I listened to the latest 'This Week in Tech' podcast today. They mentioned a screensaver called
FlickrFan. This screensaver can connect to flickr account and images to use in the screensaver. But it also downloads current Associated Press images in high quality and more. This results in awesome pictures from around the world covering the news in HIGH-RES.
B.t.w. it's much more than just a screensaver, but I liked the screensaver-part best.
A while ago I started a
search for a GPS Data Logger which I can use for adding GPS coordinates to my photo's. The current status is that most of those devices are Windows only. The
few that might be OSX compatible aren't sold in the Netherlands (yet).
So I had to find an alternative. There is a sourceforge project called '
MTK GPS Data Logger Device Control' which facilitates certain GPS (chipset) devices to function on multiple platforms. So my best guess would be to buy one of those 'supported' GPS Data Loggers. Due to availability, I bought the
Qstarz BT-1000. It's a GPS mouse with navigation and logging capabilities.
First I had to make sure that the device was actually working properly, so I installed the driver and software in a Windows XP Virtual Machine. This was quite easy, and the unit seemed to work properly.
Next thing was to install the opensource program to allow communication between the GPS unit and OSX Leopard.
To get it to work on OSX you need to follow a installation manual. Something I'm not used to :). Needless to say that it took a bit longer than expected.
First of all, you'll need the
software from the sourceforge website. Second,
you need SuperWaba files (free registration is required) [these files seemed to be present in the download package from sourceforge], and the
USB driver. After that you need to follow the instructions in the README.txt provided in the sourceforge package. Note that the script information on the
forum has been superseded by the README.txt in the downloadfile (use the provided
bt747_macosX.command from the sourceforge download package instead).
Eventually, you'll end up with a directory structure whick looks something like this:
Run the
bt747_macosX.command file to start the application.
One thing I must mention is that somewhere along the lines is the mention of using TextEdit to alter (script)files. Do NOT forget to remove the formatting on the files before saving. You might end up with scriptsfiles containing some markup stuff.... And this means that you might be getting some weird error messages.
Anyway, the interface is still very simple, but you have access to lots of features. The actual manual for the application is available on
Google Docs.
I bought some accessories for my photo gear today. Among the items was a new 2GB SanDisk Extreme III CF card. This package came with a 'purse' to store cards, and a CD with recovery software. In most cases you'll only get the Windows version of a product (if there is an OSX version all together)..... But this CD also contains the OSX version of SanDisk's
RescuePro. Downside is that the CD is mini CD (or what you might call it), and those won't work very well with the latest Mac's. The latest Mac's have DVD/CD players without a tray, so insert the CD, and you can ship your Mac for repairs......
And since the Windows OS can't read the Mac part of the CD, there's no way of getting the software of the CD.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a
photogear wishlist. This list contained a
Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 ED lens. This lens is nearly 10 years old (introduced in 1999), so Nikon introduced a new version in November 2007. The
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S is the successor of the legendary 'Beast'.
And now, good fortune is knocking on my door (e.g. I won 10 euro's in the new years eve lottery). I'll probably order this new lens this weekend :D . Together with my dad's Nikon D3 it should be a smashing combination.
The Holland Oyama Cup was held on November 4th in Zevenbergen. I made a Quick-and-Dirty gallery of the event which can be found
here. I also placed some Black&White versions on Flickr.
Enjoy
I do have a (small) wish list for my hobby. The list (in a random order) consists mostly of high quality glass, and the combined total is a small 5000 euro (yikes!!)..... Anyone got some change to spare?
- Nikon AF-D 85mm F/1.8
- Nikon AF-D 35mm F/2.0
- Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F/2.8 VR ED Black
Nikon AF-S 28-70mm F/2.8 ED Black- Nikon AF-G 10.5mm F/2.8 G ED DX
Now where did I leave my lotterytickets???
UPDATE: w00t, I actually won..... 10 euro's :(
I totally forgot to mention that we had another photo fieldtrip last week. This time we went to the Flevopolder (
Flevo-Landschap &
Oostvaardersplassen). We had good fun, cold weather, and some
interesting pictures.
As usual, you can see an extract of them on
my Flickr page.
This week is gonna have lot's of these sunsets (if you're willing to belief the weather reports).
More on
my Flickr page
[brainwave]
Photo lenses come is different formats, shapes, specs, and prices. Higher prices means (on average) better lenses. And with better I mean better for special purposes. A US$6000.00 lens must have some special specs to make up for that huge price. These lenses are mostly primes b.t.w..
On average lenses start at 10mm and the mainstream ones go 500mm. Aperture goes somewhere between f/1.4 and f/6 (lower means more light). What if there was a 10-800mm f/1.8 VR/OS USM/HSM lens with the optical specs of a 800mm prime. I wonder; what would that cost, weight, and be the size of that monster.... I guess that it might be technically possible. I do doubt if it's financially feasible..... :)
[/brainwave]
REDELIJKHEID
