照片背後 – 背影

印象中爸爸一向都是一個沉默寡言的人，小時候沒有多少機會跟他說話。只有從媽媽口中知道爸爸少年才來到香港，由不懂廣東話，變了滿口廣東話，再學好英語，上工專，成為一位電機工程師。

為了家庭，每晚就只見他努力地在家中做公司帶回來的工作，默默地在建築的藍圖上劃，劃，劃。記得讀書時他也從沒有罵我們一句，即使考試成績有多差，他都只會說：”供書教學是我們做父母的責任，讀好書是你的責任，下次努力一點吧。”

為了我們，我知道他放棄了很多嗜好，只能夠在發黃的照片中知道他喜歡跳舞，吹口琴。但當唱音機播出 The Platters，Johnny Mathis 的歌曲的時候，他就會閉上眼睛，就像返回了他年青的時候，陶醉地欣賞。

從來不知道爸爸如何可以籌錢供我往海外讀書，但在我離開香港前爸爸還買了一台單鏡反光機給我。。。自始我就覺得好好攝影就是對爸爸的一個交代。就在上飛機前一晚，爸爸還帶我上了太平山頂。兩父子無言的看著美麗的維多利亞港，我就知道爸爸想我讀好書，畢業後回來他身邊。

多年前有一天，爸爸說他的頭很痛，當晚他就被送入醫院。跟著就是差不多一年的與死神搏鬥。已經記不起有多少次的開腦手術，但他也捱過了。奇蹟地，爸爸的腦溢血沒有帶來很大的後遺症，還可以行動自如。只是有一塊頭蓋骨不能再放回原位，自此他就喜歡戴帽子，也不喜歡拍照。另外就是說話比較吃力了一點，不喜歡說話的他，變得更沉默了。

就從那一件事開始，我喜歡拍攝爸爸的背影。

Olympus E-P1

Couple of days ago, Olympus launched one of the most innovative cameras in recent years – E-P1 … a compact camera with a size of DC, but with quality and features of a DSLR. What strikes me most in the past few days is not the excellent feature set of the camera, but how people evaluate this new camera – even before they get one.

Some said they hate the body color – they want it in all black, instead of the current two offerings – White and Silver. Some said they want an EVF (Electronic View Finder) on top of the Liveview LCD, even though all the DC in the market except one has an EVF. Some said a built-in flash is a must, but according to the sample pics in DPreview, E-P1 can handle in-door shooting environment comfortably with ISO 3,200 and 6,400. And some said they will not buy it because the LCD is not high resolution enough, or because it is not water-proofed. Of course, some said it is too expensive, or too big, or too small etc., etc…

Seriously, are they real photographers, or just professional whiners ?

Olympus E-P1

So, is E-P1 a good camera ? I don’t know yet, but as Imaging-Resource.com put it:

Just when we thought it was all going to go SLR, Olympus … makes an introduction that changes everything.

Upgrade Kindle for iPhone 1.1

Amazon released the Kindle for iPhone 1.1 about a month ago and I think it is about time to upgrade.

In March this year Amazon released its free Kindle application for the iPhone such that you could read the ebooks you purchased for your Kindle. If you were living in US, you could also take advantage of the Amazon’s Whispersync, which would sync both devices, that’s mean you could pick up reading where you left off.

Initially I thought The reading experience with iPhone would not be pleasant (e.g. I don’t like Stanza at all), but actually I was wrong. The application is in fact quite good and I will review the usability in another blog post.

Anyway, with the version 1.1 update, the reading experience on the Kindle for iPhone is further improved. For example, you can now switch the view from portrait to landscape mode if you prefer to read that way. You also have the option to “lock” the phone in either portrait or landscape mode thanks to a padlock icon to the lower right.

Another good feature is that you can now change the background and text color combination so that reading is easier on the eyes. Black text on a white background can be harsh, but now you can now choose a gray text on black background option, or a dark and light sepia option. My personal favorite was the sepia tone.

Also, you can now turn pages by just tapping the screen, if you don’t like the previous “slide gesture”.

You can follow the steps of buying Kindle for iPhone from outside US to get the application from iTunes, and with the same account, you can download the version 1.1. Enjoy.

Kindle photo iphone kindle photo

Video about deadline

What is really a deadline ?

In the words of a design student, Bang-yao Liu, of Savannah College of Art and Design …

Every time when I am busy, I feel that I am not fighting with my works, I am fighting with those post-it notes and deadline.

So he made a brilliant video about deadline with, believe it or not … 6,000+ Post-it notes. Enjoy !!

Curious about how he made this video ? Check it out.

Claim your Facebook Username

So, any plan for the coming weekend ? Or more specifically, 12:01 noon 13rd June Hong Kong time ? It is important for you all Facebook users, as it is the day, time that you will be able to “claim” your Facebook Username. Imagine millions of Facebook users want to do it at the same time, I can tell it will be a nightmare for the Facebook IT support / infrastructure team. And of course, the user experience will not be great either.

Anyway, if you get your dream Username, you can refer to your profile like the following. And of course your friends will find you easier with this easy-to-remember URL.

Facebook profile link

The problem in fact is how you can secure your dream Username … According to the Facebook blog, in that particular day, you will have an option to select one of the suggested names or define your own if you don’t like the suggestions.

Claim your Facebook Username

If Facebook keep their promise, it means we all can now envisage what the suggestions will be displayed on screen coming Saturday. And if those are not what you want, then you better dream up a good one for yourself and fill up the text box “Choose Your Own”. So here is my recommendations to you all:

  • Before this weekend magic moment, i.e. in the next two days, login to your Facebook account and search your own name. Then check how many people in Facebook world have the same name as you – it means you will know how many potential Facebookers will fight for the similar dream name in your mind.
  • Start jotting down what dream names you like, and prioritize them – it means if you cannot get the first priority name, quickly type in the next one …
  • Double check your hardware and Internet connection before that specific date / time. If there is any problem in the Saturday morning, seek help immediately.
  • Once you secured your dream Username, Twit it, mail it, blog it, and change the Facebook profile information in your Visual CV, LinkedIn and Google Profiles (if you have any one of those …)

Enjoy the web traffic that day !!