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Archive for July 7th, 2009

A Night with the Stars

Author: Spike

Jul 7

Ah yes, every night hanging out with the stars. Tonight we were having dinner with Uncle Ray and Maria Cordero dropped by to say hi.

Hongkie Town
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    • Lens check

    Author: Spike

    Jul 7

    So first test of new lens. Shot on tripod with remote release, but a little tripod movement when switching lenses. Still, you get the idea.

    This is with the new 10-24mm, at 10mm:


    And this is the 18-200mm, at 18mm:

    Since Nikon also has a 12-24mm lens (f4 throughout the zoom range, as opposed to this one that runs f/3.5-4.5), I did this comparison, both shots on the new lens.

    This is at 12mm:

    And this is at 10mm:

    So yeah, even those extra 2mm do make quite a difference.

    Click on images for larger size (if you care).

    Hongkie Town
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    • Compuserve R.I.P.

    Author: Spike

    Jul 7

    Well, not sleeping yet.

    CompuServe has finally shut down. And a tear comes to my eye. From here:

    The original CompuServe service, first offered in 1979, was shut down this past week by its current owner, AOL. The service, which provided its users with addresses such as 73402,3633 and was the first major online service, had seen the number of users dwindle in recent years. At its height, the service boasted about having over half a million users simultaneously on line. Many innovations we now take for granted, from online travel (Eaasy Sabre), online shopping, online stock quotations, and global weather forecasts, just to name a few, were standard fare on CompuServe in the 1980s.

    CompuServe users will be able to use their existing CompuServe Classic (as the service was renamed) addresses at no charge via a new e-mail system, but the software that the service was built on, along with all the features supported by that software, from forums for virtually every topic and profession known to man to members’ Ourworld Web pages, has been shut down. Indeed, the current version of the service’s client software, CompuServe for Windows NT 4.0.2, dates back to 1999.

    CompuServe members can convert their existing addresses to the new e-mail system at the CompuServe Mail Center.

    Compuserve was a massive, all-inclusive online environment long before the WWW and the internet because a public resource. Compuserve was my first gateway to the world. I was actively involved in helping to manage two of its online forums (Rocknet and Consumer Electronics Forum). I made friends online there that I still have to this day.

    Compuserve was eventually eclipsed by AOL’s more aggressive marketing techniques. AOL bought them out many years back.

    R.I.P. Compuserve 1979-2009

    You served us well.

    Hongkie Town
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