhere to be found. Finally, the Fire Dog (Circuit City's Geek Squad equivalent) employee helped us out. But all he was good for was making the sale and pushing the warranty. He didn't even know (but admitted that he should) if Bonnie could use the Vista Office Upgrade, or if she would have to buy the full version. So then she had to stand in line for about 20 minutes just to get the box. I browsed the TVs and Wii games, twice.

Sure, I'm biased to Macs. But the PC buying experience is so terrible it shouldn't take Apple to improve it. All the laptops are braced to the counters with heavy steel bars. How can you really get a feel for the machine when it's so locked up? The machines don't have any meaningful software installed (unless you include Vista itself). And an Internet connection? Keep dreaming. Circuit City has free wifi (which my iPhone picked up quite well), but it's of no use to the toys they're supposedly selling. All the network connectivity is turned off.

It'll be interesting to see how the initial setup of the machine goes tonight. I can't wait to see what curves Vista will throw at us.

I've been debating about selling a few shares of my Apple stock. The run up has been quite solid. But after today, I think I'll keep holding on.

Happy Black Friday

We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with friends here in Florida. Sadly, Keith, Betsy, and my favorite little model Jack will be relocating to Seattle. Bonnie and I wish them all the best!

The food was filling and there's plenty left of Bonnie's pumpkin pies and cranberries - all the food I really need for a few days. For as much as I complain about the Florida weather, it's been quite nice the last few weeks. The windows are open, humidity has faded, and the sun is comfortably warm. I just wish this little bug that I caught would've spared me for the holiday. Being sick on a holiday weekend (a 4 day holiday weekend) sucks.

Now as I finish my breakfast, I'm pondering the idea of venturing out to the stores. There's nothing I particularly need to buy today, but seeing the holiday sights is always a treat. The only store I make a point of avoiding is Best Buy - it's just not worth it. You'd think they're giving away cash by those crazy lines. And only the sale items are a good deal, the rest of the store is usually overpriced, loud, obnoxious, and the sales associates typically know far less about whatever I'm considering buying.

I was amazed to hear the number of stores opening at 4am this morning. And there were rumors that some outlet malls were opening at midnight? Since that's technically earliest a store could open on Friday, I wonder how long it'll take before stores open Thanksgiving evening.

Leopard Impressions

Leopard is up and running on both my Mac Pro and trusty old PowerBook G4. Installation went very smoothly on both machines. Remember when you'd have to budget an entire weekend for a Windows upgrade? Oh, maybe you still do with Windows? Just be on the safe side, I did make a fresh bootable backup with SuperDuper prior to pulling the trigger.

With Leopard running since Saturday, there's still much to learn, but here are my initial observations:

The MacPro is noticeably faster, particularly while running Photoshop and Aperture. I guess all the Multicore technology is really starting to mature. And the laptop certainly isn't suffering from a slowdown. Typically, an OS upgrade just doesn't run as swiftly on an older machine. Sure the eye candy features aren't as punchy, but all in all, the PowerBook is running just fine. No slower than before.

Mail and iChat are much improved! To Do and Notes are built in to Mail. And it even recognizes appointments and phone numbers within a message - very intelligent.

I was interested to give Time Machine a try, but it appears Apple has got some work to do yet with Aperture's compatibility with the new feature. So I'm going to hold off for now.

Spaces has taken me all weekend to get the feel of, but now it's starting to click. Perhaps the best way to think of it is as separate configurable desktops. Select the applications you want viewable in each space and go back to work. So I might have Aperture in it's own space with Mail and Safari in another space. With Aperture in it's own space, I can focus solely on the images without distracting windows in the background. If I need to flip back to Safari or send a message, then I slide back to the other space with a key stroke. I think I'll really find this feature handy. One odd thing I've noticed is that I can't seem to shut it off - maybe a bug...

Screen Sharing is one of the more radical changes in the OS. I can connect to the MacPro via the PowerBook with complete control over the entire system. It's almost spooky. If I need an image out of Aperture while sitting on the couch, I just call it up, export the image, and then pull it back to the laptop. All without getting up. Apparently this also works over the Internet with a dot mac subscription.

In my opinion, the upgrade is more than worth the price. I'll save you the full review and just point to two solid reviews.

David Pogue of the NY TImes

Andy Ihnatko of MacWorld

New Ride

Succumbing to my driving urges, I signed my life away for the next 4 years. The punishment: A 2004 BMW 325i. Luckily I was able to resist the temptation to go all out for a 2006 or 2007 model year - maybe next time (and hopefully gas won't be $8 a gallon).

Plain and simple, just like every review out there, this is a driver's car. The 'growl' of the engine is almost soothing... It may even sound better than the stereo! Even with the base engine, the car is quick and agile.

The German ergonomics take some getting used to. Some things make sense but aren't as obvious. Setting the clock, for example, is probably the easiest to set of any car I've ever owned - once I figured out which knob to turn.

Storage space (again, as any review mentions) is quite minimal. The manuals nearly fill the glove box. Ashtrays seem more prevalent (and accessible) than storage compartments. Nothing wrong with a sterile cockpit, it'll keep me focused on the road.

So far, my favorite 'luxury feature' is the rain sensing wipers. They're perfect for the scattered rain so common in Florida. The blade speed adjusts automatically depending on the water volume passing over the sensor... so cool.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the real leather seats, just the 'leatherette.' So it may be a little sticky in the intense sun - nothing will prevent that in Florida.

Hopefully this weekend we'll get out for a drive. And photos are in order as well...

Back Home

We've settled back in from our San Francisco vacation. Those red eye flights are brutal. Anyway, I got a few good photos. I'm going through them now, hopefully they'll be posted this weekend. Vacation photography is tough. You never know what to expect and odds are that someone has a better shot posted on Flickr.

I've been asked several times what I'm going to do with my iPhone refund. Yes, I probably paid too much for my iPhone. But as MacWorld says, that's the price for a few months of 'cool'. I've a got a few goodies in mind - unfortunately they're all a little more than $100.