I’ll preface this with the fact that I haven’t used either the iphone (well apart from 2 minutes) or the Android platform, this is purely based on my thoughts from the wealth of information available on both subjects
From a specification point of view the iphone in it’s current form is nothing special, in-fact almost everything it does has been done before by other phones for years
What is special about the iphone is the user interface and usability, in fact from what I have seen on the web and my brief 2 Min’s with the device, it is light years ahead of any other device I have seen
Apart from the coolness factor I believe this has allot to do with the success of the iphone, the UI and usability just makes sense to the way humans would use a device, compare this to something like the Nokia series 60 platform or Microsoft Pocket PC and it’s clear to see that the iphone comes out trumps.
What really really scares me about the iphone is the closed approach they have taken to the whole thing, here are just a few points to consider
Possibly what scares me the most is the idea that sometime in the near future, legions of drones will be walking around with iphones, everyone using the same hardware, same software and all with access to the same content and applications. I can’t think of anything more boring or mediocre
Now take Googles Android, a totally open platform for mobile phones without any of the above mentioned restrictions, in-fact Android will be offered free to device manufacturers with total freedom to add or remove functionality as they see fit.
A few points on Android ( first 2 points taken directly from the Android homepage)
A world full of Android devices doesn’t scare me at all, in-fact it has the opposite effect, a world where device manufacturers and application developers have a standard platform and set of API’s to create truly innovative and varied devices and applications gives me hope for the future of the mobile industry.
On the other-hand Apples restrictive and closed approach in my opinion can only hurt both innovation in the mobile industry and customers availability of choice in the future.
I’ll preface this with the fact that I haven’t used either the iphone (well apart from 2 minutes) or the Android platform, this is purely based on my thoughts from the wealth of information available on both subjects
From a specification point of view the iphone in it’s current form is nothing special, in-fact almost everything it does has been done before by other phones for years
What is special about the iphone is the user interface and usability, in fact from what I have seen on the web and my brief 2 Min’s with the device, it is light years ahead of any other device I have seen
Apart from the coolness factor I believe this has allot to do with the success of the iphone, the UI and usability just makes sense to the way humans would use a device, compare this to something like the Nokia series 60 platform or Microsoft Pocket PC and it’s clear to see that the iphone comes out trumps.
What really really scares me about the iphone is the closed approach they have taken to the whole thing, here are just a few points to consider
Possibly what scares me the most is the idea that sometime in the near future, legions of drones will be walking around with iphones, everyone using the same hardware, same software and all with access to the same content and applications. I can’t think of anything more boring or mediocre
Now take Googles Android, a totally open platform for mobile phones without any of the above mentioned restrictions, in-fact Android will be offered free to device manufacturers with total freedom to add or remove functionality as they see fit.
A few points on Android ( first 2 points taken directly from the Android homepage)
A world full of Android devices doesn’t scare me at all, in-fact it has the opposite effect, a world where device manufacturers and application developers have a standard platform and set of API’s to create truly innovative and varied devices and applications gives me hope for the future of the mobile industry.
On the other-hand Apples restrictive and closed approach in my opinion can only hurt both innovation in the mobile industry and customers availability of choice in the future.
Another great interview from 1938media, this time with Chris Brogan, they discuss among other things Social Media
I thought the “social cloud” was an interesting concept, bassically it’s a world where all social networks are connected altough i’m struggling to understand how it would work.
Another great interview from 1938media, this time with Chris Brogan, they discuss among other things Social Media
I thought the “social cloud” was an interesting concept, bassically it’s a world where all social networks are connected altough i’m struggling to understand how it would work.
All these geektard bastards getting upset over an interview that Sarah Lacy did with Mark Zuckerberg at sxsw. Stories
I watched part of the vid at http://www.austin360.com/news/mplayer/sxsw/73367 and I don’t really know what the fuss is all about.
Does anyone else think that the Facebook dude sounds like the girl from American Pie “This one time at band camp”
All these geektard bastards getting upset over an interview that Sarah Lacy did with Mark Zuckerberg at sxsw. Stories
I watched part of the vid at http://www.austin360.com/news/mplayer/sxsw/73367 and I don’t really know what the fuss is all about.
Does anyone else think that the Facebook dude sounds like the girl from American Pie “This one time at band camp”
I just tried the new Microsoft office online workplaces, http://workspace.office.live.com/ I don’t quite understand it, you can only view but can’t edit online. Strange!
I just tried the new Microsoft office online workplaces, http://workspace.office.live.com/ I don’t quite understand it, you can only view but can’t edit online. Strange!
While this blog isn’t totally dedicated to the bastards of the Internet and will focus on what’s good and bad with web and mobile I thought this was fitting for the first post.
Loren Feldman of 1938media is one cool dude, he’s a witty and stinging commentator on the web, specifically video and start-ups
Although I love his stuff and his site is probably my favourite at the moment, Loren is definitely a bastard of the Internet.
Check it out 1938media
While this blog isn’t totally dedicated to the bastards of the Internet and will focus on what’s good and bad with web and mobile I thought this was fitting for the first post.
Loren Feldman of 1938media is one cool dude, he’s a witty and stinging commentator on the web, specifically video and start-ups
Although I love his stuff and his site is probably my favourite at the moment, Loren is definitely a bastard of the Internet.
Check it out 1938media
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/img/pml.png\"){kind=small}
WindowsITPro:
In five years all browsers will block internet advertisements by default. — If you want to earn money through publishing content on the Internet you only have a few options. The first is to put up a paywall where people can only access the content after they have paid a subscription fee.
WindowsITPro:
In five years all browsers will block internet advertisements by default. — If you want to earn money through publishing content on the Internet you only have a few options. The first is to put up a paywall where people can only access the content after they have paid a subscription fee.
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090807/i3.jpg\")
Nilay Patel / Engadget:
Pressure-sensitive keyboard lets you express fury, tenderness — Microsoft\'s hardware division has always pushed the envelope, and its latest prototype is no exception: this pressure-sensitive keyboard looks exactly like a normal \'board, but each key can register up to eight levels of pressure …
Nilay Patel / Engadget:
Pressure-sensitive keyboard lets you express fury, tenderness — Microsoft\'s hardware division has always pushed the envelope, and its latest prototype is no exception: this pressure-sensitive keyboard looks exactly like a normal \'board, but each key can register up to eight levels of pressure …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090807/i2.jpg\")
Saul Hansell / Bits:
What\'s Green, Made of Corn and Has Buttons? — Leave it to Sprint, the phone company based in Kansas, to introduce a cellphone made from corn. (Never mind that the phone is made by Samsung in South Korea, hardly a major corn producer.) — Nonetheless, a corn-based “bioplastic” …
Saul Hansell / Bits:
What\'s Green, Made of Corn and Has Buttons? — Leave it to Sprint, the phone company based in Kansas, to introduce a cellphone made from corn. (Never mind that the phone is made by Samsung in South Korea, hardly a major corn producer.) — Nonetheless, a corn-based “bioplastic” …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090807/i1.jpg\")
Ed Bott / Ed Bott\'s Microsoft Report:
Microsoft blunders with a confusing Windows 7 upgrade chart — Someone at Microsoft is secretly working for Apple. — That\'s the only possible explanation I can come up with for why they sent this “Official Windows 7 Upgrade chart” to Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal …
Ed Bott / Ed Bott\'s Microsoft Report:
Microsoft blunders with a confusing Windows 7 upgrade chart — Someone at Microsoft is secretly working for Apple. — That\'s the only possible explanation I can come up with for why they sent this “Official Windows 7 Upgrade chart” to Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal …
Arik Hesseldahl / Business Week:
Schmidt\'s Apple Gig: He Worked for Free — Former Apple director Eric Schmidt took no salary or stock for his board service. What did the Google chief accept? Lots of Apple gear — Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt served on Apple\'s board essentially without pay …
Arik Hesseldahl / Business Week:
Schmidt\'s Apple Gig: He Worked for Free — Former Apple director Eric Schmidt took no salary or stock for his board service. What did the Google chief accept? Lots of Apple gear — Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt served on Apple\'s board essentially without pay …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090806/i91.jpg\")
AndroidGuys:
Images Emerge of Official Facebook App — We reported last week that the release of the official Facebook application for Android is slated to happen any day. A few of us thought it might have been timed to coincide with the launch of the myTouch 3G. Well as we all know, that was yesterday.
AndroidGuys:
Images Emerge of Official Facebook App — We reported last week that the release of the official Facebook application for Android is slated to happen any day. A few of us thought it might have been timed to coincide with the launch of the myTouch 3G. Well as we all know, that was yesterday.
Chris Dannen / Fast Company:
Think You\'re Pissed at Facebook and Twitter? — This morning you logged on to Facebook and Twitter, only to find you had no way of announcing to the world that you were starting a new diet. Or eating Raisin Bran. Or hungover. So you stormed away from your computer, irate: how could the intertubes have failed you so utterly?
Chris Dannen / Fast Company:
Think You\'re Pissed at Facebook and Twitter? — This morning you logged on to Facebook and Twitter, only to find you had no way of announcing to the world that you were starting a new diet. Or eating Raisin Bran. Or hungover. So you stormed away from your computer, irate: how could the intertubes have failed you so utterly?
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090806/i89.jpg\")
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
TwitCause Is Yes, A Causes For Twitter — Since the early days of the Facebook Platform, Causes has been one of the most popular apps. It\'s also big on MySpace, and the company behind it recently announced that they had raised some $10,000,000 for various causes in two years.
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
TwitCause Is Yes, A Causes For Twitter — Since the early days of the Facebook Platform, Causes has been one of the most popular apps. It\'s also big on MySpace, and the company behind it recently announced that they had raised some $10,000,000 for various causes in two years.
Karl Bode / DSLreports:
Comcast: 80% DOCSIS 3.0 Coverage By Year\'s End - Company speeds up network upgrade predictions... As we\'ve noted countless times, Comcast had promised to have 65% of their network upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 technology by the end of this year, and 100% of their network upgraded by the end of 2010.
Karl Bode / DSLreports:
Comcast: 80% DOCSIS 3.0 Coverage By Year\'s End - Company speeds up network upgrade predictions... As we\'ve noted countless times, Comcast had promised to have 65% of their network upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 technology by the end of this year, and 100% of their network upgraded by the end of 2010.
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090806/i87.jpg\")
Cody Brown:
MySpace is to Facebook as Twitter is to ______ — The past few weeks have come with two major reveals for the weirdos who follow online social networks. The first was big news. Twitter\'s internal documents leaked and the identity-crisis of earth\'s most popular start-up is now public.
Cody Brown:
MySpace is to Facebook as Twitter is to ______ — The past few weeks have come with two major reveals for the weirdos who follow online social networks. The first was big news. Twitter\'s internal documents leaked and the identity-crisis of earth\'s most popular start-up is now public.
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090806/i86.jpg\")
Elinor Mills / CNET News:
Twitter, Facebook attack targeted one user — A Russian activist blogger with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal and Google\'s Blogger and YouTube was targeted in a denial of service attack that led to the site-wide outage at Twitter and problems at the other sites on Thursday, according to a Facebook executive.
Elinor Mills / CNET News:
Twitter, Facebook attack targeted one user — A Russian activist blogger with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal and Google\'s Blogger and YouTube was targeted in a denial of service attack that led to the site-wide outage at Twitter and problems at the other sites on Thursday, according to a Facebook executive.
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090806/i84.jpg\")
Michael Learmonth / AdAge:
DirecTV to Join TV Everywhere — Satellite Company in Talks to Launch Own Version for Web Video — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The cable industry\'s plan to get viewers to pay for TV on the web is getting a powerful new ally. But it\'s not cable. DirecTV, the nation\'s largest satellite TV operator …
Michael Learmonth / AdAge:
DirecTV to Join TV Everywhere — Satellite Company in Talks to Launch Own Version for Web Video — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The cable industry\'s plan to get viewers to pay for TV on the web is getting a powerful new ally. But it\'s not cable. DirecTV, the nation\'s largest satellite TV operator …
Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:
Researcher: Microsoft may launch ‘month of ATL’ patches on Tuesday — Advance notice offers clues Microsoft will update software hit by deep dev bug — Computerworld - Microsoft today said it would deliver nine security updates next Tuesday, all but one affecting Windows.
Gregg Keizer / Computerworld:
Researcher: Microsoft may launch ‘month of ATL’ patches on Tuesday — Advance notice offers clues Microsoft will update software hit by deep dev bug — Computerworld - Microsoft today said it would deliver nine security updates next Tuesday, all but one affecting Windows.
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090806/i82.jpg\")
Mmaser / Digg the Blog:
Digg Ads beta rolling out this week — As announced earlier this summer, I\'m excited to let you all know that we\'re rolling out an early beta version of Digg Ads. — A recap of how it works: your Diggs, buries and clicks influence a quality score that determines how often the ad gets displayed …
Mmaser / Digg the Blog:
Digg Ads beta rolling out this week — As announced earlier this summer, I\'m excited to let you all know that we\'re rolling out an early beta version of Digg Ads. — A recap of how it works: your Diggs, buries and clicks influence a quality score that determines how often the ad gets displayed …
Sinead Carew / Reuters:
Sprint plans to sell AM-OLED phones from Samsung — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel will sell Samsung Electronics phones including an advanced display technology that will improve battery life and video and photo quality, according to executives for the companies.
Sinead Carew / Reuters:
Sprint plans to sell AM-OLED phones from Samsung — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel will sell Samsung Electronics phones including an advanced display technology that will improve battery life and video and photo quality, according to executives for the companies.
internetbastard posted a photo:
![\"01012008017\"](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2346876641_1367ea98be_m.jpg\")
internetbastard posted a photo:
Sometimes mother nature gets in the way of your carefully planned photo shoots. Take this headshot session I had with model/actress, Siri (makeup by Mika). I had scouted 3 different urban locations for my shoot with Siri, but my plans were foiled by a summer rainstorm. There was only one covered spot near my apartment, so I had to make one dull grey metallic background work for the three different looks.
Look One: Create interest with a gelled strobe
![\"Smoldering](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/3669233005_07f56bc8c7.jpg\")
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/80, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Since I had little ambient light, the only thing I could control was the light that I could add. We placed a orange gelled (full CTO) 430EX strobe on a stand behind Siri, camera left. We stuck my bag on the base to keep it planted. The second strobe (530EX) with a shoot through umbrella was placed directly in front of Siri. For anyone who has worked in windy conditions, you will know the fear of having an unsecured umbrella stand right in front of your model. Models don\'t exactly love it when light stands impale them.
So as an added precaution, I kept keep one foot on the base of the umbrella stand. At this point I was flying solo, so I had to hold the light disc in my left hand bouncing light on the right side of her face, while pressing the shutter one-handed. Tricky stuff!
Look Two: Change up your framing & processing
![\"*beauty*\"](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3600/3782749475_88bc177575.jpg\")
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8, 1/125, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Because Siri is both a model and an actress, I wanted to capture a fashion/beauty shot. I used the same lighting as look one, but framed much tighter to focus on her makeup and skin. I also processed this a lot more severely and creatively to give it an edgier feel.
Look Three: Shoot through an umbrella
![\"Sultry](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2577/3683638036_63994e57a3.jpg\")
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 100.
In this shot, I took away the second hair light strobe and used a really shallow DOF to make her hair almost disappear into the background. I wanted to the shot to be about her face and her eyes and her gorgeous skin. I used one strobe (580EX) shot through an umbrella really close to her face to create a nice soft, even light.
This shoot was challenging, and forced me to change my lighting using off-camera flashes, instead of just relying on magic hour light. As you know I love warm light, but sometimes, rain clouds form, and light shifts from warm to cool, and your derelict barn location gets destroyed in a wind storm and you just have to wing it. That\'s when all those hours of reading Strobist pay off!
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:43:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/3looks1bkg/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:1:\"9\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:38:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/3looks1bkg/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:23:\"Using off-camera flash!\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:3637:\"Sometimes mother nature gets in the way of your carefully planned photo shoots. Take this headshot session I had with model/actress, Siri (makeup by Mika). I had scouted 3 different urban locations for my shoot with Siri, but my plans were foiled by a summer rainstorm. There was only one covered spot near my apartment, so I had to make one dull grey metallic background work for the three different looks.
Look One: Create interest with a gelled strobe
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/80, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Since I had little ambient light, the only thing I could control was the light that I could add. We placed a orange gelled (full CTO) 430EX strobe on a stand behind Siri, camera left. We stuck my bag on the base to keep it planted. The second strobe (530EX) with a shoot through umbrella was placed directly in front of Siri. For anyone who has worked in windy conditions, you will know the fear of having an unsecured umbrella stand right in front of your model. Models don\'t exactly love it when light stands impale them.
So as an added precaution, I kept keep one foot on the base of the umbrella stand. At this point I was flying solo, so I had to hold the light disc in my left hand bouncing light on the right side of her face, while pressing the shutter one-handed. Tricky stuff!
Look Two: Change up your framing & processing
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8, 1/125, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Because Siri is both a model and an actress, I wanted to capture a fashion/beauty shot. I used the same lighting as look one, but framed much tighter to focus on her makeup and skin. I also processed this a lot more severely and creatively to give it an edgier feel.
Look Three: Shoot through an umbrella
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 100.
In this shot, I took away the second hair light strobe and used a really shallow DOF to make her hair almost disappear into the background. I wanted to the shot to be about her face and her eyes and her gorgeous skin. I used one strobe (580EX) shot through an umbrella really close to her face to create a nice soft, even light.
This shoot was challenging, and forced me to change my lighting using off-camera flashes, instead of just relying on magic hour light. As you know I love warm light, but sometimes, rain clouds form, and light shifts from warm to cool, and your derelict barn location gets destroyed in a wind storm and you just have to wing it. That\'s when all those hours of reading Strobist pay off!
\";}i:1;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:38:\"Promo Shoot with Musician Jesse Tucker\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/rBuNd7JVR0o/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:43:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/tucker/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:19:09 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:16:\"PhotographyMusic\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4181\";s:11:\"description\";s:353:\" Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100. We truly traveled to the most derelict location to get some background character for this promo shoot with guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jesse Tucker. In fact, there was a pair of used ladies\' panties inches away from Tucker in this very picture. Classy. I shot my 580EX strobe [...]\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:2911:\"![\"Jesse](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3746984187_a6f72f6af6.jpg\")
Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100.
We truly traveled to the most derelict location to get some background character for this promo shoot with guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jesse Tucker. In fact, there was a pair of used ladies\' panties inches away from Tucker in this very picture. Classy.
![\"Jesse](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/3747774504_3f7d372099.jpg\")
I shot my 580EX strobe on low power through an umbrella camera left. This gave a nice catch light in the eyes and gave a nice even soft light on the face. For triggers I use the Alien Bees CyberSync 2.4GHz Radio Remote Control systems. They are a third the price as Pocket Wizards and work like a charm. Way way better than the Gadget Infinity triggers I had before!
![\"Lens](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3770774066_4db6f562de.jpg\")
Canon Xti, LensBaby Composer lens, 1/500, ISO 100.
One lesson I learnt from this shoot is, when scouting for shoot locations, actually get out of your car and explore the area on foot with your camera. Visualize your subject and lighting set-up and take some reference shots of the angles you plan on using. Make sure you are scouting at the time of day that you plan on shooting so you can get an idea of what the light is doing.
Had I done a throughout sweep of the area, instead of a drive by I might have noticed all the garbage, unpleasant odor emanating from said garbage, and the over-all messiness of the background, I probably would have chosen a different location :-/ Ah well, at least it was magic hour :D
![\"Jesse](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3771579708_5d40ff8811.jpg\")
5DMkII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/2500, f/2.5 ISO 100.
Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100.
We truly traveled to the most derelict location to get some background character for this promo shoot with guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jesse Tucker. In fact, there was a pair of used ladies\' panties inches away from Tucker in this very picture. Classy.
I shot my 580EX strobe on low power through an umbrella camera left. This gave a nice catch light in the eyes and gave a nice even soft light on the face. For triggers I use the Alien Bees CyberSync 2.4GHz Radio Remote Control systems. They are a third the price as Pocket Wizards and work like a charm. Way way better than the Gadget Infinity triggers I had before!
Canon Xti, LensBaby Composer lens, 1/500, ISO 100.
One lesson I learnt from this shoot is, when scouting for shoot locations, actually get out of your car and explore the area on foot with your camera. Visualize your subject and lighting set-up and take some reference shots of the angles you plan on using. Make sure you are scouting at the time of day that you plan on shooting so you can get an idea of what the light is doing.
Had I done a throughout sweep of the area, instead of a drive by I might have noticed all the garbage, unpleasant odor emanating from said garbage, and the over-all messiness of the background, I probably would have chosen a different location :-/ Ah well, at least it was magic hour :D
5DMkII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/2500, f/2.5 ISO 100.
Everyone has a \"things to do before I die\" list. From skydiving to bungee jumping to watching the sunset over the Great Pyramids, thrill-seeking and adventure travel are usually top on many Bucket Lists. In the top third of my \"must-do\" list is white-water rafting. I have always wanted to take the plunge, but have always been a bit chicken to try it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to conquer my fears and finally tear up some rapids on the Thompson River in Lytton with Hyak Wilderness Adventures.
![\"RiverRafting3\"](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/3767246962_63a35bc410.jpg\")
Photo by Eric Siwik.
I started my river-rafting extravaganza at 7 a.m., making the three-hour drive to Lytton (billed as the rafting capital of B.C.) from Vancouver.
The drive was quite beautiful through Chilliwack, then past Hope, and winding through Hell\'s Gate and the steep, jagged cliffsides of the Black Canyon. I arrived just in time to catch a quick catnap in my car before I attacked those rapids. Read More in The Province.
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:45:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/riverrafting/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"15\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:40:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/riverrafting/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:31:\"Tearing up the Class IV rapids!\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:1839:\"Everyone has a \"things to do before I die\" list. From skydiving to bungee jumping to watching the sunset over the Great Pyramids, thrill-seeking and adventure travel are usually top on many Bucket Lists. In the top third of my \"must-do\" list is white-water rafting. I have always wanted to take the plunge, but have always been a bit chicken to try it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to conquer my fears and finally tear up some rapids on the Thompson River in Lytton with Hyak Wilderness Adventures.
Photo by Eric Siwik.
I started my river-rafting extravaganza at 7 a.m., making the three-hour drive to Lytton (billed as the rafting capital of B.C.) from Vancouver.
The drive was quite beautiful through Chilliwack, then past Hope, and winding through Hell\'s Gate and the steep, jagged cliffsides of the Black Canyon. I arrived just in time to catch a quick catnap in my car before I attacked those rapids. Read More in The Province.
\";}i:3;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:48:\"Q&A: What camera should I buy for my first dSLR?\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/yNOhoIwzGuQ/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:48:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/myfirstdslr/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:13:53 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:48:\"FeaturedPhotographycameraportrait photographyxsi\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4120\";s:11:\"description\";s:45:\"The camera to buy for first time dSLR owners.\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:6914:\"![\"Bella](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3615152272_d0e7e78730.jpg\")
Canon XSi, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/80, f/2.0, ISO 100.
First time dSLR buyers always ask me what camera & gear they should get. I\'m always hesitant to answer this question, because camera choice is so personal (Canon vs Nikon) and dependent on what you want to shoot and how much money you have.
With that being said, I know how confusing it can be choosing your first dSL with all the options out there, so I\'m going to recommend what I consider the best overall and most reasonably priced dSLR for first time buyers, the Canon XSi (450D).
The 12.2MP XSi is not the latest version of Canon\'s wildly popular Rebel series, but it is such a solid camera that I feel it\'s age is no factor in its performance. I had the opportunity to fully test this camera and I fell in love with it. At that time I had been shooting with an even older model, the Xti (400D), and I was shocked at how much better the XSi performed. If you are looking for all the technical specs, head over to dpreview. They do a pretty sweet job of breaking things down.
One of the great benefits of buying an older body, is that it is considerably cheaper. The new T1 kit is selling for $1099, while the XSi kit is selling for $699 CAN. And trust me, you\'ll need that extra $400 to buy all those extra little camera bits like good lenses (which is almost more important than the body), spare batteries, camera bags, filters, etc, that inevitably end up costing $89 each. Also, I think that for a lot of beginners the XSi will be a great first camera.
![\"Canon](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/2586057945_f7c5a4d2dc.jpg\")
You don\'t need to spend thousands of dollars buying the latest, greatest camera with all the bells and whistles, when you don\'t know how to use those bells and whistles yet. I shot with a Canon Xti for 2 1/2 years before moving up to the 5DMkII. I felt like I knew my Xti backwards and forward and that I had mastered enough skills as a photographer to move up to something more professional.
The XSi does not have video, which may be a draw back for those of you who are really interested in video stuff. But unless you actually plan on creating and editing your own high quality videos, then just use your old point and shoot to capture fun video.
1. Camera bag. You just spent a small fortune on a camera, so protect it! i know it\'s an extra $100 or so, but trust me, cameras are fragile and nothing sucks more than a broken camera. As a first time buyer, you are probably only going to have one or two lenses, so you don\'t need something really big and heavy. My favourite small bags are:
![\"Crumpler\"](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Picture-77-150x150.png\" "\\"Crumpler\\"")
Crumpler\'s 5 Millon Dollar Home ($89.99 CAN)
Super trendy, lots of colours, sturdy. I lugged all my gear in this on my Australia trip. It even kept my camera dry during flash thunder storms.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Picture-78-150x150.png\" "\\"Picture")
Lowpro Stealth Reporter D300 AW ($89.99 CAN)
This was my second bag that I used to carry both my dSLR & my video camera, the Canon HV20. It is one of the most slick and streamlined bags.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Picture-80-150x150.png\" "\\"Picture")
Kata Sensitivity V ($89.99 CAN)
This is my favourite bag of all time. You will not find a better camera + laptop bag. It is so small & comfortable. It actually fits under plane seats and you can fit a lot more than you think in this bag. I can carry two camera bodies + lenses + flash + misc gear in this bag no problem. It also saves your neck from being yanked on all day by a side shoulder bag.
You will also need a spare battery. Get the Canon one. There are cheaper alternatives, but the Canon ones are better. I also recommend getting a remote control trigger if you are planning on doing any landscape or self-portraits. I use the Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 ($50). It works well and the batteries have lasted 2 1/2 years and counting.
2. Also get a cheap camera cleaner kit with a rocket blaster, optical cleaner and those shammy things that come with everything electronic. Keep your gear clean from the get-go, it will save you a lot of grief later.
3. Get a Card reader. I have the Optex Multi-Card Reader ($50). It\'s one of the cheaper ones, and therefore is quite slow. But it\'s what I\'ve been using for 2+ years, so it can\'t be that bad. If you have lots o\' money you can get a pricier one, but this one works fine.
One of the most important thing is the lens you put in front of a camera body. I\'ll do another post on my recommendations for lenses and off-camera flash gear, as I get loads of questions about that too.
Any more questions or tips, people who are mad that I didn\'t choose a Nikon, leave \'em in the comments! Good luck and happy shooting!
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:44:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/myfirstdslr/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"40\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:39:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/myfirstdslr/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:45:\"The camera to buy for first time dSLR owners.\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:6914:\"
Canon XSi, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/80, f/2.0, ISO 100.
First time dSLR buyers always ask me what camera & gear they should get. I\'m always hesitant to answer this question, because camera choice is so personal (Canon vs Nikon) and dependent on what you want to shoot and how much money you have.
With that being said, I know how confusing it can be choosing your first dSL with all the options out there, so I\'m going to recommend what I consider the best overall and most reasonably priced dSLR for first time buyers, the Canon XSi (450D).
The 12.2MP XSi is not the latest version of Canon\'s wildly popular Rebel series, but it is such a solid camera that I feel it\'s age is no factor in its performance. I had the opportunity to fully test this camera and I fell in love with it. At that time I had been shooting with an even older model, the Xti (400D), and I was shocked at how much better the XSi performed. If you are looking for all the technical specs, head over to dpreview. They do a pretty sweet job of breaking things down.
One of the great benefits of buying an older body, is that it is considerably cheaper. The new T1 kit is selling for $1099, while the XSi kit is selling for $699 CAN. And trust me, you\'ll need that extra $400 to buy all those extra little camera bits like good lenses (which is almost more important than the body), spare batteries, camera bags, filters, etc, that inevitably end up costing $89 each. Also, I think that for a lot of beginners the XSi will be a great first camera.
You don\'t need to spend thousands of dollars buying the latest, greatest camera with all the bells and whistles, when you don\'t know how to use those bells and whistles yet. I shot with a Canon Xti for 2 1/2 years before moving up to the 5DMkII. I felt like I knew my Xti backwards and forward and that I had mastered enough skills as a photographer to move up to something more professional.
The XSi does not have video, which may be a draw back for those of you who are really interested in video stuff. But unless you actually plan on creating and editing your own high quality videos, then just use your old point and shoot to capture fun video.
1. Camera bag. You just spent a small fortune on a camera, so protect it! i know it\'s an extra $100 or so, but trust me, cameras are fragile and nothing sucks more than a broken camera. As a first time buyer, you are probably only going to have one or two lenses, so you don\'t need something really big and heavy. My favourite small bags are:
Crumpler\'s 5 Millon Dollar Home ($89.99 CAN)
Super trendy, lots of colours, sturdy. I lugged all my gear in this on my Australia trip. It even kept my camera dry during flash thunder storms.
Lowpro Stealth Reporter D300 AW ($89.99 CAN)
This was my second bag that I used to carry both my dSLR & my video camera, the Canon HV20. It is one of the most slick and streamlined bags.
Kata Sensitivity V ($89.99 CAN)
This is my favourite bag of all time. You will not find a better camera + laptop bag. It is so small & comfortable. It actually fits under plane seats and you can fit a lot more than you think in this bag. I can carry two camera bodies + lenses + flash + misc gear in this bag no problem. It also saves your neck from being yanked on all day by a side shoulder bag.
You will also need a spare battery. Get the Canon one. There are cheaper alternatives, but the Canon ones are better. I also recommend getting a remote control trigger if you are planning on doing any landscape or self-portraits. I use the Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 ($50). It works well and the batteries have lasted 2 1/2 years and counting.
2. Also get a cheap camera cleaner kit with a rocket blaster, optical cleaner and those shammy things that come with everything electronic. Keep your gear clean from the get-go, it will save you a lot of grief later.
3. Get a Card reader. I have the Optex Multi-Card Reader ($50). It\'s one of the cheaper ones, and therefore is quite slow. But it\'s what I\'ve been using for 2+ years, so it can\'t be that bad. If you have lots o\' money you can get a pricier one, but this one works fine.
One of the most important thing is the lens you put in front of a camera body. I\'ll do another post on my recommendations for lenses and off-camera flash gear, as I get loads of questions about that too.
Any more questions or tips, people who are mad that I didn\'t choose a Nikon, leave \'em in the comments! Good luck and happy shooting!
\";}i:4;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:38:\"Mostly Lisa at Nintendo Canada: Part 2\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/-hyjfeRGEh4/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:74:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-lisa-at-nintendo-canada-part-2/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:20:42 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:54:\"EntertainmentGeeky StuffVideosnintendovideovideo games\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4113\";s:11:\"description\";s:62:\"Mostly Lisa testing out the new Nintendo games released at E3.\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:1092:\"The new Mario Bros is so awesome. And my favourite character, Yoshi is back! Wii!
I also picked up a sweet new blue DSi and instantly got hooked on the musical game, Rhythm Heaven. It is the silliest game I\'ve played since WarioWare Smooth Moves for the Wii, which is definitely cool in my books. As you may have guessed, I\'m a wee bit strange. 8-P
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:70:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-lisa-at-nintendo-canada-part-2/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"13\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:65:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-lisa-at-nintendo-canada-part-2/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:62:\"Mostly Lisa testing out the new Nintendo games released at E3.\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:1092:\"The new Mario Bros is so awesome. And my favourite character, Yoshi is back! Wii!
I also picked up a sweet new blue DSi and instantly got hooked on the musical game, Rhythm Heaven. It is the silliest game I\'ve played since WarioWare Smooth Moves for the Wii, which is definitely cool in my books. As you may have guessed, I\'m a wee bit strange. 8-P
\";}i:5;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:38:\"Mostly Lisa at Nintendo Canada: Part 1\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/poGiFqaf-4I/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:46:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/nintendo1/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:06:30 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:44:\"Geeky StuffVideosnintendovideovideo gameswii\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4103\";s:11:\"description\";s:149:\"Last week I visited Nintendo Canada\'s Vancouver offices to check out some of the new games and gear that they announced at 2009\'s E3 conference. Wii!\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:1691:\"Last week I visited Nintendo Canada & Mario at their Vancouver offices to check out some of the new games and gear that they announced at 2009\'s E3 conference. It was loads of fun. Especially when I beat Nintendo game guru, Matt Ryan at Swordplay. Ha! Well... he may have won best 2 out of 3, but I gave him a run for his money!
Also, my arms were so stiff the next day that I could hardly type. The new Wii Sports Resorts kinda kicked my butt a little. *starts to head to gym... grabs a donut instead :P*
Stay tuned for Part 2. Even more embarrassing moments playing the new Wii Fit Plus & Super Mario Bros and an inside look at the new DS games! Oh boy!
PS I\'m actually pretty ace at frisbee. It was that darn Wii Mii dog that couldn\'t get his act together.
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:42:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/nintendo1/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"11\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:37:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/nintendo1/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:149:\"Last week I visited Nintendo Canada\'s Vancouver offices to check out some of the new games and gear that they announced at 2009\'s E3 conference. Wii!\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:1691:\"Last week I visited Nintendo Canada & Mario at their Vancouver offices to check out some of the new games and gear that they announced at 2009\'s E3 conference. It was loads of fun. Especially when I beat Nintendo game guru, Matt Ryan at Swordplay. Ha! Well... he may have won best 2 out of 3, but I gave him a run for his money!
Also, my arms were so stiff the next day that I could hardly type. The new Wii Sports Resorts kinda kicked my butt a little. *starts to head to gym... grabs a donut instead :P*
Stay tuned for Part 2. Even more embarrassing moments playing the new Wii Fit Plus & Super Mario Bros and an inside look at the new DS games! Oh boy!
PS I\'m actually pretty ace at frisbee. It was that darn Wii Mii dog that couldn\'t get his act together.
\";}i:6;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:41:\"Mostly Animals from the San Francisco Zoo\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/_h7uB-Le_BA/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:51:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-animals/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:43:49 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:29:\"OpinionVideosanimalsbearvideo\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=3973\";s:11:\"description\";s:53:\"What do you think? Zoos: Good fun or just plain mean?\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:2796:\"
Shot with the Sony DSC-T500.
The last time I was in San Francisco, I was determined to go to the zoo to catch some wildlife shots to add to my growing collection of animal portraits. I had such an amazing time at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gold Coast of Australia with the roos, koalas, and attack emus and I was excited to get up and close with some other cute, but ferocious beasties.
But as usual, there were several things that prevented me from acquiring some awesome animal portraits.
1. I arrived at the zoo, one hour before closing. Nice one, sleepy pants.
2. It was literally so foggy that I nearly walked into a giraffe.
3. My camera battery was 1/4 from deadzo. Sweet.
4. I forgot my memory cards. Not a single one. Uh. How does that even happen when you have like 10.
5. All the lemurs, gorillas, and cool animals were hiding, asleep, or had made an escape earlier that day.
I may have cried a little, but then I realized I had the lovely little Sony DSC-T500 with me, so I decided to capture some \"moving pictures\" instead. I shot this at 720p and it looks fantastic.
Also, after visiting this park, I really felt morally torn about zoos and animals raised in captivity. The animals just seemed so cramped and sad and annoyed at the screaming bratty kids. I certainly love seeing these animals up close, but seeing their faces behind bars made me so very sad. Maybe I just don\'t know enough about how zoos are run, and maybe I am just naive about what life is like in the wild for these creatures. Basically, I just want to hug each and every one of these animals, even the prickly ones.
Shot with the Sony DSC-T500.
The last time I was in San Francisco, I was determined to go to the zoo to catch some wildlife shots to add to my growing collection of animal portraits. I had such an amazing time at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gold Coast of Australia with the roos, koalas, and attack emus and I was excited to get up and close with some other cute, but ferocious beasties.
But as usual, there were several things that prevented me from acquiring some awesome animal portraits.
1. I arrived at the zoo, one hour before closing. Nice one, sleepy pants.
2. It was literally so foggy that I nearly walked into a giraffe.
3. My camera battery was 1/4 from deadzo. Sweet.
4. I forgot my memory cards. Not a single one. Uh. How does that even happen when you have like 10.
5. All the lemurs, gorillas, and cool animals were hiding, asleep, or had made an escape earlier that day.
I may have cried a little, but then I realized I had the lovely little Sony DSC-T500 with me, so I decided to capture some \"moving pictures\" instead. I shot this at 720p and it looks fantastic.
Also, after visiting this park, I really felt morally torn about zoos and animals raised in captivity. The animals just seemed so cramped and sad and annoyed at the screaming bratty kids. I certainly love seeing these animals up close, but seeing their faces behind bars made me so very sad. Maybe I just don\'t know enough about how zoos are run, and maybe I am just naive about what life is like in the wild for these creatures. Basically, I just want to hug each and every one of these animals, even the prickly ones.
![\"iPhone](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3593/3420135281_d48d4b9d4d.jpg\")
Sublime Sunset on Kits Beach captured with an iPhone.
So many people whine about the iPhone\'s camera quality and say that it can\'t take good pictures. It\'s my strong belief that you can take great shots with any camera, even a 2 MP iPhone camera. It\'s definitely a greater challenge to get a good exposure on an iPhone vs a 5D MkII, but it\'s not impossible.
If you are up for the challenge, here are 5 apps that will help you take smashing iPhone pictures:
![\"burned\"](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3576/3562462474_ed413dc2fc.jpg\")
Fast Tap Camera snapped my awesome new scooter trick. :P
Shaky hands = shaky picture. Unless you are going for some motion blur, or light painting, then you probably want a sharp picture. The problem is the camera button is so fracking small and awkwardly placed, especially if you are taking a photo from any other angle other than straight in front of you. That\'s why you need Fast Tap Camera. Press anywhere on the screen and snap! Excellent for narcissistic twitpics of yourself. :P
![\"iPhone](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/3411297674_dd642fe827.jpg\")
Easter eggs in a supermarket never looked so good.
The exposure is locked on the iPhone, which means that you can\'t change it. There is a way to mess with the exposure by focusing the camera on a dark spot and quickly shifting it into the light, and snapping the shot almost simultaneously. This technique requires serious ninja skills. If you aren\'t quite at a black belt level with your iPhone camera like Chase Jarvis, you may need a little post-production help.
Photogene allows you to adjust levels, exposure, colours, saturation, among other things (cropping, adding text, speech bubbles, etc.. I use this app more than any other. It\'s well worth the $2.99.
![\"iPhone](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/3520889465_9e68deab01.jpg\")
NightCamera gives Buena Vista Park, SF a little boost.
You shouldn\'t really have high expectations for iPhone shots taken in a dark restaurant. They are always going to look noisy and fairly crappy, but using NightCamera makes them slightly less crappy. Yeah! My suggestion is that you try using NightCamera any situation where the light is low, like the forest in the above picture.
Either way, NightCamera has a neat accelerometer assisted camera mode where the shutter fires when the phone is steady, and a timer mode. You can also prop up your iPhone on a table top or against a wall to keep it steady. If you are really gung-ho, Joby makes a gorilla pod for mobile devices called the Go-Go.
![\"me](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3561594145_9a9bc3affe_o.jpg\")
I used the Center Spot filter to fake the LensBaby effect around my mum and I.
Add an optical filter of pizzaz to your shots by applying one of the 26 filters in Tiffen\'s Photo fx. This is one of my favourite apps for making photos pop. Add a colour gradient to make sunsets more punchy, a polarizer to make skies richer, vignette to make faces stand out. You can even layer a bunch of filers on top of each other for a super cool effect.
![\"boat](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3299/3562397048_f3b2c25135.jpg\")
This boat house looks extra derelict with Camera Bag\'s Helga preset.
CameraBag is the easiest photo apps to use, and one of the coolest. Choose your photo and scroll through the 8 presets. I like the Helga (faux Holga) & Lolo (faux Lomo) settings the best. I find that the Fisheye setting never really comes out and the Infrared setting is just plain weird, but experiment with your own shots. You never know what you\'ll come up with.
Photos don\'t have to be perfect to capture a memorable place, scene, or moment, but they do need to be taken. So shoot with whatever you\'ve got and make it spectacular!
Sublime Sunset on Kits Beach captured with an iPhone.
So many people whine about the iPhone\'s camera quality and say that it can\'t take good pictures. It\'s my strong belief that you can take great shots with any camera, even a 2 MP iPhone camera. It\'s definitely a greater challenge to get a good exposure on an iPhone vs a 5D MkII, but it\'s not impossible.
If you are up for the challenge, here are 5 apps that will help you take smashing iPhone pictures:
Fast Tap Camera snapped my awesome new scooter trick. :P
Shaky hands = shaky picture. Unless you are going for some motion blur, or light painting, then you probably want a sharp picture. The problem is the camera button is so fracking small and awkwardly placed, especially if you are taking a photo from any other angle other than straight in front of you. That\'s why you need Fast Tap Camera. Press anywhere on the screen and snap! Excellent for narcissistic twitpics of yourself. :P
Easter eggs in a supermarket never looked so good.
The exposure is locked on the iPhone, which means that you can\'t change it. There is a way to mess with the exposure by focusing the camera on a dark spot and quickly shifting it into the light, and snapping the shot almost simultaneously. This technique requires serious ninja skills. If you aren\'t quite at a black belt level with your iPhone camera like Chase Jarvis, you may need a little post-production help.
Photogene allows you to adjust levels, exposure, colours, saturation, among other things (cropping, adding text, speech bubbles, etc.. I use this app more than any other. It\'s well worth the $2.99.
NightCamera gives Buena Vista Park, SF a little boost.
You shouldn\'t really have high expectations for iPhone shots taken in a dark restaurant. They are always going to look noisy and fairly crappy, but using NightCamera makes them slightly less crappy. Yeah! My suggestion is that you try using NightCamera any situation where the light is low, like the forest in the above picture.
Either way, NightCamera has a neat accelerometer assisted camera mode where the shutter fires when the phone is steady, and a timer mode. You can also prop up your iPhone on a table top or against a wall to keep it steady. If you are really gung-ho, Joby makes a gorilla pod for mobile devices called the Go-Go.
I used the Center Spot filter to fake the LensBaby effect around my mum and I.
Add an optical filter of pizzaz to your shots by applying one of the 26 filters in Tiffen\'s Photo fx. This is one of my favourite apps for making photos pop. Add a colour gradient to make sunsets more punchy, a polarizer to make skies richer, vignette to make faces stand out. You can even layer a bunch of filers on top of each other for a super cool effect.
This boat house looks extra derelict with Camera Bag\'s Helga preset.
CameraBag is the easiest photo apps to use, and one of the coolest. Choose your photo and scroll through the 8 presets. I like the Helga (faux Holga) & Lolo (faux Lomo) settings the best. I find that the Fisheye setting never really comes out and the Infrared setting is just plain weird, but experiment with your own shots. You never know what you\'ll come up with.
Photos don\'t have to be perfect to capture a memorable place, scene, or moment, but they do need to be taken. So shoot with whatever you\'ve got and make it spectacular!
![\"i](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2549357389_9bc29bb834.jpg\")
1. I missed an early morning Fedex pickup for an iMac that I needed yesterday because I was sleeping and didn\'t catch the phone until the last ring, so I ran down to the street after the Fedex guy in my pajamas, and literally missed him by a second.
2. I gave myself whiplash as I was running down the stairs to catch the Fedex guy and couldn\'t turn my head to the left for about 3 hours.
3. The hot water in my shower ran out as I was trying to alleviate my neck pain.
4. I DROPPED MY iPHONE IN THE TOILET when I was calling the landlord from the bathroom. I hit my funny bone on the tap which caused me to \"ow ow ow\" and kurpluk! Right in the bowl. (Remarkably, due to the fact that I had the Griffin Clarifi case on it and I have reflexes like a cat, it didn\'t get completely wet and still worked. For a while).
5. The entire side view mirror on my crappy 1995 Pontiac Firefly fell off as I was driving downtown.
6. I got stuck in rush hour traffic for 50 mins and missed two appointments because I had to stop the car and retrieve the side view mirror wreckage from the road.
8. Returning to the car, I realized that I had lost my car & apartment keys. This was of course when my iPhone died, so I had to use a cafe\'s phone to call for help. After retracing my every step for 3 hours, I did not find my keys.
9. Then I got a parking ticket for $60.
What can you do but cry, laugh a little, and sob until snot is running down your face? Thanks to Ry & Paz for helping me find my way home.
Worst. Day. Ever.
Have you ever had a really bad day? Tell me about it in the comments.
![\"griffinclarifi\"](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/griffinclarifi-150x150.jpg\" "\\"griffinclarifi\\"")
I will give away a Griffin Clarifi case and a big online hug to the best answer. If you don\'t have an iPhone, or you also dropped your phone in the toilet like me, or the bathtub, then I will find some other fun prize to send you.
Follow me on the Twitters so you can find out who won!
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:45:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/worstdayever/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"75\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:40:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/worstdayever/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:305:\" 1. I missed an early morning Fedex pickup for an iMac that I needed yesterday because I was sleeping and didn\'t catch the phone until the last ring, so I ran down to the street after the Fedex guy in my pajamas, and literally missed him by a second. 2. I gave myself whiplash as I was running [...]\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:3750:\"
1. I missed an early morning Fedex pickup for an iMac that I needed yesterday because I was sleeping and didn\'t catch the phone until the last ring, so I ran down to the street after the Fedex guy in my pajamas, and literally missed him by a second.
2. I gave myself whiplash as I was running down the stairs to catch the Fedex guy and couldn\'t turn my head to the left for about 3 hours.
3. The hot water in my shower ran out as I was trying to alleviate my neck pain.
4. I DROPPED MY iPHONE IN THE TOILET when I was calling the landlord from the bathroom. I hit my funny bone on the tap which caused me to \"ow ow ow\" and kurpluk! Right in the bowl. (Remarkably, due to the fact that I had the Griffin Clarifi case on it and I have reflexes like a cat, it didn\'t get completely wet and still worked. For a while).
5. The entire side view mirror on my crappy 1995 Pontiac Firefly fell off as I was driving downtown.
6. I got stuck in rush hour traffic for 50 mins and missed two appointments because I had to stop the car and retrieve the side view mirror wreckage from the road.
8. Returning to the car, I realized that I had lost my car & apartment keys. This was of course when my iPhone died, so I had to use a cafe\'s phone to call for help. After retracing my every step for 3 hours, I did not find my keys.
9. Then I got a parking ticket for $60.
What can you do but cry, laugh a little, and sob until snot is running down your face? Thanks to Ry & Paz for helping me find my way home.
Worst. Day. Ever.
Have you ever had a really bad day? Tell me about it in the comments.
I will give away a Griffin Clarifi case and a big online hug to the best answer. If you don\'t have an iPhone, or you also dropped your phone in the toilet like me, or the bathtub, then I will find some other fun prize to send you.
Follow me on the Twitters so you can find out who won!
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24-105mm lens, 90mm, f/4.0, 1/320, ISO 200. Processed in PS.
I snapped a shot these two Canada goslings or “geeselings” as I like to call them, on Granville Island. I had to lie in geese poop for about an hour to get this shot. I basically had to become one with the geese, a part of their family, to be accepted enough to get super close. Every so often a bratty kid would come running at them, whooping and waving plastic toys and the geese would go berserk hissing and flapping their wings and I\'d have to wait for them to settle.
Here\'s some behind the scenes footage of me shooting in goose poop:
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24-105mm lens, 90mm, f/4.0, 1/320, ISO 200. Processed in PS.
I snapped a shot these two Canada goslings or “geeselings” as I like to call them, on Granville Island. I had to lie in geese poop for about an hour to get this shot. I basically had to become one with the geese, a part of their family, to be accepted enough to get super close. Every so often a bratty kid would come running at them, whooping and waving plastic toys and the geese would go berserk hissing and flapping their wings and I\'d have to wait for them to settle.
Here\'s some behind the scenes footage of me shooting in goose poop:
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SEO-аудит [url=http://www.starstudio.com.ua]Оптимизация сайта[/url], Продвижение.' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [01-Sep-2009 16:35:40] PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 7680 bytes) in /home/bastard1/public_html/internetbastard/wp-includes/kses.php(1006) : runtime-created function on line 1 [01-Sep-2009 16:36:52] PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 7680 bytes) in /home/bastard1/public_html/internetbastard/wp-includes/formatting.php(144) : runtime-created function on line 1 [04-Sep-2009 00:30:48] not well-formed (invalid token) at line 67, column 53 [04-Sep-2009 10:27:51] not well-formed (invalid token) at line 833, column 53 [04-Sep-2009 11:45:44] not well-formed (invalid token) at line 892, column 53 [04-Sep-2009 13:37:53] not well-formed (invalid token) at line 1151, column 53 [04-Sep-2009 14:57:52] not well-formed (invalid token) at line 1319, column 53 [05-Sep-2009 05:32:32] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'John' OR comment_author_email = 'gilcreaseqejayma1795@gmail.com' ) AND comment_content = 'Очень интересно и занимательно было почитать.' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [08-Sep-2009 12:52:23] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'Kouba' OR comment_author_email = 'gilcreaseqejayma1795@gmail.com' ) AND comment_content = 'Прочёл несколько разделов… Добавил в избранное, хороший блог.' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [09-Sep-2009 20:12:19] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'Peter' OR comment_author_email = 'gilcreaseqejayma1795@gmail.com' ) AND comment_content = 'Очень интересно и занимательно было почитать.' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [12-Sep-2009 00:29:10] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'xl-vip' OR comment_author_email = 'xl-vippt@rambler.ru' ) AND comment_content = 'Срочно и очень важная новость, скандальнее непридумаеш [url=http://xl-vip.ru]смотреть всем обязательно[/url] ___________ http://xl-vip.ru' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [15-Sep-2009 22:27:07] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'topanet' OR comment_author_email = 't0pa.net@rambler.ru' ) AND comment_content = 'Топ новинок онлайн фильмов, смотреть фильмы кино онлайн бесплатно ______ http://t0pa.net' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [17-Sep-2009 13:22:13] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'okna-cm' OR comment_author_email = 'okna-cm.ru@rambler.ru' ) AND comment_content = 'Скидки на [url=http://okna-cm.ru]пластиковые окна[/url] только для internetbastard.com ______ http://okna-cm.ru' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [18-Sep-2009 06:01:21] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'onlain_film' OR comment_author_email = 'kino-w.ru@rambler.ru' ) AND comment_content = 'Kino-w.ru - смотреть кино [url=http://kino-w.ru]фильмы онлайн бесплатно[/url], а также радио и тв онлайн online ______ http://kino-w.ru' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [20-Sep-2009 05:34:07] WordPress database error Illegal mix of collations (latin1_swedish_ci,IMPLICIT) and (utf8_general_ci,COERCIBLE) for operation '=' for query SELECT comment_ID FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '12' AND ( comment_author = 'gos-strah' OR comment_author_email = 'gos-strah.ru@rambler.ru' ) AND comment_content = '[url=http://kino-w.ru]Государственное страхование[/url], [url=http://kino-w.ru]страхование авансов[/url], [url=http://kino-w.ru]страхование в российской федерации[/url] ______ http://gos-strah.ru http://strah-avans.ru http://strah-ru.ru' LIMIT 1 made by wp_new_comment, wp_allow_comment [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_a298adaa6f163d681e45cb1014d4455a_ts' LIMIT 1 made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->check_cache, get_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_name FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_a298adaa6f163d681e45cb1014d4455a' made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_a298adaa6f163d681e45cb1014d4455a' LIMIT 1 made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, add_option, get_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query INSERT INTO wp_options (option_name, option_value, autoload) VALUES ('rss_a298adaa6f163d681e45cb1014d4455a', '', 'no') made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, add_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_name FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_a298adaa6f163d681e45cb1014d4455a_ts' made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query INSERT INTO wp_options (option_name, option_value, autoload) VALUES ('rss_a298adaa6f163d681e45cb1014d4455a_ts', '', 'no') made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, add_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:28] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'O:9:\"MagpieRSS\":17:{s:6:\"parser\";i:0;s:12:\"current_item\";a:0:{}s:5:\"items\";a:5:{i:0;a:13:{s:5:\"title\";s:48:\"Why the iphone scares me (but Android doesn’t)\";s:4:\"link\";s:73:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bastardsoftheinternet/YaVq/~3/p3JnHEFx7A4/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:97:\"http://bastardsoftheinternet.com/2008/03/16/why-the-iphone-scares-me-but-android-doesnt/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:28:26 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:4:\"Mick\";}s:8:\"category\";s:19:\"mobileandroidiphone\";s:4:\"guid\";s:88:\"http://bastardsoftheinternet.com/2008/03/16/why-the-iphone-scares-me-but-android-doesnt/\";s:11:\"description\";s:576:\"I’ll preface this with the fact that I haven’t used either the iphone (well apart from 2 minutes) or the Android platform, this is purely based on my thoughts from the wealth of information available on both subjects From a specification point of view the iphone in it’s current form is nothing special, in-fact almost everything [...]\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:4179:\"I’ll preface this with the fact that I haven’t used either the iphone (well apart from 2 minutes) or the Android platform, this is purely based on my thoughts from the wealth of information available on both subjects
From a specification point of view the iphone in it’s current form is nothing special, in-fact almost everything it does has been done before by other phones for years
What is special about the iphone is the user interface and usability, in fact from what I have seen on the web and my brief 2 Min’s with the device, it is light years ahead of any other device I have seen
Apart from the coolness factor I believe this has allot to do with the success of the iphone, the UI and usability just makes sense to the way humans would use a device, compare this to something like the Nokia series 60 platform or Microsoft Pocket PC and it’s clear to see that the iphone comes out trumps.
What really really scares me about the iphone is the closed approach they have taken to the whole thing, here are just a few points to consider
Possibly what scares me the most is the idea that sometime in the near future, legions of drones will be walking around with iphones, everyone using the same hardware, same software and all with access to the same content and applications. I can’t think of anything more boring or mediocre
Now take Googles Android, a totally open platform for mobile phones without any of the above mentioned restrictions, in-fact Android will be offered free to device manufacturers with total freedom to add or remove functionality as they see fit.
A few points on Android ( first 2 points taken directly from the Android homepage)
A world full of Android devices doesn’t scare me at all, in-fact it has the opposite effect, a world where device manufacturers and application developers have a standard platform and set of API’s to create truly innovative and varied devices and applications gives me hope for the future of the mobile industry.
On the other-hand Apples restrictive and closed approach in my opinion can only hurt both innovation in the mobile industry and customers availability of choice in the future.
I’ll preface this with the fact that I haven’t used either the iphone (well apart from 2 minutes) or the Android platform, this is purely based on my thoughts from the wealth of information available on both subjects
From a specification point of view the iphone in it’s current form is nothing special, in-fact almost everything it does has been done before by other phones for years
What is special about the iphone is the user interface and usability, in fact from what I have seen on the web and my brief 2 Min’s with the device, it is light years ahead of any other device I have seen
Apart from the coolness factor I believe this has allot to do with the success of the iphone, the UI and usability just makes sense to the way humans would use a device, compare this to something like the Nokia series 60 platform or Microsoft Pocket PC and it’s clear to see that the iphone comes out trumps.
What really really scares me about the iphone is the closed approach they have taken to the whole thing, here are just a few points to consider
Possibly what scares me the most is the idea that sometime in the near future, legions of drones will be walking around with iphones, everyone using the same hardware, same software and all with access to the same content and applications. I can’t think of anything more boring or mediocre
Now take Googles Android, a totally open platform for mobile phones without any of the above mentioned restrictions, in-fact Android will be offered free to device manufacturers with total freedom to add or remove functionality as they see fit.
A few points on Android ( first 2 points taken directly from the Android homepage)
A world full of Android devices doesn’t scare me at all, in-fact it has the opposite effect, a world where device manufacturers and application developers have a standard platform and set of API’s to create truly innovative and varied devices and applications gives me hope for the future of the mobile industry.
On the other-hand Apples restrictive and closed approach in my opinion can only hurt both innovation in the mobile industry and customers availability of choice in the future.
Another great interview from 1938media, this time with Chris Brogan, they discuss among other things Social Media
I thought the “social cloud” was an interesting concept, bassically it’s a world where all social networks are connected altough i’m struggling to understand how it would work.
Another great interview from 1938media, this time with Chris Brogan, they discuss among other things Social Media
I thought the “social cloud” was an interesting concept, bassically it’s a world where all social networks are connected altough i’m struggling to understand how it would work.
All these geektard bastards getting upset over an interview that Sarah Lacy did with Mark Zuckerberg at sxsw. Stories
I watched part of the vid at http://www.austin360.com/news/mplayer/sxsw/73367 and I don’t really know what the fuss is all about.
Does anyone else think that the Facebook dude sounds like the girl from American Pie “This one time at band camp”
All these geektard bastards getting upset over an interview that Sarah Lacy did with Mark Zuckerberg at sxsw. Stories
I watched part of the vid at http://www.austin360.com/news/mplayer/sxsw/73367 and I don’t really know what the fuss is all about.
Does anyone else think that the Facebook dude sounds like the girl from American Pie “This one time at band camp”
I just tried the new Microsoft office online workplaces, http://workspace.office.live.com/ I don’t quite understand it, you can only view but can’t edit online. Strange!
I just tried the new Microsoft office online workplaces, http://workspace.office.live.com/ I don’t quite understand it, you can only view but can’t edit online. Strange!
While this blog isn’t totally dedicated to the bastards of the Internet and will focus on what’s good and bad with web and mobile I thought this was fitting for the first post.
Loren Feldman of 1938media is one cool dude, he’s a witty and stinging commentator on the web, specifically video and start-ups
Although I love his stuff and his site is probably my favourite at the moment, Loren is definitely a bastard of the Internet.
Check it out 1938media
While this blog isn’t totally dedicated to the bastards of the Internet and will focus on what’s good and bad with web and mobile I thought this was fitting for the first post.
Loren Feldman of 1938media is one cool dude, he’s a witty and stinging commentator on the web, specifically video and start-ups
Although I love his stuff and his site is probably my favourite at the moment, Loren is definitely a bastard of the Internet.
Check it out 1938media
Tony Plohetski / Austin American-Statesman:
Police ready to ‘take on’ commenters, chief says — People who misrepresent themselves as officials in online comments could face civil, criminal penalties, Acevedo says. — Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo says he and some of his officers have been harassed, lied about and had their identities falsely used …
Tony Plohetski / Austin American-Statesman:
Police ready to ‘take on’ commenters, chief says — People who misrepresent themselves as officials in online comments could face civil, criminal penalties, Acevedo says. — Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo says he and some of his officers have been harassed, lied about and had their identities falsely used …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090920/i2.jpg\")
Kevin Walsh / GigaOM:
With Broadband, Quality Should Trump Penetration — With governments around the world spending billions of dollars trying to prop up ailing economies, many are taking advantage of this flood of stimulus money to address perceived shortcomings in broadband penetration.
Kevin Walsh / GigaOM:
With Broadband, Quality Should Trump Penetration — With governments around the world spending billions of dollars trying to prop up ailing economies, many are taking advantage of this flood of stimulus money to address perceived shortcomings in broadband penetration.
Oliver J. Chiang / Forbes:
Creating A Hit IPhone Game — How to “Swarm” to the top of the App Store. — BURLINGAME, Calif. — David Whatley\'s fast-paced action-strategy game “geoDefense Swarm” is the latest to top the iPhone App Store. — Priced at 99 cents, “Swarm,” which was released Sept. 14 …
Oliver J. Chiang / Forbes:
Creating A Hit IPhone Game — How to “Swarm” to the top of the App Store. — BURLINGAME, Calif. — David Whatley\'s fast-paced action-strategy game “geoDefense Swarm” is the latest to top the iPhone App Store. — Priced at 99 cents, “Swarm,” which was released Sept. 14 …
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols / Computerworld:
WiMax in 2010: Too little, too late? — WiMax is finally making wide-area wireless broadband a reality in many cities — but another technology is fast encroaching. — Computerworld - By the end of 2010, users in more than 80 U.S. cities may be able to ditch their cable modems …
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols / Computerworld:
WiMax in 2010: Too little, too late? — WiMax is finally making wide-area wireless broadband a reality in many cities — but another technology is fast encroaching. — Computerworld - By the end of 2010, users in more than 80 U.S. cities may be able to ditch their cable modems …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i28.jpg\")
Paul Carr / TechCrunch:
WITTC50?: Will there be a TechCrunch50 next year? What Jason wants, Jason Getz — So here we go then, the fourth and final part of my award-winning TechCrunch50 coverage; the all-important ‘round-up’. This is where I ask appropriately round-uppy questions like “what did we learn this week? …
Paul Carr / TechCrunch:
WITTC50?: Will there be a TechCrunch50 next year? What Jason wants, Jason Getz — So here we go then, the fourth and final part of my award-winning TechCrunch50 coverage; the all-important ‘round-up’. This is where I ask appropriately round-uppy questions like “what did we learn this week? …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i27.jpg\")
Brad Stone / New York Times:
Can Amazon Be Wal-Mart of the Web? — THE hum of 102 rooftop air conditioners and a chorus of beeping electric carts provide the acoustic backdrop in Amazon.com\'s 605,000-square-foot distribution facility on this city\'s west side. But the center\'s employees can almost always hear Terry Jones.
Brad Stone / New York Times:
Can Amazon Be Wal-Mart of the Web? — THE hum of 102 rooftop air conditioners and a chorus of beeping electric carts provide the acoustic backdrop in Amazon.com\'s 605,000-square-foot distribution facility on this city\'s west side. But the center\'s employees can almost always hear Terry Jones.
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i26.jpg\")
Eric Engleman / TechFlash:
Amazon creates own house brand of consumer electronics — Amazon.com has been quietly building a private label strategy for the last couple years, creating house brands around kitchen tools (Pinzon), outdoor furniture (Strathwood), bed and bath products (Pike Street) and power tools (Denali).
Eric Engleman / TechFlash:
Amazon creates own house brand of consumer electronics — Amazon.com has been quietly building a private label strategy for the last couple years, creating house brands around kitchen tools (Pinzon), outdoor furniture (Strathwood), bed and bath products (Pike Street) and power tools (Denali).
Cade Metz / The Register:
Google Apps sics crawlers on public docs and sheets — Beware what you publish — Google will soon allow search engines to crawl and index documents, spreadsheets, and presentations published to the web via its online office suite, Google Apps. — On Friday, in a letter to Google Apps users …
Cade Metz / The Register:
Google Apps sics crawlers on public docs and sheets — Beware what you publish — Google will soon allow search engines to crawl and index documents, spreadsheets, and presentations published to the web via its online office suite, Google Apps. — On Friday, in a letter to Google Apps users …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i24.jpg\")
Justin Smith / Inside Facebook:
Josh Elman Leaving Facebook, Returning to More “Hands-On” Product Role — Facebook Platform Program Manager Josh Elman, who has been with the company since early 2008, has decided to leave Facebook. Elman, who worked on the launch of Facebook Connect and has been focused on helping large developers …
Justin Smith / Inside Facebook:
Josh Elman Leaving Facebook, Returning to More “Hands-On” Product Role — Facebook Platform Program Manager Josh Elman, who has been with the company since early 2008, has decided to leave Facebook. Elman, who worked on the launch of Facebook Connect and has been focused on helping large developers …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i23.jpg\")
Greg Sandoval / CNET News:
Jammie Thomas lawyers file suit against Scribd — A legal complaint seeking class action status filed in Houston on Friday accuses social-publishing site Scribd of egregious copyright infringement. — Scribd managers have “built a technology that\'s broken barriers to copyright infringement …
Greg Sandoval / CNET News:
Jammie Thomas lawyers file suit against Scribd — A legal complaint seeking class action status filed in Houston on Friday accuses social-publishing site Scribd of egregious copyright infringement. — Scribd managers have “built a technology that\'s broken barriers to copyright infringement …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i22.jpg\")
Cleve Nettles / 9 to 5 Mac:
Off Topic: Microsoft will reveal two iPhone competitors in 2010 — It isn\'t really our area of expertise, but we\'ve gotten word that Microsoft will unleash two new Smartphones, probably at CES in January 2010. Developed under the project “Pink” moniker, these two slider phones stem …
Cleve Nettles / 9 to 5 Mac:
Off Topic: Microsoft will reveal two iPhone competitors in 2010 — It isn\'t really our area of expertise, but we\'ve gotten word that Microsoft will unleash two new Smartphones, probably at CES in January 2010. Developed under the project “Pink” moniker, these two slider phones stem …
Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
Facebook Beacon has poked its last — It\'s finally over for Beacon, the ill-fated advertising program that the social network initially launched with splashy Madison Avenue fanfare nearly two years ago. — The social network has settled a year-old class action lawsuit that targeted …
Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
Facebook Beacon has poked its last — It\'s finally over for Beacon, the ill-fated advertising program that the social network initially launched with splashy Madison Avenue fanfare nearly two years ago. — The social network has settled a year-old class action lawsuit that targeted …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i20.jpg\")
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Once Again, Facebook Owns ‘Talk Like A Pirate Day’ On The Web — Last year, Facebook rolled out a new “pirate” language on Talk Like A Pirate Day, it was quite funny. Naturally, it\'s back again this year, and it\'s maybe even more awesome. — Most impressive is Facebook\'s attention to detail …
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Once Again, Facebook Owns ‘Talk Like A Pirate Day’ On The Web — Last year, Facebook rolled out a new “pirate” language on Talk Like A Pirate Day, it was quite funny. Naturally, it\'s back again this year, and it\'s maybe even more awesome. — Most impressive is Facebook\'s attention to detail …
![](\"http://www.techmeme.com/090919/i19.jpg\")
Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
Microsoft Reader, back from dead — A TechFlash reader who commented on our E-Book Universe chart yesterday pointed out that we didn\'t include Microsoft Reader. That\'s the Redmond company\'s software for reading electronic books, which has been updated over the past few years …
Todd Bishop / TechFlash:
Microsoft Reader, back from dead — A TechFlash reader who commented on our E-Book Universe chart yesterday pointed out that we didn\'t include Microsoft Reader. That\'s the Redmond company\'s software for reading electronic books, which has been updated over the past few years …
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Department Of Justice Files Objections To Google Book Search Settlement — As expected, the US Department Of Justice today has filed a list of objections and modifications it would like seen made in the proposed settlement to the Google Book Search lawsuit. — You\'ll find a copy here (PDF) at the Public Index.
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Department Of Justice Files Objections To Google Book Search Settlement — As expected, the US Department Of Justice today has filed a list of objections and modifications it would like seen made in the proposed settlement to the Google Book Search lawsuit. — You\'ll find a copy here (PDF) at the Public Index.
internetbastard posted a photo:
internetbastard posted a photo:
All summer long I\'ve been conquering my biggest fears and crossing off items on my \"bucket list\". Apart from sky diving, nothing scares me more than bungy jumping. Let\'s be honest, the concept of bungy jumping is freaking nuts. And freaking nuts I was to even consider jumping head first off of a 150ft bridge into a canyon with a rubber band tied around my ankles.
I would\'ve never even dreamt of conquering this huge fear on a random whim, but my Dad dared me. He not only dared me, but taunted me for days shouting, \"bun-gy, bun-gy, bun-gy!\" He wouldn\'t let up, and eventually my stubborn pride made me do it.
You must understand that my dad and I have a long and sorted history of one-upmanship.
This father vs daughter competition started early in life. When I was 5, he flagrantly beat me at board games. Monopoly was the worst, especially when he would buy all the lots and send me to jail just for fun. This unsportsmanlike game continued through out the \"Tetris years.\" I would spend every evening after school trying to beat my dad\'s last score. When I finally did, I would go to bed. That\'s when my Dad would sneak in and stay up until 3am beating my score.
On and on this stubborn competition went, until one day on a mini golf course I got so fuming mad at my Dad\'s teasing, I threw my putter at a windmill. Not only did I lose, but I was banned from Putt \'n Bounce for life.
So now you understand why I couldn\'t back down from bungy jumping, especially when my Dad surprised me one afternoon, by taking me straight to the bungy jump at Nanaimo\'s WildPlay.
Now, I figured that since my summer of extreme activities white water rafting with Hyak and zip lining in Whistler with Wildplay, I\'ve bascially got my fears in check. How scary could a little bungy jump be?
I was peppy and filled with confidence as I strutted up the bungy bridge that stretched across a river canyon.
\"This is easy peasy,\" I thought to myself. \"No sweat\". Then, I caught a glance of the girl who was in front of me, pale as a sheet, and uncontrollably weeping to be taken off the platform after standing up there for 45 mins.
\"Ok, maybe a little scarier than I thought\".
My hands started to shake and clam up and I caught a severe case of Jello legs. The terror hit me when they bound my legs in cuffs and attached me to the elastic cord. There was no turning back. I hopped out onto the edge of the platform and experienced a sweeping rush of vertigo.
People were yelling, the guides were wishing me luck, and my Dad couldn\'t stop laughing. I took a deep breath, but the feeling of self preservation was so great I could not budge an inch. My feet felt like they were cemented onto the platform and my stomach was up in my throat. I was going to have to overwrite my with my with my .
I took one deep breath and jumped off. I was angled more chest first than head first. My arms were flailing and I screamed like a possessed demon. The free-falling was insane, like nothing I\'ve ever felt. As soon as I hit the water and whipped back up, I really felt like I was going to die, which oddly enough made me giggle and scream at the same time. I continued to bounce, spin and swing under the bridge until I literally ran out of screams.
I honestly can\'t believe I did it. Neither can my Dad. For the first time in a long time, he has no comeback. I think I finally one-upped him.
All summer long I\'ve been conquering my biggest fears and crossing off items on my \"bucket list\". Apart from sky diving, nothing scares me more than bungy jumping. Let\'s be honest, the concept of bungy jumping is freaking nuts. And freaking nuts I was to even consider jumping head first off of a 150ft bridge into a canyon with a rubber band tied around my ankles.
I would\'ve never even dreamt of conquering this huge fear on a random whim, but my Dad dared me. He not only dared me, but taunted me for days shouting, \"bun-gy, bun-gy, bun-gy!\" He wouldn\'t let up, and eventually my stubborn pride made me do it.
You must understand that my dad and I have a long and sorted history of one-upmanship.
This father vs daughter competition started early in life. When I was 5, he flagrantly beat me at board games. Monopoly was the worst, especially when he would buy all the lots and send me to jail just for fun. This unsportsmanlike game continued through out the \"Tetris years.\" I would spend every evening after school trying to beat my dad\'s last score. When I finally did, I would go to bed. That\'s when my Dad would sneak in and stay up until 3am beating my score.
On and on this stubborn competition went, until one day on a mini golf course I got so fuming mad at my Dad\'s teasing, I threw my putter at a windmill. Not only did I lose, but I was banned from Putt \'n Bounce for life.
So now you understand why I couldn\'t back down from bungy jumping, especially when my Dad surprised me one afternoon, by taking me straight to the bungy jump at Nanaimo\'s WildPlay.
Now, I figured that since my summer of extreme activities white water rafting with Hyak and zip lining in Whistler with Wildplay, I\'ve bascially got my fears in check. How scary could a little bungy jump be?
I was peppy and filled with confidence as I strutted up the bungy bridge that stretched across a river canyon.
\"This is easy peasy,\" I thought to myself. \"No sweat\". Then, I caught a glance of the girl who was in front of me, pale as a sheet, and uncontrollably weeping to be taken off the platform after standing up there for 45 mins.
\"Ok, maybe a little scarier than I thought\".
My hands started to shake and clam up and I caught a severe case of Jello legs. The terror hit me when they bound my legs in cuffs and attached me to the elastic cord. There was no turning back. I hopped out onto the edge of the platform and experienced a sweeping rush of vertigo.
People were yelling, the guides were wishing me luck, and my Dad couldn\'t stop laughing. I took a deep breath, but the feeling of self preservation was so great I could not budge an inch. My feet felt like they were cemented onto the platform and my stomach was up in my throat. I was going to have to overwrite my with my with my .
I took one deep breath and jumped off. I was angled more chest first than head first. My arms were flailing and I screamed like a possessed demon. The free-falling was insane, like nothing I\'ve ever felt. As soon as I hit the water and whipped back up, I really felt like I was going to die, which oddly enough made me giggle and scream at the same time. I continued to bounce, spin and swing under the bridge until I literally ran out of screams.
I honestly can\'t believe I did it. Neither can my Dad. For the first time in a long time, he has no comeback. I think I finally one-upped him.
![\"Mostly](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3486/3899973378_c0008d3dd4.jpg\")
Geekin\' out on the DSi with Blackbox\'s M14 ANR headphones.
Back to School doesn\'t have to be the end of fun! Well, in all honesty it does, but at least you can soften the blow of returning to the grind by treating yourself to some great geeky gadgets.
![\"neverlate_clock\"](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/neverlate_clock1-300x247.jpg\" "\\"neverlate_clock\\"")
1. Neverlate 7-day Alarm Clock ($34 + shipping thinkgeek.com)
After a few months of enjoying blissful afternoon sleep-ins, that first week of 7am wake ups are going to smart. To make sure you aren\'t late for your first semester of classes like I was in 3rd year University, you might want to invest in a serious alarm clock.
This alarm clock allows you to set 7 independent daily alarms for each day, so you don\'t have the nightly annoyance of setting your alarm. You can also customize your snooze time from one to 30 minutes and set a midday nap alarm with the push of a button.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-111-300x114.png\" "\\"Picture")
2. Canon SD960 IS Digital Elph Camera ($299)
So you\'ve managed to drag yourself out of bed and grab some caffeine and Coco Pops. You should really capture this pivotal moment. Why not snap a picture with the new Canon SD960 IS Digital Elph camera. The slick, pocket-sized point and shoot comes in four colours (blue, pink, silver & gold).
It\'s packed with a 12.1 megapixel sensor that takes crisp, vibrant images and stunning HD (1280x720, 30fps) movies. This little camera has the best looking video I\'ve seen from a point and shoot in a long time.
![\"space](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/space-invader-bag1-300x262.jpg\" "\\"space")
3. Space Invaders Messenger Bag ($49 USD + shipping 16BIT.etsy.com)
I guess it\'s time to head to school or all that hard work getting out of bed will be for nothing. You definitely need a sweet bag to match your Converse sneakers and ironic tee. 16-Bit has some amazing, handcrafted retro gaming messenger bags that will store your laptop and all your school essentials. From Super Mario to Donkey Kong to Space Invaders, these limited edition bags are as funky as they are functional.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-14-300x198.png\" "\\"Picture")
4. IkimonoCamera ($20 Urban Outfitters)
For those of us with maxed out credit cards and groceries to pay for, I present the $20 Ikimono Camera. This tiny, palm-sized camera comes with a keychain, roll of 110mm film, and a cute cartoon animal on the front. Click away and experience the olden time joy of developing your film!
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-22-300x220.png\" "\\"Picture")
5. Nintendo DSi ($199)
Let\'s face it. The first week of classes is an absolute joke. Lengthy introductions, going over curriculum, revising old materials, and zzz, oh sorry, I drifted off for a bit. Secretly playing a few games on your Nintendo DSi when the teacher\'s back is turned may keep you awake or in detention. But hey, nothing the chicks love more than rebels.
This snazzy portable gaming device is internet ready, which means a bunch of fun games are available at your finger tips. I\'m currently playing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. It\'s annoyingly difficult for a kids\' game.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-12-300x219.png\" "\\"Picture")
6. Olympus Pen (E-P1) ($800)
After cramming calculus in your brain all morning, you may feel like getting a little creative over lunch hour. Grab the Olympus E-P1, a new retro-styled, interchangeable lens camera. This revolutionary Micro Four Thirds camera delivers dSLR quality while maintaining the compact size of a point and shoot.
The Olympus Pen, which comes with a 14-42mm kit lens, is a stylish, zippy little camera that is just plain fun to use. Explore your artistic side with the 6 Art Filters including, Pinhole, Grainy Film, Pop art and several others. If you feel like turning up a notch, why not take some HD video. The Pen records up to 5 minutes of 720p 30fps high-resolution video in one shot!
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-10-300x128.png\" "\\"Picture")
7. Darth Vader MIMOBOT designer USB flash drive ($24.95 mimobot.com)
The day is almost over. Phew. You just need to back up some files on a from the school\'s computer and head home. Trade in your tired white rectangular USB flash drive you got from a Futureshop bargin bin, for a designer MIMIBOT. Each bot comes packed with extras like wallpapers, audio clips, icons, screen savers and more!
With hundreds of famous and original characters to choose from, these pint-sized USB keys are ridiculously cute and highly collectible. From Halo to Hello Kitty to Star Wars, there is a MIMOBOT to make anyone \"Awww\". Be warned, once you have one Star Wars MIMOBOT, you may feel a strong force to buy the entire collection.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-19-300x119.jpg\" "\\"Picture")
8. Griffin PowerBlock Reserve ($39.99)
There is nothing more annoying than turning on your iPod on the bus ride home and seeing the flashing \"dead battery\" icon. Even worse is getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere with an overheating car and a dead iPhone. Thankfully, the fine folks at Griffin have come up with a marvelous rechargeable backup battery for use with iPhones, iPods, MP3 players, or any USB chargeable device.
The PowerBlock backup battery is easily charged by plugging it into a wall socket. When the battery is charged, simply detach it and carry it with you. It is the smallest reserve battery I\'ve seen (about the size of a matchbox), and adds hours of battery life to your devices. You can buy the PowerBlock Reserve at the Apple Store or Walmart.
![\"photojojo](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/photojojo-eyefi-300x149.jpg\" "\\"photojojo")
9. Eye-fi 2GB SD Share Card ($49-79 Photojojo.com)
Imagine walking in your front door and instantly uploading all your photos and videos from your first day at school directly from your camera to your computer wirelessly? How about directly to Facebook, Flickr or YouTube? No cables, no fussing around with photo editing software, no waiting for your files to upload on the internet. Well, it\'s all possible with the Eye-fi SD Card. Sharing photos and videos has never been easier. All you have to do is set-up the Eye-fi software on your computer.
Choose the wi-fi network you want your camera to use and where you want your photos or videos to upload to (home computer, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Picasa). Plug the SD card in your camera and snap away When you come home, turn on your camera, and voila! All your photos and videos are automatically uploaded onto your computer and the web (if you choose).
Oh and don\'t worry, you can control privacy settings with the Eye-fi manager, so there\'s no fear that those Freshman Jello shot pictures will end up splashed across internet without you knowing.
![\"Picture](\"http://mostlylisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Picture-20-300x179.png\" "\\"Picture")
10. Blackbox M14 ANR Headphones ($249 Blackbox.com)
Finally, you settled in your cozy place, about to dip into a large pot of KD and watch a flick, when your musician roomate decides that 10pm is the perfect time to start band practice. My suggestion, pop on a pair of Blackbox M14 ANR Noise Canceling headphones. Even with no music playing, these bad boys will knock out your roommates out-of-tune squawking with a flick of a switch. Experience the joys of booming bass and crisp sound without outside noise creeping in.
Geekin\' out on the DSi with Blackbox\'s M14 ANR headphones.
Back to School doesn\'t have to be the end of fun! Well, in all honesty it does, but at least you can soften the blow of returning to the grind by treating yourself to some great geeky gadgets.
1. Neverlate 7-day Alarm Clock ($34 + shipping thinkgeek.com)
After a few months of enjoying blissful afternoon sleep-ins, that first week of 7am wake ups are going to smart. To make sure you aren\'t late for your first semester of classes like I was in 3rd year University, you might want to invest in a serious alarm clock.
This alarm clock allows you to set 7 independent daily alarms for each day, so you don\'t have the nightly annoyance of setting your alarm. You can also customize your snooze time from one to 30 minutes and set a midday nap alarm with the push of a button.
2. Canon SD960 IS Digital Elph Camera ($299)
So you\'ve managed to drag yourself out of bed and grab some caffeine and Coco Pops. You should really capture this pivotal moment. Why not snap a picture with the new Canon SD960 IS Digital Elph camera. The slick, pocket-sized point and shoot comes in four colours (blue, pink, silver & gold).
It\'s packed with a 12.1 megapixel sensor that takes crisp, vibrant images and stunning HD (1280x720, 30fps) movies. This little camera has the best looking video I\'ve seen from a point and shoot in a long time.
3. Space Invaders Messenger Bag ($49 USD + shipping 16BIT.etsy.com)
I guess it\'s time to head to school or all that hard work getting out of bed will be for nothing. You definitely need a sweet bag to match your Converse sneakers and ironic tee. 16-Bit has some amazing, handcrafted retro gaming messenger bags that will store your laptop and all your school essentials. From Super Mario to Donkey Kong to Space Invaders, these limited edition bags are as funky as they are functional.
4. IkimonoCamera ($20 Urban Outfitters)
For those of us with maxed out credit cards and groceries to pay for, I present the $20 Ikimono Camera. This tiny, palm-sized camera comes with a keychain, roll of 110mm film, and a cute cartoon animal on the front. Click away and experience the olden time joy of developing your film!
5. Nintendo DSi ($199)
Let\'s face it. The first week of classes is an absolute joke. Lengthy introductions, going over curriculum, revising old materials, and zzz, oh sorry, I drifted off for a bit. Secretly playing a few games on your Nintendo DSi when the teacher\'s back is turned may keep you awake or in detention. But hey, nothing the chicks love more than rebels.
This snazzy portable gaming device is internet ready, which means a bunch of fun games are available at your finger tips. I\'m currently playing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. It\'s annoyingly difficult for a kids\' game.
6. Olympus Pen (E-P1) ($800)
After cramming calculus in your brain all morning, you may feel like getting a little creative over lunch hour. Grab the Olympus E-P1, a new retro-styled, interchangeable lens camera. This revolutionary Micro Four Thirds camera delivers dSLR quality while maintaining the compact size of a point and shoot.
The Olympus Pen, which comes with a 14-42mm kit lens, is a stylish, zippy little camera that is just plain fun to use. Explore your artistic side with the 6 Art Filters including, Pinhole, Grainy Film, Pop art and several others. If you feel like turning up a notch, why not take some HD video. The Pen records up to 5 minutes of 720p 30fps high-resolution video in one shot!
7. Darth Vader MIMOBOT designer USB flash drive ($24.95 mimobot.com)
The day is almost over. Phew. You just need to back up some files on a from the school\'s computer and head home. Trade in your tired white rectangular USB flash drive you got from a Futureshop bargin bin, for a designer MIMIBOT. Each bot comes packed with extras like wallpapers, audio clips, icons, screen savers and more!
With hundreds of famous and original characters to choose from, these pint-sized USB keys are ridiculously cute and highly collectible. From Halo to Hello Kitty to Star Wars, there is a MIMOBOT to make anyone \"Awww\". Be warned, once you have one Star Wars MIMOBOT, you may feel a strong force to buy the entire collection.
8. Griffin PowerBlock Reserve ($39.99)
There is nothing more annoying than turning on your iPod on the bus ride home and seeing the flashing \"dead battery\" icon. Even worse is getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere with an overheating car and a dead iPhone. Thankfully, the fine folks at Griffin have come up with a marvelous rechargeable backup battery for use with iPhones, iPods, MP3 players, or any USB chargeable device.
The PowerBlock backup battery is easily charged by plugging it into a wall socket. When the battery is charged, simply detach it and carry it with you. It is the smallest reserve battery I\'ve seen (about the size of a matchbox), and adds hours of battery life to your devices. You can buy the PowerBlock Reserve at the Apple Store or Walmart.
9. Eye-fi 2GB SD Share Card ($49-79 Photojojo.com)
Imagine walking in your front door and instantly uploading all your photos and videos from your first day at school directly from your camera to your computer wirelessly? How about directly to Facebook, Flickr or YouTube? No cables, no fussing around with photo editing software, no waiting for your files to upload on the internet. Well, it\'s all possible with the Eye-fi SD Card. Sharing photos and videos has never been easier. All you have to do is set-up the Eye-fi software on your computer.
Choose the wi-fi network you want your camera to use and where you want your photos or videos to upload to (home computer, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Picasa). Plug the SD card in your camera and snap away When you come home, turn on your camera, and voila! All your photos and videos are automatically uploaded onto your computer and the web (if you choose).
Oh and don\'t worry, you can control privacy settings with the Eye-fi manager, so there\'s no fear that those Freshman Jello shot pictures will end up splashed across internet without you knowing.
10. Blackbox M14 ANR Headphones ($249 Blackbox.com)
Finally, you settled in your cozy place, about to dip into a large pot of KD and watch a flick, when your musician roomate decides that 10pm is the perfect time to start band practice. My suggestion, pop on a pair of Blackbox M14 ANR Noise Canceling headphones. Even with no music playing, these bad boys will knock out your roommates out-of-tune squawking with a flick of a switch. Experience the joys of booming bass and crisp sound without outside noise creeping in.
Video recorded with the Canon SD960. As you can tell this little camera takes sweet 720p 30fps HD video.
People always tell me the best views of Vancouver are from the water. Usually these people live in Yaletown and own a multi-million dollar yacht.
The closest thing I have to a luxury boat is an inflatable turtle-shaped dingy I got from the clearance bin in Canadian Tire last year. The likelihood of me sailing around Vancouver Harbour in Mr. Snaps is, well, very unlikely.
This is why I was so excited when I heard about Vancouver Fastboat Adventures. The new adventure tour company, located at the foot of Denman St. in Coal Harbour, just opened its doors this May and has been running two to three tours a day on their 12-seater zodiacs to eager tourists and Vancouver city slickers alike.
![\"Telus](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2621/3882751800_74737193cc.jpg\")
Taken with the Canon PowerShot SD960 with Photoshop Solarize filter.
Last week, I had the opportunity to take Pas & my mum on both tours and everyone had a fantastic time. I have to say the biggest thrill for me was the speed. I sat right at the front and could not stop smiling and giggling the entire trip.
The zodiac bolted us smoothly across the harbour at 40 kilometres an hour, until we hit another boat\'s wake and were tossed up and down like a mini roller coaster.
Even my mum, who is generally not the thrill-seeking type, couldn\'t take the grin off her face as we sped under the Lions Gate Bridge. We both took tons of pictures and laughed a lot.
I loved seeing Stanley Park from the water and getting an up close look at the new Olympic athletes\' village in False Creek.
It was also fun pointing out my first apartment building, my favourite Granville Island gelato shop and my top secret fireworks watching spot in English Bay.
I was genuinely surprised at the number of new places I was introduced to on this trip. I was greeted by new, fabulous little parks and coves during my Vancouver Fastboat tour.
Begrudgingly, I have to admit that the best views of Vancouver are indeed from the water, but you don\'t need a pricey schooner to see them.
Published in The Province.
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:41:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/fastboat/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:1:\"5\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:36:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/fastboat/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:42:\"Experiencing the best views of Vancouver. \";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:3886:\"
Video recorded with the Canon SD960. As you can tell this little camera takes sweet 720p 30fps HD video.
People always tell me the best views of Vancouver are from the water. Usually these people live in Yaletown and own a multi-million dollar yacht.
The closest thing I have to a luxury boat is an inflatable turtle-shaped dingy I got from the clearance bin in Canadian Tire last year. The likelihood of me sailing around Vancouver Harbour in Mr. Snaps is, well, very unlikely.
This is why I was so excited when I heard about Vancouver Fastboat Adventures. The new adventure tour company, located at the foot of Denman St. in Coal Harbour, just opened its doors this May and has been running two to three tours a day on their 12-seater zodiacs to eager tourists and Vancouver city slickers alike.
Taken with the Canon PowerShot SD960 with Photoshop Solarize filter.
Last week, I had the opportunity to take Pas & my mum on both tours and everyone had a fantastic time. I have to say the biggest thrill for me was the speed. I sat right at the front and could not stop smiling and giggling the entire trip.
The zodiac bolted us smoothly across the harbour at 40 kilometres an hour, until we hit another boat\'s wake and were tossed up and down like a mini roller coaster.
Even my mum, who is generally not the thrill-seeking type, couldn\'t take the grin off her face as we sped under the Lions Gate Bridge. We both took tons of pictures and laughed a lot.
I loved seeing Stanley Park from the water and getting an up close look at the new Olympic athletes\' village in False Creek.
It was also fun pointing out my first apartment building, my favourite Granville Island gelato shop and my top secret fireworks watching spot in English Bay.
I was genuinely surprised at the number of new places I was introduced to on this trip. I was greeted by new, fabulous little parks and coves during my Vancouver Fastboat tour.
Begrudgingly, I have to admit that the best views of Vancouver are indeed from the water, but you don\'t need a pricey schooner to see them.
Published in The Province.
\";}i:3;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:38:\"Mostly Seaworld, Gold Coast, Australia\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/EcxKlMZCsgI/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:45:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/seaworld/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:12:10 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:29:\"TravelVideosaustraliafunrides\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4311\";s:11:\"description\";s:48:\"My trip to Seaworld on the Gold Coast, Australia\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:1920:\"After my serious photographic journey post, (thanks for all your comments!) I thought I\'d lighten things with a video of me screaming really loud on roller-coasters and being quite silly. This video was taken at Seaworld in the Gold Coast (Queensland) during my month long stay in Australia last December.
If you happen to be Down Under definitely check out Seaworld. As you can tell, I had a lot of fun. :P
I shot this on my Flip mino and was a bit disappointed with the quality. I amped the colour saturation and increased the black point in iMovie which helped a lot. As far as the Flip family goes, this is the weakest model. I suggest getting the Flip Mino HD. I shot my River Rafting vid on it and that footage came out great.
Want more? Check out my Robson St adventure where I encounter a strange balloon man and a plethora of cupcakes.
PS Sorry if I blew your ear drums out with my screeeeam!
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:41:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/seaworld/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"13\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:36:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/seaworld/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:48:\"My trip to Seaworld on the Gold Coast, Australia\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:1920:\"After my serious photographic journey post, (thanks for all your comments!) I thought I\'d lighten things with a video of me screaming really loud on roller-coasters and being quite silly. This video was taken at Seaworld in the Gold Coast (Queensland) during my month long stay in Australia last December.
If you happen to be Down Under definitely check out Seaworld. As you can tell, I had a lot of fun. :P
I shot this on my Flip mino and was a bit disappointed with the quality. I amped the colour saturation and increased the black point in iMovie which helped a lot. As far as the Flip family goes, this is the weakest model. I suggest getting the Flip Mino HD. I shot my River Rafting vid on it and that footage came out great.
Want more? Check out my Robson St adventure where I encounter a strange balloon man and a plethora of cupcakes.
PS Sorry if I blew your ear drums out with my screeeeam!
\";}i:4;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:23:\"My Photographic Journey\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/BFuET30gWJg/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:60:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/my-photographic-journey/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:36:26 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:15:\"LifePhotography\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4239\";s:11:\"description\";s:28:\"How I became a photographer.\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:20489:\"![\"Photographic](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2924048970_00c578ffcb.jpg\")
Photo by Scott Stulberg.
I was just looking through my portfolio this past week and physically cringing at how bad some of my old shots are. I almost deleted them from my Flickr stream, but then I realized that each photo represents a part of my photographic journey.
My photography evolved a lot from the days when I use to take pictures of Pez, cupcakes, and interesting trash I found in my back alley. It seems so silly now, but had I not spent everyday shooting, learning, and exploring the world with my camera, I wouldn\'t be taking the pictures I am taking today.
![\"Superhero](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2136/2245588870_043113be50.jpg\")
Super hero Pez, Canon Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/60, f/5.0, ISO 100.
I bought my first dSLR, the Canon Rebel Xti (400D), in November 2006. I had one lens other than the crappy kit one, the 50mm f/1.4, and I shot absolutely everything on it. From concerts to portraits to landscapes and nature I took that lens on many adventures. Unlike a zoom lens, a fixed prime lens forces you to physically position yourself to get the shot. That usually means getting up close, lying on the floor, or squeezing your body in crazy spots to get decent angles.
I spent almost a year shooting exclusively with the 50mm f/1.4. I couldn\'t afford another lens, so I just had to make do with what I had. I think this forced me to learn the basics of photography (exposure, light & composition) and really know how to use my camera.
ww.flickr.com/photos/redpilotmedia/2981285138/\">![\"abstract](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/2981285138_eff29afe3c.jpg\")
Xti, 50mm, f/1.4, 1/320, ISO 200.
I shot almost everyday. I went on photowalks and started shooting things around my neighbourhood, and the beautiful landscapes of Vancouver. Whenever I traveled abroad in the next year, I took thousands of pictures. Some were good, some were meh, but the sheer act of taking pictures everyday made me a better photographer.
![\"Photographing](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/2539671273_298dab1eb1.jpg\")
Photographing Chichen Itza, Mayan Riviera, Mexico.
Because I only had one lens at the time, and no money to buy another one, I started renting lenses for specific shoots or just for fun. For $35, I could rent a $1500 70-200mm IS f/2.8 for an entire weekend. I rented everything from wide angles to macro lenses to honking zooms, experimenting with different subjects and styles of photography.
![\"lens](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2633399864_0e488af95a.jpg\")
Sunset Flare, Xti, 70-200mm IS, 70mm, 1/250, f/7.1, ISO 200.
![\"red](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2619070667_6d4ac38d07.jpg\")
Polish dancing boots, Xti, 70-200mm IS f/2.8 lens, 153mm, 1/80, f/2.8, ISO 200.
![\"Bokeh](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/3030675417_3629134717.jpg\")
Xti, 100mm f/2.8 lens, 1/80, f.2.8, ISO 100.
![\"Water](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2746997043_df82262365.jpg\")
Xti, 70-200mm f/2.8, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 200.
I didn\'t read many \"how to\" photography books (too boring) or take classes (too expensive), I just spent hours on Flickr and other photographer\'s blogs. I connected with these photographers, asked them questions, shared my photos, and studied theirs.
I learned what I needed to improve on and what style of photography I liked. I was immediately drawn to colour and magic hour light. The subject matter I found most intriguing was people. But, people were not as easy to come by as trash in my back alley.
![\"Jessie](\"http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1082/618608870_57ea91cda9.jpg\")
Jessie Farrell, Canon Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/30, f/1.4, ISO 100.
I begged everyone I knew to let me take pictures of them. And if they said no, I snuck candid shots when they weren\'t looking. At the time, I was also spending a lot of time shooting Jessie Farrell (Canadian Singer/Songwriter) and her band on their first year touring Canada.
I followed them around snapping their performances, as well as the behind the scenes moments. I learned a lot about shooting in hectic places with really difficult lighting. This gig also connected me with other musicians who wanted promo photos for their websites and promotion.
![\"Kylee](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2835439154_a561495f02.jpg\")
Canadian Singer/Songwriter Kylee Epp, Xti, 50mm f/1.4.
![\"Jesse](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2562384697_ed28a79b7d.jpg\")
Jesse Godin, Xti, 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, 18mm, 1/100, f/2.8, ISO 100.
When I couldn\'t find any people to shoot, I photographed animals. When I was traveling in Australia, I took a series of \"animal portraits\" of the fabulous creatures I found. Again, I only had one lens with me, the 50mm f/1.4, so I really get up close to these animals to fill the frame. This was ok with koalas, kangaroos, and lorikeets, but not so much for man-eating crocodiles and sharks.
![\"Rainbow](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/3084839166_156ff743aa.jpg\")
Rainbow lorikeet, Xti, 50mm f/1.4mm, 1/100, f/2.0, ISO 100.
![\"Sleepy](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/3149675322_de852c80aa.jpg\")
Sleepy Kangaroo, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/5.0, 1/250, ISO 100.
![\"Lovely](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/3159343260_b579d41d80.jpg\")
Koala. Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens.
I also experimented taking artsy shots with the LensBaby Composer. I\'m not the \'artsiest\' photographer. I\'m more inclined to make photos as realistic as possible, which is part of my debate with HDR photography (which I did learn how to do by the way :P). Nevertheless, this lens gave me a new perspective on the types of shots I could get with my camera.
![\"*separation*\"](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2263/3534782797_f4b2661429.jpg\")
XSi & LensBaby Composer.
![\"Painter\'s](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3545939493_bd55da414c.jpg\")
My first HDR :P
After a while, I got bored of just taking pictures of things that I was just observing and wanted to create shots I could control. I was also modeling at the time, so I took particular interest at my own shoots and started grilling every photographer I worked with about lighting.
This is when I discovered David Hobby\'s Strobist blog. The DIY off-camera photography he was doing and talking about was exciting, challenging, and oh so sexy.
![\"Super](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3558254346_76117d6ac6.jpg\")
Setting up the strobes for a summer shoot.
It took a while to accumulate the gear I needed to take sext shots; 3 strobes (580EX & 2x430EX, two umbrellas, stands, & the Alien Bees Cybersync Remote System), and a long while to actually learn how to use it.
I won\'t lie, when I first started using strobes I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was even kind of scared of them, so I asked people who knew what they were doing, and watched and learned. I found a few settings that worked and practiced a lot. Once I\'d learnt the basics, I started to experiment, sometimes even on the job (shh.. don\'t tell), but usually taking pictures of myself.
Then, Alex Lindsay of TWiP (This Week in Photography) asked me to fly down to San Francisco be a guest on his popular photography podcast. I really felt like a n00b photographer then especially compared to one of my heroes, photojournalist, Steve Simon. I felt like I hadn\'t done anything of note, just taken some nice photos. In fact, I\'m sure that at first I was interviewed more for my modeling talents than my photography. My Flickr stream did contain more pictures of me than by me.
![\"Lisa](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2372864731_0d9b183b82.jpg\")
Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/100, f/4, ISO 100.
Being on TWiP was a huge wake up call. I realized then, that if I wanted to be a photographer, I had to step up and know my stuff. I couldn\'t rely on being a pretty girl with a camera that took pretty pictures. I had to get down and dirty with photographic theory, photoshop, the technical specs of my gear, and build a portfolio with content in a style that I wanted to actually work in.
I was inspired by photographers like Nick Onken, Chase Jarvis, Joe McNally who had unique and strong styles and got hired to to do major commercial work in this style.
![\"Beautiful](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3636/3576304255_b7beea90ef.jpg\")
Shauna, Canon XSi, 85mm f/1.8 lens, f/3.5, 1/200.
![\"Zara\"](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/3596062187_d7ebe1ecde.jpg\")
Canon XSi, 24-105mm f/4.0 lens, 45mm, 1/100, f/4.0, ISO 100.
![\"Zara](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/3617539907_d26048e73b.jpg\")
Zara set-up shot.
I decided I wanted to shoot portraits, beauty, and fashion. I really needed models to shoot portraits, beauty, and fashion photography. I bought a second awesome prime, the 85mm f/1.8 and put up a profile on the social networking site \"where professional models meet photographers, ModelMayhem. I\'d found some great models to work with and I booked four for the next week. A Canon Canada Rep was nice enough to send a XSi (450D) loaner to me, so I had an extra body on these shoots.
![\"Rockin\'](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2446/3604411345_c410e3f112.jpg\")
Bella, Canon XSi, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/125, f/2.8, ISO 100.
I really wanted to push myself to see if I could actually create the images I wanted. After the first shoot, I realized I needed a professional makeup artist and a stylist because I am absolutely rubbish at these things. So I brought Mika (MUA) and Tami (Stylist) on board.
They helped me develop the concepts I wanted to shoot, and make sure all the details (hair, makeup, clothes) were there.
![\"Stephanie\"](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2131/3655327255_dd9c9d3803.jpg\")
Sexy Stephanie, Xti, 85mm f/4.5, 1/125, ISO 100.
![\"Stephanie](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/3639327917_cfaab0b0e4.jpg\")
![\"sexxeh](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3756513750_f38391326e.jpg\")
Canon Xti, 85 f/1.8 lens, 1/200. f/4.5, ISO 100.
![\"Steph](\"http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3756541458_a5e2387795.jpg\")
I also knew I had to become fluent in Photoshop (CS4), so I buckled down and learnt how to use it. I spent days perfecting images, learning techniques, watching every retouching tutorial on Lynda.com and finding out the best and most efficient ways to retouch and process my images. Once I\'d mastered the basics, I started to explore different processing styles.
I spend hours scouring photographer\'s portfolios and flickr to find inspiring shots and trying to emulate them. Through this process I learnt all kinds of PS ninja tricks and started to develop my own style.
![\"franziska\'s](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/3132253113_0c38f30e5a.jpg\")
Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/2.5, 1/100, ISO 100.
I could shoot, light, and make sweet pictures. All I needed was a kick ass camera. I\'d spent 2 great years with the Xti, but I\'d grown out of it. I needed something full-framed and powerful, so I bought the Canon 5DMKII. I\'ve never looked back.
Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100.
After 2 1/2 years, I feel like I\'ve perfected amateur photography. Now, I\'m ready to work as a professional. And so my next photographic journey begins! Wish me luck!
![\"Nicole\'s](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/3643127092_b8552e2a5e.jpg\")
Canon 5DMkII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/80, f/2.2, ISO 100.
![\"LisaBettany.com](\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3821664894_f8b09dd8a9.jpg\")
Visit my portfolio for more photos.
Questions? Comments! You know where to leave \'em.
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:56:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/my-photographic-journey/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:3:\"109\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:51:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/my-photographic-journey/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:28:\"How I became a photographer.\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:20489:\"
Photo by Scott Stulberg.
I was just looking through my portfolio this past week and physically cringing at how bad some of my old shots are. I almost deleted them from my Flickr stream, but then I realized that each photo represents a part of my photographic journey.
My photography evolved a lot from the days when I use to take pictures of Pez, cupcakes, and interesting trash I found in my back alley. It seems so silly now, but had I not spent everyday shooting, learning, and exploring the world with my camera, I wouldn\'t be taking the pictures I am taking today.
Super hero Pez, Canon Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/60, f/5.0, ISO 100.
I bought my first dSLR, the Canon Rebel Xti (400D), in November 2006. I had one lens other than the crappy kit one, the 50mm f/1.4, and I shot absolutely everything on it. From concerts to portraits to landscapes and nature I took that lens on many adventures. Unlike a zoom lens, a fixed prime lens forces you to physically position yourself to get the shot. That usually means getting up close, lying on the floor, or squeezing your body in crazy spots to get decent angles.
I spent almost a year shooting exclusively with the 50mm f/1.4. I couldn\'t afford another lens, so I just had to make do with what I had. I think this forced me to learn the basics of photography (exposure, light & composition) and really know how to use my camera.
ww.flickr.com/photos/redpilotmedia/2981285138/\">
Xti, 50mm, f/1.4, 1/320, ISO 200.
I shot almost everyday. I went on photowalks and started shooting things around my neighbourhood, and the beautiful landscapes of Vancouver. Whenever I traveled abroad in the next year, I took thousands of pictures. Some were good, some were meh, but the sheer act of taking pictures everyday made me a better photographer.
Photographing Chichen Itza, Mayan Riviera, Mexico.
Because I only had one lens at the time, and no money to buy another one, I started renting lenses for specific shoots or just for fun. For $35, I could rent a $1500 70-200mm IS f/2.8 for an entire weekend. I rented everything from wide angles to macro lenses to honking zooms, experimenting with different subjects and styles of photography.
Sunset Flare, Xti, 70-200mm IS, 70mm, 1/250, f/7.1, ISO 200.
Polish dancing boots, Xti, 70-200mm IS f/2.8 lens, 153mm, 1/80, f/2.8, ISO 200.
Xti, 100mm f/2.8 lens, 1/80, f.2.8, ISO 100.
Xti, 70-200mm f/2.8, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 200.
I didn\'t read many \"how to\" photography books (too boring) or take classes (too expensive), I just spent hours on Flickr and other photographer\'s blogs. I connected with these photographers, asked them questions, shared my photos, and studied theirs.
I learned what I needed to improve on and what style of photography I liked. I was immediately drawn to colour and magic hour light. The subject matter I found most intriguing was people. But, people were not as easy to come by as trash in my back alley.
Jessie Farrell, Canon Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/30, f/1.4, ISO 100.
I begged everyone I knew to let me take pictures of them. And if they said no, I snuck candid shots when they weren\'t looking. At the time, I was also spending a lot of time shooting Jessie Farrell (Canadian Singer/Songwriter) and her band on their first year touring Canada.
I followed them around snapping their performances, as well as the behind the scenes moments. I learned a lot about shooting in hectic places with really difficult lighting. This gig also connected me with other musicians who wanted promo photos for their websites and promotion.
Canadian Singer/Songwriter Kylee Epp, Xti, 50mm f/1.4.
Jesse Godin, Xti, 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, 18mm, 1/100, f/2.8, ISO 100.
When I couldn\'t find any people to shoot, I photographed animals. When I was traveling in Australia, I took a series of \"animal portraits\" of the fabulous creatures I found. Again, I only had one lens with me, the 50mm f/1.4, so I really get up close to these animals to fill the frame. This was ok with koalas, kangaroos, and lorikeets, but not so much for man-eating crocodiles and sharks.
Rainbow lorikeet, Xti, 50mm f/1.4mm, 1/100, f/2.0, ISO 100.
Sleepy Kangaroo, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/5.0, 1/250, ISO 100.
Koala. Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens.
I also experimented taking artsy shots with the LensBaby Composer. I\'m not the \'artsiest\' photographer. I\'m more inclined to make photos as realistic as possible, which is part of my debate with HDR photography (which I did learn how to do by the way :P). Nevertheless, this lens gave me a new perspective on the types of shots I could get with my camera.
XSi & LensBaby Composer.
My first HDR :P
After a while, I got bored of just taking pictures of things that I was just observing and wanted to create shots I could control. I was also modeling at the time, so I took particular interest at my own shoots and started grilling every photographer I worked with about lighting.
This is when I discovered David Hobby\'s Strobist blog. The DIY off-camera photography he was doing and talking about was exciting, challenging, and oh so sexy.
Setting up the strobes for a summer shoot.
It took a while to accumulate the gear I needed to take sext shots; 3 strobes (580EX & 2x430EX, two umbrellas, stands, & the Alien Bees Cybersync Remote System), and a long while to actually learn how to use it.
I won\'t lie, when I first started using strobes I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was even kind of scared of them, so I asked people who knew what they were doing, and watched and learned. I found a few settings that worked and practiced a lot. Once I\'d learnt the basics, I started to experiment, sometimes even on the job (shh.. don\'t tell), but usually taking pictures of myself.
Then, Alex Lindsay of TWiP (This Week in Photography) asked me to fly down to San Francisco be a guest on his popular photography podcast. I really felt like a n00b photographer then especially compared to one of my heroes, photojournalist, Steve Simon. I felt like I hadn\'t done anything of note, just taken some nice photos. In fact, I\'m sure that at first I was interviewed more for my modeling talents than my photography. My Flickr stream did contain more pictures of me than by me.
Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/100, f/4, ISO 100.
Being on TWiP was a huge wake up call. I realized then, that if I wanted to be a photographer, I had to step up and know my stuff. I couldn\'t rely on being a pretty girl with a camera that took pretty pictures. I had to get down and dirty with photographic theory, photoshop, the technical specs of my gear, and build a portfolio with content in a style that I wanted to actually work in.
I was inspired by photographers like Nick Onken, Chase Jarvis, Joe McNally who had unique and strong styles and got hired to to do major commercial work in this style.
Shauna, Canon XSi, 85mm f/1.8 lens, f/3.5, 1/200.
Canon XSi, 24-105mm f/4.0 lens, 45mm, 1/100, f/4.0, ISO 100.
Zara set-up shot.
I decided I wanted to shoot portraits, beauty, and fashion. I really needed models to shoot portraits, beauty, and fashion photography. I bought a second awesome prime, the 85mm f/1.8 and put up a profile on the social networking site \"where professional models meet photographers, ModelMayhem. I\'d found some great models to work with and I booked four for the next week. A Canon Canada Rep was nice enough to send a XSi (450D) loaner to me, so I had an extra body on these shoots.
Bella, Canon XSi, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/125, f/2.8, ISO 100.
I really wanted to push myself to see if I could actually create the images I wanted. After the first shoot, I realized I needed a professional makeup artist and a stylist because I am absolutely rubbish at these things. So I brought Mika (MUA) and Tami (Stylist) on board.
They helped me develop the concepts I wanted to shoot, and make sure all the details (hair, makeup, clothes) were there.
Sexy Stephanie, Xti, 85mm f/4.5, 1/125, ISO 100.
Canon Xti, 85 f/1.8 lens, 1/200. f/4.5, ISO 100.
I also knew I had to become fluent in Photoshop (CS4), so I buckled down and learnt how to use it. I spent days perfecting images, learning techniques, watching every retouching tutorial on Lynda.com and finding out the best and most efficient ways to retouch and process my images. Once I\'d mastered the basics, I started to explore different processing styles.
I spend hours scouring photographer\'s portfolios and flickr to find inspiring shots and trying to emulate them. Through this process I learnt all kinds of PS ninja tricks and started to develop my own style.
Xti, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/2.5, 1/100, ISO 100.
I could shoot, light, and make sweet pictures. All I needed was a kick ass camera. I\'d spent 2 great years with the Xti, but I\'d grown out of it. I needed something full-framed and powerful, so I bought the Canon 5DMKII. I\'ve never looked back.
Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100.
After 2 1/2 years, I feel like I\'ve perfected amateur photography. Now, I\'m ready to work as a professional. And so my next photographic journey begins! Wish me luck!
Canon 5DMkII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/80, f/2.2, ISO 100.
Visit my portfolio for more photos.
Questions? Comments! You know where to leave \'em.
\";}i:5;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:53:\"Get 3 different looks using the same blah background.\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/su9c5IYD6J4/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:47:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/3looks1bkg/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:58:26 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:36:\"FeaturedPhotographyblahmodelstrobist\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4208\";s:11:\"description\";s:23:\"Using off-camera flash!\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:3637:\"Sometimes mother nature gets in the way of your carefully planned photo shoots. Take this headshot session I had with model/actress, Siri (makeup by Mika). I had scouted 3 different urban locations for my shoot with Siri, but my plans were foiled by a summer rainstorm. There was only one covered spot near my apartment, so I had to make one dull grey metallic background work for the three different looks.
Look One: Create interest with a gelled strobe
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/80, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Since I had little ambient light, the only thing I could control was the light that I could add. We placed a orange gelled (full CTO) 430EX strobe on a stand behind Siri, camera left. We stuck my bag on the base to keep it planted. The second strobe (530EX) with a shoot through umbrella was placed directly in front of Siri. For anyone who has worked in windy conditions, you will know the fear of having an unsecured umbrella stand right in front of your model. Models don\'t exactly love it when light stands impale them.
So as an added precaution, I kept keep one foot on the base of the umbrella stand. At this point I was flying solo, so I had to hold the light disc in my left hand bouncing light on the right side of her face, while pressing the shutter one-handed. Tricky stuff!
Look Two: Change up your framing & processing
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8, 1/125, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Because Siri is both a model and an actress, I wanted to capture a fashion/beauty shot. I used the same lighting as look one, but framed much tighter to focus on her makeup and skin. I also processed this a lot more severely and creatively to give it an edgier feel.
Look Three: Shoot through an umbrella
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 100.
In this shot, I took away the second hair light strobe and used a really shallow DOF to make her hair almost disappear into the background. I wanted to the shot to be about her face and her eyes and her gorgeous skin. I used one strobe (580EX) shot through an umbrella really close to her face to create a nice soft, even light.
This shoot was challenging, and forced me to change my lighting using off-camera flashes, instead of just relying on magic hour light. As you know I love warm light, but sometimes, rain clouds form, and light shifts from warm to cool, and your derelict barn location gets destroyed in a wind storm and you just have to wing it. That\'s when all those hours of reading Strobist pay off!
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:43:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/3looks1bkg/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"11\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:38:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/3looks1bkg/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:23:\"Using off-camera flash!\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:3637:\"Sometimes mother nature gets in the way of your carefully planned photo shoots. Take this headshot session I had with model/actress, Siri (makeup by Mika). I had scouted 3 different urban locations for my shoot with Siri, but my plans were foiled by a summer rainstorm. There was only one covered spot near my apartment, so I had to make one dull grey metallic background work for the three different looks.
Look One: Create interest with a gelled strobe
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/80, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Since I had little ambient light, the only thing I could control was the light that I could add. We placed a orange gelled (full CTO) 430EX strobe on a stand behind Siri, camera left. We stuck my bag on the base to keep it planted. The second strobe (530EX) with a shoot through umbrella was placed directly in front of Siri. For anyone who has worked in windy conditions, you will know the fear of having an unsecured umbrella stand right in front of your model. Models don\'t exactly love it when light stands impale them.
So as an added precaution, I kept keep one foot on the base of the umbrella stand. At this point I was flying solo, so I had to hold the light disc in my left hand bouncing light on the right side of her face, while pressing the shutter one-handed. Tricky stuff!
Look Two: Change up your framing & processing
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8, 1/125, f/2.5, ISO 100.
Because Siri is both a model and an actress, I wanted to capture a fashion/beauty shot. I used the same lighting as look one, but framed much tighter to focus on her makeup and skin. I also processed this a lot more severely and creatively to give it an edgier feel.
Look Three: Shoot through an umbrella
5DMKII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 100.
In this shot, I took away the second hair light strobe and used a really shallow DOF to make her hair almost disappear into the background. I wanted to the shot to be about her face and her eyes and her gorgeous skin. I used one strobe (580EX) shot through an umbrella really close to her face to create a nice soft, even light.
This shoot was challenging, and forced me to change my lighting using off-camera flashes, instead of just relying on magic hour light. As you know I love warm light, but sometimes, rain clouds form, and light shifts from warm to cool, and your derelict barn location gets destroyed in a wind storm and you just have to wing it. That\'s when all those hours of reading Strobist pay off!
\";}i:6;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:38:\"Promo Shoot with Musician Jesse Tucker\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/rBuNd7JVR0o/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:43:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/tucker/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:19:09 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:16:\"PhotographyMusic\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4181\";s:11:\"description\";s:353:\" Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100. We truly traveled to the most derelict location to get some background character for this promo shoot with guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jesse Tucker. In fact, there was a pair of used ladies\' panties inches away from Tucker in this very picture. Classy. I shot my 580EX strobe [...]\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:2911:\"
Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100.
We truly traveled to the most derelict location to get some background character for this promo shoot with guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jesse Tucker. In fact, there was a pair of used ladies\' panties inches away from Tucker in this very picture. Classy.
I shot my 580EX strobe on low power through an umbrella camera left. This gave a nice catch light in the eyes and gave a nice even soft light on the face. For triggers I use the Alien Bees CyberSync 2.4GHz Radio Remote Control systems. They are a third the price as Pocket Wizards and work like a charm. Way way better than the Gadget Infinity triggers I had before!
Canon Xti, LensBaby Composer lens, 1/500, ISO 100.
One lesson I learnt from this shoot is, when scouting for shoot locations, actually get out of your car and explore the area on foot with your camera. Visualize your subject and lighting set-up and take some reference shots of the angles you plan on using. Make sure you are scouting at the time of day that you plan on shooting so you can get an idea of what the light is doing.
Had I done a throughout sweep of the area, instead of a drive by I might have noticed all the garbage, unpleasant odor emanating from said garbage, and the over-all messiness of the background, I probably would have chosen a different location :-/ Ah well, at least it was magic hour :D
5DMkII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/2500, f/2.5 ISO 100.
Canon 5DMKII, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/125, f/5.0, ISO 100.
We truly traveled to the most derelict location to get some background character for this promo shoot with guitarist, singer, songwriter, Jesse Tucker. In fact, there was a pair of used ladies\' panties inches away from Tucker in this very picture. Classy.
I shot my 580EX strobe on low power through an umbrella camera left. This gave a nice catch light in the eyes and gave a nice even soft light on the face. For triggers I use the Alien Bees CyberSync 2.4GHz Radio Remote Control systems. They are a third the price as Pocket Wizards and work like a charm. Way way better than the Gadget Infinity triggers I had before!
Canon Xti, LensBaby Composer lens, 1/500, ISO 100.
One lesson I learnt from this shoot is, when scouting for shoot locations, actually get out of your car and explore the area on foot with your camera. Visualize your subject and lighting set-up and take some reference shots of the angles you plan on using. Make sure you are scouting at the time of day that you plan on shooting so you can get an idea of what the light is doing.
Had I done a throughout sweep of the area, instead of a drive by I might have noticed all the garbage, unpleasant odor emanating from said garbage, and the over-all messiness of the background, I probably would have chosen a different location :-/ Ah well, at least it was magic hour :D
5DMkII, 85mm f/1.8 lens, 1/2500, f/2.5 ISO 100.
Everyone has a \"things to do before I die\" list. From skydiving to bungee jumping to watching the sunset over the Great Pyramids, thrill-seeking and adventure travel are usually top on many Bucket Lists. In the top third of my \"must-do\" list is white-water rafting. I have always wanted to take the plunge, but have always been a bit chicken to try it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to conquer my fears and finally tear up some rapids on the Thompson River in Lytton with Hyak Wilderness Adventures.
Photo by Eric Siwik.
I started my river-rafting extravaganza at 7 a.m., making the three-hour drive to Lytton (billed as the rafting capital of B.C.) from Vancouver.
The drive was quite beautiful through Chilliwack, then past Hope, and winding through Hell\'s Gate and the steep, jagged cliffsides of the Black Canyon. I arrived just in time to catch a quick catnap in my car before I attacked those rapids. Read More in The Province.
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:45:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/riverrafting/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"17\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:40:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/riverrafting/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:31:\"Tearing up the Class IV rapids!\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:1839:\"Everyone has a \"things to do before I die\" list. From skydiving to bungee jumping to watching the sunset over the Great Pyramids, thrill-seeking and adventure travel are usually top on many Bucket Lists. In the top third of my \"must-do\" list is white-water rafting. I have always wanted to take the plunge, but have always been a bit chicken to try it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to conquer my fears and finally tear up some rapids on the Thompson River in Lytton with Hyak Wilderness Adventures.
Photo by Eric Siwik.
I started my river-rafting extravaganza at 7 a.m., making the three-hour drive to Lytton (billed as the rafting capital of B.C.) from Vancouver.
The drive was quite beautiful through Chilliwack, then past Hope, and winding through Hell\'s Gate and the steep, jagged cliffsides of the Black Canyon. I arrived just in time to catch a quick catnap in my car before I attacked those rapids. Read More in The Province.
\";}i:8;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:48:\"Q&A: What camera should I buy for my first dSLR?\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/yNOhoIwzGuQ/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:48:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/myfirstdslr/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:13:53 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:48:\"FeaturedPhotographycameraportrait photographyxsi\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4120\";s:11:\"description\";s:45:\"The camera to buy for first time dSLR owners.\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:6914:\"
Canon XSi, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/80, f/2.0, ISO 100.
First time dSLR buyers always ask me what camera & gear they should get. I\'m always hesitant to answer this question, because camera choice is so personal (Canon vs Nikon) and dependent on what you want to shoot and how much money you have.
With that being said, I know how confusing it can be choosing your first dSL with all the options out there, so I\'m going to recommend what I consider the best overall and most reasonably priced dSLR for first time buyers, the Canon XSi (450D).
The 12.2MP XSi is not the latest version of Canon\'s wildly popular Rebel series, but it is such a solid camera that I feel it\'s age is no factor in its performance. I had the opportunity to fully test this camera and I fell in love with it. At that time I had been shooting with an even older model, the Xti (400D), and I was shocked at how much better the XSi performed. If you are looking for all the technical specs, head over to dpreview. They do a pretty sweet job of breaking things down.
One of the great benefits of buying an older body, is that it is considerably cheaper. The new T1 kit is selling for $1099, while the XSi kit is selling for $699 CAN. And trust me, you\'ll need that extra $400 to buy all those extra little camera bits like good lenses (which is almost more important than the body), spare batteries, camera bags, filters, etc, that inevitably end up costing $89 each. Also, I think that for a lot of beginners the XSi will be a great first camera.
You don\'t need to spend thousands of dollars buying the latest, greatest camera with all the bells and whistles, when you don\'t know how to use those bells and whistles yet. I shot with a Canon Xti for 2 1/2 years before moving up to the 5DMkII. I felt like I knew my Xti backwards and forward and that I had mastered enough skills as a photographer to move up to something more professional.
The XSi does not have video, which may be a draw back for those of you who are really interested in video stuff. But unless you actually plan on creating and editing your own high quality videos, then just use your old point and shoot to capture fun video.
1. Camera bag. You just spent a small fortune on a camera, so protect it! i know it\'s an extra $100 or so, but trust me, cameras are fragile and nothing sucks more than a broken camera. As a first time buyer, you are probably only going to have one or two lenses, so you don\'t need something really big and heavy. My favourite small bags are:
Crumpler\'s 5 Millon Dollar Home ($89.99 CAN)
Super trendy, lots of colours, sturdy. I lugged all my gear in this on my Australia trip. It even kept my camera dry during flash thunder storms.
Lowpro Stealth Reporter D300 AW ($89.99 CAN)
This was my second bag that I used to carry both my dSLR & my video camera, the Canon HV20. It is one of the most slick and streamlined bags.
Kata Sensitivity V ($89.99 CAN)
This is my favourite bag of all time. You will not find a better camera + laptop bag. It is so small & comfortable. It actually fits under plane seats and you can fit a lot more than you think in this bag. I can carry two camera bodies + lenses + flash + misc gear in this bag no problem. It also saves your neck from being yanked on all day by a side shoulder bag.
You will also need a spare battery. Get the Canon one. There are cheaper alternatives, but the Canon ones are better. I also recommend getting a remote control trigger if you are planning on doing any landscape or self-portraits. I use the Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 ($50). It works well and the batteries have lasted 2 1/2 years and counting.
2. Also get a cheap camera cleaner kit with a rocket blaster, optical cleaner and those shammy things that come with everything electronic. Keep your gear clean from the get-go, it will save you a lot of grief later.
3. Get a Card reader. I have the Optex Multi-Card Reader ($50). It\'s one of the cheaper ones, and therefore is quite slow. But it\'s what I\'ve been using for 2+ years, so it can\'t be that bad. If you have lots o\' money you can get a pricier one, but this one works fine.
One of the most important thing is the lens you put in front of a camera body. I\'ll do another post on my recommendations for lenses and off-camera flash gear, as I get loads of questions about that too.
Any more questions or tips, people who are mad that I didn\'t choose a Nikon, leave \'em in the comments! Good luck and happy shooting!
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:44:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/myfirstdslr/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"45\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:39:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/myfirstdslr/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:45:\"The camera to buy for first time dSLR owners.\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:6914:\"
Canon XSi, 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/80, f/2.0, ISO 100.
First time dSLR buyers always ask me what camera & gear they should get. I\'m always hesitant to answer this question, because camera choice is so personal (Canon vs Nikon) and dependent on what you want to shoot and how much money you have.
With that being said, I know how confusing it can be choosing your first dSL with all the options out there, so I\'m going to recommend what I consider the best overall and most reasonably priced dSLR for first time buyers, the Canon XSi (450D).
The 12.2MP XSi is not the latest version of Canon\'s wildly popular Rebel series, but it is such a solid camera that I feel it\'s age is no factor in its performance. I had the opportunity to fully test this camera and I fell in love with it. At that time I had been shooting with an even older model, the Xti (400D), and I was shocked at how much better the XSi performed. If you are looking for all the technical specs, head over to dpreview. They do a pretty sweet job of breaking things down.
One of the great benefits of buying an older body, is that it is considerably cheaper. The new T1 kit is selling for $1099, while the XSi kit is selling for $699 CAN. And trust me, you\'ll need that extra $400 to buy all those extra little camera bits like good lenses (which is almost more important than the body), spare batteries, camera bags, filters, etc, that inevitably end up costing $89 each. Also, I think that for a lot of beginners the XSi will be a great first camera.
You don\'t need to spend thousands of dollars buying the latest, greatest camera with all the bells and whistles, when you don\'t know how to use those bells and whistles yet. I shot with a Canon Xti for 2 1/2 years before moving up to the 5DMkII. I felt like I knew my Xti backwards and forward and that I had mastered enough skills as a photographer to move up to something more professional.
The XSi does not have video, which may be a draw back for those of you who are really interested in video stuff. But unless you actually plan on creating and editing your own high quality videos, then just use your old point and shoot to capture fun video.
1. Camera bag. You just spent a small fortune on a camera, so protect it! i know it\'s an extra $100 or so, but trust me, cameras are fragile and nothing sucks more than a broken camera. As a first time buyer, you are probably only going to have one or two lenses, so you don\'t need something really big and heavy. My favourite small bags are:
Crumpler\'s 5 Millon Dollar Home ($89.99 CAN)
Super trendy, lots of colours, sturdy. I lugged all my gear in this on my Australia trip. It even kept my camera dry during flash thunder storms.
Lowpro Stealth Reporter D300 AW ($89.99 CAN)
This was my second bag that I used to carry both my dSLR & my video camera, the Canon HV20. It is one of the most slick and streamlined bags.
Kata Sensitivity V ($89.99 CAN)
This is my favourite bag of all time. You will not find a better camera + laptop bag. It is so small & comfortable. It actually fits under plane seats and you can fit a lot more than you think in this bag. I can carry two camera bodies + lenses + flash + misc gear in this bag no problem. It also saves your neck from being yanked on all day by a side shoulder bag.
You will also need a spare battery. Get the Canon one. There are cheaper alternatives, but the Canon ones are better. I also recommend getting a remote control trigger if you are planning on doing any landscape or self-portraits. I use the Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 ($50). It works well and the batteries have lasted 2 1/2 years and counting.
2. Also get a cheap camera cleaner kit with a rocket blaster, optical cleaner and those shammy things that come with everything electronic. Keep your gear clean from the get-go, it will save you a lot of grief later.
3. Get a Card reader. I have the Optex Multi-Card Reader ($50). It\'s one of the cheaper ones, and therefore is quite slow. But it\'s what I\'ve been using for 2+ years, so it can\'t be that bad. If you have lots o\' money you can get a pricier one, but this one works fine.
One of the most important thing is the lens you put in front of a camera body. I\'ll do another post on my recommendations for lenses and off-camera flash gear, as I get loads of questions about that too.
Any more questions or tips, people who are mad that I didn\'t choose a Nikon, leave \'em in the comments! Good luck and happy shooting!
\";}i:9;a:14:{s:5:\"title\";s:38:\"Mostly Lisa at Nintendo Canada: Part 2\";s:4:\"link\";s:62:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mostlylisa/yKBd/~3/-hyjfeRGEh4/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:74:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-lisa-at-nintendo-canada-part-2/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:20:42 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:11:\"Mostly Lisa\";}s:8:\"category\";s:54:\"EntertainmentGeeky StuffVideosnintendovideovideo games\";s:4:\"guid\";s:29:\"http://mostlylisa.com/?p=4113\";s:11:\"description\";s:62:\"Mostly Lisa testing out the new Nintendo games released at E3.\";s:7:\"content\";a:1:{s:7:\"encoded\";s:1092:\"The new Mario Bros is so awesome. And my favourite character, Yoshi is back! Wii!
I also picked up a sweet new blue DSi and instantly got hooked on the musical game, Rhythm Heaven. It is the silliest game I\'ve played since WarioWare Smooth Moves for the Wii, which is definitely cool in my books. As you may have guessed, I\'m a wee bit strange. 8-P
\";}s:3:\"wfw\";a:1:{s:10:\"commentrss\";s:70:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-lisa-at-nintendo-canada-part-2/feed/\";}s:5:\"slash\";a:1:{s:8:\"comments\";s:2:\"14\";}s:10:\"feedburner\";a:1:{s:8:\"origlink\";s:65:\"http://mostlylisa.com/blog/mostly-lisa-at-nintendo-canada-part-2/\";}s:7:\"summary\";s:62:\"Mostly Lisa testing out the new Nintendo games released at E3.\";s:12:\"atom_content\";s:1092:\"The new Mario Bros is so awesome. And my favourite character, Yoshi is back! Wii!
I also picked up a sweet new blue DSi and instantly got hooked on the musical game, Rhythm Heaven. It is the silliest game I\'ve played since WarioWare Smooth Moves for the Wii, which is definitely cool in my books. As you may have guessed, I\'m a wee bit strange. 8-P
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require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, update_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_edfc7c2747d6c001a07ed51a835831dc_ts' LIMIT 1 made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->check_cache, get_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_name FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_edfc7c2747d6c001a07ed51a835831dc' made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_edfc7c2747d6c001a07ed51a835831dc' LIMIT 1 made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, add_option, get_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query INSERT INTO wp_options (option_name, option_value, autoload) VALUES ('rss_edfc7c2747d6c001a07ed51a835831dc', '', 'no') made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, add_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query SELECT option_name FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'rss_edfc7c2747d6c001a07ed51a835831dc_ts' made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query INSERT INTO wp_options (option_name, option_value, autoload) VALUES ('rss_edfc7c2747d6c001a07ed51a835831dc_ts', '', 'no') made by require, require_once, include, get_sidebar, locate_template, load_template, require_once, dynamic_sidebar, call_user_func_array, wp_widget_rss, fetch_rss, RSSCache->set, add_option [20-Sep-2009 08:34:29] WordPress database error MySQL server has gone away for query UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'O:9:\"MagpieRSS\":17:{s:6:\"parser\";i:0;s:12:\"current_item\";a:0:{}s:5:\"items\";a:25:{i:0;a:13:{s:5:\"title\";s:86:\"BAM Investor’s Financial Model Tweets Out Predictions Of The Next Stock Market Crash\";s:4:\"link\";s:57:\"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FUjaBYtbGjE/\";s:8:\"comments\";s:130:\"http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/20/bam-investors-financial-model-tweets-out-predictions-of-the-next-stock-market-crash/#comments\";s:7:\"pubdate\";s:31:\"Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:34:09 +0000\";s:2:\"dc\";a:1:{s:7:\"creator\";s:15:\"Erick Schonfeld\";}s:8:\"category\";s:37:\"Web 2.0 News & IdeasstocktwitsTwitter\";s:4:\"guid\";s:35:\"http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=103505\";s:11:\"description\";s:3308:\"![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/BAM-Investor-215x60.png\")
The S&P 500 is up 58 percent from its lowest point last March, the worst of the economic recession seems to be behind us, and even perennial stock market bear Jim Grant is calling for a barn-burner of a recovery, yet predictions of the next stock-market crash are already here. And you can find them on Twitter. Individual traders love to talk stocks on Twitter so much that they have given rise to a whole offshoot service, StockTwits. In fact, some argue that Twitter is becoming a pump-and-dump playground. But it is really no different than the Internet stock boards of old, which mixed honest financial discussion with attempts to manipulate the market with misinformation.
Either way, traders are flocking to Twitter because if there is one area where real-time information is really valuable, it is in trading stocks. The question is, who do you trust and who should you listen to? There are countless stocktwits who are now being joined by more professional prognosticators. One is BAM Investor, which markets its financial model to hedge funds. BAM stands for Behavioral Analysis Of Markets. It uses fractal theory (and the Fibonacci sequence!) to predict emotional mood swings in the market.
About five days ago it predicted that the current stock market rally would crash by 50 percent. It also thinks that Crude Oil is heading down to $56/barrel. But it is bullish on natural gas, predicting a 400% \"melt-up\".![](\"http://i.techcrunch.com/71a7ba935d5cf5e8dba355aa787fcd35.gif\")
![](\"http://i.techcrunch.com/67301164d96328d1db32a36554564b29.gif\")
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/BAM-Investor-215x60.png\")
The S&P 500 is up 58 percent from its lowest point last March, the worst of the economic recession seems to be behind us, and even perennial stock market bear Jim Grant is calling for a barn-burner of a recovery, yet predictions of the next stock-market crash are already here. And you can find them on Twitter. Individual traders love to talk stocks on Twitter so much that they have given rise to a whole offshoot service, StockTwits. In fact, some argue that Twitter is becoming a pump-and-dump playground. But it is really no different than the Internet stock boards of old, which mixed honest financial discussion with attempts to manipulate the market with misinformation.
Either way, traders are flocking to Twitter because if there is one area where real-time information is really valuable, it is in trading stocks. The question is, who do you trust and who should you listen to? There are countless stocktwits who are now being joined by more professional prognosticators. One is BAM Investor, which markets its financial model to hedge funds. BAM stands for Behavioral Analysis Of Markets. It uses fractal theory (and the Fibonacci sequence!) to predict emotional mood swings in the market.
About five days ago it predicted that the current stock market rally would crash by 50 percent. It also thinks that Crude Oil is heading down to $56/barrel. But it is bullish on natural gas, predicting a 400% “melt-up”.
Why should anyone listen to these trading tweets? BAM Investor claims that its financial model predicted the crash of crude oil from $147 to $36, the rise in corn and wheat futures from their 2007 lows, and the 400 percent rally in shares of Ford from February to August, 2009.
But as with any financial advice, investors should beware. BAM Investor is simply using Twitter to market its financial model, which you can subscribe to if you are a serious investor. The true test of a financial model is the consistency of its predictions and its accuracy over time. In other words, can you trust it? Is it right more often than it is wrong? It’s putting its predictions out there for anyone to follow and judge for themselves.
If its predictions start making people money, you can expect its number of followers to grow, but that is also a function of press and marketing. What we really need is a service that keeps track of all of these public financial predictions and rates their accuracy so that the smart money can be separated from the twits.
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Bam-Tweets.png\"/)
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/SP-rally.png\"/)
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
The S&P 500 is up 58 percent from its lowest point last March, the worst of the economic recession seems to be behind us, and even perennial stock market bear Jim Grant is calling for a barn-burner of a recovery, yet predictions of the next stock-market crash are already here. And you can find them on Twitter. Individual traders love to talk stocks on Twitter so much that they have given rise to a whole offshoot service, StockTwits. In fact, some argue that Twitter is becoming a pump-and-dump playground. But it is really no different than the Internet stock boards of old, which mixed honest financial discussion with attempts to manipulate the market with misinformation.
Either way, traders are flocking to Twitter because if there is one area where real-time information is really valuable, it is in trading stocks. The question is, who do you trust and who should you listen to? There are countless stocktwits who are now being joined by more professional prognosticators. One is BAM Investor, which markets its financial model to hedge funds. BAM stands for Behavioral Analysis Of Markets. It uses fractal theory (and the Fibonacci sequence!) to predict emotional mood swings in the market.
About five days ago it predicted that the current stock market rally would crash by 50 percent. It also thinks that Crude Oil is heading down to $56/barrel. But it is bullish on natural gas, predicting a 400% \"melt-up\".
The S&P 500 is up 58 percent from its lowest point last March, the worst of the economic recession seems to be behind us, and even perennial stock market bear Jim Grant is calling for a barn-burner of a recovery, yet predictions of the next stock-market crash are already here. And you can find them on Twitter. Individual traders love to talk stocks on Twitter so much that they have given rise to a whole offshoot service, StockTwits. In fact, some argue that Twitter is becoming a pump-and-dump playground. But it is really no different than the Internet stock boards of old, which mixed honest financial discussion with attempts to manipulate the market with misinformation.
Either way, traders are flocking to Twitter because if there is one area where real-time information is really valuable, it is in trading stocks. The question is, who do you trust and who should you listen to? There are countless stocktwits who are now being joined by more professional prognosticators. One is BAM Investor, which markets its financial model to hedge funds. BAM stands for Behavioral Analysis Of Markets. It uses fractal theory (and the Fibonacci sequence!) to predict emotional mood swings in the market.
About five days ago it predicted that the current stock market rally would crash by 50 percent. It also thinks that Crude Oil is heading down to $56/barrel. But it is bullish on natural gas, predicting a 400% “melt-up”.
Why should anyone listen to these trading tweets? BAM Investor claims that its financial model predicted the crash of crude oil from $147 to $36, the rise in corn and wheat futures from their 2007 lows, and the 400 percent rally in shares of Ford from February to August, 2009.
But as with any financial advice, investors should beware. BAM Investor is simply using Twitter to market its financial model, which you can subscribe to if you are a serious investor. The true test of a financial model is the consistency of its predictions and its accuracy over time. In other words, can you trust it? Is it right more often than it is wrong? It’s putting its predictions out there for anyone to follow and judge for themselves.
If its predictions start making people money, you can expect its number of followers to grow, but that is also a function of press and marketing. What we really need is a service that keeps track of all of these public financial predictions and rates their accuracy so that the smart money can be separated from the twits.
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cp_1253452436_yourtour-logo-215x56.png\"){kind=logo}
One European company that picked the TechCrunch50 conference to launch a service was DemoPit participant deciZium, which launched its travel planning website YourTour in public beta and gave the audience a demo of its capabilities during the event\'s breaks.
Granted, there are a lot of travel-related websites and applications out there which makes it quite difficult to come up with something unique in this space, but YourTour does have a number of interesting features that deserve a second look. In essence, the website offers personalized travel planning assistance based on one\'s wishes, preferences and limitations.
One European company that picked the TechCrunch50 conference to launch a service was DemoPit participant deciZium, which launched its travel planning website YourTour in public beta and gave the audience a demo of its capabilities during the event\'s breaks.
Granted, there are a lot of travel-related websites and applications out there which makes it quite difficult to come up with something unique in this space, but YourTour does have a number of interesting features that deserve a second look. In essence, the website offers personalized travel planning assistance based on one\'s wishes, preferences and limitations.
One European company that picked the TechCrunch50 conference to launch a service was DemoPit participant deciZium, which launched its travel planning website YourTour in public beta and gave the audience a demo of its capabilities during the event\'s breaks.
Granted, there are a lot of travel-related websites and applications out there which makes it quite difficult to come up with something unique in this space, but YourTour does have a number of interesting features that deserve a second look. In essence, the website offers personalized travel planning assistance based on one\'s wishes, preferences and limitations.
One European company that picked the TechCrunch50 conference to launch a service was DemoPit participant deciZium, which launched its travel planning website YourTour in public beta and gave the audience a demo of its capabilities during the event\'s breaks.
Granted, there are a lot of travel-related websites and applications out there which makes it quite difficult to come up with something unique in this space, but YourTour does have a number of interesting features that deserve a second look. In essence, the website offers personalized travel planning assistance based on one\'s wishes, preferences and limitations.
![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cp_1253406209_viral2-215x169.jpg\")
Writing a book in 2009 is a tricky thing to pull off. Never mind the research, the interviews, or the writing, but then you have to face facts: who reads in 2009? Unless you\'re Dan Brown or Stephen King or Glenn Beck, odds are your book, no matter how thorough or well-written, isn\'t exactly going to fly off the shelves. What will fly off the virtual shelves, though, is an iPhone App. You see where I\'m headed.
Adam Penenberg, who\'s a contributing writer over at Fast Company magazine (and an old professor of mine from back in my NYU days), has developed an iPhone and Facebook App called “Viral Loop” to help raise awareness of his latest book, Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today\'s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves. Let\'s take a look.
Writing a book in 2009 is a tricky thing to pull off. Never mind the research, the interviews, or the writing, but then you have to face facts: who reads in 2009? Unless you\'re Dan Brown or Stephen King or Glenn Beck, odds are your book, no matter how thorough or well-written, isn\'t exactly going to fly off the shelves. What will fly off the virtual shelves, though, is an iPhone App. You see where I\'m headed.
Adam Penenberg, who\'s a contributing writer over at Fast Company magazine (and an old professor of mine from back in my NYU days), has developed an iPhone and Facebook App called “Viral Loop” to help raise awareness of his latest book, Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today\'s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves. Let\'s take a look.
Writing a book in 2009 is a tricky thing to pull off. Never mind the research, the interviews, or the writing, but then you have to face facts: who reads in 2009? Unless you\'re Dan Brown or Stephen King or Glenn Beck, odds are your book, no matter how thorough or well-written, isn\'t exactly going to fly off the shelves. What will fly off the virtual shelves, though, is an iPhone App. You see where I\'m headed.
Adam Penenberg, who\'s a contributing writer over at Fast Company magazine (and an old professor of mine from back in my NYU days), has developed an iPhone and Facebook App called “Viral Loop” to help raise awareness of his latest book, Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today\'s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves. Let\'s take a look.
Writing a book in 2009 is a tricky thing to pull off. Never mind the research, the interviews, or the writing, but then you have to face facts: who reads in 2009? Unless you\'re Dan Brown or Stephen King or Glenn Beck, odds are your book, no matter how thorough or well-written, isn\'t exactly going to fly off the shelves. What will fly off the virtual shelves, though, is an iPhone App. You see where I\'m headed.
Adam Penenberg, who\'s a contributing writer over at Fast Company magazine (and an old professor of mine from back in my NYU days), has developed an iPhone and Facebook App called “Viral Loop” to help raise awareness of his latest book, Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today\'s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves. Let\'s take a look.
![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/joelethal.jpg\")
So here we go then, the fourth and final part of my award-winning TechCrunch50 coverage; the all-important \'round-up\'. This is where I ask appropriately round-uppy questions like \"what did we learn this week?\" \"what were the highlights of the event?\" and \"is there any chance it will happen again next year, given that the whole spectacle climaxed with Arrington walking off stage as co-host Calacanis led the audience in some weird, embarrassing clapping game?\"
I\'ll get to that last question in due course but first, given that the \"what did we learn?\" question has already been answered by Lacy and Arrington, let\'s consider the highlights.
![\"Ok](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/joelethal.jpg\" "\\"Ok")
So here we go then, the fourth and final part of my award-winning TechCrunch50 coverage; the all-important ’round-up’. This is where I ask appropriately round-uppy questions like “what did we learn this week?” “what were the highlights of the event?” and “is there any chance it will happen again next year, given that the whole spectacle climaxed with Arrington walking off stage as co-host Calacanis led the audience in some weird, embarrassing clapping game?”
I’ll get to that last question in due course but first, given that the “what did we learn?” question has already been answered by Lacy and Arrington, let’s consider the highlights.
As anyone who unfollowed me on Twitter this week will testify, I found an annoyingly large number of notable moments across the two days. My TC50 drinking game went splendidly, especially after Scoble handed the TechCrunch team a bottle of 18 year old whisky from the stage. Special thanks are owed to those contestants who went the extra mile to ensure that we got wasted in record time, particularly the founders of the The Whuffie Bank who not only wore identical shirts (swig!) but also identical jeans (swig!), shoes (swig!), ties (swig!), glasses (swig!) and faces (swig?!).
By the end of the presentation I imagine anyone playing along was so paralytically drunk that The Whuffie Bank actually started to sound like a viable business. For my part, I lobbied passionately for the company to be awarded the grand prize on the condition that they agreed to take their prize money in Whuffies.
And yet, despite my annoyingly persistent Twitter coverage, there remained a few special moments that were just too brilliant or too ridiculous to be explained in 140 characters. Moments which, at the time, made me think “I can’t possibly Twitter this”, but which – now that the dust has settled – make me think “screw it – they’re too good not to share.”
Here, then, are my top five unTwittered moments from TechCrunch50 2009…
Anyway, my favourite part of what some pundits are already calling ‘Flaggate’ came when I jokingly asked over Twitter if anyone had a giant French flag that I could fly on the other side of the stage. A freedom flag, if you like. My first surprise came when when, within minutes, Loic LeMeur forwarded me an email from someone offering to courier a gigantic flag to the venue. My second surprise came when I saw who had sent the mail. It was Pierre-François Mourier, the French Consul General in San Francsico – the highest ranking French diplomat in Northern California. I swear I’m not making this up…
From: pfmxxxxx@xxxxx.com
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:51:44 +0000
Subject: Marseillaise and Star Spangled Banner
To: Loic Le Meur
Dear Loic,
I have just read Paul Carr’s tweet and I am ready to deliver a huuuuuge French flag as he requested to TechCrunch50, just tell me if I should put Paul’s name as recipient?
And, of course: I don’t want this gesture to be interpreted as a manifestation of French imperialism in California!
Best,
Pfm
Now, I’m sure we can all agree that à cheval donné on ne regarde pas le dents, but sadly before I could take M. Mourier up on his kind offer of manifesting French imperialism in California, Arrington removed the flag from the stage for a final time. C’est la vie; there’s always next year.
Or is there….?
Anyone who knows either Michael or Jason will tell you that they both have ridiculously strong ideas about how things should be done, and that neither has a functioning compromise chip. Why then should their falling out at the end of a stressful conference be a cynical stunt as opposed to, say, a perfectly logical outcome? Frankly it’s amazing they held it together that long.
For those who didn’t stick around until the end of the event (for shame!), the final confrontation came when Arrington, irritated by what he called ‘the Jason Calacanis Conference’, chose to walk off the stage and leave Calacanis to present the final awards. In response, Jason lead the audience in a round of applause that was either intended to bring Michael back to the stage or to bring Tinkerbell back to life. I’m not sure which.
Either way, the attempt was unsuccesful: Arrington had left the building. The question is, will they kiss and make up now that the stress has passed, or is this really the end of the most volitile on-stage partnership since that tiger bit Roy’s neck? Yesterday, in an interview with VentureBeat, Jason said that next year’s event – and the partnership – is definitely still on. And yet at dinner last night, Arrington refused to comment on the record. When I told him that his silence might be interpreted as a continuation of the spat, he simply smiled, shrugged his shoulders and poured himself another glass of Diet Coke.
Say what you like about Jason – including the fact that he seems to be turning into Leo Getz – but he certainly provides splendid entertainment….
The ending says it all. Watch this space, and roll on 2010.
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
So here we go then, the fourth and final part of my award-winning TechCrunch50 coverage; the all-important \'round-up\'. This is where I ask appropriately round-uppy questions like \"what did we learn this week?\" \"what were the highlights of the event?\" and \"is there any chance it will happen again next year, given that the whole spectacle climaxed with Arrington walking off stage as co-host Calacanis led the audience in some weird, embarrassing clapping game?\"
I\'ll get to that last question in due course but first, given that the \"what did we learn?\" question has already been answered by Lacy and Arrington, let\'s consider the highlights.
So here we go then, the fourth and final part of my award-winning TechCrunch50 coverage; the all-important ’round-up’. This is where I ask appropriately round-uppy questions like “what did we learn this week?” “what were the highlights of the event?” and “is there any chance it will happen again next year, given that the whole spectacle climaxed with Arrington walking off stage as co-host Calacanis led the audience in some weird, embarrassing clapping game?”
I’ll get to that last question in due course but first, given that the “what did we learn?” question has already been answered by Lacy and Arrington, let’s consider the highlights.
As anyone who unfollowed me on Twitter this week will testify, I found an annoyingly large number of notable moments across the two days. My TC50 drinking game went splendidly, especially after Scoble handed the TechCrunch team a bottle of 18 year old whisky from the stage. Special thanks are owed to those contestants who went the extra mile to ensure that we got wasted in record time, particularly the founders of the The Whuffie Bank who not only wore identical shirts (swig!) but also identical jeans (swig!), shoes (swig!), ties (swig!), glasses (swig!) and faces (swig?!).
By the end of the presentation I imagine anyone playing along was so paralytically drunk that The Whuffie Bank actually started to sound like a viable business. For my part, I lobbied passionately for the company to be awarded the grand prize on the condition that they agreed to take their prize money in Whuffies.
And yet, despite my annoyingly persistent Twitter coverage, there remained a few special moments that were just too brilliant or too ridiculous to be explained in 140 characters. Moments which, at the time, made me think “I can’t possibly Twitter this”, but which – now that the dust has settled – make me think “screw it – they’re too good not to share.”
Here, then, are my top five unTwittered moments from TechCrunch50 2009…
Anyway, my favourite part of what some pundits are already calling ‘Flaggate’ came when I jokingly asked over Twitter if anyone had a giant French flag that I could fly on the other side of the stage. A freedom flag, if you like. My first surprise came when when, within minutes, Loic LeMeur forwarded me an email from someone offering to courier a gigantic flag to the venue. My second surprise came when I saw who had sent the mail. It was Pierre-François Mourier, the French Consul General in San Francsico – the highest ranking French diplomat in Northern California. I swear I’m not making this up…
From: pfmxxxxx@xxxxx.com
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:51:44 +0000
Subject: Marseillaise and Star Spangled Banner
To: Loic Le Meur
Dear Loic,
I have just read Paul Carr’s tweet and I am ready to deliver a huuuuuge French flag as he requested to TechCrunch50, just tell me if I should put Paul’s name as recipient?
And, of course: I don’t want this gesture to be interpreted as a manifestation of French imperialism in California!
Best,
Pfm
Now, I’m sure we can all agree that à cheval donné on ne regarde pas le dents, but sadly before I could take M. Mourier up on his kind offer of manifesting French imperialism in California, Arrington removed the flag from the stage for a final time. C’est la vie; there’s always next year.
Or is there….?
Anyone who knows either Michael or Jason will tell you that they both have ridiculously strong ideas about how things should be done, and that neither has a functioning compromise chip. Why then should their falling out at the end of a stressful conference be a cynical stunt as opposed to, say, a perfectly logical outcome? Frankly it’s amazing they held it together that long.
For those who didn’t stick around until the end of the event (for shame!), the final confrontation came when Arrington, irritated by what he called ‘the Jason Calacanis Conference’, chose to walk off the stage and leave Calacanis to present the final awards. In response, Jason lead the audience in a round of applause that was either intended to bring Michael back to the stage or to bring Tinkerbell back to life. I’m not sure which.
Either way, the attempt was unsuccesful: Arrington had left the building. The question is, will they kiss and make up now that the stress has passed, or is this really the end of the most volitile on-stage partnership since that tiger bit Roy’s neck? Yesterday, in an interview with VentureBeat, Jason said that next year’s event – and the partnership – is definitely still on. And yet at dinner last night, Arrington refused to comment on the record. When I told him that his silence might be interpreted as a continuation of the spat, he simply smiled, shrugged his shoulders and poured himself another glass of Diet Coke.
Say what you like about Jason – including the fact that he seems to be turning into Leo Getz – but he certainly provides splendid entertainment….
The ending says it all. Watch this space, and roll on 2010.
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.21.40-PM1-184x200.png\")
Last year, Facebook rolled out a new \"pirate\" language on Talk Like A Pirate Day, it was quite funny. Naturally, it\'s back again this year, and it\'s maybe even more awesome.
Most impressive is Facebook\'s attention to detail (even the email and new desktop notifications are translated). Quite a bit has changed on Facebook over the past year, but it looks like they\'ve been able covert all of it successfully over to pirate tongue. Oddly, the only thing that doesn\'t look great in pirate-speak is the status update button, which is borked with code in place of the \"o\" in \"to\".
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.21.40-PM1.png\" "\\"Screen")
Last year, Facebook rolled out a new “pirate” language on Talk Like A Pirate Day, it was quite funny. Naturally, it’s back again this year, and it’s maybe even more awesome.
Most impressive is Facebook’s attention to detail (even the email and new desktop notifications are translated). Quite a bit has changed on Facebook over the past year, but it looks like they’ve been able covert all of it successfully over to pirate tongue. Oddly, the only thing that doesn’t look great in pirate-speak is the status update button, which is borked with code in place of the “o” in “to”.
Last year, FriendFeed also participated in Talk Like A Pirate Day, but so far, nothing this year from them. Of course, they now work for Facebook, so perhaps they contributed there. Also, it appears that Google has yet to do anything on their homepage to mark the occasion, which is odd, since this type of day seems right up their alley. But Google Pirate is still alive and well from last year.
Below find some screenshots of Facebook’s Pirate version. To use Facebook’s Pirate language yourself, click on the language link in the lower right hand corner of the main page (you can also change it in the settings section).
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.23.45-PM1.png\" "\\"Screen")
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.43.28-PM1.png\" "\\"Screen")
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.47.43-PM-630x244.png\" "\\"Screen")
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.50.10-PM-630x213.png\" "\\"Screen")
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.50.29-PM-630x405.png\" "\\"Screen")
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.53.19-PM-630x210.png\" "\\"Screen")
![\"Screen](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Screen-shot-2009-09-19-at-12.51.33-PM.png\" "\\"Screen")
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Last year, Facebook rolled out a new \"pirate\" language on Talk Like A Pirate Day, it was quite funny. Naturally, it\'s back again this year, and it\'s maybe even more awesome.
Most impressive is Facebook\'s attention to detail (even the email and new desktop notifications are translated). Quite a bit has changed on Facebook over the past year, but it looks like they\'ve been able covert all of it successfully over to pirate tongue. Oddly, the only thing that doesn\'t look great in pirate-speak is the status update button, which is borked with code in place of the \"o\" in \"to\".
Last year, Facebook rolled out a new “pirate” language on Talk Like A Pirate Day, it was quite funny. Naturally, it’s back again this year, and it’s maybe even more awesome.
Most impressive is Facebook’s attention to detail (even the email and new desktop notifications are translated). Quite a bit has changed on Facebook over the past year, but it looks like they’ve been able covert all of it successfully over to pirate tongue. Oddly, the only thing that doesn’t look great in pirate-speak is the status update button, which is borked with code in place of the “o” in “to”.
Last year, FriendFeed also participated in Talk Like A Pirate Day, but so far, nothing this year from them. Of course, they now work for Facebook, so perhaps they contributed there. Also, it appears that Google has yet to do anything on their homepage to mark the occasion, which is odd, since this type of day seems right up their alley. But Google Pirate is still alive and well from last year.
Below find some screenshots of Facebook’s Pirate version. To use Facebook’s Pirate language yourself, click on the language link in the lower right hand corner of the main page (you can also change it in the settings section).
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![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/voicecentral-133x200.png\")
At this point there shouldn\'t be any doubt in anyone\'s mind that Apple\'s response to the FCC over its ban of Google Voice was rife with half-truths and some complete falsehoods. One claim that\'s entered the limelight again is Apple\'s statement that it hadn\'t actually rejected Google Voice, but that it was still \"pondering\" it. Yesterday Google released its full, unedited response to the FCC inquiry, and the newly revealed content directly contradicts Apple\'s statement multiple times, explicitly stating that the application was rejected.
Apple struck back with a statement that it didn\'t agree with Google and that \"Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google\". We\'ve heard that Google actually has a screenshot displaying its rejection notice, but we may not even need that to show (once again) that Apple isn\'t being honest.
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/voicecentral.png\")
At this point there shouldn’t be any doubt in anyone’s mind that Apple’s response to the FCC over its ban of Google Voice was rife with half-truths and some complete falsehoods. One claim that’s entered the limelight again is Apple’s statement that it hadn’t actually rejected Google Voice, but that it was still “pondering” it. Yesterday Google released its full, unedited response to the FCC inquiry, and the newly revealed content directly contradicts Apple’s statement multiple times, explicitly stating that the application was rejected.
Apple struck back with a statement that it didn’t agree with Google and that “Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google”. We’ve heard that Google actually has a screenshot displaying its rejection notice, but we may not even need that to show (once again) that Apple isn’t being honest.
In its letter to the FCC Apple says that “contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it”. It then goes on to describe its issues with Google Voice, which include fears of confusing users and replacing the iPhone’s core functionality (for a moment let’s ignore the fact that Apple’s description is totally disingenuous). Apple closes out this description with “The following applications also fall into this category”, and then lists the three third party Google Voice apps that were yanked from the App Store.
Presumably the applications in “this category” are all being pondered over too, and have not been rejected, right? But that’s simply not the case. Riverturn Inc, the developer behind the VoiceCentral application that was listed in Apple’s FCC response, has sent us a screenshot of its ‘rejection’ status that is quite clear.
Of course, this is all semantic hairsplitting — a neverending “pondering” status is exactly the same thing as a rejection — and Apple isn’t fooling anyone with it.
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/30722417-1.jpg\"/)
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At this point there shouldn\'t be any doubt in anyone\'s mind that Apple\'s response to the FCC over its ban of Google Voice was rife with half-truths and some complete falsehoods. One claim that\'s entered the limelight again is Apple\'s statement that it hadn\'t actually rejected Google Voice, but that it was still \"pondering\" it. Yesterday Google released its full, unedited response to the FCC inquiry, and the newly revealed content directly contradicts Apple\'s statement multiple times, explicitly stating that the application was rejected.
Apple struck back with a statement that it didn\'t agree with Google and that \"Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google\". We\'ve heard that Google actually has a screenshot displaying its rejection notice, but we may not even need that to show (once again) that Apple isn\'t being honest.
At this point there shouldn’t be any doubt in anyone’s mind that Apple’s response to the FCC over its ban of Google Voice was rife with half-truths and some complete falsehoods. One claim that’s entered the limelight again is Apple’s statement that it hadn’t actually rejected Google Voice, but that it was still “pondering” it. Yesterday Google released its full, unedited response to the FCC inquiry, and the newly revealed content directly contradicts Apple’s statement multiple times, explicitly stating that the application was rejected.
Apple struck back with a statement that it didn’t agree with Google and that “Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google”. We’ve heard that Google actually has a screenshot displaying its rejection notice, but we may not even need that to show (once again) that Apple isn’t being honest.
In its letter to the FCC Apple says that “contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it”. It then goes on to describe its issues with Google Voice, which include fears of confusing users and replacing the iPhone’s core functionality (for a moment let’s ignore the fact that Apple’s description is totally disingenuous). Apple closes out this description with “The following applications also fall into this category”, and then lists the three third party Google Voice apps that were yanked from the App Store.
Presumably the applications in “this category” are all being pondered over too, and have not been rejected, right? But that’s simply not the case. Riverturn Inc, the developer behind the VoiceCentral application that was listed in Apple’s FCC response, has sent us a screenshot of its ‘rejection’ status that is quite clear.
Of course, this is all semantic hairsplitting — a neverending “pondering” status is exactly the same thing as a rejection — and Apple isn’t fooling anyone with it.
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![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cp_1253385511_aneesh-choprajpg-144x200.jpg\")
Today, Aneesh Chopra, US Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Technology for the White House, spoke at a forum held by TiE, an entrepreneurship organization based in Silicon Valley. Chopra was joined by panel of Silicon Valley execs and VCs, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Chopra made his debut to Silicon Valley a few weeks ago at the Churchill Club, addressing the future of innovation and Federal investments in technology.
Chopra outlined the Federal government\'s technology agenda, calling attention to the challenges the government faces. He says that in terms of innovation, the U.S. has a lot of room for improvement. The government recently did a survey of where countries rank as innovators over the past decade. The U.S. ranked dead last in the rate at which innovation sped up over the past ten years, according to Chopra\'s data. In the area of e-government options, the U.S. ranked last as well.
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/aneesh-choprajpg.jpeg\")
Today, Aneesh Chopra, US Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Technology for the White House, spoke at a forum held by TiE, an entrepreneurship organization based in Silicon Valley. Chopra was joined by a panel of Silicon Valley execs and VCs, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Chopra made his debut to Silicon Valley a few weeks ago at the Churchill Club, addressing the future of innovation and Federal investments in technology.
Chopra outlined the Federal government’s technology agenda, calling attention to the challenges the government faces. He says that in terms of innovation, the U.S. has a lot of room for improvement. The government recently did a survey of where countries rank as innovators over the past decade. The U.S. ranked dead last in the rate at which innovation sped up over the past ten years, according to Chopra’s data. In the area of e-government options, the U.S. ranked last as well.
The role of the US CTO is to invest in innovation, including smart and secure infrastructure (i.e. cybersecurity, broadband access), and increase R&D collaboration by focusing on university and entrepreneurship for new product developments. The Federal government spends $150 billion on research dollars in universities—Chopra wants to make sure these investments are efficient. Chopra says that post-doctoral fellows are particularly useful to helping with innovation and suggests that businesses begin fellowship opportunities for innovation. He is also promoting innovation around other priorities in the government’s agenda, such as health care, education and the smart grid.
Heath care IT is an issue that’ particularly high on the agenda, with Chopra working to implement regulatory framework, open data standards, and an ecosystem for continued product innovation in the space. The smart grid is also a concern for the US CTO, and is helping accelerate energy efficiency initiatives and ensure that cybersecurity is at a high level.
And one of Chopra’s primary roles is to develop an open government initiative, which will implement government platforms that will be transparent and collaborative (i.e. Data.gov). For example, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service launched a new customer service that lets applicants get updates on the status of applications online and via e-mail and text messages.
Steve Wozniak thinks that its important to harvest intelligence; he suggests that the government should do this via games. The Woz also highlighted the importance of cyber security and technology in education, concluding that “education is being shafted.”
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Today, Aneesh Chopra, US Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Technology for the White House, spoke at a forum held by TiE, an entrepreneurship organization based in Silicon Valley. Chopra was joined by panel of Silicon Valley execs and VCs, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Chopra made his debut to Silicon Valley a few weeks ago at the Churchill Club, addressing the future of innovation and Federal investments in technology.
Chopra outlined the Federal government\'s technology agenda, calling attention to the challenges the government faces. He says that in terms of innovation, the U.S. has a lot of room for improvement. The government recently did a survey of where countries rank as innovators over the past decade. The U.S. ranked dead last in the rate at which innovation sped up over the past ten years, according to Chopra\'s data. In the area of e-government options, the U.S. ranked last as well.
Today, Aneesh Chopra, US Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Technology for the White House, spoke at a forum held by TiE, an entrepreneurship organization based in Silicon Valley. Chopra was joined by a panel of Silicon Valley execs and VCs, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Chopra made his debut to Silicon Valley a few weeks ago at the Churchill Club, addressing the future of innovation and Federal investments in technology.
Chopra outlined the Federal government’s technology agenda, calling attention to the challenges the government faces. He says that in terms of innovation, the U.S. has a lot of room for improvement. The government recently did a survey of where countries rank as innovators over the past decade. The U.S. ranked dead last in the rate at which innovation sped up over the past ten years, according to Chopra’s data. In the area of e-government options, the U.S. ranked last as well.
The role of the US CTO is to invest in innovation, including smart and secure infrastructure (i.e. cybersecurity, broadband access), and increase R&D collaboration by focusing on university and entrepreneurship for new product developments. The Federal government spends $150 billion on research dollars in universities—Chopra wants to make sure these investments are efficient. Chopra says that post-doctoral fellows are particularly useful to helping with innovation and suggests that businesses begin fellowship opportunities for innovation. He is also promoting innovation around other priorities in the government’s agenda, such as health care, education and the smart grid.
Heath care IT is an issue that’ particularly high on the agenda, with Chopra working to implement regulatory framework, open data standards, and an ecosystem for continued product innovation in the space. The smart grid is also a concern for the US CTO, and is helping accelerate energy efficiency initiatives and ensure that cybersecurity is at a high level.
And one of Chopra’s primary roles is to develop an open government initiative, which will implement government platforms that will be transparent and collaborative (i.e. Data.gov). For example, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service launched a new customer service that lets applicants get updates on the status of applications online and via e-mail and text messages.
Steve Wozniak thinks that its important to harvest intelligence; he suggests that the government should do this via games. The Woz also highlighted the importance of cyber security and technology in education, concluding that “education is being shafted.”
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![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Electronic-Signature-Solution-EchoSign.jpg\")
EchoSign, the web-based electronic signatures and signature automation service, has surpassed one million users. The startup, which launched back in 2006, has also helped sign and close more than $200,000,000 worth of contracts in one month.
EchoSign’s electronic signature service lets you append digital signatures to contracts and other business documents, store them in digital form, and manage those documents without printing them out and faxing them. The startup has a freemium model, where the you can use a basic service for free but pay anywhere from $14.95 to $300 per month for a subscription service that includes extra features such as PDF encryption and password protections.
![](\"http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Electronic-Signature-Solution-EchoSign.jpg\")
EchoSign, the web-based electronic signatures and signature automation service, has surpassed one million users. The startup, which launched back in 2006, has also helped sign and close more than $200,000,000 worth of contracts in one month.
EchoSign’s electronic signature service lets you append digital signatures to contracts and other business documents, store them in digital form, and manage those documents without printing them out and faxing them. The startup has a freemium model, where the you can use a basic service for free but pay anywhere from $14.95 to $300 per month for a subscription service that includes extra features such as PDF encryption and password protections.
EchoSign’s CEO and co-founder Jason Lemkin says that the electronic signature movement experienced momentum as more businesses adopted SaaS and cloud computing applications. For example, EchoSign has gained significant popularity on Salesforce’s App Exchange. EchoSign is also integrated with web-based productivity suite Zoho.
To date, EchoSign has raised $8.5 million in funding. The startup faces competition from DocuSign and VeriSign.
EchoSign: The Way the Web Signs from FromEchoSign on Vimeo.
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EchoSign, the web-based electronic signatures and signature automation service, has surpassed one million users. The startup, which launched back in 2006, has also helped sign and close more than $200,000,000 worth of contracts in one month.
EchoSign’s electronic signature service lets you append digital signatures to contracts and other business documents, store them in digital form, and manage those documents without printing them out and faxing them. The startup has a freemium model, where the you can use a basic service for free but pay anywhere from $14.95 to $300 per month for a subscription service that includes extra features such as PDF encryption and password protections.
EchoSign, the web-based electronic signatures and signature automation service, has surpassed one million users. The startup, which launched back in 2006, has also helped sign and close more than $200,000,000 worth of contracts in one month.
EchoSign’s electronic signature service lets you append digital signatures to contracts and other business documents, store them in digital form, and manage those documents without printing them out and faxing them. The startup has a freemium model, where the you can use a basic service for free but pay anywhere from $14.95 to $300 per month for a subscription service that includes extra features such as PDF encryption and password protections.
EchoSign’s CEO and co-founder Jason Lemkin says that the electronic signature movement experienced momentum as more businesses adopted SaaS and cloud computing applications. For example, EchoSign has gained significant popularity on Salesforce’s App Exchange. EchoSign is also integrated with web-based productivity suite Zoho.
To date, EchoSign has raised $8.5 million in funding. The startup faces competition from DocuSign and VeriSign.
EchoSign: The Way the Web Signs from FromEchoSign on Vimeo.
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![](\"http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/iphone3gs-215x109.jpg\")
Well, something clearly broke down behind the scenes in the ongoing Apple/Google negotiations over Google Voice on the iPhone, because Google released one of two nukes it has been holding back. In a letter to the FCC today, Google disclosed previously unpublished information about Apple\'s rejection of their Google Voice application.
There\'s no longer any question - either Google or Apple is flat out lying to the FCC:
Apple: \"Contrary to published reports, Apple has
