Picasa for the Mac
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ~ 1 Comment
I’ve used Picasa on my Windows machine for a few years now, it is my photo library and where I probably do most of my photo editing as well. I just love the way the application works as it ‘just works’.
So to hear that, finally, it is available for Macs certainly does warm my cockles.
(hang on, I’m not a cockney… there are no cockles here!)
The thing about Picasa, something I’ve only really considered since hearing this news, is that the way it’s been designed seems almost Apple-like, with small touches well designed and well thought out. Of all the applications I run on my Windows PC, Picasa is the most pleasurable to use, it is a powerful application that seems simple. Not something that can be said for every Windows based application.
When I got my MacBook I did consider making it the main computer in the house, moving all my media files and work files to an external drive and switching my personal computing habits over to the way Apple do things. I never did make that switch and one of the reasons was that, with 6 years of digital photos in the library, the prospect of having to use iPhoto to manage them filled me with dread.
I wonder now if I can finally make the switch.
Music wise I use iTunes, so that’s fine. Work wise most of my projects are web based so all I need is an FTP client and text editor, again the Mac is well equipped to handle those things (Coda for example). Beyond that I already know the Mac will handle everything else I need it to do.
So, for me, Picasa is the cherry on the icing. The finishing touch that should let me, finally, work the way I want to work, independently of any constraint enforced on me by the operating system and choice of applications. Yup, sounds like it is time to get that QNAP NAS drive I’ve been pondering.
For those interested:
DIY Time?
Monday, January 5, 2009 ~ 4 Comments
Hellooooo Oooo ooo
Blimey, isn’t the house big when you take down all the tat Christmas decorations.
As ever, with the house returned to a semblance of order (ohh I do like a bit of order) thoughts turn to DIY. Namely the funny patches of paint just inside the living room door where we’ve daubed various shades of blue and grey in an effort to see which colour is best.
I don’t mind painting, it’s fairly painless, it’s the preparation that is the hassle.
Choosing the paint, buying the paint, getting out the old paint brushes, realising the old paint brushes weren’t cleaned properly and having to go back to the DIY store to buy new ones.
Digging out the roll of edging tape, edging off the.. ohh balls we’ve run out.
Back to the DIY store.
Edges done, paint on walls, time to clean the brushes with the…
Back to the DIY store.
And so on and so forth.
And that’s all before someone decides we should really rejig the living room, wouldn’t the sofa be better there, or maybe there?
And so on and so forth.
Still, I do have one little DIY project which will bring a little bit of personal pride to our living room. The hang of some of my photos. Still sussing out how best to do it, but have the fishing line prepared and think, if I can get it right, it’ll look fab. Photos of the.. er.. photos.. will follow.
My iPhone Apps
Sunday, January 4, 2009 ~ 4 Comments
One of the problems with the iPhone, yes despite all the hype it has a few, is the sheer number of applications that are available. The simplest type of application will have several different offerings, some free, some paid, all of which will do, largely, the same thing.
I’ve installed a lot of applications, mostly free ones and removed a fair share as well and as the current list hasn’t changed dramatically for quite a while now I thought it a good a time as any to have a flip through the screens and tell you what applications I have installed, and why.
On TV food
Saturday, January 3, 2009 ~ 4 Comments
No, I’m not making an appearance…
I don’t watch a huge amount of TV. I tend to prefer movies and sport but I do watch the odd series, mostly American TV. Things like 24, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes… I fell away from Lost and Desperate Housewives, and lost interest in The Sopranos when they changed the time slot (this was before we had Sky+). I’ll happily watch 30mins of something entertaining to fill the time, but my boredom threshold is quite low and I’m soon hankering for something else.
So it won’t come as a surprise that, beyond the initial intrigue, I don’t really care who is in the Celebrity Big Brother house. Tommy Sheridan is enough to make me turn off the news, so I don’t see CBB getting much of my viewing time.
I’m also less than interested in who the new Dr.Who will be, despite the fact BBC News think it worthy of a slot. However it does mean that I know there can only be 12 incarnations of the rubbishness that is Dr.Who, and the next one will be number 11 so… soon we’ll be done with them and their crappy special effects and cheesy story lines.
Ohh that was a bit harsh. Oh well.
One thing I don’t watch much of, despite having several channels of them to choose from, is documentaries. So perhaps that will be my get out, instead of watching yet another repeat of Frasier (which, to be fair, still make me laugh), I’ll turn over and watch something from the documentary channels.
Or, you know, The Simpsons.
Good evening and goodnight
Friday, January 2, 2009 ~ 7 Comments
I’ve mentioned this before but the internet is evil and keeps me awake at night.
Since then I’ve realised that the problem isn’t the computer, the internet, or anything that is posted on the internet. It’s me.
Yeah, yeah, obvious, I know.
So, what I think is really needed (something graybo hinted at in the comments to that post) is to add a human… wait! SOCIAL… factor. After all, isn’t these very social websites that are keeping us all up until the wee small hours?
One last check for Facebook updates, a quick peek to see if anyone else has twittered in the last 3 minutes, and maybe just a teeny tiny glance at the RSS feeds, all of a sudden it’s 2am. Again. And you are getting up in 4 hours and, for some reason, your employers expect an honest days work from you (we’ll cover THAT one another time).
What I’m proposing is some form of website where you and your ‘friends’ can monitor the fact that you are online. You’d set your preferred bedtime and, as and when you are spotted online at any of the social websites you use, your friends would be alerted and they could all start hassling you to go to bed.
Admittedly, such a system is not without flaw. For one thing the method used by your network of friends would most likely have to be something online which would, no doubt, led us straight back to square one.
“Ohhh a tweet from X telling me to go to bed… I really should!… ohh look… Y has updated and posted a link… *click* “
I’m sure we can work round that issue though.
Which leaves only one other problem with such a solution. Out of everyone in your network of friends, across all of the myriad of social websites, SOMEONE has to be last to bed, so who nags them when it’s 4am???
Bagsy not last!!
Day 1
Thursday, January 1, 2009 ~ 3 Comments
The year is 2009. The day is less than 20 hours old and I’m pondering.
Shall I try and post EVERY SINGLE DAY? (madness!).
Shall I run a “T-Shirt off my back” competition (in tribute to Troubled Diva, of course).
Or shall I simply switch this to my tumblr feed and let the twitters, delicious linkage, last.fm tracks, photos and random blog posts become the main focus? (or, perhaps, that would be something for gordonmclean.co.uk.. aha! an idea is forming!).
And if I do decide to post EVERY SINGLE DAY, does it matter if most of them are, like this, complete, waffling, filler?
Hmmmm, I ponder.
Hogmanay
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 ~ No Comments
The year is drawing to a close, the house is tidied, the bins are empty, just my grotty self to clean and polish.
As is now tradition we’ll head down to spend New Year with friends. We’ll drink, drink, eat, play games, drink, laugh, drink, and finally give up and call it a night/morning.
If we are back in our street in time we might even pop in and first foot the neighbours, as that is what hogmanay is all about, finding the next party to celebrate the coming of a new year.
All the very best to all of you, thanks for visiting throughout 2008, and here’s to a fantastic 2009.
Raise your glasses, one and all. Sláinte Mhath!
