Photoshop Express – It’s about time
27
Mar2
Mar2
After graduating from college and losing my cheap student software licensing privileges Photoshop fell out of favor with me. I tried GIMP for a while (GNU Image Manipulation Program) which is essentially a Photoshop clone, but the controls are slightly awkward. I also have found for the most part both Photoshop CS2 and GIMP 2.4 to be very feature rich and far to complicated for basic photo editing and processing.
Photoshop finally announced their online Photo Editing suite called Photoshop Express. The answer to the layman’s photo editing needs. While the online factor is cool – I think the most important thing is you can get your photos back when you are done with them. Photoshop Express could have just as easily been a desktop install, but that is not the way of the software world these days.
Photoshop Express is still in Beta, but it is available to everybody and you should definitely try it out and see if it is right for you.
First thing I noticed was the 2GBs of free storage, not bad – but with 7 megapixel cameras being the norm this will fill up fast if you use the service regularly.
However, the 2GBs free is probably just a way to bait you into purchasing a larger ‘digital locker’ to keep all your photos in. A not half bad idea considering then your photos are safe (or safer anyway) from a hardware catastrophe at a reputable location.
Another interesting features – it allows you to login into other Web 2.0 worlds where you may have pictures stored and edit them directly. Currently you can edit pictures from Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket – so you can essentially grow your storage capacity by using external sites that integrate with Photoshop Express.
All the photo editing options are extremely easy to understand and show you 7 ranges for each effect and allow you preview each interval within that range in real time. Good enough! Some of the coolest editing features are the ‘Pop Color’, which allows you to create a grayscale image except for one color you isolate and the ‘Exposure’ which lets you quickly fine tune the exposure of your photograph.
There are also some standard Social Networking elements that all web 2.0 sites require. In this case you can share and browse Galleries. Essentially albums you have uploaded and selected as public. Hopefully – if you don’t select them to be public they are in fact private. (Facebook I’m looking in your general direction….).
The biggest advantage I see is all the processing is on their end, as long as you have a high-speed Internet connection, the age of your computer shouldn’t really affect performance, unlike installing the full blown Photoshop.
For now, I think it is a pretty good tool and so far it is free. I will continue to use it until I forget about it, which always seems to happen.
Chalk
17
Mar2
Mar2
![Poster[1]](http://10gallonhat.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/poster1.jpg)
I have had some time to watch a lot of movies lately. Mostly whatever has been on streaming in from Netflix. Everything has been great, but Chalk was especially good. Basically a mocumentary style movie, shot in the style of “The Office” but in a high school setting. The various teacher personalities/stereotypes are absolutely hilarious and for the most part spot-on.
I highly recommend this movie if you like The Office, or any mocumenatry films like Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show.
Check it out. It is fairly short and if you have Netflix you can use the “Watch Instantly” feature to stream it to your computer.
Blu-Ray or HD DVD – doesn’t matter…
15
Mar1
Mar1
With the official end to the format war and Blu-Ray looking like the winner I started thinking about why it doesn’t matter.
The interweb is full of proclamations claiming Sony’s Blu-Ray format is the future of our mind-numbing in home entertainment.
I just don’t see it. See my review of some of the popular download services.
The number of people with High Definition TVs is still not that high and the number of people with Blu-Ray DVD players is even closer to rock bottom. (I know my parents make at least 1 consumer in the world).Not to say it isn’t an enjoyable setup to have, but the fact remains most people just down have the moolah or the interest in this kind of equipment.
While the format war is over, and Blu-Ray marches on, I think by the time the average household catches up Broadband access and bandwidth will have reached acceptable numbers to provide every household with High Definition movies without a player at all, but instead in a file format that can be played from cheap Media Centers, TIVO and Extenders (or Apple TV if you fell for that.)
Xbox live, and others, already provide downloads of HD content to be watched on users TVs. I think the number of these users will grow a lot faster then people looking to use a more physical format like Blu-Ray or the now obsolete HD DVD.
The format war will have moved on to file formats and hopefully we can all agree on an open portable format and by that time the Movie industry will have let go of its grip on obsolete licensing strategies.
Let’s have some crab legs while we wait for this whole thing to sort itself out!
Fresh New Look
9
Mar0
Mar0
To beat the Minnesota Extend-o Winter Funk that is this March… I decided to do a little spring cleaning on the ol’ blog. I have simplified the layout hoping it makes things for you, the reader, a little more enjoyable. If not, I guess that is your problem….
Oh yeah – and most likely I will keep tweaking the layout – since it never seems to be just what I planned.
Zune-ariffic
6
Mar0
Mar0
Finally broke down and upgrade my tank of an MP3 player which my current iRiver player is bigger then most people’s microwave. Plus, Tally had the charger for dinner one night and the battery barely lasted for the daily commute on the bus.
Anyway – I download the software for Windows and importing all my music… turns out you get a music card – whatever it’s for (maybe I’m just too old to know or care (sadly)). It is cool though – shows what I have been listening too and I added some of my old photography to the background.
My Zune is decked out with 80’s style boom-boxes and Super Trooper references – now I just have to wait for it to arrive…..
10 Gallon Changes
6
Dec0
Dec0
I have been working on updating my blog and the best change so far is the new and improved gallery. Now – maybe I will actually manage to upload some pictures…
Scoot over!
8
Nov0
Nov0
After some extremely OCD research I dove into the scooter world head first.To be more exact “Motorized Bicycle” by Minnesota State Law. It was a very interesting process and in the end I learned a lot and met some great and helpful people. I decided on a Sunset Orange Genuine Buddy 50cc scooter.
I have only spent about a half-hour total on my scooter so far – but I have to say when each ride ends I am still grinning from ear to ear for some time afterwards. If my daily commute ends that way everyday – I could really be on to the greatest anti-depressant ever invented. I learned a lot valuable lessons along the way too.
Lesson 1 – A scooter is not a toy.
The general consensus among the uninformed is that scooters are toys. False. Although some scooters are toys – if you are riding a bike with engine/motor of any type, going more than 10-15 mph and riding amongst big heavy cars and SUVs – you have left toy territory. Especially people armed with cell phones, dvd players and screaming kids…
Lesson 2 – Do your homework
There are ALOT of really terrible quality products out there. Don’t be enticed by the low prices. And DON’T EVER buy a scooter on the internet. It just isn’t smart. Find a local shop – which will no doubt be filled with knowledgeable scooter experts – and ask ALOT of questions. Figure out what makes sense for you and remember you definitely get what you pay for. You wouldn’t buy a car that you have never heard of over the internet, right?
If you are doing your research online let the warranty be your guide. If the company offers anything less than a 1 year warranty – skip right over them and cross them off your list. One year warranty is a minimum sign of quality. Companies that offer a two-year warranty in the scooter world really stand behind their products quality.
You might not have the same Obsessive Compulsions to do never ending
research once you decide to purchase a scooter, but make sure you
really have covered your bases thoroughly – for your own safety.
- Find your local shop – in the Twin Cities there are a few – I went with Scooterville. The best way to find a shop is from a manufacturer’s website. Just find the “Locate Dealer” link.
- Some good brands to start your search
- Genuine Scooters
- Kymco
- Piaggio (the parent company of Vespa, I believe most are built with the same motors as the real deal Vespas.)
- Vespa
- Make
use of your local shop – I probably started to get annoying – but I
asked a lot of questions and they were always happy to help. In fact,
Bob the owner – ended up personally delivering my scooter out to my
house. They are extremely friendly and knowledgeable and you will
learn more in 5 minutes asking questions of a real person then you will
in days of online research. - Some other great resources
- Justgottascoot.com
- David happens to be from St. Paul and was a great sounding board for
questions about the area laws and regulations. He also writes reviews
of alot of scooters for your reference. - Modernbuddy.com
- Modernvespa.com same here as ModernBuddy.
- Your favorite search engine and a few good keywords.
All thing Buddy and a lot of other great scooter related topics. Just
use the search feature to find out if your questions have already been
answered.
Lesson 3 – Know your local laws
Use city and state government websites to search for statutes and regulations about Motorcycles and Motorized Bicycles. Knowing the law will help you decide what type of scooter to purchase. By only purchasing a 50cc scooter I don’t need a Motorcycle license (just a driver’s license) and can park for free at any city owned bike ramp in St. Paul. Not knowing this I may have ended up with something that didn’t suit my needs.
Lesson 4 – Function trumps Fashion
While it is important to look cool scootin’ around town – Function trumps fashion!! You can’t scoot at all if you are injured, so invest in good quality gear. I ended up spending a premium on good quality riding gear – consider it an investment in your health and well being. I will add a follow-up post with all the gear I bought soon.
Lesson 5 – Practice makes perfect
Ride within your limitations – don’t rush, learn how to ride and have a good time! I am taking a motorcycle safety class which will earn me my Minnesota motorcycle license (endorsement) – which means someday when I comfortable I can easily upgrade to the beefier 125cc buddy or maybe a Kymco People 150.
What’s it worth to you?
3
Oct0
Oct0
If you aren’t a Radiohead fan (which you should be) or if you live under a rock you probably haven’t heard about the new Radiohead album. It’s called In Rainbows – and it costs exactly how much your willing to pay. That’s right – if you don’t think it will be worth the money – you can get it for free! There is a super content rich box set you can purchase for $84 dollars which will please the super-fans – but the album in mp3 format is enough for me.
Some say this is just Radiohead being Radiohead – but I think it is a larger experiment to demonstrate to Mr. Steve Jobs, and half of the major record labels in the music industry that license free downloads can work. In fact, even when given the choice, people are willing to volunteer their bucks to pay for it.
I eagerly await October 10th when I can download it and enjoy it exactly the way I want it – license free and for exactly how much I wanted to pay for it, $10. Perfect combination.
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I Finally Took the Plunge!
8
Aug0
Aug0
True to my word – as soon as the price drop on the Xbox 360 happened I said I would make the leap. Well, the price drop was effective this morning, and I have my shiny new Xbox waiting to be picked up at Best Buy tonight after work. I am excited to get it all setup and see how it works with my Media Center. I have heard lots of great things – but have never actually witnessed it.
There is also a pretty good list of games to check out that are being released very soon. Although the Rock Band bundle costs almost as much as the Xbox – it looks pretty cool. It comes with a guitar, mic and drums to use to play along.
Medison Celebrity – the $150 laptop with most of the bells and some of the whistles
25
Jul0
Jul0
It looks as though somebody has managed to put together a decent laptop for $150 dollars. The Swedish based company is promising a great laptop in 4-6 weeks at $150 dollars. I am guessing it includes OpenOffice and some other free software to keep costs down.
There are a few catches.
One – it comes pre-installed with Linux, but can easily handle Windows XP with no upgrades.
Two – the 256MB of memory included is a bit low for today’s standards, but will suffice for web browsing and word processing. On the upside – maxing it out with 1GB of memory from Newegg would only run you another $70. Not too shabby at all.
- Key Features
- Intel® Celeron 1.5 GHz CPU
- 14″ Widescreen X-bright LCD
- 256 MB Ram memory
- 40 GB Hard Drive
- 802.11g Wireless LAN
- Optimized Linux operating system
- Pre-installed office and multimedia applications
I am going to keep an eye on this one and see how it pans out. Might be a perfect living room laptop that would allow me to write more worthless blog posts and watch TV at the same time!
10 Gallon Gallery
