Weather Update!

My faithful weather station system has had an update.  It ran on an old laptop 24/7 and was creaking a bit regards reliability although the weather station hardware - see blog in 2010 - was still OK.
The shiny new replacement is a Davis Vantage Vue.

The data is transmitted from the outside ISS (Integrated Sensor Suite) to the consul indoors in a totally wireless system which is very robust.
More detail can be seen here :http://www.weatherstations.co.uk/vue_main.htm

The consul is now connected via USB to my iMac which pumps it out to my site on Weather Underground INOTTING18 - http://tinyurl.com/3ab5rkv.



Click for weather forecast

Me ? . . . getting a proper 'phone???

I was talked into it, honest.  If you know me you wouldn't believe it either.  I have trouble talking to meself let alone other folks.  A solitary quiet life without unnecessary conversation suits me fine.
So what is it about an iPhone that's brought about this momentous event?

IT'S PROBABLY THE GREATEST GADGET EVER INVENTED BY MAN!!

Whilst it may not be the very latest Apple iPhone, it has :
 1)  802.111b/g/n Wi-Fi
 2)  Bluetooth 4.0 wireless
 3)  Assisted GPS and GLONASS satellite positioning (GLONASS is the Russian GPS system)
 4)  Digital compass
 5) Retina (hi-res) display
 6) 8 megapixel camera - f2.4 aperture / 5 element lens / Panorama / Geotagging
 7) 1080p HD video recording with stabilisation
 8) Siri - Intelligent Assistant
 9) Three-axis gyro
10) Accelerometer
11) Proximity sensor
12) Ambient light sensor

Now that is a GADGET, who needs 3G, 4G or whatever is the latest and best phone network?
Don't need the phone bit, the rest of the stuff will keep me happy for ever.

The iPhone 4s

And, of course, I have to have a look inside

Home Cinema Stuff Part II

The final part of the HC upgrade is the nerve centre:

The Yamaha RX-V773 (click for full image) showing remote and speaker calibration microphone

The smaller brother (RX-V673) won the coveted What Hi-Fi Product of the Year 2012 and I would have gone for that only I needed the pre-out facility to drive the Cyrus 3 amp. and PSX-R power supply for the front pair of speakers and the rear XPA amp.

Rear View (click for full image)

A Review: Digitaltrends

Yamaha Website : uk.yamaha.com

A very useful extra (for the Geek) is an iPad app to fully control things -

Home Cinema Stuff

My movie collection has grown somewhat over the years and I've catalogued it using various pieces of software from way back in my Windows days.
Since moving to the Mac world other choices have been available and My Movies is now keeper of my collection. My movies not only catalogues data but also syncs. it across other platforms like iPad and iPhone, it also provides a website for my collection.

There have been some hardware upgrades a Simpson Towers - a new TV and Blu-ray player.
After a lengthy research period an LG smart tv, the  47LM860, was chosen.  Smart TV means it's Wi-Fi enabled and lots of other geeky goodies including 3D!!
Here's a demo

Obviously a decent support is required here - the nattily named Techlink Ovid OV95TVB was chosen, partly for it's style and also to provide space for the centre speaker under the screen

This TV is HD and requires HD food - a blu-ray player.  The Sony BDP S790 is the  What Hi-Fi mag blu-ray Product of the Year 2012  - no contest!  Review on AVForums

So . . .  My collection of DVD's now needs refreshing with the Blu stuff  :-)

The Revox B260 - one of the World's finest vintage tuners.

I am now in possession of a legendary piece of vintage hi-fi equipment.

Produced in West Germany in 1988, it is now 25 years old but looks nearly mint!

At launch the B260 was on sale in the USA for $2000 and today can hold a price of £800.

Gramophone magazine reviewed it in 1988 here and the review says all.
Another review here

Again, I can't resist the inside view:

The top Photo is a B260 on sale at Ebay for $1250 today - here

 . . more later

Ditched the Virgin!

We've been with Virgin Internet since the dial-up days but now we're joining the Big Boys.
Fibre optic broadband, giving, for us, about 10x the speed of conventional  technology, has arrived in the village.  Being of the Cutting-Edge persuasion I wasted no time in extracting the MAC number from Virgin and passing the baton to our new benefactors, British Telecommunications.
Setup was painless on 3rd September and we've enjoyed the cheek-flapping velocity of this new technology.  We were used to a download speed of around 3.5 Mb/s at most and uploads around 0.35.
NOW, whilst not constant, we're getting in the high 30's and low 40's down and a steady 4.5 up.

BT Infinity Hub 3b

Rear of Hub

Inside ( I like insides)

The Hub is partnered with an Openreach modem which plugs into the new master socket faceplate and then in the hub thus:

Inside the Modem

Best results are in quiet hours and on my iMac which is cabled to the hub, wi-fi connected hardware won't achieve maximum speeds due to interference and loss of signal when some distance from the hub.

Here's the best so far:

The only downside, so far, is the loss of the Virgin email address, I've gone to Google Gmail (which should avoid any problems if our Internet Provider should change in the future).

Our Very Own Earthquake!!

Having my breakfast this morning in the conservatory around 09:50 hrs and there was a sudden tremble accompanied by a slight rumble and the orchid in a plant pot opposite shook like it was caught in a sudden window draught.  My Better Half looked towards me, somewhat concerned, and exclaimed "What was that??"
I calmly explained that it probably was an earthquake tremor, having experienced one a year or two earlier in the middle of the night (of wardrobe shaking proportions).  Although I only noticed the plant shaking and a cracking noise from the conservatory frame, like we get in gale force winds, she had felt her chair tremble and a strange rumble sound.
The wonderful thing about the Internet is the instant data availability, so later, after a morning walk, I inspected the British Geological Survey site

and Lo!!

It seems the tremor was very local - 1.7 on the Richter Scale.

Co-ordinates from table above

Our very own Earthquake!

Got Me a New iPad!

It's an

That's an

Also Known as

Just thought I'd let you know about

MY LATEST GIZMO!!!

Read all about it 

Here

Our Frankie

It only seems like yesterday he was a tiny bundle of noise and sleep.
(Posted directly out of Lightroom 4 using LR/Blog plugin) ' '

OBF Does it again!

The Oxford Baby Factory has a new model.
Following on from the very successful Frank Vincent launch from the Lewis division comes Henry Winston.
The Lewis stable's first effort was greeted with rave reviews from those in the know, so history dictates a similar reception for HW.
Congratulations are in order from all the Team!

Here's lookin' at you kid...

It's Been a While . . . .

I've not had a decent blog for ages, so I'm updating things on here with my latest CAMERA!!!

Canon's own words . .

"A Whole New Class of EOS.
With a host of brand new features designed to enhance every facet of the photographic process, from still images to video, the new EOS 7D represents a whole new class of camera.

Made to be the tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an all-new 18.0 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors, capturing tremendous images at up to ISO 12800 and speeds of up to 8 fps. 

The EOS 7D has a new all cross-type 19-point AF system with improved AI Servo II AF subject tracking and user-selectable AF area selection modes for sharp focus no matter the situation.

The EOS 7D's Intelligent Viewfinder, an entirely newly-designed technology, provides approximately 100% coverage and displays user-selected AF modes as well as a spot metering circle and on demand grid lines. New iFCL Metering with 63-zone dual-layer metering system uses both focus and colour information to provide accurate exposure even in difficult lighting. The EOS 7D also captures Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection. The EOS 7D features a magnesium alloy body that is dust- and weather-resistant and shutter durability of up to 150,000 cycles. Compatible with over 60 EF and EF-S lenses as well as with EOS System accessories, the creative opportunities - not just with stills but also with video - are beyond amazement."

Couldn't have said it better myself :-)

. . .there, I feel a lot better for that.  

Lion kills mouse!!

I've not used me trusty mouse for about a week now, that's because I've got another GIZMO.
The Apple Magic Trackpad - a device well known to Mac laptop users but now it's iMac time.
The new Lion O.S. has been designed to fully utilise the Trackpad so I had no choice :-)
Wireless (Bluetooth) and super smooth (a glass surface), it virtually replaces a mouse through gestures.

There are two front feet underneath that allow a press down to click on both right and left sides, bu these can be changed to gentle finger taps as shown below.

It's taken a few days to get used to the main gestures required but now I'm used too it the mouse feels old hat and clumsy.
I've yet to do any serious photographic work but for general daily stuff it's BRILLIANT!

A general review on YouTube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB7ZIgVTEN0

8.5 Hours to get the Lion!!

Being of a cutting edge disposition, the launch of the brand new Apple operating system, Lion, yesterday, was too much to ignore.  If you listen to the experts they all agree to hold off for a few days or weeks to let the Loonies iron-out the many glitches and critical problems such as "No Printer Recognition" or "Completely Wiped Out My  260 Contacts".
Apple has not provide CD's to buy this time, it's just a download only from the Apple Store - 3.8 Gb!!!!
Now, of course I'm not the only impetuous fool in this World and as a result, as I was commencing my attempt at 1500 hrs, half the American continent was just waking up along with U.K. early work leavers, excited at the prospect ,decided to try and beat me to it.
Watching paint dry became an attractive alternative - I was still observing the progress bar at 2315hrs.
I managed to just stay awake until 2330 and it FINISHED and I was invited to install.
Another progress bar appeared and declared there was 33 minutes to completion, OK that's Midnight but OK!.

Midnight and it still says 33 minutes - the progress bar had no sign of movement.  That's it, It's crashed on installation, the worst possible scenario, I wish I'd never started, the existing Snow Leopard was killed and I really loved it deep down.  I went to bed with thought of telephone calls in the morning and/or lugging the iMac to Meadowhall Apple shop and joining a half-mile queue of frustrated cutting edge dispositions.

Morning - plodded downstairs and found a black screen, confirming my worst fears.  I prodded the space bar, more out of nostalgia than hope.  I was confronted with a WONDERFUL log-in screen!!!
It even knew my name, and password - it had completely installed OS X  10.7 LION
I took back those words about Steve Job's unknown parents and muttered inside "Never in DOUBT"

Now, are me printers working??

iTunes in the Lounge!

Having all my music CD's installed in iTunes on the iMac I've always wanted to connect to my Hi-Fi in the lounge.  The prospect of running (more) cables under the floorboards was not enticing.
NEW GADGET TIME! - enter the Airport Express gizmo.  This little beauty operates wirelessly on the home wi-fi and speaks directly to iTunes, all that's needed is a connection to the amplifier and to install the gizmo as another wireless access point on the system.
The amplifier connection is a 3.5mm mini jack socket which also has an optical output built in.  I've tried both the analogue connection and the optical and the latter wins easily on sound quality.
. . and there's more, a very useful free app for the iPod and iPad called Remote, this gives complete remote control of iTunes whatever room you may occupy - SO - I can sit in the lounge enjoying all my music on the hi-fi from iTunes on the iMac in the study, controlling tracks and volume remotely.
Now that is a MEGA GIZMO!!

Canon 24-105 f4 L IS USM

Whilst holidaying in Scotland, visiting the wonderful Orkney & Shetland islands, and during a brief visit to Edinburgh, I decided it was definitely time I got me a lens I've drooled over for months.
After the Japan disasters camera equipment manufactured there has been badly affected and reports of shortages worldwide were beginning to appear.  That was enough excuse for me!
A visit to Jessops produced a predictable response - "Sorry and I think you'll find it's hard to find anywhere".  50 metres further down Princes Street I found Jacobs.  A quick look around and there in a display cabinet was their last remaining 24-105.
The rest is history and I've completed my lens collection (for now).

Quiet Reflection

I'm having trouble retaining the colour profiles of images obtained from Photobucket.
i.e. the sRGB profile appears to be stripped out when pasting to another website or saving back to the desktop.
This is one such image - has it retained the profile?? - YES

Family Update

As promised here's a piccy of Frank Vincent, having a larfff.

WeatherSnoop!

My weather station has been running about a year now and (touch head) without problems.
I decided to use an unused Windows laptop so as to run it 24/7 enabling data upload to
Weather Underground - and others. I do my daily computing on an iMac and have been wanting some method of displaying the weather data on the iMac second screen. Enter WeatherSnoop, it not only reads and transmits from weather stations but also pulls the transmitted data back for display from Weather Underground - Sorted!

WeatherSnoop

. . . and again!

iPad - it had to happen!!

Yes, Yes I know - not waiting 'till second generation, no camera, etc etc - but I DON'T CARE.

It's flippin' gorgeous and I don't want a camera (being a rare non-Facebook member and social hermit type). I think this little baby will take over the World in the next year or so (after the camera is added in G2 for the rest of the World).

Apparently it's outsold the iPhone on its debut in spite of early critics prophesying a low take-up.

I invested in the 32Gb model and it swallowed all my music (9.7 days) without a gulp.

The web browsing experience is worth the purchase alone along with keeping a family tree of nearly 3500 with the lovely Reunion software.

New apps are appearing all the time and the Commercial sector is showing a lot of interest to replace laptops.

Gizmo Time Again!

My anniversary of birth has just past by again and amongst the usual (mostly rude) cards I received a present from my only son. He obviously knows of my weakness for all things Gizmo and, much to my delight, presented me with a HELICOPTER!!.

Flying indoor micro IR Heli's (y'see I'm already into the jargon) is an acquired art which you have to learn - and it takes a little time - more than 5 minutes. SO after repeatedly crashing and crushing the poor thing I finished up with a poorly heli with a loose sprocket that won't stay attached.

I'm now well fired-up on micro heli flying so, of course had to supplement my collection and am the proud owner of a X-Heli Thunder jobby. These micro Helicopters are controlled not by radio but infra-red operating on several channels to guide the flight in both forward, back and sideways directions. The practice is now more controlled and careful and, so far, without terminal mechanical injury.

Thank you, my son, for introducing me to yet another of my many Gizmo hobbies!

. . . . sorry dear!