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This week I heard a tip on one of the TWiT podcasts about a OSX Finder replacement. Finder in OSX is what the Windows Explorer is for Windows. You use it to browse around your PC, copy, rename and launch programs.

Ever since I switched to Mac I encountered a couple of drawbacks on the OSX Finder;

• No Cut&Paste option (CMD-X doesn’t work on files)
• Pressing ‘Return’ on a file is opening the rename ‘dialog’. (CMD-O to open files).
• etc.

I know that OSX has the ability to remap keys, so that you can still use the (old) Windows commands/keys, but I like things to be as default as it can be.

Anyway, when I heard about the Finder ‘replacement’ called Path Finder, I needed to try it. Especially after watching the online demonstration.
You can configure Path Finder to be a replacement for Finder, or you can use it beside Finder. I decided to replaced it. As soon as the evaluation period is over and I’m still using it I will definitely buy this program.

So far things are looking good.

If anyone has different examples of Finder replacements, be sure to drop them in the comments.

Scripts made in Adobe CS3 may not work in Adobe CS4 product. I tried an evaluation version of Photoshop CS4, and found out that my watermarking action ‘crashed’.
The crash is triggered by the CS3 version of the ‘Fit Image’ script/command.

So much for backwards compatibility…

UPDATE: I’ve updated the watermarking action. This one works with CS4. For CS3 you need this one.

Microsoft Windows (no matter what version) is the favorite platform for virusses, trojans, malware and other crap. The way to keep the operating system neat and tidy you should use protection. Protection in the form of anti-virus software and other (required) software to guarantee your survival on the World Wide Web.

Well, protection isn’t what it used to be . It seems that an update of AVG antivirus recognizes user32.dll as a bit of malicious code. Is this bad you ask? Well…. Windows won’t work/boot without it. Ironic?

The solution for this problem is to ask someone with proper knowledge and follow this procedure (dutch forum).

It’s very frustrating if people ’steal’ your images when you’re a photographer. It’s annoying if they ‘borrow’ them (hotlinking, use them in other websited), and it’s downright evil if they are using them for generating money [1, 2, 3].

Anyway, on a ‘local’ forum, some of the members found out that Hyves.net members (you need to be a Hyves member to view this) were using copyrighted photos. Other ‘Hivers’ can use these images to create collages, or use them to ‘pimp’ their personal pages (yuk!!).
Some of the original images still showed the copyright info, while other photos were modified to remove the copyright text (deliberate copyright infringement if you ask me).

The ‘fun’ part is that people who use these images get mad if you ask them to remove the image due to copyright infringement. The general consensus seems that everything you put up on the Internet is up for grabs.

So, if you don’t want others to (mis)use your photos don’t put them online. If you have to put them online, make sure other people can’t remove the copyright info without ‘destroying’ the photo (e.g. humongous watermark across the photo). Or just put very small versions of the photos online.

When are you a professional photographer? This was a question I ran into on a forum about photography.

Many people think you are a professional photographer when you’re able to create magnificent photographs. But according to the average dictionary you’re a pro when photography is your job (your profession).

So, shooting awesome photographs over and over again doesn’t make you a pro. It just makes you an awesome photographer. Selling them and living of them makes you a pro.

CodeWeavers (the creators of CrossOver) had a special deal on October 28th, 2008. They gave away their software (CrossOver) to anyone who registered on their special webpage (no longer accessible).

I did my part in registering, and today I received the final instructions for registration code for CrossOver.
CrossOver is a piece of software which enables you to run Windows programs on OSX without the use of Windows itself. The list with compatible applications grows every month

Panasonic Lumix LX3

After a long and extensive search for an additional point and shoot camera (P&S) I bought the Panasonic Lumix LX3.

The reason for buying the camera were:

• Image quality
• RAW capabilities
  (RAW format not yet supported by the normal Adobe product)
• Relative large sensor with only 10 MPixels
• Size (not too small)
• Extensive control over the settings in the camera
• Hotshoe (for an external flash or a 200 euro ViewFinder…..)
  The LX3 with a Nikon SB-600 flash… not that well balanced
• 24mm (35mm equivalent) wide angle lens.
• Macro setting
• Good quality movies (in 720p HD format)
• And not to forget; the design of the camera.

Panasonic Lumix LX3 test image

When you’re used to a semi-pro dSLR it takes a while getting used to. Most of the camera functions are hidden in menu’s.

One question for Panasonic-crew; Why the absurd prices on the optional accessories? The optional ViewFinder is HALF the price of the camera.
Guess I’ll be waiting for the cheap Asian knock-offs.

MTV placed a ton of music video’s online. There are even several charts available. Guess which one is ranked numero uno @ ‘Top Rated’?

Nikon released firmware version 1.10 for the D300 this week.

Finally a decent way of addig the copyright and photographer info into the EXIF data….

According to Apple.

Well, they have a point after the (failed) Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld ‘commercials’.

The new MacBook lacks the (oh so) familiar FireWire port, so how am I supposed to migrate from my MacBook Pro to a new MacBook? Copy everything over the network? Or are they providing special tooling?

MacBook 2008 Ports

The advantage of the firewire port was that you can access your Apple hardware as a external drive. Quite handy if your laptop/desktop fails to boot. Just hook it up with FireWire to another Apple and you can try to fix the problem (and get to your data).

We might be heading to a Windows Migration Assistant kinda feature….

UPDATE: It seems that migration is available via ethernet, or by mounting a diskimage (which you created on the other machine)

UPDATE 2: Apple to the rescue with the Migration and DVD/CD Sharing Update.

Apple announced (or released) three ‘new’ MacBooks;

• MacBook Pro
• MacBook
• MacBook Air

The biggest surprises (apart from the new housing) is that the MacBooks come in two flavours; the ‘old’ white MacBook (which is also a sub-thousand dollar/euro laptop), and an aluminum version.

Every MacBook (Pro/Air) has the possibility of having solid-state harddrives, and, as usual, there are several upgrades available (CPU, Memory, and tons of accessories). The thing that keeps bothering me is the price that Apple wants for its memory upgrades are most likely ridiculous (as usual). Problem this time is that Apple puts DDR3 DIMMS in the notebooks, and I can’t seem to find these in the regular webshops.

Anyway, after getting the Popcorn Hour this week there’s no reason for getting an Air or Pro version of the MacBook (if my MBP dies, or gets sold for a decent price). But first…. Wait to see wait the initial problems are with the new MacBooks, because there always is something…….

We’ll see a new MacBook (Pro) tomorrow if all the rumors are right. My current MacBook Pro (MBP) is one of the first releases (the Intel 1.0 version so to say), and is working just fine. I even used it to view HD content on my TV (720p max, but without DTS decoding).

The last year I was having this idea of upgrading my MBP so that I’m able of watching full HD content on my TV. But now with the arrival of the Popcorn Hour that necessity is gone. Now I can ‘upgrade’ my MBP to a new (sub $1000 ??) MacBook when the time comes. All I do on the laptop is a bit of;

• browsing
• e-mail
• basic photo editting
• webdev

No need to spend extra for watching HD content. It’s like ’spending money to save money’.

Popcorn Hour A-110

‘Networked Media Tank‘ a.k.a. ‘Popcorn Hour‘ is another name for an awesome piece of hardware. It’s a small device (the size of a 8-port desktop switch)) that enables you to view media on your TV. You name the format, and it plays it. No matter what the resolution is.

The Popcorn Hour (PCH) is a specialized piece of hardware just for decoding media. Even MKV (Matroska Containers) files are supported. I tried this by downloading a sample of Iron Man in 1080p with DTS audio, and it performed flawlessly. The picture quality was superb.

Besides watching video’s you can also;

• listen to music
• watch your holiday pictures
• watch (pre-programmed) online media like YouTube
• use it as a torrent downloader
• use it as a usenet downloader (NZBGet)

I currently use mine solely with the HDMI connector hooked up to my Pioneer A/V Receiver. This way I get to enjoy all the benefits of HD content. There are numerous ways of connecting the PCH to your TV/Home Theater. Both analog and digital.

One little drawback; don’t plan on doing a lot of pushing buttons on the remote when you are copying lot’s of files over the network to the device. I had to reset my PCH twice in an hour. The CPU for the operating System (OS) on the device is for the interface and basic network connectivity (there’s a CPU for displaying media, and a CPU for the OS). So if you’re gonna stress the device it might hang.

So, if you’re thinking about a Home Theater PC (HTPC) for the purpose of watching media this is the device for you. If you plan on recording TV you’ll need another device for doing that.

Band of Brothers

Why buy them? I bought a couple of movies in the last couple of weeks. Including the ‘Band of Brothers‘ DVD-box (probably the best TV-miniseries ever). Just to be reminded (again) that the original product (in general) is annoying as hell.

I started the DVD, and the first thing that I saw were some crappy trailers of crappy movies. The menu appeared only after I had FFWD’ed every single one of them.
After watching the first episode I wanted to quickly skip to the second…. No way of doing that besides stopping and starting the DVD from scratch. Which results in trailers etc. of the same (crappy) movies I have no interest in….. Every f*cking button, which might guide me to the menu, on my remote was unresponsive.

First thing on my list when I wake up tomorrow; rip the DVD’s, remove every piece of DRM crap and enjoy the remaining episodes my way.
Honest people are hijacked by the MPAA (and associates) by forcing all this DRM crap upon those who buy legitimate DVD’s. No wonder people are ripping and copying DRM protected content.

Every now-and-then you try to do the good thing, only to be reminded why you were ripping DVD’s in the first place……