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RainyDayMagazine's content can now be licensed for your print magazine or web site. Please contact us directly here. If you want to see something reviewed, then drop us a note with a link and we'll be happy to take a look.
NOTE: Click here to read more about our approach to product reviews. |
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May 20,2013- Timex Intelligent Quartz FirstLook... |
Wristwatches are one of our favorite gadgets. We have acquired a few of them over the years, but we are always on the lookout to add to the collection. It is not always clear what will catch our eye: maybe the watch has some new and interesting tech, or is made from a cool material, or has a nice design, or has incorporated something novel. Whatever it may be, in order to make the grade, the candidate must have one or more of the following criteria: high quality, some unique feature, great value.
We mentioned the Timex Intelligent Quartz Fly-back Chronograph in the 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. The Timex has also been popping up in a few of our photo shoots as a prop. As a result, quite a few sharp-eyed readers have asked when we would give them a detailed review on the watch. Well, today is that day :-)
Timex is making a series of watches on a technology platform which they have dubbed "Intelligent Quartz." What is "Intelligent Quartz?" It is marketing-speak. But, it is also an apt description of what Timex is trying to achieve with this watch. This watch is able to tell more than just time, but does it within the design confines of a classic analog dial. It is a... [more] - Timex Intelligent Quartz FirstLook
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May 13,2013- Fujifilm X100S: Misc Accessories... |
The Fujifilm X100S camera has replaced the Nikon P7000 as the camera of choice for our EDC gear. We now hardly go anywhere without it. To keep it protected while on the go, we ordered a custom, hand-built JnK leather case for it. The JnK sleeve was beautifully crafted and does an excellent job of shielding the camera from the everyday bumps and knocks. However, based on requests from our readers, we will look at a few more accessories that are also good to pair with the Fujifilm X100S.
The fixed lens X100S does not lend itself to a large ecosystem of accessories and add-ons like cameras from the DSLR world. We've compiled a list of possible items which may be helpful to X100S owners, based on reader suggestions and our own research. Our list:
Mention "camera accessories" and most people's first thought is "camera bags." However, we think that first thought should be... [more] - Fujifilm X100S : Misc Accessories
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May 6,2013- Fujifilm X100S: Streets Of NYC... |
Now that we have had a few weeks of one-on-one time with our new Fujifilm X100S, we thought we would take it to NYC for some street photography. We did a similar shoot last October with the Lensbaby and wanted to see how the X100S would handle under similar circumstances. The only difference between the two shoots was that, unlike when shooting with the Lensbaby, we were able to leave the Fujifilm X100S in Full Auto mode during the entire shoot. We just had to look, compose, and press the shutter.
Like our stroll last Fall, we started at Bryant Park on 5th and made our way uptown. Unlike last Fall, this outing was on a perfect Spring day. Bryant Park was teaming with people soaking up the sun and enjoying the 60º weather. It was exactly the conditions we were hoping for... [more] - Fujifilm X100S : Streets of NYC
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April 29,2013- Boxster Spring Prep... |
The Spring Prep ritual for the Boxster was completed this weekend. We swapped out the Firestone WinterForce snow tires for the Hankook Ventus summer ones, checked the battery, and did a bunch of maintenance procedures (tire pressure, 4-wheel alignment, control arm lubrication, etc.) to get the car ready for top-down weather.
The Firestone WinterForce performed quite well this Winter under all kinds of condtions: really cold; slushy wet;, heavy snow. We had full confidence driving the Boxster whether we were in the city or on the highway. However, they were definitely not designed for the 60º weather we had been experiencing last week. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and swapped them out for the Hankook Ventus. BTW, the Kurgo TireTotes we got back in 2007 are still... [more] - Boxster Spring Prep
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April 24,2013- Hanging The Bird Cottages... |
When we found these whimsical bird cottages, available exclusively at Gardener's Supply Company, we knew that they would be perfect for the RainyDayGarden. They come as a set of three (one of each color), have a metal roofs, and are perfectly sized for song birds such as nuthatches, titmice, wrens and chickadees.
The blooms on the trees and vines in RainyDayGarden have started coming in. We thought it best to get the bird cottages up ASAP, but the weather did not cooperate. Things finally cleared on... [more] - Hanging the Bird Cottages
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April 19,2013- Fujifilm X100S Full Auto... |
We have spent the last week getting familiar with the feel and functions of the Fujifilm X100S. The short of it is: this camera is a pleasure to handle and a joy to use. As the X100S has many shooting options (aperture-priority, shutter-priority, full auto, manual, etc.), special modes (HDR bracketing, film simulation bracketing, etc.), and customizations (white balance compensation, exposure compensation, etc.), we thought it best to start off with no tweaks and in full-auto mode. With full-auto we can concentrate on the overall ergonomics of the camera and focus on taking pictures (instead of changing settings). There will be plenty of time to play with the knobs later.
Full-auto mode is engaged when the shutter speed dial, auto-focus slider, and the aperture ring are all set to "A." In this configuration the computer inside the X100S makes all of the decisions on shutter speed, lens opening, ASA setting, and focus. All we have to do is... [more] - Fujifilm X100S : Full Auto
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April 12,2013- Birdbath and Birdhouses... |
Spring is definitely on its way. The temperature outside has been fluctuating between 40º and 60º+. April showers have been signaling to the plants that it is time to get busy. The daffodils, tulips, day lilies, and others have started to poke through the wet ground. Crocuses have been popping up, some in the oddest places, all over the RainyDayGarden. The forecast for this weekend is warm and sunny, so it will be the perfect time to clean up the garden and put up some of the new items we found at Gardener's Supply Company.
The items that caught our eye were the birdhouses with the metal roof and the metal birdbath with the three-legged stand. Both items are exclusive to... [more] - Birdbath and Birdhouses
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April 10,2013- MFA: Samurai! |
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is renowned the world over for breadth and depth of its Japanese collection, holding as it does over 100,000 artefacts. When we heard that the MFA was going to put together an exhibit of samurai armor, we naturally assumed that it would be drawing from its archives and showcasing some of the pieces not often displayed to the public. But, we were wrong: the MFA's "Samurai! Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection" exhibit was organized by the Ann & Barbier-Mueller Museum in Dallas, in collaboration with the MFA, and features outstanding items from a private collection. According to Malcom Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA, "This exhibition superbly complements the Museum's own collection of works from Japan because the MFA is weaker in this particular area." Now to say the MFA is "weak" in any particular aspect of their Japanese collection is to say the New England Patriots is "weak" in their offensive options, but we digress.
The incredible quality of this exhibit is evident at the entrance. Visitors are greeted by three suits of armor, any one of which could've been the centerpiece of an exhibit on Japanese armor that would've left its viewers satisfied. However, there are 140 more objects from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller collection awaiting inside. Be prepared to be... [more] - MFA: Samurai! Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection
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April 8,2013- Fujifilm X100S Accessories... |
There is a surprising number of cases out there for the Fujifilm X100 camera: full body, half jacket, leather, neoprene, etc. The X100S has the same physical dimensions as the original X100, so any case which works with the first version will fit just fine for this updated model. We thought about how we'd be using the camera and what we wanted from the case we'd house it in, and decided that JnK Handworks of South Korea was the vendor best able to provide a case that met our needs. We highly recommend readers check out their "About" and "Work" sections and click through the slide shows and video. Even though their site is mostly in Korean, you don't really need to understand the language to see that their work is amazing.
JnK makes all of their cases by hand. This means you can order leather, color, stitching, and features in any combination you like. We opted for the following: Rally Tan leather, snap-on back cover, metal tripod hole. It takes a few weeks for the folks at JnK to get the order out, but judging by the result, even if the wait was longer, it would still be... [more] - Fujifilm X100S Accessories: JnK Handwork case
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April 5,2013- Fujifilm X100S Accessories... |
The Fujifilm X100S came with a few accessories (lens cap, nylon strap, USB cable). While the lens cap and strap are functional, we felt a camera this beautiful deserved something a bit more luxurious. While waiting for the camera's arrival, the interns spent that time researching for accessories worthy of pairing with the X100S. Their efforts revealed a surprising range of choices and prices for cases and straps, and even lens hoods. We have narrowed the list and will be taking a closer look at them over time.
One of the design goals of the original X100 was to make a compact camera that offered the best image quality without compromise. They have achieved that through the incorporation of a newly developed, non-interchangeable, non-collapsible, fixed focal length, high-performance FUJINON 23mm f/2 fixed prime lens. We expect that we will taking our Fujifilm X100S everywhere. However, the slip-on cap that came with the camera just did not seem like it would provide sufficient protection for the lens of a camera that is expected to be... [more] - Fujifilm X100S Accessories: Lens Hood
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April 3,2013- Fujifilm X100s FirstShots... |
A Point-n-shoot camera should be exactly that. People should be able to take it out of the box, set everything to Automatic, point it at something, and start shooting. We have done that test to many digital cameras over the years and the Fujifilm X100S is the first one to impress us with its right-out-of-the-box results.
The layout of the X100S' dials and buttons is well thought out. All of the basic features were easily understood and readily accessible. The battery came charged. All we had to do was pop in an SD card and turn the camera on, and... [more] - Fujifilm X100s FirstShots
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April 2,2013- Fujifilm X100s FirstLook... |
We held off from getting the Fujifilm X100 when it was first announced in 2010, even though we REALLY wanted one, because we had committed ourselves to spending some quality time with the Nikon P7000. When we heard that Fujifilm would be updating its X100 series, we knew we would not miss being at the front of the line this time around.
The X100 has had a devoted following since its launch, but as with any first-generation product, it had some shortcomings/idiosyncrasies which surfaced once the camera was released. Fujifilm listened to its users and has both addressed those issues and added some new features to attract more fans to the growing X100 base.
As soon as we got the shipping notice that the camera was on its way, we looked out the window every time we heard a... [more] - Fujifilm X100s FirstLook
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March 25,2013- Gold Astro FirstLook... |
Astrophotography is an interesting challenge, but a challenge anyone with a telescope can take on. The pursuit has been made infinitely more rewarding since the move from film to digital. By letting a camera's sensor "collect" photons over time, the telescope can reveal images not visible to the naked eye, no matter how dark the sky. And unlike the days of shooting with film, digital imaging results can be seen almost immediately.
However, taking images of dim points of light at night still has plenty of difficulties, one of which is getting the focus spot-on. Getting it right was a LOT of trial and error. Things were made less frustrating when Pavel Bahtinov gave the world the Bahtinov Mask. The mask made use of an interesting phenomenon known as diffraction. It is very clever and the use of a diffraction mask made focusing by eye easier, but still subjective. That is because even though such a visual-only technique can be pretty good for observing (subject to the expertise of the user), it is usually insufficiently precise or repeatable for astrophotography.
In order to to address those deficiencies, Dr. Winter of Gold Astro designed the GoldFocus system. For those interested in the details, there is an extensive discussion on focus and collimation on the Gold Astro site. The Gold Astro method, by using a combination of a proprietary mask and software, is an objective approach to achieving critical focus, unlike the subjectivity of the experience of the user. While the principle of the GoldFocus mask is the... [more] - Gold Astro FirstLook
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March 18,2013- Casio Edifice 720 FirstUse... |
As most readers know, our policy is to look at gear and gadgets which we think provide something unique or interesting to the mix. As with other watches we have reviewed, the Casio Edifice 720 featured something we had never looked at before. It took us a lot longer to evaluate this watch not because of the various functions available in this timepiece (which are many), but because we really wanted to see how we would like traveling with it. After almost a year, we finally feel that we are in a position to give some comments on the Casio Edifice 720.
We had to put off the FirstUse writeup for so long because we had to wait until we had a chance to take the Edifice 720 on a couple of trips that crossed time zones. The 720 had other functions (chronograph, calendar, etc) we could have discussed, but since they operated pretty much as... [more] - Casio Edifice 720 FirstUse
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March 11,2013- Feeding Birds in a Snowstorm... |
Putting out food for our feathery friends is a great way to bring some life to the RainyDayGarden during the dead of Winter. This is especially important (to the birds) during really cold days or when there is a blanket of snow covering everything.
On cold days, birds have to eat more to keep from freezing. When it is snowing, what is available on the ground is not accessible to the birds. That is why our feeders are extra busy on snow days. We have been putting out black oil sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts (with and without shells). The black oil sunflower seeds have a thinner shell and a higher oil content than... [more] - Birdfeeding in a snowstorm
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March 4,2013- NUI FirstThoughts... |
Jeff Han set the user-interface world on fire with his FTIR-based multi-touch technology presentation at the 2006 TED conference. The interface's ease of use was partly responsible for the unprecedented success of Apple's iPad tablet. It was clear that "touch" was the next big thing in user interfaces. A few years later, there are plenty of clips on YouTube showing three-year olds frustrated when they cannot "resize" images in a paper magazine. The next generation of computer users are declaring the days of the mouse and keyboard as the primary methods of interacting with computers are numbered.
Multi-touch-enabled devices are just a part of a class of human-computer interactions known as natural-user-interfaces (NUI). The RainyDayScience folks followed the progress of the various types of NUI research over the past few years with great interest (SixthSense, Kinect, NeuroSky). Some of the research have begun to move from the labs out to the marketplace. When Microsoft released the Kinect camera for their xBox 360 platform, the device created a huge swell of interest in... [more] - NUI FirstThoughts
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February 25,2013- Kenmore Washer Repair... |
We don't think about washers and dryers too often. We expect them to work every time we use them, but otherwise we hardly ever give them a thought. A bolt had came loose in the washer's mounting a few years ago and a belt had to be replaced on the dryer last September. Other than that, our Kenmore washer/dryer pair has been providing us maintainence-free service for over twenty years.
Recently, someone noticed the agitator was not working quite right, and that there was a definite whiff of burning rubber. So it did not come as a complete surprise that a few days later the washer stopped working altogether. The good news was that it wasn't completely dead. While the agitator no longer agitated and... [more] - Kenmore Washer Repair
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February 19,2013- RainyDayLA CSC Visit... |
Some of you may have seen Toyota's commercial of a Tundra pulling the Space Shuttle across a freeway. Our first reaction when we saw that commercial was, "That's not real." To our surprise, the video is 100% real. A Tundra was towing the Space Shuttle Endeavor across a bridge on LA's 405 Freeway on its way to its new home at the California Science Center, which we visited while we were in LA.
The California Science Center is huge. With several galleries spanning more than 400,000 sq. feet, it is a model for science learning by combining exhibits with the on-site Science Center School, and... [more] - CSC Visit
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February 15,2013- Huntington Library Visit... |
While New England was being buried by Nor'easter Nemo, some of us were in L.A. enjoying our annual visit to the West Coast office. Those left behind to mind things shovel out in Boston were understandably none too pleased with the situation, but someone had to watch the interns. Anyway, in L.A. we ate at several wonderful restaurants, visited some new sites, and had ourselves yet another awesome visit.
One of the notable sites on this trip was to The Huntington Library. Founded in 1919 by businessman Henry Huntington (railroad companies, utilities, and real estate holdings, etc), the private, non-profit institution is one of the world’s great cultural, research, and educational centers. During his lifetime, Huntington amassed the core of one of the finest research libraries in the... [more] - Huntington Library Visit
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February 4,2013- Fast Food and Free WiFi... |
A few years ago, Starbucks began offering free WiFi in all of its stores. We mentioned it to our readers a few years ago, because we sometimes hang out there to socialize, and occassionally, work.
We also noted that vendors such as McDonald's offered free WiFi as well but that their decor was not as attractive. Recent changes in my schedule have made it more convenient to hang out at the WiFi-enabled McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts close to the Aikido dojo a few afternoon each week. What we have noticed is that both have made their venue more comfortable/attractive for those customers who like to linger.
Apparently, there are many people who hang out at their local McDonald's, abeitly for a somewhat different reason. There was a recent Wall Street Journal article on how kids from families who can't afford WiFi at home are hanging out at a McDonald's close to their house, so they could... [more] - Fast Food and Free WiFi
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January 28,2013- Superbowl Prep... |
While most of New England (us included) is still recovering from the trouncing the Patriots received from the Ravens a week ago, it does not mean we are not excited to watch the annual spectacle that is the Super Bowl. While fans will maintain that football is best watched on a giant screen (we don't dispute this), there are many other screen options available to those who want to watch the game.
We have talked about how to record live TV using digital recorders so you can rewind and see the action again in slow motion; we have discussed how we freed ourselves from cable TV and got higher resolution signal free off the air; we have even showed how easy it was to set up the laptop to watch the game should that be your screen of choice. But that was a year ago. Today there are a few more options:
If you have more than one computer on your WiFi network and would like to be able to stream the TV broadcast to them, you can now do it with the HDHomeRun. This little box is a TV tuner for your entire... [more] -Super Bowl Prep
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January 21,2013- Disruptive Tech... |
Disruptive technologies come along every so often. Keeping an eye out for them has been one of our interests ever since we read Clayton Christensen's books on innovations and their impact on business (The Innovator's Dilemma, The Innovator's Solution). When the Apple iPad first came onto the market, we were one of the early cheerleaders of the tablet and predicted how it will impact the computing market (even without the support for Flash).
Last year, we wrote an opinion piece on Lytro and their innovative Light-Field technology (LFT). In it, we gave reasons why they should not make a play for the general consumer camera market with their technology. We suggested that Lytro would be better served concentrating on finding a market where the LFT would add critical value, not just novelty. We proposed that that market would be the security field. We had a "lively" exchange with a number of readers regarding whether LFT was ready for prime time. Some were even... [more] -Disruptive Tech
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January 14,2013- Grow Your Own Mushrooms... |
Mushrooms are amazing. They are fascinating to photographers, biologists, and cooks the world over. As we are interested in photography, science, and food, we have found mushrooms to be absolutely captivating. One of our earliest memories of mushrooms is in the episode of The Twilight Zone where aliens invaded Earth in the form of mushrooms. They would take over the minds of the people who ate them. Of course, what makes for fun television bears little resemblance to reality (except, of course, if you eat the wrong ones). Still, that was the first thought which came to mind when we heard about the "Grow Your Own Mushroom Garden" kits from the folks at Back To The Roots.
We have seen mushrooms popping up in the RainyDayGarden after a rainstorm and have always been intrigued by how quickly they can show up. However, as we know nothing about wild mushrooms, we would never consider eating them. So when we learned about a ready-to-grow kit available for... [more] -Grow Your Own Mushrooms
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January 7,2013- Making Yogurt... |
The RainyDayKitchen folks had been wanting to make yogurt for years. This holiday season, we made room on our counter top and added a small batch yogurt maker to our collection of kitchen gear.
The Artisan Yogurt Maker from Kidsline is a compact unit and takes up hardly any counter space, but should make plenty of yogurt to meet our needs. The unit consists of a thermostat-controlled heating base, a see-through top lid, and... [more] -Making Yogurt
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January 1,2013- Healthy New Year... |
Happy New Year! What better resolution for a new year than to resolve to be healthier? One easy way to do that by adding probiotics to the diet. Probiotics are live microorganisms (bacteria, yeast) that may confer a health benefit on their host (aka people). Fermented food such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kefir are beginning to be recognized for their importance in providing a healthy gut flora.
Recently, we had an opportunity to sample a variety of Lifeway's BioKefir and Frozen Kefir products. While most people are familiar with yogurt and sauerkraut, many have not heard of kefir. Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. Now that more people are... [more] -Healthy New Year
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