Finally, and after so much waiting and delaying, I got myself a DSLR camera; I am now the proud owner of a Canon 350D…
I simply love it… This is a great and fun camera… And it covers all my needs for the time being…
The kit comes with a Canon 18-55mm lens, and I also got it a Tamron 70-300mm lens, a tripod and a really nice Mekko bag.
Expect more photos here and on my flickr from now on as I discover the different settings of the camera and go wild snapping shots of everything around me.
Really interesting classified ad…
He can count me in for the time travel part, but what’s with the whole weapons thingie?
[Via: Persona Non Grata]
Now this would be really cool and efficient…
Although betavoltaic batteries sound Nuclear they
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.— Buddha
British rock act Radiohead has a new album coming out soon called “In Rainbows”. The album will initially only be available on their site in the form of online downloads without copy restriction software, in other words no DRM (Digital Rights Management).
But even cooler than all that is that Radiohead is letting the buyers choose their own price for the online album, thereby asking fans to establish a monetary value for their music, even when widespread piracy means that it would be available free.
Personally, I think this is the way it should be done, and it should be applied to everything not just music.
Value is a two-sided concept; the creator sees a certain value in his creation, and the consumer/buyer sees another value in it that could be pretty different just like it could be very near.
The way business is done now, the final value of a product/service is totally in the hands of the creator/provider which is unfair to the consumer/buyer.
So, the way I think things should happen is that the seller can set a minimum value for what he has created that covers what he spent to make it, and then leave the rest to the buyer to set based on its value to them.
This way the whole process is fairer to both sides.
[Source: NY Times]
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke announced New Zealand’s intention to commit to 90% renewable electricity by 2025.
The country already uses 70% renewable electricity, primarily hydro- and geothermal power and will continue to increase its use of renewables over the next 20 years.
The Prime Minister also gave a brief outline of further goals, which included a 2040 target of reducing by half per capita emissions from transport and widely introducing electric vehicles. She also stated the goal of achieving a net increase in forest area of 250,000 hectares (617,000 acres) by 2020.
This is the kind of news we need to be hearing more and more of from all over the world. That’s when we’ll know there is hope for our planet.
[Source: Renewable Energy Access]
[Via: EcoGeek]
Back in Paris again for work…
The timing is a bit bad, with it being Ramadan and all… but well…
I got here yesterday on an Air France flight; and guess what they’ve changed their Arabic in-flight instructions. I don’t know if this post of mine has anything to do with it or not, anyway it’s good to see they’ve changed them; they’ve got good proper/classic Arabic ones now.
I’ll be in Paris for a week, so basically I’ll be doing the usual stuff: working, cinema going, book shopping, eating, and getting some gifts for my wife and son.
In addition to all that I’ll finally be buying a DSLR Camera, a Canon 350D, and on the same note, I’ll be going to “Salon de la Photo” which will be held from 3rd
I finished reading “The Kite Runner“, the debut novel by Khaled Hosseini this morning. I heard a lot about this book and have been wanting to read it for so long, and the fact that the movie will be out soon made me want to read it even sooner.
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir’s father’s servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule.
I personally really enjoyed this book, it’s a very moving story with well-developed characters and touching events that takes us through a trip with the characters that unfolds in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US.
I totally recommend this book, it’s worth the read; I personally can’t wait to watch the movie now and see how it turns out to be.
Khaled Hosseini has a new book called “A Thousand Splendid Suns” that was released this year; I’ve heard mixed reviews about it, so I don’t know if I’ll rush out and get it right now, but I liked the writer’s style and will eventually read more of his works in the future.
I just found this interesting post on Pick the Brain that lists 10 writing tips from some of the masters of the art.
Their tips for better writing go as follows:
1. Cut the boring parts
2. Eliminate unnecessary words
3. Write with passion
4. Paint a picture
5. Keep it simple
6. Do it for love
7. Learn to thrive on criticism
8. Write all the time
9. Write what you know
I just came across this really interesting riddle that I thought I’d share here.
Exactly 100 of these persons have blue eyes, 100 have brown eyes, and 1 has green eyes. The inhibitants do not know what his/her color eyes is. Everyone is constantly aware of everyone elses eye color but no person knows that there are 100 blue eyed, 100 brown eyed, and 1 green eyed person on the island.
If a person finds out his/her own eye color she/he must leave the island at midnight of the day she/he finds out! There are no mirrors or reflections of any kind on the island. Also, nobody on the island ever speaks except the Guru, who is the person with the green eyes, (she does not know her eye color and if she found out she would have to leave the island at midnight). The Guru says one sentence every fifty years. One day the Guru arrives and tells everyone on the island the following: “I SEE SOMEONE WITH BLUE EYES.”
Who (if anyone) leaves the island and when?
This is not a trick question, and the answer is a very logical one. It just needs a bit of thinking. Give it a try.
I’ll post the answer in a couple of days time.
