bigger pic here...

current gadget infatuation: evaluating the Sansa Express 1GB mp3 player. an innocuous yet slick piece of gadgetry.

pros:

• really excellent sound
• very fast boot time
• player boots up into previous state. i.e. pause mode or play mode into the last song played
  
• long battery life (so far)
• expandable with up to a 2 GB microSD card
• custom EQ
  
• FM radio reception is excellent and configurable for USA, Japan or the world
  
• no proprietary cable required
• extremely compact and light
• the best little UI screen i've used so far (OLED rocks)
• navigable just by touch alone
• overall industrial design is very good. IMHO they hit it outta the park
• relatively environmentally friendly packaging. i.e. tiny blister pack
  

cons:

• shuffle mode sucks. doesn't really shuffle all of the songs
• occasionally the display will barf so i gotta shut down and restart
• sometimes microSD card not recognized
• microSD card sticks out a tiny bit so it theoretically can be disdlodged and lost
• no clock or alarm
• controls got into sleep mode when display turns off

bottom line? despite the bugs this is, surprisingly, one of the most enjoyable players i've ever used; neutral sound, pocketable, no cables or batteries to lose or replace and a tiny yet still very useable display. i wish it came in a 2 GB size, but i'll have to wait and see. the product was rushed to the public hence the bugs, but rest assured there will be a firmware fix fairly shortly because the exisiting bugs simply demand it. i'm not too worried about this cuz Sandisk has always been very relaible wrt firmware updates.

questions? drop me a line at johnchongatgmaildotcom

A very informative video of a presentation on why Starbucks is so successful. I highly recommend people watch this even though it is 18 minutes long; it is time well spent.

this series was shot this summer at "Le Grand Répertoire"; a show being held in the Grand Palais in Paris. this is the 1st time I've ever used the motordrive f'n on the digital camera. seemed to work ok, but the frame rates could have been a bit faster.

the shot is of a water cannon shooting water via compressed air. I'm not one to enjoy having water thrown on me, but considering the oppressive conditions it was a relief for all that stood in the blast radius of the water cannon. the expression of the people's faces, young and old when viewing closeups of the image files was priceless.

this is f**king surreal... funny... but surreal...

happy belated Easter...

for your viewing pleasure, a couple of vignettes:



a roadtrip a while back. George is quite the character; Orlando? Orlando is Orlando, 'nuff said.





last summer in Paris, visiting friends, i finally managed to do Paris-Roller. it was unforgettable and surreal blading around Paris at night.