So we ordered one of these for my birthday (thanks to generous “here’s money towards that thing you wanted” gifts)
http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/12WX.cfm
at the beginning of the month, and it just arrived from wacom at the Canadian distributor and shipped it’s way here yesterday, can’t wait. My patience is thinner than rice paper.

Bought Steph a PS3 for Xmas. My screen name is “soylentdean” if any of you reader folks have a PS3 and want to add me, go right ahead. I play a lot of Warhawk.

Bought a Canon HV20
http://www.usa.canon.com/app/html/HDV/HV20/index.shtml
HD video camera. It’s been like… 10 years since I’ve had access to a camera. We really didn’t want to blow money on it right this second, but we saved a bunch of cash at a Futureshop boxing day sale. Expect lots of stupid videos of completely random stuff. Here’s Kris sending me a birthday present on the wii.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il0Gka-LhO4
Aren’t you glad you watched that?

Got a Dyson Root 6 in the Kriz festivus gift exchange.
http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC16-SY-STD

Got a Bluetooth Apple keyboard for the PS3
http://www.apple.com/keyboard/
It’s pretty darned sweet.
also a Plantronics 655 bluetooth headset… but for the money it was sucky, so we took it back, and bought a Jabra something or other for $15 at the boxing day sale. sounds just as crappy but I only paid 1/10th the price. Mostly for the PS3.

So, Yay! But, also, “oh my poor bank account” and “Oh everyone else’s poor bank account”

We really don’t like your wii friend code system. The screen name setup of the PS3 and xbox 360 is a much preferable option. I can give my friend my PS3 screenname in the street and they can remember it until they get home and type it in. I can’t remember my stupidly long wii number and consequently, I rarely add friends. Even when I’m on my computer sending e-mails, it’s a pain in the neck to run downstairs, boot up my wii, write the code down, run back upstairs, type it into an e-mail to send to a friend. You’re missing out on some Virtual Console gifting Dollars.

To activision:

Re: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/say-it-ain.t-so/activision-roadblocks-ghiii-guitar-support-for-ps3-rock-band-333279.php

So, let me get this straight… You want me to give Harmonix/EA MORE money, because we have to purchase their controllers instead?

My only interest in purchasing Guitar Hero III was in having the extra guitar for RockBand, and the GHIII game as a bonus. Now, I likely won’t bother and I will think twice before purchasing other Activision products.

-dean

Old Man:the next generation.
I haven’t sent it off until tomorrow afternoonish. If want you talk bad grammar dean about. Now’s the time. “Understandable” is the lofty goal I aspire to.

Mr. Benoit,

I don’t usually write letters to elected officials, (in fact I think this is my first.) But I felt strongly enough about this Copyright reform issue to try to get my 2 cents in (or 52cents as it were. Man, postage has increased since the last time I sent a real letter. heh.)

From what I understand, there’s a lot of concern that this new copyright policy which Jim Prentice is about to introduce (feel free to forward this on to him if you think it’s worthwhile, by the way.) is bowing a bit too much to U.S. interests to the point of basically letting them dictate the terms. I don’t really care about who wrote it, I mean that just seems like the standard complaints the left likes to make. What I am concerned about, however, is that I get the impression this bill will be more restrictive than the current system (which, if anything, is already a bit over-reaching with the ridiculous lengths of copyright terms).

It looks like the plan to comply with WIPO’s (World Intellectual Property Organization) treaties, is to craft the new legislation along the lines of the American Digital Millennium Copyright Act. (DMCA) which basically makes it illegal to make back-up copies of your DVD movies, or make a mix tape for a friend, or anything that most average Canadians would like to do.

I make my living as a digital artist (I color comic books and paint illustrations for advertisements on my computer.) and, rather than feeling reassured that this legislation will help protect my interests as a content producer (theoretically I’m the guy copyright is supposed to protect.) But the vibe i’ve been getting is that this bill will actually make it more difficult for me to do my work.

As far as I’ve seen;
There’s no exemption for works of parody.
-So if I wanted to make a cartoon about a fat Ronald McDonald character… McDonalds corporation could sue me for doing so.

There’s no allowance for time-shifting.
-So it would be illegal for me to record a hockey game from the digital cable and watch it later.

There’s no device shifting exception.
-So if I wanted to copy a DVD movie onto my iPod and watch it on the go, that would be illegal.

There’s nothing that allows me to take a still frame from a movie for educational purposes.
-So if I wanted to take a screengrab from a Star Wars movie and have it for reference while I work on coloring a Star Wars comic, no can do.

Anyway, to sum it up, really I’d just like some proof that this bill will actually do something to encourage Canadian creativity and art as our Copyright laws are theoretically intended, rather than just allowing hollywood to dictate how I work… Wow, I guess I do care that we have a custom-fit made-in-Canada solution after all.

Sincerely,

Dean Welsh

Invented Television, video camera tubes, electron microscopes, infant incubators, fusors and many more unforgettable hits.

and yet… [from wikipedia]

“Although he was the man responsible for its technology, Farnsworth appeared only once on a television program. In 1957, he was a mystery guest on the TV quiz show I’ve Got A Secret. He fielded questions from the panel of celebrities as they unsuccessfully tried to guess his secret (“I invented electronic television.”). For stumping the panel, he received $80 and a carton of Winston cigarettes.”

“In 1930, after a visit to Farnsworth’s laboratory, Vladimir Zworykin copied this apparatus for RCA, though he found it impractical and returned to his work on the iconoscope. The U.S. Patent Office rendered a decision in 1935 that the “electrical image” of Farnsworth’s image dissector was not in Zworykin’s inventions, and priority of that invention was awarded to Farnsworth. Farnsworth nevertheless lost some court decisions for other key television inventions. Some aspects of Farnsworth’s 1930 camera and receiver designs remain in use today.”

and many more disappointments.

Well, for what it’s worth, I’m in your fan club now Philo.

-dean

Like I said you need the NEW version of flash
Like New new new.
Like this one or newer.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/4783

because it’s h.264 video.
that’s 9.0.98 NOT 9.0.47

(here’s the windows download link)

http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer9.html

-dean