Happy New Year!!!

Here's to wishing everyone a wonderful new year! Hope you all had a memorable year 2006. It's time to welcome 007!

Adobe CS3 Icons - Periodic Table of Elements?

Can't help myself - had to take screen shots of the new icons from the Beta version of CS3! They look like the periodic table of elements. So, what elements are Ps and Br?

Icons (from left to right): Photoshop CS3, Bridge CS3, Stock Photos CS3.

ps - thanks to ekky for pointing this out! ;)

Photoshop CS3 1st Public Beta Out!!!

Alright alright, it's not yet the final version, but I'm excited to see the beta version! It's available for download at Adobe Labs now. I'm currently downloading it, and will post my initial reactions/observations immediately.

Photoshop CS3 links:

• Photoshop User's CS3 Learning Section
• Quick Look at CS3's New Features by Scott Kelby
• Adobe Labs Download Site

Thank you, Adobe!

I have downloaded it and I like the new icons! I am a sucker for new icons and the new CS3 icons are sleek and nice!

My New Toy!

I have been thinking of getting a new lens and I finally did get a new one last Saturday! It wasn't an easy choice because I went over my budget. But then, people said it's a good investment.

So, what did I get? Ta-nan....it's the Canon 17-40 f4 L lens! They said it's a good walkaround lens and I kinda like the wide-angle coverage. Other options I had in mind were:

• Tamron 17-50mm f.28
  
• Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L
• Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS

The last 2 are really out of my budget. :)

I'm happy because I feel that my camera looks 'professional' now! hahaha! Can't wait to try this out when I go to Indonesia this week. I'll post pictures later on.

Here's a picture of the lens, courtesy of amazon.com:

A Bit of Photoshop History...

John Nack (from Adobe) posted a link to all splash screens of Photoshop. It's nice to remember how long you've been using this application just by looking at the screens. Here's a link:

http://photoshopnews.com/feature-stories/photoshop-splash-screens/

Other things that you might want to see:
- photoshop icons: http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/images/ps-icon-history.gif
- photoshop toolbars: http://photoshopnews.com/feature-stories/photoshop-tool-bars/

John Nack's blog: http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack

Krispy Kremes in Manila!

For those of you excited to taste Krispy Kremes in Manila, we got free samples last Saturday at Hobbes, Greenbelt 3. I don't know if they still have it, but it doesn't hurt to try it out.

Krispy Kreme opens on Nov 30 at the Fort. Hobbes has a store beside them that's why they're promoting Krispy Kreme.

Btw, treats are in store for the 1st customer to ring the cash register: a 1 year supply of Original Glazed doughnuts.

Prices of doughnuts in the Philippines: P30 for original glazed doughnuts and P38 for assorted doughnuts.

PAC-MAN!!!

Congratulations, Manny 'PACMAN' Pacquiao!

kuler - new from Adobe Labs!

Checkout http://kuler.adobe.com/ ! It's new from Adobe Labs.

With Kuler, you can browse, create and share color themes for your web pages and other design/creative projects. You can then download the theme and use them with Adobe Creative Suite 2 apps!

You need to have an Adobe ID/Account to create your own. It has a nice interface and it's very very simple to use. It even gives you the RGB combination so you can easily use it with your projects. Here's a sample of the interface.

Lightroom Killer Tips!

For those of you using the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, check out this new site from Matt Kloskowski called the Adobe Lightroom Killer Tips!

It's a videocast and you can subscribe it in iTunes or view the videos from the site itself.

Go check it out! I downloaded it immediately when I found out about it. Also, if you haven't done it yet, go download Adobe Lightroom now for free!

Aperture 1.5 Trial Version

Big update from Apple - they made a trial version of Aperture available to everyone! Is this a move to compete with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom? I think so. Lightroom is offered for free (since it's still in beta), and this is the only way for Apple to attract more photographers to use their product.

My initial impressions - Lightroom is very simple to use and light on the machine. Aperture requires more processing power. Aperture's interface seems to have been designed for advanced photographers. Meanwhile, Lightroom has the simple menus like presets to fix white balance, etc. I will find time and post my comments on Lightroom's latest version (beta 4.1).

Apple also posted an update to Aperture (version 1.5.1 now).

Links:
Aperture -> www.apple.com/aperture
Lightroom -> labs.adobe.com

the BTT guy!

sunset and BTT
Originally uploaded by stephan_alba.

A very very nice sunset silhouette by Stephan... bonus points to those who can guess who the person is and what he is doing... hahaha!

Boom Tarat Tarat!

In our recent Boracay Trip, Boom Tarat Tarat was one of our sources of entertainment as this was performed by Dan and PJ while walking in the beach.

For those of you who do not know what this is, this is a catchy song/dance performed in Wowowee. The best performer/dancer for this song is then chosen as the 'Bigatin' and has the chance to win prizes in the show.

For those with good imagination, here are the lyrics and dance steps. Dance steps are courtesy of Stephan.

Boom Tarat Tarat lyrics and dance steps

BOOM (pump both fists), TARAT (hold right a$ cheek), TARAT (hold left a$ cheek) 2x
TARARAT (wave up both hands to the right)
TARARAT (wave up both hands to the right) Or left, if you want to be creative :)
BOOM BOOM BOOM (pump it up 3x)

Now go and dance!

Photo Details: Dan figuring out the 'boom tarat tarat' dance moves in Boracay! Picture courtesy of Stephan Alba.

2 for the road - new MacBook Pros!

(Oct 25) Apple just announced new MacBook Pros featuring the Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Compared to their first release of the mac book pros last January, everything else is the same except for the items below:

New Specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processors (4MB of shared L2 cache compared to 2MB)
• 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (default RAM for the $1,999 model)
• 120 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
• Slot-load 6x SuperDrive with Dual Layer Support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW)
• Firewire 800 port

Old Specs:

• Intel Core Duo Processors
• 512MB (single SODIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (default RAM for the $1,999 model)
• 80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
• Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)

The Dual Layer DVD support is the update I have been waiting for. I got my PowerBook October 2005 and I got the last update to the Power PC line. The specs I have are:

• Slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• 512MB of PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM running at 333 MHz (I added 1GB to make it 1.5GB)
  
• 80GB Ultra ATA/100 (5400 rpm) hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor
• two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800

The main advantages of the new macbook pros are the upgraded hard drive space and the built-in camera/remote. Plus of course, it's faster compared to the Power PC model. Anyway, I am glad to know that the MacBook Pros have reached this upgrade. However, I don't think I will make the switch to Intel yet. I am still happy with my PowerBook. =)

For those interested to find out the difference between Intel Core Duo and Core 2 Duo, check this link: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49283370,00.htm?r=17

TV Shows, tv shows, tv shows...

As an addict of tv shows, here's what I have been watching lately...

Returnees (my top shows):

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Prison Break
3. Lost
4. Desperate Housewives
5. House, MD

New Shows:

1. Studio 60 On The Sunset
2. The Nine

Other shows that keep me busy are:

1. CSI (NY, Vegas, Miami)
2. The Unit
3. Numb3rs
4. Blade the Series -> season 1 has ended; can't wait for season 2!

Go to www.tv.com for more details on these shows.

Check out my Photos!

Check out my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_lao/sets

I will be updating that soon with new pictures from the following events:
- Pet & Trixie's Wedding
- Boracay Trip

Watch out for it!

Starting Out in Digital Photography

In the past couple of months, I've been a student of photography. Yes, I was finally bought another new gadget last July - a digital SLR! I got enticed by Stephan's Canon EOS 350d so I got one for myself.

Anyway, here are a few sites that have helped me so far...

1. Photoshop TV -> http://www.photoshoptv.com
Subscribe to their videocast if you can! Their episodes are pretty amusing (c/o Scott Kelby who always makes fun of his co-hosts). Anyway, they do give out a lot of tips in Photoshop (and how to fix your photos), but most of all, they sometimes have tips on digital photography.

2. Digital Photography School Blog -> http://www.digital-photography-school.com/blog/
Very very good site that gives you tips on how to take better pictures, etc.

3. Adobe Lightroom -> http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/
If you want a very simple tool to manage your photos and your workflow, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is the way to go. Check out the product now! I will provide a different post for this product later on. But right now, Beta 4 is one big leap from beta 3 in terms of performance.
>> just as I am posting this (Oct 20), beta 4.1 just came out!

4. Digital Photographer Magazine -> http://www.digitalphotographer.com.ph/
This originated from a UK, and a Philippine version is available. The current issue (issue #4) is probably the best that they have in terms of providing tips to people on how to shoot. If you can, pick up the latest issue. It has tips from the popular wedding photographers in the Philippines. The link I have points to their site where you can actively participate in

Go and check out these sites!

My First Ever Blog Post!

Finally! I can't believe it - I am blogging! I have thought about doing this for the longest time but I just haven't had the time to do so. Good luck to me and whatever I'll be writing here! Hahaha!