How OS Fanboys See the World
As a life-long Windows user, with a smattering of System 9 and OS X experience, the following table is so true:
For those who can’t get the symbolism presented (or for those who see the world with their five other senses, and thus need text for their parser to interpret) here’s a boring text-only version:
| Linux | Windows | Mac | As seen by… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boring plain vanilla workstation | Blue Screen of Death | Awesome multi-display workstation | Mac Fanboys |
| Hard-to-understand terminal | Awesome multi-display workstation | A toy for kids, with limited capability | Windows Fanboys |
| A laptop that’s literally the center of the universe | Microsoft screwing Windows users over | Steve Jobs holding up a wad of cash | Linux Fanboys |
What do you think? Is this OS fanboyism table true or false for you? Credit to Geeks are Sexy!
Post from: The Gadget Blog
Sony WX1 Review
I was very happy to be selected part of Sony’s WX1 Panoramic photo contest. For a quick recap, a select group of people took a bunch of panoramic shots, people vote on the best picture and Sony will give 10 WX1 cameras to a school of the winners choice. It’s a great way of promoting what is easily this camera’s greatest feature, the sweep panorama shot. My initial impressions were the camera was very user friendly out of the box, thanks to a great user interface. The smaller than average camera (90.5mm x 51.8mm x 19.8mm ), weighs 5.3oz and packs a lot of power under it’s black frame.
Main Features:
Panoramic shots
I love the Sweep Panorama Mode. In Sony’s words, “it reaches beyond the traditional wide angle lenses to let you capture expansive, breathtaking shots of landscapes or skyscrapers.” One thing is for sure, they are not lying. You literally just press the shutter and shoot the scene with a sweeping motion. I found it took a couple of shoots to get the hang of it. I found the key was to use a smooth motion and pace yourself as you are moving by following the arrow and box on the screen. Too slow, and you risk cutting off a portion of the scene and too fast the pictures looks like crap. I seemed to find the right speed after 3 shots.
Low lighting
The camera worked very well in low lighting, thanks to the back-illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor which increases sensitivity by 2x to reduce noise improving low-light performance.
Burst mode
Is another cool feature of this camera if you want to take action shots. You can shoot 10 images in one second at up to 10.2 megapixel resolution through the mechanical shutter. It is easy to access and turn on since the button is located next to the shutter button.
HD recording
You can record in 720p high-definition MPEG4 recording format. I used it a couple of times and found the quality of the recording to be equal to my Flip video Mino HD. Having a photo camera that records in video clips in HD is a very nice touch. You can record up to 29 min (or up to 2GB) per movie in 720p format.
Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion
This camera was easy to use and packed tons of useful features. It’s an excellent choice for a serious shutter bug who is looking for an advanced point and shoot camera that fits nicely in their pocket.
Links:
Amazon customer reviews
Sony WX1 Features
Sony WX1 Specs
Sony WX1 Flickr Pool
Lockface USB Drive Uses Your Ugly Mug For Security
If you have trouble remembering passwords, then fingerprint/facial recognition technology can be an effective way to keep access to your valuable data. The Lockface system works through the use of a webcam (no webcam and your out of luck) to match with a stored image of your face with 98% accuracy. I am not sure what happens the other 2% of times, but that is probably secure enough for people that aren’t storing state secrets.
Price: $120 (as of now it is only available for people living in Japan) [Crunchgear]
Link Love: December 6th through December 16th
Interesting links for December 6th through December 16th:
- ABC of Branding – Beautiful poster with embossed logos (or just the first letter) of brands. Some of them are so pretty and recognizable!
- The Geek Map – Ooh, a mind map of geek culture!
- These Pictures Will Melt Your Mind – Hehe, yes these pictures will melt your mind
- Countryside Church Building Converted into Luxury Home – Pretty!
- My Twitter quiz hell – Ooh, I want to go to this type of pub quiz!
- Orange/Blue Contrast in Movie Posters – After the Floating Head syndrome and the Trajan lettertype overkill, now another trend has been discovered in movie posters.
- Millennium Predictions That Got Things Right – and Those That Didn’t – Interesting article looking back at predictions made around 2000 about the future.
Related posts:
- Link Love: August 10th through August 16th
- Links of The Day: December 4th through December 18th
- Link Love: May 13th through May 14th
Trailerrific: Robin Hood
When I first heard that Ridley Scott would be doing a Robin Hood movie with a twist, I thought it would be awesome. Around that time the main plot was reported to be much different though and it was an interesting take on a well-known story. I’m not sure how much of that original twist is still in that movie, but none of the descriptions seem to mention it at all. It’s just another Robin Hood movie.
Now maybe that’s just because the twist is actually meant as a shock surprise twist ending that you don’t find out about until halfway (or something like that), which if that is the case would make the film awesome. Seeing this trailer though just makes me think: Gladiator in medieval times. Russell Crowe plays Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett plays Maid Marian.
Related posts:
Micro S’mores Brings S’mores Out Of The Stone Age
By Evan Ackerman
S’mores: they’re the most efficient way of getting chocolate and marshmallow and graham crackers into your mouth. And I’m all for efficiency (and chocolate and marshmallows and graham crackers). The issue with s’mores, though, is that making them relies on obsolete technology: fire. And fire is obsolete for a reason… I mean, who really wants to be outside, where it rains, next to a fire that makes you too hot on one side and too cold on the other and leaves everything smelling like smoke and risks getting out of control and incinerating you and all your friends and burning down the forest and contributing to global warming and making baby seals cry? Is your s’more really worth that? The tears of baby seals? Of COURSE not. Plus, there’s like mosquitoes and stuff. I mean, come on. We’ve made progress, people. We’re indoors now and we’ve got microwaves.
The Micro S’mores machine uses “core fusion technology” (which I think is the same stuff that they use in quantum computers and the large hadron collider) to not only keep your s’more components properly positioned in the microwave, but also provide enough downward pressure to ensure that everything sticks together and melts evenly, all in just ten seconds:
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “core fusion technology? I can’t possibly afford that!” But don’t worry, in a noble gesture of goodwill towards humanity Micro S’mores have been made available for only $20 for a set of two. Order them here.
[ Micro S'mores ] VIA [ Geekologie ]
New Four Thirds Camera From Panasonic?
Is Panasonic lining up a new Four Thirds (not Micro Four Thirds) DSLR camera to be released sometime soon? From the patent application, you can see that it will have live view mode, along with the traditional optical viewfinder. Other specs include a CMOS sensor, surprisingly no video recording, and a vibration reduction feature. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the Four Thirds standard retains a mirror arrangement and interchangeable lenses, but the size of image sensor and camera body can be much smaller than your normal DSLR cameras. There isn’t any pricing or release date revealed just yet, but perhaps Panasonic will be sharing more information on it at CES 2010. Remember to follow our coverage of the event!
Permalink: New Four Thirds Camera From Panasonic? from Ubergizmo | Hot: Nokia Booklet 3G Review
Games on Demand Hits Windows LIVE
PC gamers who have been drooling over Xbox gamers who could access Games on Demand to purchase easily will now have something to smile about. Microsoft has decided to provide a similar service for PC users in the form of a new service called Games for Windows LIVE. The client that is needed to access the games will be offered for free, and the games line up does seem rather comprehensive, as it includes titles like Fallout 3, DiRT 2, Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, Battlestations Pacific, FUEL, Viva Pinata, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Shadowrun, Section 8, Juiced 2, and Red Faction: Guerrilla. Do you think that this will make your PC a more desirable gaming platform instead of the Xbox, or do you still favor the Xbox? Let us know your thoughts on it in the comments section.
Permalink: Games on Demand Hits Windows LIVE from Ubergizmo | Hot: Nokia Booklet 3G Review
Company Suing Over Activation Patent
A quick face-to-palm worthy moment: The Register reports on a company suing Apple, Microsoft, and other big operators like Sony for infringing on their patent—or the “standard activation software used by a vast array of software”.
Consider this your monthly dose of patent trolls (BetaNet LLC in this case) seeking to profit off the hard work of others.
Post from: The Gadget Blog
Barnes & Noble Nook Hacked Into Web Tablet
A development that will surely worry Barnes & Noble execs at best, and force the book retailer to come out with a firmware/software update at “worst”, a group of developers have managed to turn the nook e-reader into a sub-$300 web tablet—with free 3G access via B&N’s network access.
The process, which predictably violates the nook’s warranty and user agreement, first involves removing the e-reader’s internally stored 2GB microSD card. The next step requires connecting this card to a PC running Linux or Unix, editing an initialization file, and simply replacing the word “disabled” with—you guessed it—”enabled”.
However, that’s not the end of this story. As Top Tech News reports, “Users of the modified device must also find a way to download web-surfing and security Relevant Products/Services software onto the machine, as well as make these applications accessible on the device’s existing user interface.” The full details are available from the NookDevs wiki.
Post from: The Gadget Blog