Thursday, October 30, 2008

A Really Powerful PowerShot

You're lucky if you own a Canon PowerShot and/or IXUS camera that's in this list as of today:

(model, firmware)
A450, Fw: 1.00d
A460, Fw: 1.00d
A530, Fw: 1.00a
A540, Fw: 1.00b
A550, Fw: 1.00c
A560, Fw: 1.00a
A570, Fw: 1.00e, 1.01a
A610, Fw: 1.00e, 1.00f, 1.00d with CHDK version for 1.00e
A620, Fw: 1.00f (1.00e is not compatible, update to 1.00f is needed, see here))
A630, Fw: 1.00c
A640, Fw: 1.00b
A650, Fw: 1.00d
A700, Fw: 1.00b
A710, Fw: 1.00a
A720, Fw: 1.00c
S2, Fw: 1.00e, 1.00f, 1.00g, 1.00i with CHDK version for 1.00g
S3, Fw: 1.00a
S5, Fw: 1.01a 1.01b
G7, Fw: 1.00e, 1.00g, 1.00i, 1.00j
SD400 (IXUS 50), Fw: 1.01a, 1.01b
SD450 (IXUS 55), Fw: 1.00b, 1.00c, 1.00d
SD500 (IXUS 700), Fw: 1.01a, 1.01b
SD550 (IXUS 750), Fw: 1.00f, 1.00g
SD600 (IXUS 60), Fw: 1.00a, 1.00d (beta)
SD630 (IXUS 65), Fw: 1.00a
SD700 (IXUS 800), Fw: 1.00b, 1.01b, 1.01a with CHDK version for 1.01b
SD750 (IXUS 75), Fw: 1.01a, 1.01b with CHDK version for 1.01a
SD800 (IXUS 850), Fw: 1.00e, 1.00d with CHDK version for 1.00e
SD850 (IXUS 950), Fw: 1.00c
SD870 (IXUS 860), Fw: 1.00c
SD1000 (IXUS 70), Fw: 1.01b, 1.02a, 1.01a with CHDK version for 1.01b
SD1100 (IXUS 80), Fw: 1.00c, 1.01a
SX100, Fw: 1.00b, 1.00c
TX1, Fw: 1.00g, 1.01b

Why? The Canon Hackers Development Kit, better known as CHDK, is software that enhances your Canon PowerShot's firmware. Stored in the camera's memory card, CHDK beefs up your digital camera with more functionality, including the ability to program your camera in such a way that it can execute a series of steps over the desired time frame. With all those features, tech-oriented DSLR owners will surely want CHDK for their cameras, and I believe they will in the not-too-distant future. Actually, point-and-shoot isn't quite descriptive of the PowerShot. It's more than just point-and-shoot.

Think about these:
  • still pictures in RAW format
  • increased video recording times and lengths
  • on-screen enhancements that include a histogram, a battery life indicator, depth of field setting, et cetera
  • up to 65 seconds of exposure time
  • shutter speed of 1/25,000 of a second or even faster
  • programmable, can run scripts written in uBASIC
  • simulated cable release via the camera's USB port
  • file browsing capabilities
  • games
  • stereo photography
  • bracketing
  • time lapse
  • motion detection
  • high dynamic range imaging or HDR (Search www.flickr.com using HDR or hdr as keyword and prepare to be blown away.) 
... and the list goes on.

Can't wait to install CHDK? Rather than be redundant, I better provide you with a link that shows you how to do just that.


Here's where to download the latest Autobuild:


Go Google it up. For inspiration, check out the Flickr site and search CHDK up. Have fun!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Fixing the Canon PowerShot A540


When I saw the ad saying a Canon was for sale at such a price, I couldn't believe it. Just a few days ago, I read that the Canon PowerShot A540 had a safety issue and a major defect -- the camera would overheat, and battery life was extremely short. This was due to a spring that was long and angled vertically in such a way that it would cause a short circuit, which in turn would drain the battery and cause overheating.

The price was too much had the unit been damaged indeed beyond repair, but since I knew I could fix it, I guess it was pretty cheap. Thinking about how much the camera originally cost makes me feel like a winner. I didn't spend much time deciding to make the purchase.

The first thing I did after taking the Canon PowerShot A540 into my hands was to open the lid and check the spring. I felt discouraged. It didn't resemble any of the pictures at the Canon Web site. The spring's left end looked like it had sneaked behind the metal plate on the lid; I don't know what's behind there, but I guess it did short the circuit. Anyway, I had to pluck it out of the metal plate with a pair of tweezers, carefully moving it to the left at about a 45-degree angle until I freed the end and it looked just like one of the photos in the Canon Web site safety advisory. It's the photo saying that the Opening/Closing spring sticks out.

I took a pair of tweezers and a small long-nose (needle nose) pliers, held the lower part of the spring's left end (2 mm. above the point where the spring wire exits its spiral) by the tweezers, and used the pliers to bend the spring at a right angle to the right, making sure it doesn't cross the plastic "divider." You don't want the spring to touch the metal plate that comes into contact with the batteries.

If you can't make out the photos in the said advisory, check out these macro shots I made using a DIY lens taken from a junk Sony video camera and my tiny 3.1 megapixel Yakumo Mega-Image VII.









The first owner of this PowerShot A540, the guy I had bought it from, had brought it on a number of occasions to the local Canon repair center, but the technicians couldn't fix the problem and insisted that the problem was with the battery and/or the charger. I think he brought the camera to the said center about three times, got fed up and finally gave up. He even said in his ad that he couldn't bear with the camera any longer, that's why he's letting it go.

Dude, I'm really grateful that you're so busy with your programming work at Accenture that you don't have any more time to surf the 'Net. Otherwise, I wouldn't have this puppy in front of me right now. This is bliss.

Thanks!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Cisco 7200 Simulator

I signed up for an account at oDesk (http://www.odesk.com/w/), where a lot of outsourced work is advertised. A home-based provider (contractor) gets to deal with the service buyer directly and thus gets pretty much the full payment deserved, with a fair 10 percent of a contractor's earnings going to oDesk. You don't need to work for some local company that will take a huge slice of your paycheck by virtually doing nothing.

Anyway, one ad struck me; someone was in need of a technical writer who is either CCNA certified or in that level. Damn, if only I had started reading all my materials a long time ago, maybe I'd have a chance of sealing the deal. Anyway, I figured that it would be extremely helpful if I had an emulator so I could do some practice, so I went Googling and found this:

http://www.ipflow.utc.fr/blog/

I haven't installed the Cisco 7200 simulator yet, but I intend to play around it soon. Hope this helps.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Lexmark Printer Annoyance

I uninstalled that @#$%! Lexmark driver about a month or so ago, thinking that I wasn't going to use the 3-in-1 gizmo in a long time.  I suddenly needed to scan some documents and, upon trying to install the driver, the Print Spooler service won't start.  

According to Bruce Sanderson's site:
The Lexmark printer installation process sometimes installs a service that makes the print spooler service dependent on itself.
It can't get dumber than that.

Anyway, here's the link to help you maintain your sanity and keep your cool:


Well, we made a mistake in buying this Lexmark.  Aside from the astronomical price of its ink cartridges, which cost more than the printer itself (think Polaroid in the olden days), uninstalling the drivers isn't smooth -- definitely not user friendly.  It looks like the company was in a rush to get the product out to market that it failed to address some of the essentials.  This is a freaking lousy product.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Uncommon Sense Security

Everytime I look at my blog, I always end up telling myself how selfish I really am. Why? Because I post stuff mostly for myself. It's like having bookmarks that I can access anytime I'm connected to the Internet. It's like replaying thoughts that went through my head but had been mostly forgotten, which usually makes me wonder how I could've thought that way.

Anyway, back to the present. I've just spent some time reading the blog of someone who I perceive as an alcoholic beverage lover who also happens to be an IT professional -- an engineer, I would say -- or the other way around. Does Jack Daniels ring a bell?

I don't know why, but this love-hate relationship I have with anything and everything computers is really an on-and-off thing such that I had nearly forgotten what Nmap was. Just kidding.
Check out Jack's blog here:


Speaking of Nmap, here's an interesting GUI called Zenmap.