couldn't resist posting this pic, a mazda mx-5 mazdaspeed. mazdaspeed is the sporting subsidiary of mazda, love the gunmetal look

Leica - Digital-Modul-R
instead of coming out with a typical DSLR, leica have implemented a modular concept by introducing a digital back that can be used with its film SLRs [R8 or R9]. this idea is not new though, being used on medium format cameras. potentially, this also may mean upgradibility, with users changing to a newer digital back while retaining existing lens and body. it's not going to be cheap though, since its a leica.

Yahoo! Search Results for offthebeatenpath
otbp is in 2nd spot! :)

GeoSpatial Experts - GPS-Photo Link
a company selling the Caplio Pro G3, GPS module, and software to allow GPS tagged photos. A similar solution is offered for all cameras, where time in the EXIF is compared to the time in the GPS, much more tedious but no connection between camera & GPS is needed during shooting.

AkuAku: gps tagged jpegs
here's the article which i mentioned in the article below, camera phone with GPS.

Nikon D1x / D1h with GPS tagging function. Only found out about this recently, although both cameras are either due for replacement [the D1x], or have already been replaced [D1h replaced by D2h]. Don't think the D2h has this function, but I do think this is very useful in some applications, and also presents another way of showing photos [one can show a 2D map showing spots where shots were taken, very cool]. There are cool japanese i-mode camera phones with GPS that do this too, except their camera resolution will be much smaller, thus limiting their usage to more personal use 

caterham 7 r500 evolution, the latest most extreme version of the caterham 7, one of my fav cars 

TODAYonline
a rare satirical piece in our newspaper

just in case u didn't "see" the issues mentioned
-bg lee taking over
-his visit to taiwan
-recent prostitutes from china
-new national security agency
-changing the names of our agencies
-the various projects with -polis at the end
-our poor showing in football
-recent blackout & no punishment
-our dependence on FDI
-economy recovery? & fee rises

all in 1 article

how did this pass under the editor's radar?

this kind of article looks more at home at www.talkingcock.com or in some singapore forum

kudos to TODAY for running it

SAMSUNG's Digital World - Digital Gadget | ITCAM-9
wonder what happened to this hdd video camera? not much reviews of news, plus no sucessor in sight. it needs more optical zoom, bigger hdd, hotshoe for video light etc

TinyURL whacking
incredible, a person is exploring the various links thrown out by a method to shorten urls

Oakley Thump MP3 Sunglasses Legit
interesting idea, don't think sound quality will be tops though

njb3 driver problem solved

I've finally solved the driver installation problem with my creative nomad jukebox 3 (njb3), for a second time. In the end, it took 2 installation files from a unofficial website http://www.nomadness.net to solve it. Previously, I had the problem of the installation failing halfway through while using the original installation CD or installation files downloaded from http://www.nomadworld.com. Frankly, it's a relief to be able to transfer music files from my PC to the njb3, and backup computer files like my digital photos from the PC to the njb3 again. Perhaps that's why I'm still up so late, just to wait for my backup to complete. This is because I'm afraid that the solution may not be permanent. First time round, I succeeded in solving the problem after installing Notmad Explorer, but it did not last, reasons till now I've yet to find out. So while waiting, i moblog to pass the time, plus share my joy with everyone.:)

ALLOFMP3. The Best MP3 Downloads. Full Albums. Music, Soundtracks, Singles, Games. AAC,M4A,WMA,MPC,LOSSLESS,FLAC,MP4,OGG.
just got alerted to this site by BigO, US$5 for 500Mb, all seems above board

Baybeats - Singapore Biggest Alternative Music Gathering
here's a new music genre i haven't heard of - shoegaze
the bands website is here
the lead singer/bassist is quite pretty...like the way she carries herself, seems she's multi-talented

i had a problem with my rechargeable batteries, so i emailed the seller, well here's the email exchange
at the moment, i've just cut & paste the swap it so that it reads chronologically, may edit it to point form for easier reading later
quite a bit of new info, at least for me...should be useful for those that power portable equipment using nimh batteries
as u can see by the timing of the replies, they've been responding quickly
----- Original Message -----
From: lee sze yong
To: W Cube Enquiries
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 2:18 PM
Subject: potential problem with sanyo charger
model no.: Sanyo NC-MQR02
bought from w3cube 08-04-2003
i recently had 2 occasions where the 4 AA 2100NIMH batteries charged by the charger produced little or no chargeupon switching on my digital camera, the batteries allow less than 5 shots before the low battery sign appeared, and the camera switched off after that.
fyi, i'm using a canon A70, and there are no problems with AA alkaline batteriesi
noticed that the charging sound made by the charger is slightly different, plus prior to this problem, the light was blinking before the end of a charge cycle
i've cleaned the contacts, i'm going to change the adaptor used to connect to the standard 3 pin socket just to make sure which is at fault
incidentally, i've just charged 6AAA 800NIMH batteries [in 3 cycles] prior to this problem occurring.
These batteries have turned out fine, but they are not listed on the instruction manual [800NIMH was not out then, 750NIMH being the standard]
Anymore troubleshooting that i can do b4 needing to send it in, & if so, do i send in to Sanyo [where?] or back to w3cube?
i understand that the warranty is likely to be expired, any indications on costs
thanx for reading this long email, would have posted at your forum, but there was no scheme to submit my email address to register at that time
regards
siyong
www.otbp.blogspot.com
www.opsw.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: W Cube Customer Support
To: lee sze yong
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 3:34 PM
Subject: Re: potential problem with sanyo charger
Hi Sze Yong,We are sorry to hear about the problem you are encountering with the Sanyo NC-MQR02 Quick Charger.From the age of the batteries as well as the description of the problem, it may seem like the batteries may be near the end of their operational life. Although NiMH batteries do not suffer significantly from memory effect, after repeatedly charging non-fully-drained batteries for an extended amount of time (over 1 year), the accumulation of these effects, as well as another similar syndrome called "voltage depression" can add up to cause permanent damage to the batteries.Another thing to note is that if the batteries have been stored away for a while (> 4 weeks) while they had been flat, the batteries may be damaged as well. All rechargeable batteries self-discharge automatically and if the batteries were already flat when kept, the continual self-discharge on the flat batteries will cause an irreversible chemical change within the batteries which can cause them to not function properly anymore. If any rechargeable batteries are not needed to be used for a while, always store them away on a full charge.Also for NC-MQR02, blinking light signals that the charger is having problems with the chemistry of the batteries. This also normally means that either the batteries are non-rechargeable (eg. Alkaline), or that the rechargeable batteries are in a poor condition. This could be also possibly explain why the AAA batteries exhibits no problem with the charger. The charger is able to charge your AAA batteries as it is an intelligent charger and can accomodate any AA batteries up to about 2500mAh and AAA batteries up to about 1000mAh.Troubleshooting wise, it is best if you can confirm if the problem lie with the batteries or the charger by charging a different set of AA batteries. Sanyo do not offer any warranty on their charger products and our in-shop warranty is only within the first week. While we can perform a charger and battery analysis test, this is a time consuming procedure (takes more than 1 week due to the need to discharge and charge the batteries as well as test the performance of the charger in question quite a few times) and cost S$20 Nett. Thus, we recommend that you try to isolate the problem as being with the batteries or the charger by the suggestion above first before proceeding with any course of actions and item replacement.If you have any questions regarding the above, please feel free to let us know.
Good luck! :-)
Warmest Regards,Customer Support
W Cube Pte Ltd
Tel: +65 6337-4831
Fax: +65 6337-0431
Email: Support@W3Cube.com
Address: No. 1 Coleman Street, #03-14 The Adelphi, Singapore 179803
Website: http://www.W3Cube.com
----- Original Message -----
From: lee sze yong
To: W Cube Customer Support
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 12:14 AM
Subject: Re: potential problem with sanyo charger
thanx for the infolearned quite a few things, like charging them fully for "storage"
tot nimh batteries can take 500 charges & have minimal memory effect
looks like i got to get a new one with the refresh function
btw, do the new sanyo / or other brands have chargers that can take 4AAA?
do u mind me putting the info below online?considering posting it on my blog + perhaps forums @ www.sgheaphones.net
have charged another set, and all seems ok for now...
regards
siyong
www.otbp.blogspot.com
www.opsw.blogspot.com
 
Hi Sze Yong,Thank you for your reply!Regarding your questions,
1. NiMH batteries usually can be charged 500 to 1,000 time. However, this is subjected to the condition that between the charges, the batteries is not subjected to any out-of-the-ordinary situations which may damage the batteries in between the charges. Two usual situations (which are similar) in which batteries can be unknowingly damaged are:- The storing away of flat rechargeable batteries for an extended period of time (As mentioned previously).- Allowing the nominal voltage of the batteries to fall below 1V. (See Point 2)
2. Rechargeable batteries have a non-linear decay graph. When fully charged, it usually hovers around 1.4~1.6V, but this rapidly falls to 1.2V. This 1.2V can be supplied consistently for quite a long amount of time, till near the end of the battery life, in which it will again fall from 1.2V. Usually for most digital equipments such as digital cameras, it will automatically indicate that the battery is flat once the average voltage of each batteries falls to about 1.05V to 1.1V. But sometimes, if the batteries are used in slow drain devices such as flashlights, the voltage of the battery can fall below 1V and once again, if this is allowed for too long, a permanent chemical change can occur within the batteries which can damage them permanently. This is why users of rechargeable batteries should never use flashlights to fully discharge batteries.
3. Currently, all Sanyo chargers can only charge up to 2 AAA batteries at any one time. For 4 AAAs, you may wish to consider our Maha MH-C204F 3-Hours Smart Charger (S$39 Nett), or MH-C401FS 100 Minutes Cool Charger (S$49 Nett). Maha chargers have a strong emphasis on maintaining battery performance and both have built-in circuitry (Discharging or Flex Negative Pulse) to prevent memory effects. Maha chargers also come with a 1 year 1-1 exchange warranty.
4. Please feel free to share the information about battery maintenance with others. However, we do request that:- The information should not be posted on any commercial sites (due to conflict of interest),- The email is quoted as it is and should not be modified,- The email is credited to us (i.e., W Cube).
5. For the batteries, we are glad to know that another set of batteries seems to be working fine. This probably indicates that the fault lies solely with the batteries. In this case, your charger may not need to be replaced.If you have any other questions, please feel free to let us know. Have a nice day! :-)
Warmest Regards,Customer Support
W Cube Pte Ltd
Tel: +65 6337-4831
Fax: +65 6337-0431
Email: Support@W3Cube.com
Address: No. 1 Coleman Street, #03-14 The Adelphi, Singapore 179803
Website: http://www.W3Cube.com

the last pic, showing the bank of switches @ the console, if u look carefully, u'll see the zzz... 

last days of april, the last band to play 

my only flash shot for day 3, of astreal @ the chillout stage 

the pretty lead singer of astreal, with a bass guitar that wouldn't look out of place in a jetsons cartoon 

return to fall @ the arena, not a clean shot as one can see 

the village, where merchandise & food is sold, plus venue for close up sessions  

a really blurred shot of couple performing @ the chillout stage 

ultraman mask on bassist of electrico, incidentally he & the drummer are also in typewriter, the way things are sometimes here, with musicians in multiple bands 

the crowd in the pit during electrico's set 

as i said in day 3's report, electrico presents plenty of opportunities for jumping shots 

kenneth ishak @ the chillout stage, doing his acoutic set 

muze @ the arena 

my squared circle @ the arena  

lead singer of typewriter, wonder what day job he holds... 

typewriter @ the chillout stage, again not playing chillout 

bassist of seven collar t shirt, seems to be playing the bass guitar upside down, partly cos he's left-handed, reminds me of hendrix & mccartney 

lead singer of seven collar t shirt @ the arena, the one & only time i got inside the pit, right up to the barriers, that's why i could get such a close up shot 

crowd that gathered during the set of vertical rush 

vertical rush @ the chillout stage, not playing chillout though 

an open call for talent, actually quite a nice gesture 

baybeats day 3

final day report for baybeats 2004, original version from moblog, but edited online, with added content & comments, pix to follow
 
vertical rush

• youth rock
  

seven collar T shirt

• sounds like radiohead, or muse [i mean it in a good way]
  
• too early a slot, not much people, and that affected their performance to a certain extent
  

typewriter

• singapore alternative pop/rock 
  

my squared circle

• emo rock
  
• a bit off in my opinion
  
• did not catch whole set, as i rushed to grab a bite for dinner 
  

moods

• female vocal rock
  
• a bit jazzy
  

muze

• malay based metal like
• not enough of these type of band in this fest [i mean the metal part] 
  

kenneth ishak

• singer songwriter type
  
• 1man acoustic set
• not my type for this kind of festival, but does provide some variety for the softies
  

electrico

• easy going rock
• lots of jumping in the air by the guitarist & bassist, perfect photo opportunity 
• bassist even put on a ultraman mask for one song
  

couple

• easy going rock
  

return to fall

• they kept saying they're sloppy, but they are really emotional, they got more things in their minds 
  
• a crowd puller, nevertheless, they know how to get the crowd going 
  

astreal

• a real rock chick, much better than venus butterfly 
  
• progressive riffs
  
• trance-like
  
• long instrumental passages [i like]
  

last days of april

• ordinary really
• forced myself to listened to 3 songs b4 giving up
• did not get the crowd going [not much interaction]
• usual rock tunes 
  

summary
i first thought that the final day was a bit off compared to the 1st 2 days, but one thing i'd like to highlight about the festival is the down to earth nature of it. band members move around the crowd normally, interacting with those who recognise them. its a sense of being close to the ground. On afterthought, most of day 3 was a bit off compared to the 1st 2 days 

best band of the fest?
the contenders

shoe size nine 
love me butch
muze
astreal
buddhistson
seven collar T shirt
in my view, a tie between love me butch & muze, with buddhistson & shoe size nine the close seconds

Google Search: offthebeatenpath
my page is on the first page of google if u type offthebeatenpath...:) both 9th & 10th links

Off The Beaten Path Event Photography
a digital photography service, shooting mainly horse-riding competitions...

Off The Beaten Path, Inc.
a Minnesota based corporation which has been providing economical vacations for developmentally disabled ambulant adults since 1985...hmm

Scott Schirmer - Off the Beaten Path
a film named off the beaten path, interesting, not that i'm involved, anyway, i can always make one with the one-line version, i.e. offthebeatenpath

baybeats day 2

another handphone-written report, on baybeats day 2, although i've to admit that i still need to polish up the formatting online...also not much pix for day 2, my AA battery charger having some problems, no power, no pix

the observatory

• lounge
  
• harmonics
  
• electro
  
• shakers & sticks
  
• performed lounge version of this sad song, i still like the original version played on chris ho's show
  

surreal

• vocalist is actually mc for the arena 
  
• emo rock
  

furniture

• progressive
  
• not much vocals
• trance like at times
• nothing like the bio in the baybeats guide, sound more alternative
  

buddhistson

• very interesting drumming
  
• not 4-4 beat
• singing in english if i'm not mistaken
  

force vomit

• singaporean alternative sound
  
• malay roots in grooves
  

whence he came

• last song was quite good, normal for the rest
  

venus butterfly

• 5 barbie dolls, nuff said
• want more? basically short skirts, tube tops in a rock band
• first instance in baybeats 2004 of a band singing cover versions
• perfect candidates for mainstream song companies

blueline medic

• aussie sound, not much
  
• can't really say, did not stay for whole set
  
  

just a short post about the quality of the pics, well some of them are frankly blurred. Some pull off the blurness ok, some not so good.

close up of guitarist of return to fall 

return to fall, up close session @ the village, second highlight of day 1 

love me butch, highlight of day 1 in my view, @ the arena 

the arena, with the esplanade building in the background