Brett's in Vassiliki

For a week of sailing, reading and relaxing. Blogging will be taking a back seat, but I will be taking photographs & uploading them to my Flickr pages.
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Glastonbury 2009

The Big British Castle is providing excellent, mud-free coverage of Glastonbury 2009.

I drove up to Lincoln yesterday afternoon to view Cyan's A-level art exhibition entranced by 6Music's coverage of the event, and drove home listening to The Specials, Bloc Party and Neil Young, followed by archive footage of Radiohead's legendary, rain-drenched, equipment-failing 1997 performance. It was 2.00am in the morning, so it might have been sleep-deprivation talking, but I think I now 'get' Radiohead!

To enjoy the lovingly-edited madness, click here.
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Treat Me Like Your Mother

The Dead Weather is workaholic Jack White's latest project.

Comprising vocalist Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), guitarist Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age), bassist Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes) and Jack White (drums/vocals).

Their sound is somewhere between Rage Against The Machine and (not surprisingly) The White Stripes.

To download their latest single for nowt, click here.
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SXSW 2009 Free Tracks Review #4

SXSW 2009 posted 1267 songs for free download in March. I've now listened to all of 'em, and kept 889. Here's six that are worth special mention:

Absence - Carrie Rodriguez: I first came across Carrie's singing/fiddle playing when she was duetting with Chip Taylor. Her solo stuff is grittier and more adventurous, although she lacks Chip's talent for memorable hooks and melodies.

Ornamental - Scissors For Lefty: They've toured with the Arctic Monkeys, The Smashing Pumpkins, Erasure and Fiery Furnaces. Their music doesn't break any boundaries, but is anthemic and tuneful.

This Is Exile - Whitechapel: The second I hear the characteristic growling vocals and speed-drumming, I usually dial in the '1 star' rating that means 'delete this track'. But there was something about this slice of deathcore that kept my attention. I still can't help smiling when I listen to it however.

Weighty Ghost - Wintersleep: A demo version of their single, Wintersleep have the ability to compose and play strong, catchy songs.

School Bus Driver (The Stop Song) - Daddy a Go-Go: Jonathan Richman-style hokum. Great fun.

Whatchadoin? (Villains Remix) - N.A.S.A. Ft. M.I.A., Spankrock, and Santigold: Relentless big beats, fat analogue synths. If I liked dancing, I would enjoy dancing to this.
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Folding three-pin plug concept

Register Hardware reports: [edited]

Although still just a prototype, designer Min Kyo Choi has rewired a UK three-pin plug into design that's just 48 x 44 x 10mm.

By fixing the live and neutral pins onto a twisting body, both can be rotated from a horizontal to vertical position so that they sit underneath the plug’s earth pin. At the same time, the plug’s body can be folded closed like a book – reducing much of its bulk.

When it comes to slotting the plug into an outlet, the process is as simple as twisting the two bottom pins into the horizontal position and opening up the two flaps.

In between the flaps there’s a finger slot for pulling the plug out of the socket once you’re done. This section also contains the plug’s fuse.

No plans to mass produce the plug have been announced.

For a video presentation click here.
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It Might Get Loud

Apple Trailers reports: [edited]

'It Might Get Loud' tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes).

It reveals how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars both found and invented.

The movie revolves around a day when Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge first met and sat down together to share their stories, teach and play.

To view the trailer click here.
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Photos taken with the iPhone 3G S Camera

MetzoBlue reports: [edited]

This weekend I tried to take a few more photos than normal to get a feel for what the new camera in the iPhone 3G S is capable of.

I'm quite pleasantly surprised at the results. I did run most of these through some quick post adjustments in iPhoto, so take 'em with that grain of salt.

(also, the colour is a lot better in a browser that supports image colour profiles, basically just Firefox 3 and Safari at the moment.)

via Daring Fireball
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Ponyo

Apple Trailers reports: [edited]

From the Academy Award-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid'.

Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent, including Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson and Lily Tomlin.

To view the trailer click here.
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Free font - Moo!

Fábio Duarte Martins has made MOO! available for free download.

It is a particularly well-drawn example of an ultra-fat geometric, in the tradition of Baby Teeth & Sinaloa, and comes with an inventive range of diacritical marks.
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128GB on a USB stick

Kingston's DT200 range of USB memory comes in three flavours, 32GB ($120), 64GB ($213), and 128GB ($546). UK pricing not currently available.
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2012

Yahoo! have an exclusive trailer of Roland Emmerich's latest blockbuster.

It looks like the CGI team had a great time (and an even greater budget), and I'm pleased to see that the kerning has been improved since the teaser trailer, although the '1' could still do with a wee nudge to the right.
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BravoTunes

BravoBug Software reports: [edited]

BravoTunes puts iTunes in your Mac's menubar, providing scrolling track information for the current and upcoming songs, plus a system-wide menu to switch tracks, pause iTunes, or adjust shuffle and repeat settings.

Adjust font, size, style, scrolling speed, track information (title, artist, album).

BravoTunes has options for the processor-conscious. Adjust the scrolling framerate, sync time, and other options to reduce BravoTunes CPU footprint to an ideal level.

Requires OS X 10.4 or later, Intel or PPC.
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A-Data NH92

Register Hardware reports: [edited]

The A-Data NH92 external hard drives are 12mm thick and weigh 152g.

There is a choice of three colours: “light silver”, “cherry pink” and “ocean blue”. Each model comes with a leather carry pouch.

A USB 2.0 port will let you hook the drive into your PC and available storage capacities range from 250GB to 500GB.
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iPhone 3G S review

Engadget has published one of the first reviews of the iPhone 3G S.

Conclusion: [edited]:

"For current [iPhone] users the iPhone 3G S is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own."

"At this stage, we wouldn't recommend anything but the 3G S for newcomers planning on getting into Apple's game."

"It's tough to argue with the package Apple has put together (a stellar device with just enough new to make it nearly perfect), we couldn't help feeling a bit let down by the 3G S. We're not saying it's time to jump ship, but we've come to expect a bit more pedal to the floor from Apple - you've raised the bar guys, now it's time to jump over it."
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Snow Leopard explained

Short answer: Snow Leopard...

– is the next incarnation of the Macintosh operating system
– will be available September 2009
– will be faster, leaner and wizzier™ than Leopard
– will only work on Intel-based machines

and Leopard users will be able to upgrade for $29 (UK pricing TBA)

Long answer
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Nikon D5000

Digital Photography Review have published an in-depth report on Nikon's 'just-that-bit-better-than-entry-level' (JTBBTEL) DSLR.

"It's impressive that so much of the D300's technology has, in the space of just 18 months, gone from appearing in an $1800 camera to one that can be had for under $700. The high ISO performance is very good as is the dynamic range."

"The D5000 sits slightly awkwardly between categories - it's a large camera but one that, in common with the much smaller D60, relies on menus or its info screen for accessing many settings."

"In terms of handling, the D5000 is a much more elegant camera to hold than it is to behold - it might look a little lumpy but it sits well in the hand."

"Ultimately, whether the D5000 is the right camera for is likely to hinge on what you think of the flip-out/swivel LCD. In every other respect, the D5000 is exactly the solid product you'd expect of a camera put together from so many well-proven parts."

"The underlying features are well done, so that it's easy to get good picture out of - the autofocus is sophisticated, reliable and easy-to-use and in difficult-to-meter situations, the camera's exposure errs on the side of underexposure, to prevent detail being lost."
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Alphabet drawers

Kent and London reports: [edited]

Inspired by vintage printing blocks, this beautifully finished chest of 26 drawers is made from solid oak - the perfect place to file everything from A-Z.

H800mm x W1200mm x D300mm, £2700
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Waste Not Want Not

If you own a digital camera, there is a good chance you have a charger similar to the one in the above picture.

If you own a Macintosh laptop computer, you probably have a plug similar to the one pictured below.


Connect it to the charger, and you have a neat, lead-free charger. Hurrah!


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Casio Exilim EX-H10 ultra-compact superzoom

Digital Photography Review reports: [edited]

— 10x optical zoom
— 24mm wide angle lens
— 164g
— 103 x 62 x 24mm
— 1000 shot battery life
— £299
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1: First impressions

Way back in 1995, I purchased a Sigma SD9 DSLR camera. It was the first digital camera to produce images of a quality that compared with 35mm film (remember film?) cameras. However, like most SLR cameras, it was a heavy thing to carry around and the software to process the RAW images it produced was slow and clumsy.

In 2003, I purchased a Pentax Optio 555. At the time it was a very impressive piece of kit, with a 37-187mm lens and a 5 megapixel CCD. It soon became my primary camera, its optical limitations outweighed by the fact that I could carry it with me everywhere I went.

Since then I have purchased a variety of digital compacts, including the Fuji F30, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 and DMC-LX3. Each one has produced incrementally better images, but their tiny recording sensors prevent them from matching their bigger DSLR cousins.

Recently I found myself browsing reviews of a number of semi-pro DSLRs, including the Nikon D700, Canon 5D Mk II and Sony A900. The image quality of all three cameras is quite stunning, especially in low-light situations. However, their physical size prohibits them being included in my 'always-with-me' bag. And the price of a 'body' (before a lens has been added) is close to £2,000.

Which brings me to the subject of today's blog. The DMC-G1 is an attempt to bring DSLR quality to a more compact format (for more about the format, click here). And, at the moment anyway, you can purchase one from Jessops complete with a 14-45mm and 45-200 lens (equivalent to 28-400mm on an old-school 35mm camera) for £650.00.

I bought one a couple of weeks ago, and so far I am delighted with it.

– I can (just) squeeze it into my current laptop bag.
– Its controls are well laid-out and lag-free.
– The image quality is much better than the LX3.
– Hurrah for blurred backgrounds!
– The articulating viewing screen is excellent.

Things I miss include:

– Lack of proper macro
– I love the shutter sound, but would be nice to have a 'silent' option

Also, the viewfinder is better than any other video viewfinder I have used, but still grainy and artificial, especially in low-light.

The RAW format images are noticeably better quality than the JPEG option. I began by using a standard SD card, but the Sandisk Extreme III card I purchased last week is noticeably quicker, especially when taking sequential shots.

Time will tell whether this becomes my 'Goldilocks' format, or whether I will continue to long for the superior image-quality of the bigger DSLRs. Right now the DMC-G1 is providing me with a lot of fun for the same price as a 'medium-quality' lens for one of the semi-pro DSLRs.

Now if Panasonic could just bring out a 'compact' using the four-thirds format...

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For in-depth reviews and sample images, visit Photography Blog and/or Digital Photography Review.

To see some images I have produced using it, visit my Flickr site.
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