So a few weeks back I ordered this Incase Snap Case for the iPhone 4 through Apple's "We're Sorry You're Making Such a Big Deal Out of Nothing" program. ;-p It's not that I really needed it, having already gotten the ifrogz LuxeLean case beforehand which still works just fine. But who am I to turn down a free case? At the time it said shipping would be in 4 weeks so I think this came a little early.

As far as iPhone cases go, this one is pretty typical of the clear acrylic form-fitting cases I've had in the past with my previous iPhones. Compared to the ifrogz, as far as I can tell, it may be just a smidgen thinner but seriously, just splitting hairs at this point.

The left side of the case is a bit more encased compared to the ifrogz with separate cutouts for the ringer/vibrate switch and volume buttons. The case is thin enough so that operating these controls doesn't take too much getting used to compared to having just the phone uncased. Not sure why they embossed the "Made in China" on the inside of the case but that doesn't affect anything. The right side of the case I didn't bother taking a photo of cause it's just straight covered plastic with an embossed Incase logo towards the bottom.

The top and bottom of the case is pretty much exactly the same as on the ifrogz case. No surprises here. Easy access to all the controls, plugs and jacks at the expense of not so thorough protection.

And as you can see the back is pretty nondescript. The cutout for the camera lens + flash is not as form-fitting as on the ifrogz plus they encircled the edges of the cutout with what they call a "Flash Ring." Basically they just made the edges black so it cuts down on possible glare caused by the flash reflecting on the clear acrylic and bouncing back into the lens. I'm not a heavy flash user so not sure if this is truly useful or not but sounds good at least. =p You'll also notice from this shot of the back that like all clear acrylic cases, this one also picks up fingerprints quite easily.

You do get a bonus with this case though: a little dual-sided clear acrylic stand. Incase tends to include these little stands with their thin cases. I remember having a S-shaped black plastic one for the iPhone 3GS when I got their perforated case. They're cheap and kinda dinky but convenient and perfectly functional in a pinch.

As I mentioned it's dual sided so you can place the iPhone in at one of two angles. Not entirely sure what exact angles they are but something like 45 and 60 degrees would be my guess. And they only work with the iPhone placed horizontally. The iPhone will tip over backwards immediately if you place it vertically in the 45 degree angle. With the 60 degree it'll work but once you put any pressure on the phone it'll tip over. So just keep it in the horizontal position.

So, in a nutshell, this Snap Case is good if you're a real basic, no frills kinda guy. It's light and thin and gives you just the most basic of protection, mostly just against scratches. If you like to show off the look of the iPhone but still want some protection on it, then this case will be good for you. Like all clear acrylic cases though, I predict that the back of this one will wind up getting all scratched up after a couple of weeks. Better the case than the iPhone itself obviously but these types of cases don't usually retain their pristine forms for very long. Plus you'll have to wind up removing the case every now and then to clean out the tiny dust particles that will inevitably work its way in-between the back of the case and the iPhone itself. If you don't do this often, some of those particles can wind up scratching the iPhone. That may be less of an issue with these new iPhone 4s and their glass backs but it was definitely an issue on the previous iPhone 3GS.

Compared to the ifrogz LuxeLean, I probably favor the ifrogz a bit more at this point. The ifrogz, because of the colored paint has a more grippier feel to it than the Incase which can be quite slippery if you're not careful with it. And I like the felt-like backing that covers the interior of the ifrogz. That pretty much traps any wayward dust particles that make their way into the case and prevents them from moving around against the back of the phone. But besides that, both cases give you pretty much the same amount of protection with the least amount of size and weight addition.

It may be surprising to hear for those who know me but I don't follow Apple rumors very much. So their newly announced Magic Trackpad came as a complete surprise to me. At first I was like, seriously? A trackpad accessory for the desktop? I had always been under the impression that trackpads were just a tolerated pointing device who's longevity was due to being the de facto controller on laptops. Personally I don't mind using trackpads but it never occurred to me that people would want to use them outside of a laptop.

Long time readers will remember that I'm traditionally a trackball guy. But I'm also willing to try new things. So it was that a Magic Trackpad found itself at my doorstep a few days later. As you can see, it's quite possibly the blandest looking Apple product I've ever unboxed. Just a flat grey slate for the most part.

It does match quite nicely with Apple's wireless keyboard. Though oddly enough it's just a tad bit longer front to back than the keyboard. You would think since this is Apple they'd go that extra mile (or centimeter in this case) and make it a perfect fit. Not sure what happened there.

Physically it's also a little smaller than my existing Expert Mouse. Well, significantly smaller if you take the trackball's attachable wrist rest into account. And much thinner too obviously. And the best advantage over the trackball: being wireless. Unfortunately, Kensington et al. have so far still refused to come out with a new wireless trackball.

Now when I first started using the trackpad, I started off having my hand positioned directly over it like you see above. Thumb and index finger down on the pad, all the other fingers held over it to be brought down when needed. This quickly proved to be a pretty poor way to work with the trackpad as holding the fingers up for extended periods of time gets tiring.

So after some experimentation, I'm now using this hand position above. Basically the hand gets moved to the right so the ring and pinky fingers which are the most unused get to rest on the table instead of the trackpad itself. Another workable position has my pinky gripping the right edge of the trackpad. The middle and ring fingers still hover over the surface mostly but for some reason, with the pinky having something to grip and thus the hand spread out wider overall, the hand doesn't feel as tired over extended periods as before.

Interestingly, if you rest all your fingers on the trackpad and move only one, two, or three at a time while keeping the others immobile, the trackpad still works as usual. This also works on my MBP's trackpad but was never something I had to consider trying because the trackpad on the MBP is small enough so that you can rest your usually unused fingers on the body frame around it.

I'm still unsure as to whether or not the Magic Trackpad can replace my trackball for everyday use. Scrolling, which I do often, with the trackball is much easier although I prefer the three-finger swiping to go back or forward a page on the trackpad. Left and right button clicking is about even, with the trackball maybe coming in ahead because of dedicated buttons for each action.

Just for comparison, the above shows my usual hand position when using the Expert Mouse. Thumb on left click button, index controls the trackball, middle finger rests on and controls the scroll ring, ring finger just rests on the frame inactive, and pinky presses the left click button if needed. Index finger also stretches over to click the top left and right buttons when I want to move forward or back a page. It's a much more comfortable device overall because every finger can rest somewhere on the trackball without inadvertently affecting things. With the trackpad, I discovered that whenever I was working in Photoshop, I'd often accidentally zoom in or out of the image I was working on as that app seems to not ignore the thumb contact correctly at times.

So for me, while the Magic Trackpad wins on size, portability, three finger swiping and lack of wires, the trackball does scrolling better and is just more comfortable overall to use which I think is a more important consideration for such a constantly used computer accessory. I'll keep using the trackpad primarily for another week or so to see if anything changes.

Recently I decided that our cookware and cooking utensils needed an upgrade because we ruined two of our ancient non-stick frying pans during our last camping trip. In the process of researching kitchenware, I discovered that knives, in particular, had some pretty sweet products available. Unsurprisingly, my collector's mentality kicked in and I started delving deeper into the world of Japanese kitchen knives.

For the past 8 years we've been using an el cheapo knife set that consisted of one 8" chef's knife and three slicers of assorted lengths (4", 6" 8"). I think we resharpened them once throughout their lives with a sharpener that my mother gave us. Part of the handle on one had even broken off. Suffice to say, we weren't particularly picky about our kitchen implements up to this point.

Taking advantage of two Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons that were available to us, my first acquisition was a Shun Classic 7" Hollow Ground Santoku. I figured, hey, all purpose knife, that pretty much fits our (or more specifically, Erin's) needs to a tee.

The Shun Classic, despite being Kai's intro line, is constructed quite well. At least to my amateur eyes. Way above the nameless brand we had before for sure. The thick, round, "D shape", Pakkawood handle feels great in my hand and the blade came out of the box impressively sharp. The Damascus look on the blade is subtle and attractive and the hollow ground indentations running along the length of the blade is supposed to minimize stickiness when slicing through food.

Now you can't just have a one knife kitchen arsenal. Well ok, some people probably can. But usually you want a little more variety. So after perusing the web and running through numerous mixes and matches in my head, I settled on a three-knife set. Besides the aforementioned santoku, I brought in a 6.5" nakiri and a 4" paring knife. Both also Shun Classics just to keep things consistent. The plan was to have the santoku as the primarily meat slicing but also do-pretty-much-everything knife with the nakiri for larger volume veggie work and the paring knife for fruits and other things that would work best with a smaller blade.

In actual use though, for awhile the first knife that Erin would constantly reach for was the 4" paring. Pretty much used it for everything: meat, veggies, fruits, you name it. She just felt more comfortable with the shorter overall length of the knife. After constant nagging from me to use the appropriate knife for the task, she's started to use the santoku as well. So the nakiri pretty much just sticks on the holder looking pretty unless I'm the one doing the food prep.

Of course, you didn't expect that to be the end did you? ;-) While doing my research, I had come across Korin, a store specializing in Japanese knives and tableware. Their site proved invaluable in explaining to this newbie what all the knife types were for as well as available brands. And luckily, they're located in NYC. So I decided to pay them a visit.

Going in, I knew that I wanted to pick up a 210mm gyutou, aka an 8" chef's knife, just for my own use. I figured it'd be too long for Erin to want to use on a daily basis. The question remaining was, which one? I had tentatively narrowed the list to five with one in particular that was leading the pack:

1. Misono UX-10
2. Masamoto VG10
3. Masanobu VG10
4. Togiharu Hammered Texture Damascus
5. Ittosai Stain Resistant Layered Steel

But, as I was to find out, it's very important when knife shopping to get a hands on feel with the knife before making a decision. Like with camera shopping. The knife that I eventually left the store with, the Togiharu G-1, wasn't even on the original list. So what happened? I must have had the poor sales guy bring out almost every 210mm gyutou that they had, 8 in all, and compared how they felt in my hands.

My first choice going in was the Misono UX-10 as everything that I've read about it was exemplary. Unfortunately, the handle felt way too small and hard-edged for me. Light and very sharp but just not a comfortable knife to use in my hands. The Masanobu VG10, on the other hand, was HUGE with a long octogonal handle. Beautiful blade but quite pricey. I've read that some people like the octogonal grips, feeling that they're more secure but it just didn't do it for me. The Togiharu Hammered Texture Damascus was nice but I didn't like the hammered texture look as much as I thought I would. I don't remember much about the Ittosai Stain Resistant Layered Steel but I do remember Korin's resident knife master, Sugai-san, commenting to me that if given a choice, he'd go with the Masamoto VG10. But we'll come back to that later. The two remaining knives, a Suisin Special Inox and a Nenox G-Type were both quite excellent and stood apart from the rest because they both felt very handle heavy. While pretty much all of the other knives felt pretty balanced, it was instantly obvious once held that the Suisin and Nenox were different. Most likely because they both have metal caps at the butt end of the handle. I rather liked the heft of these two knives in the hand but ultimately decided against them as my first purchase because of the price. Either of the two are definitely on my short list of future purchases though.

So at the end it came down to two contenders: the Masamoto VG10 and the Togiharu G-1. The Togiharu I hadn't originally asked for but the sales guy brought it out with the Masamoto. And it was quickly apparent why. The two are pretty much the exact same knife. You put them side by side and you can't tell them apart. Held in the hand, no difference. Steel composition of the blade may be slightly different but in terms of metal hardness and use, no difference. Even though the Masamoto has a "composite wood" handle while the Togiharu has a bacteria-resistant "polyacetal resin" one, when in hand, no difference. The only discernable difference is the company name etched into the side of the blade. In this case, the Togiharu has a more eye-catching two-color etch while the Masamoto is a monotone grey-ish black. Masamoto however, has more of a history behind their name, having originated in 1872. Togiharu, while being "produced by a very highly respected knife maker in Japan, " is akin to a Korin house brand. I don't think they're available through any other store besides Korin. Even the price was similar, with less than $10 separating the two. So with all things being pretty much equal, I went with the Togiharu. Slightly cheaper plus I liked their name etching better. But really, you can't go wrong with either.

Oh, and of course, we couldn't exactly just throw these knives into the shelf when not in use so I mounted a 20" MIU France Magnetic Knife Holder to the wall. Strong magnets, attractive look, works just great. Mysteriously came with no mounting instructions but wasn't hard to figure out. Toughest part being I didn't have a drill bit large enough for the dry wall anchors so had to wing it a little.

So that's how we ended up with our current knife set. The Togiharu has proven to be a great slicer. 210mm (8") is on the short end for a chef's knife but we rarely butcher large pieces of meat plus our cutting board is tiny so it's the perfect size for us. Erin is, as far as I can tell, happy with the new Shuns although she's gotta be more careful now when cutting things in hand. Also discovered another very useful aspect about the Shun's fat D shaped handle. It's much more convenient when crushing garlic cloves. Can't do that with the Togiharu because its handle is comparatively thin and rectangular-ish. Erin almost gave me a heart attack when she started mashing the cloves with the face of the santoku blade but apparently that works quite well too. =p From everything I've read, it's better to be more careful about exerting too much force when doing something like that on a Japanese blade since they tend to be more brittle due to the thinness and hardness of the steel blade.

Eventually, I may wind up adding to the collection. Not because we need it, but because some of these knives are pretty damn cool. I did say that my collector's mentality kicked in, right? ;-p First on the list may be something from Maestro Wu, a Taiwan brand originating on the island of Kinmen. These guys have been basically collecting the artillery shells dropped onto the island from WWII and the 1950s Chinese bombardment and making knives out of them. Not much info on them that I could find in English but what I could find have been quite positive. Comparable to the better known Japanese brands. If purchased from US retailers, they're quite pricey (for the Damascus ones at least). So I'm trying to get a relative to bring some back for me. =)

I've also so far resisted the temptation of getting into learning how to sharpen these knives with Japanese water stones (also available, with instructional DVD as well from Korin). It's quite plausible that I may succumb eventually. =p In Korin's store, Sugai-san has a little alcove right where the knife section begins where you can watch him work his magic. He also gives free group lessons twice a week plus you can also schedule private, one-on-one lessons as well (not sure if there's a fee for this but probably so). When I was there he was giving one such lesson and from what I could tell, sharpening with the stones is one of those things that isn't too hard to get into but is hard to master. I figure for now, since I have relatively easy access to the store, I can just bring them in when they need sharpening. At $15/knife it's not too bad.

With my iPhones I tend to run through a couple of different cases throughout their lifetime. As is typical of every iPhone release, available cases during launch was pretty minimal. It was a little different this time around as Apple actually released their own bumper "case" for the iPhone 4. I passed on it though which apparently was a good decision. So I was fully expecting to be case-less for the next few weeks until the iPhone 4 cases started rolling in.

And then I walked into my local Best Buy store. Their iPhone 4 accessory section was pretty sparse. Not only because of the still early relative lack of options but because it was practically picked clean. Fortunately I was able to scrounge up one of these ifrogz LuxeLean cases which pretty much encapsulates everything I usually look for in an iPhone case.

Now my taste in cases, as in bags, runs to the minimalistic/barebones side. Since I don't make it a habit of dropping things, full on protection is not what I'm looking for. All I really want is a thin polycarbonate shell that hugs the gadget and protects the back and sides mainly from scratches. The ifrogz LuxeLean pretty much fits this to a T.

Most of the time, you can find these no-brand thin & slim cases on Amazon for like $10 or less. But that's usually a couple of months after launch and you pretty much get what you pay for. The ifrogz is a step up from those cheapo cases as the interior of the case is also colored (not the case sometimes if you go real cheap on Amazon) and they also put in a soft lining in the interior that covers a good portion of it. This protects the back of the iPhone from tiny dings and scratches that often occurs from small dust particles that can still make their way in-between these types of cases and the back of the phone.

Top and bottom protection is quite minimal, limited only to the corners really. The disadvantage is that most of the top and bottom are exposed and unprotected but the advantage is that most accessories that plug into the bottom port will work unimpeded with this case.

The right and left sides are mostly covered, with a large cutout for the mute and volume controls. They've also gone with a vented look for the sides which one may or may not like. I don't particularly mind it plus I think it's a good idea anyway since the iPhone 4 runs noticeably warm after extended use so any cooling effect will be helpful.

The back is fully covered with just the form-fitting opening for the camera lens and flash. And the ifrogz logo is small and unobtrusive towards the bottom. The feel of the case is nice and smooth. They call it the "Luxe Velvet Soft Finish." Um, sure. It feels nice to the touch but it's definitely not rubbery/grippy so if you've got naturally slippery hands, be warned.

Besides the green color that I got, this particular case also comes in iron and pink. Iron will most likely be the most popular but I rather like the green as it matches my Waterfield Cargo bag. =) Anyway, for those who prefer this type of iPhone case, the ifrogz LuxeLean will do the job quite nicely.

So last year I took a photo of all the bags I currently had in my possession at the time. Recently I've rejuggled a good portion of my lineup so I figured I'd take another shot. The good news is I much prefer this current crop of bags than the collection from last year. The bad news is, I actually increased my bag lineup by one. Even I know that eight bags is a bit much. =p

Looking at last year's group, the only leftover from then is the Waterfield Cargo bag (top left corner), which remains my daily bag, and the Bumbakpak Hybrid (top right corner). You don't see the Bumbakpak in this year's shot because I completely forgot about it when I was taking the photo. The Bumbakpak is actually one I tried to sell but no one wanted to buy. Not even on eBay. =p

As for the others, the two Crumpler photo bags were sold off and replaced by a single newer version. The small blue/black custom Timbuk2 messenger bag's strap buckle broke and was replaced under warranty with the brand spankin' new red/black bag. The Tom Bihn Buzz sling bag was eBay'd off and the Lowepro Classified 200 AW photo bag was craigslisted to make way for the ThinkTankPhoto Retrospective.

New for this year are the two backpacks: the ThinkTankPhoto Shape Shifter and the Timbuk2 Grubstake. The Shape Shifter is what I brought with me on last year's trip to Taiwan. And I really like it. The only negative being that you can't store a body w/a lens mounted on it. Everything is separated into their own individual pouches. The Grubstake is actually my newest acquisition and the reason I got it is because I can actually cram the Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home photo bag into it. Along with my 15" MacBook Pro. Why in the world would I want to do that? Well, during our Taiwan trip last year, I had to stow the Crumpler into our check-in luggage so that I'd have a camera bag to use while out & about. The Shape Shifter is great for transporting your gear long distances but I wouldn't use it as a daily bag. Now with the Grubstake, I can put my camera gear into the Crumpler and then stuff the Crumpler down into the backpack, freeing up a decent amount of space in our other luggage. It's a pretty tight fit however. So if airport security wants me to take everything out to show them why I have a bag within a bag, it's gonna be a bit of a hassle.

The other two new bags are both photo related: the ThinkTankPhoto Retrospective 30 and the ShootSac. The Retrospective is the largest camera bag in my arsenal. Used when I need to carry more than one body. The ShootSac is primarily a very light and non-bulky lens holder and it performs its function quite well. Use it mostly when I'm going somewhere where I know I'll want my camera out and ready to shoot at most times so don't need to bag it.

Anyway, I'll probably do individual write ups on the bags in the future so that's it for now. =)

This one's a bit borderline. It's not bad, but not something I'd listen to frequently these days. Although it reminds me that I actually have to finish watching the series some day. =p

2. Blurry Eyes by L'Arc~en~Ciel - DNA² OP

The series was rather forgettable. I'm glad I found this song again though.

3. Itooshii Hito no Tame ni by Akemi Satou - Fushigi Yuugi OP

I'm not entirely sure why but this series irritates me more and more as time goes by. The OP's pretty good although currently not my taste.

4. 恋しさと せつなさと 心強さと (Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Tsuyosa to) by Ryoko Shinohara - Street Fighter 2 the Movie Theme

Had completely forgotten about this song (and the movie) but I'm dying to rewatch the movie after hearing this song again. I somewhat remember the movie being not so completely terrible unlike some of the US treatments of it. =p

5. Information High by Melodie Sexton - Macross Plus

Quite a good series and quite a good song to go with it.

6. Angel Night by PSY • S - City Hunter 2 OP

As a whole, City Hunter's never going to win any accolades but it did well enough to have had quite an extensive run, including some pretty decent songs.

7. 100mph no Yuuki (100mph Courage) by Sakiko Tamagawa & Akiko Hiramatsu - Taiho Shichauzo (You're Under Arrest!) OP

A decent series with a catchy OP.

8. Love Diary by Unknown - Bakuen Campus Guardress

Combustible Campus Guardress was a pretty fun OAV series for the time. Oddly, no one seems to know who sang this song. And I can't find a clip of it online anywhere. Which makes it even odder that I somehow was able to find the song itself 14 years ago in its entirety. =\ I was able to find a clip of the last episode of the series though which contains this song as the OP and uploaded a clip to Youtube.

9. Hidamari by Kozo Murashita - Maison Ikkoku OP

I guess it should surprise no one that an OP from Maison Ikkoku would make its way onto this list. This particular one had the distinction of being the final OP for the last 20 episodes of the series.

10. Running to Horizon by Tetsuya Komuro - City Hunter 3 OP

Ahh... City Hunter again. Yup, still love it. =)

11. Mamoritai no by Miina Tominaga - Patlabor

Patlabor still has some of my favorite individual episodes of all time. The Youtube clip below contains scenes from one of them (trip into the sewers).

12. Get Wild by TM NETWORK - City Hunter ED

And finally, more City Hunter! Not my fault they've done a rather good job of picking OP/EDs for the series. ;-)

And that's it! I had also found another CD that apparently is a Gundam mix. But since I didn't jot down the song list for it when I had burned it, I have no idea what any of the songs on it are actually called. Ah well, anyway, always fun to dig up stuff from the past every now and again. Nazukashii desu ne?

Those who know me know that I've been a pretty avid anime fan since my college days. There was a lull during my first few years in the workforce when it fell a bit by the wayside but it began again in full force these last few years thanks to the ease of obtaining torrented fansub content and the explosion of commercial releases available through retailers and Netflix. While I have watched a significant chunk of series in the past almost twenty years, I'm definitely nowhere near the top.

When it comes to my personal collection of commercially available titles though, I have a pretty meager set (see photo above). I collect commercial anime titles the same way I collect regular movie titles. It's gotta be something that I believe I'll actually want to go back and watch numerous times years and years down the line. Or it holds some sort of sentimental value to me. Cause let's face it, there's way too many titles out there (past, present and future), and not enough time to watch most of them more than once. Unless you're independently wealthy and don't have to work for a living. Plus with services like Netflix around, that takes care of the huge chunk of good, but not great titles that I may want to see. Sure, I may not be fully supporting the US anime industry (which has apparently been about to go belly up for the past decade now =p) to my utmost ability but I'll leave that to the current crop of young otaku who don't have a wife and kid to feed. Along with two other, even more expensive hobbies. ;-p

• Cowboy Bebop - It's a rare individual who will admit to disliking this series. I've met a few "meh, wasn't all that" folk but no "wow, that sucked" types. =) This series has it all: great characters, stories, music and animation.
• City Hunter - This series' appeal won't cross the gender line much (due to the ecchi nature of the main character) and frankly, all the stories follow, more or less, the same pattern. But Saeba Ryo is still one of the coolest cats around. This was possibly my first anime/manga exposure ever (outside of Robotech) as I remember watching it on TV during my annual summer trips back to Taiwan during my youth. I would even drag my cousins to the local manga rental stores so they could read them out loud to me since I don't read Chinese. ;-p
• Maison Ikkoku - Numero uno on my list and a classic rom-com by Rumiko Takahashi. For me, it's a huge sentimental favorite. Just strikes the right chord. People have complained that it's much too long. Those people suck. ;-p It's a very lengthy buildup to a very satisfying ending.
• Mobile Police Patlabor - This series gets nowhere near the exposure and accolade that should be its due. Sure it's not fancy, flashy and angst-ridden like the Gundams and Macrosses of the anime world but what it does have is a well-meshed cast and a superior story that weaves action, intelligence, comedy, slice of life and just a teeny sliver of romance bubbling under the surface into one awesome package.
• Rurouni Kenshin - aka Samurai X for the US OAV/movie releases. The classic Meiji-era samurai series. Interesting characters and villains with fancy fighting styles centered around an unassuming, but ass-whuppin' protagonist. Another series that few have not heard of.
• Studio Ghibli movies - Pretty much classics through and through. My current top 3 would be Porco Rosso, Pom Poko and Kiki's Delivery Service.
• Shinkai Makoto features - Absolutely gorgeous visuals paired with true to life sound, fitting musical score and melancholic stories make for very heart-stirring series.
• The Wings of Honneamise - Slacker becomes the first man sent into orbit. Beautifully animated with an interesting score. Has a bit of seemingly out of place religious elements thrown in.
• Azumanga Daioh - Highly entertaining slice of life look at the high school lives of a group of six girls. The epitome of moe by my definition.
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - A wackily amusing series centered around a completely self-absorbed high schooler. You either love it or hate it, with most choosing to love.
• Mushishi - One of the best supernatural mystery series to come along in quite some time. Starts off a little slow but is well worth the time.
• Koko wa Greenwood - One of the earliest slightly off-kilter little-bit-of-everything series to be released commercially in the US. Slice of life story following the lives of four high school boys living in the weirdest dorm on campus. Unfortunately only made into a 6 episode OAV.
• Prefectural Earth Defense Force - A rather little known US release that's hard to find these days. Quite amusing however in an off-the-wall sort of way.
• Ninja Scroll - Back in the days when this was released in the US, there was nothing else like it. A subsequent TV series followed years later (to the US that is) but the original movie still ruled the roost.
• Golden Boy - Another old but great series about a somewhat perverted Tokyo U dropout who bikes around Japan learning about life. Way too short at only 6 episodes and the T&A factor is somewhat high but doesn't detract too much from an otherwise enjoyable series.
• Ruin Explorers - An utterly forgettable short OAV series for the most part, this one most likely doesn't deserve to be on this list. The reason it does however, is completely superficial. For some reason, when I first watched this, I found Fam's voice utterly captivating. I haven't watched it again in quite some time so that may no longer be true. But for now, it remains on my shelf.
• Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone - This is on my shelf purely on hype alone. I never finished the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series (and after having read some of the online rantings on it I probably won't) but these new movie releases have garnered glowing reviews. It just recently came out as did FF XIII so guess what has been taking up most of my time lately. ;-p But eventually I'll get around to watching it. I'm hoping the hype won't let me down.

There are a couple of other series that I'm currently contemplating or will be coming when released in the future.

• Gintama - A no brainer. The best shounen 100+ episode series ever. EVER. I will brook no argument here. =p
• Honey and Clover - A very pretty and entertaining slice of life series concentrating on the lives and loves of a group of college art students. Currently being released as 3 boxed sets, I'm waiting for the prices to drop a bit before I partake.
• Yawara - Another classic series. Animeigo is currently releasing it at their usual glacial pace. Probably be 3 box sets when all said and done. Not a particular favorite of mine but I feel like I have to support Animeigo who has been around since the very beginning of anime in the US.
• Kimagure Orange Road - Another classic rom-com, this Animeigo released box set is out of print so acquiring it isn't high on my list unless the price isn't too stratospheric.
• Samurai Champloo - From the same creative minds that brought us Cowboy Bebop, this probably should have been on my shelf long ago. I've been rather wishy-washy on it lately for no logical reason, especially since it's out on BluRay.
• Irresponsible Captain Tylor - This series teeters on that razor edge between a great series and one that's truly collectible. So far it's a war that it's currently losing but it's never far off in my mind.

So there you have it. For those anime fans who may have wandered into this post from the Interweb wilds, what say you? Which series do you think will stand the test of time to be your must have keepers? Commercially available titles only please. ;-)

First up, the ol' Kimagure Orange Road TV Series box sets. I remember these being a big deal back in the day. Here's a good writeup on exactly how this set came about. Yes I was amongst the initial 1000+ fans to petition AnimEigo for this set. So imagine my chagrin when they totally f'ed up my name in the credits. No, I'm not still bitter about it. ;-p

Back in the day, Maison Ikkoku and Kimagure Orange Road were my most-loved series. Since then, Maison Ikkoku has remained my number one while KOR has fallen by the wayside. I only recently noticed that AnimEigo had also released a DVD box set for it that's also out of print but I can't bring myself to spend anywhere between $400-750 for it as they seem to be going for on eBay.

Speaking of Maison Ikkoku, I also have these four beauts. I never expected MI to be released in its entirety (thank you Viz!) back then so I was planning on picking up these LD re-releases as they came out. I suppose it's a good thing I didn't cause man, were they expensive back then. ;-p I think my parent's still have a LD player so the next time I visit I'm gonna pop in that karaoke disc and belt out some tunes!

NOT. =p

Next up are two Patlabor LDs. I don't remember why I picked up the Music Clips disc (probably cause it was there at the time =p) but I got the P-14 disc because the OVA episode #14 ("Snow Rondo") is quite possibly my favorite episode of any series ever. Considering the amount of anime I've seen, that's pretty remarkable. Again, another series that I never expected to be released in its entirety here in the US (thanks, US Manga Corps!).

And finally, Macross Plus. LDs being the pinnacle of video quality back then, and Macross Plus being the visual tour de force it was back then, well, it only made sense. =)

Luckily, the 1D3 arrived yesterday. Making today the perfect opportunity to test out its weather-proofing in the snowstorm. The snow was coming down quite heavily with occasional high-speed gusts of wind. I had ventured out into a prior storm with the Canon 5D Mark II but that one didn't match the overall intensity of today's brew. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to report that the 1D3 + 24-70mm f/2.8 lens passed the bad elements test with flying colors.

The camera was pretty much covered with snow after less than two minutes outside. After awhile I had melted snow running down pretty much every part of the camera and lens. At one point I brought the camera to my face to find that even the viewfinder was covered with snow. But a few quick and awkward wipes from a gloved finger and I was back in business.

The above two shots I took after coming back inside and doesn't fully represent what the camera looked like while outside. It definitely took a nice shower out there for about a hour and a half. But after a quick towel off after coming inside, the camera was none the worse for wear. The only thing I had to do was go over the front element of the 24-70mm with a brush and Lenspen to clean off the moisture stains and residual dust. Heft-wise, I was pleasantly surprised. Overall weight with the 24-70mm wasn't too bad. I never thought it to be too heavy while in use. I expect this to be different though with a beefier lens like the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. I bolted that on last night and yeah, it was a damn heavy combo.

It wasn't all roses shooting with the 1D3 though. For one, I probably won't ever use the vertically-oriented set of controls (nor will I ever buy a battery grip for the non-1D bodies) because I switch focus points using the little joystick. While this works fine in the regular horizontal position, the joystick is pretty much unreachable when shooting vertically unless you have massive hands. Then there's the lack of auto-ISO which I've gotten used to on both the 5D2 and 7D bodies. Yes, changing the ISO is pretty simple but still, I've gotten lazy. ;-p And also there's no way to save multiple custom shooting modes on the 1D3. And then chimping on a 230k dot 3" LCD is really a huge step down from the standard 920k units nowadays. Everything looks so murky comparatively.

As for the image quality, out of the camera, the images from the 1D3 at higher ISOs look noticeably less grainy than the ones from the 7D as expected. Other than that, I haven't noticed much else different between images from the two bodies. The only remaining aspect to compare would be the AF system, something that I haven't had the chance to try out yet. But so far, I don't think that a 1-series body would be the best fit for me. Right now the only thing I'm sure of with the 1D body is that I can take it out into pretty much any environmental condition without any hesitation whatsoever. The 5D2 and 7D weather-sealing may be just as good as the 1D bodies but I still feel more hesitant to bring those two out in the rain. Being able to hold the camera normally while shooting vertically would have been a plus but with the joystick location the way it is, that's pretty much not an option for me.

So for the time being, my dream camera still remains the full-frame sensor body of the 5D2 with the AF system of the 7D. C'mon Canon, that's not too much to ask for is it? =p

Obviously there were some much better days than others (I'm nowhere near the level where I can crank out stunning shots every day, unlike some other photographer's projects that I've run into throughout the year) but overall I had a good time doing it. Frankly I'm surprised that I actually completed it as there were quite a number of days where I was still scrambling to find something to shoot at 11:45pm. ;-p

It's going to feel a little strange not having to come up with something every day but I'm not sure if I can turn off the bit of my mind that's constantly on the lookout for an interesting view. This project has scarred me that much. =) I decided not to continue this year with the 365@50 project as I definitely feel the need for a break. But I may start dabbling in The Daily Shoot every now and again.

Anyway, I would definitely encourage anyone interested in starting a 365 project of your own. It definitely won't be a cakewalk but doing it in the company of others (even virtual) can help a lot. I'm not sure if there's any real words of wisdom I can pass along to those in search of inspiration during their projects except to peruse the works of others and when all else fails, go macro. ;-p

Ah yes, and lest I forget, Happy New Year everyone! May your 2010 be full of memorable moments. =)

After opening up a box of Dunkin' Donuts and moving to grab a chocolate kreme one (basically a white powedered donut filled with chocolate cream with a dollop of decorative chocolate cream hanging out of one side):

Devon [all excited]: Don't eat that! It's got doggy poo on it!

Ah I love my kid, always looking out for my best interests. That is when he's not busy pretending to rip my head off. =p

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Talking to my mother about my grandparents' old home (they've both passed on already) and why my mom and aunts haven't done anything with it yet, she mentioned that if they tried to sell it, it'd be a hassle cause they'd have to get my grandparents' permission. Confused, I asked her what she meant. Now, worshiping one's ancestors is pretty normal in Taiwan (I believe it's part of Taoism) and I had known that there was a little shrine on the top floor of the home where I'd always have to visit once whenever I returned to Taiwan to pay my respects to my grandparents. What I didn't know was that because this shrine was there, any future attempts to move it (which selling the home would ultimately lead to), required the deceased's permission.

And how exactly do you go about getting their permission? Basically you have these two curved wooden markers which you hold in your hand while standing in front of the shrine and conversing with them, explaining the situation and then asking for their answer. Then you cast the markers onto the floor (or whatever flat surface happens to be handy). Depending on which side up the markers wind up, that's your answer. If both markers land curving upwards, then the spirits have found your request highly amusing and are laughing their asses off. If both markers are curved down, then the answer is no. If one is up and the other is down, then yes.

To me, this seemed pretty much like gambling. Plus I couldn't see what was stopping anyone from just throwing the markers until you got your preferred answer. So then my mom went into some anecdotal stories (which I won't get into here to protect the innocent) about how the spirit(s) would keep refusing until the living had pretty much explained everything that could possibly be explained about the reasons for the request. Which, now that I think about it, is pretty similar to what parents have to go through when trying to explain things to toddlers. They're not verbal enough to let you know exactly what they're thinking so you wind up explaining things six ways to Sunday in an attempt to get them to logically accept that what you're trying to get them to do or believe is the right thing. Except I guess when you're talking to spirits you can't use the "Because I said so!" nuclear option. Or maybe you can, you'd just have to deal with some possible hauntings and unlucky events afterwards. =p Which again, is very much like dealing with unruly children. ;-p

But anyways, I just thought it was one of the more interesting conversations I've had recently. Plus the fact that the markers give you not just a simple yes/no answer but also a "we thought that was really damn funny" option I found highly amusing.

With 30 days left in my first 365 Project, I've been looking ahead and pondering whether or not to continue in 2010 with the 365@50 Project. I'm still undecided. Maybe I'll take a year off first. But just in case, I'll be testing out a few 50mm lenses as I don't currently own one. In my previous forays with the 50mm (I've owned at one point or another: Canon f/1.4, Canon f/1.2 and Sigma f/1.4), I've never been completely excited about it. Sharpness wide open never seemed to be that great (although to be fair, I've been comparing them to my 85mm @ f/1.2 that's wonderfully sharp).

The first two to arrive are the Sigmalux (Sigma 50mm f/1.4) and the Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.4 ZE. The Sigma is still a tank, large and well-built. Bokeh is still as creamy as ever but this particular copy seems to be a bit softer than I was expecting wide open. The Zeiss follows more along the lines of the Canon and Nikon 50mm f/1.4s in size except it's fantastically well-made with its all-metal body (even the hood is metal!). Its bokeh does not lose out much if at all to the Sigma and it does seem to be sharper wide open although kind of hard for me to tell at times because it's still tough to nail focus through the 5D2's viewfinder (even with the EG-S focus screen) at that large aperture. But I'm very impressed with it. I just wish it had autofocus. =\

Anyway, I'm expecting the Canon f/1.4 and f/1.2 either today or tomorrow so will be posting another pixel peeping post in the next few weeks. Should be interesting. =)

Devon: I have something stuck between my teeth.
Erin: Oh? Where is it? Let me see...
Devon: Something's stuck in there, you need to get it out with candy.
Erin: Something's stuck? Let me get the toothbrush.
Devon: Never mind, it fell out.

Mom: 1, Devon: 0.

(l to r) Etymotic hf2, Shure SE115m+, Klipsch IMAGE S4i

A more impatient fellow would have given up after the second occurrence of this issue and probably switched to another brand. Luckily for Etymotic, and unfortunately for me I guess, I still stuck with them because there weren't any other iPhone-compatible earphones that could compare at the time. When it wasn't broke, the hf2 was still the best-sounding microphone and controller-equipped earphone available.

(l to r) Etymotic hf2, Shure SE115m+, Klipsch IMAGE S4i

First up, the Klipsch IMAGE S4i. These reminded me of the V-Moda Vibes that I previously tested in looks, feel, and sound. Pretty decent overall sound but the emphasis on the bass muddled the mids and highs a bit more than I like. Also provided the least amount of external noise isolation for me with the default ear buds. The only puzzler for me was the location of the mic/controller which was placed way down on the cord. The controller was easy enough to use without looking but because it's placed so far down, you either have to bring it up closer to your mouth when talking or yell down at your chest which is just weird. But overall a decent set of earphones for the sub-$100 price, especially if you like the big bass.

Next up, the Shure SE115m+ which was just released a week or so ago and is supposedly available only from the Apple Store for now. Historically I've avoided Shures because I just don't like the whole "wrap the cord up and around your ear" business. But I figured I'd try it out this time cause it looks sturdier than the Etymotic and Klipsch. Its cord is of slightly thicker stock, the earbuds are bigger, and the plug looks more heavy duty. But according to its specs it's pretty darn light (30 grams) which I find a little suspicious cause it doesn't feel lighter than the hf2 which is supposed to weigh 37 grams. As for the sound, I gotta admit, I'm very impressed. It's quite a well-balanced sound with a more noticeable bass than the Etymotic but not enough to affect the mids and highs too much like the Klipsch. Noise isolation is pretty complete if you wear it the suggested way (cord up, over and behind your ears). I tried wearing it the usual earphone way as well and was surprised to hear that it didn't detract much, if at all from the overall sound. Maybe a teeny bit less bass oomph because it's harder to get a complete seal when worn like a regular set of earphones.

The mic/controller is quite large although pretty easy to use. The main clicker button is located in the center, slightly indented so you can tell the difference between it and the two arrow-shaped buttons flanking it above and below that control the volume. And it's more sensibly located on the cord leading up to the right earbud. I'm still not quite used to the suggested wear method and I don't think my ears are cut out for it because if I turn my head too often or if the wind is too strong, the cord on one side or another easily becomes untucked. But overall I think it's a great set of earphones and a better bargain since it's only $20 more than the Klipsch.

(l to r) Etymotic hf2, Shure SE115m+, Klipsch IMAGE S4i

And lastly, the revised Etymotic hf2. According to the support lady I spoke with, they reworked the hf2 with a new plug design. Instead of the straight plug that it originally came out with (and which the Klipsch still uses), they're now using an angled plug (like the Shure). Whether or not this fixes the weak wire issue remains to be seen but I'm optimistic. Now I don't know if they're rolling out these revised earphones to the retail market or just sending them out as they come in for repair but the box that I received still shows a picture of the old plug on the side.

Surprisingly, that wasn't the only thing that's changed. Maybe it's just copy to copy discrepancy but this new hf2 sounds fuller in the bass than my hf5 which is new because last I checked, both sounded the same to me (which they should since they're pretty much the same earphone except the hf2 has the mic/controller). So not sure if Etymotic also rejiggered the frequency response curve but this new pair sounds even better than before.

So, despite the appearance of two new rivals to the marketplace, the Etymotic hf2 is still my earphone of choice. Now with it's slightly fuller bass and regular style of wear, I can overlook the lack of volume controls. Hopefully, the new plug will finally fix the random channel loss issue that has plagued me for the last two years. Both the Klipsch and Shure sets are quite nice though and will probably work better for those who prefer even more emphasis on the bass side of things. Volume control on the mic/controller turned out to be not as big of a deal for me. I generally keep my iPhone within easy reach and I can locate the volume controls on it by feel now anyway so while having the two extra buttons are nice, they're not critical. Out of the two new offerings, I would pick the Shure for its more balanced sound and better mic/controller placement.

So I've owned the Panasonic LX3 for quite some time now and overall I like it a lot as my DSLR alternative. The only weaknesses being its limited pocketability and short zoom range (24mm-60mm). For a point & shoot, it's packed full of yummy features and controls that will satisfy the majority of control freaks out there. Enter the Canon S90. Reborn from the ashes of the old S-series (which hadn't been updated for 4 years), the S90 brings back the RAW-shooting capability of its S70 progenitor and more importantly, does it in a significantly smaller body.

One other notable feature on the S90 is the large lens aperture (for a point & shoot) on the wide end (f/2.0 at 28mm). Unfortunately that wide aperture isn't maintained across the zoom range (dropping down to f/4.9 at 105mm) but I assume that wouldn't have been possible without increasing the size of the camera significantly. Now the LX3 is also capable of f/2.0 at its widest setting (24mm) and that decreases slightly to f/2.8 at its longest (60mm). So it's only natural to compare the two although the S90 is one stop slower (f/3.5) around the 60mm range.

For this shootout, I'm only testing the JPEGs, not the RAWs, from each camera. Photos were shot in Av mode, white balance was set to Tungsten, image stabilization was turned on and i-Contrast was set to Auto on the S90 while iExposure was set to Standard on the LX3.

24/28mm, f/2, ISO100

Right off the bat you can see one glaring difference between the two cameras. Namely, the S90 appears to handle tungsten lighting a lot better than the LX3. Noise is pretty much non-existent as it should be at ISO100. The S90 looks a bit sharper/cleaner though but not sure if that's because of the yellowish cast on the LX3 shot.

Nothing much changes for the ISO200 and ISO400 shots below. Noise is still appreciably low. Although you can more readily detect noise starting to show up in the blacks on the LX3 crop at ISO400.

24/28mm, f/2, ISO200

24/28mm, f/2, ISO400

Now at ISO800 is where you start being able to easily see noise. Moreso with the LX3 crop which isn't surprising since it appears darker than the S90. The LX3 noise looks grainier though while on the S90 it appears more mushy.

24/28mm, f/2, ISO800

Next up at ISO1600, the amount of noise on the S90 crop is impressively low. Although I think the noise reduction is most likely cranking here as there's a slight haze to the crop that makes it look soft which I don't see on the LX3. The LX3 crop is pretty grainy though at this point. With the S90 you'll probably be losing fine detail at this point with that much NR going on. Interestingly, the amount of noise reduction applied is not configurable on the S90.

24/28mm, f/2, ISO1600

ISO3200 pretty much shows the same story. The S90 has some pretty effective noise reduction going on at the cost of sharpness. But I think it's a pretty decent balance they've done. I'll need to take some more test shots on subjects with finer detail to see how much is being lost in that regard.

24/28mm, f/2, ISO3200

Moving on to test shots at the long end of the LX3's zoom range (60mm). For the S90 it's about halfway to its max zoom but by this time its max aperture is already one stop more than the LX3. Not that that will really make a difference I think. Long story short, the results here are pretty much the same as the test shots at the wide end. Of note is the continuous poor white balance performance under tungsten lighting that causes some color shift issues on the LX3.

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO100

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO200

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO400

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO800

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO1600

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO3200

So, as can be seen, the S90 is pretty impressive at high ISOs as far as noise suppression is concerned. Whether or not the loss of sharpness and possible detail is enough to make a difference is most likely subjective to each person. I'll probably take a couple of more test shots at high ISO to check out fine detail loss and I'll also make some RAW comparisons to see if anything changes under RAW. In the meantime, you can download the full-sized JPEGs for the S90 here and LX3 here if you want a look at the big picture.

As far as the cameras themselves, the S90 is a simpler, more consumer-oriented P&S type of camera. It's strengths are its pocketable size, decent zoom range (28mm-105mm), semi-fast lens (f/2 @ 28mm), and quite noise-free high ISO images.

However, it lacks some features that I think would have made it even better. The most important one being the ability to move a focus point. The S90 has two autofocus modes: a center point mode (which has two selectable sizes: normal and small), and then a fully-auto + face detection mode. I suppose if you really needed precise focusing, you could set it on the center point and then focus and recompose. But that may not be as precise if you're shooting wide open and are very close to your subject, like in macro mode. And I suppose if all else fails you can use the manual focus mode which is relatively easy to do.

Also, it appears to me that you can get a lot closer to an object when shooting in macro mode on the LX3 than with the S90. And the one thing that constantly annoys me is that the exposure control is done via the scroll wheel that surrounds the main 4-way controller and it's incredibly easy to accidentally turn it while you're using the camera. The new control ring that surrounds the lens is pretty neat and works well although it's a bit too loud and clickety IMO. And my last little quibble with it is that I think the shutter release/zoom button and shooting mode dial positions should be reversed but I think that's because I'm more used to using the LX3.

As for the LX3, it's still the ideal P&S camera for those who like pretty much complete control over their camera. Because it's larger, it also has a few more dedicated switches and controls that I do find myself missing when using the S90. It's just unfortunate that the S90 seems to have better white balance and image quality although I suppose that shouldn't be too surprising since the S90 is a newer camera. However, despite the effective noise reduction capability of the S90, it still can't beat the LX3 when it comes to freezing action in low light due to the LX3's faster lens. Getting a bright, relatively noise-free image doesn't mean much when your subject's a blur (unless that's the look you're going for =).

In conclusion, I think for the majority of people out there who want a compact and capable P&S along with the ability to shoot RAW, the S90 will very likely fit your needs. The LX3, while certainly great for its time, is starting to look a little dated. It will be quite interesting to see what plans Panasonic may have for its successor.

ADDENDUM: So, as requested, I took a couple of more sample shots with the LX3 but with its noise reduction cranked to the max. Previously, the LX3 shots were taken with the "Standard" picture style. This time, I still used the "Standard" style but bumped up the NR +2. As you can tell from the comparison shots below, it only makes a slight difference.

24/28mm, f/2, ISO800

24/28mm, f/2, ISO1600

24/28mm, f/2, ISO3200

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO800 NR +2

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO1600 NR +2

60mm, f/2.8/3.5, ISO3200 NR +2