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Canon Rebel XSi
August 20th, 2008
I mentioned in a previous post that I upgraded from my Rebel XT to the new Rebel XSi but besides the pictures I posted didn’t really say much about the camera. So far I’ve been very happy with the results.
Even though there is only a few years and a slightly different name separating these cameras the actual experience is very much improved. The three things that stand out are:
1. The Screen
On the XT camera information was shown on a small black and white LCD display that was often difficult to read and the preview of the photograph was shown on a color display directly beneath it. The XSi does away with the dual display and gives you one fat 3” screen for both camera information and preview. The display is very bright and works well even in full sunlight. When you put your eye up to camera a light sensor detects you and turns the display off.
2. IS Lens
I got the XSi at Best Buy where it comes standard with a Canon IS (Optical Image Stabilizer) lens. IS works much better than expected. It effectively stops the shake from my hand pushing the shutter-release button even at low shutter speeds.
3. 12.2 MegaPixels
That’s more than a 50 percent increase from the XT. It’s nice to have that extra information for larger prints or tighter crops.
Best Buy has a deal that comes with a nice bag, extra battery, and a UV filter for an extra $50. Highly recommended.
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Eno + Byrne
August 17th, 2008
Legend of ambient music Brian Eno and founding member of Taking Heads David Byrne are releasing their first collaboration in 30 years. The album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is to be released tomorrow. One free song is available now.
Can’t wait.
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SimCity 2000
August 16th, 2008
If you’re like me, you spent a lot of time when you were younger playing video games. In honor of those days I’d like to present SimCity 2000 one of my favorite games of all time. As I mentioned in a previous post I loved playing with Legos as a child and 2000 definitely builds (pun intended) on my love of construction and design.
SimCity 2000 is now available for free all over the net (as well as SimCity 3000 and 4000). For all my friends with Intel Macs check out “How to Play Sim City 2000 on Your Intel Mac for Free” for the complete how-to.
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Vacation
August 14th, 2008
I returned yesterday from a week long family vacation on the Pend O’Reille Lake in Idaho. My aunt and uncle own a cabin between Sandpoint and Newport. When possible, my family visits annually in the summer. It was a great couple of days of swimming, tanning, and reading my large stack of books.
In other news I got a new digital camera. A Canon Digital Rebel XSi. The pictures in the post, in addition to being from vacation, were all taken with the XSi and then tweaked a bit in Photoshop.
This is my mom and her dog Sparky.
My niece Sophia prepared for her first inner tubing excursion.
Panoramic of Lake Pend O’Reille from the dock. Click for a larger version.
This is a shot on the return to Yakima. My dad and I ran out of gas in one of the few areas of Washington without cell phone coverage. A local farmer was kind enough to sell us some gas.
That should get everyone up to speed. I’ll be back to my usual blog activities and should be updating almost every day.
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K. B. Peterson - Navigation
August 1st, 2008
It’s August and one of my new goals is to release a new song each month. So here is Navigation a slight departure (can you have a departure from just one song?) from my last song. Zip file comes with the song and high-res album art.
You need the Adobe Flash Player to hear this. -
Helvetica
July 30th, 2008
Helvetica is a documentary about, well, Helvetica. That font that is all around us, utterly ubiquitous, completely invisible to the unknowing eye. Is it the mind-numbing tool of Big Brother, or Modernism’s weapon against disorder?
Some people like it and some people hate it, but one thing’s clear: everyone has an opinion.
I personally love using the font as a base for logo design. The letter forms are so geometric and consistent. It reminds me of the creative trance I would get into as a child when I would sit for hours stacking legos together, taking the small pieces and making more and more complex designs. It’s a very comforting feeling.
The director of Helvetica , Gary Hustwit, has another documentary in the works called Objectified about industrial design. I’m excited.
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A. G. Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions
July 30th, 2008
I received my A.G. Rizzoli book in the mail today. It’s an excellent book. It includes a history of Rizzoli and many hard to find drawings. Highly recommended.
I posted about Rizzoli last week with more pictures of his work.
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David Drori’s “Sand”
July 26th, 2008
In the summer of 2006 my good friend David Drori set out to make a short film named “Sand”. I was lucky enough to be there to chronicle the experience and to help out with the production.
Sand is probably my favorite video project from our group of friends and probably the most commonly misinterpreted. From the youtube description: “A man initially rejects and eventually yields to his compulsive behavior.”
David was recently accepted into the film program at Syracuse University and will be leaving Bellingham and the apartment we share August 8th. I wish him the best of luck and can’t wait to see the accomplishments that he will surely make.
The terrific score for this film was composed by our friend Daniel Anderson .
Sidearm
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About
My name is Karl Peterson and I'm a designer living in Bellingham, WA. This is my life.
You can reach me at kbpeterson(at)gmail.com
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