I picked the second-to-last pic in the series for capturing my mood: somber. I enjoy curating the photos and end satisfied in completing the task: 365 selections, one a day, each from a different Flickr […]
Category: Tech
Tweet This and That!
My ninth Twitter anniversary is come and passed without my noticing. Looking at the archive the service graciously provides, first tweet was on Dec. 26, 2006 about, of all things, Microsoft Zune. Now there’s a device for the archaeological tech trash heap, eh? The tweet topic must have been traumatic, because the next isn’t until Jan. 2, 2007. 🙂
The same month I signed up for Twitter, Ziff Davis hired me to run the Microsoft Watch blog created by the esteemed Mary Jo Foley. Editors planned to build brand around a core of so-called star bloggers, putting personalities before content. But six months later, Ziff sold off the enterprise group, of which MW was part, to an investment group that had other ideas. My tenure ended on April 30, 2009, after bankers took more control over Ziff Davis Enterprise during to Econolypse. I was overpaid, they said.Â
The Pricey and the Priceless
Christmas came early this month, with the acquisition of Google Pixel C tablet and Master & Dynamic MW60 wireless headphones. So Santa rightfully pulled only a few items from the sack—and they are more than I deserved. The pricey: Sunglass clips for my spectacles and Hard Graft Atelier Hang Camera Strap (pictured) for my Fujifilm X-T1. Priceless; Necklace made by my wife.
The strap is in some respects more than the X-T1 needs, being such a compact, mirrorless camera. But the accessory commands more respect, hangs the Fuji better around my back, and easily pulls up for hand carrying. A last-minute purchase, Hard Graft shipped from United Kingdom on December 22nd for Christmas Eve delivery. I must thank DHL for calling that day to ensure someone would be home and by ringing allowing me to provide the apartment complex gate code.Â
The Beatles escape from Apple Prison
If Christmas Eve 2015 is remembered for nothing else, it will be the gift given to anyone wanting to listen to The Beatles anytime, anywhere, and on anything. As I write, the group’s last recorded album, “Abbey Road”, streams from Tidal in the glorious 1411kbps Free Lossless Audio Codec. Listening with Master & Dynamic MW60 headphones, detail is super fine, such I can appreciate Ringo Starr’s drumming and hear just how tight is the Fab Four’s playing. I haven’t heard The Beatles like this in years, if ever. You go on and listen to 256Kbps AAC from Apple.
My introduction to the group came from the soloists, following the breakup. I was too young when Beatlemania stormed England, the United States, and most everywhere else. My first record album was Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Band on the Run”, which title song is metaphorically appropriate for The Beatles’ escape from Apple prison.Â
Flickr a Day 358: ‘PopCorn Culture’
Go figure, I had planned to feature something more traditional for Christmas Eve but couldn’t resist self-titled “PopCorn Culture”, which J Mark Dodds captured eight years ago today using Fujifilm FinePix E900. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 800, 1/4 sec, 7.2mm. The pic is a reminder about what matters — people, particularly those whom we are closely bounded, and major reason this series focuses (no pun, honestly!) more on them than the things.
“I’m a photographer with a lot of food and drink experience in restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs. The distractions of a life full of inescapable things gets in the way of taking and processing photographs—and I spend a lot of time with my boys who are becoming men”, he says.Â
I see Tumbleweeds Rolling Across the Google+ Ghost Town
As the New Year approaches, and I contemplate 2016, my online social space surely will change; my like-affair with Google+ draws close to an end. Nearly six weeks ago, the service “reimagined“, as a  “fully redesigned Google+ that puts Communities and Collections front and center”.
Since then, my Google+ engagement has dropped by more than 90 percent. I don’t find as many posts to Plus-one, to share with others, or on which to comment. Similarly, I see shocking decline in the number of responses to my posts—not something I actively seek so much as by which to judge interest in what I write and also to interact with other Plusers. After years of misguided critics calling Google+ a ghost town, the tumbleweeds roll.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
For years now I’ve claimed to be able to easily distinguish, highly-compressed low-bitrate musical tracks from CD/lossless. Apparently not everyone can, and most people don’t care—otherwise why would 256kbps AAC and 320Mbps MP3 be start […]
Flickr a Day 353: ‘Gothia Towers’
I picked today’s pic for what it is (captured with a smartphone) and what it isn’t (taken with an iPhone). If you believe marketing folklore, the only good cameraphone is an Apple. Here, in the […]
Last-minute Tech Stocking Stuffers
Here we are, days before Christmas, and you’re thinking about last-minute stocking stuffers. I’ve got an eclectic selection of things I would want to get or give for December 25th. Some of them will demand rushing online to take advantage of last-minute shipping offers. Others require no shipping at all, like music subscription services. Confession: Some items will require a larger stocking but no wrapping.
I present the list alphabetically, and in no order of preference.Â
Apple’s Two Vulcan Problem
Back in April 2013, when Forbes ran a commentary asserting it was time for Tim Cook to go, I forcefully responded that “Apple needs a COO, not new CEO“. The day has arrived, with the company announcing this morning that Jeff Williams fills the vacant chief operating officer position. Eh, that’s not what I had in mind, and Apple investors should question the wisdom of the appointment, too.
I mean no slight towards Mr. Williams, who looks more the adequately competent to handle the job. Like Cook, when COO, Williams is a manufacturing and logistics leader—excellent credentials to manage day-to-day operations over the world’s wealthiest tech company as measured by market cap and quarterly net income. The problem: Cook and Williams are questionable pairing, because their backgrounds and skillsets are too much alike. You got an electron circling another electron in the atom’s nucleus.Â
Pixel C Out-of-the-Box Impressions
Google’s first tablet arrived yesterday, and my review is forthcoming. I expected to have a wow reaction, but felt more meh. Some of that comes from my satisfaction using the smaller Nexus 9, which also runs Android 6 Marshmallow. Interestingly, my emotional quotient is considerably higher 24 hours later. This tablet could easily be a frequent companion. (Note: I typically rattle off thoughts about new devices here before posting full-on reviews to my work tech news site).
The search-and-information giant unexpectedly unveiled the Pixel C on September 29th. Sales started December 8th. Specs: 10.2-inch LTPS LCD touchscreen, 2560 x 1800 resolution, 308 pixels per inch, 500-nit brightness; nVidia Tegra X1 processor with Maxwell graphics; 3GB RAM; 32GB ($449) or 64GB ($599) storage; 8-megapixel rear and 2MP front cameras; four microphones; two speakers (sideways of screen in portrait mode on the bezel); USB Type-C port; WiFi AC; Bluetooth 4.1; accelerometer; compass; gyroscope; ambient-light, half-effect, and proximity sensors; Android 6. Enclosure is anodized aluminum that measures 242 x 179 x 7 mm and weighs 517 grams.Â
Flickr a Day 350: ‘Heart-Shaped Box’
We wrap three days focused on the Foveon sensor with Sigma’s original professional compact—the DP1. I owned the camera, which requires finesse for its clunky controls, slow response, and noisy low-light photos. But color, contrast, […]