Of course, since YSlow can only test the what it sees from the web server, it won’t be able to help if you’ve got an overloaded database or a maxed out CPU.  Still, a very useful tool for those who want to improve the performance of their blog or personal sites.

Since YSlow is a plugin for Firebug, you will need to have Firefox with Firebug installed to use YSlow.  But since all my readers are smart people, I’m sure you’re already using it (or maybe Opera) ;)

Related posts:

1. Some slow shutter fun

I’ve been wanting a portable PC for some time and with my upcoming trip to Europe next month, I figured now was a good time to pick one up.  I had used my brother’s eee PC a couple months ago and thought it was pretty nifty so I’ve been looking at the various netbook models out there.  Eventually decided on the Dell Mini 9.

On left side, 2 USB, SD slot, and power jack

There were a few criteria I used for selecting the right netbook:
-I wanted a smaller netbook around 9 inches, not one of those “small laptops” that are 10-12 inches.
-SSD, no noisy hard drive.
-Good build quality.
-Good compatibility for hackintosh’ing (if I ever choose to do so).
-Low price.

The Mini 9 fit all of these so it was a natural choice for me.

On right side, mic+headphone, 1 USB, VGA, ethernet

I chose to go with the Ubuntu version since it was not only cheaper but also because I’m a big linux fan ^^  I don’t normally use Linux based OS’es for desktop use but I’m going to give it a try.  So far it’s not so bad ^^  Comes with all the most essential software out of the box: Firefox, OpenOffice, PDF reader, media player, and some games and learning tools.  I was initially concerned how well this Atom powered netbook would handle video decoding as I want to use it as a portable video player.

Mini 9 playing Toradora in 720p

I’m happy to say that the Mini 9 can decode 720p anime without problem.  Of course, it has to scale the videos down to its native 1024×600 but it still looks great.  Quite pleased about that.  Now I just need to get used to the small keyboard >_<

Ubuntu handles Japanese text quite well

The funny thing is that Dell announced the Mini 9 would be discontinued last week, a few days after I ordered mine.  I wonder if that means the price will drop… Ah, well :-/

Mini 9 placed on Lucky Star (Jpn) to show size comparison

Haven’t posted in a while >_<  Been occupied.  Have a family member that is fighting some health problems :(  Though some other good news is that I’m an uncle (again).  Brother and his wife had their first baby this week :)

Anyway, I think I’ll be returning to more regular blog posting.  I’ve actually got a backlog of figures and artbooks to review ^^;

No related posts.

Ink-tan is jealous.

Since I bought my Canon 40D, I’ve been wanting a zoom lens to replace the mediocre 18-55mm that came with it.  Well, I now have that better lens ^^  I am now the proud owner of a Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM ^^

After researching the various Canon zoom lens, I decided upon this model.  I was considering some of the L series zoom lens like the 24-105 f/4 and the 24-70 f/2.8 but decided the 17-55mm was the best lens for me.  It has the wide 2.8 aperture which I definitely wanted and it has Canon’s modern Image Stabilization technology.  The 24-70 has the wide aperture but no IS for slow shutter speed while shooting hand held.  The 24-105 has IS but the f/4 aperture was too narrow for me.  So, it was the 17-55mm :)

A Kagamin to show scale.

Though it is not a L series lens, the 17-55mm has received much praise for its image quality.  It’s exceptionally sharp and the focal range is great for general purpose use.  Several of the shots, like this one, from my recent Sanzen’in Nagi shoot were done with my 17-55.  The relatively wide aperture (for a zoom) is great for portraits and produces smooth, beautiful background blurring.  Of course, it’s also useful in low light situations without a tripod.

My super-cute niece. Taken on Canon 40D with 17-55mm f/2.8

If you didn’t notice, there’s a passport in the intro image.  I’m going on a 2 week trip to Italy this summer to visit family living there and to just have fun.  It will be my first time leaving the US, so I had to get a passport.  The process was actually much easier than I expected and pretty quick (had my passport in hand only 2 weeks after registering).  So, that’s one of the main reasons I bought my new camera lens.  I want to be able to take lots of pictures while on vacation ^^  Only 2 more months until we leave!

I’ve sold off my 18-55mm lens so my current arsenal is the 17-55mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/1.8.  My next objective is a telephoto lens.  I’ve been looking at the 70-200mm but the IS versions are kind of expensive…  While browsing, I did discover this other potential lens:  The Canon 1200mm f/5.6.  Luckily, B&H has one up for sale.  Only $120,000 ^^;  Anyone want to buy it for me? xD

Related posts:

1. Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro
2. A little Hinamori Amu
3. Merry Christmas from Kagami

Yep, I had to send my recently acquired Canon 40D back to the seller due to a problem with the backup battery. Basically, it didn’t work >_<  Every time I took out the main battery to charge it, the camera’s date/time would be reset since the backup battery didn’t take over.  This caused the main battery to be constantly in use (even when the camera was off) to keep the time.  The main battery drained faster and then I had to remove it again to recharge which reset the time again!  OK, I didn’t want to keep doing that so I sent it back to the reseller who, surprisingly enough, had a warranty program for their used cameras.  After about a week at the seller’s, I get a camera back.

And, yes, I did buy it used.  This model came in out late 2007 so it’s not exactly brand new but buying a new retail kit is still pretty pricey.  On the other hand, since it has been out for over a year, considerably cheaper, used 40D’s can be found.  The original camera I bought was in decent shape but clearly in used condition.  The camera I got back was not the same camera I initially had.  In fact, it’s nearly brand new :D  I ran a shutter count check on it, and it had only been clicked about 500 times.  In the life of a DSLR, that’s really young.  So, you could say I’m pretty happy.  I paid about half the price of a new 40D and ended up with a nearly new one in the end.

Now, back to taking more photos of cute figures ^^;

Related posts:

1. Some slow shutter fun

The room where I keep my main computer has thick carpet and I was lounging on the couch watching some Starship Operators when I got up to quickly check my email.  Due the unbreakable laws of physics, walking across this carpet electrically charged my body and when I reached down to grab my mouse, a bolt (no, really) of static electricity arced from my finger to my poor mouse.

Apparently, the charge was strong enough to run through the mouse, into the USB cable, and was enough to crash my computer.  Luckily, my motherboard, CPU, and other important brainy parts were spared.  However, my mouse was not so lucky.  After restarting my computer, I found that one of the buttons on the mouse had been burned out.  I opened it up to see what was wrong but I only smelled burnt electronics (not a good smell).  So, I had to buy a new mouse :(

You have served me well T_T

I decided to go with something more than just plain old optical, so I opted for the Logitech G5.  It’s the same form factor as my previous MX518 which I liked very much and it used laser technology so it seemed like a good match.  Admittedly, it’s not wireless but for a desktop, I didn’t think it was necessary and swapping batteries every week or so would be annoying.

The G5 comes with adjustable weights you can set it just how you like.

Laser mice use an infrared laser diode instead of a normal LED to illuminate the surface it is on.  This provides laser mice with much higher accuracy compared to normal optical mice.  After hooking this baby up, it feels smooth as silk.  Of course, my MX518 was quite smooth as well, but motion on a laser mouse just feels better.

Kagami doesn't know what to think of this new mouse... Ink-tan stares...

P.S.  Sorry if you don’t like the term “mice”, but “mouses” sounds weird to me =P

Related posts:

1. Custom Mouse Pads
2. Latest Timesink: Mass Effect 2

The drive was pretty rough. It takes about 10 hours to drive to Maryland from Indiana and since there were only two of us, it was 5 hours of driving for each of us. Thankfully, during my off time, I got a little IRC chatting done on the drive there thanks to EVDO and tethering :D

Also, there was some nice scenery on the road to to Maryland. West Virginia has some nice mountainous views.

As for the convention itself, it seemed it bit less organized this year. Not that getting 26,000 people together for 3 days can ever be called organized, but it seemed more chaotic this year. For example, when we arrived Friday morning to get our badges (we had pre-registered), there was already a long line formed just to get a badge. This line stretched out of the building, around the corner, and all the way to the end of the convention center. Of course, there was an even longer line for the unfortunate attendees that didn’t pre-register >_<

When I went to Acen earlier this year, they had the extremely useful option of having your pre-registration badge mailed to you (for a mere $1.50 extra) a couple weeks before the event. When we arrived, we just put our badges on and walked in the door. No line, no waiting at all! Otakon should try this…

Also, it seemed there were fewer panels this year. Well, there were 4 panel rooms in use most of the time, but there weren’t many panels that interesting to me (or anyone else in my group). We spent most of our time trolling the dealers and art rooms, watching some of the newer anime releases, and attended a select few panels. I was able to watch 5 Centimenters Per Second for the first time. I liked it :) I didn’t personally go, but the Death Note LA movie was also popular. Snapping pictures of the cuter cosplayers was, of course, on the agenda as well ^^;

As for the loot I picked up this year, it was a bit less than I spent at Acen. I decided that instead of actually purchasing items at conventions, I should use them to instead decide what I want to purchase later on the Internet (at lower prices). I still picked up some goodies though ^^

I grabbed the Pita-Ten art collection by Koge Donbo (love her work).

Also Getsumen to Heiki Mina Artworks by Okama. I haven’t seen Getsumen to Heiki Mina but I have been wanting to check out Okama’s work more so I decided to give it a closer look.

I also grabbed the August issue of Megami Creators ^^

Aside from the art book type items, I came across some cute Lucky Star gashapon figures. I grabbed a set of them but I really prefer the Kagami (heehee).

Also, speaking of Lucky Star, in the Artist Alley I found a pair of very cute posters of the 4 main Lucky Star characters. The artist, Elise Trinh, has a nice style with her paintings and drawings. I decided to support her work and bought the two Lucky Star posters.

And lastly, I also snagged the first 6 volumes of the Berserk manga. I’ve already read scanlations past that point but it’s a good series (if you can take the violence & gore) and worth buying!

We decided to not attend the Sunday events and instead left for home early. Considering the length of the drive, it was probably a good idea >_< I think next year I will only go to Acen or Otakon, but not both. It’s too much time, money, and effort to go to these conventions… Who knows, I am considering an overseas trip next year so I may not go to any cons at all. Maybe more on this later.

Some cosplay/misc images:

Related posts:

1. ACEN 2008 coming up!
2. Acen 2008 GETO!

I don’t know about you but one of the most important aspects of a good computer setup is noise level.  I can’t stand having noisy computer fans, speakers that hum, or loud hard drives.  I make an effort to pick low decibel hard drives, video cards, and case and CPU fans.  Not only that, I specifically chose the Antec P180 for it’s great noise dampening and insulation.  Of course, I purchased my P180 a couple years ago and I believe there are successors to it now, but it’s still a great case for me.  It comes with padded side panels, 5 120mm fan slots, and silicon hard drive mounts to reduce vibration noise.  As a result of all this, when my quad core processor is running at 100% load, it is barely audible and the five 120mm fans still keep the guts nice and cool ^^

That’s also the scanner I use for scanning images from my artbooks and doujins.

I’ve already discussed my monitor in a previous post but as you can see from the photos, I have dual monitors set up.  This is extremely useful for coding sessions.  Being able to keep one terminal open with code on one monitor and a browser for referencing on the other is great.  Of course, it helps a lot with gaming as well.  Fullscreen gaming on my 26″ while keeping IRC and IMs open on the other.

Kagami keeps my monitors company.

I also have a glowing keyboard because I thought it was cool.  Not bad for typing either.

Here are my bookshelves with my artbooks, doujin, DVDs, manga, books, and figurines.  I recently set up a second bookshelf since the one I had before was getting overcrowded ^^;  I think I have too much anime from when I first started watching it.  Some of the series I have are not as good as I once thought they were.  Anyone else have that problem? xD

I need to clean up some of the doujins there >_<

Lastly, here is my TV stand.  I have a Westinghouse 42″ 1080P LCD TV.  Sure, it’s not a name brand like Sony or Pioneer, but I researched TVs a lot before picking this one and it’s turned out great.  Gaming in 720p on the PS3 amazing.  Terminator 2 in 1080p blu-ray is also spectacular.  I still need an Xbox 360.

I am too lazy to wall mount my speakers -_-

Related posts:

1. LCD monitors and what to know
2. Anime and waiting
3. New Shugo Chara Anime + LA

Without going into too much detail (which I definitely could if you wanted), each panel type has it’s own strengths as well as drawbacks. Most people thay buy LCDs these days buy TN displays. The main reasons for this are that TN has a very good response time and is cheap to manufacture. The response time is how long it takes for the pixels on the monitor to draw an image sent to it by the computer’s video card. This is a must for gamers who rely on split-second timing in their fast-paced games. The problem with TN panels is that they don’t produce colors as accurately as the other panel types and they suffer from poor viewing angels. If you have a TN display, you can probably tell by moving your head past the normal, straight-on viewing angle. Look at the screen from above, below, or from the sides and you will see the color will “shift” from what they should be.

MVA/PVA displays are generally considered a step up from TN displays because they have better viewing angels and can reproduce colors more accurately. This type of LCD panel is basically a middle of the pack panel in terms on overall quality. While they are better than TN displays for colors and viewing angles, they are usually do not have the fast response time of TN displays. If you plan on watching movies in a group setting, the better viewing angle may be worth it.

The final type of LCD panel is the IPS panel. IPS displays are regarded as the highest quality LCD panels in terms on color reproduction and viewing angles. In other words, if you do any type of graphic or photography work, this is the type of monitor you should have. For example, if you are editing images in Photoshop that will be sent to a printer to make brochures, ads, or any type of printed media, you want the colors on your monitor to be as close to the colors that the printer will print in the end. IPS panels can also have very good response times, making them usable for gaming and video. The main drawback of IPS panels is that they are expensive! You may have to pay 2-3 times more than a TN display for a same sized IPS display.

This just scratches the surface of what can determine quality on an LCD display. If you really want to get into it, you will have to consider how to best calibrate your LCD (using a colorimeter), whether the LCD can reach the level of brightness you desire, is it prone to backlight bleeding, is there significant input lag on top of the response time, are there ghosting problems with motion, is it wide gamut (> 72% of NTSC), what connectors does it support… and many other issues.

Why all the fuss? I just recently made a new monitor purchase and like the picky computer user I am, I researched LCD technology until I felt I knew everything I needed to know to make the correct purchase. Not only am I picky, but I do run an image board so I am working with images quite often and having accurate colors is a priority to me. I also game so I needed a monitor that could not only display colors accurately, but also have low input lag and response time. On top of all that, one of my siblings is a professional photographer and works with very high-end cameras and displays. After having seen her amazing new LCD monitor, I was convinced I should buy a monitor of equal or similar quality. In the end, after a delaying for several weeks and looking into the various types of LCDs, I purchased a Planar PX2611W. While it did cost me a small fortune, I foresee myself keeping this monitor for at least the next five years which somewhat allowed me to justify the cost XD. I am satisfied with my decision and I love my new monitor.

The moral of this story? Do your homework before you buy your next big item. You’ll be infinitely happier when you realize you got exactly what you wanted and you’ll probably learn a lot in the process as well! If you have any questions about LCD monitors, let me know and I will answer to the best of my ability.

For more info on LCDs visit:
[H]ard|Forums
Anandtech Forums
FlatPanelsDK

No related posts.