Turkey Day in Hellville
2006-11-22, 12:29

If there's one complaint that I have about the Canon so far, it's that the thing is not exactly user-friendly. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having to learn things about how to use the thing, but the process isn't very intuitive. Maybe they were making an effort to make the user feel like they were holding something that wasn't designed for the point-and-shoot crowd, to make it seem like the hoity-toityness of it justified the price tag. For instance, I have yet to figure out, without delving into the manual, how to export in RAW format rather than JPEG, something I think should be obvious in the menu setup process. And the software that comes with the camera seems outdated or just poorly designed, and definitely not 2.0-like. Perhaps they're still trying to drag old-schoolers along with them while still trying to attract newbies, and are having trouble finding a balance. I'm going with poorly designed, though; as a matter of fact, there was one whole section of program that I installed off their comes-with-it disc that isn't even compatible with the camera. What's with that? As someone who feels they shouldn't have to scour a manual to get software up and running (for me, the equivalent of not wanting to ask for directions when driving), this irks me a little. And the photography 'Pro' software that comes with it seems, so far, lame and near useless, other than to export images off the camera (export? really? why do I need a conduit to get pictures off the camera?).

But the benefits so far totally outweigh any software snafus. The few pictures I've taken so far have an amazing amount of detail. The images are, at its max setting, crazy big - like 3-4 MB per shot big; I'd better get myself burning DVDs for storage more often but quick. And from a good five or six feet away I can still clearly see skin texture details, even with a flash. That's good stuff. I really look forward to putting this thing to some serious work, and I can only hope to be able to use it to its potential. I've got a lot of learning to do, now that I have something that demands it. Anyone know of a good reference, net-based or book-based, for someone who doesn't have time for full-on photography courses. I know that I have an 'eye', but my talent is very raw and horrendously unfocused (like most things in my life). It's high time I took it seriously.

So tomorrow comes another Turkey Day, once again this year at my brother's house. We're providing a veggie tray for early snacking, a sweet potato casserole and one of last year's big hits, spicy pumpkin soup. If all goes well it should be a very casual day, as it should be. I'm looking forward to curling up on the couch with a wife, a baby and a mug of hot tea while trying to ignore Al Roker during the parade. I just with The Boy and The Girl could be with us, but they'll be elsewhere, making an effort to pretend to enjoy themselves, I imagine. But then they're home for nine days, so I guess it's a trade-off. At least they'll be here when we do the big meal thing again on Saturday with H's family.

According to UPS, I should be getting my package of audio super happiness times today. Super happiness times! And I get to go home early today, to boot, although a good chunk of the free time will be spent shopping for foodstuffs for tomorrow. So be it; I'll have a good chunk of the weekend to play with my new toys. Super happiness times!

-- End Transmission --