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Google Image Search - Find Faces Across the Web

2008-10-07T18:41:00.015-07:00

Display faces related to your Google Image Search queries.

When performing queries with Google Image Search, you may not always be looking for places and things, but people related to those places and things. To help, Google can limit its image search results to pictures that Google recognizes to contain faces. Thus, for example, a search for 'computer' might include photos of people working with computers.

1. From Google Image Search, click the "Advanced Image Search" link....

Read more at MalekTips. Read More

NewEgg: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor $175 shipped

2008-10-07T18:41:00.013-07:00

NewEgg: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor $175 shipped

Logitech Illuminated Keyboard

2008-10-07T18:41:00.011-07:00

If Art Lebedev’s Optimus Maximus keyboard has your wallet crying uncle and Saitek’s Cyborg is a little loud for your tastes, Logitech’s new, ultra-slim Illuminated Keyboard might be just the ticket to bring some flavor to your desk. We found it to tasteful, comfortable to type on, and well built, making it one of the best style-minded keyboards to float through our offices.

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NewEgg: NETGEAR WGR614L Open Source Linux Wireless Router $40 shipped AR

2008-10-07T18:41:00.009-07:00

NewEgg: NETGEAR WGR614L Open Source Linux Wireless Router $40 shipped AR

Stoner wins MotoGP, Rossi puts on a display to take second

2008-10-07T18:41:00.007-07:00

Last year's world champ Casey Stoner led from pole to clinch victory in the Australian MotoGP today, but most of the excitement lay behind him as Valentino Rossi cut a swathe through the field from his 12th-place grid position, slipping past Nicky Hayden on the final lap to finish second...

Tags: Ducati, MotoGP, Valentino Rossi

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First photography title for Dennis Publishing

2008-10-07T18:41:00.005-07:00

First photography title for Dennis Publishing
New sector move for Dennis Publishing as they bring the photography magazine into their portfolio.

Windows XP and DOS - Printer Driver Information

2008-10-07T18:41:00.003-07:00

Windows XP and DOS - Printer Driver Information
For diagnostic purposes, display detailed information about currently installed printers on a Windows XP system on the DOS command line.

Park Cameras officially open Burgess Hill store

2008-10-07T18:41:00.001-07:00

Park Cameras officially open Burgess Hill store
Park Cameras will be holding the Grand Opening of their new store in Burgess Hill this Saturday.

Exclusive Nikon D300 Test and Sample Images Just Posted

2008-10-07T18:40:00.003-07:00

We have had the opportunity to test out a final production Nikon D300 digital SLR, and have just posted an image gallery with links to full resolution sample images from this exciting new camera. Some of the images were taken with the AF 50mm F1.8 Nikkor, and the original 45mm f2.8P manual focus lens. Check out the results... Read More

Tigerdirect: Soyo DYLM26E6 26 Widescreen LCD Monitor $330

2008-10-07T18:40:00.001-07:00

Red network migration: Part II

2008-10-02T21:10:00.013-07:00

It's a new letter - and now confirming that I will be on the Red network in 4 days!

... and it also comes with the home phone features guide (which I'm sure I found it in the Vodafone Help
system somewhere before...) - just goes through the new processes with the unbundled home phone product.

I'll post my ADSL sync when I get a new modem (which should be soon) as my D-Link isn't up to ADSL2+ yet.

Hope to still you on the other side!

Panasonic TX-37LZD70 Television

2008-10-02T21:10:00.011-07:00

Panasonic brings us the TX-37LZD70, a Full High Definition 1080p LCD TV with V-real technology for the Read More

Olympus E-3 - full review and video tour

2008-10-02T21:10:00.009-07:00

Olympus E-3 - full review and video tour
The Olympus E-3 is the long-awaited new flagship of the Four Thirds standard. The E-3 doubles its predecessor's resolution to 10 Megapixels, features tough weather-proof construction, built-in image stabilisation, a fully-articulated screen with Live View, and of course the legendary SSWF anti-dust filter. Olympus has also addressed two concerns with the Four Thirds standard by equipping the E-3 with a large viewfinder and a new 11-point AF system which it claims is the World's fastest. It's an impressive specification, but directly up against models like the Nikon D300, not to mention the more affordable Canon EOS 40D and Sony Alpha A700. To find out how it compares and whether it's a contender in the semi-pro market, check out our Olympus E-3 review - and as always for a demonstration of its features, see our Olympus E-3 video tour.

Canon Announces Instant Rebates on EOS 40D, EOS 5D, EF Lenses and Speedlites in US

2008-10-02T21:10:00.007-07:00

Canon Announces Instant Rebates on EOS 40D, EOS 5D, EF Lenses and Speedlites in US
Canon USA Inc. has launched a series of generous instant cash back rebates covering the Canon EOS 40D and the higher end full frame 12.8 MP Canon EOS 5D digital SLR, along with savings on a number of Canon EF lenses, and Canon Speedlites. Save up to $125 US on select EF lenses and $300 on the Canon EOS 5D. See the full story and a complete list of the products now covered by instant rebates...

Historic Moller flying car prototype up for sale

2008-10-02T21:10:00.005-07:00

Moller International is selling its Jetson-like M200X 2-passenger VTOL prototype on eBay. Although it's a long way from the latest designs to rise from the Moller drawing-board like the hybrid flying car, the M200X is a significant piece of aviation history, having completed over 200 manned and unmanned flight demonstrations since 1989...

Tags: Aviation, Moller, VTOL

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Adobe CS4

2008-10-02T21:10:00.003-07:00

Adobe Shows us the �Shortcut to Brilliant�. Read More

Sony BRAVIA KDL-46W3000 Television

2008-10-02T21:10:00.001-07:00

The Sony Bravia KDL46W3000 is one of the latest High Definition LCD TVs that Sony has released. The Read More

Hey - it's a Monday! (Don't you just love them?)

2008-10-02T21:09:00.005-07:00

Hey - it's a Monday! (Don't you just love them?)
Today's particularly exciting:

Red network is switched on at my place
Getting a new modem (hopefully)
... seeing Vector guys laying fibre less than 200m away

I'll get onto the fibre laying first - I probably won't be able to take a photo, but you'll be able to imagine around 5 guys standing around a hole and feeding fibre into it from a huge bundle.

They've even kindly placed a sign saying that they're laying fibre... (drools at the thought of fibre here)

Oddly enough, we're not getting cabinetised within the next 2 years (from the cabinetisation notice list), so this must be going somewhere else... and I'm just verging on 2km from the exchange. I must really be stuck in the middle.

The good thing without cabinetisation here is that I can stick to the Red network a little longer, now that I've offically been migrated to the Red network. Just look at the following table from yesterday compared to today:

Hardware: D-Link DSL-504T (Gen I)

[Unforunately, no table can be made here... , ~~so here's a list~~ even making simple fixed font text is hard here, so I'll give you a link instead.]

See here for table.

So all in all, at least a double in speed.

Also, my father realised that we have Caller ID enabled through our line for some reason... special... (and strange considering we haven't signed up to the Caller Display service for $4/mth. Hopefully they haven't signed us up to the Features pack by accident, as we have a Voicemail capable fax, and we definitely don't want calls to go into an external voicemail system)

Lastly, I'll be getting a new MT882 modem from Vodafone in the afternoon - I'll see what kind of speed increase I'll be able to draw out of that.

Nikon Announces Coolpix P80 with 18x Optical Zoom

2008-10-02T21:09:00.003-07:00

Nikon Announces Coolpix P80 with 18x Optical Zoom
Nikon has today announced their first entry into the super zoom point and shoot market with the Nikon Coolpix P80, a 10MP compact camera featuring an 18x optical wide angle zoom, in camera CCD shift image stabilization, an electronic viewfinder as well as a large 2.7-inch high resolution 230K LCD rear monitor with wide viewing angle. See full story...

Urban Disguise 35

2008-10-02T21:09:00.001-07:00

Urban Disguise 35
Travel in style with the new Urban Disguise 35 bag.

JVC Everio GZ-HD40

2008-09-29T21:44:00.017-07:00

JVC Everio GZ-HD40

The inexorable march away from tapes and discs has picked up steam in Camcorder Land—and this trend will continue until MiniDV and DVD home video makers take their place on the obsolete shelf next to Walkman cassette music players and analog televisions. This won’t happen overnight, but it’s happening right in front of our eyes as flash-based and hard disk drive camcorders win-over the public and take share from competing formats. Basically, it’s the iPod Phenomenon dramatically reshaping the camcorder biz. According to industry execs, tape and DVD cam sales are dropping while the new—and definitely cooler—formats take over. Almost all of the recent releases were memory card, flash or HDD based. And many of them are high-definition. I’m a big fan of high-def hard drive camcorders because their storage capabilities can’t be beat. It’s great not worrying if you have enough blank tape or DVDs for saving memories. And the small size and weight of flash-based models is also a winner. Finally, a high-definition camcorder is the only way to go, even though they’re much more expensive than SD ($799 USD is still about the cheapest, compared to $250 USD for MiniDV). With these preferences on the table, I was happy to test a new JVC HD Everio with a 120GB HDD. This high-def camcorder saves up to 15 hours of best-quality AVCHD video plus it performs several other unique tricks we’ll disclose on the following pages. Is it worth 1,300 clams? Read on, read on…

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Canon's 5D Mark II could shake-up the camcorder market

2008-09-29T21:44:00.015-07:00

A short film made on the Canon 5D Mark II has got many video enthusiasts rather excited. Read More

Vodafone - do you want my business?

2008-09-29T21:44:00.013-07:00

Vodafone - do you want my business?
Customer retention is something every business needs to be good at. If your customer don't come back then you'll very quickly find yourself going out of business.

Visit your local coffee shop these days and you're bound to get a loyalty card. Buy 10 coffee's and get 1 free. Visit Subway and you'll get credit that goes towards buying a sandwich. Fly with an Airline and you'll get frequent flyer points. Buy your groceries at New World or buy your petrol at Shell and you'll get Fly Buys points. I don't need to list any more - I'm sure you get my drift.

Most of these companies all exist in competive marketplaces where customers have many choices when it comes to spending their hear earned money. These companies realise that keeping their customers happy is not just something you pay sparse attention to, it's part of your core business.

Now lets look at the mobile market in NZ. Stastistics tell is that 100% of NZers own a mobile phone so I'll ask a question that everybody should be able to answer. Exactly what are Vodafone or Telecom doing for you to keep you as a happy loyal customer? Do you feel that your mobile carrier really wants your business or are you simply treated as a number? Do you think they really care if you moved away to another carrier?

This poses the question - do these companies care about customer loyalty? Both feature business models based around locking you into long into term contracts and giving you small discounts off overpriced handsets. Imagine if you wanted to buy petrol but could only do this if you entered into a 24 month exclusive contract with the fuel outlet of your choice, a contract that you couldn't break without paying a penalty. In return they would sell you a 1.5l bottle of Coke dicscounted to $3.00 - more than you would pay for this product if you shopped at a supermarket. Would you feel like you were a happy, content loyal customer or would you feel like you were just a number?

New Zealand now has a greater choice when it comes to mobile with TelstraClear launching a virtual mobile network using Telecom's CDMA network and Black+White are about to launch a similair virtual network using Vodafone's network. B+W won't be offering term contracts and instead believe they can compete by offering a package that makes their customers feel like they are receiving value for money which in turn will drive customer loyalty.

So I'll now ask the question - having been a Bellsouth & now Vodafone customer for 13 years do you really value my business? What have you done recently that should make me feel happy about being a customer of yours? How have you rewarded me for my loyalty over the years? You give me significantly less airtime for my $ spend than virtually any other Vodafone Group network. You've put up roaming rates so I now have to pay more to make calls when I visit Australia 3-4 times per year and also charge all incoming roam forward calls by the minute rather than per second. This annoyed me greatly. What else have you done? Nothing. What would I like you to do? Offer me a plan that feels like I'm receiving value for money. Don't lock me into a term contract. Don't make me laugh me by offering me $50 off a $1000 handset that's selling for $200 more than it's true market value. Quite simply don't insult me. I'm happy to pay good money each month for a plan that meets my needs.

Do you really value my business or not? If you do what are you going to do for me?

JVC Everio GZ-HD40

2008-09-29T21:44:00.011-07:00

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 with 15x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD

2008-09-29T21:44:00.009-07:00

Sony Canada today announced the latest addition to its high-zoom camera line, the 9.1-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-H50 digital camera. This new model (which is a successor to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9) incorporates a 15x optical zoom lens with Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization to capture action at a distance. The Sony DSC-H50 also features extensive manual controls, including an exposure bracketing mode that newly includes settings for white balance and color modes. See full story... Read More

Wellington Workgroup Solutions Team

2008-09-29T21:44:00.007-07:00

Wellington Workgroup Solutions Team


James Hippolite, Senior .NET Developer	Martin Harris, .NET Developer

Megha Barpande, .NET Developer	Gary Saunders, Lead Developer

Photokina 2008: Tuesday Wrap Up

2008-09-29T21:44:00.005-07:00

Photokina 2008: Tuesday Wrap Up

Samsung HZ1 served up under glass
Canon PowerShot SX1 previewed
Olympus 1050 apparently indestructible
Camera Armor debuts $100 housing

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

2008-09-29T21:44:00.003-07:00

September 24, 2008 Impulse control is becoming increasingly important on a personal and global scale for solving problems as diverse as obesity, smoking, compulsive shopping and even global warming. But if appealing to our intellect rarely works, what does? Psychologist Dr Max Sutherland looks at the issue and writes that rather than engage the mind in combat, take advantage of how it works. Don’t shop when you’re preoccupied or hungry, do good deeds after, but not before, shopping. And shop well in advance. Another fascinating article full of psychological tips to help control impulses and resist temptation...

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Nikon D3 and D300 Scene Recognition System Developer Interview

2008-09-29T21:44:00.001-07:00

Nikon D3 and D300 Scene Recognition System Developer Interview
Nikon has provided a behind the scenes interview with the developer of their new scene recognition system technology which is incorporated in the latest Nikon D3 and D300 digital cameras. Leveraging the data provided by their 1005 pixel RGB matrix meter, Nikons new SRS provides more precise subject identification, optimizing autofocus, exposure and white balance detection. See full story...

Samsung YP-T10 (2 GB) MP3 Player

2008-09-29T21:43:00.001-07:00

The Samsung YP-T10 is the latest in a family of spectacular MP3 players and MP4 Players. The YP-T10 Read More

Logitech Squeezebox Boom

2008-09-25T19:35:00.013-07:00

Logitech Squeezebox Boom

Most streaming music devices require two key outside components to work: speakers and a source to power them. Since there are very few powered speakers out there in reality, you most likely need to attach the streaming device to a mini-system or your home theater system – and that can create a lot of clutter, especially in the kitchen. The Logitech Squeezebox Boom fixes this problem by creating an all-in-one sound system with music streaming capabilities. Priced at $300 USD, there is no doubt that price tag is hard to swallow, but thanks to its easy setup, intuitive navigation and beautiful sound, we can easily say you get what you pay for. Read on for the deep dive.

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My Zero G flight experience: the pictures

2008-09-25T19:35:00.011-07:00

My Zero G flight experience: the pictures
In my previous post you can see a short video with my Zero G flight experience. I have now uploaded some of the pictures to my Flickr Zero G set:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera

2008-09-25T19:35:00.009-07:00

The Panasonic TZ3 is an 8.5 mega pixel digital camera with a 10x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom and a Read More

HP Home: HP Pavilion a6560t desktop E8400 2GB 640GB Blu-ray TV PVR $600 shipped

2008-09-25T19:35:00.007-07:00

Apple iPod Nano 16GB

2008-09-25T19:35:00.005-07:00

Apple iPod Nano 16GB

Apple's latest iPod nano continues to loom over the heads of its competitors despite players with better sound and more features from companies like Sony and Microsoft. The redesigned body almost seems like a brush of nostalgia, though it definitely improves on the previous generation and keeps the device current. We're more impressed with the new firmware, which provides the best level of polish yet on Apple's non-touchscreen devices, and the on-board accelerometer adds some pizzaz to a player some consider to be getting stale.

Read | Permalink | User Reviews | Linking Blogs

Panasonic TX-37LZD70 Television

2008-09-25T19:35:00.003-07:00

Panasonic brings us the TX-37LZD70, a Full High Definition 1080p LCD TV with V-real technology for the Read More

Wellington Workgroup Solutions Team

2008-09-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

Wellington Workgroup Solutions Team


James Hippolite, Senior .NET Developer	Martin Harris, .NET Developer

Megha Barpande, .NET Developer	Gary Saunders, Lead Developer

Tip of the day - buy some Telecom NZ shares

2008-09-25T19:34:00.005-07:00

Currently at $2.70 these are a bargain!

Once all the idiots have sold out the better things will be for Telecom. Telecom is not the company it was 4 years ago. It is a lean mean telco run by a very smart CEO that will continute to dominate the NZ landscape for many many many years to come.

Lets hope the investors bailing out at present are the idiots who only invested in the company for their dividend - greedy people who were only ever in it for a quick return. Those same people who pushed for Telecom to make big profits and caused the problems that are now the stumbling block the company is having to deal with.

Those buying shares now are the smart ones who realise that a bargain they are getting...

Photokina 2008: Monday Wrap Up

2008-09-25T19:34:00.003-07:00

Fujifilm developing next Super CCD
Pentax K2000 handled, previewed
Casio EX-FH20: 40 fps shot sequence
Leica S2 on the horizon tomorrow?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 samples gallery posted

2008-09-25T19:34:00.001-07:00

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 samples gallery posted
We've posted a small gallery of shots taken with a pre-production Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 at a press event in Germany over the weekend.

Lexar Professional 233x CF Memory Card

2008-09-24T03:35:00.019-07:00

New CompactFlash cards deliver workflow-enhancing benefits for the growing number of photographers who have embraced digital SLR cameras. Read More

Details on Samsung HZ1 compact ultrazoom emerge

2008-09-24T03:35:00.017-07:00

Details on Samsung HZ1 compact ultrazoom emerge
Samsung is making a strong bid to be taken seriously in the high-performance compact segment with their announcement of the 10x zoom Samsung HZ1.

Adobe launches Photoshop CS4

2008-09-24T03:35:00.015-07:00

Adobe launches Photoshop CS4
As expected, there will be a new a version of Adobe's Photoshop image editing software on display this morning when visitors hit the show floor at Photokina.

Tech and autographed gear for auction on Trade Me - help the Auckland Under 15 Boys Basketball team

2008-09-24T03:35:00.013-07:00

Tech and autographed gear for auction on Trade Me - help the Auckland Under 15 Boys Basketball team
Last night I've go an e-mail from Steve Graham, GM at Fronde AKL, also the coach of the Auckland Under 15 regonal basketball team.

In short Steve managed to get the support of some companies (Google, Microsoft, HP, Vodafone, Samsung, Kodak) and people (Hamish Carter, Dilon Boucher, All Whites) to a special "tech gear auction" to raise funds and help the Auckland's Under 15 Boys' Basketball Team to attend the National Championship in Rotorua.

There is a 60 GB Google Flip, 30 GB Microsoft Zune, HP iPAQ, autogaphed items, Family pass to Rainbows End and much more.

So if you are looking for tech and sport memorabilia, check the tech gear auction or search for "under15bball" on Trade Me.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 with 4x Wide-Angle 25mm Zoom

2008-09-24T03:35:00.011-07:00

Panasonic has today introduced the 10.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX35 with an impressive 25mm ultra-wide-angle LEICA DC lens and 4x optical zoom (equivalent to 25mm to 100 mm on a 35mm film camera). Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode, which includes various shooting-assist functions, has been enhanced in the DMC-FX35 by adding an Intelligent Exposure feature and Digital Red-eye Correction. See full story... Read More

The new Microsoft ads... enjoy!

2008-09-24T03:35:00.009-07:00

The new Microsoft ads... enjoy!
Here we go, for your viewing pleasure:

I like those. Why? Because when Apple launched the "I am a Mac, I am PC" ads they decide to approach the whole game as a battle between stereotypes. They also had no moral problems in comparing the platforms directly. Which is ok, when done by a independent party - not by a company that will of course show some bias.

So the Microsoft "I am a PC" ads are not like that. They don't try to make the competition look bad. Instead they try to show you why you should care.

And yes, I do have Macs here at home too.

Sony BRAVIA KDL-40W3000 Television

2008-09-24T03:35:00.007-07:00

Introducing the Sony Bravia KDL40W3000 from the KDL-W3000 series. As the LCD TV range has failed to Read More

Lensbaby Lenses

2008-09-24T03:35:00.005-07:00

Lensbaby Lenses
Three new lenses - The Composer�, The Muse�, and The Control Freak� - feature the Lensbaby Optic Swap System.

Windows XP and the Display - Desktop - Toggle Showing Underlined Letters in Menus

2008-09-24T03:35:00.003-07:00

Turn keyboard navigation letters inside menus in Windows XP applications on or off.

In some Windows XP applications, such as Notepad, the menu bar may not display underlined letters for each menu command such as "File", "Edit", or "Help". However, the keyboard shortcuts still exist - press the Alt key and the underlines magically appear.

If you'd rather have these shortcut letters always stay underlined, or alternatively if you never use these shortcuts and would rather have menu bars remain "clean" of underlined letters, perform the following tweak:...

Read more at MalekTips. Read More

Canon PowerShot S5 IS full review and video tour

2008-09-24T03:35:00.001-07:00

Canon's PowerShot S5 IS is an 8 megapixel super-zoom camera with a 12x optically-stabilised zoom, flip-out screen and a great movie mode. The large number of cameras released by Canon during 2007 forced us to bypass the S5 IS when first released, but it's since become one of the most popular super-zooms on the market and remains a current model in the latest 2008 range. So by popular demand, we're pleased to present our Canon PowerShot S5 IS review, as always accompanied by a demonstration in our video tour. Read More

I want Super Hi Vision TV

2008-09-19T18:11:00.001-07:00

One of the things I have always wanted, ever since I was little, was a TV screen that covers the whole wall. I believe Bill Gates has something like that, but it's probably a video stack, like a Pionner Vidwall.

I want something that covers the whole wall and when I'm not watching one or multiple channels, it can be a screensaver that can take me from a beautiful beach or underwater scene in winter or a ski scene in Canada or France in summer. Something that doesn't give me eye strain from being in the room.

Then I also want real surround sound, so I can immerse myself in the environment.

This week I was listening to the Digital Planet podcast from the BBC and they were talking about exactly this. They were talking about the demonstration of Super Hi Video at the Interneational Broadcasting Conference in Amsterdam and the demonstration of this technology being streamed live from London.

The technology is Super Hivision which offers "a video format with 7680 x 4320 pixels (16 times higher than standard Hi-vision, NHK’s HDTV system) . This world’s first video system with 4000 scanning lines delivers ultra-clear, realistic three-dimensional images that can be achieved only by ultrahigh-definition technology.
- The individual scanning lines are not visually noticeable even when relatively close to the screen, reflecting the high resolution of the system. What’s more, a wider viewing angle conveys a stronger sense of a reality.
- The new 3-D audio system with 24 loudspeakers dramatically enhances presence."

According to the people who were watching it, it is very similar to what you can see and hear in real life. It's taking the gloss off my HD TV (through which I am not yet watching HD)

So if anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas, give me a call and I'll give you the dimensions of my lounge wall. I suspect the price will be much more than the value of my home right now, but that's ok.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL400

2008-09-19T18:10:00.017-07:00

Lenovo ThinkPad SL400

With the introduction of the SL Series notebooks, Lenovo continues its trend of pushing the ThinkPad name out of its lofty perch and into more affordable territory. The 14.1-inch version bulks up a bit for the sake of keeping price low, but retains Lenovo’s signature ThinkPad durability and feel, along with competent performance for a business machine. But some minor issues still need to be ironed out. Our Lenovo SL400 came with the following hardware:� 14.1-inch WXGA VibrantView Display Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz CPU 2GB PC-5300 DDR2 RAM 250GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS Video Card DVD-RW 8x Max Dual-Layer Drive Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 5100 9-Cell Battery

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T-Mobile Sidekick 2008

2008-09-19T18:10:00.015-07:00

Before teenagers were snapping up iPhones and BlackBerrys left and right, T-Mobile’s original Sidekick was the phone to own for fashion-savvy textaholics. The latest T-Mobile Sidekick bulks up on features without bulking up on size, making it a definite upgrade and a solid value as far as we’re concerned – even with the more crowded market for smartphones.

Read | Permalink | User Reviews | Linking Blogs

Is Fleet Management an invasion of employee privacy?

2008-09-19T18:10:00.013-07:00

Is Fleet Management an invasion of employee privacy?

An interesting story originating from the Sydney Morning Herald last week, and doing the rounds in New Zealand, says that ‘Privacy Experts’ and Unions are saying that vehicle tracking systems used by companies are an invasion of staff privacy.

It goes on to talk about a former Telstra employee who committed suicide shortly after having a vehicle tracking system attached to his company vehicle. The employee was being treated for depression and the story infers that his suicide was in part a consequence of Fleet Management equipment being installed in his vehicle.

Over the last decade I have been in various ways involved with Vehicle and Personal Tracking technology and only once have I come accross a company that wanted it to be able to check up on the honesty of their staff.

There is no question that some companies have found a sudden increase in profitability and decrease in vehicle costs since they put FM systems in place, but monitoring staff integrity was not the reason the system went in. This particular company wanted to know which vehicles were close to clients that needed urgent service so that they could allocate the nearest vehicle to provide a quality reponsive service.

A few years ago I met the CEO of a rapid response plumbing firm. They guaranteed a minimum response time for people who needed a plumber in an emergancy. He was able to manage this as a consequence of using Navman Wireless technology to locate the nearest vehicle to the job.

They also wanted to compare time based service contracts to the actual time the vehicle was parked at the client site. They wanted to know if they had under or overquoted because there was sometimes a gap between the sales person’s enthusiasm to win a contract and the reality of the job being done.

What did happen was that a number of staff people whom they had suspected of taking liberties with the vehicle on the job and after hours, left the company within a month or so of their own volition. They were under no pressure, in fact their employer said to them "We don't care what happened in the past, this is not a big brother situation, however we do expect a fair day's work for a fair day's pay". In fact the CIO of this company absolutely hates and deplores the concept of big brother and would fight tooth and nail to stop the system being used to monitor the staff to see if they were skyving off. It was never about that. They did know that a couple of the people were abusing their employer's trust, but nothing was ever said to them about it and basically what happened was that those people knew they couldn't continue in the way they were used to and resigned.

I am against (and it may well be illegal) tracking people and their vehicles without their knowledge. The only people able to do that should be the Police and even then, only with a legal warrant produced through the courts.

On the other hand there are many potential benefits. In the courier and freight industry, Fleet Management means that people can easily apply track and trace to good being picked up and delivered without needing additional staff to place calls to drivers.

In the security industry it means that security guards on patrol can confirm the safety and location of their staff and also provide clear evidence to clients that their premises have been visited when they said they were. It can also mean that these people can be backed up in an emergancy. This technology is used internationally to track and protect the safety of VIP’s such as politicians in government vehicles.

Another area that is becoming popular is using this technology to keep track of a personal vehicle’s location. For example, when Dad lends the car to his son or daughter who is just popping down to the shops or a mate’s place, who could be boy racers. There have been a number of occassions where a stolen vehicle has been recovered with the thief still inside, such as the case earlier this year. Sometimes a car is irreplacable such as a classic, or sports car. Insurance money can’t always allow someone to recover the time spent in restoring or bulding a vehicle. This technology can also be used to secure trailer water craft and motorcycles which are often easy targets for criminals.

Another area which is becoming very popular and which I have written about a number of times before is tracking elderly people. With the Baby Boomers living longer and being more mobile, there is a growing population of elderly people, some of whom are sprightly of mind, but less of body and at risk of breaking hips or other body parts, while others are sound in body but suffering onset of Alzheimers Disease or other forms of dementia and likely to wander off and not remember where they live. Whether it is the Retirement Village or Rest Home, or their children, this common problem becomes much easier to manage if you can send a text message to the device they are carrying and receive one back with the nearest street address to their current location.

I think tracking is a great thing for unions to use to help them shore up membership and totally endorse them helping people out when it comes to unethical practice on behalf of the company they work for. However, in most cases FM (Fleet Management) is about providing better service to a company’s clients, being able to stay competitive in a time of heavy traffic, high cost of petrol and consumers who expect cheaper prices.

Canon PowerShot G10 to replace PowerShot G9

2008-09-19T18:10:00.011-07:00

Canon's successful PowerShot G9 is being replaced with the 14.7megapixel PowerShot G10 Read More

The new Microsoft ads... enjoy!

2008-09-19T18:10:00.009-07:00

A new push for desktop Linux

2008-09-19T18:10:00.007-07:00

The GNU/Linux desktop can deliver a very mixed experience to the user: On one hand, you have very functional desktop environments, such as GNOME or KDE, with state-of-the-art features, capabilities, graphical effects, eye-candy and wizbang-ery (Compi... (more in the full post)

Bestbuy: Panasonic 50in 720p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV $1000 shipped

2008-09-19T18:10:00.005-07:00

PowerShot G10 updates Canon's advanced compact

2008-09-19T18:10:00.003-07:00

PowerShot G10 updates Canon's advanced compact
The latest Canon G camera, the Canon PowerShot G10, brings more resolution, a wide-angle zoom, and better raw shooting to an increasingly crowded market segment.

Canon EF 24-105mm for cropped-frame DSLRs - full review and video tour

2008-09-19T18:10:00.001-07:00

Canon EF 24-105mm for cropped-frame DSLRs - full review and video tour
The EF 24-105mm is a premium quality zoom from Canon's 'L' series. It features superb build and mechanical quality, quick and quiet USM focusing and Image Stabilisation to counteract camera shake. It's an ideal general purpose lens for owners of full-frame Canon DSLRs, but what about those with cropped-frame bodies like the EOS 400D / XTi, EOS 450D / XSi or EOS 40D? In this review we'll examine how the EF 24-105mm performs on cropped-frame Canon DSLRs and as always, check out our video tour for a demonstration.

SanDisk announces 32 GB Extreme III CompactFlash

2008-09-15T08:56:00.003-07:00

SanDisk has released a new 32 GB, high speed CompactFlash card targeted to professional photography and videography markets. Read More

The Truth in Advertising

2008-09-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

The Truth in Advertising
Some bits sound like meetings I attended... Other bits sound like exactly what I expect "Big Telco" would be talking when creating a campaign for their new JesusPhone offering...

Warning: some heavy NSFW language. But worth watching the whole thing.

First for Panasonic

2008-09-15T08:55:00.015-07:00

Panasonic launch a interchangeable lens camera that is based on the new Micro Four Thirds System Standard. Read More

Windows XP and DOS - Printer Driver Information

2008-09-15T08:55:00.013-07:00

For diagnostic purposes, display detailed information about currently installed printers on a Windows XP system on the DOS command line. Read More

Leaf new medium format camera range tops out at 56 mpx

2008-09-15T08:55:00.011-07:00

September 9, 2008 Leaf has announced an entirely new family of medium format cameras and camera backs for professional photographers. In addition to offering remarkable image quality with up to 56 megapixel resolution, the new line-up delivers many new features. These include a 56 millimeter wide ‘True Wide Frame’ sensor, Leaf Verto internal sensor rotation for easily changing orientation and Leaf SensorFlex technology which lets photographers pre-select image size and capture speed. One interesting feature of the new range is the Leaf Capture Remote for iPhone app which turns wireless devices, such as the iPhone or iPod Touch, into remote image viewers. While you are shooting tethered using Leaf Capture software, a client or creative director can view images from any Wi-Fi network...

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Canon launches EOS 50D Digital SLR

2008-09-15T08:55:00.009-07:00

Today Canon announced the EOS 50D Digital SLR, which complements the EOS 40D rather than replacing it. The EOS 50D greatly resembles the EOS 40D from the outside, but features a new 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor backed-up by the newly developed DiG!C 4 processor. In reaction to Nikon's D300, the sensitivity has been boosted to 3200 ISO with extended 6400 and 12800 ISO modes, the screen resolution improved to VGA / 920k dots, and an HDMI port fitted for HD slideshows; Live View now also includes contrast-based AF and face detection options. Continuous shooting is only a fraction slower than the 40D at 6.3fps, and Canon has finally launched an EF-S 18-200mm IS lens to go with it which will also please owners of existing APS-C Canon DSLRs. The 50D is due in September, but where's the long-awaited EOS 5D replacement? Discuss this news in the Cameralabs forum and look out for a preview coming soon. Read More

Mwave: LTS LTD411M6KIT Network Digital Video Security System w/4 night vision cameras $499

2008-09-15T08:55:00.007-07:00

Mwave: LTS LTD411M6KIT Network Digital Video Security System w/4 night vision cameras $499

Shocking conspiracy underway, The Truth REVEALED! this will shatter you to the core.

2008-09-15T08:55:00.005-07:00

There are subtle changes around the world all the time, some of them more obvious than others,

As many suspect, some know and some redicule,
These changes are effected by the annoymous controllers of the world, the ones who cause wars for financial gain, those who control the world economies, those who ensure the greater populace is kept in the dark from knowing the real story, and keep us from interacting with our friendly Aliens from neighbouring systems.
Some say they are really members of the ruling lizard Army,
others swear its the illuminati, perhaps its the government, or those with the black helicopters and red sports shoes.

I cannot say for sure who these anonymous fellows are, but I do know one thing for sure. they are at it again.

this time with the humble Match. the unobtrusive supplier of fire, lighter of ciggarettes, cigars, candles and incense sticks,

How many Matches in a standard box of Beehive "Safety Matches"???

I bet many of you will state "50" and in the better, more positive days of old, when the future was bright and mankind controlled its future you would have been correct.

I your intrepid investigator, went deep in the depths of the conspiracy, risked life and limb and discovered an earth-shattering revelation, something that could rock your perception of reality to the core.

be prepared for this. it is a shocking, terrible revelation.

THERE. IS. NOW. ONLY. FORTY FIVE matches in a box of "behive safety matches"

Surely this is the beginning of the end, the controllers, those secretive evil overloads are plotting to de-evolve the human race,

sure you say, it could be a cost cutting measure, who really uses all 50 matches in a box of matches, BUT NO!

At the same time this sinister ploy was rolled out, the cost for a humble box of matches rose by 10 cents!

Again! I hear you say, surely this could be coincidental, the cost of everything is rising due to the cost of fuel for transportation, and this surely will effect matches too.

WRONG AGAIN!!! Pull the wool away from your eyes! that is exactly the sort of thinking they want! they want you to believe it is a result of a highly complicated series of economical factors locally and abroad causing the costs of manufacturing to increase.

AHA! I hear a few of you say, you think you are smarter than that, you think that you have seen through this, you think,
This is a straightforward capitalist move, in which they are covering increased costs while increasing margins by dropping the number of items per unit by 10% meaning they can produce 11 units for at a cost only slightly higher (the cost of the extra box) than the cost they previously had for 10 units.

Ah my poor, naive populace, oh how I envy your blissfull sleep wrapped in your dillusioned reality.

This is only the start of the plan, these "Men X" have a sinister plan to de-evolve the human race into cavemen level humanoids.

You see. we have grown too much. we have too much of the Internet, at first they thought "Aha this internet. it is the new Television, in which we can place many time-taking activities, more intellectual soylent green, we can use this to gradually increase the depth of the reality disfunction"

-But Alas for them and fortunately for us! we have moved past.

whilst many get trapped, and sucked into the mass mind control vortices that have been created, projects with codenames so terrible I cannot mention, but which were re-branded into friendly sounding names until you realise the ominous portents of what these names portray.

these mass mind control vortices such as "MY SPACE" a secret covert program derived from
Mind Yoke, Situation Programming And Control, and another similar covert black op "FACE BOOK" a name that fills me with such ominous dread I dare not delve far for fear of causing horrors such as were envisioned by HP Lovecraft, but let it be said it was a covert operation linked to Fully Assimilated Control Environments..

But these vortices were still not enough. they had to push further least we discover the truth.

and that is where the diabolic plan to de-evolve the human race has sprung.

it starts of small. they reduce the number of matches in a box by 5 and increase the cost by 10c.
that looks innocent enough on the purpose, but if you look further you are getting 10% less, for 20% more cost,

That is only the beginning. soon they will perform this step again, and gradually spread it out to other devices in which to make fire, gradually decreasing the resources and increasing the cost for us to create fire to such an extent that we no longer have the facility for fire,

One may point out that "what about friction - rubbing two sticks together" - this is one of the reasons their plan is soo diabolically cunning.

Citys were created for just this purpose. to eradic the availability of "sticks" and make us wholly dependand on store bought combustion created materials.

Soon we will be stuck wilth very few sources for ignition, and fewer for burning and keeping those fires lit.

"Environmental Sustainability" = "systematically remove mans capacity to make and keep fire"

if we do not prepare ourselves. we will become what the goal of their master plan is, a sub-human race of cavemen like bipeds the perfect slaves t operate their intersteller fastfood chains and cleaning resteraunts whilst they put their hyper intelligent robots to valuable tasks such as enabling awkward teen overlords to score with the hot overlord teen chicks who know about cars, by changing into a car with a cool engine then becoming a futuristic robot that deathmatches other robots before amusing crowds with puns involving Ebay.

First for Panasonic

2008-09-15T08:55:00.003-07:00

Panasonic launch a interchangeable lens camera that is based on the new Micro Four Thirds System Standard. Read More

Abes Of Maine: Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Navigation System with MP3 Player $188

2008-09-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

Abes Of Maine: Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Navigation System with MP3 Player $188

Sony KDL32P3020 Tv

2008-09-13T16:32:00.019-07:00

Sony rolls out some high standard high definition LCD TVs that quite frankly, knock our socks off. Read More

Orcon Homehub/ADSL2 Setup - A Quick Review

2008-09-13T16:32:00.017-07:00

After going unbundled with Orcon's Gold+ Account I was having issues getting online and was recommended an Orcon HomeHub over D-Link DST-502T. The 502T was theoretically more than capable of doing ADSL2+ (as I was running it at home on the same plan already). But at $5 a month, and to solve a problem I thought, stuff it, and got one sent out.

The HomeHub is really just a Siemens SX-763 WLAN DSL Router. Its running a slightly modified firmware that has the Orcon settings preset. You can't flash newer vesions of Firmware, although Orcon can from their side of things. This could lead to an interesting future for this little hub - more on that later.
The Homehub features (according to Orcon) -

"This sleek wireless router lets you access your Broadband from anywhere in your house without plugs or cables.
What's more, because our network can talk to it, our helpdesk can easily support the device remotely to get you back online faster if there is ever a problem.
In the future, we'll be teaching the Homehub some cool new tricks to give you an even better Orcon experience through new and interesting services, so stay tuned..."

On the Siemens site it lists it features as -

High-speed wireless data transfer at up to 108 Mbps (compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g)
Integrated ADSL 2+ modem
4 Port 10/100 Hub
External broadband access modem support (e. g. VDSL, cable)
Support for up to 6 VoIP public telephone accounts (SIP Protocol)
USB Support (SMB/FTP/Web/Printer).

So after ordering it, the unit arrived a couple of days later, interestingly I had to pay postage, with a white Orcon slip over a standard Siemens box. In the box were all the cables one could ever need to setup and use the unit. Network cable, phone, filters etc... Annoyingly Siemens have gone with RJ-45 (Network) Adaptor plug for the phone cable, not the smaller and standard phone plug - so don't go loosing your cables.
The Unit is one of the nicer Routers or modems I've seen, although it does feel a but light and plasticy. All the ports are nicely placed on the back. It can be mounted on a wall or look fine on a desk.

The web inerface is pleasent to look at, and functionally seems to include all the settings. There's wizards both for the absolutely basics and also for the security features. Add to that the normal Advanced Settings, It's feature packed but simple to get around. There's support for all the necessary wireless standards - WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK/WPA-PSK.
I'd love to go into the VOIP settings but as I have never been too interested in it before, I wouldn't know much. The fact they're there, and are quite feature complete shows a feature I imagine Orcon will use in the future.

Connection wise, the wireless seems solid, although I personally use an Apple Airport Extreme to run a parallel 5ghz Only 11N based network and a 2.4Ghz for older clients. Excessive. Maybe. A bonus of using the $5 a month homehub though.
Internet wise, in the Auckland CBD, just off K Rd I've got a 12286 kbps (upstream) ADSL Connection. Its strange as when the connection was first setup I was getting up to 22500kbps on the connection - close to ADSL2's limit - and now its back down to the top of ADSL1's top....... Orcon?
UPDATE See first comment.

Heres some results from speedtest.net -

Auckland -> Auckland (WorldxChange Communications) - 9907 Down / 354 Up

Auckland -> Christchurch (Snap Internet) - 6587 Down / 266 Up

Auckland -> Sydney (Mammoth Media) - 3327 Down / 333 Up

Auckland -> London (Namesco) - 1723 Down / 180 Up

Auckland -> San Francisco (Unwired) - 2739 Down / 194 Up

Things that aren't cool -
USB only does FTP no SFTP so not great for putting online.

The DHCP server won't list connected devices - Wireless status lists the Host name, Mac and IP's of any wireless clients but for the overall IP's - nothing. The settings are there - just broken, a bug that I hope Orcon will get on to fixing.
UPDATE Orcon do indeed have a forthcoming update. Orcon were nice enough to flash mine and it does indeed fix the issue.

Things that are cool -
USB Features.
Looks good.
A full featured router for only $5 a month (on Orcon).
Assumably VOIP support from Orcon in the future.

Photobox

2008-09-13T16:32:00.015-07:00

Photobox
Marcoms heavyweight joins from T-Mobile International

Amazon: Kensington 33374 Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer $20

2008-09-13T16:32:00.013-07:00

Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom - full review

2008-09-13T16:32:00.011-07:00

Joby's Gorillapod SLR Zoom is designed for those who want the stability of a tripod, without the inconvenience of lugging one around. Like earlier Gorillapods, flexible jointed legs allow you to securely grab onto almost any object or surface from curved railings to tree branches. Once locked into place you can then comfortably take long or multiple exposures, along with self-timer shots. The big difference with the SLR Zoom Gorillapod is it can support weights up to 3kg, thereby accommodating semi-pro DSLRs, while remaining light and portable. Is it the perfect tripod for you? Find out in our Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom review. Read More

Nikon D90 SLR High ISO Full Size Image Samples Test

2008-09-13T16:32:00.009-07:00

Nikon D90 SLR High ISO Full Size Image Samples Test
We have just posted a small image gallery from the 12.3MP Nikon D90 with the Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR zoom lens. The images are taken at ISO settings from 1600-6400 ISO. Original unedited images are available for download (JPEG FINE). Please note as of today Capture NX2 has not been updated to read the Nikon D90 digital SLR EXIF data properly. To see the correct EXIF data it seems that Apple Aperture and Adobe Bridge version CS3 will display the correct EXIF data. See our Nikon D90 image samples...

Sony Kdl 46X3500 Tv

2008-09-13T16:32:00.007-07:00

Sony Kdl 46X3500 Tv
The Sony KDL46X3500 Full HD LCD TV is one of Sonys latest releases of High Definition glory. With 1080p,

Windows XP and Explorer - Toggle Caching Thumbnails And Creating Thumbs.db Files

2008-09-13T16:32:00.005-07:00

Windows XP and Explorer - Toggle Caching Thumbnails And Creating Thumbs.db Files
Toggle whether or not you want Windows XP caching thumbnails for pictures inside Explorer folders, creating thumbs.db files in the process. ...

Exclusive Nikon D300 Test and Sample Images Just Posted

2008-09-13T16:32:00.003-07:00

Sony Outlet: Extra 10% off outlet + free shipping

2008-09-13T16:32:00.001-07:00

Sony Outlet: Extra 10% off outlet + free shipping

Apple announces iTunes 8, new and revammped iPod line, and 2.1 software update.

2008-09-13T03:58:00.019-07:00

It's been about a year since Apples last iPod announcements, and since various fan boy YouTube users have flooded the popular video sharing site with speculations and other un-just nonsense. Hopefully now we can give our eyes and mind a rest from most conscious, speculation-causing, thought as, yes, Apple has spoken!

Earlier today, at the Let's Rock media event, a new 4th generation iPod nano was announced. Yes, it look far more like the old 2nd gen than the 3rd, but it now sports a nice wide screen display and, finally, an accelerometer. Making this the second iPod (not including iPhone) to have one. No word yet to how accurate it is, or how many there are in it, but I’m sure that iPhone (and iPod touch) will remain superior in that regard.

Another, less heard of announcement was the introduction of a redesigned iPod touch. It still has the same stuff on the inside, but now boast’s dedicated volume up/down buttons and a loud speaker, much like those on the iPhone. The casing has also been modified slightly, now sharing the same tapered edges as the iPhone 3G.
Further on the line of new iPods, Apple has now ditched the 80 160GB classic models, replacing them with but one 120gb model at the same price as the 80.

The last thing I’m going to mention here is that the 2.1 iPhone software update now has a release date. Yes, i'm sure many of you were a bit worried that we'd have to sit through another eight updates to get from 2.0.2 to 2.1. But rest assured that the 2.1 update will be released this Friday!
At this time, Apple has not ye posted a list of all the fixes, but for now we can expect, at least, improved battery life, less dropped calls and, of course, the usual performance tweaks.

(iTunes 8 was also released, however I am short of time and there isn't much worth mentioning)

HP Home: HP Pavilion dv4t series laptop P7350 14.1in 2GB 250GB DL DVD+-RW $700 shipped

2008-09-13T03:58:00.017-07:00

HP Home: HP Pavilion dv4t series laptop P7350 14.1in 2GB 250GB DL DVD+-RW $700 shipped

DealWatch - September 10, 2008

2008-09-13T03:58:00.015-07:00

Canon PowerShot SX110 IS - $300
Nikon D80 - $900
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W150 - $230
Nikon Coolpix S210 - $160

Pet photography course

2008-09-13T03:58:00.013-07:00

Pet photography course
There�s more to great animal portraits than a bit of bribery with a pocket full of Bonios. So the team at Contemporary Photographic Training (CPT) has launched a brand new course to help you take stunning images of Man�s Best Friend.

Photobox

2008-09-13T03:58:00.011-07:00

Marcoms heavyweight joins from T-Mobile International Read More

Dell Home: XPS M1330 laptop T5850 13.3in LED 3GB 250GB WWAN $1099 shipped

2008-09-13T03:58:00.009-07:00

Dell Home: XPS M1330 laptop T5850 13.3in LED 3GB 250GB WWAN $1099 shipped

Buying a Digital Camera - Work the Controls Before Buying

2008-09-13T03:58:00.007-07:00

Buying a Digital Camera - Work the Controls Before Buying
Comparing digital cameras to buy? Familiarize yourself with the controls before making a decision.

Sandisk Extreme III CompactFlash 32Gb

2008-09-13T03:58:00.005-07:00

Whopping capacity and increased performance make new card ideal for use in professional video Cameras. Read More

R.I.P. Tim Ryan

2008-09-13T03:58:00.003-07:00

R.I.P. Tim Ryan
I remember the first time I was introduced to Tim. I think it was his smile that made the memory stick.

Tim was bright, and he was one of the orignal hackers. He cut his teeth on the BBC micro-computer. I learnt that he wrote a text editor for that computer which he sold world-wide.

When DOS was still King, I spent a period of my life doing nothing but programming. My dream was to be a game programmer, and so I learnt C and Intel assembler. I sat up though the early hours of most nights writing and debugging code. I had to force myself to eat. I would go out for the occassional run to stay fit, and in my head I was still solving problems. I normaly couldn't wait to get back in front of the computer so I could try out my new ideas. Turbo debugger was my best friend.

I remember very proudly showing Tim a demo of my first (and only) game. It was a 2-dimensional vertical scrolling shootem-up that I called Zaquinox. I did everything for this game: I wrote the Music; did the Art; Designed the levels (and the level editor) and one day I smuggled a copy of the game into work; installed it on my PC, and showed it to Tim. It meant a great deal to me, because everyone knew Tim was a great software engineer -and now Tim knew that I was too. There was nothing to prove anymore.

So the years went by and we worked for the same companies, but often at different times, and I saw him briefly a month or so ago (on the Plimmer steps). He seemed happy, if pre-occupied. He still had the same warm smile.

But behind the smile I did not know he had suffered depression all his life -and so it was a shock when I learned he had taken his life. His funeral was today, and I learnt alot about Tim that I did not know before. the most important thing I learnt is that a lot of people loved him.

I always saw something of myself in Tim, he was a friend, the heavy heart tells me so. There was an odd, if loose connection. The last of them being that he grew up in Wainui, the same place I chose to call home. This is me saying goodbye Tim, but I'll remember you often -I'll remember your smile.

Windows Vista - Start Menu - Taskbar - Toolbars - Stop Hiding Inactive Icons

2008-09-13T03:58:00.001-07:00

Keep Windows Vista from hiding icons in the Taskbar notification area. Read More

Dell Home: Inspiron 13 13.3in notebook T5850 3GB 320GB DVD+-RW $849 shipped + $50GC

2008-09-13T03:52:00.019-07:00

Dell Home: Inspiron 13 13.3in notebook T5850 3GB 320GB DVD+-RW $849 shipped + $50GC

Ultimate Ears super.fi 5

2008-09-13T03:52:00.017-07:00

Recently purchased by computer peripherals giant Logitech, Ultimate Ears has been at the forefront of the in-ear headphone revolution for years, especially with their forays in to earbuds with 2, 3, and 4 microspeakers per bud. The super.fi 5 -- not to be confused with the super.fi 5 Pro or EB models -- fills a gap in UE's lineup between the super.fi 4 and the 5 Pro, hitting the $170 price point. For an extra $20, you can get the super.fi 5vi, which has an inline module that sends/ends calls and controls music and video on some cell phones, including the iPhone.

Read | Permalink | User Reviews | Linking Blogs

Three hundred & Sixty Funtime

2008-09-13T03:52:00.015-07:00

Three hundred & Sixty Funtime

Pic from Splitreason.com

I just read this article over at Venture Beat, and I must say it paints a pretty bleak picture of the XBOX 360 design process. To sum it up, Microsoft cut too many corners, rushed the thing to market and at launch had a failure rate of 68%!!! Yes more 360's were made that just didn't work than actually did - and they just kept on shippin' them.

Fast forward 2 years and after enjoying over a year of flawless play on my flatmates beige model, I finally brought a 360 Elite - I was willing to spend a little more on the Elite as I wanted HDMI, a black case and theoretically a newer design that would be quieter/more reliable. Fat Chance on that last one. My Elite last 2 weeks until its first crash and then only 2 weeks later it died completely. So for my $800 I got to enjoy 2 weeks of play, 2 weeks of on and off play and then 3 weeks of waiting. Add the cost of me shipping it to an AKL Airport based address, not a big cost but seriously - I had to pay for something that was not my doing. Interestingly I found it was shipped to Sydney for 'repair'. For that I got a free month of Live Gold - whoppee.

Since the repair I've had no issues thankfully but the more I think about it the more I've gone off Microsoft's console. I'm not rushing out to buy games and theres no way I'm spending $80 a year for Live Gold. Infact I was ever slightly pissed that I couldn't download the Force Unleashed demo when it came out and instead have to wait a week to get it - which is a Gold 'feature'.

Things that are good about my 360 -
It's Black (is this even a feature??)
The controllers are the best weight/layout.

Things that REALLY suck -
Noise from DVD drive
Reliability
Lack of support of true DLNA uPnP - which makes DIVX support more of a gimmick than a usable feature.
Noise from DVD Drive (seriously it's that noisy).

Windows Vista - Mouse - Change Settings Related to the Mouse

2008-09-13T03:52:00.013-07:00

Windows Vista - Mouse - Change Settings Related to the Mouse
Access the Mouse Properties to change mouse-related behavior on your Windows Vista system. ...

Status update: where am I?

2008-09-13T03:52:00.011-07:00

Status update: where am I?
G'day Everybody,

I've been very quiet lately and there is a reason of course.
In June I had to relocate from NZ to Australia temporarily. I knew this for quite long time, but at the end everything happened very quick: they came, they packed everything and put it into a container then the next thing I remember we are already in Sydney. :) Our stuff arrived just 3 weeks after.

And now we are here, settled in slowly.
I am very busy in my work therefore I have not much time for blogging or checking the Forum, but I will keep going back sometimes.
I miss this community here. :)

Cheers,
Pete

The ACTA submissions to the New Zealand MED

2008-09-13T03:52:00.009-07:00

The ACTA submissions to the New Zealand MED
The Ministry of Economic Development has made public the submissions received in response to the ACTA.

You find the submissions in HTML here or PDF here.

Which groups submitted comments?

NZFACT: New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft, Distilled Spirits Association of New Zealand (DSANZ), New Zealand Retailers Association, InternetNZ, Google Australia Pty Ltd, New Zealand Institute of Patent Attorneys Inc., Trade Me, Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association of New Zealand Inc. (CTFA), Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), and New Zealand Open Source Society.

Worth a read.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 with 15x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD

2008-09-13T03:52:00.007-07:00

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 with 15x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD
Sony Canada today announced the latest addition to its high-zoom camera line, the 9.1-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-H50 digital camera. This new model (which is a successor to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9) incorporates a 15x optical zoom lens with Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization to capture action at a distance. The Sony DSC-H50 also features extensive manual controls, including an exposure bracketing mode that newly includes settings for white balance and color modes. See full story...

Tim McKenna

2008-09-13T03:52:00.005-07:00

Tim McKenna
Action Sports Photographer Tim McKenna teams up with Outdoor-Archiv

Windows XP and DOS - Printer Driver Information

2008-09-13T03:52:00.003-07:00

For diagnostic purposes, display detailed information about currently installed printers on a Windows XP system on the DOS command line. Read More

Nikon D90, Canon EOS 50D, D300 and D80 Compared Side by Side

2008-09-13T03:52:00.001-07:00

Nikon D90, Canon EOS 50D, D300 and D80 Compared Side by Side
With the announcement of the new 15.1 MP Canon EOS 50D and the 12.3 Nikon D90 enthusiast digital SLR cameras coming on almost the same day, there is certainly a lot of excitement (and debate) happening among photographers within the Canon and Nikon communities. We have just posted a side by side comparison overview between the Nikon D90, Canon EOS 50D, and the D300 and D80 and highlighted the major differences in order to hopefully help make the buying decision process a little easier. See full story...