Just got a new lens - Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM - which I’ve been wanting since I got my Digital Rebel XT in December.
Pictures to come as I figure it out. This is supposed to be an awesome camera for portaits as well as for macro shooting. Whee!
I’m at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) all week this week. Most of the conference is under NDA, so I can’t comment on any of the later sessions that happen.
The keynote, as usual, was excellent. The Mac Pro was definitely not a surprise to anyone, nor was the Xeon Xserve. Both of these bring Apple’s transition to Intel to completion.
Steve and other Apple execs went through 10 exciting features of Leopard, but kept some others close to the vest. They also handed out Leopard Preview DVDs to all attendees, both for the client and server OS.
For much more eloquent coverage of WWDC, check out Tom Yager’s Enterprise Mac blog.
In a recent post to the Dilbert Blog, Scott Adams brings up a little bit of hope for those of us depressed by the current administration.
My favorite conspiracy theory is the one that says the world is being run by a handful of ultra-rich capitalists, and that our elected governments are mere puppets. I sure hope it’s true. Otherwise my survival depends on hordes of clueless goobers electing competent leaders. That’s about as likely as a dog pissing the Mona Lisa into a snow bank.
The only way I can get to sleep at night is by imagining a secret cabal of highly competent puppetmasters who are handling the important decisions while our elected politicians debate flag burning and the definition of marriage.
It’s the only explanation for how the governments of the world could be staffed with morons and yet everything still runs okay, sort of. Granted, things aren’t perfect, but when you hear our leaders talk, you have to wonder why our energy policy doesn’t involve burning asbestos on playgrounds. There must be some competent people pulling the strings behind the curtain, adjusting the money supply, twiddling with interest rates, choosing the winners for American Idol, and that sort of thing.
Long live the secret cabal! It’s gotta be better than what we are told is really going on in gubmint!
Looking for info on IE7? Here’s a site with all the info you really need:
Version 2.1 of Flip4Mac is out, with Universal binary support. Flip4Mac allows Quicktime to play WMV and other Windows Media files, both in the standalone app and inside of browsers.
Get it now: Flip4Mac 2.1.033
This definitely should have been an option from the beginning. I love my Mighty Mouse, but having a Bluetooth keyboard is a bit pointless without a mouse to go with.
I’ve tried a number of BT mice, and one glaring missing feature of most of them is a simple power switch. The only mouse I’ve found that includes one is the Macally BTmicro, but that is a tiny little mouse which is not comfortable to use for an extended period. Without an easy way to turn the mouse off, it is useless as a toss-it-in-my bag accessory. Fortunately Apple thought of this and included a power switch, just like on their Bluetooth keyboards:
The newly released preview version of Skype (1.5.0.47) finally brings video capabilities to Skype for OS X. Video calls can be made cross-platform with Windows users as well.
Want to test it out? Skype me: KevinRailsback
There’s hot, and then there’s damn hot. On Saturday, San Mateo had a high of 109º F, a record high. By way of comparison, Death Valley had a 106º temp.
CalISO Conserv-o-meter:
From BoingBoing:
Heat wave wreaks havoc on California electrical grid
Watch California’s electrical infrastructure melt in realtime on the internet! It’s triple-digitastically hot here in Los Angeles, and has been so without relief for weeks. Jim Graham says,California is facing rolling blackouts today [Ed note: AGAIN] as everyone returns to work from the blistering weekend. The California Independent Service Operator, which manages the state power grid, says people turning on “computers, coffee machines and fax machines” (what, no swamp coolers?) could potentially max out the available supply.
Monitor statewide power usage here. Of course, you’ll need electricity to do that. =)
Got the call today, our new 2006 Magnetic Gray Prius (package #6) has arrived!
After much consideration, configuration, and budget-wrangling we finally ordered our Prius yesterday. It’s really too bad they don’t offer a dark blue model. We ordered the new Magnetic Gray color, in package #6 (everything except the DVD/GPS nav system and leather) but the color won’t be available until May at the earliest. Waiting lists are running 10-12 weeks throughout the Bay Area anyway, so it won’t make much difference.
