Author: admin-blog

And not just because it’s raining.

Once upon a time — forgive the computing example — I would have always said that the best choice for a computer is a Mac. And most of the time I still would: Macs are easier for most people, in most situations. However, I wouldn’t, today, try to talk an accountant into a Mac for their work computer when their dedicated software package runs only on Windows, nor can I recommend a Mac if your budget is $200. Grey uncertainty has crept into my world view.

Today’s internet and today’s media is focused on two sides and conflict between them. Fail vs win. The truth, in most things, is grey. Yes, the apps you can run on a stock iPhone has to be approved by Apple, but the far reduced risk of malware means that’s usually a win for the consumer. The comparative openness of Android, conversely, does not mean that the carriers won’t gum it up with all kinds of crapware that can’t be removed, or that the overall user experience is going to be better.

Follow forums and message boards on tech sites, however, and all you’ll see is polarity; one side pointing fingers at real or imagined “fanboys” on the other. A perceived failure on a single issue is apparently enough to taint a product forever. The media aren’t much better; the stories that get headlines are usually big wins or big problems. Worse, to produce easily written A-vs-B stories, the media will report conflict where none exists. I’m still hearing “I thought there was a problem with that phone” regarding the iPhone 4, from non-tech people who read an article in a paper or saw something on TV. Scientific consensus on climate change and safety of the MMR vaccine is clear, but the public view is not nearly so unified.

Presenting products as a total success or failure (instead of “mostly pretty good”), science as perfect or flawed (instead of mostly correct) or just repeating false data until it becomes “common knowledge” are all symptoms of the problem. Politicians love to be able to claim a win (in power) or claim a failure (in opposition) and rarely admit the opposite to be true. Even scientists would prefer to post results than nothing, and while they should be able to post a paper with inconclusive results, it won’t make everyone happy. (I don’t even want to tackle theists who think they have all the answers already.)

The truth is that the world is grey. Great products have flaws. Food that’s mostly good for you could sometimes be bad for you. Science’s main strength is that it’s OK to prove past science to be flawed. Most politicians have something valuable to contribute, but their entire worldview is unlikely to coincide with your own. To dismiss something because of a small problem is, in the end, to dismiss everything.

Next time you buy something, vote for someone, form an opinion or even fall in love, remember that the object of your attention is not perfect. Expecting it to be will leave you in a state of perpetual unhappiness.

Hazel is currently running, jumping and dancing around the lounge and onto the deck, yelling “Yay! It’s stopped raining!” in a happy voice.

Hazel doesn’t know about Santa Claus, or Father Christmas. She talks about “Santa Christmas”.

The other day: “I can see in the dark because I have gloomy eyes.”

A few days later, with the widest eyes and the happiest smile, holding Where Is The Green Sheep, she said: “I read this all by myself.”

She can only read a few words right now, so she’s remembered the book rather than read it, but the joy behind the smile was a thing of wonder.

This Telstra Wholesale page lists the telephone exchanges to receive upgrades. At Mt Nebo (MNBO) we’re about to get a software upgrade. Apparently it won’t be bringing ADSL2+, but it’s going to remove the default shaping (slowing down) that 8Mbps plan users (like me) have been subject to. The what now?

Even though I have been paying quite a bit extra for an “up to 8Mbit” plan that’s usually around 2.5Mbit, it’s been the crappy shaping setup at the exchange that’s been slowing me down, not my line, proximity to exchange, or anything else.

First reaction? How in hell can they get away with selling (or on-selling) a service they know will be crippled? Advertising up to 8Mbit when this exchange hasn’t been offering any more than 2.5Mbit to anyone is just wrong.

Second reaction? So, my internet could get 3x faster next week? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE?

Final Cut Pro has an awesome feature, iChat Theater, which lets you share your Viewer or Canvas (whatever was last selected) to a remote iChat buddy. It’s fantastic for remote editing with a client. But it only works Mac to Mac. Alternatives? Skype has built-in screen sharing, but it doesn’t want to work for me; I think it’s because I’m on a camera-less Mac Pro.

Solution! Grab CamTwist, as described in How To Use Your Canon DSLR As A Webcam. Set up the software with “Desktop+” to output the FCP Canvas as a webcam. Now you don’t even need to use Skype’s screen sharing, because that area of your screen becomes a webcam. It just saved me many rounds of tiny revisions with a remote (Sydney) director on a piece I’m editing.

Isn’t it nice when technology really helps? Now, if only I could get ADSL2+ here…

Looking at a computer-rendered diagram of a family home with a family, Hazel said it was “Andy’s house. From Toy Story.” (Because they looked like the computer-generated people that Pixar make and she loves.)

Hazel just made a “computer” from a shallow box with things glued in it (the keyboard) and a blank box lid (the screen) plus an old mouse. Then she put a ball in front of the “screen” and said “there’s a ball on the screen”, practiced typing, and so on.

Some bad times in this recent holiday overseas (just back) give me pause. I would not, at this time, recommend travelling with a small child for four weeks. Some of the moments have been wonderful, as always, but the general feeling that remains is still a dull pain. Anyway:

They Might Be Giants’s Here Come the 123s! has a song called “Triops has three eyes”, which repeats that phrase quite a few times. (She usually prefers their more recent Here Comes Science, and it makes me so proud each time she listens intently to “Meet the Elements” or “I am a Paleontologist” that I can’t say. Anyway.)

She also loves Toy Story 1 and 2, which we have, and she watches, on the iPad. Remember the claw aliens from Toy Story? Three eyes. While we watched Toy Story 3 (amazing) on the plane home, I leaned over to her to explain that we were looking at the claw aliens.

She says: “No, they’re triops.”

I really hope Jucy works out for these two: Cindy Nelson & Francesca Gasteen at TIFF 2010. Mostly because they’re great and they deserve it, but a little because they starred together in Five, a film I directed and edited a few years ago in the 48 Film Project. All the dialogue was ad-libbed; they were terrific. The sad part was having to cut almost all of Francesca’s part to get it into the five-minute time limit. If you find me in person, ask to see the extended cut with Francesca’s part reinstated.

It’s been raining all night, but it should still be a good day. If you’re wondering what to do with your Sunday, come along to the Mountain Festival today.