New backpack for SLR photo + laptop

Heyya,

I am thinking of buying a new backpack. Not that I don't have a couple already and not that they did not cost enough, but they are both mostly biking/hiking related and don't really serve well for storing a SLR camera and enable you to use it. So I would now need one that would suite carrying both the SLR camera + couple of lenses and a laptop of up to 17" in size.

I have picked out two models that I like (and are in the price range I consider high but might get approved by the higher power). The Lowepro CompuRover AW or Tamrac Adventure 9. The first one seems to cost a bit more than the second but seems sturdier in build. 189$ US VS 124$ US (online price check), but in EU the prices differ a bit... the first costs roughly 168€ and the second 130€. That's some difference ;) I haven't handled the Lowepro one in person but I have seen the Tamrac model, and it looks quite nice (better than the pictures display it - looks soft and weak).

Hmm after just reading a review on this page I am suddenly not interested in Lowepro backpack anymore ;)

So I guess when the "higher power" ok's it I'll be getting a Tamrac Adventure 9 ;)

Oh and here are some of the pictures I took with the new photo (the one that now needs a fine new storage - hence the post searching for a new backpack).

And of course I wish you all a very nice and peaceful Christmas (or insert a holiday you celebrate around this date)!

Fedora 8 on HP Compaq 6715b laptop

First run:

• check media (check ok)
• continue (anaconda crash...)

reboot...

• check media (skip)
• continue (no X install method - X detection failed)
• ... let disk druid do the partitioning (remove linux only partitions and create new ones - we'll see how Vista likes that one)...
• install Grub on /dev/sda6 (MBR is reserved for vista because it behaved badly on previous installs)

reboot... (boot into Vista to see if all is ok with it... checked out ok, used neosmart easybcd to change the boot loader)
another reboot... booting to Fedora 8

• Booted into text mode, system-config-display croaked...
• off to the drawing board...
• somehow eth0 failed to establish connection via dhcp... ran dhcpclient manually
• installed livna repo (http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-fedora-f8.html#yum)
• installed amarok, mplayer, xine (the goodies we need to have a distro multimedia capable)
• installed ATI proprietary drivers from livna kmod-fglrx and
  
• ran yum update to get current (~450MB worth of upgrades... on 100mbit link + package upgrade time = ~1h)

reboot

• (forgot to change the runlevel so had to do init 5 first) but other than that PERFECT Xorg picture! yaaay!
• fglx_glxgears measures around 200 in window mode and ~60 in fullscreen mode 1680x1050
• tried to install some packages via pirut (system-config-packages) and got _REALLY_ slow download speed and unresponsive pirut windows at time.
• ATI driver seems to be having some problems at times (creates shadows on parts of display that dissapear only after exiting X server session).
  

The conclusion:
After twiddling around a bit and setting up software and the hardware the conclusion is that f8 is currently not really ready for everyone (for instance my wifi card did not work correctly, networkmanager did not discover any wifi networks and even manual configuration failed - keeps asking for password. I could not install ndiswrapper from an rpm package because there was no kmod for the updated kernel I am running... so unusable for me -
untill I find enough time to get all the bits and pieces running that is ;)

PS: suspend to disk works perfectly now as it seems (only tested a couple of times) (suspend to RAM fails to awake again

UPDATE (27.12.2007): after running yum update today all the above mentioned defects were fixed. WiFi now works perfectly - without ndiswrapper even and the later can be installed since there is a kernel update available now... So thumbs up for Fedora 8! I'm off fiddling with it now ;)

Cookies R US

My wifie decided that Sunday is a cookie baking day... so the cookies were on the schedule.
First she made the dough, put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. And since we had a couple of hours on our hands we went for a cup of coffee in Ljubljana old center.

During Christmas/NY holidays Ljubljana is decorated with lights and looks quite nice in the dark (not that it wouldn't look nice during the daytime). Here are some pictures...



















Ljubljana old town (view from the Town hall to the Prešeren Square)



















Ljubljana old town (City Hall)

Later we made a short visit to my family...

Kind of reminds me of Grinch.








And after that we came home she made cookies (with chocolate and sprinkles, almonds and just plain old). I did a small assist on sprinkles and almonds, but I can't take any more credentials for them. I seem to be the one without any cooking inclinations in our family. The best I can cook is if I order pizza or take wifie out to a restaurant ;)

Well here is a plate of the rrrRRRReeeealy tasty final results (cookies).

New camera (A _Real_ One)

I just (two days ago, when I got the approval from wifie) bought a new SLR Camera (Olympus E-510). Finally I will be able to do some of the things I was not able to do before with the pseudo-SLR FujiFilm (if I find the time to take pictures and the conditions for taking them are correct and I do not screw up by using the wrong lenses for the picture and use the controls (all gazillion of them) incorrectly). Well, when I learn how to actually use it I'll post some pictures.

Have fun till' then.

Time flies (faster) when you think you have some to spare ...

I wonder if this is just me, but whenever I think I have plenty of time to do something (most likely something I like) I always get bashed with different tasks that (if nothing else) steal the time for themselves.

So this week I thought well 7 days of not much to do, great I'll do some Photoshop lessons or take some pictures outside... well guess what... I am coding something I don't care much about and somehow can't figure out the simplest principles (I must be getting senile at my "young" age).

But on the other hand it will get me a couple hundred € closer to a new SLR I've been akin' to get my grabby little hands on...

So... what was I rambling about again?

Night time movement

The picture below was taken with my cheap pseudo SLR camera that only has 4s of max. exposition time. So the thing is I had to take multiple pictures and layer them one over another and merge them together. To create the effect you see on the image I used one of the filters that creates a bit of a painting effect. I quite like it this way, looks like it was done during daytime almost.

I would like to encourage you to write comments about the picture, since I really would like to learn and improve my photography skills.

The intro

Hey there, my first entry on blogger.
I have allways said that people who write blogs have too much time on their hands. Well guess what... I have too much time right now (and for the following 5 minutes too), so I'm writing this blog.
I will most likely write about tech stuff, computers, gadgets, photography (that I'm taking up right now) and other items of my general rambling agenda.

I hope you find something interesting or at least borderline entertaining here (not likely).

Have a hoot!
n.