Lake Toya (洞爺湖・とうやこ・Touyako)

Posted by Glen on 2012/01/17th No comments

A beautiful sunny day on the lake.

Lake Toya (洞爺湖・とうやこ・touyako) can be found in the Abuta District of Hokkaido, Japan. It is a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The stratovolcano of Mount Usu lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The circular lake is 10 kilometers in diameter East to West, and 9 kilometers from North to South. The lakes biggest town, Toyako Onsen (洞爺湖温泉・とうやこおんせん) is located on its western shore. The town Toyako is located on the other side of the lake.

Lake Toya is said to be the northernmost lake in Japan that never ices over, and the second most transparent lake in Japan. Nakano-shima, an island in the middle of the lake, houses the Toya Lake Forest Museum.

Lake Toya was called Kim’un-to (キムウン (kim’un) means “in the mountain” and ト (to) means “lake”) by the Ainu. In the Meiji era, Japanese pioneers named the lake Toya after the Ainu expression to ya, which means “lakeland.”

Location	Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō
Coordinates	Coordinates: 42°34′44″N 140°51′16″E
Lake type	oligotrophic crater lake
Primary inflows	Ō River (大川 Ō-gawa), Soubetsu River (ソウベツ川 Soubetsu-gawa)
Primary outflows	Sōbetsu River (壮瞥川 Sōbetsu-gawa)
Basincountries	Japan

Max. length	10 km (6.2 mi)
Max. width	9 km (5.6 mi)
Surface area	70.7 km² (27.3 sq mi)
Average depth	117.0 m (383.9 ft)
Max. depth	180 m (590 ft)
Water volume	8.19 km³ (1.96 cu mi)
Shore length¹	46 km (29 mi)
Surface elevation	84 m (276 ft)

Frozen	never
Islands	Nakano-shima
Settlements	Soubetsu, Hokkaidou, Touyako, Hokkaidou

3DCGI　システムキッチンデザイン

Posted by Glen on 2012/01/15th No comments

システムキッチンデザイン

札幌市すずらんキッチン

iPad Facts and Figures – The iPad 3 will be out soon

Posted by Glen on 2012/01/14th No comments

The iPad 3 with it’s new amazing screen will be here soon. I just hope they make it view-able in direct sunlight. My mobile phone uses chunks of metal between each view-able pixel to get around this problem.

The info graphic below was made by John Kumahara and Johnathan Bonnell. The info graphic contains interesting facts such as usage intention and amount iPad sold compared to the first iPhone.

The majority of users use the iPad to browse the internet, email and read books. Surprisingly only 26% will download (purchase) an app. Although maybe it is not that surprisingly considering an iPad app is an average of three dollars more expensive then an iPhone app. It will be interesting to see Apple’s report later on on how much iPad apps were sold over three months.

I’m starting to really like infographics like these with clear interesting data displayed in a beautiful design. Four weeks ago I also posted an infographic with the facts and figures about Google, which was really clear and informative.

Imagine how great it would be if people made infographics about Macbooks, laptops, blackberry, iPhone, etc. It would be a great aide when researching which product to buy. You will get a clear statistics and spend less hours reading all available reviews and users comment. I hope Jonathan and John will enlighten us with more infographics as nice and informative as this one.

Unboxing the iPad by Jonathan Kumahara and Jonathan Bonnell.

The iPad 2 was released and put in stores ages ago but next the iPad 3 will be out. It is said to have a retina screen and possibly be 3D. I wonder if it will have 2 cameras at the back and on the front.

Chromatic aberration / purple fringing on the Fuji X-PRO1

Posted by Glen on 2012/01/11th No comments

The Fuji X-PRO1 digital camera takes great shots but it looks like the lenses have a slight chromatic aberration problem (purple fringing).

Click on this sample image and look at the area circled. It’s small but a problem that needs to be fixed before the release of the camera in March 2012.

Exif Version	0230
Flashpix Version	0100
Color Space	1
Pixel X Dimension	3264
Pixel Y Dimension	4896
Components Configuration	YCbCr
CompressedBitsPerPixel	3.2
Date Time Original	2011:12:24 13:27:49
Date Time Digitized	2011:12:24 13:27:49
Exposure Time	1/480
F Number	11
Exposure Program	Aperture priority
ISO Speed Ratings	200
Shutter Speed Value	8.99
Aperture Value	6.92
Brightness Value	9.66
Exposure Bias	-1
Max Aperture Value	2
Metering Mode	Pattern
Light Source	Unknown
Flash	Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length	18
Focal Plane X Resolution	2092
Focal Plane Y Resolution	2092
Focal Plane Resolution Unit	3
Sensing Method	One-chip color area sensor
File Source	DSC
Scene Type	Directly photographed
Custom Rendered	Normal process
White Balance	Auto white balance
Focal Length In 35mm Film	27
Scene Capture Type	Standard
Sharpness	Normal
Subject Distance Range	Unknown
InteroperabilityIFDPointer	5208
ExifIFDPointer	2424
Orientation	1
YCbCr Positioning	2
X Resolution	72
Y Resolution	72
Resolution Unit	2
Date Time	2012:01:11 23:28:50
Make	FUJIFILM
Model	X-Pro1

Samsung’s 27 inch SB970, 2560px x 1440px, PLS, FPR, 3D computer monitor S27B970

Posted by Glen on 2012/01/07th 3 comments

Samsung’s 27 inch SB970 3D Computer Monitor, 2560px x 1440px, FPR, PLS, Over 1 Billion Colors

This is Samsung’s second PLS (Plane Line Switching) monitor.

Samsung’s PLS panel technology debuted on the SA850 last year to impressive results except for the back-lighting.

The S27B970 series monitor is the first monitor since the SA850 to utilize this panel technology and also makes use of Samsung’s exclusive Natural Color Expert technology. Samsung states that this includes “hardware color calibrations within the monitor to ensure there is no displayable loss of tonalities on screen”.

Like the SA850, the 27-inch monitor has a high resolution of 2,560×1,440 pixels (WQHD). The monitor allows for a 4-inch height adjustment and tilt, but it’s unclear whether swivel or pivot are provided.

The circular aluminum base has a USB hub, and video connections including DisplayPort, DVI, and HDMI. A Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) for MHL-enabled smartphones and tablets available to connect your compatible tablets and smart-phones on this huge screen.

The SB970 arrives in March, with prices starting at $1199.99.

Screen size: 27-inch
Resolution: 2,560px x 1,440px WQHD (Wide Quad-HD)
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Static contrast ratio: 1,000:1;
Mega 8 DCR on High Bright / Cinema Mode
VESA mount: N.A.
Viewing angle: 178/178 degrees
Vertical lift: 100 mm
Built-in 7W stereo speakers
HDMI, DVI and DisplayPort inputs
Wireless LAN
3 USB ports (2 USB 3.0 & 1 USB 2.0)
Over one billion colors
On-board color calibration system
65W AC/DC Adapter

PLS (Plane Line Switching) monitor with a brushed aluminum finish

Samsung’s 27 inch SB970

Anti-glare edge-to-edge tempered glass display and a super slim profile built on an ergonomic height-adjustable aluminum stand that allows users to fluidly adjust the ergonomics including height and angle to their desired viewing position.

The Samsung Series 9 S27B970 Monitor: Looks like it will be a brilliant display.

Article: The iPad3 and iPad4 might be released in 2012 to compete with Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Windows 8 Phones

Posted by Glen on 2011/11/07th 1 comment

The “iPad 4″, as those sources have dubbed it, will stick with the 9.7-inch display size – and, presumably, the higher resolution panel of the iPad 3 – but will pair it with “much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications.” They’re designed to better compete with Windows 8 tablets expected in Q3 this year, as well as the new legion of Ice Cream Sandwich Android slates.

Apple’s relatively moderate changes to the iPad 3, the sources indicate, will allow the company to do the unthinkable: push out a higher resolution display while simultaneously lowering the price. In fact, Apple is said to be planning to knock $100 off the iPad 3, bringing the entry-level model to $399 and ratcheting up the pressure on its already struggling rivals.

Still, while this all sounds well and good, it’s definitely not the first time we’ve heard talk of a pair of iPads in a single year. Apple was tipped to be planning the same thing for 2011, launching the iPad 2 in Q1 and then following up with an HD-screen version later on. Those intentions were reportedly scuppered after issues securing sufficient 2048 x 1536 displays and with providing sufficient backlighting to the pixel-dense panels without making the slate fat.

As always, the rumors are sparse on details, and should be taken with more than the recommended daily dosage of salt. Still, Apple’s investment into the supply chain has already proved its worth, allowing the company to deliver expensive components like aluminum casings and IPS displays while keeping prices competitive, and squeezing suppliers a little more to shave $100 off the iPad 3 isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. A 32GB iPad 2 costs Apple $337 to build and retails at $599, for instance, and those BoM estimates were from back in early 2011.

What remains to be seen is exactly how the “much upgraded hardware” for the fourth-gen iPad – undoubtedly already in development – pans out. That could see the debut of the Apple A6 chipset, itself believed to be ready for primetime in 2012, boosting speed and efficiency of the tablet, along with a new, significant iteration of iOS.

The iPad 3 won’t be released until the 3rd quarter of 2012 but the iPad 2s (speed) will be here soon.

The 3rd-generation iPad has a faster CPU and the screen is also higher resolution, compared to the iPad 2 (2nd-generation). More details soon.

Case-Mate: 67% of iPhone failures are due to cracked screens.

HiDPI monitors, displays and devices

Posted by Glen on 2011/10/14th No comments

HiDPI monitors will be here soon.

Since 2006 Apple has been working on a high-DPI mode and you can now try in in Lion. It’s a step towards resolution independence, a UI holy grail in which UI elements are the same size for users across all resolutions — so whether you’re looking at an icon on an iPhone, MacBook Air, or Cinema Display, they’re all exactly the same size. :)

Article: Release Date and Review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV(4)

Posted by Glen on 2011/09/28th No comments

Looks like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV(4) will be announced in October [1] along with a new pro printer.

It is going to shoot about 12 FPS and be about 28 MP with the new digic VI(6) system. It is also rumored as having Dual Pixel AF III, advanced AF technology, anti-flicker technology, crop mode, and an ISO range of 100-204800.

Autofocus

Dual Pixel AF III: 61 cross points and auto focus assist light

Lens Compatibility

All Canon EOS EF lenses should work. Including older lenses from as far back as the 1980s.

Old manual focus FD lenses or earlier won’t work.

What I would like to see in this new digital camera:

50 MP

8K video

Easy to use hue/color adjustment settings.

Lots of fun filters: Miniature, pop colors, toy camera, etc. Also the ability to make and load our own.

USB Type C

Wifi and GPS built in