Create Instagram like images in Photoshop

by | May 31, 2012 | Blog, Photography, Software

If you are like me and enjoy the filters that Instagram uses in it’s iOS and Android apps but would like to create the look in Photoshop you are in luck!  Daniel Box has created a set of Photoshop actions that mimic the filters found in Instagram.
I know there are lots of people who absolutely hate these types of effects, but I rather enjoy them.  :)

They can be found here on his blog.

This sample is the “Brannan” action.

  • Camera: NIKON D7000
  • Taken: 16 May, 2012
  • Aperture: ƒ/5.6
  • Focal length: 300mm
  • ISO: 250
  • Shutter speed: 1/1250s

Sky

by | May 19, 2012 | Blog, Wallpaper

Sky_Wallpaper

  • Camera: NIKON D7000
  • Taken: 4 May, 2012
  • Aperture: ƒ/5
  • Focal length: 58mm
  • ISO: 500
  • Shutter speed: 1/1250s

Nokia Lumia 900 review

by | Apr 6, 2012 | Blog, Microsoft Windows, Product Reviews

I pre-ordered the Nokia Lumia 900 through AT&T earlier this week and received it this morning.  I’ve already been a Windows Phone user for awhile.  I picked up the Samsung Focus when it first came out but was disappointed by Windows Phone at the time.  So, I went back to the iPhone until the Samsung Focus S and Windows Phone 7.5 came out.  Once I started using Windows Phone with the Focus S I was hooked.  Yes, there are some apps I miss from iOS, but overall I love the Windows Phone OS.  I’m still a bit flabbergasted by the lack of VPN support on a Windows platform.  I’m in IT and need to connect into work from time to time.  I’ve worked around it but am still a bit irritated by it.

So, here is my review of the Lumia 900.  I’ll be updating this through the weekend as I use it more.

The body of this is amazing.  The build quality is fantastic and the weight is nice in the hand.  I’ve seen some reviewers who have said it is not comfortable but I love it.   The screen is awesome, it is readable in bright direct sunlight.  The colors pop with bright whites and dark blacks.

The buttons will take a bit of getting used to since I’m used to a bit different placement from the Samsung Focus S.

Software it’s everything I’m used to with Windows Phone.  I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of visual voice-mail. Navigating through Windows Phone is fluid and smooth.  Bluetooth and WiFi work as expected with no issues connecting to my Bluetooth stereo in my car.

Call quality is good but I find myself not getting the speaker at my ear just right so far.  I think it’s just because it’s a little higher than where it is on the Samsung Focus S. The built in speaker is fine but the speaker on the Samsung Focus S is better with a clearer sound quality. Not that either one is particularly fantastic, though I’ve never heard a smartphone where I was impressed by the speaker.

The camera is good but not as good as I was expecting.  I would say that the iPhone is better.  The responsiveness on the Lumia 900 is faster than the Samsung Focus S and the pictures tend to be better, especially in low light. I haven’t tried the Nokia Apps yet.  There is supposed to be a Nokia Music app but I haven’t found it yet.

I haven’t had the Lumia 900 long enough to comment on battery life just yet.

The reviews for the Lumia are a mixed bag, most are unimpressed with the specs but all tend to agree that the design is a breathe of fresh air in a market filled phones that all look alike.

Round up of reviews:
CNET.com
The Verge
Engadget
Digital Trends

Update 4/9/2012:  So, Saturday morning a friend asked me if I received text messages he sent me and I hadn’t.  So I rebooted the phone and messed with it for awhile.  I was not receiving text messages and had no 3G/4G data.  WiFi data worked just fine.  The text messaging issue ended up being a problem with my account.  They accidentally removed text messaging for some reason.  AT&T got that fixed but I still experienced the no data issue.  After a couple of hard resets it would work but then after a reboot it would quit again.  I went into one of the stores and they hadn’t received their stock of the phones so I couldn’t swap it out yet.  This morning I went back to the store and they swapped the phone out for a new one and all seems good now.

There are some reports of others experiencing this issue because of a manufacturing defect of some sort.  Hopefully the problem isn’t widespread or it’ll turn into a bunch of bad PR for a really good phone.

HP P1102W prints a blank page then throws error

by | Mar 30, 2012 | Blog, Computer Tips

I’ve been using one of the HP P1102W laserjet printers.  It’s a great printer that supports iOS’s AirPrint as well as HP’s ePrint.

It periodically spits out a blank page and then the orange light (I assume it’s an error light?) starts flashing when I would print a document.

After some troubleshooting and a bit of mild anger (and a bit of help from a co-worker) the problem was narrowed down to when I printed a single page from a multiple page PDF.  The fix is in the Print dialogue box.  There’s a setting called “Print on both sides of paper” that was checked by default.  Unchecking that fixed my issue.  Some have mentioned clicking the “Advanced” button and selecting “Print as image” as a possible fix, but it didn’t work for me.

JVC KD-X50BT Review

by | Mar 22, 2012 | Blog, Product Reviews


Vehicles that are paid for and continue to work are nice. My 1997 Chevrolet truck has 225,000 miles on it.  The air doesn’t work, the driver side door wasn’t working from the inside and the tires on the front were as close to bald as you can get without being illegal.  I had been thinking of getting rid of it and getting something newer. The thought of another car payment is not a pleasant idea. So, I figured I’d give my truck dome attention and curb my desire to replace it.

$200 for tires is not fun, but they look and feel much better.  I rigged a handle in the door so I don’t have to roll down the window to get out.  To help with no air conditioner I tinted the windows, which turned out much better than I expected.  Then I replaced the old stereo, which wasn’t picking up radio anymore and sported a cassette player.  I had been using using a static laden cassette adapter to listen to music through.

I went with a JVC KD-X50BT it has Bluetooth, USB ports and an aux input.  It also has FM radio that works which is a plus, I guess.   The Bluetooth works well for streaming and or hands free calling through my Samsung Focus S Windows Phone.  It comes with a microphone with a long wire that can be mounted close to the driver for talking.  The aux input works as expected as does the USB port using a thumb drive. There are 2 USB ports but one will be taken up by the Bluetooth adapter. It also supports iPhone and iPod control through the USB port but i didn’t try it.

You can change the color of the buttons and display to about 25 different colors, which is cool.

Installation was super easy.  I picked up a Scosche radio install kit for about $10 on Amazon and a Scosche wiring adapter from Walmart for $8.  In about 2 hours I had the old radio out, the wire adapters connected together, the Scosche kit in, the radio slid in and some tunes pumping out.

One word of warning, it does not have a CD player so you can get rid of those burned CDs. I was just fine since I don’t use them anymore.  I think it’s probably been 2 or 3 years since my last purchased CD in favor of the Zune marketplace or Amazon.com downloads.

Overall I am very pleased with the stereo unit and just hope my truck keeps running now that I invested a bit of money in it.

Reset identity column value in SQL Server

by | Mar 15, 2012 | Blog, SQL Server

I had an instance where I needed to reset the identity value on a table.

This command will tell you what the next identity value for a table is:
DBCC CHECKIDENT (‘TABLENAME’, NORESEED)

This command will set the next identity value (it sets the value to 1 + the number you enter)
DBCC CHECKIDENT (‘TABLENAME’, RESEED, 0)

I’m not sure what the consequences of doing this on a table that already has records in it.
I imagine you could end up with duplicate values.  I was doing this on a table I had emptied first.