Tracer

iTunes

2011-07-10T13:30:00.003-04:00

I've been busy making playlists on my iPod Touch. I don't really use this thing anymore but have a specific need for a music playback device that isn't my phone. I have to ask all the iTunes users, how the hell do you live with this software? It is single handedly the slowest and most cumbersome music management software I have ever used. I agree the the end iOS iTunes interface is nice for playback, but it just doesn't seem worth it.

It is incredibly slow. Granted, I'm using iTunes on a Windows PC, which means I have a non-native performance penalty already, but I'm using a Core i7 3Ghz Quad Core PC with 12GB of RAM. It's not exactly a slow machine!

My Music collection is 140GBs. Maybe a bit on the large size? Scrolling through albums requires waiting several seconds to have the screen draw the user interaction.

I have to manually add music acquired outside of the iTunes music store into iTunes. Most of my music doesn't come from iTunes as it's the most expensive music store online. I'm sorry, but I have a computer to avoid doing tasks that can be easily automated! I guess this isn't an issue if you only buy music via iTunes. Maybe I'm too cheap, but I refuse to pay CD prices for digital media. On a related note, there is no way in iTunes to see where the file that represents that song is.

I could go on but I have to get back to banging my head against the wall here.

Update: I can't transfer the two newest playlists I created due to "unknown error". Thanks iTunes.

Update2: Went back to editing. iTunes up and deleted one of my playlists. POS.

Update3: I chatted with some Mac users over lunch. Apparently my problem were:

I wasn't using a MAC
I don't allow iTunes to manage my music
I don't buy my music through iTunes

If I wanted to be locked into the Microsoft ecosystem of the 90s I'd be... oh wait...

Letter to Rob Ford: city infrastructure

2011-06-28T11:01:00.000-04:00

His Worship Rob Ford,
Mayor, City of Toronto,

I am writing you as a home owner and tax payer of the City of Toronto. I have lived in the Toronto area most of my life. I grew up in Etobicoke and Mississauga and now live in the Bloor and Ossington area. I have travelled and experienced getting around in many cities: Tokyo, Montreal, Warsaw, Prague, New York, San Francisco to name a few.

Toronto is falling further and further behind in how we move people in and out of the city. The reality, weather the City wishes to admit it or not is that cars, and the infrastructure that serves them is not the answer. As Toronto's population increases, traffic congestion will skyrocket. I work in Liberty Village and traffic congestion is getting out of control here. There are currently 5 new condos under construction, once completed it will be a giant slow moving parking lot. The solution is not to get rid of bike lanes, or street cars as there aren't any to get rid of. The solution is to get people to stop driving and into transit and alternative modes of transportation like cycling.

This is not a war on the car, this is reality. The removal of any cycling lanes in the city, sends the message that it's ok to get into your car and drive wherever you need to go. This will only increase traffic congestion. It is cars that cause traffic, not transit or bicycles.

Thank you for listening,
Paul Tichonczuk

I got a canned response very quickly:

Thank you for your email regarding the bike lanes on Jarvis Street. I appreciate hearing from you.

Toronto's economy loses billions of dollars every year from gridlock and traffic congestion. We need to make the situation better - not worse. The Jarvis Street bike lanes experiment has been a failure. Ninety-four percent of commuters now face longer commutes on Jarvis Street. Over 15,000 commuters each day are suffering from longer travel times, for the sake of 600 additional cyclists.

The City should remove the bike lanes as soon as possible and improve travel times for thousands of daily commuters. City staff have been directed to develop a low-cost plan to do so. Bike lanes were never intended to be installed on Jarvis Street. The original Environmental Assessment recommended against installing bike lanes - but City Council amended the report to approve bike lanes anyway.

As promised during the mayoral election, I am dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. Please feel free to contact my office again at any time.

Yours truly,

Mayor Rob Ford
City of Toronto

Google Nexus One long term thoughts

2011-03-24T20:00:00.001-04:00

I've had the Google Nexus One for some time now. The phone is now well over a year old and I still believe it's one of the best phones on the market. I'm currently on the latest (phone) release of Android, 2.3.3. This is as much a post about the phone as it is about Gingerbread, the latest Android.

When this phone came out, one of Google's main reasons for it was to push the envelope for Android phone design and quality. I believe they succeeded.

High quality build and feel
Fast 1Ghz Processor with Graphics Acceleration
High Resolution Multi Touch Capacitive Touch Screen
Noise cancelling microphone
Dedicated charging dock with zero effort docking

These were some of the features that made this phone stand out from the rest of the "not quite good enough" Android phones being released. The dedicated charging dock, with the accompanying phone pouch is a small but important one. First of all, the $5 pouch that came with the phone, in my opinion is better then the most expensive "case" I've seen. It does a better job of protecting the phone that most expensive cases, and it cleans the screen every time you take it out and put it in. The pouch is also a requirement if you sue the dock, as you can't have the phone in the case. The dock doesn't use the standard USB jack like the cheap ones do. It has three metal contacts and communicated over Bluetooth. When you dock it, the phone goes into Dock mode, a very nice and unique feature.

Now with the release of the Nexus S, a phone manufactured by Samsung and not HTC, things have changed.

No expandable memory, 16GB built in.
Plasticy build, though very light
Only 3G while all other phones released during this time where at least 3G+ if not 4G
Added Gyroscope and NFC as the only two really new features
Front facing camera for video chat

The only real reason to upgrade is the screen. Though the Nexus One had a an AMOLED Multi Touch screen, the Multi Touch was barely that. The Nexus S has a proper multi touch screen and Samsung's proprietary Super AMOLED screen which I will argue is one of the best on the market for any smart phone out right now.

The lack of expandable memory is a really head scratcher. I can't really see any reason for this other their maybe to have more lock down on the phone. Now with fast, 32GB MicroSD cards hitting the market, this seems really silly.

You lose the nice dock and noise cancelling mic as well.

So as I have recommended the Nexus S to many family members and friends with great success, I sit here happy with my Nexus One with very little urge to upgrade.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Gingerbread brings some very much needed improvements to Android. None of these are "features" as such, but under the hood improvements which were much needed and some that are just cool.

Graphics accelerated UI
Better application management, especially for phones with expandable storage
More consistent UI in both applications and the main OS
Darker UI to save battery life on OLED based screens

The most awesome closing animation, ever :)

There is more, but those are the ones you notice. The graphically accelerated UI is the biggest. If you've ever used an IOS device or the new Windows 7 phones, you know how the user interface just flows very smoothly under your fingers. Android just never felt that smooth and responsive, until now. It's subtle, but makes for a much more pleasing user experience.

The bad

With 2.3, I was a bit disappointed with the amount of bugs that were introduced, and with how some of the above features didn't go far enough. The Nexus One has a dedicated car dock, which when inserted goes into car mode. I don't have the dock but I can manually put the phone into car mode. This has car dedicated features and removes distractions. When in the navigation app in car mode, the phone looses GPS at first launch. You have to back out and re-launch. Another minor annoyance is the mislabeled buttons in the USB mass storage mode.

The biggest disappointment with 2.3 was the lack of UI improvements. Yes, the hardware acceleration was very important and welcome, it should have been there from the start. That and though an effort was made for UI consistency, it's not nearly as polished as it's competitors. Things like the improved application management, though again, welcome, is now more cluttered and confusing than it should be. Most importantly, the Nexus One specifically, only came with 512MB of internal storage. This shouldn't be a problem as I have a 16GB microSD card in the phone. Sadly, due to the way Android Applications work, not all downloaded apps can be stored on the microSD card, leaving very little space. A lot of modern Android phones come with 2-4GB of internal storage, combined with the expandable storage, this is more than enough.

Sticking Around

Overall though, I've been very happy with the Nexus One. So happy that I have no desire to upgrade. Google really did come out with one of the best phones at the time, and it's aged very well compared to it's competitors.

The UBB Deception

2011-03-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

Usage Based Billing, the big ISPs push for Wireless like profits.

2011-02-18T17:21:00.000-05:00

I've had several discussions recently about wireless carrier pricing. The more I thought about mobile pricing strategy, the more I realizes what UBB was really about.
Rogers and Bell are both making huge amounts of money off of their wireless cell phone businesses. In fact, Canadian wireless carriers have some of the highest profits in the world. Why is this? Partially because of lack of competition. Yes, there are three national carriers, Rogers, Bell and Telus. But Bell and Telus are joined at the hip (they share their network), leaving just Bellus against Rogers. Things are changing with the new entrants, but the core of their success is based on the business model that is prevalent in a lot of North American carriers.

Scarred into paying more

All the major North American carriers have a pricing model which is designed to discourage pay for what you use pricing. They all have packages with allotments of minutes and/or bytes of usage. If you go over what your package contains, you are charged obscene amounts in overage charges. These charges are designed to force you into a package which you may not ever come close to using, but will gladly have so you don't get that wonderful two, three or more times your regular bill overage charge. A lot of Americans overpay for cell phone usage as a result.

Changing the rules for Internet Access

So these large carriers in Canada are making money hand over fist in the wireless space. Now they want to bring those profits into their Internet business. So what better way than to put up a smoke screen claiming that bandwidth is getting more precious, just as it's getting cheaper elsewhere in the world? What's worse, is that wireless and land line infrastructure are very different. Wireless frequency allocation is actually a controlled, some might argue artificially scarce resource. Not so with land lines. The only thing scarce about them is that there are a handful of companies that own the last mile infrastructure, and they feel it's their's to overly restrict.

Bell's UBB pricing policy, which was being forced onto independent ISPs who lease the last mile access, had ridiculously low usage allotment, with the option to buy "usage insurance". If you think you are going to go over, buy these packages of extra usage and we won't charge you our crazy high overage rates. So instead of actually being billed for your usage, where if you used less, you'd save money and if you used more, it would cost you more, based on a reasonable markup, we have a situation that mirrors the wireless industry. High overage fees with higher usage packs. Soon we'll all be overpaying for our Internet access. Of course, it's actually worse for a lot of users, as no packs were offered to cover what some people used.

Rick Mercer get's UBB right in this funny video

2011-02-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

This video pretty much shows how ridiculous the usage based billing situation is getting. Our tubes are too clogged. We're all hogs that need to be punished. The CRTC and Bell Canada both need a good kick.

Bell and the CRTC

2011-02-03T19:46:00.002-05:00

There was a line in my post from the weekend which I removed on a friends recommendation. I'd like to talk about the idea in that sentence. Before I do though, I will point out as my friend rightfully did, that this is my opinion. I have no proof to back this up, only a chain of events that make it more clear in my mind.

Bell Canada doesn't want you using their Internet for anything that would harm their other sources of revenue. They don't want you using VOIP because that harms their existing telephone and long distance business. They don't want you using Netflix because then you're not using their satellite or IP TV services.

In a hearing over a year ago at the CRTC, on the traffic management practices that Bell uses to slow down your Internet connection, the CRTC asked Bell for proof of the congestion that required this. Bell complained that they couldn't provide this proof because how their Internet works was a trade secret. Eventually they were compelled to provide this proof and submitted a very lengthy document. This document was long and full of non-essential information. At the end of it all, it showed that there was a < 1% probability that at some point during a one year period a couple of their aggregation points were congested in their busiest locations in Toronto. Their proof was not very convincing if true. And most importantly, showed that an upgrade of a couple of their aggregation points would have solved the problem in the affected areas. Furthermore, the period we're talking about is from a time where usage caps were higher. What's even worse, is that Bell spent millions on improving their infrastructure, not to mitigate traffic congestion that they claim existed, but so they could offer IPTV through their Fibe service.

Bell actually wants you to beleive that it's more expensive to send 160GB over your internet connection then mail it.

The reality is that providing usage, which is not to be confused with the speed of the usage, is incredibly cheap and getting cheaper. Another large company, Telus will have you believe that things in Canada are great. However, a cursory glance will show that we pay more for less than almost any other developed country.

Of course Bell has many devisions, and I cannot believe that they they wouldn't try to maximize profits in all of them. They make no money of the content you consume on the Internet. That really doesn't sit well compared to all their other divisions.

The CRTC in their aforementioned traffic shaping ruling, told Bell that they should use economic incenetives to discourage heavy usage. And now here we are with UBB.

The CRTC, the government mouthpiece of Bell

If you listened to the Traffic shaping and UBB hearings at the CRTC, which are available live from the CRTC website, you can immediately tell that the CRTC only believes Bell. If you hear Rogers or Shaw or any of the 3rd party ISPs talk, they are met with scepticism and asked to prove all of their statements. When Bell speaks, their word is taken at face value or, in the rare occasion when proof is required, their proof can be week and still pass mustard.

Today, the Head of the CRTC stood in front of the commons and repeated exactly what Bell has been telling them over the last year.

There are a lot of things wrong with what is said in Konrad's speech. There are contradictions in terms of pricing and misinformation in terms of congestion. I'm too tired and angry to write them all out in detail. I will however point out this one bit from the end:
"We are convinced that Internet services are no different than other public utilities, and the vast majority of Internet users should not be asked to subsidize a small minority of heavy users. For us, it is a question of fundamental fairness. Let me restate: ordinary users should not be forced to subsidize heavy users."
That's right, the ISP model, that has worked successfully for over a decade, is unfair and must come to a stop! We must preserve those precious bits so they don't get all used up by the heavy users. It's unfair. Someone please fire this man as soon as possible. He doesn't understand what he is saying, can't hire someone who can explain it to him, or is being paid off by Bell. I cannot accept any other explanation for this stupidity.

Usage Based Billing raising the cost of Internet in Canada

2011-01-30T20:13:00.007-05:00

Internet pricing in Canada is about to get a whole lot different starting March 1st. And none of it's good. The general idea is that the days of competitive Internet pricing and service in Canada have come to an end. Bell Canada wants to charge you for everything you do on the Internet and force all other ISPs to do the same. The CRTC, a government body charged with representing the industry and consumer interests agrees. The real problem though is how it's being implemented, and what the cost to the end consumer will be.

How it currently works

Cable and Telephone Internet work slightly differently so I’m going to focus on what I am more familiar with, specifically Bell. Several years ago, the CRTC mandated that the large Telcos, whose network was largely built with government grants, lease their Internet service at a wholesale rate. A lot of people in Canada get their Internet from ISPs who lease a portion of these networks. These 3rd party ISPs are one of the major reasons that incumbent’s prices aren't higher than they already are. The portion of the Bell network being leased is mostly dedicated to the subscriber and is leased at a fixed rate. Remember those Bell ads flaunting how Bell Sympatico wasn't "shared"? That's not far from the truth. Once your connection gets to the Bell Head office, the traffic for the 3rd party ISP gets sent to that ISP. At this point the traffic is shared, and the responsibility of the 3rd party ISP. That ISP has to handle the overall network traffic of their install base and pay for all transit costs to the backbone of the internet. The more their install base uses, the more it costs the 3rd party ISP. Bell's wholesale rate is only a few dollars less then what you are being charged. Yet this small margin is enough to cover the 3rd party ISPs bandwidth costs. The wholesale rate is intended to cover Bell's capital investment plus profit. Their operating costs for the portion of their network is very small.

Net Neutrality and Traffic Shaping

Initially Bell offered unlimited Internet access, and then slowly started capping usage and slowing it down when you performed tasks on their network that they didn't like. Other incumbent Internet providers started doing the same not to long after. The 3rd party ISPs were not affected by this for years. As the incumbents continued raising prices, lowering caps and throttling people’s connections more and more, they saw more of their business move to 3rd party ISPs. So one day, without notice, Bell starts throttling the connections of the 3rd party ISPs. At this point the CRTC gets involved. The whole purpose of opening up the incumbents networks for competition was for choice of service and price. Now Bell was eliminating one of those points of differentiation. Bell successfully argued that the part of the network that converts the copper lines into the modern fibre network couldn't take the excessive usage it was seeing on the Internet. They needed to throttle users who used P2P and other applications as to maintain equal access to all the users in the area. Keep in mind that Bell throttles you regardless of the presence of congestion. Simply using applications which they deem inappropriate will drop your connection speed to something close to dial-up. Not only this, but when asked to show proof of this congestion, their own documents showed that congestion was possibly a problem on a fraction of a percent in a few nodes in downtown Toronto. The CRTC slapped Bell on the wrist for not informing the 3rd party ISPs with 30 days notice and told Bell they should use economic measures to discourage high usage and not traffic shaping.

Matching Speeds

On a slightly related but important point, the 3rd party ISPs went to the CRTC asking why they were stuck providing no more than 5Mb/s Internet access while Bell was offering up to 25Mb/s access at this point. Bell tried to argue that they shouldn't have to as the original ruling to share Internet access happened when they only had the ability to offer 5Mb/s service, so that's all they should have to share. On this the CRTC disagreed. They ordered Bell to propose wholesale rates. Bell delayed and then filed the UBB request.

Usage Based Billing

Instead of filing proposed rates for their faster speeds, Bell filed for a change to their wholesale structure. They wanted it moved from a flat rate to a usage based rate. They said they had to do this because of "bandwidth hogs". It took over a year, but the CRTC finally agreed.
Before I continue though, I want to talk about some fiction. In relation to metered Internet usage, I keep hearing the following two statements:

"Why should I have to pay for someone else's high usage?"

"You pay for how much electricity you use, why shouldn’t you have to pay for how much Internet you use?"

These two statements repeated over and over in comments and by some media are mostly misguided. I’ll try to outline why below.

Paying for Usage

So treating the Internet like a Utility doesn't make sense. You don't "use up" bits when you use the Internet. There is no well on the other side that's going dry. The reality of Internet infrastructure is that it's mostly high initial expenditure and then a much smaller operating cost. Most of that cost is support and the people needed to run the service. Neither of those things cost more or less based on how much you use. In addition to support, there is the price for transit the ISP pays to send traffic back and forth to the Internet backbone. However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a negligible piece of the final price you pay. I tried getting better figures for what this is but it's hard to pinpoint. It can be anywhere from 1 cent to 30 cents per GB. There is one other cost point which is related to usage, and that's congestion points. There are parts of the network that will choke up if too many people in that area use all of their available bandwidth at the same time. But again, a one-time upgrade of that area fixes the problem.

Lose Lose

What Bell Canada has proposed, and the CRTC has accepted goes far beyond simply paying for usage. I'd even be fine with paying for usage if when I used less, I'd pay less. But you are paying a high minimum price and getting penalized if you dare go over what Bell sets as a reasonable amount. If you don't use what you purchased, you lose. If you go over what you are allowed to use, you lose. The CRTC stated in their ruling that the price set by Bell are based on market forces. Except the only market is the Cable incumbent vs. the Telephone incumbent, because the CRTC just eliminated the rest of the competition. Furthermore, Bell goes through great effort to traffic shape your connection the moment you do anything it doesn't want you to do. What's even more astonishing is that Bell is also trying to force all other telephone and cable companies to charge the same rates to promote "fair competition". I'm really curious what Bell thinks competition means. It's not what we have in Canada now.

Paying for Nothing

The reality is that Bell does not want you using more than 25GBs/Month. You can blow through this allotment with 17 hours of Netflix usage or a single purchase on the Steam game store. So the rates approved by the CRTC do not just cover the costs of providing you the last mile of Internet, they make sure that Bell gets paid every time you watch TV or purchase someone else's product. The rates approved by the CRTC are based on an unregulated retail price - 15%, not cost + profit. The CRTC has effectively shut out any pricing competition that could have existed between the 3rd party ISPs and Bell. All Bell has to do is raise their own retail rates, give the 3rd party ISPs 30 days notice and then raise their "wholesale" rates. This means that even though their retail rates cover things like their backbone connection, support and advertising, they are now forcing 3rd party ISPs to cover those same costs. However, 3rd party ISPs already pay for their own support staff, advertising and backbone connection. Furthermore, Bell is now trying to convince the CRTC to impose that same pricing structure on Rogers and other incumbents. Their reasoning was "fairness".

It's all about profit

If you have any doubt about Bell's motives for this, look no further than "Bandwidth Insurance" and the difference between Ontario and Quebec. This is supposed to be all about curbing traffic, yet they are offering to their own customers, and now jamming down the throats of 3rd party customers insurance. You pay a bulk rate, much cheaper then the $1.80/GB they will otherwise charge. These will be offered in bunches of 40GB. Bell has learned well from their profitable mobile division. Charges users in large blocks, so that they are forced to buy more or risk paying much more.

In Quebec, you have one more incumbent than you do in Ontario. Because of this increased competition, the wholesale cap in Quebec is 60GB not 25.

So yes, big shock, Bell, a corporation only cares about profit. This would be fine, but when you have a monopoly on infrastructure, which was largely funded with tax dollars, it’s not fine. Canadians, who increasingly rely on the internet for their work and leisure, end up paying more for less over the long run. This also has a huge impact on innovation, as every new site or service now has a huge cost associated with it.

What does it mean for you?

It doesn't matter if you're with an incumbent ISP like Bell, or a 3rd party ISP, we will all be paying more for Internet access in the future. With very little competitive pressure, the incumbents will have very little reason not to raise prices regularly, continue throttling your Internet connection and lower caps more and more.

What can you do? Write your MP and tell them that it shouldn't be the responsibility of the CRTC, a government agency to increase Bell's profits and push back the Internet to last decade. If you're with an incumbent, switch to a 3rd party ISP. Give these companies as much support as possible. They've been fighting for real fairness in Canadian Internet access for years. At the bare minimum sign the petition at http://openmedia.ca/meter

Further reading:

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5611/125/

http://wordsbynowak.com/2011/01/26/metered-internet-a-colossal-regulatory-government-failure/

http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-44.htm

Feel free to post corrections. I've written most of this from memory and there could be factual errors.

Winter Cycling jacket Update

2010-10-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

So while trying to find a winter cycling jacket that would be good on and off the bike, I had a conversation with a very nice sales rep at Mountain Equipment Co-Op. He told me his vaforite jacket was one made by Axiom and that he got it at The Cyclepath on Danforth Ave. So I finally made my way over there today and I found the Axiom Stormfront.

This jacket is no longer made. In fact, I purchased their last one. It has all the features I was looking for except one.

Removable Hood
Stow away rear flap
front pockets
ventilation
adequate reflective striping
a nice colour (I got a slate blue)

The one thing I'm worried about, and cannot yet report on is it's breath-ability. It's a 2.5 layer HydroPEL Stretch material. Hopefully it's good enough though I would have prefered, and paid for Gore-Tex.

I'll make another blog post at a later time reviewing this jacket. Little good it will do most people looking for a similar jacket since Axiom no longer makes them.

I am not the Stig

2010-10-29T21:32:00.001-04:00

I am not the Stig
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

For those who don't know, my favorite TV show on the planet, is BBCs Top Gear. It's by far the best show in terms of entertainment. And yes, I do like cars. 60 Minutes in the US recently did a show on the show. Worth a look.

For halloween this year, I tried to dress up as "The Stig". The faceless tame race car driver that tests all the cars and does some funny mute bits here and there. Not 100% right, but that would have taken upwards of $3300 in gear :)

Winter Cycling jacket

2010-10-24T14:22:00.000-04:00

I'm on a quest for the ultimate winter cycling jacket. It's proving to be rather hard. I've decided for my own comfort, that the jacket has to be made out of gore-tex. It has to have reflective striping on the back for my own safety. I'd love for it to also not scream cycling jacket when I'm off the bike. A hood would be nice too.

I've tried the Gore Alp-X jacket. It's close, but too thin. It's a good spring/fall jacket for when it's wet.

The local standby, MEC offers the Derecho jacket. Sadly, no front hand pockets and only two very loud colours. It's also not made out of Gore-tex. Reviews say it performs as well as Gore-tex. The other problem is that there is no ETA for this jacket in stores. A standard MEC trait.

Mec also sells, but is out of stock of the Showers Pass Elite jacket. Reviews however point me to the previous jacket as a better buy.

The jacket I think I want is the Gore Cosmo. However, no dealer has one in the area, and ordering one means I have to keep it. Which is a hard sell considering the price.

My search continues.

My new One Million Dollar Tablet

2010-06-29T15:42:00.001-04:00

I went to see what the new Lenovo X201 Tablet is going for.
Apparently it's over 1 million! :)

Bycicle Drive System Comparison

2010-04-14T09:25:00.008-04:00

There are a few choices on how you can push yourself along on a bike these days. I'm going to quickly run these down with their pros and cons.

Traditional Chain

This is the traditional type of drive found on 99% of the bikes out there.
Pros:

Cheap with lots of competition
Parts are available anywhere
Every bike mechanic and probably a few of your friends know how to fix it

Cons:

Rain or Snow requires prompt cleaning and lubrication or rust will form
requires periodic calibration/alignment/tensioning or gears don't mesh/switch properly
Your pans/skirt need protection from the drive system or you get dirty/torn clothing.

Belt

Currently only provided by Gates Corp.. This is an old technology from cars being applied to bicycles in recent years. Trek, Norco and a few smaller bike manufacturers are selling bikes with this.
Pros:

Silent operation.
Almost zero maintenance required for any weather condition
Smooth feel
Less dirty as it doesn't required lubrication.

Cons:

Expensive relative to chain
Can only be used with a single cog front/rear
requires "broken triangle" frame so you can pass the belt through
requires internal geared hub if you want more then one speed, which adds to the cost and repair complexity
Few shops have experience and probably less have spare parts. That being said, it's easy to work on and more durable than a chain so not a large issue

Shaft Drive

This is the most exotic of the drive systems. Most commonly found on certain Biomega bikes.
Pros:

Sealed system against elements
Never have to worry about your pants/skirt getting dirty/caught.

Cons:

Very expensive. The highest cost of this list
requires internal geared hub if you want more then one speed, which adds to the cost and repair complexity
Can only be used with the frame it came in. This is not a standard
mechanical loss due to bevel gears
Huge issue if you have a flat while riding. Requires disassembly to change tires.
Maybe one shop per city knows what to do with it. Parts are special order
Heaviest of the types

Conclusion

I recently purchased a new bike. I chose a traditional driven bike due to price and maintainability. Yes, it requires more care and attention, but it's all stuff I know how to do. The bike was also under $1k which is not going to happen with the other drive systems. That being said, if money had not been a factor, I would have gone with the Norco Ceres belt drive bike.

New Computer

2010-03-20T17:57:00.004-04:00

So my trusty old desktop died shortly after moving into my new house.
While in Michigan on a shopping spree, I picked up the following:

Intel Core i7 930

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R

Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR3 RAM

I saved about $140 on buying this stuff in the US. Most of the savings are from the CPU.

System works great except for one big problem. I have to turn off all power management features on the CPU otherwise I hear a very annoying squeel coming from the motherboard. This is apparently a problem with certain power supplies plus this board. Hopefully this is an issue that will be resolved, maybe in a BIOS update. The reason I'm ticked is that this is NOT the board I wanted. I wanted the Asus P6T. Older board, but had all the features I wanted. This board has more features, like SATA3 and USB3. Which I guess will be nice for the future.

Overall it's nice to have a new computer after 4 years. My desktop was actually slower than my X200 Tablet. No longer the case.

AFOL A Blocumentary

2010-03-18T09:54:00.001-04:00

I'm an Adult Fan of Lego. I however, am nowhere near where these guys are:

AFOL A Blocumentary from AFOL on Vimeo.

48 Hours with the Google Nexus One in Canada

2010-03-16T15:52:00.003-04:00

I was fortunate enough to get a Google Nexus 1 for a couple of days. I used it as my primary phone using my Fido SIM card. This isn't going to be an exhaustive review. If you want one of those, there are plenty around. However, I thought I would put down my personal impressions of the phone and version 2 of the Android platform. That and my quest for a new phone.

First, some background. I own and use a Sony Ericsson Z710i "dumb phone" as my primary phone. It has hacked firmware installed on it to get around Rogers/Fido limitations. It may be a regular phone but as a phone and MP3 player, it has served me very well for the last 3 years. It also happens to have one of the best Bluetoth implementations of even the latest phones (ie. iPhone). I have been using Sony Ericsson's phones for over 8 years now and am very comfortable with their platform. I also use a 3rd generation Apple iPod touch. I have over time owned and or used several Windows mobile phones and PDAs and and the Nokia E71.

My initial experience with the Android platform was the HTC Dream/G1. The first phone commercially available running the Android platform. Let's just say I was not too impressed. This was also about the time I got my hands on a 2nd generation iPhone to try. Other then the keyboard, the Dream had nothing going for it. It was underpowered running a slow, rushed out the door OS. I dismissed it as a poor first attempt.

Since that time I have been on a quest to find a PDA type phone which was as responsive as the iPhone, but far less restrictive. Unrelated, I ended up with a 3rd gen iPod touch for development reasons. Having the touch convinced me that the iPhone was not the device I ultimately wanted. The reasons for me not getting an iPhone are:

Prefer physical keyboard

iTunes sucks. I'm sorry, it does. If you've used any other media manager you'd know this. (ie. Winamp)

Having to use software to move files back and forth to my "portable computer" is silly

All the truly useful applications and utilities only exist after you "jailbreak" the phone

No user replaceable battery

No memory card expansion

Poor, unreliable Bluetooth support

However, the iPhone/Touch have a few qualities, at least in the latest 3rd generation versions that have now also become a requirement for any phone that I buy:

Responsive touch interface

Instant feedback. AKA Zero lag

Build quality

This leads me to several days ago, where I got the chance to try out the Google Nexus One. Let me start off by saying that if your experience of Android was any of the first generation ones, forget them. This is what Google should have come out with a year ago. This is also a negative point. This should have been what they had out a year ago, and today's phone should be as polished and responsive as an iPhone. It's not, but that's not to say it's not as good. It's just different.

The positives of the Google Nexus 1:

The Google integration is scary good

The screen. Seriously beautiful. Four times the resolution of most smart phones including the iPhone

I can choose to use a media manager or just copy files over, your choice

The customizable home screens are very useful

There is a setting to allow non-authorized applications. This is how things should be

Auto Rotation works 100% of the time and is instant

Raw horsepower. Seriously, this thing is faster than the first few desktops I have owned

Size and weight are nice and it sits well in the hand

The multitasking works well with the right interface to support it

status bar is great and super useful, like the auto open wifi notification

The back button functionality is very very useful. Taking you back from app to app

Integrated Amazon MP3 Store sells DRM free MP3s, as things should be

GPS Integration works well

Excellent on screen keyboard implementation. The keyboard lists the possible words above the keyboard that show up as you're typing allowing you to quickly bash the one you want without having to finish typing it

It is possible to not be tied to Google here

Stereo Bluetooth implementation is the best I have used in a phone. Slightly edging out my 3 year old Sony phone, and trouncing the iPhone/iPod touch.

And the negatives:

The google integration is scary, google owns you here if you do end up using all their services.

How on earth does a 1Ghz phone have interface lag? How do you screw this up? It's minor but it's there in rare occasions

Yes, it has the best on screen keyboard I have ever used. It's still not as good as a Blackberry/Nokia E71 or Motorolla Milestone keyboard.

The Amazon MP3 store interface needs work

Voice quality was not as good as other phones I have used

Lacks Bluetooth HID support, though it is implemented in the driver stack so this is temporary

The bottom buttons are seriously borked. They should have been physical buttons. They work about 50% of the time. And 5% of the time you hit the home key when you want to be hitting space on the vertical keyboard

As of this posting, the Phone is now available in Canada on both the North American 3G Bands working on Rogers, Telus and Bell and the AWS Bands working on Wind Mobile and the soon to be out Mobilicity.

I did not test it's Edge Data performance on the Fido/Rogers network.
Took only one snapshot with it

I'm getting very close to finally upgrading my phone.

Apple iPad vs. HP TC 1100

2010-03-14T22:08:00.006-04:00

This would be funny if it wasn't so true. Of course 2003 Ghz aren't 2010 Ghz, one is running Windows XP Tablet Edition and the other a customized version of the iPhone OS and one cost 3-4 times as much during it's release as the other. The HP wins hands down though because it has Pen input. I don't want a portable entertainment device, I want a digital notepad. Too each there own though. I was actually really sad when HP discontinued this line of tablets. They had a good thing going. Several of my friends all had the same one. We all now have Leneovo ThinkPad Tablets, but they are too big and heavy.

Found on the random Internet.

Misleading Globe and Mail article about Canadian Broadband competitiveness

2010-03-07T10:37:00.007-05:00

Update: Great article in the Ottawa Citizen about Canadian broadband that pretty much trumps this blog post.

An article in the Globe and Mail this weekend talks about how Canadian broadband is actually competitive. This is in response to a report commissioned by the FCC from the Berkman Group on how poor Canada (and US) broadband is compared to the rest of the developed world. This article is complete garbage. I'll go over some of the most glaring errors:

1. No sources, anywhere for their completely made up "facts".
Correction: They list Akamai as a source for download speeds -- thanks Brian Jones

2. It talks about penetration rates being wrong because there are more members per house hold than in Europe, so more people use a line. Then later point out that North Americans are heavier users of broadband than in Europe. Those balance out nicely in my opinion.

3. "Advertised broadband speeds vary from actual speeds. In North America, this is largely a result of “network overhead,” and is quite modest. In Europe, however, the variation is often dramatic." Anyone who has used Internet in Canada knows that this is complete bullshit. My sources are sadly not that representative, but a quick trip to dslreports.com will show you that advertised speeds are most definetly not what you get.

4. "So it is that in Canada, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron all offer 50- or 100-Mbps services, while Novus (using its own fibre) offers 200 Mbps in Vancouver. Bell Aliant has rolled out an ambitious fibre deployment in parts of its territory. Bell Canada has offered fibre-to-the-node technology since 2005..." I'm not arguing with this fact, in that those speeds are possible for a select few, who are willing to pay over $100/month for their Internet. However, the usage limits imposed on these connections are ridiculous. How is the Internet supposed to advance in this country when you are limited to 60GB downloads per month? I can easily break 100GB on my 6Mb connection without even trying. Oh, I know, buy consuming your video (TV/ Movies) from the other services that Rogers, Bell and others are providing. Of course, what was I thinking.

5. "Where the Canadian picture looks less favourable, however, is in the mixed signals that the CRTC is still sending on prolonging and extending regulatory policies that may, at best, have made sense in the days when we could not see beyond the old copper-wire telephone network." And here we have the true purpose of this article. If this quote doesn't scream "This article is payed for by the large telco and cablecos" I don't know what does.

It's a shame that the Globe and Mail, a newspaper my household subscribes to, and one that usually has good, well balanced articles, would print what is obviously an advertisement from the companies that have the most to loose from real change and innovation in this country.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - RGM version

2010-03-02T15:53:00.001-05:00

Awesome video from OK Go. Not a huge fan of their music, but I love their music videos. For those who don't know, they've been fighting with their label to have the right to share their videos on the Internet.. I guess they made this one themselves. With help from Synn Labs, a group of Makers.

Nikon Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AI Repair and Rebuild

2010-01-14T21:43:00.013-05:00

I purchased a Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AI lens a while back off of eBay. The seller listed the item free of fungus, dust and oil. Sadly there was so much oil on the aperture blades that you couldn't close the aperture. The seller agreed to have it cleaned at his expense. One trip to Nikon Canada, $170 and 3 weeks of waiting and I had a clean lens. I'm not sure what Nikon Canada did, but the aperture blades showed signs of oil about a year and a half later. This time I was not willing to spend that much money myself, and have to wait that long.

First I found this great group on Yahoo for Nikon Lens Repair. Unfortunately there was nobody on the forum that had experience fixing my particular lens. Someone did manage to dig up this Chinese forum thread that has pages of different lenses with photos. Specifically there was a page with my lens on it about half way down. I had a friend translate the forum post for me as I cannot read Chinese :)

So I started on the quest to take my lens apart. I never really sat down to do it in one big go. It ended up taking months to even get to the aperture blades. So much for having it sooner than 3 weeks. Mostly unrelated to this, I've purchased a house with my fiancée and needed to clean, sort, organize and pack. Having this lens taken apart on my desk had to be remedied. I got determined, and armed with a few bad photos I had taken of the teardown and the Chinese forum post, I set out to rebuild the lens. I decided to detail it here for anyone who will need this info in the future. This is the build up, not tear down. Just follow it in reverse for taking it apart.

The tools used were the Wiha #26199 Slotted & Phillips Tool set. This is an excellent screwdriver set. You will need something similar in quality where the philips screwdriver tips are well made and will not strip the screws. The main screwdriver I needed that I was missing was a 1mm flat head (slotted) screwdriver for one of the grub screws. To clean the lens I used the Nikon Professional Cleaning kit (only available from Japan as far as I know). From that kit I mostly used the cleaning fluid dispenser and the lens paper. The cleaning fluid used was Anhydrous Ethyl Alcohol (99.9% pure alcohol).

1. Assembly of the aperture blades

The aperture blades have little nibs on both sides. See picture for orientation. Make sure they overlap in the correct order. Sorry, I didn't check this photo until after the lens rebuild. It's a tad blurphy (yes that's a word :).

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

2. Aperture mechanism

The main ring goes over the aperture blades and the slots going around the ring go over the nibs facing up from the blades. I spent a bunch of time wiggling the ring to get all the blades to sit properly. There is a tab that sticks out from the ring. This goes into the slot closest to the bottom of the main cylinder. The copper shaft sticks up from the blades.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

There is then another ring that goes on top. I missed taking a photo of it. You'll see in the following photo the orientation to the pin sticking out of the ring from the previous bit. This ring has a screw on shaft that pokes out the side of the inner housing. You'll see this in a later photo.

On top of this goes the last ring for the aperture mechanism. This bit is tricky as there is a spring loaded guide that goes in place over the other two rings. The photo shoes the orientation and the placement. Go slow with placing this final ring in as the spacing is very tight. This ring also has a spring which then loops around the shaft from the first ring. I used a small screwdriver to get the spring on. This is the return spring for stop down metering.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

There are three screws that hold the last ring into place. You'll see an incorrect type in a later photo. The correct type is shown below:

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

3. Main Lens Group

I did not take the main lens group apart. It was clean inside the group so I only cleaned the outside. It treads in without issue.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

There are three main threaded rings that go on the end of the lens. An inner ring with a grub screw whole, an outer ring and the branding ring that goes on the inside of the first ring.
Screw in the main locking ring and the Nikkor branding ring into the main group now. My apologies for missing some photos here. The main locking ring is the one you need the tiny slotted screwdriver for as it has a very small grub screw.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

4. Focusing collar

The focusing collar was a real pain. The reason is because it's double threaded. It can go in one of two ways. The first time It went in it was the wrong way. The result is that the mating tab wasn't in the right position. I don't know how you no this until you have the outer housing on and can test the focus throw goes end to end.

In this photo the focusing element was screwed in the wrong way.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

5. Outer body

I did not take apart the outer body of the lens as I didn't have to. I may do this at a future point to smooth out the focusing action.
The important part here is the two tabs. The one on the left is for the focusing tab from step 4. The tab on the right is for the shaft from the second aperture mechanism ring which you had to screw in from the outside of the inner cylinder.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

You'll also see a notch at the end. This is for a guide screw that sits below the copper ring of the inner housing.

6. Second lens group.

The second lens group screws into the focusing collar pictured on the left.
You can also see the shaft from the second aperture mechanism ring here. Please note that the screws holding the third aperture mechanism ring in this photo are wrong. Lastly you'll notice the guide screw mentioned above to the right, holding the copper ring in place.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

7. Depth of field gauge

The depth of field gauge slides on very tight. It took me a while to get it on. Do not screw it in yet until you've placed the aperture ring on to see where the guide and indicter dot for the aperture should be.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

8. Aperture Ring

The aperture ring goes on fairly easy. There is a small shaft on the main body that slides into a notch in the aperture ring.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

9. F Mount

I should have taken a photo of me inserting the mount. there is a long tab that goes into the lens. This is the stop down tab. This tab is then held in place with a smaller ring that goes in last. You can see them both in place and screwed down here.
The inner ring of the mount is held with three small screws. Two of them are countersunk, one is not. Look at any other AI or AIS lens for position of the non-countersunk screw.

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

10. The test

From Nikkor 35mm f1.4 Rebuild

Yay.

Nikon D3 slow motion - Continuous 11fps

2009-12-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

Awesome video of a Nikon D3 shooting at 11 Frames per second. The footage was shot at 5000FPS then slowed down to, I'm assuming, 30fps.

My Copyright Consultation submission has finally been posted on the site.

2009-11-16T12:19:00.001-05:00

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/008.nsf/eng/02484.html

It's good to see up there. Hopefully it's been read and taken into consideration.

Less for More

2009-11-12T11:11:00.002-05:00

In the ongoing battle between the large three telecommunications companies, Bell, Rogers and Telus, and their consumers; Fido, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers has just informed me that they are reducing a service that I pay for. It's a major reduction in voice mail storage.

This just goes to show that with the continued inaction of our inept government, Canadians fall further behind in the services we can get, and pay more and more for them. As is the case with Broadband in Canada (also controlled by the same companies).

Cårven Der Pümpkîn

2009-10-29T11:10:00.001-04:00

OMG. New Muppits stuff. Just in time for Halloween.

86-year-old WWII vet on gay marriage

2009-10-22T10:01:00.001-04:00

This has to be seen. A truly moving speech by an American WWII Vet on "What he fought for"

My submission to the Canadian Copyright Consultation

2009-09-13T21:24:00.000-04:00

My Name is Paul Tichonczuk and I'm a programmer and photographer from Mississauga, Ontario.
Copyright is an important part of my everyday life. Without it, I would not be able to make a living, use software to do my job or enjoy the music I listen to throughout the day. I am not represented by a corporation or a trade industry group. As a creator of works protected by copyright, I have had my work used without permission and understand the frustration that a lot of creators feel with what is happening in today's technology driven world. However, I have never felt that the current laws do not protect me as a creator. If anything they restrict me. I cannot stand behind most of the voices calling for draconian copyright enforcement through new legislation as the way to go.
Much has been said about ratifying the WIPO treaty that Canada has signed. A treaty that is already shown its age and was backwards looking when it was created. The USA has been one of Canada's largest critics. Yet the DMCA has been for the most part a huge failure. It has not saved the music industry from its eventual demise. It has resulted in stifling of competition, user choice and instead has created an industry revolving around suing the consumers of media instead of actually creating and innovating. Recently, one of the creators of the DMCA has publicly stated "Don't do what we did". I hope Canada listens.

Creativity is not the creation of new things in a vacuum. It is the consuming, learning and re-creation of our culture. At their core, most creative works are a mixture of something borrowed and something new. We cannot move forward as a society with laws that will restrict competition and creative growth by imposing artificial locks, through things like DRM technology. This is most true if DRM technology is used to restrict the rights we do have simply because it is breaking the lock. It is also important to limit the term of Copyright. I find it mind boggling that I cannot build upon the works of someone who has passed away because their copyright is still held by family or some corporation. How does extending the copyright term past someone’s death foster innovation? It doesn’t, it just makes a few people more money. This does not help put food on struggling artist’s tables.
Maintain the agnostic position of ISPs is very important to maintain innovation and competition in Canada. As the telephone companies that most of them are, they should not be responsible for what is done over their pipes just as they are not responsible for the conversations that happen over their telephone lines. Turning ISPs into gatekeepers would be the slippery slope towards the halt of Internet innovation in Canada. Having ISPs police the net just to satisfy one small part of the creative community, while harming everyone else doesn’t make sense and would hurt Canada’s future. Ca nada has enough of an issue with the lack of competition in the telecommunications space harming innovation online.
When developing the new Copyright bill, it is important to keep in mind that technology, and how people use media, and creative works in their everyday lives will change at an ever increasing pace. If we get a copyright bill that appeases a few industries that were not able to change with the times to protect their outdated business models, we will have stifled creativity and innovation for generations to come. It is important to create a flexible and well balanced and future facing copyright bill and not one that will lock us down in the past.

Thank You.

The CRTC, Bell and Metered Billing

2009-09-10T10:26:00.003-04:00

Bell isn't making enough money. So they have petitioned the CRTC to allow them to charge metered billing on Internet Usage. I personally don't care what they do to their own Sympatico customers. However I do care what they do to independent ISPs.

You have to understand how stupid this is. An independent ISP must pay for their own upstream connection and traffic. They are already paying for the bandwidth used by their customers. Now bell is trying to convince the CRTC, that the leased "last mile" that the independants use, should also be metered and the ISPs charged. So in essence these ISPs would have to pay double. This is at the same time as Bell has ignored a CRTC ruling telling them to also allow for ADSL2 reselling.

What's mind boggling here is that the CRTC has a mandate to promote ISP competition in Canada. They imposed a bunch of regulations on Bell in order to do this. Competition has been a success and the independent ISPs are doing well. Now Bell has successfully gotten the CRTC to allow them to do more and more things that will kill the independant ISPs. This will be the final straw.

Many people have argue that if these independent ISPs want to compete, they should install their own hardware and lines. This is not a viable option as Bell has a stranglehold on the Government Paid For infrastructure. Any attempt to compete on that level would cost millions and lead to anti competitive behavior with no Government intervention (see http://www.10buckstoo.com/).

I encourage you to visit http://www.competitivebroadband.com/ and make a submission to the CRTC and your MP about this.

Canadian Copyright Town Hall - Toronto Edition

2009-08-27T22:06:00.006-04:00

I got to attend the Government of Canada's Copyright town hall in Toronto. It was hosted by the Minister of Industry, the Honourable Tony Clement.

To say it was disappointing is an understatement.
I was not disappointed by the event itself. It was run well considering how many people wanted to speak. But my frustration stems from the views that were presented, or more importantly, the ones that were not.

First problem was the room was a stacked deck. The majority of the attendance made a living off of copyright. They were not all "evil industry executives". A lot of the people who spoke, and spoke well, were average Canadians trying to make a living off of their creative works. It was actually very good to hear these people speak about their struggles. However, the amount of Warner Music Employees who spoke equaled the amount of what I would consider regular, non-creative industry people who got a chance to speak. That was three. This is not anyones fault. I understand why the average Canadian couldn't be bothered, or more importantly, even know to come to this event.

Next problem was professionalism. The three people who did speak about fairness and balance, were barely coherent and in some cases laughed at. It was depressing to see. There was a fourth guy, but he actually stood up and claimed to be a huge wholesale pirate with 3 terrabytes of data he was sharing. He actually said works should be free. Not Helping.

The last, and biggest problem was the misinformation. And boy was there plenty of it. I'm not going to state them here as most of them are covered in what I would have said if I had the chance. My talking points morphed and changes as the night went on. So the speech as it is now was in some ways influenced by what I had heard throughout the night.

Without further delay, here is my very terse 3 minutes take on Copyright

My Name is Paul Tichonczuk and I'm from Toronto.
I'm a programmer and photographer.
Copyright is an important part of my every day life. Without it, I would not be able to make a living, use software to do my job or enjoy the music I listen to throughout the day. I am not represented by a corporation or a trade industry group. As a creator of works protected by copyright, I have had my work used without permission and understand the frustration that a lot of creators feel with what is happening in today's technology driven world.
I cannot however stand behind most of you and claim that draconian copyright enforcement through new legislation is the way to go. This may not be what many of you intend in asking to be allowed to make a living of of your works but it's very likely what may happen.

One gentlemen blurted out "Don't do what the US did". This couldn't be farther from the truth. The US is one of Canada's largest critics. Yet the DMCA has been for the most part a huge failure. It has not saved the music industry from it's eventual demise. It has resulted in stifling of competition, user choice and more lawsuits then could be listed in three hours let alone three minutes. One of the creators of the DMCA has publicly stated "Don't do what we did".

Creativity is not the creation of new things in a vacuum. It is the consuming, learning and re-creation of our culture. At their core, most creative works are a mixture of something borrowed and something new. We cannot move forward as a society with laws that will restrict competition and creative growth by imposing artificial locks, through things like DRM technology. It is also important to maintain the agnostic position of ISPs. As the telephone companies that most of them are, they should not be responsible for what is done over their pipes. Turning ISPs into gatekeepers would be the slippery slope towards the halt of Internet innovation in Canada.

I do not envy your position Mr. Clement. I do not have the answer to the many problems presented here today. Not one person here, including myself has put forth a reasonable approach to this issue. I only hope that whatever bill is presented to Canadians will look forward to the future, not at our limited past.

Thank You.

http://www.speakoutoncopyright.ca/

Microsofts Browser Comparison of IE8 vs. Chrome and Firefox

2009-06-19T15:35:00.009-04:00

Microsoft recently launched a browser comparison of IE8 vs. what they believe are their next two biggest rivals. Here is my take on it as someone who deals with this on a daily basis:

Note: This page looks totally messed up. Partially because this theme in blogger does not support tables. And secondly because I totally cut and paste this code from the link above!

Security

Internet Explorer 8 NEEDS more malware and security protection because it's inherantly insecure, unlike the other two.

Privacy

Similar situation to above. Chrome looses purely because of it's integration with google tracking.

Ease of Use

No browser is easier to use than Chrome here. Most people simply view "Google" as their browser anyway.

Web Standards

Firefox and Chrome have more support for emerging standards like HTML5 and CSS3, but Internet Explorer 8 invested heavily into catching up to what the other browser makers had for ages.
Sure IE8 might now have better CSS2.1 support if you squint really hard.

Developer Tools

IE FINALLY has tools like HTML, CSS and Javascript debugging right in the box, along with Javascript profiling. Firefox has lots of tools available, but developers need to install them separately, which is fine because they're way better anyways; Chrome in no way lacks tools for debugging CSS and HTML, but they are the hardest to use.

Reliability

Only Internet Explorer 8 has both tab isolation and crash recovery features; Firefox and Chrome have one or the other.
They all suck here in the end. But it's mostly the plugins fault and not the browser.

Customizability

Firefox wins here by a LOT. They are the first with an extensive, usable and powerful extension architecture.

Compatibility

IE renders more sites "correctly" because they have been the dominant browser maker for so long. However, sites look better on Chrome or Firefox if you're using the latest CSS3 features, which IE8 lacks. Not to mention how brutal coding for IE has been for so long. IE8 though for base level support does finally tie with the others.

Manageability

I have no idea what they are talking about.

Performance

IE7 was one of the slowest browsers on the market, IE8 is a huge step up. Firefox also was a dog in version 2 and they did a lot in 3 and even more now in 3.5. However Chrome does take the cake here. I've switched to it as my primary browser as it is noticably faster, especially with multiple tabs open.

TOTAL:

Looks like Firefox Still wins. In the end it's all of us who win as these browser continue to compete for our web space.

Nikon launches AF-S 35mm F1.8 DX prime

2009-02-10T22:03:00.002-05:00

Nikon has announced a new general purpose prime, the 35mm f/1.8G DX. This is a long overdue lens. The only thing wrong with this lens is that they hadn't done it sooner. This is the "normal" lens for all DX shooters. It's weather sealed and is AF-S so will autofocus on the D40-60. Some people are complaining about the fact that Nikon didn't release it to cover the entire frame, but check out these shots of someone using the new 35mm on a Nikon D3x. Did I mention it's only $200 USD MSRP?

The real news for the rest of us is the last line in this post on DP Review "this is not the last lens announcement we'll be making this year."

Propane Nightmares

2008-11-28T11:27:00.002-05:00

For those who don't know, I play a lot of Team Fortress 2. Love the game. Saw this over at Ubercharged.net:

Awesome fan created mod video. But, it's the song that really got me. That track in the background was amazing. After some digging I found that it was one of the singles from Pendulums latest album In Silico. Now I have two of their previous albums. And they're great, but since I've stopped buying CDs, and my music is pretty much 99% aquired through eMusic, I missed that they had released a new album this year. The song in the video is Propane Nightmares. My new favorite song.

around and around

2008-11-23T20:09:00.003-05:00

This is a great example of why I got the FM3a. Ok, it's not actually such a great example. It was a bit over exposed. The film is a cheap brand so it's grainy. But I still like it.

This photo is a 20 minutes long exposure. On digital this would require heavy noise reduction, usually something called dark frame subtraction. Mechanical cameras like the FM3a are great for long exposure shooting as you don't need the battery to do any shooting.

The CRTC, Bell and Canada's broken Internet

2008-11-21T09:38:00.005-05:00

For those here in Canada who have not been paying attention, Bell Canada, along with Rogers have started screwing with our internet. Both Bell and Rogers monitor what you do on the internet, and based on that monitoring, shape your bandwidth based on weather you are doing something they deem appropriate.

Now Bell and Rogers are free to do this for the moment. However, CAIP, a group representing Canadas independant ISPs began having their connections throttled by Bell earlier this year. Keep in mind that most of these ISPs do not simply resell Bells services. They only lease the last mile. The actual copper line going from the switching station to your home. At the point of the switching station, the connection is wholly run by the ISP. These independent ISPs are not having a problem with bandwidth in any way. But Bell claims that these switching stations (specifically, the DSLAM hardware) are being saturated, and that they are forced to degrade service for "bandwidth hogs".

So CAIP earlier this year complained to the CRTC that this practice was in fact illegal. It took the CRTC 7 months to reject this complaint. Now, 7 months is a VERY long time on the Internet. It's been an incredibly frustrating time to have your 500kb/s + connection degraded to 60k (or worse) because you happen to be using an application that Bell doesn't like. The gist of the CRTC decision is that there is no discrimination against the independent ISPs since Bell does the same thing to it's own customers under the Sympatico brand.

The CRTC made some major errors in it's decision.

The CRTC claimed that Bell is not actually monitoring the connection in any way that infringes on privacy. This is untrue because the very nature of the technology requires the connection to be analyzed. In fact the CRTC contradicts itself in ti's response by claiming later that bell does in fact inspect every packet.

The response stated that Bell had to do this because of congestion. Bells proof of this congestion was submitted as part of this process and made publicly available (sorry, can't find the link right now). This document was made as confusing as possible. But the gist of it was that maybe a couple of it's DSLAMS was congested 0.1% of the time during one or two 4 hour monitoring periods. In other words they proved nothing. I doubt the CRTC spent any time actually reading this document or if they did, didn't understand it.

Lastly, the CRTC is harming innovation and competition in Canada. With this decision, not only will Bell (and of course Rogers) continue to limit what people can do on the internet by application, they are about to limit what people can do per month. Starting January of 2009, Bell will be limiting the total bandwitdh usage of it's resellers as well to 60GB. This is especially ridiculous when you consider that the bandwidth usage has nothing to do with Bell as it's the ISP you're with that has to pay for it. I'm sure Bell will come up with some way to make the CRTC see their view, and after all, Bell does that to it's own subscribers. Now I have no problem paying for my usage. In fact, my current connection is capped at 200GB. But that I believe is reasonable. And that is only a temporary reasonableness for todays applications and media.

That last point is the major one for me.
Currently Bell does not allow P2P applications, and caps their users to 60GB transfer (for most of their offerings). That's almost reasonable for the average user, today. Now. And that's the problem. This is the Internet. This is technology. Think about how far we've come in the last decade. Just imagine what we'll be doing on the internet in another decade? Well, at least the rest of the world will. We'll be stuck in this decade.

My First Camera, the Nikon F601

2008-11-17T21:52:00.003-05:00

This is my first camera which I bought with my own money. I purchased it while in College. Many a roll of film has gone through this Nikon.

I hardly use this camera anymore since I acquired my FM3a. Still, if I need Auto Focus and have an urge for getting a nice roll of Fuji Velvia out, I will use this camera. One great thing about this camera, if you can get one used is that it meters with MF lenses. On the downside it doesn't work with G lenses in A or M mode. And it doesn't auto focus with AF-S lenses. Ironically, always wanted the 17-35mm AF-S but never got one until I got my D70, glad I didn't because I would have been very annoyed that it didn't auto focus.

This camera is fairly well built and very simple. This was one of the last consumer cameras before Nikon got into putting scene modes in place of actual useful controls. It has all the controls you need and still use today on my D200. The built in flash is useful in a pinch. The focusing is slow and noisy but that never bothered me. Lack of depth of field preview and focus assist is annoying. It only has one cross type auto focus sensor in the middle with spot, center weighted and matrix metering.

This camera can be had for $50-100 on eBay and I highly recommend it for someone looking for a film camera but doesn't want a fully manual camera all the time. If you are fine with manually focusing then get one of Nikons excellent FM series like the FM3a.

The viewfinder is huge compared to todays DX digital SLRs. It's bright and great for manual focusing. It's not like an F# (single digit) series or the D3, but still much better than any cropped sensor viewfinder.

The lens in this picture is also my first lens. It's a 35-80mm f4-5.6D AF Nikkor. I bought it with my camera. It's only current benefit is it's one of the lightest zoom lenses ever made by Nikon. It was also very cheap at the time, I was in college after all. Shortly after leaving College I got the 24-120 f3.5-5.6D. Strangely I still have this lens but not the 24-120mm even though I never use it. Probably because it's worthless. I think Henrys offered me $10 for it a few years ago.

See shots taken with my F601.

Avoiding huge accidents

2008-11-05T10:26:00.007-05:00

This morning I was going to bike in from home to work.
I was feeling really tired so decided to do my normal half/half ride. Drive to Park Lawn and Lakeshore and then bike the rest of the way in. However, I got a call from Laura telling me the QEW was shut down at Evans. Ave.

Traffic @ Lakeshore and Dixie Eastbound
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

Boy was it ever.

When biking down on Cawthra, the traffic was backed up as far as I could see going eastbound to Toronto. Lakeshore, same thing.

My ride probably saved me a heap of time, and was a pleasure to boot.

Onwards Toronto
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35 f2.8D ED-IF Lens Review

2008-10-23T21:25:00.005-04:00

I got this lens originally used on eBay from a local seller. It was in new condition. Hardly a sign of use other than some dust on the outside and some marks on the lens cap. That sample was stolen and I have since gotten a brand new one to replace the used one I had.

This was "the" lens from Nikon. Used by photojournalists for ages. It's recently been replaced by the 12-24mm f4D DX for digital only bodies to produce the same field of view on digital as it had on film and to some extent the 14-24mm f/2.8G. On digital the 17-35mm lens has the FOV of a 25.5-52.5mm lens.

This lens has amazingly fast Auto Focus. AF-S doesn't always mean fast focusing, but in this case it does. The angle of view is great for general photography on my D70. Here are some photos I have taken with my 17-35mm.

I can't really comment on the sharpness because I don't usually worry about it. From what I have seen though this is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used.

The feel of this lens is second to none. It's exactly what I would expect from a "pro" Nikon lens. It also has the heft of a pro lens. It's a bit annoying to carry around but I find it worth the results. Even the numbers are etched and painted not just "printed" on. My only complaint is the action of the zoom ring. It has a bit more friction than I would like, but I’m really just complaining here.

The main reason I got this lens was for its constant f/2.8 aperture. It allows me to shoot in more places than I was able to before. The only thing that would make this lens better is if it was f2 or even f1.8 :) It also offers a very close focusing distance. Just under 1' or 0.28m from the film plane. The official magnification ratio is 1:4. The wide angle and close focusing distance can make for some interesting shots.

This has quickly become the main lens on my camera. The one that's usually on and the one I enjoy photography with the most. For anybody who is looking at getting a new 17-55mm f/2.8D for the DX body or are looking at the 14-24mm f/2.8D for their FX body but doesn't want to blow that much cash get one of these used on eBay.
I also shoot film, both on my trusty F601 and my favorite camera, the FM3a. I thought this lens was nice on Digital, wow. On film it's amazing. No wonder this lens used to get such high praise. It's sharp, fast and the FOV on film/FX is amazing (bigger and brighter than the 12-24dx on digital).

There has been a lot of talk about the images produced by this lens vs. the new 14-24mm f/2.8G. I have seen the comparisons and I agree the new lens is better in some ways from a purely IQ perspective. However, in my opinion, this lens still performs very well. Not only that but I find the 17-35mm range much better on Full Frame (FX) than the 14-24mm range. That and I'm still a Luddite and prefer the AI ring over the command dial. Backwards compatibility with my FM3a doesn't hurt either. Nor does the acceptance of front mounted filters. I got a chance to analyze a friends detailed side by side comparison of the 17-35mm to the 14-24mm done on a D3 tripod mounted over a full range of stops and focal lengths. . The 17-35mm had less distortion and better edge to edge sharpness than the 14-24mm. Granted at 17mm f/2.8 the 14-24mm had better edge sharpness, but not by much. That and the 17-35mms sharpness improved much quicker than the 14-24mms. I guess it could be argued that you can shoot the 14-24mm at 14mm f/2.8 and then crop to get the same FOV sharper. Contrast and colour rendition went to the 14-24mm. I'm convinced more than ever that the 17-35mm is the lens for me. Yes, the 14-24mm is better in some ways, but the 17-35mm is better in others.

Overall I would say that the 17-35mm is one of Nikons best lenses. I’m assuming once their stock runs out, they will mark this lens discontinued. Still, it’s worth a look weather you are shooting DX, FX or film.

A review of The Karachi Outpost by Crumpler

2008-10-19T11:28:00.005-04:00

In short, It's a great camera backpack. And an OK notebook backpack.

Pros:
- looks good / doesn't look like a "camera/notebook bag"
- even fully loaded has proper straps to distribute weight
- re-configurable to just notebook, just camera bag (as pictured) or plain old backpack
- nice colours (this one being black/gray and the other brown/tan)
- extremely well padded, armour like even.
- excellent security for travelling (opens from the inside only requiring you to remove the pack)
- seems to be well made
- water resistant (not tested)

Cons:
- smaller divider pieces have Velcro at the ends but you can’t Velcro things to them
- excellent security means less convenient to get at your stuff
- curved shape (which make it look good) means space not as usable on the sides
- expensive considering it's made in china like a lot of it's competitors.

I've had this bag for a few years now. It's starting to show it's age slightly in the straps. Overall, considering it's use, it's holding up very well. The stitching and materials look in great shape. I generally use this bag as the hauler bag. When I need to move a lot of stuff (as pictured above). It does not make a good assignment bag due to the way you need to get into the bag.

Competition: The only other brand I have experience with is Lowe Pro. I have own(ed) a few of their products and have spent many hours in camera shops testing them out (to the dismay of store clerks I'm sure). The packs I specifically looked at are the CompuTrekker AW and the CompuTrekker Plus AW.

Colour: gun metal/black/mid grey
Model: KO-01A (2033)

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Review

2008-10-19T11:19:00.002-04:00

I've had a chance to use the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM on and off for a while now. It's been a nice lens to use.

The only lens Nikon made that was close was the 28mm f/1.4D, which was discontinued a few years ago. Used, it now goes for more than it's original high price (over $2k). I have never used the NIkkor but by all accounts it's optically better, built out of metal not plastic [Update: The Sigma does have a mostly metal construction, however it is not as sturdy and solid feeling as the Nikkors of this level] and has full 35mm coverage. It's also much larger, heavier and you could buy 3 to 4 of these sigmas for the price of the Nikkor... if you can find one. I'm sure Nikon wasn't selling a lot of the Nikkors, and with a lens like this in the market, they would sell even less of them.

The Sigma handles well. It's a nice size and weight. It feels great on my D200. A tad large on the D40 pictured here.
Side Note: This is one of the few sub $1k primes you can buy that will auto focus on the D40 [Update: D40x and D60 as well] as it has "HSM" Sigma's brand of electronic in lens focus.

The biggest problem with this Sigma (and is true for a lot of this brands products) is sample variance. You never know exactly what you'll get when you buy a Sigma lens. This particular sample didn't have the AF issues with the D200 that plagued early versions. It did however have the squeaky focus when pointing down or up. No manufacturer is perfect. Every lens made is slightly different to it's brother or sister. However Sigma seems to suffer from this in a more negative way than other manufacturers.

This leads nicely into the failure of the lens pictured above. The lens in the picture above died shortly after this picture was taken. After returning it to it's owner, I recommended they get the squeaking in the focus ring fixed under warranty. They dropped it off with Sigma Canada. After several weeks of waiting, they declared the lens as non-reparable and gave my friend a brand new one. At least their Customer Service is good.

Wide open it's not the sharpest lens I've used. However it's acceptable considering the price. The sharpness degrades sharply near the extreme edges though and doesn't really improve stopped down. The filter size of 62mm is an odd size and you'll find yourself either buying a step up ring or buying new filters. I did not pay particular attention to light falloff as it's not usually a concern for me and rather like it when I do notice it, however it does have some at and near f/1.4.

The included lens hood (not pictured) proved very good. It's made out of a sturdy plastic and locks in better than a lot of Nikon Hoods. It's my preferred method of protection instead of overpriced and detrimental "protective" filters.

Even if Nikon releases an update to their 28mm f/1.4D, it will probably remain expensive, large and heavy. True the Nikkor will also be better quality, but you get what you pay for. The Sigmas focal range on 1.5x cropped digital and overall price/performance make this a lens one I recommend for available light shooting. It also makes a great general purpose prime for walking around.

Summary:
+ size
+ autofocus
+ price
+ focal length ("normal FOV on 1.5x crop")
+ well balanced on most bodies
+ great available light lens

- Not FF/FX
- quality/sample variance
- sharpness wide open
- slightly heavy on the D40
- edge detail

I ended up buying this lens as a gift for Lauras Birthday. Check out Lauras stream for photos taken with this lens.
For myself, I've owned a 35mm f/1.4 AI Nikkor for some time now. I purchased it used on eBay in fair condition. The Nikkor is sharper than this lens. However, nailing focus at f/1.4 with the stock focusing screen on the D200 is really really hard. Mostly for this reason, I don't use that lens often.

Blinkenlights crew @ hacklab.to

2008-10-14T23:43:00.005-04:00

The Blinkenlights crew showed up at hacklab.to to give a demo and talk about their Nuit Blanche Stereoscope .

The talk was pretty cool. They talked about their first project, and how each one built upon the last. This latest one at Toronto City Hall was done using wireless technology developed by them and released under the CC License. They even had to get the wireless devices certified here which was an adventure. Really cool guys and the best show of this years Nuit Blance.

See the rest of the photos from the Blickenlights talk @ hacklab.to.

Nikon D90 Chase Jarvis Video

2008-08-28T13:04:00.001-04:00

So it looks like Nikon has gone gorilla advertising on us. Here is the main promotional gimmick for the new Nikon D90.

I'm not exactly thrilled with the D90, but that's for very specific reasons that have nothing to do with how good of a camera it is. I would still buy a D300 over this. The movie mode is cool, but not for me.

Nikon D90 and Canon EOS 9D coming

2008-08-14T10:20:00.002-04:00

There have been plenty of rumours of the Nikon D80 and Canon 5D replacements, but now we have some pretty concrete proof they're coming. Probably announced at this years Photokina.

The UPC Database now has entries for the D80 kit and the EOS 9D.

Via Engadget

Jim Prentice defending Consumer Interests?

2008-07-09T16:11:00.002-04:00

Is this the same man who tabled Bill C-61?

Prentice is reported to have called a meeting with execs from Bell and Telus over the ridicules incoming SMS charges I talked about earlier.

I'm shocked, and a bit hopeful that maybe he'll start doing the job he's supposed to.

Canadian Wireless Carriers find out new ways to screw you by charging for SMS messages received.

2008-07-08T19:37:00.004-04:00

In the battle of the Cell Phone carriers, during the release of the Apple iPhone, Telus and Bell have found new ways to nickel and dime you by charing you for text messages received. This is a bad move considering how many people will flock to the iPhone (more on this later).

It's bad enough that in Canada you have to pay for calls received.

From an article on this SMS Charge in the Globe and Mail I de-construct the quotes made by each companies PR people.

From the article:
“The growth in text messages has been nothing short of phenomenal,” wrote Telus spokeswoman Anne-Julie Gratton in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail, referring to the latest statistics from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association that pegs the number of text messages sent in Canada at more than 45.3 million per day.

This is a load of shit. A text message is up to 150 Characters (including spaces). Each character is 1 byte. So each SMS message can be up to 150 bytes. Lets assume that every messages sent is 150 bytes. We have the following:
45,300,000 x 150 = 6,795,000,000
There is 1,048,576 bytes in a
6,795,000,000 / 1024 = 6,635,743 kb (rounded up)
There are 1024 kb in a mb
6,635,743 / 1024 = 7mb (rounded up).

That's right ladies and gentlemen. The ENTIRE Canadian market (as far as Telus is concerned)[Edit: As far as a trade group representing Bell and Telus is concerned] has to send a WHOPPING 7MB of data around for SMS messages. Now granted, there are headers and such. Overhead if you will. Lets be generous and double that to 14MB.

But we're not done.

Bell and Telus charge 15 cents per message, soon in both ways.
Lets say nobody uses any SMS package (I know, this is actually unfair, but it illustrates my point). [Edit: I'm assuming in these numbers that Rogers would also charge 15c for incoming] So we have:
45,300,000 x $0.30 (15 cents to send and another 15 to receive).
That's $13,590,000

o_O

Now that was made on a theoretical 14MB.
Lets divide that back into cost.
$13,590,000 / 14 = $970,715 per MB (rounded up)
And again
$970,715 / 1024 = $948 / KB of data (rounded up).

So anybody who's complaining about the data rates from Rogers, just think, you're paying $948 per kilobyte of data sent when you SMS.

“This volume places tremendous demands on our network and we can't afford to provide this service for free any more,” Ms. Gratton wrote.

I wish Ms. Gratton would be eligible for jail time for outright lying. I know, I know it's just her job and she's probably a nice person. There is no way in hell this makes even the smallest blip on either carriers network. It's a pure Money grab.

More from the article:
“Remember that almost all major North American wireless carriers, including in Canada, have taken this pricing approach,” wrote Bell spokesman Jason Laszlo in an e-mail to The Globe. “In fact, most carriers in the U.S. now charge 20 cents.”

This is awesome. Yes, well, the USA is slowly being turned back into Ma Bell land where there is only a few companies. What about comparing yourself to the rest of the world? As it is SMS charges are a scam.

If you think this is as stupid as I do. If you beleive that these companies are outright lying to make more money of people who don't really have a choice. Please consider supporting the NDP to put a stop to this nonsense.

Nikon D700 FX DSLR, SB-900 Speedlight and the new 45mm and 85mm Tilt Shift Primes

2008-07-01T10:33:00.004-04:00

Nikon Finally announced the new Full 35mm coverage DSLR, the Nikon D700. This camera is Nikons Answer to the Canon 5D. In a lot of ways (including price) it's going to be better speced. Being that it looks like a D3 with a smaller viewfinder and slower FPS, it will be an amazing camera.

Along with that we have the new SB-900 Speedlight. Nikon finally got around to implementing DX mode in a Speedlight. They've increased the "zoom" coverage and looks like they drastically improved the UI (which needed it).

The new 45mm f/2.8 and 85mm f/2.8 PC Lenses have also been announced. More on this later.

D700 Chinese Forum Translation

2008-06-26T09:37:00.001-04:00

My friend Stone was kind enough to translate the forum post referenced below.

We had discussed strenuously about whether D700 is existent or not in the last week, and EVO gets the final conclusion that D700 is not just rumors, it is real. Also, EVO got the info again this week that D700 has flash built into the body.

*** photo here ****

You can confirm build-in flash from above photo, from which you can see a segmented line on the top front of camera body. You also can confirm the reality of D700 from the strap above which has ‘D7’ on it. Again, the photo maybe exposes another info about the type of lens it uses: upgraded version of Nikon's AFS-S 24-120mm VR unit (notice the size of the lens and the VR marker near the body).

D700 shot in the wild

2008-06-25T10:59:00.004-04:00

Update: Turns out this particular shot is a fake.

[Edit: Photo Removed]

From a Chinese forum (via Nikon Watch)

See the prism/popup flash. That is unlike anything before it. The strap also has D700 strap (though you can't see the rest of the zeros)..the D70 strap did NOT look like this so this is also a key sign.

We wait for July 1st.

Nikon D700 all but confirmed by Nikon

2008-06-20T22:25:00.002-04:00

"The spokesperson did volunteer that the pictures were taken at the agency where the brochures were printed."

If that's not an admission I don't know what is.

From CNET Asia

With that, here is the new D700 group on Flickr.

Nikon D700 FX (Full Frame) DSLR

2008-06-18T10:58:00.003-04:00

Seems like some found a post on a Chinese message board about the D700. Looks damn real if you ask me.

(via Nikon Watch)

Canadian DMCA

2008-06-14T10:47:00.002-04:00

The Conservative Government has brought forth new legislation that would make the average Canadian a criminal. Some facing huge fines. Why? Because some large US corporations cannot adapt to the changing landscape and they want their old school business models to stand.

I'm talking about the new An Act to amend the Copyright Act, Bill C-61. If you read the Industry Canada Press release on the matter, you'd think it was a good thing. But it's all spin. If you read the fine print you'll see that it's all smoke and mirrors. The real catch is you are not allowed to have, make or more importantly use devices or programs that break digital locks. Digital locks can be anything that dictates how you can and cannot use the digital media you now posses. This is a broad and over reaching act. Imagine being sued by a printer manufacturer because you make aftermarket ink cartridges for their printers?

Closer to home, you won't be able to transfer your copy protected CD or DVD to your portable media player (iPod) without a $20,000 fine. Want to unlock that cell phone that you bought because you're travelling to another country and don't want to pay insane roaming fees? $20,000 fine.

I could go on, but there is even a more important point. How is Canada going to police this? How much of our tax dollars is going to be spent turning us all into criminals instead of battling REAL issues that we call genuinely care about? The answer can be found in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement which our government is now negotiating and mentions in this new copyright bill. This trade agreement has very little to do with counterfeiting and everything to do with policing copyright infringement on a level like many police states. ie. having your iPod and notebook searched by border guards in member nations for copyright material.

I'm not sure who Jim Prentice, the Industry Minister responsible for a lot of this is working for. Canadians or Lobby groups representing large US corporations. I encourage you to help Kill Bill C61 by writing your MP, the Industry Minister and our Prime Minister.

Nikon D3x hint found in new firmwear

2008-04-15T23:01:00.002-04:00

A Nikon D3 Flickr Group member found the following inside the firmware upgrade of the Nikon D3 which was recently released.

6048x4032 24.4 M
4544x3024 13.7 M
3024x2016 6.1 M
5056x4032 20.4 M
3792x3024 11.5 M
2528x2016 5.1 M
3968x2640 10.5 M
2976x1976 5.9 M
1984x1320 2.6 M

Now why would 24.4M be there? :)

flickTube (do not want)

2008-04-09T13:17:00.001-04:00

flickTube (do not want)
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

Of all the things to implement in Flickr, the last thing I needed was flickTube. If I wanted YouTube I'd go to, well.. YouTube. I guess Yahoo! Corp felt the need to compete. This is just plain sad really.

It would have been really nice for the flickr dev team to have been working on something that really DOES need improvement. Like maybe the horrible message board system? Or allowing people to see the site on black backgrounds which traditionally make photos look better? Or any of the other enhancments users have hacked together using javascript as standard features?

(P.S. school + work has made me too busy to post here often)

The end of Nikon Backwards compatibility

2008-01-29T08:16:00.000-05:00

Today is the day that we can confirm that Nikon is full steam ahead on breaking the backwards compatibility we have enjoyed for so long between cameras and lenses.

Today Nikon released the D60, a camera that is just as lacking as the D40x it replaced. Many people were hoping for a true D50 replacement with AF drive motor.

We also saw two knew prime lenses. The PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED Tilt Shift lens. The other is the replacement of the 60mm f/2.8D Micro Nikkor the AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED.

Now we kind of knew that the primes coming out from Nikon would be lacking aperture rings, but a modern manual focus lens lacking one? I guess my less than a decade old FM3a is really obsolete.

The DMCA is coming to Canada! What can you do?

2007-12-03T09:09:00.000-05:00

I've had no time to post since I'm swamped with school + work. However, this required a post. Our "wonderful" conservative government seems to be ready to introduce legislation bought and paid for by the US. Instead of listening to Canadians, Canadian companies, Canadian studies and Canadian copyright holders, our government has chosen to listen to US pressure and international corporations. Michael Geist has a nice post on what you can do.

For those who don't know, The DMCA in the US is a law that makes you a criminal for breaking a digital lock even if the reason you were breaking it was legal. This new law would trump any fair use laws. Apparently Canadas version will be even worse than the US.

Help stop our government giving us all a Christmas present none of us want.

Rogers and Fido to offer 3G service soon

2007-10-11T14:48:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a Fido Business Services rep last night. I complained, as I always do about the crazy data rates that Rogers has. He informed me that Rogers, and by extension (some time later) Fido, will be launching new 3G phones with 3G service available through their networks. He then hinted that new Data plans will accompany this as the current plans with 3G speeds would just be stupid.

Can't wait.

Kingston vs. Sandisk Warranty Service

2007-10-07T12:42:00.000-04:00

I've always used Kingston cards for my memory card needs. I've recently started buying Sandisk. Now no card manufacturer makes perfect cards. Some cards die. I've recently had the experience of having a Sandisk Card die on me. I've also had in the past a Kingston card die (an old one which I had had for many years).

Why did I move to Sandisk? Though it may seem strange, a brand cards generally work very well with the brands card readers. Sandisk has better, and a larger selection of card readers. I've had incompatibilities before (this isn't an SD vs. SDHC issue) and drifted towards Sandisks complete solutions.

So what happened to prompt this post? Kingstons cards are a better value, but not only that, they have a much better exchange policy. When I had my Kingston card die (or any one one of their computer memory products), Kingston ships me a replacement within 2 business days with a return package for the old card. This entire process is quick and more importantly free. Sandisk on the other hand does not. They told me it would take 2-3 weeks to get the product exchanged and it would be faster to take it to the store of purchase if possible. This is what I did. I was told 2 weeks. 2 Weeks plus having to go to the store vs. 2 days and the convenience of having it shipped to the location of my choice. Not only is Kingston cheaper, as reliable (in my limited experience) but they have a much better service policy.

I'll be moving back to Kingston from now on.

Nikon D200 @ ISO 3200 with Nikon Capture 1.2 Noise Reduction

2007-10-03T22:17:00.001-04:00

My Rex (Nikon D200 @ ISO 3200)
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

This is not a scientific test. This is just an observation from many shots taken over the last few months. The noise reduction in Nikon Capture 1.2 is better than previous versions of Capture. It's also far better than the built in NR. Sure, Noise Ninja "could" produce better results with tweaking. But Nikon knows it's cameras and sensors, and with very little fuss it does a damn good job.

Speaking of my WRX. My Lease is ending soon. As my lease approaches it's end, there doesn't seem to be anything on the market (especially not the new WRX) for me to replace it with, save for the new Mitsubishi Evo which isn't available yet. Luckily I still like my car.

Nintendo giving away Silicone Jackets for existing wiimote owners

2007-10-02T15:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, apparently people still can't learn to hold on to their wiimotes. Mind you I could see how this thing will make it more comfortable to use. Get yours here

Vista a dud.

2007-09-25T08:58:00.000-04:00

When recently trying out Bioshock (which is a whole nother post), I installed Vista Ultimate on another HD to try it out and Bioshock with DX10. I couldn't get Bioshock to load in Vista. But I ran Vista for three weeks to give it a good old try. Needless to say I'm back to running XP x64. My primary purpose for my computer (other than writing blog posts) is for photography. Something as basic as, oh you know, file transfer speed is important. Sometimes you have to dump a gig or 16 from a days worth of shooting and you'd like to do it quickly. To that end I own Sandisk Extreme IV CF Cards and the FireWire reader that goes with them. In XP x64 using my motherboards built in FireWire interface I was getting close to the reported maximum transfer speed of 40MB/sec (somewhere around 36mb to be exact). You'd think, something as basic as this would just, well work in Vista. It worked... at 2MB/sec. I just couldn't beleive it. I heard file transfer was slow but geez. I downloaded was is being dubbed as "Vista Service Pack 0.5". It was a huge improvement, I went from 2 to 20MB/sec. Still 50% slower than what I'm used to.

There are a lot of issues that are now reported on the net. Most of them to do with file and network speeds. On the plus side, M$ did an amazing job with the Aero Interfaces performance. I don't actually think the interface is that good, but they made their attempt at "pretty" and "usable" at least work fast without any noticeable visual lag like simple dropshadows in XP does.

The average user it seems started noticing. Manufacturers are starting to offer downgrades to XP.

Canadian Dollar Equals US Dollar

2007-09-22T09:37:00.000-04:00

For the first time since I've been alive the Canadian Dollar has hit par with the US Dollar. This has a whack of implications but here I'm only going to talk about how it effects us as consumers. The price disparity between Canadian and American goods. Canadians have always payed more for goods than we should. Considering on average Canadians make less money this is especially true. This new event though will remove that perception that exchange + shipping + duty will make it about equal. Well, one of those is now out of the question. If things keep going as they are, the duty factor will be wiped out by the exchange rate. So you have a Nikon D80 going for $150 less in the US. How about a Subaru WRX? $8k less. Books? I hear the publishers are re-considering printing prices on their books. It goes on and on.

For us it means that one of two things will happen.

A. The US Dollar will stay weak and our Dollar Strong. Suppliers will have to lower their prices to match and in turn Retailers. This unfortunately will take some time.

B. Our Canadian Dollar will weaken. Possibly even due to a weaker retail sector due to falling sales (everybody shopping online in the states now).

Currency rates are a complicated thing which I won't pretend to know about. I'm just happy that suppliers of goods to Canada will finally have to bring their prices in line or face loosing sales.

DPReviews Hands On Nikon D3 and D300

2007-09-22T09:35:00.001-04:00

DPReview has posted both their Nikon D300 and Nikon D3 Hands On Previews. Let the drooling begin.

It's a Beat

2007-09-20T13:54:00.001-04:00

It's a Beat
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

My friend Carl picked up this 1990 Honda Beat from japan. It's a K Class Micro car. 660cc two seater convertible from Honda. It's a blast to drive. Great on gas. Just gotta get used to the right hand drive and the size.

iPhone in Canada

2007-09-19T14:42:00.000-04:00

Though Apple is not releasing the iPhone official in Canada any time soon (probably because Rogers sucks), you can still buy one readily now.
Here is one place that has the iPhone available.

I'd rather buy the Sony P1 anyways as it's feature set is more inline with what I'm after.

Update:
Why the Sony P1?
1. Open Phone for less money (no worries about unlocking or updates etc)
2. Wifi (seriously, this is a basic phone feature now)
3. Cell Phone reception (apparently better but not verified by me)
4. Bluetooth Support (again, apparently better but not verified by me)
5. I hate touch screens (this is personal)
6. Upgradeable memory (M2 cards are currently at 4GB, 6GB and 8GB Coming soon)

Nikon D300 Official Sample Images

2007-09-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

Nikon also posted (but I missed) the Official D300 Sample Images. These, like the D3 samples are amazing. Nikon has really raised the bar on DSLR imaging.

Official Nikon D3 Sample images from Nikon

2007-09-12T09:33:00.000-04:00

Nikon has finally posted official Sample images from the D3.

Nikon D3 Sample Images

2007-08-27T22:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some Nikon D3 Full Quality JPEG Samples.

Nikons New D3, D300 and Nikkors

2007-08-23T22:21:00.000-04:00

Nikon Today announced a slew of new products. The largest product release I have ever witnessed from this company. In a lot of ways it was a revolutionary release, not just for Nikon, but for the photography community as a whole. Personally I didn't like everything I saw, but that's a personal bias.

Nikon D3

First and foremost, Nikons new Flagship D3 (to Nikon Imaging for specs). This camera is more than I could hope for from Nikon. While Canon has their brand new 1Ds Mk.III and 1D Mk.III, this Nikon is somewhere in between. Instead of trying to compete with either of these cameras, Nikon has created something sort of in between, but different and at a very competitive price.

Nikons apparent strategy for this camera was not quantity but quality. I'm talking about the resolution of the camera. Now this is yet to be seen, but I gather pixel for pixel, this 12MP sensor will produce stunning images. Not only that, but with a base ISO of 200 and selectable ISO to 6400 with boost to 25600 (crazy), it will be incredibly light sensitive.

Some Highlights:
- 3" VGA Resolution Screen: wow
- 51 Point AF with 15 Cross Type: I'd use them in grouped mode anyways
- HDMI Output: neat, now all I need is a High def TV
- Live View with Contrast Based AF: good for macro and over the wall shots
- Plenty of UI enhancements
- The full 35mm frame "FX" format Sensor: Yay wide angle and low noise.
- ISO 25600!!!: If that means usable ISO 6400 I will be super happy
- Auto Adjust to DX Crop
- Custom focusing calibration with 20 lens specific calibration memory: Double Wow.
- 14 bit A/D

Unlike Nikons previous offerings, this one does not have specific variants for sports and "other" like the D2h and D2x did. This camera is both 12MP and capable of 11FPS. Sports shooter may lament the full frame sensor for their applications, with the D3 only having 5MP in DX Cropped mode, but for them, Nikon released the D300.

Nikon D300

Now, I was totally not expecting this, I predicted a revision, not a new camera. Though the D300 looks a lot like the D200, on paper, it outspecs the D2xs and the D2hs in a lot, if not all ways. The D300 shares a lot of the same specs as the D3 above except for it's DX Size sensor and lower FPS. This has just become the best camera (again, on paper) in the mid level market. A camera at this price, with these features is simply amazing. It really is the D2xs in a smaller body. Even the 100% frame coverage is there.

Nikon took every aspect of the D200 and made it better. It doesn't look like they left a feature untouched. Hell, they even fixed the stupid terminal caps! Now, would I go out and replace my D200 with this? No. I'm not getting a new DSLR for myself unless it's full frame. But anyone looking in the market now, Nikon has really differentiated themselves. Lets just hope that at hte DX sensor size at the same resolution as the D3, the camera can maintain the low noise needed to produce good images in it's ISO range.

Now whats a couple of new pro bodies without a wack of new lenses?

AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G

This lens is both just what I wanted, and not a lens I will ever get all at the same time. Nikon is continuing it's trend of breaking backwards compatibility. There is no reason to make this lens a G type lens with no aperture ring other than to break backwards compatibility and lower price. The latter of which is of course a serious consideration in todays marketplace. I understand that not everyone is as crazy as me and still shoots with a fully mechanical film camera. When I first heard about this lens I didn't beleive it. A lens like this would have to be huge. And well, it is. Or more specifically, damn heavy at 1kg. The 14mm f/2.8D which it effectively replaces was already 670g. I own the excellent 17-35mm f/2.8D. This lens, on a FF sensor seems to be much better suited for general photography. That and I can use it on my FM3a :) The only thing is, that the 17-35mm is not the sharpest lens wide open. If they have fixed this in this new lens, which I doubt, then it will be worth it.

AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G

This lens would make a lot more sense if it had VR. Otherwise, other than 4mm at the wide end and about 30g of weight savings, it offers no advantage over the 28-70mm f/2.8D it replaces. Again, on paper. The new N type coating and it's performance wide open may prove me wrong. We'll have to wait and see.

Nikkor 400mm, 500mm and 600mm Super Tele Lenses finally get VR

These lenses were long overdue for a VR Update, and they got it. Not for me, or my style of shooting, but I'm sure they'll make many people very happy.

Well folks, there you have it. A very big day. 2 new amazing bodies, and 5 new pro lenses. Now if only Nikon would realize that there are still people on this world who like general purpose prime lenses. (hey, gotta find something to complain about :)

Nikon D3H Coming soon? (Sony Announces new sensor)

2007-08-20T15:21:00.001-04:00

With Sony announcing the new 12MP 10+ FPS APS-C sensor, you can bet Nikon will soon be announcing the much awaited D3H.

Sadly this means the end of Nikons LBCAST technology if true.

Amazon leeks Canon 40D and 1Ds Mk. III

2007-08-19T17:08:00.000-04:00

Amazon jumped the gun on posting product pages for two new Canon bodies.
40D (Engadget) and 1Ds Mk.III (Engadget).

I'm hoping Nikon steps up as they are rumoured to otherwise this will be the end of the pro market for Nikon.

Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR & Summer

2007-08-12T11:28:00.001-04:00

This may not be your standard 70-200mm shot, but it illustrates Summer very well :)
The way in which I got this lens could be a blog post all on it's own. It's not the lens I really wanted, but it's the lens that made the most sense really. It's big, heavy but amazing in all other aspects.

Form Factor

This lens is really well designed for it's size. The focus ring has a ridge so you know exactly where to hold it. The zoom ring is is located in the most convenient place to hold the lens so it's balanced. it has three focus lock buttons at the end of the barrel so it's convenient no matter which orientation you're holding the camera/lens. It's weight is very manageable all things considering. It's not a walk about lens that fits into your carryall, but what do you expect from an f/2.8 Zoom.

Performance

This lens is fast, in all senses of the word. It's focusing is very quick, and it's f/2.8. Sure there are faster lenses (200mm f/2 faster focusing, lots of primes with larger aperture), but the combo is great for the price. Combined with the D200 this lens has fast and accurate focus and tracking. I've only had it hunt a few times, but that's probably just me still getting used with the many focus combinations and options in the D200 than with the lens. It's sharp, and the VR helps in low light situations, especially when you don't want to increase the ISO too much. I have particularly shaking hands so VR is not as effective as for some, keep that in mind. The contrast and colours are as good as I have experienced them. I have not had the ghosting or flare issues that some have described, but I have also not put the lens into the conditions which would induce those artifacts.

Usability

This lens is usable for a variety of subjects. Close action sports and motor sports are a very good candidate for this lens. For wildlife it's no where near powerful enough. The 200-400mm or any of the primes in the higher end are better for that purpose, unless you're talking about common backyard birds, squirrels and the occasional raccoon. For portraits there are better lenses, like the dedicated DC Lenses or either of the 85mm. However, in a pinch this lens produces good results, even though it scares your subjects :) One gripe I have about this lens is the use of a polarizing filter. I always use a lens hood with any lens I use as a form of protection. Much better than using a "protective filter" which does nothing but make the camera store that sold you that filter more money. The problem is that if you want to adjust the CP, you have to take off the lens hood.

Other Nikkors

The 80-200mm f/2.8(D) is a nice lens. In fact, for the price it's a great lens. The older push pull non-D lens is rather annoying to use. Either lens is slow to focus, especially with bodies lower than the D200. But there is one problem. That problem is used 80-200mm f/2.8D AF-S lenses. This lens has been discontinued since the introduction of the 70-200mm, however it makes it the best deal. You can get good quality second hand copies for almost the price of a new non AF-S model. If you don't want to spend the cash for one of these new (or used) and your not enamoured with the performance of VR, seriously consider the 80-200mm f/2.8D AF-S as a much better deal with almost the same performance.

Summer

This is of course a great summer lens. The majority of the subject matter is the type of things you'd want to take in the summer. It's also the type of lens that you only take out for that purpose. it's not a lens that you can just throw in your bag and take anywhere. You don't want to lug this thing around and you will stick out wherever you take it out. Summer to me is more about chillin and walking places. Less planning and more doing. This is not a lens I use a lot, but when I need it it's a lens I couldn't imagine being left without. However, as yet another Summer approaches it's end, so does the time of this lens. Now I'm not saying that I won't use this lens after summer, but you get the idea. I'm always sad at the end of summer. Maybe because I take part time courses in the fall/winter and have no life during those times. Here are more shots taken with this lens.

Two new Cameras from Nikon this Fall! (D300 or D200s possible)

2007-07-25T00:07:00.000-04:00

There are rumours flying like mad, beginning with this photo of a poster in a camera shop in Tokyo advertising the sale of a D200 replacement in the fall. Originally from the following post on dpreview.

There is also the fact that Nikon is sponsoring the IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka. It would make sense for Nikon to announce a new pro camera at the same event they're sponsoring.

Flickr discussion on the subject.

Quick impressions of the Canon 5D vs. the D200

2007-05-27T12:14:00.001-04:00

Bottle Art
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

A lot of people say it's kind of silly to compare these two cameras. I disagree. Even though technically, the 30D is the direct competitor to the D200 it's not really. Mostly from a Nikon shooters perspective, the 5D is the only camera worth switching for.

There are many technical comparisons of the D200 and the 5D on the net. I'm not even going to attempt to be one of these. This is something different. This is just the joy of using a camera that I get from having directly compared these two cameras. I know that the IQ (Image Quality) of the 5D is one of the best (if not the best) in the 35mm DSLR arena. There is no comparison there. I'm talking about the rest of the camera. Now some may argue that IQ is the most and only important thing. This post is not for them.

For those who don't know. Canon and Nikon used to work together. Nikon made the lenses and Canon made the cameras. At some point they split. Strangely, some may argue that Canon still make the better camera, while Nikon the better lens. This all depends on what you consider the "better camera".

Whenever I talk about Canon vs. Nikon. I describe the two like this: Nikon is an optical company, Canon and technology one. Sure enough, looking at todays camera marketplace, Canon has the superior sensor and an army of image stabilized lenses. Nikon on the other hand has beautifully crafted camera bodies and in a lot of ways superior optical designs for their lenses.

And now back to the main point of this post. Holding the 5D for mere minutes you get the sense that it was designed by... well, an engineer. The D200 (or any Nikon Camera) feels like it was crafted by a photographer. Someone who realizes that not only does the camera have to take great photos, but it also has to feel comfortable in the hand for a days worth of shooting. Canons don't. The 5D is not the worst offender from the Canon line, but it's not great when compared to almost every other DSLR body I've tried (which includes Pentax and Olympus as well as Nikon) The hand grip feels awkward and far to boxy. My palm felt as if something was trying to dig into it from the camera.

Then there is the UI (I mean the physical one, not the digital one). Now, admittedly, I've been shooting Nikon cameras for over a decade, so there is a strong biased here from a "what I'm used to" perspective. But I can't help wondering about Canons choice of a single dimensional scroll wheel to move through two dimensions of focus points. Or the completely out of the way power switch.

Ironically, I can use any Nikon F-Mount lens with a simple adaptor on the 5D with great results. With the D200, I can use any AI or newer F-Mount lens on a D200 without having to use stop down metering. But, back to my earlier point, the 5D has better technology, in this case a full 35mm frame sensor. There are those who would argue that FF is a dead issue and Nikon has done a great job convincing a lot of people that this is true. I don't agree. Nikon has done an admirable job with lenses like the 17-55mm f/2.8DX. Their cameras are economical as shown by the 2x price difference between our two bodies here. But there are many other examples where the DX lenses did not compare. Take the 17-35mm f/2.8D (which I adore) compared to it's DX equivalent, the 12-24mm f/4DX. There really isn't much of a comparison. Then one looks at the prime offerings and things become even worse for the DX form factor. Sure, things may change. It's rumoured that Nikon is coming out with a wack of prime lenses this year to fix this, but it's hard to wait.

So yah, the 5D has the best 35mm DSLR sensor on the market. It's low noise at high ISO, and full 35mm frame coverage are great. If only I could have it in the otherwise superior D200 body.

Back to Digital

2007-05-25T20:21:00.001-04:00

A picture of a flower...
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca

This photo was taken with my new D200.

I've been shooting Film since the end of December of 2006. I fell in love with film again but not by choice. Even the best 35mm Digital today (which I would say is the Canon 5D for IQ) can't touch a good roll of Fuji Provia 100F in a trusty film camera. But there I'm always learning. Always wanting to experiment. Though this can be done with film, it's so much faster with digital.

I think I will be shooting with film a lot more now then I did when I had my D70 even though the D200 is so much less frustrating to use than the D70. But it's nice to just go in your front yard, take a photo of a flower and post it to flickr.

The Megapixel Problem (and High ISO)

2007-05-20T09:29:00.001-04:00

I have been working on a draft of this post for some time. It was going to cover how stupid the megapixel race was, especially in tiny compact cameras. How stuffing 10 MP into a tiny little sensor was more than stupid, it was outright bad for the consumer.

However, Digital Photography Review has put together an article about misleading High ISO in compact digital cameras which also covers this issue in much greater detail than I was going to (but I did have a little diagram! :)

Overall this shows how desperate the manufacturers have gotten to sell yet another compact camera. Even in DSLR cameras. I was quite happy with 6MP. Sure, 10 will be nice, but so would 8.

ICQ Accounts being returned, no word from AOL

2007-05-10T07:59:00.000-04:00

ICQ Accounts, like mine seem to be returning. Not everyone who lost theirs has had theirs returned yet. No word from ICQ/AOL team on the subject.

ICQ Deleting accounts randomly

2007-05-09T18:41:00.000-04:00

My, and many others ICQ Accounts have been deleted. The technical forums over at ICQ is "flaming" with posts. Hundreds of users are registering new accounts to post their comments. I'd assume thousands are actually deleted.

The final death of ICQ by AOLs hands? Or a simple technical glitch?

Nikon sees a resurgence in prime sales

2007-05-06T10:21:00.000-04:00

Not surprising to me at all, but apparently this took Nikon Canada off guard.
Primes sales are growing at a great pace here in Canada. And it has Nikon a little annoyed.

I went to the Toronto Digital Imaging and Photography show (aka, the Henrys show and sale). I showed up at the show carrying an FM3a w/ MD-12 motor drive and a Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AI mounted on it. It was the starting point of many conversations. Most notably with one of the head Nikon reps. The discussion quickly moved to primes. Or the lack there off. It turns out the popularity of primes is taking Nikon a bit off guard. Apparently they're having a hard time stocking enough 85mm f/1.4s and 50mm f/1.8s to keep up with demand! I lamented the lack of wide angle primes that were of any value and he agreed. It seems Nikon has spent a lot of time investing into making a lot of zoom lenses because that was what the populace wanted a few years ago (gee, you think?). Now the trend is swinging back to primes. (site note: notice how many people are selling off the 18-200mm VR Zoom?).

Being a Nikon rep he didn't have, or more specifically wasn't willing to offer any future product information. As to be expected.

Why not to buy the D40 or D40x

What does this mean? I'm sure the D40 is a hot seller for Nikon. It's a very good SLR in a lot of ways. Most notably it's price and comfort compared to the competition. However, I wonder how many of the people who end up buying this DSLR find themselves pissed off when they find out that the cheap and good prime lenses offered by Nikon won't auto focus? I wonder how many sales of primes Nikon is loosing because of the D40?

A lot of people point out that the D40s target market is not the type of people who would buy primes. And they're probably right for the majority of D40 owners. They get the kit lens, and maybe the 55-200 and they're happy. To those people I recommend one of the many P&S super zoom cameras that are littering the camera landscape and cost a lot less than the D40 + 18-200mm.

To all those who actually care about taking photography, I recommend a used D50/70 or a the D80. (To be fair the Pentax offerings are rather nice as well). Though I'm not one of those people who think all zooms are crap (they're not). For the average person, "good" zooms are a fortune. Inexpensive primes are a great value and really bring out ones photographic capabilities.

So if you are reading this, I assume you have some passing interest in photography. If you care enough to read a post like this, you care enough not to get the Nikon D40.

The real Computer Monster

2007-05-02T11:12:00.001-04:00

I love the Muppets. This clip is just great.
This is actually a very classic clip. More details at wikipedia.

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

2007-05-01T18:50:00.000-04:00

Apparently this set of hex numbers

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

is worth the MPAAs time to send out a mass of take down notices. Shows you how stupid a bunch of guys in suites can really be.

From slashdot.

Net Neutrality in Canada and why I hate Rogers Communications

2007-04-01T22:50:00.000-04:00

I don't know if you've read or heard about Net Neutrality. It's a big issue right now. As small ISPs get gobbled up by the larger ones, there is less and less choice (especially in the USA) for the common bloke. The problem is that the large fish want a larger piece of the revenue pie. They're not happy gouging us for internet access as it is. They want a cut of the content revenue as well. Better yet, force you to buy their content. Rogers Communications (Toronto based cable tv, internet and wireless telephone operator) is notorious for this.

The days where a service provider just sold a connection are going away. Going back to Rogers. They lock down their phones so you have to pay for their ring tones (as just one example). They bandwidth shape their internet connections so you can't really get the 5Mb you pay for from anything you'd actually want to use it for. What right does my cell phone provider or ISP have to tell me how to use their product? Apparently, that's not very clear.

Net Neutrality in Canada

Being conservatives (read: pleasing to corporations and the rich), our government has been dragging on this issue for some time. They just don't think it's important. Equal access to all goes both ways. Everyone should be entitled to get the access that everyone else has. However, they should also have equal connection to anywhere on the net, not where their ISP chooses. Write your local MP and let them know that you demand a free internet and that Canada needs Net Neutrality legislation.

No Nikon D3, just a D40x

2007-03-08T10:32:00.000-05:00

Looks like I and many others were wrong. It doesn't look likely sooner than March now for a Nikon D3.

And now, for the D40x:

I have a negative bias towards the D40 itself. This camera represents another nail in the death of Nikons backwards compatibility. Not only does this camera not meter with pre-AF lenses (as has been the norm for Nikons lower end bodies for some time now), it also doesn't Auto Focus with pre AF-S lenses (screw drive AF doesn't work). The feeling of "screwing the customer" continues with the D40x. Sure, this model doesn't replace the D40. It's more expensive and will be sold along it. They should have called it something else. Every D40 owner I know is pissed (even though they know it costs more).

The other problem I have with this camera, is I admit, a reality of todays consumer digital camera market. There is NO reason for this camera to have 10 mega pixels. In other words, no reason for it to exist. Some people have floated the idea that the 6MP sensors aren't going to be made anymore. I don't buy that. The real reason this camera exists, is because the Canon Rebel XTI has 10MP and Nikon did have about a $400 price gab between the D40 and the D80 body they could fill. Sadly, most consumers don't realize that they don't need it, nor even want it. More megapixels just means less shooting buffer and more storage needed. However, I hear all the time about how people would rather get the Rebel because it's got 10 MP, it must be better... right? *sigh*

If you plan to buy the 18-200mm VR Nikkor and attach it to this camera, go ahead. If you're interested in photography as an art, please buy any other Nikon except for this one, one that can AF with classic Nikon AF Lenses.

Nikon D3 any time soon now.

2007-02-28T18:41:00.000-05:00

The Nikon rumour mill is in full force with the prediction of a high MP 1.1x or 1.13x crop factor D3 being announced at PMA. We know that the D3h is overdue, but maybe they're swapping which comes out first this time? Or dropped the x/h separation?

Check my post on flickr.

Stunt Junkies 171 foot Rally Car Jump

2007-02-21T10:06:00.001-05:00

Ken Black does 171' rally jump in his production class rally car.

Wow.

Playstation 3s Not Selling!

2007-02-18T20:06:00.001-05:00

Not Selling
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca.

Shocking! Costco got a crate full of PS3s less than two months after launch. It took them over 4 months to get a small number of XBOX 360s which sold out fast after that lunch.

Not only that, but there is a stack of XBOX 360s right beside this PS3 stack, and it's got a few slots empty.

Apparently I could make a lot of money off this.

US Corporations lie about Canadas Copyright stance

2007-02-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

So the US Media giants are at it again. In a recent Globe and Mail article US organizations are quoted talking about how horrible Canada is when it comes to cracking down on those bad pirates. The reality is that we're doing just fine. The USA is just pushing their laws on the rest of the country to protect their corporations failing business models. The biggest lie in this piece is the following:

"Canada remains far behind virtually all of its peers in the industrialized world with respect to its efforts to bring its copyright laws up to date with the realities of the global digital networked environment," the group argued in its submission.

What? What Peers are they talking about? The only country that has draconian copyright laws is the United States. Our governments job is not to protect outdated business models.

Michael Geist has a great response to this article.

Web 2.0 all over again.

2007-02-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

I hate the term Web 2.0. It's just grates me. I mean it's not really a revolution, like most applications changing version numbers. But I did really enjoy this:

Nikon D200s or D300 DSLR coming soon?

2007-02-05T19:58:00.000-05:00

If you look at Nikons release dates for their DSLR line, you'll notice that they release a new or updated version of a body about every 18 months.

See Table below, this Blogger template pushes it down

OK, so it's not that clear that it's 18 months. In the D1x/h -> D2x/h it was several years jump. Same with D100 -> D200.
But things have changed since back then. Is the D200s or D300 due out this Spring?

D1	1999/06/15	initial model
D1X	2001/02/05	18 months since D1
D1H	2001/02/05	18 months since D1
D100	2002/02/21	initial model
D2H	2003/07/22	29 months since D1H
D70	2004/01/28	initial model
D2X	2004/09/16	43 months since D1H
D2Hs	2005/02/16	18 months since D2H
D70s	2005/04/20	16 months since D70
D50	2005/04/20	initial model
D200	2005/11/01	44 months since D100
D2Xs	2006/06/01	20 months since D2x
D80	2006/08/09	16 months since D70s
D40	2006/11/16	19 months since D50
D200s / D300	2007/05/01	projected 18 months
D3h	Overdue	projected over 23 months
D3x	2007/12/01	projected 18 months

New Panasonic (or why not to get the Nikkor 18-200mm)

2007-02-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

Panasonic today announced the new DMC-TZ2 and DMC-TZ3.

I have not used this camera. The fact that we have a camera this small, with a 10x optical zoom is amazing though. It's also got OIS, which is one of the only image stabilization systems that actually works in compacts (vs. Nikons VR and Canons IS which work fine in SLRs, but not compacts). This lens also starts at a 28mm equivalent field of view on 35mm which should be the new basis for compacts, not the traditional 35-36mm.

This, and cameras before it, are why I don't recommend lenses like the Nikkor 18-200mm. Those lenses are not great. They just have a very nice zoom range. Users who buy it usually say something along the lines of "This lens allows me to travel compact as it's the only lens I need". Well, then why not just get one of these? It's smaller and cheaper than the lens. You also get a whole nother camera out of it. Sure, a Nikon DSLR + Nikkor 18-200mm will take better pictures. But not by much.

Winter Reds (Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AI impressions)

2007-02-01T11:30:00.001-05:00

Winter Reds
Originally uploaded by tracer.ca.

So, with winter comes a slow down in photos. (not helped by my lack of camera gear). Still, I managed to get out for a walk at lunch and snap some photos.

I'm really impressed with the Nikkor 35mm f/1.4. This lens is from the day when lenses were crafted, not mass produced.
At close focusing distances, and wide open, this lens DOF is really shallow. Allowing you to create excellent subject isolation. it's field of view is just rite for a walk around lens on film.

Speaking of film, I've gone to using the cheapest film I can find. Currently "Life Brand" film from Shoppers Drug Mart. Combined with $2.99 Processing to CD (no prints), it makes for an economical way to shoot film.

TopGear is BACK!

2007-01-29T18:16:00.000-05:00

My favorite TV Show is back on the air.
For those who don't know, it got delayed because of a horrific crash while filming the new season. So this past Sunday was the first episode of the first new season.
If you're lucky enough to get the BBC, I'm sure you can catch it there on re-runs. For the rest of us...

My new notebook

2007-01-20T22:43:00.000-05:00

So, one of the things I got stolen was my notebook.
I know I'm not going to get much from the insurance company for my crappy old Dell. So I just went out and got a new one. I really needed one. Especially with my new class. I decided on a small notebook as portability was more important. I also was toying around with the idea of a tablet.

I spent some time reaserching.But I ended up where I knew I would, with IBM. They (well, I guess now Lenovo) make the best notebooks. I knew this from years of working in IT at an add agency. It's one of the reasons I will never buy an Apple product (worst customer service I ever had to deal with).

I did end up cheeping out and getting an older (though still new model). Overall I would say I am happy with the purchase. I ended up with the x41. It's a bit slow, but $800 less than the new one.

How do I like the tablet part? This entire post was "written" on it.

eBay raises prices, again.

2007-01-04T23:05:00.000-05:00

It must be nice to be a monopoly.
eBay, has once again raised prices.
Lets say you want to sell something that you list for a $1 and ends up selling for $20.
$0.40 to list the item (this changes if you list it for a higher initial value) and then 3.25% for the final value. so that's $1.15 so far.
But wait, you're using PayPal right (You better be, it's the only officially supported payment method on eBay now).
So that's $0.55 + 2.9% another $1.13
Hold on, you charged for shipping right? That doodad you sent will cost $6 to ship. Oh, you get nailed for that on paypal too. So that's actually $1.30 you owe PayPal.
So your $20 isn't actually yours. You only get $17.55
This adds up quick.
Sure, eBay is not technically a monopoly, but they might as well be.

Shooting Film

2007-01-02T16:15:00.001-05:00

Since I got my DSLR stuff stolen,
I'v been shooting mostly film with MF Nikkors for the holidays.

Choosing between shooting with my PowerShot S400, Nikon F601, Nikon FM3a or Sony Ericsson K710i Camera phone, I chose the FM3a.

My thoughts on this camera since I've spent a lot of time with it:
+ very light and compact for a full metal camera
+ with the 50mm f/1.8 AIS and CF-27 Semi Hard case it’s very compact in your bag
+ the film advance is very smooth and effortless
+ Manual Focusing even in very dark situations is a pleasure
+ self timer works great
- there is no grip on this camera which makes it hard to hold with big lenses
- manually re-winding film (Yah I know, I’m lazy)

The lenses I have been using with this camera are:
- 35mm f/1.4 AI
- 50mm f/1.8 AIS
- 80-200mm f/4 AIS

The 35mm f/1.4 is an awesome lens. I wish Nikon has something of comparable FOV and speed for their DX Format.

Got my stuff stolen

2007-01-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

I got a lot of my stuff stolen, including my D70 and 17-35mm Nikkor, my two most enjoyable photography items :(

Free PR for online Music Service eMusic

2006-12-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

I don't normally do this, but after reading this recent article in wired about the subject, I thought I'd post about it.

I stopped pirating music a while ago. Shortly after finding eMusic.
This is the only online music service I would give ANY money to. Why? It's DRM free. This is something that the majors simply don't understand. If you make something convenient enough, people will pay for it. As opposed to as restrictive as possible. A lot of people complain that eMusic doesn't have a great selection. Well, it does. One of the largest on the net (next to iTunes I believe). However, it's mostly independent. This however is GREAT for me. Simply because I listen to mostly electronic music. Electronic music is mostly distributed through independent labels. With their recent addition of Nettwerk records (an excellent Canadian label!), the even have a few major artists like Delirium.

B&W all over again.

2006-09-14T14:06:00.000-04:00

Decided to start using HIGH ISO B&W film in my FM3a. Very wonderfull results.

From Neopan Summer...

Mad driving skills

2006-09-14T14:05:00.001-04:00

Any wonder why I think Rally Racing is the best motorsport in the world?

New Ride

2006-09-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

For those who don't know, I drive a Subaru Impreza WRX.

Well, it looks like Subaru is dumping one of the great (IMHO) features of the Impreza line for whatever replaces it in 2008. The new line is a hatchback (link to spy shot). I love the sedan form.

What I carried around this weekend.

2006-09-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

What I carried around this weekend., originally uploaded by tracer.ca.

... However... I did have lots of camera fun. Not so many pictures. Which is good. Still loving my new FM3a. Had to take one of these "Whats in my bag" photos. Also, if it's not apparent. I have way too much photos gear (or not enough :).

The last weekend of summer.

2006-09-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

Ernesto, originally uploaded by tracer.ca.

The last official weekend of summer is long and gone.
This picture sums up what it was like.

I had so much to do.
Pressures of school coming up, work, a wedding to get ready for and a birthday to celebrate.

Back to Film Again with the Nikon FM3a

2006-08-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

I got a Nikon FM3a film camera.

This was the latest and greatest mechanical 35mm camera available from anyone. Introduced in Feb. of 2001 it has a production run of almost exactly 5 years. It was discontinued along with a bunch of other film related products by nikon at the beginning of this year.

The discontinuation of this camera points to a significant turn for Nikon. One which I hope they will turn around as more of us photographers complain. Nikon is slowly turning their product range away from "Photographers" and towards eletronics consumers. Maybe they have to do this to stay competitive. But I for one am very dissapointed.

The end of the FM line is just one example. Another is the move towards G lenses and discontinuation of prime lenses in favor of super zooms. Nikon has always stood for compatibilty. The one manufacturer who has maintained their lens/metering mount since 1977 (incidently the year I was born. Note: Nikons F-Mount has actually been around for longer, but not with AI Metering). Now they're making this great backwards and forwards compatibility between their lenses and cameras a scarce thing.

In the meantime I'm really enjoying my trip back to film. This camera is a joy to use. I'm rather happy with the results so far.

Here are some photos from a BBQ party at a friends house.

Shars Summer BBQ 2006

Aug 26, 2006 - 24 Photos