Insert Clever Title Here

As Promised here are a few photos to compare the cameras on the Nokia N78 (3.2 Autofocus Camera) and the Nokia N95-8gb (with its 5mg Autofocus Camera).

Both of these were done on default settings and because I am ambidextrous I took the photos simultaneously as well.

Note to self: Must stop doing that in public makes me look even more of a tosser than I actually am.

Oh and click on images for bigger versions as well

This photo is looking at the N78 having just taken a photo of the n95…. Notice the Finger prints on the black plastic already.

Long View - N95

Long View - N78

Plant - N78

Plant - N95-8gb

The only other thing to note is that the only two photos that was nativelly geotagged was the N95 Plant and the N78 window, the rest of the Tags I have added in Flickr.

With the N78 it geotagged the window shot, even with out the Assisted GPS turned off using the new Auto Geotagging built into the firmware.  I do think it is a bit faster at getting a fix that the N95 but it was using Location Tagger which is still the only way to do it on the N95.  Evidently it will be coming in the next firmware update.

The N95 Plant shot was tagged as I had the GPS already running using Sports Tracker for logging my driving in the car.

I will try some geotagging tests soon.

Tags: Photos, n78, n95 by Me
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I stole the title from the Wednesday July 30 Edition of the Moorabbin Glen Eira Leader. (credit where credit is due:-))

One of my pet hates is railway crossings and the way people drive them. So whilst waiting for the bus (my other pet hate at the moment is my broken arm which meant I wasn’t at work and had to take public transport) last Friday at 2 in the afternoon I took photos at the North Road Frankston Line railway crossing. For the purpose of showing what I mean.

According to the road rules you are not allowed to cross a railway crossing at any point when the red lights are flashing!  It has nothing to do with the status of the boom gate.  None, a lot of railway crossings do not have boom gates, only flashing red lights.

Here is the Text From Victorian Road Rules. Part 8 Traffic signs and road markings (Rules 88-108) [PDF, 146KB, 15 pp.]

123. Entering a level crossing when a train or tram is approaching etc.
A driver must not enter a level crossing if—
(a) warning lights (for example, twin red lights or rotating red lights) are
operating or warning bells are ringing; or

The interest bit is point one, not a sub sub clause, but the very first point here!  Now to reality of railway crossings I deal with. I travel over the North Road Ormond Rail crossing twice a day every working day on my daily commute.  Now two or three times a week I may get caught by a train.  It happens, big deal.  And occasionally I am one of the say first 5 cars in my lane.  So train goes passed gates go up and you all know what happens.  The drag race starts.  The lights are still flashing.  If I am not the lead car I will move up to the lights but not cross until time is up as much as I can.  This works until you are the road block!  Image sitting in your lane blocking traffic, all the while some idiot behind you is sitting on their horn. All because you are doing what you are LEGALLY meant too.  All for a less than a minute whilst the lights still flash.

The best crossing in my area is where the railway crossing goes over Neerim road.  The put in a set of traffic lights.  Suddenly no one crosses the Red Traffic light.  Flashing red lights and it is on for young and old however.

Now on July 30, the Leader has to story thanks to Victoria Police handing out press releases about an operation at my crossing and others in the area.  According to the paper, and I am going to presume they are working off the earlier of the two press releases says 14 people were charged at two level crossings in my area.  The later presses release says 46 were charged at these two crossings! However the press release is more generic so I will give the paper the benefit of the doubt.

But the other madness is here is that the local paper could have had a whole story that went way beyond the copy and paste of the press release. Image if the paper had taken the time to send one reporter down to the level crossings on any given day, forked out for a little foldaway chair and a thermos of coffee and given them a camera.  At this point the story should have been. “Cops catch 14 people, we catch 400″.  Or say “Speed Camera generate Revenue and require no Police to lift a finger, Railway Crossings require police to be on site, guess which one the Police Target!” O.k., so that is a bit long :-), but then I am not a headline writer :-).

Here are some numbers to consider.  If the fine was $500 (it is up to $567 according the Leader’s article) and 12 people cross illegally on an average crossing, we have $6000, times two for both directions; we have $12,000 in revenue for the State Government for 1 crossing.  Say that one crossing has 50 movements per day that is $600,000 in one day.  Now if there were 50 crossings like this that is $30,000,000 dollars in one day.  I am sure that money could go a long way in helping to make all level crossings safer.

Perhaps this would have been a better story for the Leader to have written.  Granted would have taken a bit longer than the press release rehash

P.S
I have emailed this blog post to the author of the story, will let you now what happens :-))

Tags: Annoyances, General, Photos by Me
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This blog post is simply a way of saving me a shit load of time later.  See I was witness to an event that I just know is going to come up as a law suite.
So here goes.

At approximately 11:40 on Monday the 15th of July I was walking on the northern side of Glenferrie Road near the intersection of Barkley Ave having just finished an appointment at the Cabrini Hospital to have my broken arm checked, when i saw some movement that caught my eye.  I noticed a woman in her late fifties lying on the ground moaning.  Having just suffered a nasty fall myself two days earlier I quickly walked the short distance to where she was lying to try and render assistance.  This was somewhat difficult with shopping in one hand and my right arm in a sling.  I helped her to sit with her back to the wall, at which point it was obvious that she had hurt herself quite badly.  There were a couple of very nasty cuts to her face.  These cuts were bleeding very heavily as well.

I asked her if she wanted me to call an ambulance, and after two goes, she said, no call my husbands paging service which I did at (11:45) He returned my call 3 min later at which point I told him that his wife had taken a heavy fall, our current location and that he should get here ASAP to take her to hospital.

A kind man from a computer store gave us a box of tissues and a few council workers stood around, one of which had a big bottle of water which she used to clean her hands.  She was in a lot of pain and obvious shock.  During all of this the council workers were busy stating to me and anyone that would listen, that the pavement where she had tripped was another work crews area! I must say i found this some what distasteful at the time.

At 11:55 or there about her husband turned up. He parked the car on Barkley Ave carrying with him a bag of medical equipment (his wife earlier telling me that he was an eye doctor) came over kissed his wife on the forehead.  Then things got weird.  He stood back from her, told here to look up and took as photo of her with his phone. Then he walked away 10 meters took more photos of the scene, all the while I was still comforting his wife.  He then got into a brief argument with two of the council workers, whilst I gathered the woman’s personal possessions and tried with only one arm to move a barrier so that he could get her into the car. By 12:05 he finally had her in his car and he said he was going to take her to Cabrini Hospital.  I took a couple of photos of the scene at this point while 2 more council workers told me it was not their fault.  One even made the very bad taste that the husband might have pushed her.

Now, this is the bit to get me out of going to court. Firstly it was obvious that there were road works.  The noise alone would have alerted a blind person to the hazards.  And the area the woman tripped did have signs etc. Also what the woman tripped on was a lot less rougher than say the cobble stones on the street.  The husbands primary reaction was one of looking for some one to blame (and blame later such was his attention to detail in photographing the scene).  It was an accident plan and simple.  The poor woman tripped, as I did 2 days before hand in a different suburb.  I feel for her, I really do having been forced to take a week off work and typing this blog entry via one hand hunt and peck. She will be in a lot of pain for quite some time and may well have some scares to show for it.  The actions of both the husband and the council workers still makes me sick.

We have moved into a world where litigation is king and blame shifting sits right next to him on the throne.
Accidents happen, that is why they are called accidents.

Tags: Annoyances, General, Photos by Me
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Went out shopping this evening and had to take a photo of this. I think this shows when a device has truly reach consumer level. When so many people have an item that putting up a sign about it is required. It took a few years before skateboarding signs or Rollerblading signs, then mobile phone signs came along. But now after years of playing with various GPS devices I do think they have come of age.

Now there is a sign warning you. Even the fine print on the sign, get rid of the suction cup marks. Perhaps there is a business opportunity there for someone a suction cup that doesn’t leave a mark.

Tags: General, Photos, gps by Me
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Time for an annoyance. We went to the movies tonight. (Don’t ask… fine it was Sex and The City, revenge for seeing Die Hard 4.0 (on MY birthday I presume))

Managed to take a nice photo (insert here) and had one hour to kill before the flick.  So first things first. A quick look around to see if I can have a play with an n78 the next purchase phone for my lovely wife.  Asked at one shop (Crazy Johns for those that are interested) only to be told… at least 2 months away.  Pity I can buy it from retailers in town.  So big fat FAIL for staff training at this chain. But in typical Wolfy fashion I digress from the title of the blog post.

Movie Ticket Prices are a big load of steaming hot smelly turds.

Ok… cost of seeing Sex and the City for 2 people was $31.00Aud (plus additional cost of pop corn and coke $14).  Now here is another way of looking at it.  Cost of buying DVD on day of release (28.99 or there abouts, cost of a decent Sav Blanc from the Yarra $15) So if I buy the DVD which one then owns and can pause when ever I like and a nice bottle of wine is still less than the cost of going to see it at the cinema.  Oh yes and I have a popcorn machine so for about 50c I can make a shit load of popcorn as well.  Now my screen at home ain’t as big.  The sound system is a lot more focused and just as loud and of course there is the all mighty pause button.

But wait I still haven’t got to the main thing that pissed me off.  Standing there buying tickets I noticed that if you see a movie on a Friday night or a Saturday night they will charge you and extra 50c per ticket.  THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE TO THEIR RUNNING COSTS AT FUCKING ALL.  Who are they kidding with that.  Oh lets fuck people over some more cause it is a busy night.  Fine I get the No free ticket thing, sure you can have that.  But why charge more and then bitch and complain that people are pirating DVD’s and stealing torrents.

Wake up and smell the CAT FOOD PEOPLE!.  Vote with your feet.  Head to JBHIFI or what ever retailer you prefer and buy the movie you want to see.  Then get all your friends over tell them to bring a bottle of wine/soft drink and that you will spring for the popcorn and in the process save your self a shit load of money. And only ever go to the cinema on a Tuesday night.  That way they might get the hint that people want to see movie’s; they just don’t want to be shafted for it.

Tags: Annoyances, Photos by Me
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