I'm not too happy with my Sony DSC-T1 digital camera. I bought it about a year ago because, at the time, it was the smallest digital camera you could buy. My main complaint with the camera is a fairly obvious one once you consider the fixed lens and the tiny form factor. In a word, it's DARK. It takes sunny daylight to make this camera look good. In all other lighting conditions, the picture is less than ideal. Compounding the problem is the fact that the small form factor means a very small flash. As a result any indoor picture produces a moderately lit subject and black backgrounds. Kinda feels like every picture has been taken in a tunnel.

I am seriously considering replacing the DSC-T1 with a new Canon Rebel XT. This is a major departure from the tiny T1, because it is a full size camera with interchangeable lenses. I bought the T1 assuming I would take it with me everywhere, but because of it's poor performance, I rarely take it with me. Given that, I might as well have a real camera like the Rebel XT. Imagine ditching the flash for all but the darkest of settings. Sounds great to me. Of course, the $1000 price tag definitely gives me pause and I am reluctant to sell the T1 to offset my costs (something I often do when upgrading electronics).

My New Soma Smoothie ES!

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Originally uploaded by cvilly.

This bike was recently assembled by a great bike mechanic on my behalf using parts I cobbled together from Performance and Nashbar. Total cost about $1600. Total budget about $1000. Oops!

Find road bikes on eBay.

Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips

To quote REM, it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine. Count me as one of likely hundreds of thousands of PC users who would love to see Apple provide an OS that runs on Intel (and presumably AMD) processors. What a boon to competition this would be. Mind you, Apple has not said anything about distributing their OS on anything other than an Apple branded machine, but one certainly has to believe that it would be a logical next step. Imagine plopping OS X on your Dell desktop. Whoopee! I haven't bought a Mac because the darn hardware is so expensive. If I could install the OS on my PC, I would have done it long ago.

From my perspective, Apple doesn't really have a strong position on desktop machines. It's great that they look cool, but they aren't going anywhere. When it comes to hardware, Apple really shines in their portable 'devices' like their laptops (which kick a**) and the iPod. The Mac Mini was an attempt to bring cost-conscious PC users into the fray, but if I spend $600 on a computer, I want to be able to crack it open and add expansion cards. I don't want a proprietary box. On the other hand, I don't have the same expectations for a laptop. I want them to make it as thin, fast and beautiful as they can and I don't plan on ever cracking it open.

Perhaps this move to Intel chips will lead Apple to focus on these places where they really shine: operating systems, laptops and portable media devices. I for one would welcome such a change.

Find Macs on eBay.