Apple iPhone

So I bought one this weekend on impulse, wasn't really looking for a new phone but liked the look of it when I played with one in my local O2 store. Nice little touch that they had alot of functional units with WiFi access etc. Made the difference, if it had been a plastic replica I probably wouldn't have bought one.

I'm seriously impressed with this little device, when I manage to tear myself away from youtube and use the other functions I'm amazed. The camera, although it has no zoom or flash, is good enough for everday shots. The sms chat layout is superb and easy to follow. The Google maps, weather and stocks pages are another handy little feature.

As my missus said, I've not had a phone before which has held my interest this long. Normally I play for an hour tops and put it down, still haven't put this down yet! The iPod portion has been hammered today.

I'm uploading some photos to my galleries now and will update this with them when I get chance.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Moving To The Dark Side - Part II

Was shopping this weekend and I spotted the iPhone in the O2 store, had a little play and decided to take the plunge and grab one. I am seriously impressed with this thing, I've been going crazy for YouTube since I brought it home and was checking my mail in McDonalds this morning LOL.

I'll post some shots from the camera when I synch them but I have to say I'm impressed with them. Anyway, back to YouTube.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Moving To The Dark Side

Ok,

After all the shenanigans with my PC's lately and the simple way in which I deployed two Mac Mini's onto my network I slowly transitioning to a full Mac network. I had an issue with one of my legacy Netgear routers this week and I am really starting to lose my rag with the 2 dsl lines I have installed!

I decided it's time to make the move, the 'dirty' machine I currently use will disappear. Its only used to test applications etc before I deploy them onto the network. With Mac's being less prone to virii etc I just won't need it. The server I currently run will be dropped for a *nix one simply to allow me to run more from it including network monitoring such as Nagios. Also alot cheaper than OS X Server!

My missus will be running a Mac Mini dual booting XP [eugh!] for her gaming needs, I'll disable the network port under XP as she doesn't need to be online so it should be secure. She can use Leopard for browsing etc. Eventually I want to replace all the games with Mac versions and drop the XP partition but we'll see :)

The last hurdle will be replacing my little Fujitsu tablet PC, I will miss the little thing. It's handy for meetings and general stuff but no good for processing photos on. I guess I'll get a new generation Mac Book Pro to replace that some time late next year.

I also need to replace my lovely little hand made corner desk with a full size unit to allow us both to use our machines at once. I'll have to grab a new chair and display too, I'm toying with the idea of getting a nice apple cinema display but that's alot of £'s.

Anyway, that's all for now, no dount there will be more on this later so tune in again soon.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Slimbridge Revisited

I like Slimbridge, it has a diverse range of birds there and allows you to get close to them. Here are a couple of the shots I've processed from my visit there last weekend.


























H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

HTPC - The long, ardous and expensive quest!

All I want to be able to do is archive all my movies, TV shows and PVR recordings to a machine from which I can watch it. I don't want to have to plug in different units, encode them to different standards or use differing disks for each media. All I want to do is sit in front of the TV and press the remote to play the files.

After an expensive quest, including a £400 Sony PS3, ending in a collection of odd units which won't play the files I decided to try the Mac Mini I bought some time ago [July 19th] and have never used. I researched it and installed something called Media Central on there, threw a couple of files at it and 'BAM!' plays them without issue! So at this point I starting throwing all my files at it to test it and it works on all the differing formats I have.

Coupled with an Apple Remote [more on that shortly] it's an excellent one box silent solution! So I've moved the 1.83Ghz downstairs, purchased a 2Ghz unit [that I'm writing this on now] and looking for another for the missus to play her PC games on when dual booted with XP. So I'll be buying a 3rd Mini on Monday!

Now I ordered the Mini on Wednesday and chucked an Apple Remote into my basket without checking, the 2Ghz model ships with remote *sigh*. Nevermind though. at least I have a spare now :)

Happy days, I'm currently catching up on all those shows I've been missing at long last.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Impulse buys & buyers remorse

I've never really suffered from buyers remorse to any great degree. I did a little recently when I bought my Canon 5D, the problem was the weather was awful and I just didn't get to use it as much as I would have liked. This led to the feeling that I'd wasted my money, when I started to use it I lost the remorse.

Now I impulse buy a lot so you would think it would hit me a lot too, until recently I've been lucky and this weekend was a nice save. I decided to pop into PC World to check out the 15.4" MacBook Pro I would be ordering from Apple on Monday, I'm glad I did! The thing is I just didn't like it, the screen size, the layout or all the dead space around the whole thing!

I decided against buying one there and then and this got me to thinking about the fact it wouldn't actually have been a good purchase for me anyway. The questions I got to asking myself are:

Would it help me take a better photograph?
Would it make me get out there more often?
Would it make me a better photographer generally?

And ultimately the answer to them was *no*. Whilst I was wandering round Slimbridge though getting the 5D wet in the rain it dawned on me that a weather sealed body might tick all the boxes for me [or at least most of them]. Whilst it wouldn't directly make me a better photog it would help me become one. It would let me get out there more often as I wouldn't have to worry about the elements.

So the search is on, I'm not about to blow £5k [Canon 1Ds Mk III] on something which is basically hobby kit so I'm looking at the older Canon 1Ds Mk II which is still a respectable standard. The 1D Mk III with it's 1.3x crop factor would affect my lense selection too badly so has been dropped off the radar.

I'm in the process of saving some cash to grab a 1D Mk II in the coming three months. In the meantime I've upgraded my 430 EX to a spanking new 580 EX II as I've been hankering after one of these for a while ;) Also grabbed an off-camera cord and a couple of sets of NiMh batteries to power the beast :)

Happy days!



H4rri
~~

www.randomphotos.net

The Long Drought

Well I seem to have been in a long dry spell with respect to photography for at least 3 months now. I just don't seem to be getting out there and taking any photos, those I do take rarely make it past the digital lightbox. Does this mean I've lost the passion for the hobby? No! It simply means I have lost the passion for this area of the world. I'm not excited by any of the local spots anymore, we seem to have 'done them to death' meaning there's nothing new.

Well now as we wander [slowly] into Autumn it seems that the world around us is changing, the same familiar old scenes which have dropped off my radar are slowly creeping back in. The change in these will be seen through the foliage on the tree's, the barren landscapes and beautiful colours.

I will be heading to Slimbridge this weekend to get some quick shots on my way past then the weekend after I will be dropping into Stourhead for some fantastic Autumnal shots. Hopefully this, and the slower onset of winter, will rekindle my lagging passion for the area.

I was really looking forward to last winter, some amazing frost, snow and morning mist shots and it simply never happened. The winter was so mild we didn't get anything exciting at all.

I for one am looking forward to Winter with all it's cold frosty mornings :)


H4rri
www.randomphotos.net

Apple MacBook Pro - Part II

Well just when I was ready to hit the buy button I get an email from Apple about Leopard! Seems if I wait till next week the MacBook will ship with it, if I grab it before I had to 'upgrade' to it and thats hassle I could do without. Will be waiting until tuesday or wednesday next week to order, should get it next day ready for the weekend. Will be going to Stourhead next weekend to get some Autumn shots as the first ones to run through Aperture on the Mac.

Hopefully, all being well, the MacBook will turn up and the weather will be perfect on the weekend. We know though that these things have a habit of going sour though so I'll wait and see!



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Run Rabbit Run!

So it's started to get cold in the evenings now and the missus is worried about her rabbits being outside in it. We decided a while ago to build them a new hutch, run and outdoor enclosure. The hutch was to be double skinned and insulated to combat cold. The problem is with the awful weather we have been having I just haven't had chance to even get the footings in.

So we made the decision to insulate the current affair this Saturday, off down to the local builders merchant to grab some 1" insulation and 4mm plywood to get started. The problems came when they only had 2" insulation so we decided to go with that, when I got home I realised the futility of my plan when I installed the first studwork using the planed 2x1 I had spare. It's planed meaning it's no longer 2" deep, hence the insulation is too damn thick!

Anyway we plodded on and after another trip to the builders merchants for ply we now have an upstairs area fully insulated with 2" polysytrene block and lined with 4mm plywood. They have been using the area alot more now so it muct be warmer. Was a long day but worth it in the end :)

They seem alot happier now and enjoyed the day spent in the garden keeping the grass down for me. I'm currently suffering though with a seriously painful back after working all day in such cramped conditions.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Apple MacBook Pro

Well after struggling along with my PC based Fuji LifeBook tablet as a photo editing machine I've decided it's time to retire that part of it's role to a new machine. The problem with the tablet is that the native resolution is 1024 x 600, this means that most of the basic applications complain about the resolution.

I've found that to use Photoshop CS3 and Camera Raw I need to up the resolution to 1024 x 768 and scroll up and down the screen. This is do-able but not easy, it also makes it difficult to render larger images or process basic RAW's.

I will be getting an Apple MacBook Pro to perform this function from here on in, coupled with Apple Aperture this will be an amazing set-up. I use a Mac Mini at home with Aperture and it is superb.

The dilema comes in when you look at the range of MacBooks available. I settled on the 'Pro' range for the additional power from the Intel Core Duo chipset and the newer graphics. I then needed to decide on the screen size, I used the following to decide:

15" Pro's;

Backlit LCD
Smaller form
Lighter package [by 0.5Kg]

15" Cons;

No 'gloss' screen
Lower resolution


17" Pros;

Higher resolution screen
Larger screen
Gloss screen option available

17" Cons;

Heavier
Larger form [would need to replace all my bags]
£200 more expensive
No backlit LCD



So all in all I decided on the 15" model but then the decision on the version of the 15" raised it's ugly head! It's never easy is it but then I guess when you are spending £1300+ you need to be sure.

I decided that the 2.4Ghz version would be better in that it offered more HDD, more Graphics RAM and a faster processer for the extra price [£300]. So the decision is made and the search starts, where to get one as cheap as possible for new. I spotted a couple of 'refurbs' but the £100 saving didn't offset the 'refurb' label for me.

So I decided to go with Apple direct, the fact we get 6% off with them swung it for me, a brand new unit for the price of a refurb! Add into that the 17% discount on Aperture and I'm a happy bunny with a new Mac being ordered early next week.

I'll update when I've used it in anger and do a mini review for you all.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Macro Studio - Part III

Well, the 500w halogen lights were actually perfect for the job, they do cast alot of light and coupled with the MT24 [for fill-in] they produce some nice even results.

I've been experimenting with the various back drop colours and noticed straight off they all need ironing to remove the obvious crinkles! I also need to grab a sheet of glass to throw up reflections and keep the back drop flat.

Here are a couple of the shots from each test subject with the varied lighting applied,. Please do ignore the crinkles though, I was short on time and didn't fancy dragging the ironing board etc out.

Some old minidiscs:













My Canon 17-40 f/4 L:














H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Logitech G25 Racing Wheel

Decided [at long last] to treat myself to one of these, it's a newish model and has a seperate gearstick assembly meaning I can drive on the right side of the road ;)

Hooked it up to the PS3 and checked a couple of the games I have available, imagine my suprise when I found it only works on the free download GT:HD! To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Tried a couple of demo downloads and they don't support it either as the option is greyed out for controls.

Also tried on the 360 and that only supports Microsoft wheels! Way to go M$! Will be getting all the new racer sims on the PS3 then, very short sighted of M$ and market limiting. Picked up a copy of Formula One : Championship Edition and this should work a treat. Will try it out later and hope to be immersed into the F1 championship in all it's glory.

One issue is where do I mount the thing and how, really need a specific racing chair but thats a luxury I don't have the space for. I just don't use it enough to warrant such extravagence. At the moment it's mounted to a spare table so will see how that goes.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Macro Studio - Part II

Managed to get hold of some 500W halogen work lights, still think they will be too much and I've only recently disposed of my Vari-AC [variable AC voltage transformer] which would have allowed me to dim them. I will give them a try tonight and see if I can diffuse them.

Hopefully I'll have a few test shots to showcase tomorrow if all goes well.

The lights themselves were cheap [£11.99 each], managed to find them at Halfords, unfortunatelly they had a 1/3 off sale on a load of tools and toolboxes so I ended up spending £100 more than I intended too. Ah well, the spanners will give me something to Macro ;)


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Freelander Service

Decided to change the oil on my Landrover Freelander TD4 this weekend. I had a couple of long[ish] trips in it the other day and it was the first real distance I'd covered in it since getting it. When I checked the oil level it was fine but the oil itself was like treacle!

So I grabbed some oil, filters and a new set of wipers. Couldn't get the air or fuel filters so they are on order and will be done at a later date. Read the manual and decided it was a 30 minute job. Wrong!

To get the oil drained you need to drop the sump guard, not a hard job but time consuming, it uses different fixings on the front and rear bolts! Once this was done it was a pretty straightforward affair.

Thought nothing until the following day when my shoulders, neck, throat and back were *really* sore. Had to potter about and do nothing all day in the end which was an annoying waste of a lovely day [one of the last few we will have].

Lessons learnt though, it may look easy but it isn't always!



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Macro Studio

Bought myself a Macro / Light tent last week. It's an 80 x 80 x 80cm tent with 3 different backdrops. I've seen some amazing results from these style set-ups and wanted something to keep me busy during the wet winter months when I can't get out and take shots.

It's all easy to set-up and use, now all I need is suitable lighting. I ran a couple of test shots through it at the weekend and with just the MT24 to light the way the shots were drab and uninspiring. I purchased a couple of desk lamps and found them to be seriously lacking in power. They barely lit themselves never mind the tent, my Maglite had more power!

I've seen people using halogen work lights but thought they would be too much, looks like I need to re-visit these. I guess I can move them further from the tent when I require less light or even diffuse them for short periods.

Hopefully I will have time to hook something up this week, had to sort the house and have the garage begging for a tidy up so we'll see.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

General Ramblings

Well I've tried to avoid this but I guess that's the purpose of this blog, my general ramblings!

Nothing really happening this week, the weather is awful, Halo3 was [in my opinion dire] and I'm already stuck on Sega Rally! I have though been considering getting a backdrop for my dining room to turn it into a Macro studio. I've been getting out less and less these days and I still haven't used my new Mac Mini to sort any photo's, truth is I haven't been out to take any :(

I think will a nice backdrop, my old studio lights broken out of storage and some of the less mundane household tat and i'll be looking at some good shots in the coming days. I have spent a great deal of money on my gear and I really need to feel like I'm using it. If I don't then 'buyers remorse' creeps up on me and makes me question my spending.

Now through the summer [2006 that is and 2007 was a bust!] I used my gear alot, after upgrading to the 5D and many new lenses I just haven't really used the gear in anger since. That depresses me both because I haven't been out and the cost of the gear.

It reminded last week when I paid my renewal for the Wildlife Wetlands Trust and National Trust membership. I used both on a single occasion this year! It would have been more cost effective to have paid for the single visit!

I'm hoping my little studio set-up, in a room I rarely use, will make me use the gear more, get more shots and give me a greater understanding of lighting. I won't be using natural lighting and flash / studio photography is always something I've struggled with.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

The console wars

Having never really subscribed to a particular brand I am suprised at the amount of people that do. I'm talking of course about the great Xbox 360 vs Sony PS3 debate with each camp shouting about how great their consoles are and belittling their rivals.

I have owned both Sony & Microsoft consoles from launch with the PS and Xbox, I never really considered it an issue, a great game made me want the console, nothing else.

Now this weekend I went out and grabbed a PS3, the sole reason for this was the ability to play avi's out of the box, the BlueRay was an added bonus. Now it seems that the damn thing doesn't support all AVI's so that was a serious waste of some hard earned cash :

On the flip side, it does look good on my HD TV and Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom is a great game, also has Lemmings which the missus loves :)

Guess I will have to keep re-encoding my AVI's to WMV's and running them through the Elite, one more point to MS!



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Been a while

Well it's been a while since my last post, had a very busy couple of weeks and nit had time to sit down and relax never mind blog :

Haven't been out with the camera for a while so no exciting photographs for you, managed to grab some shots of my lenses the other day. Might put them online for you but will see how I feel later, pretty whacked at the moment.

Need to clear out my garage, build a couple of bikes, service both cars and generally catch up on the bits I've been putting off. Winter is coming in fast so I need to get moving.

Also need to build 'Rabbit-opollos' at some point in the next two months. My missus doesn't want them outdoors this winter so it's either that or move the lot back into the shed.

Anyway it's getting late in the day and I have work to do so I will catch you in the next installment. Hopefully then I will have some pretty snaps for you to look at.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro

Some test shots as promised from the newest lense in the fold as promised.










And the obligatory battery shot :)









H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Stock Issues - Part II

Well after tracking down another retailler who 'alleged' to have stock I ordered the part, this time from B&H in the states. This will be the first time I've ordered from the states [as far as I can recall] so I'm eager to see how this shapes up.

I have had confirmation that this has shipped now and will be coming to be for $65 which equates to around £33 and I potentially need to add VAT [@ 17.5%] to this figure so the final could be £39. Expensive for the adaptor but I'm just relieved I will be able to use the MT 24-EX again and get the best out of the 180mm Macro.

Hopefully I have the adaptor for this weekend, should allow me to get out and about taking some shots. I have thus far been under-whelmed by my efforts with the lense but thats mainly down to lighting and local conditions. We'll see what the future brings.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Remotes - How Many! - Part II

Well my Philips Pronto Pro RU970 arrived after a fashion, the seller used the wrong postal service, sent me a 'small' refund which didn't even cover the difference and has generally been awful in their communications.

The remote itself has a dud battery so I ordered a new one which will be here on Friday, disappointing experience though really. Tried programming the remote last night and it's a bit of a nightmare, it's not as simple as the manuals would have you think. I did manage to get the TV and Sky HD sorted through it though so thats a bonus.

More to follow but for now it doesn't seem to be the saviour I once thought it would be :


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Remotes - How Many!

Well after getting myself an Xbox 360 Elite and a HDMI switcher to go with it I find I have yet another damn remote to put on the table. This table is getting seriously cluttered with remotes, Sky HD, Surround System, 360, HDMI and of course the TV remote all adorn this little 1ft square table.

I decided to dip my toe into the world that is programmable remotes. I have a friend who uses one and swears by the Philips Pronto range, pricey but very customisable. I looked at the entry level system which could be had for £60+, the mid-range at £250+ and the Pro range for £500+. Quite obviously I'm not about to pay £500 for a remote! I would rather suffer the collection of remotes I have or get the lesser system.

I did however resort to eBay and found myself bidding on a Pronto Pro RU970 with a colour touchscreen. I lost this in the dying seconds but soon lined up another, I grabbed this one in the dying seconds for £205 delivered! That's less than I was prepared to pay for a new Mono device with less Flash RAM.

Should hopefully be here in the next couple of days, can get to programming macros then. This would allow me to turn on the TV, start the DVD, set the volume on the surround and dim the lights etc at the push of a button.

I might have to get use RF for the 360 as when I use the IR remote it controls both of them : Will cross that bridge when I come to it though.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Photo's A Progressive Diary

After reading some pretty scathing comments on some of my photo's at www.randomphotos.net [you know the type " this is shite" etc] I decided a little prune was in order.

Looking back I just uploaded anything and everything regardless of quality, nowadays I tend to be more selective. So I wandered through 90% of my galleries and had a little prune, even to the point of deleting whole galleries. Makes you think though, back then some of the shots were awful but still made it on-line. Now I tend to upload less and less as they fail to meet my criteria.

I also tend to use my Nikon P&S to take alot of snapshots, these days I tend to shy away from using the dSLR for these kind of shots simply because of the nature of the beast. Lense selection, RAW conversions etc all take time and can make you miss the moment. The Nikon allows me to shoot and upload in minutes so I'm missing less these days.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Popular Photos

Just found a new feature on my site 'Popular Photos'.

You basically allow the public to rate your photo's and this then drops them into the popular section based on the number of votes etc. So for your viewing pleasure here they are. As usual they are clickable to the larger versions and they are all on www.randomphotos.net.


















H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Stock Issues

Well since I bought the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro I have been trying to find a Macrolite adaptor for the Canon MT24-EX. I knew this would be required but didn't realise it would be so hard to find! I ordered one recently and the firm took all day to let me know they didn't have stock, I then ordered from a HK retailler and they topped this by taking 9 days! to tell me they don't have stock.

The problem is I won't be able to use my £600 dedicated Macro flash system until I can get this £30 part. Annoying but one of those things, I'll have to wait until someone gets stock then order one on. For now I'm holding orders with a couple of people and will see who can get it to me fastest.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Macro work - Part VI

Well the lense finally arrived last week after an agonising wait. I haven't managed to get any shots with it yet as I've been hectic this last week. I did hope to get out this weekend and take some but it was just too damn hot!

Typical, we complain when it's too cold, too wet or too hot. Guess we are just a nation of complainers : I will be heading out this week to get some but I'm also waiting on the 72mm Macro-lite adaptor to allow my MT24-EX to fit. I won't be bothering with indoor shots until this arrives.

I did order with a UK company at 11AM who waited until 4PM that day to tell me they didn't have stock despite their site showing it! That really annoys me as I lost a day's shipping and could have ordered elsewhere. In this age of competitive retaillers these people really need to pick up their game!

Anyway I digress, the Canon 100mm f/2.8 is gone and the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro is in it's place. going to either need a new bag or a leave a lense at home. For now I'll be leaving the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5 - 5.6 L at home. Don't really use it much these days but I am loathed to sell it.




H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Bank Holiday Weekend

Well what a blistering Bank Holiday weekend it was, stepped out into the garden on Friday afternoon and it was like an oven! Recorded nearly 30 degrees in the house at one point *phew*

Managed to tidy out the garage enough to fit the lift in better and get access to a few of the Katana bits ready for a re-assembly. Still a mess in there though :

Also managed to start the re-carpeting of the stairs, took alot longer than anticipated as the old carpet had alot of nails in it! Most of them have damaged the underside of the treads as they are hardwood and have been badly nailed. Annoying really as they are lovely stairs.

Didn't manage to get out and get any shots, very very hot so decided against baking in the sun. Might grab a coolbox for the Freelander to keep some drinks cold while they are on offer.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Motorcyle Work Bench - Part II

Well it arrived yesterday, went to pick the pair up [one for my Dad] and they were 183Kg each! Managed to get mine set up and in the garage last night with alot of huffing and puffing. Now all I need to do is find the room to give it a permanent home. I will start on sorting out the garage tonight and hopefully have it finished for the weekend.

I really want to start on Project Kat [PK] or Project Gixxer [PG] again this weekend as we have the Bank Holiday and it's sure to be raining. Am waiting for the subframe to arrive for PG and need some powder coated bits for PK so will probably work on the latter and start the 'dry fit' to work out what bits I need to order.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Macro work - Part V

Well, I ordered the Lense and expected it to arrive on Saturday after some delays posting it. I waited in Saturday for it and it didn't arrive! Mailed the seller and waited the usual 6 hours for a response, turns out "it wasn't posted sorry" which turned into a rather abusive thread of emails.

In the end the seller has thrown in a Hoya filter and the lense should arrive today, I have no confidence in the seller or their communications and I won't be sending them large amounts of cash again! Our dealings are now concluded and no matter how good the price I won't be using them again. I have spent nearly £4k with them and feel this should cause them to be more pro-active with their communication. Having to constantly chase them is not something I'm happy about.

So now we wait, and wait until the lense arrives. If it doesn't arrive today I will demand a refund, pay the extra and order elsewhwere with next day delivery.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Lost Kit - Revisited

I was re-reading some of my older posts and realised I have a gear listing in there which is getting outdated. It suprised me how many lenses and bits I have changed since April, the main changes are the 24-105mm L IS has gone and has been replaced with a 24-70mm f/2.8 L and a 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS. The 100mm f/2.8 Macro has also just [today] been replaced with a 180mm f/3.5 L Macro.

I also note I had £6k+ in gear, the total cost today is a staggering £9k+ :

I'll get some photos of all the kit and post up some of the bigger bits.



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Project Gixxer - Part V

Well it appears the rear subframe from the GSXR750 [99] comes in two sections, the front and rear. I've managed to pick up a complete unit recently and am just waiting for this to come in, thats the good news. The bad news is that I can't find anyone to weld it for me, everyone I approach is saying no because it's old aluminium so is harder to weld!

Oh well I will check the fit when it arrives and devise some other method of fitment if I can't find a welder. I did look at a TIG course and considered buying a welder until I spotted the £2k price tag!

I will test fit the rear and get some snaps for you all, hopefully on my sparkly new bike bench if it arrives in time.


H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Macro work - Part IV

Well, I order the Canon 180mm f/3.5 Macro L this morning, should hopefully have it for the weekend so I can attach the MT24 and get out for some superb Macro shots. The funny thing is I decided to buy the 180mm first without having sold the other two so I could have it this weekend. Then I received two offers, one for each lense so is well, my credit card won't be getting too battered :)

Awaiting it's arrival with baited breath [see The Long Wait for an idea of how much I loathe waiting!]



H4rri
~~
www.randomphotos.net

Project Kat

Well a new project for you all, well new to you but has been with me for around 2 years now. My latest 85 Katana is nearing completion. I have a new bike bench on the way so will be starting a dry fit next week to make sure I have all the bits and pieces ready for final assembly.

Was looking through the numerous boxes last night to find any brackets I need coating to give to a new local guy. If he's good I will give him more work [have lots outstanding!] but for now I want to try on some spare brackets I have. What really suprised me though was the amount of spares I actually have and the amount which are duplicates. Didn't think I had that much stuff so I guess it's time for a clearout at some point.

I do have a full spare set of body work, I originally was going to spray this candy apple green, to go with the silver frame but saw a lovely burnt orange colour last night and that would look superb.

I guess I need to get the bike built, engine rebuilt and into the rolling chassis before I consider paint. Not to mention the 'spare' bodywork needs alot of repairs!

Ah well, onwards and upwards as they say. Watch this space for updates and photos as usual.




H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Project Gixxer - Part IV

Hmm, was sure we were well past 'Part IV';

So this has now stalled in that I need a later rear sub-frame and a decent aluminum welder to mate it to the new chassis. I did look at a welding course at my local college, £280 for 10 3 hour sessions covering from stick to TIG but squeeled when I saw the price of a TIG rig!

Hope to have this project but to bed before the summer [of lack thereof] is over, will keep you updated and might get some photo's while I'm clearing the garage this weekend ready for the new lift.





H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Motorcyle Work Bench

I've been looking at one of these for a while now, I'm getting too old to crawl around of the floor to repair & rebuild my bikes these days. I've ordered a lift now, Clarke CML2 [I think - Long story] for a bargain price. Should be here in the next couple of weeks then I need to clear the garage, sort my spares and use it to 'dry fit' the Katana.

I need to ensure I have all the brackets & bits sorted for the final assembly so will need to get some sorted ready. Sent a few to a local powder coaters to check their standards [they are duplicate brackets I have] then will let them have my fork legs if they are any good.

Still need to do the engine rebuild but that should be fine as I have a local firm lined up for the work.






H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Awful weather - Part II

Well the weather continues to be dire, we are under severe weather warnings right now with upto 2" of rainfall predicted in the next few hours. Not looking good for my 'garage clean' this weekend or even getting out to get some photos!.

Hopefully we will get at least 'some' summer this year, I would say we have had around 3 weeks of decent weather so far :

Ah well, I have some Macro work to do indoors anyway and alot of paperwork to catch up on. Also have alot of RAW's to process from a football shoot I did last week so won't be short of work!.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Macro work - Part III

Well after much deliberation, reading of reviews and talking it through with the missus the lenses have been placed for sale to make way for the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro. It appears to be, from all reviews, a superb lense and the natural progression from the lack-lustre 100mm.

I have obtained a great price and will be ordering it shortly, I have placed the lenses for sale on the AV Forums [www.avforums.com] to allow my fellow photogs the chance of these lovely lenses, failing that they will be on eBay later this week.

I will genuinely be sad to see the 100-400 go, it hasn't had much use though and lately I have been using it less and even leaving it at home. Anyway I hope the 180mm offers me many happy hours, coupled with the MT24 I can't see it not being a superb set-up.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Macro work - Part II

After looking further into the Macro swap it appears I could sell the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 for around £750, the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro for around £250. This would fund the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro, a 1.4x teleconvertor [for the 70-200] and an angled viewfinder.

The latter is something I have been thinking about for a while now, it would help when I'm on the deck attempting to take thos low level shots.

I simply can't decide if I would miss the 100-400 though, I haven't used it for a while and have even left it at home the last couple of times I've taken my gear out. I just can't help feeling I would miss it but then the 1.4x TC should give me enough reach to get me by.






H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Awful weather

Since swapping to the soft-back on my Freelander I've 'dropped the top' twice :( Not all due to the weather but it hasn't helped. It's been raining for a couple of days now and it's supposed to be the middle of summer.

I haven't managed to get out and do any photo's recently either, shot at a party at the weekend but the results were pretty awful so not happy with them. I don't seem to have been able to get out for a decent shoot since I got my 5D late last year, depressing when you think I have nearly £9k of gear waiting to be used.



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Shiney bits

Bought some lovely sparkly 2.5" stainless steel rock sliders for the freelander last week. Managed to get them fitted on Tuesday night and boy what a palaver! They come with tiny little bolts and washers so these had to be replaced, the rivnuts you use to affix to the existing chassis holes where a bugger to fit too!

The bars themselves weigh a bit too so lifting them to fix them was a struggle on my own. They do look great on there though, will have to get some photos of them and post them up for you.

Did notice a couple of little issues when I was under the truck, there is an odd drain pipe hanging out of the nearside wheel well, one of the exhaust rubbers is off and I have a bolt missing out of the sump guard. All easily fixeable though, might even get them done tonight :)



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Macro work

Since selling my Canon 350D to replace it with a Canon 5D I found myself lacking alot of lenses. Most relevant to this particular topic was my macro lense, I previously had the Canon 60mm Macro but as this is an EF-S lense and not compatible with the 5D it had to go. I replaced it with the Canon 100mm Macro and expected the same quality from it as the 60mm. Sadly this isn't the case, it just doesn't seem to have the same quality as the 60mm in terms of build or image.

I have taken a few shots with it and persisted despite my reservations but this is mainly due to the fact that it will cost me in excess of £800 for the only other Canon alternative, the 180mm f/3.5 L Macro. Whilst I would love this lense it's just more expense and more weight, neither of which I can justify right now.

I did pop the 100mm on this weekend and used it as my only lense when wandering back toward the car at the river Parrett. Here are a few shots, see what you think:



















H4rri
www.randomphotos.net

Public footpaths

So we're wandering along a public footpath next to the River Parrett in Somerset when this damned horse decides to attack us! He came running up and tried to bite me on my back & shoulder, luckily I managed to get far enough away to avoid being hurt but still!

I am seriously considering finding the farmer and reporting him for having dangerous animals wandering on a public footpath, surely these area's should be free for all to enjoy. I hate to think what would have happened if I'd had my 3 year old with me!

Anway, this is the beast in question, looks like butter wouldn't melt eh:






H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

51 Freelander TD4 GS Soft-Back

Some shots of my freelander for your viewing pleasure:















H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Postal delays

Well I've ordered a few shiney bits for the Freelander and a couple of other bits recently hoping I would get them in good time. With the postal delays I am missing a few bits, the people who used couriers though have got me their bits in good time.

I ordered my IR filter and that arrived the next day, a pair of rock sliders for the freelander came next day too as they we both couriers. The sunroof holder I ordered was RM though and that took 3-4 days to arrive!

Will have to bear this in mind when I order and send bits in the near future, can't help but think RM are going to be losing money and customers over this :



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

The long wait - Part II

Well at last the long wait is over, I have the Freelander in my posession and on my drive. Has a baptism of fire with it though as I've had to cover 200 miles this weekend starting as soon as I picked it up.

Noticed a couple of little issues like a smell of raw diesel [which aparently is most likely a loose injector] and the clutch is a little low so will need replacing in a short time. Also need to look at four tyres as the ones on there are getting low and causing road noise.

Got some photos of it this weekend and will put them on-line soon, just need to process them first and the Mac Mini will not recognise my card reader!

Swapped the hard-back out for the soft-back too this weekend, that isn't an easy job and to be honest don't see myself using it much. To drop the top you need to zip out the windows, remove them and replace them with covers and drop the top. I would say it's a 5 minute job to drop the top and 10 minutes to get it back up again. Not worth the hassle unless I'm out for the day. Still, at least I have the option ;)




H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Painting & Decorating - Part II

Right, finished my little girls room on Thursday night, managed to lay the carpet and get it all in bar the radiator cover. She came to stay on Friday though so it was more important to get it all back together for her.

She did love it too, had her speechless LOL never had that before.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Painting & Decorating

Have I ever told you how much I loathe decorating! The cutting in around the walls, it alsways looks straight but never is, no matter how hard you try you always get paint where it shouldn't be. The stink of the paint, the cleaning brushes and rollers and just the general downtime while you wait for the paint to dry *sigh*

Then there's the expense of it all, multiple coatings for the walls to get them in a fit state, the paint, rollers, brushes, trays etc. It all mounts up :(

Have been decorating my daughters room recently, been going at it for 5 days now and though the end is near there's still alot to do. We chose Turkish Delight [bright pink] and Amethyst for the walls, coupled with pink shelving, light switches and an amethyst radiator cover [all contrasting for effect] so it should look lovely BUT ....

Damn is that pink bright! I just hope my little angel doesn't think it's too bright and can't sleep in it. I really don't relish the thought of trying to tone down the pink.

Ah well, at least she'll love it and it has been due for a while :)



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Filters et al

Just ordered a 77mm R72 Infrared filter, looked at both the Hoya and the Kood versions, the Kood being half the price of the Hoya took it. If I use the filter alot then I might replace it but to be honest I've used Kood filters before and find them to be very good.

Should get some interesting shots from it. Haven't used my other filters much though, I have ND's, ND Grads, Sunset and a polariser which haven't seen much use yet. I also bought a red filter after seeing how gorgeous the sky was through my red sunglasses, unfortunately the filter just doesn't work the same LOL.

Not long now before I get the Freelander, then can head out and get some shots. Just got to find the charger for the 5D and charge the batteries ;)



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

The long wait

If you've been following this you will know I'm not the most patient person in the world. I hate waiting for things be it a new phone or a new car!

Not long now until I collect my 51 Freelander but it feels like forever, funnily enough I haven't had the 'kid at Christmas' feeling on this one. Perhaps after 45+ cars in my driving career the effect of getting a new one is wearing off. In fact I'm more concerned about the progress of the Foutrack on eBay, hope to get a decent price for it but to be honest I just need it gone so it's selling without a reserve *gulp*

Will be putting the Freelander to use straight away, my photog bud and I will be heading to Exmoor after we collect it to get some photos. So hopefully at the weekend I'll be able to upload some photo's of the truck as well as from it's first outing.

Ah well, back to waiting, waiting, waiting ....


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

New Phone - Part III

Well finally the Samsung S500i is repaired and ready for collection from the O2 store. It took them 14 [working] days to repair it though. Part of the problem is they couldn't find the proof of purchase on their system, despite me buying it from an O2 store, so were attempting to charge me for the repair.

That didn't irk me too badly though, what did is that I had to call them for an update, I then had the hassle of proving I purchased the phone and it being in warranty. This is a new model and hasn't been out 12 months yet!

Then I get a call the next day advising of the charge on the repair and how am I going to pay for it .... ! I put them straight then got a call 48 hours later to advise it's fixed. Time will tell I guess but I'll be selling it straight away so hope it's fine.



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Mac Mini - Part V

Hmm, first time I've hit a 'Part V'. Some sort of milestone I suppose ... Anyway since the move of the server into the loft space the Mac seems to have lost sight of the Windows network shares. Bit of a bind as this is my fileserver and has all my needed files on there.

I guess it will be a case of checking the whole thing this weekend [after the various jobs] and ascertaining where the problem lies. I also need to swap out a GigaBit switch downstairs as this 'appears' to be working but isn't passing data. Bit of a bind as the only spare I have left is an unreliable Netgear :(

Will be shutting down one of the 8Mb DSL's I have into the house as I no longer need [or use] the redundant link. I will then be looking to see if I can use the two spare Netgear routers as wireless repeaters to boost the signal around my property. Don't hold out much hope though and no doubt I will end up buying repeaters.

Anyway, in short the Mac is holding up well apart from an issue where when booted from power off it appears to go directly into sleep mode. Also have a problem with the Mac keyboard and mouse but no doubt I'll overcome all this shortly.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Gaming & Frustrations

So I'm 76% of the way through Colin McRae : Dirt and I've had some blinding results with an average finish of 1st, 70 wins and only 7 losses. Then I start one of the last tiers and it's all gone to hell! I am racing a track I have done once before in a favoured car and it just refuses to handle. Why oh why do games do this, they suck you in then go stupidly hard causing you to lose interest.

Had it with Overlord too, getting along fine, loved the game the *WHAM* rock hard, made me lose interest and I haven't picked it up since. I guess I will again one day but that day is a long way away. Too many good solid, consistent games out there to be played.

I get a couple of hours a night of gaming time, I don't want to waste them getting frustrated at a game and ending up more stressed than when I picked up the controller!


Ah well, time to get another new game I suppose so there is an upside ;)



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Buy low sell high

Well the Fourtrak is getting some interest so thats good, will be sorry to see it go but I need to get rid of it ready for the arrival of the Freelander next week. Got all the cash sorted, will have to nip to the bank then head out and hand it over [the hardest part].

Need to nip into a local city in the morning with it and that will be hard work as it will be only my second drive in it. Had in excess of 40 vehicles in my driving career so am used to changing them all the time and driving different cars. Always a nerve racking first few miles though.

The weather is improving today, no doubt it will be raining this weekend though, I need to cut the grass and decorate my daughters room this weekend. Guess if it's raining I'll do the decorating and if it's not I'll cut the grass first then grab a brush.

I hate decorating but it *has* to be done, I started it along time ago and just haven't had the energy to finish it. You know the way, you rush on into something then lose all enthusiasm when it comes to finishing it the day after.

Well I ramble on, nothing much happening today as it's all very quiet & dull here, Just counting the hours until the weekend when I can have a nice lie in and crack on with the jobs I have hanging over me.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Yet another new vehicle - Part II

Well I popped out to see the Freelander last night, was only down the road and we were there delivering a bike anyway. Looked a good little motor and went like a dream, managed to get it a little off the screen price but not alot. Enough to fill her up, buy some shiney bits and run it for a bit though :)

Got a few excess bits too which I will be selling to buy more shiney bits, I do love em, in time but for now I'm going to run it about for a bit.

I will be collecting it next Thursday, cleaning it on the weekend so watch out for some photos in Part III. The sad thing is I now have to sell the Fourtrak which has served me so well in the short time I've had it, the old girl is a blast and I'll be sorry to see it go.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Celestial photographs - Part II

Well after speaking to a few people in the know [www.avforums.com] it transpires that my fears are realised in that it isn't easy to shoot anything but Lunar shots with a smaller scope. Couple this with the fact it will need to be orientated everytime I move it and I can see this is a long old job. I still think I might get one in a year or two but I'm going to wait until my daughter is old enough to be interested in the stars before I commit to getting one.

Oh well thats another £400 saved and one less toy resigned to the loft after little use.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Yet another new vehicle

I have been driving the Fourtrak alot lately because it's just so much fun, my daughter loves it too as she can "see into the fields and watch all the sheep" so I'm looking to upgrade it. Now I was thinking of getting a newer Fourtrak but after looking around it appears they simply changed the lights and nothing else. It's exactly the same inside as my old '98 so no point changing. Most even had nearly double the mileage as mine!

So after looking around and checking out a mates Landrover Freelander I quite fancy one of them. Was looking at the petrol model until he told me of the many issues they suffer from, then the Di until I spotted all the bad reviews they got. Ok ok you win I'll get the damn TD4 version ;) More money but more reliable and a better drive with better spec than most. I was tempted by the ES version but decided more toys is more to go wrong and I'd be more reluctant to drive a newer [cleaner] model down the lanes I need to park it in.

Soo, the Skoda will be passed to the missus, her Corsa sold, my Fourtrak sold and Freelander replacing the two of them. Makes sense to lose one of the unused vehicles, will save me a fortune on insurance and tax alone!

Popping to see one tonight, a little more than I wanted to spend but I'm hoping to hammer down the price, also comes with a soft-top which I will sell on to recoup some of the overspend. Lovely example with only 35k on the clock so hopefully I will get it. Keep your fingers crossed for me :)


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Mac Mini - Part IIII

Well, the RAM went in without too much cursing. It is a mare of a job getting the top case off simply because it's all so tight. I managed to put a few marks in the base but all in all it's been worth it. After a couple of heart stopping moments, it wouldn't boot because the chassis wasn't grounded by the corner screws and then it booting into sleep mode, it shows the 2GB of RAM and Apple Aperture installed without error.

I am disappointed with the 'Mighty' mouse and Apple keyboard though, they don't work through my KVM USB switch and have to be directly connected. Then I have to set-up the keyboard to allow it to be used as an Apple original and not generic. The trouble is though that the keyboard set-up util keeps telling me it's an internal keyboard so I can't set it up!

Every other thing I have plugged in works a treat without drivers, including the Maxtor external HDD. The only thing that has thus far failed is the Apple kit! Disappointing.


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Mac Mini - Part III

Well the RAM arrived today, 2GB for £59 thats a £110 saving off Apple prices! Alright I now have the issue of fitting it but it's not like I'm useless at these things :)

Will be squeezing it in tonight, installing Aperture then re-touching a lot of my shots to see what difference it makes. Should also get the Apple keyboard & mouse today as well as the external HDD. Will be able to set-up a backup schedule when that shows up and now my shots are secure.

If all goes well with the Aperture trial I will be picking up a copy, £180 is a lot to spend on some software but at the end of the day I use it a lot and it's very good.



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Celestial photographs

I have been considering getting a telescope for a few months now, mainly for getting celestial shots but also for a bit of star gazing with my little girl. Looking around there a re a few out there and £400 gets you a nice motorised set-up ready to take the camera.

Will be looking about and getting advice before taking the plunge nearer winter. I really don't see the point in getting a rig in this weather, even if it does clear up the light pollution is terrible and the skies hazy.



H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Rain & Floods

Well we had a little good weather on Sunday and I was tempted to get the SV out for the short trip to work this morning. Checked the weather out of the window this morning and yep, it's raining again. Decided against it and brought the Fourtak in instead and boy am I glad I did! It's been raining non-stop all day :(

We missed the news completely this weekend and only managed to read the paper while we waited for our Chinese take-away. Seeing the images in there of the flooding around the country really brings it home to you. We have both friends and family living in or near the affected areas, thankfully they are all ok.

I'm glad we live on a hill, we are quite a few hundred feet above sea level here and nothing in the way of major rivers. The little ones we have around us are more like streams and nowhere near our house. I do wish I had fixed the leaky roof when I had chance though :(

I hope this post finds you well and that you are all safe, warm and dry. My thoughts are with all those people affected.




H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Mac Mini - Part II

Well I've managed to get the study sorted out and removed the unreliable shuttle from the equation. I've also moved my file server and wireless routers into the loft. Makes alot more room in the study and it's generally a nicer place to be working in :)

Tried to install Apple Aperture onto the Mac and it tells me I've not got enough RAM LOL, I kind of expected that but thought the app would install and just run slowly. Anyway I've ordered some more RAM from Crucial [www.crucial.com] at £60[ish] for 2GB! I also ordered a 320GB external HDD, Mac Keyboard and Mighty Mouse from Apple. Added an iPod dock at the last minute so the whole order came in around £200 and everything will be here mid next week.

Hope to have Aperture up & running by the weekend and the new backup solution in place. Happy days!


H4rri
www.randomphotos.net

Favourite photos

Well I've figured out the way to link my photos to the originating gallery on my site now LOL. You'd think it would be easy but I honestly have never bothered spending much time doing it.

Here's a few of my favourites:

























As you can probably tell, I do love skys and sunsets :)

H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net

Mac Mini - Off to the dark side

Well I've started the transfer to the dark side, or so some would say. Me I say I'm off to the light side, the side that offers speed, function, reliability and most of all security!

Got myself a 1.66Ghz Mac Mini to process my photos on, the main reason being the PC I was previously using is so badly unreliable that it was impossible for me to actually ever process any. Couple that with the fact that I lost *alot* of shots recently and you can see the reasoning.

Fired it up out of the box last night and was running inside 5 minutes, amazing! Will be running various installs tonight and I'll see how it copes with that. Should be able to use it in anger this weekend and will post some shots for all to see.

If all works out I will grab myself a 3Ghz Mac Pro and use the Mini for streaming media, the mini is my proverbial toe in the water ;)


H4rri
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www.randomphotos.net