Posted on

Hackintosh 10.5.5

Finally decided to try the 10.5.5 update on my Hackintosh. Always risky business, doing this sort of stuff; since the desktop is ironically, my primary computer (my real Apple Macbook Pro is just an backup at this point)

The tutorial done by NetKas for upgrading to 10.5.2/3 seems to still apply – and even extends to the Kalyway (which I use) and iAtkos builds of OSx86

I’m reposting the relevant steps here for my own personal reference.

Read More

Posted on

Noise profiles for Lumix LX3

I’ve taken the liberty of making NoiseNinja noise profiles for the Lumix LX3. Here are the setup details:

  • Tripod (anti-shake turned off)
  • f/4.0
  • Telephoto to minimize barrel distortion
  • In-camera Noise Reduction set to -2 (lowest)
  • Everything else was set to the defaults.
  • 7 ISO settings (80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200)
  • 4 MP variations – each with 3 individual aspect ratios.
    • RAW (approx 10MP)
      • 4:3 – 10MP
      • 3:2 – 9.5MP
      • 16:9 – 9MP
    • JPG – maximum resolution (same as RAW)
      • 4:3 – 10MP
      • 3:2 – 9.5MP
      • 16:9 – 9MP
    • JPG – next biggest resolution (approx 6MP)
      • 4:3 – 7MP
      • 3:2 – 6.5MP
      • 16:9 – 6MP
    • JPG – biggest possible resolution which allows maximum digital zoom (approx 3MP)
      • 4:3 – 3MP
      • 3:2 – 3MP
      • 16:9 – 2.5MP

So that’s 7 ISO increments available to each of the 3 aspect ratios; Which in turn, gives us 21 profiles for each of the 4 megapixel choices I’ve profiled. That’s a total of 84 profiles! Download links for the profiles are available at the end of the post.

Read More

Posted on

You down with LHC? (yeah you know me!)

So there you have it, the LHC has been on, and we’re still alive. 1 Granted, they haven’t kicked it up to full steam yet. Naturally; anyone with half a brain should know that we experience “reactions” of greater magnitude in our everyday lives… undetected.

But for all the idiots who are still worried – thinking that the LHC will kill us all, here’s a nice site to keep you updated – complete with RSS feed:

Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet?

– via Daring Fireball

Kidding aside, we’re living in exciting times folks.

I suggest all over-zealous religious nut-jobs take a chill pill and just let Science discover what it can. Your Religious beliefs are safe; the LHC still can’t prove/disprove the existence of a supreme being. Though I’m really hoping that, at the very least, it could provide enough information to shut those fucking creationists up once and for all 😉

Notes

Notes
⇡1 Granted, they haven’t kicked it up to full steam yet.
Posted on

Lightroom > Aperture

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Adobe Lightroom, and how it has surpassed 1 Admittedly, after a rocky start. Apple’s Aperture; so I went on ahead and installed it to see for myself.

I’m sure avid fans of both brands will probably revert to fanboy-ism, especially when they’re so much entrenched into a specific workflow. Having said that, I’ll avoid detailed comparisons. Sufficed to say, I’m uninstalling Aperture 😉

I will however, mention 3 absolute facts that I can stand behind and defend if push came to shove. If you have questions/violent reactions with regards to these points, feel free to IM me.

  1. If you’re working with files on a NAS (i.e. not directly attached to the computer), use Lightroom… period.
  2. Lightroom manages libraries better. It’s almost like iTunes the way it manages folders/files (which ironically, Aperture fails at). Again, there are so many aspects to this argument but trust me, Lightroom kicks Aperture’s ass in this area.
  3. While you’re mileage may vary on the effects/algorithms/features; personally, I’d have to say the only thing Aperture has that’s better than Lightroom is its vignetting algorithm.

It’s a shame really, since Apple started with one hell of a head-start in this arena. I guess it’s just one of those things where you drop the ball and never get it back.

Plus really, how can you compete with the likes of the makers of Photoshop when it comes to photography stuff?

Notes

Notes
⇡1 Admittedly, after a rocky start.