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Computers&Tech

I got weak after all…

… and chose the more expensive but of course clearly better alternative …

40D Screenshot

… and ordered the Canon 40D as my new, “proper” camera. For starters, only with the kit lens EF-S 17-85mm 4.0-5.6 IS USM, and we’ll see what may follow in the future, maybe even a declaration of love like Crosa’s (German, about the EF-S 60 2.8 Macro lens). ;)

And even though the decision was made to at least 90% beforehand, it suits me just fine that Canon has started another cash back promotion for EOS products (from 1 March to 30 June 2008), which will reduce the price in this case by 200€ afterwards. :)

Now I don’t intend to turn this blog into a photo blog, but there’ll probably be a few more photos in posts – once I got that camera, of course. Furthermore, I’ll put some photos into my galleries without much ado, or maybe I’ll add them to flickr or a similiar site, we’ll see.

Bruno the Strong and the magic staircase

Urban 1
Urban 2

Once upon a time, in the year two thousand and seven in the Common Era in a district town which is called Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, there was an urban department store owner who had contrived a plan to extend his store a little and, at the same time, amend the comfort for his valued customers, inasmuch as these were only able to be lifted from the ground floor to the floor above that by a magically self-moving staircase, commonly called “escalator”, however having to exert themselves to get to the second floor all on foot.

Kran Thus it came to be on a tepid late-winter or pre-spring day (the chroniclers are undecided in this) of the sdubsequent year that yon department store owner temporarily even relinquished his dearly beloved area, that which was intended to park the carriages of his customers during their hopefully remunerative stay in said department store (and exclusively during this stay, other uses of this area had never been causing any pleasure). For aforementioned area was needed as space for Bruno the Strong from the family Liebherr, without whom this endeavour deemed forlorn, and his equipage.

Rolltreppe Know ye, such magical self-moving staircases do not grow by themselves in place, instead they are being grown far away and are brought hither and thither in full-grown shape on special long and flat carriages, those which are called flat bed truck.

Kran lang Then in the early morning, said Bruno the Strong came rolling to and first got himself a good grip on the ground by the means of his strong paws.

Come now, quoth Bruno, I am ready, let the staircase come! And at once, it came. And Bruno took it with his long fingers, stretched his body very much, and lifted it on the ‘tween-roof, from whence it was, after the people had overcome their astonishment on account of his strength and skilfulness, moved to inside the building and mounted tightly, so that henceforth it may lift many a customer comfortably to the upper level.

Kran fährt weg After his work was done, Bruno the Strong boldly set forth on to his next quest, where he was sure he would attract great interest again and again.

 


(Sorry if this sounds too odd, I’m not that experienced in imitating fairy-tale-like English…)

All original photos (and a few more) can be seen in my Pfaffenhofen gallery.

Fewer unsolicited calls

About half a year ago, I published some statistics about 102 unsolicited phone calls – now it’s time for an update with the data from the rest of the year. The number of such calls to me clearly decreased: to about one third, from 102 in weeks 4-29 to 31 in weeks 30-52 (labeled “~H1” and “~H2” in the following diagrams, because they don’t exactly correspond to the half years).

Maybe thanks to the nice message (implemented with my FRITZ!Box 7170 and my ISDN phone with answering machine) for callers who do not transmit their caller ID which says (translated)

“Good day. You are calling without transmitting your number. Since this is typical for unwanted commercial calls, you are directly – without audible ringing – directed to this answering machine. Please enable your caller ID transmission, or leave a message so you can be called back. Thank you.”

one or more cold call centers kicked me out of their database. :mrgreen:

Of course the “no number => unwanted” conclusion isn’t always 100% sure, but who calls me legitimately can leave a message or try again with caller ID – these (few) cases have been taken into account here.

Here’s a breakdown by weekday, time of day, and calendar week:

Continue Reading »

Scissors help copyright violation and must be forbidden

As you know, there are laws in many countries forbidding the circumvention of copy protection/DRM functions – thus often standing in the way of sensible, basically allowed use of already paid products by honest customers, putting them down as criminals – and letting them preferrably pay multiple times –; the actual dedicated pirates, though, are hardly held back.

:motz:

Wellington Grey now has a nice little presentation about the consequences of applying this stupidity to physical objects instead of media data, with the example of a CD-ROM sleave’s silly seal, the breaking of which would result in accepting the contract that’s contained on the CD inside

:dunce:

(via Wil Wheaton)