PC History:

I’ve been a PC user all of my life. Well that’s not entirely true. My first computer was the Atari 65/130 XE which my parents purchased when I was just a little girl. When I had my first job, I didn’t even think twice about buying a PC over a MAC. MACs were more expensive and PCs were all around.

It wasn’t hard to stay with PCs because you could get the same hardware for less and I already had already invested in the software. Buying upgrades was cheaper. Plus I didn’t have the time to research and prepare for the move.

Why move to MAC?

Honestly, the main reason is out of boredom. I’ve become used to Windows. I will probably use it as long as it exists – at work, at a relative’s home, anywhere. The OS does what I need it to do. I know my way around it, shortcuts, shortcomings, must-have software, etc. I do things quickly on it. I’m comfortable with it. And it has been like that for years. So it’s time to do something different. It’s time to adventure into the nice OS with its good looking hardware, one that I know very little about. It’s time for a MAC.

My current setup:

I’ve always had a powerful desktop and a less powerful laptop. Laptop goes with me on trips. So for the move, I will get a computer powerful enough to run Photoshop, Lightroom, encode videos, etc and a portable computer. This time though, I’ll get a Mac Book (specs TBD) and an iPad. Desktop will become a thing of the past.

The beginning:

I purchased a 13″ MacBook in June of 2010 to replace my Dell Inspiron. It was a test to find out if I would be able to get used to the damn COMMAND key being in the “wrong” position from the CTRL key on a PC. I wanted to know if not having buttons on the trackpad would annoy the hell of me. And did the MACs really never crash?

Well, I had no issues getting used to the COMMAND key. It took some time but now I can switch between PCs and my MB without issues. I fell in love with the MB trackpad. It’s genius! And whoever told me MACs never crash is a frickn liar. I do find annoying that the DELETE key works like the BACKSPACE key but there is no DEL key on a MAC that erases the other way around. And yes, I know I can use the FN key with DELETE to do that but I’m talking about having 1 (one) key do that, not two.

Next Steps:

Research time begins. I need to figure out what hardware I will need for the MacBook to replace my desktop, dock, etc. I will be selling this MB because it’s just not powerful enough to run multiple programs. I find that very frustrating but I knew I wasn’t getting a fast computer when I bought it. Just good enough to what I would need it for.

I will purchase the iPad when the iPad 3 comes out hopefully in February – March. *Keeping fingers crossed*

All I can say is… I cannot wait!

Stay tuned!

– Jess

So, I said no to the iPhone. For now.

My experience with Android has been great. The only reason why I want to try the iPhone is so I can experience both platforms personally and be able to give feedback to my family and friends who ask me questions about both. I love many of the features Android has because I’m a Google girl. Plus the Navigation is awesome and it is FREE. It wasn’t a hard decision to upgrade my Motorola Droid to the HTC Thunderbolt.

I had the Thunderbolt for almost one week now and here’s my reaction so far:

Cool Stuff:

• Huuuuuuuge screen.
• Fast!
• 4G. MmmmMm!
• Free Hotspot (till May?)

Not So Cool Stuff:

• Battery (Oh yeah! If you are a power user, you MUST get the extended battery)
• Pre-installed crapware that we cannot uninstall

Now that I have the extended battery, I am looking for a case and a car dock that will fit it. I’ll post more information as I continue getting acquainted with my T-Bolt.

This link has a couple of nice videos to watch. D300S video shots!

Here is the link:
http://undergraduatedegree.org/2010/25-essential-android-apps-for-college-students/

By the way, I’m also using WordPress for Android for the first time. I will post my thoughts on it after I play win this app a little more.

After you are done watching, please you can see more of Deke on http://www.deke.com. =)

Any recommendations from Nikon shooters out there are more than welcome!

Here are some of my questions/comments/concerns so far:

• Is the D300S too heavy with a 70-200 2.8 lens to shoot hand-held?
• Some people have commented that going from the D70 to the D300/S would take some time to figure things out. Is it that complicated? I like shooting in aperture mode and manual. I don’t use the Auto mode at all.
• Will all my DX lenses work? I hear they will.
• Lens thread: In dpreview.com, I see that the D300S uses “Nikon F (with AF contacts)” compare to the D70, D90, and D300 which have “Nikkor AF / F-mount, D-Type.” Is this something I should be concerned about?

After researching more, it looks like I won’t have any problems with the above. The only item that I am somewhat concerned about is the weight. But I guess I will just have to play with it to know for sure!

Pricing:

• D90 is around $810.
• The D300S is around $1800!!!

What do I shoot?

• Dancing performances in a theater setting.
• Basketball games.
• Portraits (usually outside/not studio)
• Golf
• Landscapes, people, etc etc.

What I like about the D90 over the D300s:

• Pricing!
• Color quality for RAW is better according to the DxO Labs (http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor)

What I like about the D300s over the D90:

• Better auto focusing. 51 points against 11!
• Better in low light situations and high ISO.
• Magnesium alloy body and rubber protection against dust.
• INFO button.
• CF and SD card support.
• 7-8 fps compared to the D90′s 4.5fps.

Update:

After many hours of research, I have decided and have made the purchase!!!

And the winner is … *drum roll* …………… the D300s!!!!! Better focusing and better performance in low light situations were the MAJOR factors in my decision. All of the other features are also awesome! I bought it on Amazon.com. I used all the Amazon.com gift certificates I had and birthday money! And it should arrive this Thursday October 1!!!

I’m excited!

–Jess

P.S. The photo below shows the D300s with the MB-D10 Multipower Battery Pack which I haven’t purchased.

Nikon D300s

https://jetpack.mozillalabs.com/

Brought to you by Mozilla Labs. Required knowledge of HTML, CSS and maybe some JavaScript. You don’t have to know XUL or XML. Mozilla Labs says on its website: “Jetpack is a newly formed experiment in using open Web technologies to enhance the browser, with the goal of allowing anyone who can build a Web site to participate in making the Web a better place to work, communicate and play. In short, Jetpack is an API for allowing you to write Firefox add-ons using the web technologies you already know”

If you always wanted to create your own Firefox Add-On, now may be your chance. Have fun! =)

DirectoryForDesigners.com has posted an interesting list of Free Social Media Icons Sets to use on blogs. It is a pretty good and complete collection! Please see their post!

Link to their post.

The best part is that it’s a social network. You can find your friends and see what they have been playing, what they like, etc. You can also see people who like similar music you do, people whose music you love, people that love your music – What best way to discover new tunes you may like? =)

They are on Twitter: @grooveshark

Here’s more information: http://grooveshark.com/features