Three of the priests allegedly raped the SAME boy repeatedly. I believe there's a special place in hell for these men.
Three Philadelphia priests, teacher charged with sexually abusing boys – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Casio Exilim EX-H20G Review
At the 2011 CES, I saw the Casio EX-H20G camera, and really liked it. I've already got a few digital point-and-shoot cameras (three), and really don't need a new one. That being said, this one offered something that the others don't - GPS. It also is a 14-megapixel shooter that does 720p video. :)
It offers 10x optical zoom, whereas many other digital cameras will do 2x or 3x optical zoom and then "cheat" by using digital zoom for anything over that. It also has a 24mm wide-angle lens, so you can fit more into a shot without backing up - think group shots at restaurants.
I've been spoiled by the geotagging that automatically occurs when I take pictures with my iPhone. I like knowing precisely where a photo was taken, not having to put that information in when I upload the files to Flickr, or trying to remember that information later.
About 2 weeks ago, I got one as a birthday gift. Of course, I started playing with it almost immediately after the battery was fully charged - which was just a few short hours.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. It supports very high-capacity SDHC & SDXC cards, and I received a 32GB SDHC card with the gift. That means tons upon tons of pictures, and many hours of high-def video with just one card - great when traveling. I had read some reviews on Amazon that complained about the battery door popping open or feeling weak. I have no such complaints. It's actually better than two of my other cameras. Their battery doors are single tension - slide it on and it locks, but if you bump the door in just the right way, it will pop open accidentally. The battery door on the EX-H20G actually has a second sliding lock that keeps the battery/card access door locked in place. I suppose if I dropped the camera it might break, but under normal use it feels very solid.
In addition to the automatic geotagging, the camera offers a number of other cool features. First on my list is "Premium Auto". This takes longer between shots to process the picture, but produces quite good pictures for virtually any setting. Day or night, moving or still, macro or far, inanimate objects or even multiple face detection - "Premium Auto" will intelligently manage the settings for you. I'm lazy, so I like stuff like that. I don't know enough about ISOs, f-stops, white balance, etc to worry about those settings. This camera deals with it for me.
Although Windows Live Photo Gallery will automatically stitch together panoramas, it can also be convenient to be able to do it in-camera. The EX-H20G has a panorama mode that is surprisingly good. Once you've set it to panorama mode, all you have to do is hold the shutter down and rotate your body. You'll hear a satisfying rapid-fire clicking sound until you release the button. After just a few seconds of processing, you'll have a very nice panorama shot. Witness this shot of a friend's backyard, taken about on my first day with the EX-H20G:
About the panorama shots - the resolution of panoramas created with the EX-H20G are not as high-quality as those made with Windows Live Photo Gallery, but they're pre-cropped and each panel is color-balanced to the others, so there's no weird color variations in the same panorama.
Overall I'm very happy with this camera, and plan to either sell or give away at least two of my other three point-and-shoot cameras. I'd recommend it highly to anyone who wants a nice, flexible and easy to use point-and-shoot.
EDIT: looks like Engadget agrees with me. :)
It offers 10x optical zoom, whereas many other digital cameras will do 2x or 3x optical zoom and then "cheat" by using digital zoom for anything over that. It also has a 24mm wide-angle lens, so you can fit more into a shot without backing up - think group shots at restaurants.
I've been spoiled by the geotagging that automatically occurs when I take pictures with my iPhone. I like knowing precisely where a photo was taken, not having to put that information in when I upload the files to Flickr, or trying to remember that information later.
About 2 weeks ago, I got one as a birthday gift. Of course, I started playing with it almost immediately after the battery was fully charged - which was just a few short hours.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. It supports very high-capacity SDHC & SDXC cards, and I received a 32GB SDHC card with the gift. That means tons upon tons of pictures, and many hours of high-def video with just one card - great when traveling. I had read some reviews on Amazon that complained about the battery door popping open or feeling weak. I have no such complaints. It's actually better than two of my other cameras. Their battery doors are single tension - slide it on and it locks, but if you bump the door in just the right way, it will pop open accidentally. The battery door on the EX-H20G actually has a second sliding lock that keeps the battery/card access door locked in place. I suppose if I dropped the camera it might break, but under normal use it feels very solid.
In addition to the automatic geotagging, the camera offers a number of other cool features. First on my list is "Premium Auto". This takes longer between shots to process the picture, but produces quite good pictures for virtually any setting. Day or night, moving or still, macro or far, inanimate objects or even multiple face detection - "Premium Auto" will intelligently manage the settings for you. I'm lazy, so I like stuff like that. I don't know enough about ISOs, f-stops, white balance, etc to worry about those settings. This camera deals with it for me.
Although Windows Live Photo Gallery will automatically stitch together panoramas, it can also be convenient to be able to do it in-camera. The EX-H20G has a panorama mode that is surprisingly good. Once you've set it to panorama mode, all you have to do is hold the shutter down and rotate your body. You'll hear a satisfying rapid-fire clicking sound until you release the button. After just a few seconds of processing, you'll have a very nice panorama shot. Witness this shot of a friend's backyard, taken about on my first day with the EX-H20G:
 | ||
| More than 180° from left-to-right. Click to see full size. |
Overall I'm very happy with this camera, and plan to either sell or give away at least two of my other three point-and-shoot cameras. I'd recommend it highly to anyone who wants a nice, flexible and easy to use point-and-shoot.
EDIT: looks like Engadget agrees with me. :)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
CES 2011 - AT&T Failed
AT&T had ZERO presence at the 2011 CES.
Verizon had a GINORMOUS booth, with lots of devices to touch and play with.
Sprint had at least two, also with gadgets, including one outdoors with a DJ, 10 PlayStation 3's and freebies.
Also, my iPhone 4 had constant problems with data around the LV Convention Center during the show. Likely a problem with network congestion. Even if they didn't want to do a booth, they could have rolled up at least one of those mobile cell stations.
So me (and likely others) were using their iPhones, and getting poor data performance from AT&T. We're being courted by Verizon & Sprint, who have some admittedly nice phones. And where is AT&T? Nowhere.
AT&T - you failed. You should have had a booth at CES, and you should have done something to improve network performance around what is probably the biggest technology trade show in the United States, if not the world.
Verizon had a GINORMOUS booth, with lots of devices to touch and play with.
Sprint had at least two, also with gadgets, including one outdoors with a DJ, 10 PlayStation 3's and freebies.
Also, my iPhone 4 had constant problems with data around the LV Convention Center during the show. Likely a problem with network congestion. Even if they didn't want to do a booth, they could have rolled up at least one of those mobile cell stations.
So me (and likely others) were using their iPhones, and getting poor data performance from AT&T. We're being courted by Verizon & Sprint, who have some admittedly nice phones. And where is AT&T? Nowhere.
AT&T - you failed. You should have had a booth at CES, and you should have done something to improve network performance around what is probably the biggest technology trade show in the United States, if not the world.
CES 2011 - Tiffen wins award for CHEESIEST GIMMICK
At the CES today, I strolled by the the Tiffen booth. Tiffen makes the famous Steadicam system for motion picture production, and they also offer "consumerized" versions as well - even for iPhones.
The Tiffen rep told me that they would be having a raffle, and the prize was an iPod Nano. I don't need one, but I figured why not? The rep handed me a ticket and said I must be present to win, and that the drawing would occur at 2pm. It was around 1:30 or so, so I figured I'd browse other booths and come back.
I got back about 1:55 and noticed that there was a bit of a crowd, but not too much. I figured my chances were at least decent. The crowd began to build a bit, and after a few minutes, a woman's voice comes over the P.A.. She announces that Lady Gaga would be performing, and that after her performance, the drawing would occur. I was immediately suspicious, because Lady Gaga had already been at the CES for Polaroid - two years in a row.
She repeats the announcement that Lady Gaga would be performing - and she repeated the announcement multiple times. This causes a very large crowd to build. Many people pushed and shoved to get a closer spot. I looked behind me and it looked like there were at least 100 cameras or phones in the air hoping to catch a shot of the star. This was not a huge booth. The crowd overflowed into adjacent booths and walkways.
"Poker Face" begins playing over the speakers, and out comes what is clearly (at least to me) an impersonator lip-syncing. Some in the crowd realize it, many do not.
After the "performance", instead of letting the crowd in on the gag, the announcer carries the charade further. The drawing occurs and they have the winner pose for a picture with Lady Gaga. The rep tells the crowd that Lady Gaga will be available for pictures with the crowd. To my knowledge, they never told the crowd it was a fake.
Tiffen is a local (Glendale, CA) company that makes very fine, world-renowned products. They shouldn't even consider such lame antics. It reflects poorly on them and their company's goodwill.
The Tiffen rep told me that they would be having a raffle, and the prize was an iPod Nano. I don't need one, but I figured why not? The rep handed me a ticket and said I must be present to win, and that the drawing would occur at 2pm. It was around 1:30 or so, so I figured I'd browse other booths and come back.
I got back about 1:55 and noticed that there was a bit of a crowd, but not too much. I figured my chances were at least decent. The crowd began to build a bit, and after a few minutes, a woman's voice comes over the P.A.. She announces that Lady Gaga would be performing, and that after her performance, the drawing would occur. I was immediately suspicious, because Lady Gaga had already been at the CES for Polaroid - two years in a row.
She repeats the announcement that Lady Gaga would be performing - and she repeated the announcement multiple times. This causes a very large crowd to build. Many people pushed and shoved to get a closer spot. I looked behind me and it looked like there were at least 100 cameras or phones in the air hoping to catch a shot of the star. This was not a huge booth. The crowd overflowed into adjacent booths and walkways.
"Poker Face" begins playing over the speakers, and out comes what is clearly (at least to me) an impersonator lip-syncing. Some in the crowd realize it, many do not.
 |
| NOT Lady Gaga. Nice try, Tiffen. |
After the "performance", instead of letting the crowd in on the gag, the announcer carries the charade further. The drawing occurs and they have the winner pose for a picture with Lady Gaga. The rep tells the crowd that Lady Gaga will be available for pictures with the crowd. To my knowledge, they never told the crowd it was a fake.
Tiffen is a local (Glendale, CA) company that makes very fine, world-renowned products. They shouldn't even consider such lame antics. It reflects poorly on them and their company's goodwill.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Clever Christmas Gift
My step-mom's brother, Bruce (aka "Bubba") sent me a jar of "Bubba's Authentic Texas Wild Mustang Grape Jelly." Here is photographic evidence of his creativity, wit, and culinary skill:
 |
| The Jar of Jelly |
 |
| The lid on the jar |
 |
| The Certificate of Authenticity |
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Furor over PayPal shutting out Wikileaks
Some people online are expressing outrage that PayPal has banned Wikileaks from receiving donations through the service. I say BFD. F wikileaks. They're putting people's lives at risk, and damaging diplomatic relations around the world.
Julian Assange is being praised as some sort of hero. He's not.
Julian Assange is being praised as some sort of hero. He's not.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
AVG Update causes Reboot Loop
I had a client call me and describe a situation in which AVG said it needed to reboot in order to install an update. He allowed it, and it continued to request a reboot. Endlessly. I walked him through system restore, and it seemed to work - then happened again about 20 minutes later. I told him I'd have to come out and look at it.
So I was about to go to sleep, and I hopped to my main computer to synchronize my Outlook with MobileMe one last time for the day. I wiggle the mouse and login, and the first thing I saw was an AVG prompt requesting a restart. I allowed it, and sat there waiting for the system to start up again.
Instead of my desktop, I was greeted with a "Startup Repair" window. :( I tried to use System Restore, and for whatever reason, IT CRASHED. This was not good.
I went over to one of my other machines, and discovered that other people have experienced the same issue. After some digging, I found this method to repair the problem:
1. Using Startup Repair, invoke a Command Prompt.
2. Navigate to "C:\Program Files (X86)\AVG\AVG10"
3. Type "rename *.exe *.bak" and hit ENTER
4. Type exit
5. Exit Startup Repair
6. Windows will begin rebooting, and eventually present a screen offering two choices - "Startup Repair" or "Start Normally". Choose START NORMALLY.
7. Windows *should* boot normally, with one important difference. AVG isn't running.
8. Go to the control panel and uninstall AVG.
9. Once AVG is uninstalled, the system will need to reboot again.
10. As Windows starts up, AVG will launch a browser window requesting a short survey as to why you uninstalled it. Let them know what happened.
11. You can either reinstall AVG Free (it looks like the offending update has been pulled) or use another program, such as Microsoft Security Essentials.
12. I'm going to reinstall AVG free, as it's been a fine program for years. Every Anti-Virus program has had occasional problems with false positives, etc. I'll give them another chance. I ended up going with Microsoft Security Essentials, which to date has been great.
NO RESPONSIBILITY CAN BE ASSUMED IF THE ABOVE METHOD DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU, IF IT BORKS YOUR COMPUTER, OR IF YOU SUDDENLY HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS. GOOD LUCK
So I was about to go to sleep, and I hopped to my main computer to synchronize my Outlook with MobileMe one last time for the day. I wiggle the mouse and login, and the first thing I saw was an AVG prompt requesting a restart. I allowed it, and sat there waiting for the system to start up again.
Instead of my desktop, I was greeted with a "Startup Repair" window. :( I tried to use System Restore, and for whatever reason, IT CRASHED. This was not good.
I went over to one of my other machines, and discovered that other people have experienced the same issue. After some digging, I found this method to repair the problem:
1. Using Startup Repair, invoke a Command Prompt.
2. Navigate to "C:\Program Files (X86)\AVG\AVG10"
3. Type "rename *.exe *.bak" and hit ENTER
4. Type exit
5. Exit Startup Repair
6. Windows will begin rebooting, and eventually present a screen offering two choices - "Startup Repair" or "Start Normally". Choose START NORMALLY.
7. Windows *should* boot normally, with one important difference. AVG isn't running.
8. Go to the control panel and uninstall AVG.
9. Once AVG is uninstalled, the system will need to reboot again.
10. As Windows starts up, AVG will launch a browser window requesting a short survey as to why you uninstalled it. Let them know what happened.
11. You can either reinstall AVG Free (it looks like the offending update has been pulled) or use another program, such as Microsoft Security Essentials.
12.
NO RESPONSIBILITY CAN BE ASSUMED IF THE ABOVE METHOD DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU, IF IT BORKS YOUR COMPUTER, OR IF YOU SUDDENLY HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS. GOOD LUCK
Sunday, November 21, 2010
My Review - FLYNN'S ARCADE T-Shirt
Cool shirt - GLOWS IN THE DARK!
By badtzmartin from Burbank, CA on 11/21/2010
Fit: Feels true to sizeLength: Feels true to length
Pros: Stylish
Describe Yourself: Casual
I've seen knockoffs of this design. This is NOT a knockoff. It's officially licensed and great!
(legalese)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Dukes of Hazzard filming locations, then & now
Some people like to find the real-life locations where their favorite Movies & TV Shows were filmed.
This guy makes an art form of it:
http://users.telenet.be/roadmaster/dukesofhazzard_locations.htm
This guy makes an art form of it:
http://users.telenet.be/roadmaster/dukesofhazzard_locations.htm
Friday, October 22, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)