May 11th, 2009 ydant
Despite the hundreds of positive reviews surrounding the new Star Trek movie I didn’t watch it tonight expecting to see a good movie. I didn’t have expectations of failure (although I wouldn’t be surprised given the franchise’s history), the quality of the movie was simply irrelevant. I wasn’t going to see the movie, I was going to pay respect to an institution that has been with me for as long as I can remember.
Like so many geeks my age, I grew up watching Star Trek. For my family it was a weekly tradition to catch new episodes as they aired and I remember being annoyed at football season (which often displaced episodes) and being downright pissed when George Bush (senior, not junior) interrupted the show with his boring speeches. In retrospect this was far better than the later Bush who annoyed my simply by talking, but my younger mind didn’t understand those things. Star Trek was an important part of my life, and I remember our weekly episodes with my father with as much fondness as our shopping trips and the rare chance to get dinner from the hot case at the deli they entailed.
Our family had the the entire Original Series on VHS and most of the Next Generation episodes as well. Columbia House would ship them to us every so often and seeing that package in the mail was a definite high point for me. I remember the cost of the subscription being an issue and I remember that it seemed important to continue even when we were living a modest lifestyle. The franchise is embedded into my consciousness in a way that matches so few other things.
So from all of that, I should be identified as a trekker (trekkie, Star Trek enthusiast, take your pick), but I’m not. The entire franchise produced an absurdly small amount of really good material for the amount of air time it earned. The Next Generation and The Original Series both were full of boring lectures and poorly developed characters and plot holes the size of very large things. The science was horrible and there was absolutely no continuity. Despite the impact it had on my childhood, I don’t feel comfortable identifying with it.
Still, if you plop me in front of a The Next Generation episode I will watch it. I’ll also know exactly which episode it is and everything about that episode within seconds. I did have a communicator, tricorder, AND a uniform at one point. Oh, and a tribble, although that was technically my dad’s. I also follow Wil Wheaton’s blog and twitter.
So I don’t identify as a fan but I was compelled to watch this movie. Even if the reviews had been universally horrible I would have watched it.
The scenes were Star Trek through and through with blatant nods to key elements from The Original Series down to a nice pan of the hull and the designation NCC-1701 (no bloody A, B, C, or D) painted across it. The ship felt like the Enterprise as it would be if it were built today (ignoring NASA’s reliance on technology developed when the The Original Series was first aired), with bright large LCD displays and glass everywhere, without giving up the pipes and LEDs and switches that make it believable.
The characters were unmistakably younger versions of their Original Series counterparts to the point of being almost obnoxious about it. Chekov’s accent was over the top and an obvious comedic gag, and, yes, we get it, Kirk was a hot-head. Still, overall, the elements were there with characters like Bones and Sulu being spot on. Kirk, especially, felt like Kirk with his various quirks showing through (like the way he sat when using the intercom). The voice acting, thankfully, did not follow the famously Kirk style. It was great to hear Majel Barrett in her role as the computer again.
So there was a lot of pandering, but that was expected. A movie based on an institution this well ingrained can’t ignore the history of the franchise without significant backlash. J. J. Abrams (and the writers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman) got that exactly right.
It was a movie brilliantly done and it feels right. It has moving drama (both my girlfriend and I shed tears for characters we barely knew just minutes in), awesome action, impressive fighting, and a pace that meant I didn’t feel bored once throughout the entire movie (a rarity for me). They pull it off and you don’t even care that they kill off the entire future franchise and explain it all away with a time travel paradox. Hey, that’s Star Trek, too.
So thank you to those who made it happen. For tonight, at least, I am a Star Trek fan again.
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July 13th, 2008 ydant
I just finished a solid two weeks of climbing/vacation - including my first experience seconding (10+ pitches) trad, and my first time leading trad (3+ pitches). Besides the obvious conclusion (trad climbing is a lot of fun), I came out of this absolutely loving the Black Diamond ATC-Guide.
I picked mine up on a whim when I lost my regular ATC (Black Diamond XP). The Guide feels very solid and I thought I might get around to using the extended capabilities eventually. For a few dollars more, it was a no-brainer.
It was when I led my first trad climb that I realized how this thing really shines. The auto-locking capability is awesome, and it only needs an extra carabiner to realize. With this properly set up there’s no worry about having to hold tightly during cruxes or accidentally dropping the second due to fatigue or poor footing. This also allows for a more flexible top belay, as the anchors can be back from the edge and you can stand closer to the edge and minimize rope drag (and better see the second).
Like my previous ATC (the XP), the variable friction modes of this work especially well for rappels on thin ropes. The openings are a little bit tighter than the XP’s, so this device has a lot of friction on thicker (think gym) ropes. For anything you’ll be dragging up behind you, however, the walls are very nicely spaced.
The only downsides I can see are the weight (it’s a bit heavier, but the extra weight is a minimal portion of the full rack) and that it’s hard to lower someone (the auto-lock is very aggressive).
Lowering IS possible, it’s just a lot trickier than with a normal non-locking ATC. Black Diamond also has instructions for using the device in this manner:
All in all, this is the best accidental climbing purchase I’ve made yet.
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May 31st, 2008 ydant
I’ve been a long time happy owner of the SD800 camera. Despite my objections about the megapixel inflation game that Canon is playing right alongside all of the other manufacturers, it’s been an awesome camera for me. Sadly, my SD800 was stolen over the past weekend and I was forced to purchase a new SD870. My initial thoughts on this camera are below - these are as a comparison to the SD800 I purchased before.
In a nutshell, I love the Canon SD series (”Digital ELPH“). They have small lenses and small sensors, but they can take some awesome pictures. They are small enough to be in your pocket at all times, so you end up taking a lot of shots with them that you’d never get with a bigger camera. Do they match up to a DSLR (or even a bigger “prosumer” camera)? Of course not, but they hold their own quite well.
Canon in general has had my support for quite a while for a variety of reasons. This is my fourth Canon digital camera (I’ve also owned an SD230 and Powershot S1), and I’m sticking with the company. Besides making good sensors and lenses, I am very happy that they also tend to use standard memory formats, unlike other companies.
On a side note, my mother’s Powershot S1 (my old camera) recently exhibited some odd behavior that was obviously due to sensor problems. It turns out Canon is well aware of this issue and is repairing/replacing all cameras affected by the problem free of charge (including shipping) out of warranty. For more details: http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html. In my mom’s case, the S1 was replaced by an S5 free of charge. Thank you, Canon!
In short, the SD870is is the direct upgrade to the SD800is, but with a bigger screen (3″ vs. 2.5″). Canon’s SD line is confusing to follow, and the model numbers don’t necessarily make sense. Just because it has a bigger number doesn’t mean it’s a better camera. The SD800/SD870 both share the wider angle lens, which I’ve grown quite accustomed to. On the face the SD870 just seems like a minor upgrade (with the exception of the screen).
Initial impressions:
- The new 3″ screen is awesome. It’s huge, and it provides a LOT of detail. The colors look great. Losing the optical viewfinder is not even an issue, as it’s always been a weak viewfinder on the entire SD line. I don’t ever see people using viewfinders on this form-factor camera, so props to Canon for dropping it. The new screen is perfectly big enough for composing and reviewing your picture. Get a screen protector.
- The power button is larger and protrudes more. This is actually bad, as it allows for easier turning on of the camera in your pocket. This is probably the biggest weakness, and I wish Canon had not done this. The old design was perfect.
- The auto and manual modes have been consolidated to the same physical switch. Previously I was constantly switching modes pulling the camera out of my pocket. Now it stays in the same mode unless I change it manually (through the set button menu). This means switching from auto to digital macro is easier as well.
- Focusing and general responsiveness seems faster. Not much.
- Low light support seems better.
- The 8MP is probably useless. Less pictures on my 2GB card now.
- It feels a bit less sturdy than the SD800. Not flimsy, just not as much of a tank as before.
- I really like that the ISO being used, even when on “Auto” or “Hi” ISO mode, is displayed on the screen now. I don’t know that this helps at all, but I like seeing this info. The ISO chosen is now displayed in the review information as well. This used to only be show if you manually selected an ISO value. I don’t know if it’s recorded in the EXIF information.
- The battery meter is now always displayed instead of only when the power is low.
- ISO shift. If you turn it on and put it on the print button, the print button flashes blue if the ISO is too low for the lighting conditions. Press the print button, and it shifts the ISO up to the lowest value that’ll work. So 80 might become 120 or 250. You can also set it to “auto ISO shift”, and it always shifts it up. Not sure how the latter differs from “Auto” or “Hi”.
- The (previously absolutely useless) print button can be assigned functions now. Most useful function is screen blank, but there are a couple of others - for example, toggle the display overlay on and off.
- Reviewing mode is now a button you press on the front of the camera instead of an option on the mode switch. This is a great move in my mind, as previously I would consistently switch to review mode while pulling the camera out of my pocket.
The four-way pad has become a method for selecting the camera mode as well. If you roll your finger around the wing, the mode changes. It’s kind of like the ipod, only less sensitive, and I haven’t really decided if it’s a gimmick or not.
Canon still hasn’t fixed some issues that have bugged me - like the fact the camera forgets you’re in burst mode when you turn the camera off, but over all this is a good improvement. If they’d only left the power button alone, I’d have no real complaints about this upgrade to the SD800.
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