JeremyScofield.com

From Desktops and Mobiles to Simply Devices: A Conceptual Shift

For quite a while now there have been attempts within the IT community to shift the way businesses use computers (the thin client is one example) but the paradigm shift from stationary computers that are the center of ones data and work (or at least appear to be) to a more flexible cloud solution have never really taken off. This has not been due to a lack of ideas or effort, but there have been a lot of technical barriers as well as office culture obstacles in the way of the change. As the infrastructure in many companies improve some degree of success has been possible, such as user documents and settings being stored effectively central servers and mobile device syncing, but these are but small steps toward totally untethering people from their sense of connectedness to their desk computer as their real hub and anything else as an accessory.

This has been even more true with home users, who have generally seen a primary desktop or laptop as their hub and anything else (cloud storage, mobile devices, netbooks, etc) as simply add-ons to their hub computer. In the case of iOS devices, this feeling has been very strong as anything from activation to backup of the devices required a wired computer connection. There have been an increasing number of companies attempting to move people out into the cloud and get them to think about their computer as a client and not the centre of their computing universe. Dropbox, SugarSync and MobileMe are a few services that attempted to do this, but none of them really worked in a way that shifted the average user to thinking about the cloud as the base of their computer life. At best those services replaced USB thumb drives and at worst they left a bad taste in people’s mouths.

Home users and companies are both getting used to the idea of having their contacts, mail and calendar floating around in the etherial cloud and accessible but that is really how far the mainstream conceptual shift has gone to date. Most people accept that these things just work now and use them daily without really thinking about it. Cloud storage of documents, photos, etc, still tends to require quite a bit of user participation, not to mention planning, software and a variety of services for different uses. This keeps the user in the PC-as-hub-centric state of mind.

Along comes Steve Jobs at the WWDC in 2011, introducing both a service called iCloud and a new concept (to the home user, at least): the cloud as the hub and each device (including PC’s, phones and tablets) as a seamless team to use in your daily life. This relegates the almighty home PC to a role as just another web connected device in your inventory and, as Steve Jobs says, “The truth is in the cloud”. Having apps on both computers and devices manage where documents go and syncing them across devices is a huge conceptual shift from the current pattern of saving anywhere on a PC, often leading to the “I think I saved it in Documents, but it could be the Desktop, or was it on my external drive?” conundrum that many users regularly face. The vast majority of users don’t need to control where they saved a document, they just need the ability to save, share and find a document when they need it. Apple is attempting to shift in this direction with iCloud on iOS, Mac OS Lion and iCloud for Windows. This has already worked very well on iOS and Android devices, and people have generally adjusted to apps controlling how things are saved. Now it might be time to see if the same will work on people’s home computers as well. Of course, for users like myself who use large amounts of data for photos and video a cloud service cannot yet replace the home PC, but could definitely make day-to-day uses go smoother.

For enterprise this type of service will create no small number of headaches in the short term with security and user expectation, but these are not things that cannot be overcome. The truth is that with some modifications to the security and configuration of a system like iCloud it could easily increase productivity and reach some goals that many companies have strived for over the last decade or so. An enterprise service, perhaps an “iCloud Enterprise” could be made to be used within a secure corporate environment and follow their security policy. Once it was up and running it would reduce downtime for users when hardware problems occurred and could help companies that are using hoteling and flexible seating plans. A previous post I wrote last year regarding the potential of a device like AppleTV 2 could easily be realized under such a model. I still believe that enterprise IT and services like iCloud are not quite where they need to be yet for a true revolution in business, but it is definitely getting closer.

Many users have been attracted by the just-does-what-I-want-it-to experience of iOS and Android devices and it is an increasingly growing segment of the market. The desire to be able to just use a device to send off an email, write a document or edit some photos without much effort has always been there but did not really become a real expectation until the mobile device revolution.

Now wouldn’t it be nice if you could have the same experience on your PC when you need to use it for something that mobile devices still don’t do?

Apple is banking on you wanting that, and it is looking like a pretty safe bet. Google is also well poised to follow a similar pattern and will be expected to announce similar services soon. Microsoft would probably be wise to get on the boat and not be left behind like they did with tablets. With the pace-of-change once again increasing, it is not a good time to be left behind.

Shooting on a Rainy Night

Last night I decided to shoot a bit in the heavy rain, both to test out my Canon 5D Mark II in adverse conditions and to have an excuse to splash around in some puddles. I really enjoyed shooting in the crazy rain and having a camera that could handle the beating. The camera had no problem with the amount of rain, which, as you can see from the photos, would be enough to kill many a camera. I would not recommend shooting in the heavy rain without a pro lens or too often but I am very happy with the results.

After the shoot I brought my camera in, gave it a good towelling off and left it to dry overnight. It doesn’t seem to have any problems, and there was no water anywhere that I had worried it would get in. I carefully checked the lens mount, CF card slot and battery compartment but not even a hint of moisture. I can’t wait for the next big weather event!

First Plant in the Apartment: Everfresh Tree (Pithecellobium Confertum)

Well, having a plant or two has always been an essential part of feeling at home in any place that I have lived, but until this weekend the room was feeling a bit barren. Luckily, this weekend we got the first houseplant for our new place. Having fallen in love with this type of tropical tree the first time I saw one, I was pretty determined to get it eventually but recently they have been harder and harder to find in stores and have gone up in price. Luckily, we found one at a flower shop this weekend while shopping for some kitchen goods and managed to get a nice one for a pretty good price. Carrying it home was a bit of a challenge but much better than paying 50% over the price of the plant to have it shipped!

It is a good plant for the place I am living in now as it prefers indirect sunlight. My place is not dark by any means, but only gets direct sun in the morning. I will have to be careful to keep it well watered as it tends to get pests and wilt if it dries out for too long. At least it is easy to tell when it is a bit dry as it will keep the leaves closed even during the day to conserve moisture (it closes its leaves from evening to morning which is kind of interesting, not unlike a prayer plant). It has to be fertilized with Magamp once a month from April to October, and with Hyponex every few weeks so it is a bit demanding, but that is not unusual with flowering tropical trees.

I hope that it will last a good many years, but I have had fairly bad luck with plants in Japan and destructive pests. I hope that by keeping it properly watered and fertilized it can stave off its enemies on its own!

I have put together a set of English care instructions for Everfresh Trees here as it is very hard to find info in English.

My Canon EOS 5D Mark II: Clean At Last

As I have never had my camera cleaned for one reason or another, I decided that it was time to just go ahead and get it done. I went to the Canon Service Center in Shinjuku as I already knew where it was and I had heard good things about the service. The staff were very friendly and some spoke English as well as Japanese (as I speak Japanese fairly well this was not a big feature for me but it could be very useful to those who don’t speak Japanese). When I asked the staff about cleaning, they informed me that it was ¥1050 to have the low pass filter on the CMOS cleaned. That sounded pretty reasonable to me so I pushed my luck and asked them to take a look ate the mirror box, focus screen and focus overlay. They happily said they would do their best and noted it on the service request form. Barring any unforeseen difficulties, they informed me that it would take about an hour to get it cleaned. I wandered off to check out Shinjuku for an hour while my camera got the spa treatment.

As I had no phone call informing me of issues that needed more time, I headed back to the service center to get my camera on the hour. They informed me that the sensory cleaning went well, and that they had done some other cleaning for me as well. I looked through the viewfinder into the ceiling lights and white ceiling and wow! Not only had they cleaned my low pass filter, they had completely cleaned the viewfinder, focus screen and done a really good job on the focus overlay. In addition to that they had cleaned both the display and the settings screen on the exterior. I could not detect more than two tiny dust specs anywhere in the viewfinder compared to the large amount of visible dust that has been there for over 2 years, and even the two remaining dust specs are not in the focus area. I happily paid the fee and walked away with a camera that feels new. Clean at last!

Now the obvious question here is: Why did I wait for 2.5 years to clean my camera when it was around $10, made it like-new, and only took an hour? The truth is I have not really been in Japan much in the last two years, nor did I live in a large enough city in Canada to have an official Canon Service Center handy. If you are going to visit Japan, even as a tourist, and you do have a spare camera/body, I would really recommend getting your camera cleaned while you visit. It is well worth the hour.

The Canon Service Centers in Japan are listed here, albeit it only in Japanese. If you can’t read Japanese, please feel free to ask me to check for a centre near you in the comments.

One of the Beauties of Cameras

There are many beautiful things about cameras and photography, but one of the best aspects of cameras and photography in general is accessibility. Anyone can take beautiful photos and you do not need a whole lot of money to do it if you have a broad vision of what you want.

Many people chase the newest gadget, the highest mega-pixels, the best new features; the truth is you don’t really need the best to capture beauty, you just need the camera to be able to go as far as your vision does and the practice to capture that vision. There is no reason a camera that took beautiful scenery photos that graced posters and prints 50 years ago cannot do so now. Are those old photos that Ansel Adams took any less beautiful because they were taken on an old analogue film camera, or are the photos of women that Helmut Newton captured any less striking? Who would challenge the romance of “Le baiser de l’hôtel de ville” by Robert Doisneau for its lack of fine detail? The truth is that although having a new advanced camera adds more options to your photographic tool belt those features are not your most important tool.

Your eyes and the way you see the world are your base and your ability to capture and express that vision to others with your lens are your photographic expression. I have used everything from toy film cameras to my current Canon EOS 5D MK II and I have had photos I liked out of all of them. There are different things about the photos I like, and for some subjects different cameras gave an effect closer to what I wanted to portray without post-processing (Photoshop and Aperture are a whole different blog). Would I want to give up my 5D MKII and go back to a film camera full time? No, it gives me huge flexibility in what I can do and I can see no advantage to that other than forcing me to pay a bit more attention to the moment when shooting. But would I say that I would not take anymore photos if I did not have my 5D MKII or that everyone needs a camera like that to take photos? No, everyone who wants to capture moments and show others the way they see the world should not limit themselves or give up due to the equipment.

Find a camera that suits your personality or your budget. If you are just learning about SLR’s (Single Lens Reflex) then any modern DSLR or pretty much any decent quality film SLR will allow you to explore your creative vision and produce beautiful images. I have stressed a modern DSLR as older DSLR’s tended to have less satisfactory results that comparable film SLR’s and I would prefer a classic film SLR to a 5 year old consumer DSLR. Learn about Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Autofocus is wonderful and useful, but play with manual focus just to get a feel for it and better learn how to get what you want out of your AF. Play with light and shadow, Depth Of Field and exposure. Add skills to your tool belt as they will benefit you no matter the hardware you use.

Simply enjoy looking at the world in a unique way and others will see that in your images.

Japan: No Longer a Haven for Wrongful Child Abduction?

Well, it has finally happened. Japan has decided to move towards signing onto the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and follow the 80 or so other countries that have decided to try to stop wrongful child abduction. The motion still has to pass through parliament, but that could come by the end of this year. This has been an issue for a long time and hundreds of children have been wrongfully abducted to Japan primarily by Japanese mothers. As Japan has a history of staying out of custody matters internally this situation has not been surprising but has caused serious emotional pain for many parents left behind without their children or any access to them for the rest of their lives.

Part of the official reason for Japan’s reluctance to sign onto the convention has been that such an agreement would prevent Japanese women who are married to foreigners from escaping abusive relationships but the convention does require the child’s safety and interests to be considered when and if custody is arranged:

The Convention seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of their wrongful removal or retention across international borders, which can be a tragedy for all concerned. The Convention further establishes procedures to ensure the prompt return of children to the State of their habitual residence when wrongfully removed or retained, and secures protection for rights of access of both parents to their children. Under the Convention, a State is not bound to order the return of a child if it is established that there is a grave risk that his or her return would expose the child to physical or psychological harm or otherwise place the child in an intolerable situation.

-Quoted from http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20101022-71.html

To date there have been several hundred abductions of children by Japanese nationals that appear to fall under the convention. Custody cases get difficult enough when both parents are from the same nation and have equal de facto and de jure rights to child custody. If one has the ability to simply cross a border and is able to ignore the other parents custody rights and the laws of the countries of the child’s primary citizenship how tempted is that parent going to be to do so? Shouldn’t some legal attempt be possible by the parent who loses their child to show wrongful abduction and have some custody or visitation rights? If there has been no abuse then why should a Japanese parent have the special privilege of arbitrarily deciding that the child in question should never see its other natural parent? In cases where the Japanese spouse is abusive to the children, should there be no way for the foreign parent to protect their child/children? These are all hard questions, and are made harder still by children’s involvement in the equation. Even as Japan signs onto this pact it will still be a long road for those who have already wrongfully lost children, and an even longer road for those who have had children in Japan with Japanese spouses and been cut off unjustly. For those unlucky parents, as their children were born in Japan and lived there at the time of separation, there may never be a solution or peace.

Related articles by the press:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12358440

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13465814

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110520/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_child_custody_9

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/world/asia/21japan.html

1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction:

http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.text&cid=24

My Canon EOS 5D Mark II: 2.5 Years and Counting

First of all, let me say that I love my 5D Mark II and have since the first day I got it. I was fortunate to be able to pre-order one here in Japan and get my hands on the first batch out of the factory (which I have been to on one occasion.) It is the successor to my 5D which is still working nicely, and at this point has seen less action than its successor. Being a 21.1 MP full-frame digital CMOS camera using the Digic 4 system the images are as accurate in more light conditions than most other cameras, and when paired with a good lens produce amazing detail. For the types of photography I enjoy the most (casual snaps, portraits, natural/low light, and scenery) it is hard to beat the 5D Mark II with its full frame 35mm equivalent sensor and durable design. Other than some dust on the focus overlay that I am pretty sure snuck in a few months after purchasing it while using a non-L lens and has yet to be cleaned out it is still in perfect working order and condition.

In an unusual move for a camera maker Canon has been consistently updating the firmware for the 5D Mark II, even going so far as to add features (more options for HD video recording) and keep it pretty much in line with more recent additions like the 7D. Although I do not shoot as much video as I would like too, I have used the upgraded features and found them to make the shooting experience even nicer. Having pretty much manual control over the video settings including aperture and speed is a pretty nice feature for creative shooting. It is not surprising that it has been long regarded as one of the best choices for photo and video students alike.

Not everything if perfect and rosy, though. There are two things that hold the 5D Mark II back from being the ultimate non-full size prosumer available, and they are fairly big things for some people. The focus system is rather antiquated and has not really improved since the original 5D. To be honest, I preferred the focus system on my EOS 3 film camera to my current 5D Mark II. I also find that the metering system in combination with the exposure compensation custom settings can cause some bad results in quite a few situations. Luckily, the latter can be worked through by dialing down the custom functions and actually paying attention to what I shoot.

Overall, two-and-half years in and many miles later, I still believe that the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is the best prosumer camera out there, and would recommend it to anyone with the desire to shoot in full-frame and the means to buy it!

NOTE:
I have posted the full specs below just for those who like to check out such things:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Specifications (taken from the Canon website)
Type
Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera

Recording Media
CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USBv.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4A)

Image Format
36.0mm x 24.0mm (35mm Full-frame)

Compatible Lenses
Canon EF lenses

Lens Mount
Canon EF mount

Image Sensor

Type
High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor

Pixels
Effective pixels: Approx. 21.1 megapixels

Total Pixels
Total pixels: Approx. 22.0 megapixels

Aspect Ratio
3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical)

Color Filter System
RGB primary color filters

Low Pass Filter
Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor

Dust Deletion Feature
(1) Automatic sensor cleaning
(2) Manual cleaning of sensor
(3) Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image

Recording System

Recording Format
Design rule for Camera File System 2.0

Image Format
Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW1, sRAW2, RAW+JPEG
Video: MOV

File Size
(1) Large/Fine: Approx. 6.1MB (5616 x 3744 pixels)
(2) Large/Nomal: Approx. 3.0MB (5616 x 3744 pixels)
(3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 3.6MB (4080 x 2720 pixels)
(4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.9MB (4080 x 2720 pixels)
(5) Small/Fine: Approx. 2.1MB (2784 x 1856 pixels)
(6) Small/Normal: Approx. 1.0MB (2784 x 1856 pixels)
(7) RAW: Approx. 25.8MB (5616 x 3744 pixels)
(8) sRAW 1: Approx. 14.8MB (3861 x 2574 pixels)
(9) sRAW 2: Approx. 10.8MB (2784 x 1856 pixels)
Exact file sizes depend on the subject, ISO speed, Picture Style, etc.

Recording Functions
With the WFT-E4A attached, image recording to the CF card and to the USB external media connected to the WFT-E4A will be possible as follows:
(1) Standard
(2) Automatic switching of recording media
(3) Separate recordings according to image-recording quality
(4) Recording images having the same size

Backup Recording
Enabled with WFT-E4A attached

File Numbering
Consecutive numbering, auto reset, manual reset.
Possible to create new folders and select folders in the CF card

RAW + JPEG Simultaneous Recording
Provided (RAW/sRAW+JPEG also possible)

Color Space
sRGB, Adobe RGB

Picture Style
Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3

White Balance

Settings
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting

Auto White Balance
Auto white balance with the image sensor

Color Temperature Compensation
White balance correction: ±9 stops in full-stop increments
White balance bracketing: ±3 stops in full-stop increments
Blue/amber direction or magenta/green direction possible

Color Temperature Information Transmission
Provided

Viewfinder

Type
Eye-level pentaprism

Coverage
Vertical/Horizontal approx. 98%

Magnification
Approx. 0.71x (-1m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)

Eye Point
Approx. 21mm (from eyepiece lens center)

Dioptric Adjustment Correction
-3.0 to +1.0m-1 (diopter)

Focusing Screen
Interchangeable (Eg-D: Grid lines, Eg-S [point of Focus], Eg-A standard focusing screen provided

Mirror
Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cutoffwith EF600mm f/4L IS USM or shorter lenses)

Viewfinder Information
AF information (AF points, focus confirmation light), Exposure information(shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed, AE lock, exposure level, spot meteringcircle), Flash information (flash ready, flash exposure compensation, High-speedsync, FE lock), Image information (Highlight tone priority, monochromeshooting, maximum burst, white balance correction, CF card information),battery information

Depth Of Field Preview
Enabled with depth-of-field preview button

Autofocus

Type
TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor

AF Points
9 AF Points (1 Cross Type) + 6 AF Assist Points

AF Working Range
EV -0.5-18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100)

Focusing Modes
Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)

AF Point Selection
Automatic selection, manual selection

Selected AF Point Display
Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel

AF Assist Beam
When an external EOS-dedicated Speedlite is attached to the camera, the AF-assist beam from the Speedlite will be emitted when necessary.

Exposure Control

Metering Modes
35-zone TTL full-aperture metering

Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point)
Partial metering (approx. 8% of viewfinder at center)
Spot metering (approx. 3.5% of viewfinder at center)
Center-weighted average metering
Metering Range
EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)

ISO Speed Range
ISO 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments)
ISO 100-3200 set automatically
Extension settable (with C.Fn.I-3-1): ISO 50 (L), 12800 (H1), 25600 (H2)
High Tone Priority settable: ISO 200-6400

Exposure Compensation
Manual: ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)

AE Lock
Auto: Applied in One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering when focus isachieved
Manual: By AE lock button

Shutter

Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter 1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec.
1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode) Soft-touch electromagnetic release 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay Remote control with N3-type terminal. (Wireless remote controller RC-1/RC-5 can also be used.)

Type
Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter

Shutter Speeds
1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec.
1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)

Shutter Release
Soft-touch electromagnetic release

Self Timer
10-sec. or 2-sec. delay

Remote Control
Remote control with N3-type terminal. (Wireless remote controller RC-1/RC-5 can also be used.)

External Speedlite

Zooming to Match Focal Length
Provided

Flash Metering
E-TTL II autoflash

Flash Exposure Compensation
±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

FE Lock
Provided

External Flash Settings
Flash function settings, Flash C.Fn settings

Drive System

Drive Modes
Single, Continuous, and Self-timer (10-sec. or 2-sec. delay)

Continuous Shooting Speed
Max. 3.9 shots/sec.

Maximum Burst
JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 78 (CF)/approx. 310 (UDMA CF)
RAW: approx. 13/approx. 14 (UDMA CF)
RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 8 (CF/UDMA CF)
Based on Canon’s testing standards with a 2GB CF card, continuous shooting, ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style
Varies depending on the subject, CF card brand, image-recording quality,ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, etc.

Live View Functions

Shooting Modes
Still photo shooting and video shooting

Focusing
Quick mode (Phase-difference detection)
Live mode/Face Detection Live mode (Contrast detection)
Manual focusing (5x/10x magnification possible)

Metering Modes
Evaluative metering with the image sensor (still photos)
Center-weighted average metering (video)

Metering Range
EV 0-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)

Grid Display
Provided (Two-type grid displays)

Exposure Simulation
Provided

Silent Shooting
Provided (Mode 1 and 2)

LCD Monitor

Type
TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor

Monitor Size
3.0 in.

Pixels
Approx. 920,000 (VGA)

Coverage
Approx. 100% (viewing angle: approx. 170°)

Brightness Control
Auto, 7 levels provided

Interface Languages
25 (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian,Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese,Korean, Japanese)

Playback

Display Format
Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information,histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x), rotatedimage (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, byshooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder)

Highlight Alert
Provided (Overexposed highlights blink)

Image Protection and Erase

Protection
Single images can be erase-protected or not

Erase
Single image, check-marked images or all images in the CF card can be erased (except protected images)

Direct Printing

Compatible Printers
PictBridge-compatible printers

Printable Images
JPEG images compliant to Design rule for Camera File System (DPOF printing possible) and RAW/sRAW images captured with the EOS 5D Mark II

Easy Print feature
Provided

DPOF: Digital Print Order Format

DPOF
Version 1.1 compatible

Direct Image Transfer

Compatible Images
JPEG and RAW images
Only JPEG images can be transferred as wallpaper on the personal computer screen

Customization

Custom Functions
Total 25

Camera User Settings
Register under Mode Dial’s C1, C2 and C3 positions

My Menu Registration
Provided

Power Source

Battery
One Battery Pack LP-E6
AC power can be supplied via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6 with Battery Grip BG-E6 attached.

Battery Check
Auto

Power Saving
Provided. Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30 min.

Date/Time Battery
One CR1616 lithium-ion battery

Start-up Time
Approx. 0.1 sec.

Dimensions and Weight

Dimensions (W x H x D)
Approx. 6.0 x 4.5 x 3.0 in./152.0 x 113.5 x 75.0mm

Weight
Approx. 28.6 oz./810g (body only)

Operating Environment

Working Temperature Range
32-104°F/0-40°C

Working Humidity Range
85% or less

First Road Ride of 2011

I just went on my first road ride of 2011 as well as my first ride since I got back to Japan. I will definitely have to find a route with less complicated detours. The ride back from the Ara River (荒川) was brutally complicated and tiring with very frequent stops and long complicated detours. It was not so bad going to the river, so I will have to look into a better return route. That being said, it was just great to be riding again!

Greenery Day (みどりの日）

Today is a national holiday in Japan called Greenery Day (みどりの日). For a few years now it has fallen on May 4th, but it used to be celebrated on April 29th. It was once associated with the Showa Emperor but has since been commuted to a holiday celebrating nature and life. It is a nice way to recognize the Showa Emperor in a form that celebrates something he was known for enjoying while avoided certain political aspect of the Showa Era.

Personally, I think the best part of Greenery Day is the free access to my favourite park in Tokyo, Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑). This year my friend Nori and I wandered around and shot some photos with several thousand other people.

Today is also notable as it is the first festival or holiday so far since the disaster in Tohoku that seems to have felt normal to most people. People are finally starting to relax a bit here in Tokyo.

Please enjoy some of my photos from the shoot!

My Bike: Free At Last

Today is a very happy day. It is a day that I have long awaited. It is the day that my Trek 2300 will finally be free of its long captivity in its Thule bike case.

When I came to Japan at the end of last year my bike came with me but it has spent the winter lounging in the closet. Why would I do such a thing to my bike? Well, it is mostly a medical insurance issue. I still do not qualify for public medical here and even though it would have been possible to claim medical expenses in Canada it would have been a huge hassle even with travelers insurance. Luckily, I have found some medical coverage for people here who do not qualify for public medical. Since I am not doing any racing or commuting in the next few months the medical coverage should be fine for normal riding. It would probably be a bit irresponsible to ride in Tokyo without any coverage (not that it was not tempting whenever the sun came out and people were zipping by me on road bikes).

The other option would have been to ride on a training stand in my room for the winter, but not having a training stand hampered those plans pretty thoroughly. Today I should be getting my old training stand back from a friend so even if I had not had local insurance I would have been able to break out my bike. So, in a way, it is a doubly good day for my bike. Either way I will be able to ride in the very near future.

Now I just have to put my bike together, blow up the tires with a micro-pump(ack!) and decide where I will ride first!