Camera!

So, I bit the bullet and bought a camera.
I was going to save up for a DSLR, but after talking to some photography friends, they all suggested I get a cheap little point and shoot camera that I can keep in my pocket.
So after a few days of browsing reviews and online catalogues, I decided to buy a Canon IXUS. I had some umart store credit left over from a previous purchase, and that just about covered the cost of a Canon IXUS 85IS.
I have to say, I'm impressed with the camera already. 10Mpx, 3x zoom, macro support. The only drawback, and this is going to sound crazy, its a little too small.

As with any device I purchase, one of the considerations is whether or not it can be improved with third party modifications. In this case, YES!

Many Canon point'n'shoot cameras are supported by the Canon Hackers Development Kit (link). Because the IXUS85 is such a new camera, the firmware is still in beta. Oh well, occasional crashes are a small price to pay for total control over ISO, lens aperture and shutter speed. It also supports a custom remote shutter that plugs into the USB port, helping with making long exposure shots very stable.

Having used it for a while now, I would like there to be a way of running the camera from an external power source (either a bigger battery, or a mains transformer) an to be able to charge the battery from USB.

All in all though, I'm very impressed with both the IXUS85 and CHDK.

New Sofa

So, after months of searching, I finally found an ebay sofa I like.
A three seater and two recliners in an ash blue microsuede. :D
Pics soon.

New favicon?

The red G was good. The blue g, also good.

I don't like Google's new favicon. I really don't like it.

But this new one is just a mash of colours that made me check and retype the URL because it was just so different. 

Part of me hoped it was a typo or even a domain hijacking.

< /rant>

Car has passed its assessment!

So I had my car assessed by AAMI today. And, of course, it passed with flying colours. :D

The repairs were awarded to one of my preferred panel repairers, which is awesome.

Repair costs have come to a little over $4,000.

And in two weeks, my little baby will be good as new.

OMGWTFMX5

I went to the skidpan on Sunday! I had a lot of fun.

Learned how to catch my car a lot better. And I'm becoming more confident with using the throttle to control where the rear of the car is pointing.

Thats the good news.


The bad news now... Totally separate to the skidpan (opposite side of the city) I was involved in a car accident. And it happened thusly;

I was following Scott to a car wash at Chermside. There was a lane closure on Lutwyche Rd just outside the Officeworks. I was in the rightmost lane, traveling at 40kmh just like the sign told me. I was passing some cars that were at a stop because of the construction. The first I noticed a problem was when my car shifted a foot to the right. Not the usual kind of turning shift… more an unnatural jarring. A sensation I’m not familiar with. I came to a stop, and after a few seconds I realised “someone’s hit me”. I looked around, noticing that none of the cars around me are moving. Except the one with its front corner in my passenger door. 
We pull into the Officeworks, and begin talking about what happened. I pointed out the damage, stating that you’ve hit me. She tried to assure me that I was speeding, and she didn’t see me, and because of that, she’s not at fault. After this conversation, she refused to provide any insurance details until her husband showed up. Scott had circled around, parked nearby, and was taking photos of the damage on both cars, and the location of the accident.
Her husband shows up, and informs me that he owns a panel shop, and will happily fix any damage for free. I point out that my car is a year old, and I’m going through insurance. None too happy with this, he tells me how there’s going to be a lot of paperwork for me to go through, which I agree with, but am totally fine with. He then explains that because I’ll have an excess to pay. I explain that I wont have to pay anything because I’m not at fault. He then informed me that because they don’t have any excess to pay either, no one will have to pay anything. I’m not sure I believe them. After finally getting her details, and giving mine, they leave.
I then spend the next 30 minutes on the phone to AAMI explaining what happened, and working out the best course of action to get my little car all better.

On Monday, I got a few quotes on getting it all fixed. The average was approximately $5,000. This includes a new door skin, potentially a new rear wheel, respraying the front corner panel, the side skirt, the rear corner panel and the new door. So much damage for such a little mistake.

Dopey Southern Time

I'll never understand Daylight Savings Time. I never will.

If you wanted to get up earlier, then just get up earlier!

The implications on software are just stupid.

http://www.microsoft.com/australia/athome/daylightsaving/default.aspx

GRRR!

Something need doing?

Sunday afternoon, I was bored and going a bit stir crazy, so I decided to go to work. No the most brilliant idea, but definately very productive.

I was there for nearly three hours, and got loads of work done. 4 bugs resolved, 3 reports published, 2 tests set up, and a special modification request... in a pear tree. All in three hours.

This wouldnt normally be a problem. However, these were all things I wanted to do on Monday. So I get in to work today, and I feel like I have nothing to do. I did, but my internal task list had all the monday tasks completed.

I felt rather unproductive today. Tomorrow should be better though. I have a task list to complete tomorrow. :D