Archive for 2008
I Leica A Lot (Part 2)
As I am quite tired tonight, and I fell asleep for about 2 hours whilst watching telly (or not as I was asleep!) this part isn’t nearly as full as it should be. But I’m going to write something anyway, and probably delete it all tomorrow evening when I decide it’s awful!
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The main thing that had changed was a simple matter of a Leica available at a price I could afford. As I said, an R3M from Voigtlander/Cosina was the plan right up until pretty much the last minute. The R3M is a well made camera, decent frame lines, a wonderful 1:1 viewfinder and a decent effective base length which would mean decent focusing at wide apertures. It’s a very decent camera for the money but it’s oft cited that a Leica has the feeling of being better made (in part down to its sheer heft) and is quieter (it is, but not as quiet as something like an Olympus XA.)
I Leica A Lot
If you are moderately interested in photography, you will know the names like Canon, Nikon, and probably also Olympus, Pentax and now Sony (formerly Minolta.) But there is one other name that beyond all others seems to stir up a hornet’s nest of illicit passion — Leica. Those that have them rave over them and are caricatured as “fondlers” and generally quite bonkers, and those that don’t are regarded as the enemy to the Leica hardcore fraternity. Nothing stirs more passion than the M8.2’s price tag of £4000 for a crop framed sensor body, nothing unsettles the Canon/Nikon shooter more than hearing that a f/1.4 lens can cost How Much! And what you hear just about everybody who buys one is that now they are a believer, that there is nothing else now for them.
A Leica M2. My Leica M2. With a MR meter attached to the top.
I bought one this week, an old 1959 M2 — highly regarded by many, and for a 49 year old camera (50 soon) it was £300. And that for its condition is regarded as cheap. Let’s put that in context, I *think* you can buy the Nikon D40 with a kit 18-55mm brand new for that. You can probably also source the Canon EOS 1000D body for that. And £300 of Leica M2-ness gets you a fully mechanical, meter-less body which on the face of it, looks like a raw deal for me, the M2 owner.
But you see, it isn’t when it’s in the hands of someone who appreciates what it is, and why they’ve bought it (certainly not to fondle.) Let’s get this out of the way, the Leica is a fantastic bit of a kit, quiet, smooth working and a mechanical marvel but it’s not the holy grail of life, it doesn’t solve the mysteries that keep you awake in your pensive moments, and it doesn’t even do the dishes (what a swizz!) But what it does do, it promises to do well.
I say promises because I haven’t even got a lens to try out on it yet! So what’s all the fuss, why a rangefinder (what the heck is one, some ask) and why unlike some I intend to take this camera literally on walks of hundreds of miles… Read the rest of this entry »
OpenSUSE 11.0 — The Long and Short of it
I haven’t been using my blog much over the ast few months. I have generally been very busy with life in general. Not least of course with work which has been a great player in my life this year. Not in a negative overtaking way but apart from my photography and walking, it has been my main creative output. So, trying to get things back on an even base before I leave once again for a weeks (for Christmas and New Year) it’s about time I updated this blog on my exploits with OpenSUSE 11.0.
OpenSUSE 11.0 Desktop with Firefox 3 and LyX
Dublin
This week I went to Ireland for the first time, and it was quite a great experience. For one, I found a country more expensive than the UK. I mean, £4.20 a pint?! However, interesting place in so far as it’s not really all that different to here give or take the use of kilometres and the wonderful accents.
I was over there giving a talk for a conference (t44u) which I was rather flattered to be asked to speak at and that was a great event and really learnt some cool things and it was a very good experience, met lots of fellow users of the CMS and got to talk to lots of wonderful people.
On the Thursday night the drinking soon started (well, it was Ireland!) and I didn’t get back to the hotel room until 4am! I’m not sure how much I had drunk but it was certainly somewhere in the region of 6 pints and 4 double Baileys. Not exactly something to tell the grandchildren.
The American Future: A History
As part of my ongoing effort to become the world’s most boring person (I’m jesting) I have been watching Simon Schama’s The American Future: A History which has been on BBC2 on Friday’s at 9pm. Happily enough if you prefer to watch Little Britain and Have I Got News For You you can catch up on the first episode now on BBC’s iPlayer (it’ll only be there for another week or so.)
It’s been fascinating so far, to understand a bit more of the history of this relatively young nation and some of the forces within it that have been there from the outset of the founding of the republic through to this very day.
I understand that Schama is a donor to the Democrat party and the Obama campaign, but watching the programme anybody with a bit of thought process in their head would spot the leanings in the programme that seemingly favour the Democrat point of view, opposed to the Republican.
Anyway highly recommended all the same.
I’m off to walk to Chanctonbury Ring now 
Apple Apologists
Ok before you berate me:
- Points to iMac in bedroom
- Points to eMac in the living room
- Points out she likes OS X
Apple have released a new design to their popular MacBook and MacBook Pro series. I don’t think it’s the most exceptional design ever but then your asking someone who likes ThinkPads.
So I’m not anti-Apple, but what I am anti is some of the apologist remarks.
Way Out West – Killa
This a great tune from the excellent Don’t Look Now album. (2005) The start however is an awesome anthemic piece that really makes me listen with great interest.
An unsung success
In Britain we’re very good at being a a very miserable bunch I find. Some of the most vocal people in this country seem to be dead set on decrying anything and everything. I see things differently because I know things aren’t perfect, but they never will be. I always try to view things reasonably and with a view to improve them through a bit of graft and an open ear.
Local Government websites in the UK and particularly England (due to funding about 5 years ago) can comfortably say they are some of the best in the world. Now before hammer me with e-mails about this is rubbish, I hate my council, I hate council tax (we all do) — Local Government websites in the UK by proportion are more accessible than other governmental websites around the world and have pioneered delivery of services over the web. It’s still not perfect but I’m sure many people who work on these sites will agree that the heart is in the right place and that we don’t purposely sit at our desks working out how to wind people up.
I’ve tried myself to drive forward some pretty innovative things but remaining firmly within the the camp that information is king and everything has to be easy to find. However some of my crazy out of the box ideas are now coming to fruition…
Live Everyday Like It’s Your Last
American Beauty is a profound film that will always be with me, ever since I first watched it in 1999. If I find myself losing my way in life and the meaning of it, I only have to watch this to feel exactly what life should be….
This is the ending’s monologue. It’s absolutely tear-jerkingly brilliant:
Vista in Use – Day Two’ish
If I am honest I have had trouble writing this second part. Not because of time or computer issues, or even that near myth-worthy sentiment that Vista is unstable. To be honest this should be Vista in Use – Day Eight. The reason I think I have had trouble writing this second part is that for the most part I have been able to get on with things much as I have become accustomed to in Windows since Windows 2000 and then XP.
This may sound like code for, “It hasn’t changed much so why bother?” It isn’t. It’s more to do with being busy most of the week and to this point, Vista has not hindered me despite being a rather different beast. That is a very good thing.
So what have I noticed that is really a great improvement over Windows XP?
