The Gadgets Page

It’s a strange sense of satisfaction when I come to the same decision as a photography blog. I have been waiting for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 for almost a year now. I currently own the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. It has been an excellent camera with only a couple of items wanting: I wanted SDHC support and I wanted better video quality. I have watched Panasonic’s progress for a long time, just waiting for this camera to become available. Imagine my delight when PhotographyBLOG gave it a 4.5 out of 5 star rating:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review – PhotographyBLOG

They have lots of juicy pictures and lots of technical photography talk explaining why this camera deserves such a good rating. Honestly, I am so indebted to Panasonic’s Optical Image Stabilizer (anti-shake) that I wouldn’t even consider buying another camera. It makes my videos smooth as glass when I’m walking, which is more than half the battle to filming good walking videos. The fact that I’ll have 10X Zoom, a larger Leica lens and the approval of the PhotographyBLOG is just icing on the cake.

Via: Panasonic’s DMC-TZ3 wide-angle 10x zoomer reviewed – Engadget

Gordon Luk at GetLuky.net has a brilliant discussion about military games and how the ability to choose your avatar affects the gameplay and enjoyment.

• getluky.net » Playing from the Other Side: the Discomfort of Militainment Avatars

“Now there was an interesting concept! I’d never considered before that players might be switching to the US side in a video game due to ethical problems with playing “the enemy.” I began to wonder if he was alone, or if these moral problems with playing as enemy avatars could explain why there was such a built-in preference for the home teams.”

From my perspective, I don’t like first-person shooters at all (or 3rd person, etc.). I was appalled at America’s Army. I look at the myriad of games out there that are just not made for me. They have no appeal.

For me, it’s not about my avatar, although, most times in those games, I don’t get to be female unless she is hypersexualized. It’s not about being able to choose which side I’m on. It’s about not really wanting to kill people.

The gaming industry spends so much time and money making games that only appeal to a very small market. They think it’s a big market because it’s all they have, but really, how many people out there really want to shoot and kill people? Are there that many warriors in our genes? Is shooting the only way to satiate them? I doubt it.

I’m waiting for the next wave of gaming to wash over this world. It will be inclusive for gender, age and nationality. Someday, we will have our choice of games that spend less time trying to make realistic graphics and more time trying to be purely entertaining. I’m waiting for them, when are they coming?

This video, entitled, “Really Expensive Cat Toy,” is a perfect example of the fun you can have with a Macintosh laptop, its remote control and Front Row.

I wonder if a scratched screen is covered under the warranty…

If you’re interested in Apple TV, here is a video walkthrough of the interface from MacDailyNews.com. It looks like it is really easy to use, but they didn’t cover how they got the stuff on the Apple TV. Is it connected to your home computer? Is it downloading these things from the Internet. I would have liked a little more explanation, but this walkthrough shows you how easy it is to find and play movies, television shows, podcasts and music.

One note, the pictures in the slideshow are Apple pictures, so take this walkthrough with a grain of salt. A walkthrough from someone a little less connected with Apple is here:

• Video: Apple TV menu and interface walkthrough – Engadget

I wonder if Apple TV will change television the way the iPod changed music or if it will just be a strange blip on televisions historical radar.

I just wrote a review on Starling Fitness for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the Wii. Mike and I have been playing it for about a week.

• Starling Fitness » Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the Wii

Is it exergaming? No. Did it get me off the couch and interacting with my family? Yes! Most importantly, it introduced me to a sport that I might want to try in real life. It taught me the rules and got me interested in something that I never considered before. If sport video games pique the interest in a real live sport, then I’m all for them. My verdict on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the Wii? Go for it! It is a lot of fun and it might even get you interested in real-life golfing!

Most importantly, the game is VERY inclusive as far as being able to modify your avatar. You can make your golfer on the screen match your skin color, hair color, facial structure and even body type. So many programs insist that you choose between five males or one over-sexed female. This game is different. I can make myself look however I want, even fat, which is something that video games rarely program for:

In the end, I chose an avatar thinner than this one, but she doesn’t have huge boobs, she isn’t blond and I was able to completely customize her. It was a great way to feel included in this game. So many games force me to play the character of a male or pigeon-hole me into a sexy babe’s body, but this one let me choose exactly how I wanted to be.

Kudos to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07! Good form, EA, good form!

If you have wanted to put your videos on the Internet, you probably thought that the only way to do it was with YouTube. YouTube does make it extremely easy to broadcast your videos, but what if you want something more personal? What if you don’t want Google to own your video? What if you already have a blog and you just want to add your latest video?

Freevlog has the answers to all those questions and more. They have just updated their videos, so you have the most current way to learn how to put your videos on the web.

• Freevlog

A little over a year ago, I was faced with these problems. I had filmed lots of little videos that I enjoyed and I wanted to share them on my personal weblog, but I didn’t know how to do anything. I had no idea how to put titles on the videos. I didn’t even know how to upload them. Mike Verdi and Ryanne Hodson were pivitol in getting past my fear and just putting my videos up on the Internet.

They have broken the process of starting a video-blog, or vlog, into these easy steps:

• Setup a Video Blog
• Update your PC or Mac
• Compress video for the web (so the video will look good AND load up quickly)
• Take a screenshot of your video
• Get a blog
• Upload and post your video
• Get an RSS Feed

There are step-by-step videos for each of these parts of the process on their Freevlog Tutorial page.

Almost every digital camera made today and a lot of the cell phones, have a movie mode. No matter where you are, you can record the wonderful bits of your life as they are happening and then share them with your friends and family all across the globe. That’s the beauty of starting your own vlog or adding video to your personal weblog. Now, you can do that and more.

This house holds a family of five, but its footprint is a mere 320 square feet. Ever since Mike and I moved from a 3500 square-foot house in the suburbs to a 820 square-foot house in a different suburb, I have been obsessed with making things work in a small space. Here is an article about how it is done in Japan:

• Japan: Micro-Homes in the Big City

Sadly, the article concentrates on how much the homes cost to build instead of how you can cram five people into such a small space and still make it work. Is it enforced simplicity? Is it ultra-efficiency? How do they do it? That’s what I want to know. I wanted to see floor plans and pictures of their storage areas, not their staircases.

This article is more helpful:

• Living in a Small Space by Maria Palma: The Sideroad

I still would like to see pictures and specific storage ideas.

Via: random($foo)

I have been playing Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS since October of 2006. I haven’t caught all the fish or insects, but I’m getting really close to having a complete catalog. Somehow, in my mind, I decided that to “win” this game, I needed a complete catalog. Checking my catalog with Nook is a real pain, so I have created an Animal Crossing complete catalog checklist for myself. I thought I would share it with you:

• Download the Animal Crossing Complete Catalog

This is an Excel spreadsheet listing all the items that are possible to own in Animal Crossing. I gathered this information from all over the web and I suspect that there are errors in it, but so far it has worked well for me. I use it during play every day to check the new items at Nooks, The Abel Sisters and Redd’s Tent.

This book also has helpful information about visitors to the town, how to get your hair cut by Harriet and what all the paintings look like. I find it extremely helpful and I thought you might like it as well.

With an open play game like Animal Crossing, you get to choose which objectives you want to achieve. Do you want to fill your museum? Do you want to design clothing? Do you want to own EVERYTHING? Do you want to be friends with everyone and proudly display their pictures in your home? Do you want to own the biggest home in town? You get to choose and there are as many ways to play as there are people.

What if I told you that this car can get 230 mpg, drive at freeway speeds AND only costs about $20K? I can’t believe it myself, actually, but those are the exact claims about this car from Aptera Motors:

* Aptera Motors

Everyone loves the story of the guy who tinkers in his garage and creates a prototype that will change the world. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak did it with their Apple Computers. What about Steve Fambro? Can his car that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie change the way we think about cars? I hope so because he is promising me a lot:

* 0 to 60 in under 10 seconds
* Choice of hybrid or all electric (150 miles on a single charge)
* 230 mpg at the speed of 55 mph

It’s a two-seater, with not much room for anything but two people. The car itself only weighs 850 pounds, which helps improve the gas mileage substantially. By using a carbon composite frame, he reduced the weight of the car without compromising the safety. He based his models of design and safety on airplanes. Are you willing to sacrifice a backseat for that kind of fuel efficiency? I sure am. Where do I sign up?

For more information:

* Car creator has grand designs | The San Diego Union-Tribune

* Business Week

* The Race to 100 MPG – Popular Science

Via: Prototype Aptera Becomes Working Model | Gear Live

This is the perfect doormat to welcome or scare away your guests. It changes with your mood!

• SUCK UK – “Come in” / “Go away” Doormat

• SUCK UK – Do Not Disturb… with a twist.

It’s not available yet, but as soon as it is, bipolar sufferers every where will snatch them up!

Via: Popgadget: Come in, or is that Go Away?