Words to Lyrics Ben Ho's observations from the cloud

2 July 2011

Technology Roadmap updated June 2011

Filed under: Forward Thinking,Tech — Tags: , — Ben @ 10:18 pm

Back in February 2010, I wrote about when I would replace various pieces of technology that I use. Tonight as I was doing some research on home servers, I thought I would revisit my original predictions, and see what has changed.

As for the home server, I found a solution and am very excited about its potential!

So here we go.

Laptop

Current: MacBook Pro 15″ (early 2008) purchased February 2008
Change every: 3 years
Original next purchase estimate: MacBook Pro 13″ after February 2011
New next purchase: MacBook Pro 15″ at next major update (~February 2012)

Since last year, I have replaced the internal left-side fan. Also, the performance has not worsened significantly. I have decided to stay with a 15″ model because this is my only computer, and that carrying the laptop to university almost everyday does not bother me at all. I also have a 24″ screen that can be used if I need more screen space. Although I aimed to replace it this year, I decided to delay replacement for tax reasons.

Mobile Phone

Current: iPhone 3GS purchased June 2009
Change every: 2 years
Next purchase: Next iPhone after June 2011

The plans for my phone have not changed. Although I am out of contract, I will wait until the release of the next iPhone.

Camera

Current: Nikon D80 purchased March 2008
Change every: 3-5 years, or until image quality deteriorates/equipment fails
Next purchase: Next Nikon dSLR

Nothing has changed here either!

Portable Music Player

Current: iPod (5G) purchased December 2005
Change every: When it breaks
Next purchase: iPod classic

The backlight of the screen began to fail, and I replaced the screen. Repairing is better than throwing stuff out!. It now looks as if it were new! This iPod is now plugged into the car, so at least it has some use. Still has not broken yet. There are rumours that the iPod classic may not be made anymore, so I will have to keep an eye on that.

Portable Hard Drives and their Functions

Current: 2 portable hard drives (80GB and 320GB), one desktop hard drive (500GB)
Change every: When they get full or break
Next purchase: Depends on the current need

Over the last few years, I have bought bigger hard drives as my need for storage grew. The portable hard drives are used for photos and other storage (disk images, archives) and the desktop hard drive is used for Mac backup via Time Machine.

Now I want to consolidate all these drives into one unit, as well as provide file and media sharing services over the home network. Put simply, a box that stores lots of things and can do certain functions. I had originally wanted to build a Linux-based PC with lots of storage, but that proved to be cumbersome.

I looked at network attached storage (NAS) devices, especially this QNAP one (TS-419P+), and knew this was a good enough solution. The spare hard drives can then be sold for dirt cheap!

The network router will need to be upgraded soon, as it is struggling to cope with all the wireless devices (at least 8). Faster network traffic would be a plus. I welcome any suggestions as to what router I should get.

 

So, that’s made me excited for what is to come. Anyone want to buy the 80GB hard drive for $10?

6 April 2010

Photography Roadmap 2010: Part 2

Filed under: Forward Thinking — Tags: , , — Ben @ 10:38 pm

After writing out my Roadmap last week, I thought I’d explain further my wish to do more sports photography.

Sports photography isn’t something that I have a great amount of interest in, but I think it can teach amateur photographers like me a thing or two about shooting in ‘tight conditions’. As I said before, the recent Winter Olympics sparked my interest in this. Which just happens to go well with my wish to do some ski photography this year.

I’ve done very little sports photography before (exactly: 2 sessions in Europe and touch footy last year) with a mixed bag of results. Some shots were good, others not so.

Good Bad
Good Bad

Shooting a sports event requires a lot of precision and accuracy. The main challenges to overcome are fast moving subjects and the fact that you are usually far away from them (on the sideline). These challenges are partially solved with some good equipment (specifically long-range, fast lenses e.g. 200mm f/2.8)

Being quick and accurate leads to the styles of photography I’d like to specialise in, namely, live events and music.

Now, to the Winter Olympics influence. As I discovered in Europe, shooting in the snow produces a sharp subject almost every time, because cameras can not find a focus on white backgrounds. (Un)fortunately this is a little cheat one can use to create the illusion of stunning photographs. This in turn leads to a morale boost! It also has led to a desire to shoot in the snow more.

There’s probably a million other insignificant reasons why I’d want to do photography in the snow, but I’ll spare those for the time around the warm fire in the lodge.

So this is why I want to head down to the slopes this winter. To sum up, it is part of the learning experience in becoming a great photographer.

28 March 2010

Photography Roadmap 2010

Filed under: Forward Thinking — Tags: , — Ben @ 10:54 pm

I wrote about my technology roadmap earlier on, and now I’d like to share with you my ambitions for my photography this year. It’s better to write it down, than to reproduce it in verbal form when someone asks.

With the workload from university steadily increasing, less time is being spent on getting out there and shooting things. The upcoming mid-semester break invites more chances to shoot stuff, but sadly, it will still be filled with work.

The first step for the next three weeks or so, is to start again, and find things to shoot.

I’m also finding interesting places for photo shoots, because I really want to focus on portrait photography this year. Other genres that deserve my attention this year include music photography and to a smaller extent, sports photography.

For music, it is simply going to people’s gigs and shooting it. Very simple. If you have seen my work from ‘Coffee House’ in years past, you will understand what I mean.

While sports isn’t something I want to specialise in, the Winter Olympics has reminded me of the occasional sports shoots that I have done. And do you get that feeling where you want to occasionally revisit something that you like but don’t normally do/have? Well that’s how I feel about sports photography.

But let me tell you what I want to achieve with portraits. What motivates me is the thousands of ugly, disproportioned, and terrible photos on Facebook. (I might have written this before…) I want to give people nice photos of themselves, for free.

The most difficult part is to start, and that is what I must overcome soon. Because a lazy attitude won’t get me anywhere, but leave one in the pits of misery.

In the meantime, you can browse photos that I shot in the past from the links of my main website.

8 February 2010

Technology Roadmap for 2010 and beyond

Filed under: Forward Thinking,Tech — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 11:31 am

I thought I’d write about my technology roadmap so you can understand why I decide to change certain bits of technology after certain times. With new products and developments being announced so often these days, it is hard for many to keep up.

So here is the roadmap for my laptop, phone, and some other things too.

Laptop

Current: MacBook Pro 15″ (early 2008) purchased February 2008
Change every: 3 years
Next purchase: MacBook Pro 13″ after February 2011

I have decided to change laptop minimum every three years, because specifications after three years often improve enough to supersede the previous models. Also, I apply the rule that a laptop battery lasts three years under normal usage. That is 100 discharge-recharge cycles each year, totalling 300 cycles. By then, the battery would not hold as much charge as when it was brand new.

Mobile Phone

Current: iPhone 3GS purchased June 2009
Change every: 2 years
Next purchase: Next iPhone after June 2011

The majority of mobile service contracts have a two year duration. The telcos market to you every two years to change your phone to the latest models. Most mobile phone companies do not release phones on a regular schedule, so one has to rely on what is offered. The other option is to buy the phone and the plan separately (which I have done before), but sometimes that can be more costly.

Camera

Current: Nikon D80 purchased March 2008
Change every: 3-5 years, or until image quality deteriorates/equipment fails
Next purchase: Next Nikon dSLR

Fortunately, dSLRs don’t deteriorate as quickly as laptops and phones. This is because even entry-level dSLRs share design principles from professional-level models. As some photographers will say, “The body doesn’t matter, it’s all in the lens and your skill”. But even bodies become inferior to their successors, so one has to update occasionally.

Portable Music Player

Current: iPod (5G) purchased December 2005
Change every: When it breaks
Next purchase: iPod classic

I don’t listen to music from my iPod too much these days. It now comes from my iPhone or on the computer. But I do use it to backup all my music, photos and video.

Do you have any rules you follow when it comes to updating your technology? Share it with us in the comments.

Much, much more momentarily.

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