Happy Day of the Dead—”Dia de los Muertos”. Hence the self-title of our selection shot by Colin Gallagher four years ago today. Vitals: Nikon D700 and 85mm f/1.4 lens, which is a helluva prime for […]
Author: Joe Wilcox
Nexus 9 Revised Review
My May, lukewarm assessment begins: “t want to love Google-branded, HTC-manufactured Nexus 9. But ours is a contentious relationship”. I didn’t see value for the cost, particularly comparing performance to other tabs similarly priced. On Oct. 29, 2015, Amazon delivered a new N9, and the user experience dramatically differs from the previous device—so much I must revise my review.
Days earlier, I parted with iPad Air 2 LTE. The family hopes to change cellular carriers, and there was opportunity to amicably relinquish my payment responsibility to Verizon. I would love to replace the Apple with Google Pixel C, but the tab’s forthcoming release date is uncertain. I reconsidered Nexus 9 and found the 32GB white model available from Amazon for $130 less than list price. I ordered, knowing that the device could be returned for refund if Pixel C imminently released or if N9 dissatisfied again. Lower price made buying and trying again an easy decision.
Flickr a Day 304: ‘Never did the Pumpkin Thing since Childhood!’
I debated long-time about what pic to pick for Halloween. Jack o’ lanterns are cliché, but Cristian Iohan Ştefănescu does them well—and I want to draw attention to his photostream, which is a real treat (no trick, promise). 🙂
One word describes Cristian’s style, whether expressed from the lens or in post-processing: Interesting. He has a terrific eye for composition and perspective. Some of his more recent art I could have featured if not for the holiday: “Study: Cats Understand Humans but don’t Really Care“; “Try walking in My Eyes!“; “Bring the Art Down on the Street and They will Come!“; “Life is a Foreign Country“; or “Hable Con Ella“.
My New Halloween Friends
I don’t eat candy anymore, so sought another treat for Halloween: From Dead Zebra/Dyzplastic this year’s holiday appropriate Special Edition: Warty Witch. “We found a few Lucky Lucy figures in the warehouse, so we have […]
Flickr a Day 303: ‘Something Fishy’
I can’t get enough of portraits like this, where light pierces darkness to illuminate a child’s face. I would have composed differently until looking longer at self-titled “Something Fishy”. I like. I like. Overall quality is soft, but proves to be effective here. The hues are pleasing.
Caden Crawford captured the moment on Feb. 22, 2013, using Canon EOS Rebel T2i and EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. Oh, baby, what a prime! Vitals: f/18, ISO 100, 1/20 sec, 50mm. From Red Lodge, Montana, he joined Flickr in May 2012. He is most active on Tumblr and keeps an (outdated) Facebook.
Flickr a Day 302: National Cat Day
Our selection is quite unplanned and adds yet another feline (I know, I know—too many). Last night, I discovered that Oct. 29, 2015 is the 10th annual National Cat Day, founded by animal welfare advocate […]
Android vs iPhone: When Hype Bites
The haughty headline from yesterday’s Apple fiscal fourth quarter 2015 earnings report isn’t big revenue or profit performance ($51.5 billion and $11.1 billion, respectively), but a figure given by CEO Tim Cook during the analyst call: “We recorded the highest rate on record for Android switches last quarter at 30 percent”.
Blogs, and some news sites, set the statement off like an atomic blast of free marketing for Apple. The fallout spreads across the InterWebs this fine Wednesday, largely undisputed or corroborated. Just because Cook claims something doesn’t make it true. To get some perspective, and to either correct or confirm the public record, today I asked a half-dozen analysts: “Does your analysis of the smartphone market support that assertion?”
Red radically improves YouTube Viewing
Wow, weird is my reaction to YouTube Red, which is live starting today. The experience is so different from the regular service, I am stunned. Fast-loading is the first thing, so be careful what you click—or turn off autoplay. Videos on Facebook feel like a moped racing a Lamborghini compared to YT Red.
Using this 2012 MissFender video as example: Pressing the stopwatch on my Nexus 6P at the same time I click to enter the URL, 9 seconds passes before I can start watching the vid. The time includes the auto-loading ad, how long it plays before YouTube permits me to skip, and lag caused by my own responsiveness dismissing the advert.
Flickr a Day 301: ‘In the Rain’
Do I even need explain why Patrik Nygren takes the Day with this street portrait? Her expression looks permanently fixed, and it might very well be. Is the weather, the photographer, or both what she […]
Flickr a Day 300: ‘Destiny Calls’
For out three-hundredth selection: The appropriately self-titled “Destiny Calls”. To which Neal Sanche smartly adds: “Sometimes, when the phone rings, you should answer it”. I feel a bit of destiny calling as our series crosses […]
#OptOutside is Brilliant Marketing
Well, Hell, I just spotted an email sent by REI three hours ago, and I am having a “Miracle on 34th Street” moment. It’s like Macy’s Santa sending customers to Gimbels. The outdoor clothier and gear retailer will close for the biggest shopping day of the year. While other sellers countdown to sales, REI ticks time until doors closed.
Marketing tagline: #OptOutside. And there is a website, to socially share and join the community going outdoors rather than inside the concrete jungle of rabid, frothing sales seekers. You know the breed. They’ll attack anyone and anything—no prey is too large—to save two bits on a dollar. They roam in vast herds of destruction across the retail prairies the day after Thanksgiving. They are vicious, vindictive creatures. REI is right to free employees from serving them, or customers encountering these beasts drawn to discounts like they were pheromones of heat.
I Couldn’t Break the Surface Tension
Today, Microsoft started selling Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, and I strongly considered buying either. During the past 10 days, I visited the company’s Fashion Valley store four different times specifically to play with the devices. The hardware dazzles, but I couldn’t get beyond Windows 10 when compared to benefits I receive using Chromebook Pixel LS. SB’s price, which starts at $1,499, is another impediment.
There is something to be said for straightforward, simple, and efficient computing, which Google gets right. Contextual sync is among Chrome OS’s biggest benefits. Little things, like popping my camera’s SD card into Pixel’s slot and the laptop backing up photos to Google Drive, which is accessible from the file manager as if local storage. Granted, there are application gaps, but the overall user experience fills them in.