Category: technology

A New King In The World of Nikon

r3t5nomLeave a comment

Recently I purchased the Nikon D3s which is an extremely fast camera when it comes to fps which means frames per second, at an impressive 9 fps in full format and 11 fps in cropped DX format, my camera was one of the fastest cameras on the market.

But then came the Nikon D4, it is a dream camera for a professional photographer and definitely should be looked at as a work of art. Well it was the dream camera for a professional photographer until the Nikon D4 came out and took the throne.

The D3s and the D4 don’t look too different at first glance but it is at a closer look where you can see the great changes that were made from one to the other.

First change that will definitely benefit a photographer in the long run is the angle at which the shutter button is placed on the body of the camera. It is placed 35 degrees more tilted so that it makes it easier to shoot for a long period of time.

The second big change on the camera is the quality of the censor. The Nikon D3s is equipped with 12 mega pixels and the D4 is equipped with a 16 megapixel sensor. A big difference that truly hit me hard when I found out 😦

It also does up to 14 fps, that is un believable.

In the end what I am trying to say is that I got the D3s because I didn’t know that the D4 was coming out so soon after, it sucks so badly.

And also that the Nikon d4 is one of the most remarkable cameras ever made by Nikon.

Alpha Dog, the Alpha Robot

frog3Leave a comment

Robots have been around for several decades doing jobs that human can’t or simply won’t do. At first these robots were used purely for manufacturing but as technology advanced so did robotic potential. Robots are now breaching many sectors including the military. One these robots is Alpha Dog.

https://i0.wp.com/i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/02/08/LS3_Jan-5-2012-image_1.jpg

Dog is a robot designed by DARPA to carry equipment that the average soldier can’t. Alpha Dogs carrying capacity is approximately 400 pounds for 20 miles; Alpha Dog has to refuel every 24 hours. This year Alpha dog began its first outdoor test, before it was linked to a hydraulic system that confined it indoors.

https://community.emc.com/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-3736-33751/darpa.jpg

It remains to be seen whether or not Alpha Dog will be effective in the field. Critics have said that its lack of armor would make it extremely vulnerable.

Planes & DARPA = Progress

frog3Leave a comment

Aircraft have been around for a little over a hundred years. In 1903 the Wrights brothers were able to create the 1st “ airplane “ in recorded history. Useful technology evolves quickly; the airplane was no exception to this rule. By 1914 airplanes were being used in open warfare albeit in a limited fashion. By World War II planes were used in armed combat.
http://makezineblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/darpa.png
Warfare escalated the development of the plane but the planes most advanced capabilities would be developed during the Cold War. By the Cold War Chuck Yaeger had successfully broke the sound barrier flying at a record. It wouldn’t be but a couple decades later that humanity would gain the ability to leave Earth.
https://i0.wp.com/www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/darpa-plane.jpg
A couple of weeks ago DARPA launched the newest generation of aircraft. This aircraft can go 13,000 MPH making a trip from Los Angeles to New York in 12 minutes. Unfortunately soon after safe take off the aircraft was ripped apart by its own speed.

Instagram

rangerthecatLeave a comment

I will admit, I am one of those people who loves taking photos. Every chance I get I will take a picture of me and my friends doing anything exciting, something good I’m eating, a cool thing I saw while walking down the street, cute animals – really anything that’s remotely interesting. But, to be completely honest, it is not uncommon for those photos to be taken and only looked at once in a great long while, hiding away on my computer of phone.

This is why I am really into a phone application I recently downloaded called Instagram. It’s an awesome app that lets you take photos and edit them with many different filters that make the photos so charming and cute. It is very simple but I’m so into it. And, the best part is that each person using the application has their page that others can follow, kind of like twitter or facebook, where there pictures are posted and people can view them, comment on them, and like them. I was so excited when it came out for Android phones, because in the past, it has only been for iPhones.

Although it may seem to be a little bit boring and sound just like many social networking sites, it’s strictly for pictures. I have found a lot of very fun pictures that people have taken and posted. It’s great because I don’t have to be a master photographer to take a picture that doesn’t look so point-and-shoot like.

Bottom line is, it’s simple and so fun. If anyone out there is like me who likes to take photos, and you don’t want them to waste away, I would highly recommend this app. So many people are using it!

Crossover, Windows for Mac Impossible!!!!

frog3Leave a comment

https://i0.wp.com/cdn4.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Win-7-Boot-Camp-on-iMac.jpg

I love Apple’s OS. It is great, it’s quick, easy, and functional. Nothing of course is perfect and there is one major thing about Mac’s operating system that annoys me. There is just too much windows software that cannot be run on macs. This is a major annoyance. For example most computer games are for windows only. Now of course there is way to side step this minor obstacle. All you have to do is run Bootcamp and run and buy a $115 copy of windows. No one wants to spend money on that though.

This is where a handy little program called Crossover comes in useful. Crossover creates a Windows emulation on your Mac. This allows you to run window programs that would normally be incompatible with Apple’s OS. Crossover is much easier to use than other emulation software. For any Mac user who has trouble with running Windows programs I strongly recommend Crossover.(Link will be at the bottom)

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

https://i0.wp.com/www.traffictravis.com/img/v4/crossover-welcome.jpg

iPhone & Apps,Cydia

frog3Leave a comment

Like most people I am quite fond of apple products. I use my MacBook on a daily bases( such as writing blogs) and it provides virtually all of my entertainment. One of the many Apple products that have revolutionized the world is the iPhone. I myself love my iPhone but I cannot be the only user that agrees that Apple continually slights 3rd party developers. Occasionally I find myself frustrated with Apples policy against 3rd part software. Nowhere is this more prevalent then in the jail-broken app store Cydia.


Using jail-breaking software such as greenpois0n or Redsn0w, iPhone users can download an App-Store known as Cydia. This app can be used for nefarious or benevolent purposes. Some of these features include apps such as Installous which sole purpose in life is to install free app store apps. One of my personal favorites is PdaNet which allows users to tether(wirelessly or wired) your phone to your computer. Long story short you can siphon internet from your phone to your computer. It is a particularly useful app when fighting OVS 11oclock Internet restriction.

Although people are strongly divided on whether jail breaking should be allowed I for one think it should be. Feel free to leave your opinion in a comment below.https://i0.wp.com/image.spreadshirt.com/image-server/image/composition/18399977/view/1/producttypecolor/203/type/png/width/280/height/280/anti-apple-idiot-retro-shirt_design.png

The Thing I Love To Do

r3t5nomLeave a comment

Photography has always and most likely always will be the one thing that I truly love to do. I have been taking pictures for quite a while and still to this day I can not figure out what I like taking pictures of more.

I have taken pictures of scenery..

That picture was just a complete split second decision that I made before going and taking pictures of my friend Stosh Lindsey surfing, but I thought it would make a cool postcard 😛

Ive taken Black&White pictures..

This picture I took at the OVS play this year and in it are Jack Beverly and Carolita Landers.

I’ve taken pictures of surfing..

This was such a nice day, my friend Kai Lowe was out busting out some big airs and well I was lucky enough to be able to capture them.

and pictures of many other things but I don’t think I will ever want to settle for taking pictures of just one thing. I think the great thing about being a photographer is that you can show the world what YOU see through the viewfinder of your camera and allow them to see that not everyone sees the world in the same way.

Which one of the pictures above did you like?
and if you didn’t like any of them, feel free to NOT comment something rude about them :]

Spend, Spend, Spend

frog31 Comment
united states currency seal - IMG_7366_web
united states currency seal - IMG_7366_web (Photo credit: kevindean)

America’s consumerism culture has quite frankly gotten out of hand. Consumerism is kind of like a mutated, corrupt version of capitalism. In capitalism, people are free to spend their money on what ever they want. There are no restrictions to what the consumer can buy, as long as they have the appropriate funds. Now a days you don’t even need money, with the wide-spread use of the credit card, you can use credit.. Consumers are now brainwashed by companies, usually by marketing.

To appeal to the Consumer, companies must make the product look cool or make the consumer feel like they need a product. Directly following World War II the U.S experienced a surge in economic growth. People in the U.S, for the 1st time in decades, now had the money to buy what they want not necessarily what they need.
It contains to this day, it is impossible to walk down a street without seeing some form of advertising. Only a lessened demand for products will force advertisers to back off and stop brain-washing U.S citizens.</a>

Ipad, 3rd times the charm.

frog3Leave a comment

The IPad3. Legions of apple fans are awaiting the release of the 3rd incarnation of this revolutionary project. The IPad3 is set to be released sometimes this summer, most likely during the same time as the Iphone5. Rumors are abound with the specifications of this product. Let’s take a look at the possible features of the Ipad3.

Two words, A5X quad core chip processor. The IPad had the A4 Processor, Ipad2 has the A5 Processor, so it is thought that the IPad3 would have the A6 Processor. These rumors have been dispelled officially, but a new rumor has arose. The ipad3 will contain the prototype A5X chip. This chip is the latest chip in the apple product line.

Apple lovers and average consumers will be delighted to see what the Ipad3 has to offer. I for one hope that it will be as revolutionary as the original IPad instead of a rehash of previous features.

Nikon 1 J1

r3t5nomLeave a comment

This weekend I was at Target and I was looking through the electronics section at all the different video games, game consoles, and eventually I crossed paths with my favorite electronic…CAMERAS!

I was looking at all the different point and shoot cameras and well they all looked pretty much the same, all but one. The Nikon 1 J1. This is the revolution of point and shoot cameras because it gives the person using it the option to interchange the lenses as if it was a DSLR which is a big camera except less than half the size.

The Nikon 1 J1 has the capability to take 10 megapixel pictures, which for a normal point and shoot camera wouldn’t be seen as a lot of mega pixels but when you have lenses to attach, those lenses increase the quality. And it can also take 1080p video, making it a great high quality camera to shoot those home videos or fun days at the beach with.

This camera was developed to give people an alternative to a big DSLR camera (which is what I have) this makes it so that one can feel like a professional photographer but not have to pay what a professional had to pay for his/her monster camera.

(this is my camera)