This is an incredible journey from the always fascinating TED.com led by planetary scientist Carolyn Porco. It shows the latest rounds of ground-breaking findings of the Cassini exploration mission in a way you are not soon to forget. Amazing imagery and some very startling discoveries! (video filmed in 2007)

The original video and details can be found here: “Carolyn Porco flies us to Saturn“

For 7 years now (or close to it) I have been the extremely proud owner of Rotel audio equipment and I don’t think I could ever go to another brand. The solidity, quality of sound, relatively low price (around $2000 per unit – not bad in the audiophile market) and the fact that they hold their value well… makes these beauties worth every penny.

The Rotel that I currently use as my core entertainment unit is pretty old now so it doesn’t have the HMDI inputs and TrueHD decoding, however, it does a phenomenal job of DTS EX and Doly Digital 5.1. Simply put, I can’t recommend it enough and I have found it on ebay for as little as $600 USD including shipping (it is a beast at 20+lbs). Here it is in case any of you want to make a worthwhile upgrade to your home system:

Rotel RSX-1056

(you can click the rear shot for a larger view)

I used to have this receiver matched with a heart-wrenchingly beautiful set of  B&W 805 speakers (aka dream speakers – the same they use at the Abbey Road studio) which I sold a couple years back because I knew my new wife and I would have a little one running around soon. Here is a shot of them except mine were a beautiful chestnut color… I will revisit this page every once in a while to remember and dream so this is mostly for my own delight.

These 805′s produced sound that rendered many of the cds I had new again. Yes, I said new. Every song came alive with sounds that I had never heard before on the radio or on my older set of speakers. These speakers were an absolute pleasure to own – even if I was constantly a little paranoid about anything happening to them

Anyway, I mostly posted this for myself so that someday, worst comes to worst, I could look back at this fondly. I also figured it might give one or two people that last push to get a Rotel or a B&W speaker set.

As many who know me know, I have been slobbering over the idea of the Nikon D300 for a very long time; the incessant drool was quite comical – I am sure. Well, when I barely missed getting a used (meticulously cared for) D300 for just $750 I couldn’t stand the loss. It was then that my droolish desire became an obsession!!!

As a result, I used my considerable search skills to hunt and hunt and hunt for bargains while becoming intimately familiar with all of the upsides and downsides of the D300. Well, it didn’t take long before I realized that I could no longer get the D300 new and used versions were simply not a good enough bargain (which further increased my disappointment at my previous loss)… only the newer D300s.

It took some getting used to – that I would have to buy a product that was so new there were practically ZERO price drops anywhere (bare minimums in many cases). I even got close to buying the extremely nice D90… I just couldn’t get past the build quality and the other sweet differences that made the D300s a glory to behold (51 AF points, 7 frames/sec continuous shooting, magnesium-alloy body with “some” weather sealing, dual card slots…)

Anyway, I finally grew too restless and yesterday I came across a sweet deal for a newly opened Demo at Futureshop (I know, I know, I am not a huge fan either) which they were willing to give me for what amounted to $267 off MSRP (or in this case $100 off a matched sale price) and it has all of the warranties intact just as though it came out of the box. That was it… I let the whole idea settle over night and leapt for the deal today….which leads me to the specs for my new beauty, the D300s  :-D

• 13.1 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor (effective pixels: 12.3 million)
• New 720p HD movie mode records video at 1280 x 720 (24 fps) for up to 5 minutes
• 3.0? LCD monitor (920,000 pixels)
• Dust reduction system
• 51 AF points with 3D tracking (faster and more accurate)
• IS0 200-3200 range (6400 expanded)
• 7 frames per second continuous shooting (buffer: 17 RAW, 44 JPEG fine, 100 JPEG Normal)
• Same EN-EL3e battery as D300 (950 shots per charge )
• 72 thumbnail view in playback
• Supports all Nikkor F-Mount lenses
• Sturdy magnesium alloy body with some weather-sealing; shutter rated at 150,000 cycles
• Live view supported (now with dedicated button)
• Contrast and phase detection AF modes
• Face detection available
• Optical viewfinder has 100% coverage and magnification of 0.94X
• Full manual controls
• ISO range of 100 – 6400 (when fully expanded)
• Shutter speed range of 30 – 1/8000 sec (there’s a bulb mode too)
• RAW and TIFF formats supported
• Quiet Shutter Release feature reduces sound of mirror action
• User now has the ability to bracket for Active D-Lighting, which restores shadow and highlight detail
• Hot shoe and flash sync port plus the ability to control up to 2 sets of wireless flashes
• Stereo microphone input and HDMI port
• Dual memory card slots: CompactFlash and SD/SDHC, with backup and overflow features
• Optional battery grip gives you even greater battery life and faster continuous shooting (8 fps)

I suppose it is needless to say but I am a very very happy photographer… I feel renewed and look forward to getting out and shooting again like a man possessed. See you out there!

PS. thanks to www.d300s.com for the excellent photos and the specs. Great site!

The AirStash is a personal, portable (in your pocket), WiFi storage access point.  It features the ability to extend the storage of any device that has wireless access by providing a pocket WPA2-secured access point with a basic media server accessible through your handheld/computer’s browser. The only limitation to the device is the amount of space it can hold at one time which is up to 32 gb; via a SD card that must be purchased separately.

This product has me itching to buy it because I am so obsessed with technology and the idea of having my own personal data field (yeah I figure that is the geek way of saying it is too cool to say no to!

For Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod or iPod Touch users this little unit will be your savior if you happen to have filled up the space on your handheld and you are itching for more (whether you need it or not!). Why? Well, not only does it offer unlimited storage extension (you could have a gaggle of 32 gb SD cards at hand and switch them out) to your handheld but it also comes configured with some exclusive functionality just for you! Here is the prose from the marketing material at AirStash.com:

Break through the storage limits on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with AirStash! There’s no need to decide what files to squeeze onto your iPhone—bring them all with AirStash! Supply a single SD card for storage capacity up to 32GB, or bring along additional SD cards for unlimited storage on-the-go. Because AirStash is wireless, you can keep using your favorite case and accessories while AirStash sits in your pocket, backpack, purse, or briefcase.

Here is a demo of the AirStash by the company hosted on YouTube:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In short, I hope to have my own AirStash soon!

Note:  iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc.

This is beyond cool… and crazy. This guy must have over 20 wheels  strapped to him in order to get the kind of control he has… awesome!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Matt Cutts and his video team at Google created this great video demonstrating a free application made by Google staff that looks absolutely awesome for tracking workouts using GPS:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out Matt’s post on My Tracks and here is the link to find out more/download My Tracks for your Android phone!

My buddy Rob sent me this YouTube video today at work and it was truly impressive. Check it out:

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Extreme climbing
[/coolplayer]

In Santa Clara last week I lost my phone (I think in a Taxi) so I decided to upgrade; those that know me will not be surprised

My upgrade is, well, an impressive little beast. In fact it isn’t even widely available yet in Canada and when it will be it will cost at least 2x more than what I paid for mine thanks to some power searching on eBay.

Here is a wicked review of this phenomenal smart phone – the TyTN 2 (pronounced “Titan 2″). I can’t wait to get it!!

[coolplayer width="480" height="380" autoplay="0" loop="0" charset="utf-8" download="1" mediatype=""]
The HTC TyTN II Review
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Here are the specs for this rock’n device that IMHO redefines convergence (source: Wikipedia):

User manual (specification pages)^[1]

• Manufacturer: HTC
• Type: Smartphone / PDA
• Communications
  • Quad band UMTS / HSDPA / HSUPA: UMTS 800, UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 2100
  • Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE: GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR with A2DP, A-GPS and GPS, USB 2.0
• GPS: Qualcomm
• CPU: 400 MHz Qualcomm 7200 (dual CPU, and integrates Imageon hardware 2D/3D graphics accelerator) Although the graphics hardware is without a Windows Mobile driver, so all graphics are done using the main CPU, therefore unaccelerated.
• Operating System: Windows Mobile 6
• Camera(s): 3.0(2048×1536) MP still/video camera with autofocus. VGA Video conferencing camera.
• Memory: 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM
• Memory card: SDIO, microSD, microSDHC^[2][3] 4GB and up, TransFlash
• Screen: 240×320, 2.8″ (42 x 57 mm) TFT-LCD
• Weight: 190g
• Size: 112mm (L) x 59mm (W) x 19mm (T)
• Battery: Li-Ion 1350 mAH
• Value Added Applications: HTC Home™, TomTom navigation software (tester edition normally, but Swisscom now supplies this phone with the full TomTom navigation package included. Swisscom also pre-load the full Swiss train timetable and a translation program and Live TV including MTV and CNN. No SkySports yet though!!), Business card scanner also on some but not Swisscom.

Full TyTN 2 phone specs here.

Reviews from Authorities

OVERALL IMPRESSION (From PocketNow.com)
Two words: Very Impressed. I don’t even care that I don’t have HSDPA or even UMTS support where I live. The TyTN II does it all. For me, the improved Bluetooth and consequently improved Voice Command via Bluetooth recognition capabilities are well worth it alone. Add on top of that a much improved GPS Navigation implementation (compared to the P3300), a slide out keyboard/flip-up screen, TouchFLO scrolling, 3MP autofocus camera, and a ton of memory… and there’s no turning back. The TyTN II truly is the ultimate mobile companion… at least for now.

Help! I don’t know how I am going to survive having Civilization on the 360… it has been a dream for a while now but now that it is coming to reality… OMG I might as well write off my social life. Here is the announcement from 2K Games of the impending June 3, 2008 release:

2K Games is proud to announce that Sid Meier’s Civilization® Revolution™, the latest entry in the award-winning Sid Meier’s Civilization® franchise, will be in stores beginning June 3, 2008. Developed internally at 2K’s world-renowned and award-winning Firaxis development studio, Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Nintendo DS™.

Built from the ground up solely for console and handheld gamers, Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution features fast-paced, pick-up-and-play action involving strategic global domination and history’s most intrepid leaders, as well as a highly competitive multi-player experience. Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution brings the renowned Civilization franchise to consoles for the first time, delivering the vast re-playability and unmatched addictive gameplay that has become synonymous with the works of Sid Meier. New graphical touches and a streamlined interface will transport the Civilization franchise to a level that fans have never seen before.

Someday I hope to be one of those lucky space tourists because frankly space is one of the most amazing and incredible mysteries to me and I would absolutely LOVE to see earth from space. So, here’s hoping the price for a trip is within my grasp before I am too old to go

Now check out this beautifully created animation of SpaceShipTwo in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.