Recollet Falls
I was going through some of my photos from last summer and somehow missed this photo of Recollet Falls on the French River. There’s a nice symmetry to the photo that I had overlooked.
Recollet Falls is a short hike (1.75 km) from the French River Visitor Centre on Hwy 69 (halfway between Parry Sound and Sudbury). If you’re heading up to Killarney Provincial Park or going further north you should try and visit this spot.
I’m planning to spend another week in Lake Superior Provincial Park this summer and do nothing but landscape photography.
Stumble It!Posted in Photography at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)
iPhone Growth is Strong
We’re in the middle of a recession yet millions of people are willing to part with their cash to purchase iPhones. Consider these headlines:
If you live in the state of Kentucky you can’t even purchase an iPhone. Not bad for a second generation phone without any groundbreaking new features. Meanwhile Palm has sold 150,000 phones and the other smartphone makers are seeing negative growth in terms of smartphone traffic.
What’s next for Apple? After reading Fast Company’s cover story, I’m going to say that Apple will jump into the publishing market and go head to head with the Amazon Kindle.
Posted in Apple at 1:10 AM | Comments (0)
National Post Takes a Summer Vacation
Starting today the National Post is only publishing a digital version of its newspapers on Mondays. The paper said it will resume printing the Monday paper after Labour Day.
Canwest is trying to save money by not publishing a Monday print edition of the paper but they’re going to have to get a little more creative to avoid bankruptcy. TechCrunch has some ideas on How To Save The Newspapers but unless the economy picks up steam really soon, the National Post and a number of other newspapers could soon disappear.
Posted in News at 12:57 AM | Comments (0)
OS 3.0 Details
I love reading about the subtle details that Apple puts into some of its applications. There is a lot of thought and design that goes into some of these apps that just make them work intuitively. Check out Cocoia Blog for iPhone OS 3.0: The details.
Posted in iPhone at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
Think Secret
Interesting piece in the New York Times about Apple’s Secrecy on Products and Top Executives. It’s amazing to me that Apple employees are just as surprised as the public when it comes to product launches like the iPhone.
Posted in Apple at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
Harvest Ontario 2009
I shot the cover for the 2009 Harvest Ontario book. You can grab a copy at any Home Hardware in Ontario. Harvest Ontario is a great guide for local food markets, wineries, fairs, and B&Bs.
Visit Harvest Canada for an online version of the book and more information.
Posted in Photography at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
No Indy Or Chickenfoot On Display At Best Buy
Yesterday I was at Best Buy to pick up the latest Indianna Jones game for Wii. They advertised that it would be released on June 9. The store I went to didn’t have any copies on display.
I asked one of the salespeople if they had the game. He didn’t know. He asked another salesperson who said the game came in earlier but they were still in the shipping boxes at the back of the store. This was at 5:30 PM!
My son and I looked at these two salespeople. They looked at us with blank stares. I started laughing in disbelief, shook my head and said, “I need one copy”. Why do they call these guys in blue shirts, salespeople?
Five minutes later this salesperson wandered back with one copy in his hand. I guess it was too much work to bring back a few copies of the game and put them on display for the other customers.
I walked over to the music section looking for the new Chickenfoot CD (also advertised). I gave up looking after a few minutes and realized that it was probably hidden in the back of the store.
I went home and bought the Chickenfoot album on iTunes. Now I know why bricks and mortar stores are doomed when it comes to selling music.
Posted in Music and Observations at 9:26 PM | Comments (2)
Trailer for It Might Get Loud
I saw It Might Get Loud last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and it was great. It gets released in select theatres on August 14, 2009. Watch the trailer then check out the movie later this summer.
Read the Bombippy review or visit the official movie website.
Posted in Movies at 4:22 PM | Comments (1)
What Are LED TVs?
So you think you’re a home theatre buff but do you really know the difference between LED TV, LCD TV and OLED TV? Didn’t think so. Neither did I.
Before you go and buy a new HDTV you may want to visitHDTV Almanac and understand why LED TVs are really just LCD TVs.
Posted in Home Theatre at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)
6 Versions of Windows 7
On October 22, Windows users will get to upgrade to upgrade to Windows 7!
According to the Windows 7 website the new OS is going to be more Mac-like or simpler and easier to use:
Your PC, simplified. You told us what you want in a PC. We listened. And made hundreds of little improvements and a few big ones that add up to a whole lot less. Less waiting, fewer clicks, and less complexity. With less of what you don’t need, Windows 7 helps you do more. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Making every task simpler and every day easier.
If you’re a Macintosh user then you’re probably a little skeptical of Microsoft’s claims about Windows 7. Before you get to experience Windows 7 you have to figure out which version you want to install and you have 6 very simple and easy choices:
- Windows 7 Starter (limited to three apps concurrently)
- Windows 7 Home Basic (for emerging markets)
- Windows 7 Home Premium (adds Aero, Touch, Media Center)
- Windows 7 Professional (Remote Desktop host, Mobility Center, Presentation mode)
- Windows 7 Enterprise (volume license only, boot from virtual drive, BitLocker)
- Windows 7 Ultimate (limited availability, includes everything)
Windows Vista had 4 versions to choose from. Is having 6 versions of Windows 7 supposed to make it easier for the consumer to upgrade?
Apple is also planning to release a major new version of their operating system this year. It’s called Snow Leopard and it only comes in one version.
I really don’t believe that Microsoft understands the concept of simplified. I could be wrong but choosing 1 of 6 versions of Windows 7 doesn’t sound like a simple task to me.
Posted in OS X Software at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
Why Did Bell Double The Modem Lease On Their High Speed Service?
My monthly bills from Bell Canada have been increasing steadily yet I haven’t added any new services. The biggest change was with my Internet services. Back in March I was paying $45.95/month for unlimited DSL service and $2.00/month for a modem lease.
This month my modem lease has almost doubled to $3.95/month. I still have the same modem. The speed of my service hasn’t increased. So how does Bell get away with doubling the rental of a modem?
I called Bell and they gave me a lame explanation about upgrades to infrastructure to maintain the same quality of service and yadda, yadda, yadda. That has nothing to do with rental of a cheap little modem so I asked the customer care specialist why the Bell High Speed service part of my bill didn’t increase instead. How can I be charged more for a modem that has sat in my house for two years and not been replaced?
No answer.
I told the customer care specialist that I was going to buy a modem and return the one I was leasing. Why would I want go from paying $24/year to $47.40/year for a modem lease? I’m sure I can find a modem at Tiger Direct or a computer store on College Street for less than $50.
To my surprise, the customer could care less specialist said that Bell would still have to charge me $3.95/month for a modem lease with my Internet service! If Bell had buried this service increase in the Bell High Speed portion of my bill I would probably let it go.
I’m going to file a complaint with the CRTC and find out if anyone else has dumped their modem lease successfully.
Posted in Technology at 9:42 AM | Comments (1)
Are You Suffering From Burnout?
A List Apart has a great article on burnout that feels like it was written for me.
Scot Boms’ article says you may be flirting with burnout if:
- Every day is a bad day
- You are no longer emotionally invested in the work you’re doing
- You feel unappreciated or do not feel like you’re making a difference in your job
- Self-defined goals or those imposed on you are unrealistic or unreasonable
- A significant amount of your day is focused on tasks that are not fulfilling
That pretty much sums up my life these days. I have a to-do list a mile long with a waiting list of projects. To say I’m feeling overwhelmed is an understatement. Add to that an increasing lack of motivation and you have a burned out web designer that dreads the sound of a ringing phone or new email.
I think it is time to start saying no work, raise my rates and catch my breath, even if we’re in the midst of a recession. In my experience, there has never been a lack of work, just a lack of time to do the things I want to do.
Posted in JAK MEDIA at 2:13 PM | Comments (1)
