guapacha.com

Thanks to db, or maybe josh, yesterday I bought a Flip Ultra camcorder so I can join the video blogging craze, or something. Yes, I know I have three perfectly good camcorders at home but none of them are the sweet, easy to carry and use size of the Flip. I figure I will keep it in my bag, whip it out (so to speak) when the mood strikes. Hell, maybe I’ll record some video for the Wailing Cat sometime.

My first impression was a little underwhelming, actually. But the joy is in it’s simplicity. There’s no complicated buttons, just turn it on, point it at something, hit record, hit stop. Then it plugs right into your computer and you can use the supplied software to save/upload or any of your own tools. The video quality ain’t bad for $150. The trick is finding a hosting site that does a decent job of encoding the file but doesn’t take forever to do it.

First, I used good old YouTube which is the de facto standard, I guess. It processes pretty fast but the quality sure ain’t great:

DB tried Vimeo which did a much better job in terms of quality but took a long time to upload and encode. Rather than rehash the same experiment, I tried Viddler which was pretty quick, at least as fast as YouTube, I think, but I’m not sure the quality is improved any.

I’ll probably sit back and let josh and db figure out the best solution, they’re good at that kind of thing. In the meantime, I am pondering registering guapacha.tv for my video blogs, but at $25 a year it makes one think twice.

The recent $500 models of the iPhone and iPod Touch have left me feeling a little colder towards the iPhone. My current contract expires in a week so the timing is perfect for a new phone. But, as I’ve said before, it’s crazy to buy an iPhone right now with the 3G models most assuredly coming out in a few months: Apple’s buyer remorse is guaranteed with that plan.

The new models made me realise that any new 3G iPhone is going to be in the same ballpark as these models, almost $500. As mega-fantastic as the iPhone is, my parents didn’t raise me to spend that kind of dough on a phone that requires a two-year contract. It’s insane, insane I tell you. So… I think I am going to get a Blackberry or other internet-friendly phone for free (thanks Wirefly!) and then perhaps in the summer spend some of the annual bonus on the Touch.

Yeah, it’s a little sucky but there are plenty of things in life I’d really really like but just can’t justify buying. Got to make the tough choices, I suppose.

Late last night we were watching TV when it felt like someone had pushed the house about 20 feet, held it there for a while to build up some energy and then let it go; felt like we were then shaking for a few minutes.

I’m (almost) used to the little shakes we get infrequently (the Valley is on it’s own fault line) but last night’s was quite different in style, and very very noticeable. Turns out that it was a 5.4 magnitude event, about 40 miles or so south of us and from the newspaper this morning I think everyone who was awake felt it. Looks like there were many aftershocks but I didn’t feel those.

Not the Big One yet, but certainly felt it.

I don’t know if it’s because I get to vote this time around or if life is just more boring than usual but I’ve taken an extra special interest in this year’s elections. So far I’ve saved you all from my opinions on the current candidates (but I bet you can guess they aren’t pretty) but that may not last. Be warned.

So, yeah, anyway, I voted for the first time today, or rather Teri took my postal ballot in when she voted. So, go me!

61%How Addicted to Apple Are You?

Not sure if this is a cultural difference between the USA and the UK, or whether I just work with a bunch of rude idiots, but when I’m eating lunch at my desk I expect to be left in peace. Don’t come up and start a work conversation and prevent me from eating my food while it’s hot. I’m not so rude that I will ignore you and carry on eating, so instead you’ll ruin my lunch.

I assume there must have been a time when I didn’t feel sick but I can’t remember it. My first abscess/MRSA encounter was in November and I’m not sure I was sick before then so that’s probably when it all started. Since then of course I had the second abscess/MRSA deal and now a cold that has lasted a week and shows no sign of getting better. And my stomach hasn’t recovered from the first round of antibiotics, it’s been upset now for two months.

Maybe it’s no coincidence that I turned 42 in December, I was told that at 40 the body would deteriorate rapidly but perhaps I am just off by 2 years. Too bad I didn’t know or maybe I would have done something with those ‘extra’ two years. Yeah, I know, I would still have wasted them.

UK children’s programs are so much better than US ones – Shaun the Sheep!

I am definitely a citizen:

• got my naturalization certificate
• got my US passport
• got my voter registration card
• got a jury duty summons

All I need now is my pick up truck and rifle.

Sad news that Sir Edmund Hillary passed away yesterday, a rare person in today’s world who achieved much and yet remained a gentleman despite all the celebrity. It’s too bad there aren’t more people like him.

I also dedicate this video to Teri’s grandmother who passed away this week at the grand age of 92. Although I didn’t know her real well, she clearly shared a kindness and a good heart with Ed. May they both rest in peace.