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A Networked Toronto

Some quick thoughts on the 5D2
This set is taken in the vicinity of University of Toronto’s downtown campus. I recently upgraded from a Canon XSi, and this is the forth/fifth shoot that I am doing with the 5D Mark II.  So far, I’m finding that the AF system to be very accurate (although the placement of the focal points and the lack of cross-types to be inferior and disappointing).  The greatest difference is in the image quality. The 5d2 produces a much cleaner and “creamier” image. The expanded tonal range, as well as the smoother gradations, are amazing, and I could see this camera excelling at capturing the intricate details of, say, a wedding gown. The colours, as many have noted, are actually somewhat subdued/more cautious than the Rebels. Saturation is less exaggerated right out of the camera. For raw shooters, this camera handles really well. I do find myself having to re-learn the aperture-priority mode due to the more sensitive metering. In the past, I could care less about using exposure-compensation on the XSi. With the 5D2, it becomes a necessity now that you CAN accurately control for so many things. Also, because of the full-frameness, I’m still learning to see differently. I can’t wait to try it on with the 70-200 f/2.8L IS.

Here are some of the better works from yesterday.

UT's Stauffer Library

Being a photographer, I’m always on the look out for cool creative photographs.

Singlatheorist.com’s post on roomba’s cleaning path showed an excellent use of the long-exposure technique. In his case, he used a 30s exposure (and a Canon XSi, my all-time favourite camera.)

To achieve this technique, it’s actually pretty simple.
1) Turn the command dial on your camera to “Tv”. This is your shutter-priority mode. The camera calculates the size of the aperture.
2) Dial down the shutter speed to your desired duration.

Tips:
- These kind of shots work well to convey motion Adding a light source into the scene that moves during the exposure will leave a very interseting light trail.
- Dial down the ISO to eliminate noise and to gain control over the aperture.

Give it a try!

One of my best buddy from high school, Jason, is starting his own clothing line. The conceptions for his designs — “Henry and Jerks” — stems from the strange phenomenon that girls seems to fall for jerks. He’s at the planning phase of the business start-up cycle.

This phase is marked with a sense of wonder and possibility. It’s exciting to discover the world of options that are available to realize your ideas. For instance, Jason is faced with making decisions on the number of colours to be employed on his design, and the brand, and ultimately cost, of his t-shirts. With a limited budget, it is important to make the right decisions to minimize cost and maximize sales.

His situation reminds me of one of the most important part of launching a business: knowing your market. Two fundamental question:
1) Who’s going to buy?, and
2) How to reach those customers?

One of the easiest way to do this is actually to study what the competitors are doing. Ask yourself the following questions:
1) What kind of a spin are they putting on their products/services? Are they going green, organic or putting the ‘ethically-made’ touch on their product?
2) How do they connect with their customers? How is their product/service customized and made relevant to the customers?

From there on, once you have a firm grasp of your competitions can you really define your own niche within your trade.

Meanwhile, Jason made one of the most important business decision by setting a launch date. August 1st 2009 everybody!

Test post with the new theme!

July 11, 08 – 3AM

- unable to fall asleep thanks to green tea frap from starbucks
- still very uncertain about the decision.  After all, the monthly statement will be inflated to $70+, which in the light of my usage is overkill.
- went to bed. Decided to try my luck tomorrow when the stores open. If I manage to get one, then it’s meant to be. If not, no big loss.

July 11, 08 – 10:30 AM

- got in line for the iPhone 3G at Am-Call Wireless, authorized dealer for Rogers, at Pacific Mall.

- As you can see below, the lines weren’t long. Just a meagre 10-12 people. For those who aren’t familiar with Pacific Mall, this is a major mall (and physically massive) that serves the Chinese population. There are at least 2 major Rogers dealerships in it, and at least 3 smaller Fido dealerships. So fortunately, there wasn’t a great rush. Armed with my trusty Canon, i decided to take a quick stroll around the mall, and see all the iPhone action. Here’s a pic of the employees setting up the iphone.. still unboxing it, and setting up the display.

- The iPhone still covered up at a Fido store — 

-now, I’m back at my store, Am-Call… and guess what i saw – the iPhone that i really want. .

July 11, 08 11:00 AM

- the store opens its doors; with anticipation, i decided upon the 16gig. Only thing is that Roger’s Customer SErvice Portal, the thing that handles upgrades is down. *sigh*.

 July 11, 08 12:30 PM

- after intermittent coming-alive of the portal, my FIRST iPhone is finally registered and good to go. Just as I was about to be handed over the iPhone, I noticed a scratch on it… a rather unsightly blemish on the silver aluminum. There also seemed to be glue residue around the seems… For an apple product of such costs, i expected quality. The CSR decided to take it back, after a ‘thorough investigation’ that involves a lot of rubbing with a microfibre cloth.

July 11, 08 1:45 PM

- the portal is back online, and the phone is successfully registered.
- onwards, back to home to un-brick the iPhone.

Watch the video below for a simple and genius attack at hardware encryption.

Over dinner tonight, I had an interesting conversations about the customs of Chinese New Year… seeing as I am Chinese, it is terribly embarassing not to be able to tell others about it. So, I present to you: Chi’s 2008 edition on Must-Knows of Chinese New Year.

1) This year is the Year of the Rat. Every year is represented by one of 12 animals. Each has its own characteristics that are quite symbolic. (http://chineseculture.about.com/library/extra/character/bls_canimalsign.htm); and you can find your own animal here.

1. Mouse, Rat
2. Ox
3. Tiger
4. Rabbit
5. Dragon
6. Snake
7. Horse
8. Sheep
9. Monkey
10. Rooster
11. Dog
12. Pig

2) Married couples give out money! These moneies come in a red envelop, called a Red Packet, and is given to the younger generation by the older generation. It is symbolic of luck; during the exchange or receiving of the Packets, you are to wish each other good health, good luck, good prosperity and the likes.

 3) Did you know that approximately 1/6th of the world’s population celebrate this lunar new year?

 4) If you visit Chinatown, you’ll often see dragon-dance and lion dance. Groups of 4-5 people would don the costumes and do a ritualized/stylized dance that mimics the movements / actions of the lion or dragon. Such dance is accompanized by rigous drumming, which drives the entire sequence rhythmically.

 5) Last but not least, there are a few famous greetings. One of them is: “Sun Lin Fai Lork”, which means Happy New Year in Cantonese. Others include wishing for good health, good prosperity, and other sayings that emphasize happiness, peace and harmony.

No one says it more eloquently than engadget. (So, why reinvent the wheel.)

 ”What would you do if the US patent office gave you the go-ahead on a far-reaching, non-specific application filed for a “mobile entertainment and communication device”? If your answer was that you would immediately draw up lawsuits against almost every major electronics manufacturer that even looked at a smartphone funny, you get a cookie. Yes folks, as impossible as it is to believe, the holders of the aforementioned patent have just sued Apple, Nokia, RIM, Sprint, AT&T, HP, Motorola, Helio, HTC, Sony Ericsson, UTStarcomm, and Samsung… amongst others. So eager was this company to sue, in fact, that legal papers were filed a day before the patent was granted, and subsequently had to re-submitted. The real sucker-punch here is that the patent simply combines a list of prior technologies jumbled into one product, a practice which has recently been ruled against by the Supreme Court. Still, we doubt it will stop the holders from trying to nab a few dollars in settlements, staying the work of real innovators, and generally making a mockery of our patent system. Bravo! “