Who knew searching on Google could be so cool?

Image via CrunchBase

I read about Google's new search tool on Mashable this morning. Can you believe this? Google is refreshing the search results page while you type your search query. Check out this video, be sure to maximize it to full screen to get the full effect.




While I'm at it, I should show you one of my favorite Google search videos, perhaps because I'm into romantic comedies (don't laugh). I think this showed up as a Superbowl ad last year.

A screen shot of my Hugh Grant Google search.
Notice I selected "Latest" for my time frame.

I think one of my favorite features of Google search is the "Latest" feature on the search page. It's simple to use, just type your query in the search box as you normally do, then select the "Latest" option and watch the magic happen. I searched for Hugh Grant because I saw his name as a trending topic on Twitter. When I clicked "Search" a steam of links came pouring in from several sources all over the Internet, but mostly from Twitter. I generally use this feature when I want to view a trending topic from multiple perspectives. This feature will not work very well on topic that people are not currently writing about, but it's great when you want the scoop on something.

Here's a quick tip - Did you know the search bar is also a calculator? Type a math expression and Google will calculate it for you instantly. I even tried it with Google's Chrome browser that allows you to search via th address bar. At first I entered a simple problem like 3+2*8 and "19" showed up without me having to hit the enter key. In case you thought the answer was 40, go back and review the order of operations.

It turns out you can do most of the calculation that a typical scientific calculator can do, which is plenty for most of us. For more information on this cool feature, check out Google's calculator help page.

This photo is courtesy of Panoramio. It was
one of the photos that enticed me to visit
this hotel resort.

During my upcoming Hawaiian vacation I plan to take lots of photos. Most of the photos will be of my family, but I'm planning to take several shots of the beautiful surroundings. If I Geotag these photos I can include them on Google search results by uploading them to Panoramio. Panoramio is a photo sharing site that was bought by Google a couple of years ago. When you upload your photo to Panoramio you are also enabling the service to link your photo to Google maps, then when someone searches for that particular place they will see your photo along with everyone else who also submitted photos of that location. I used this service to help make a decision about which resort to choose in Hawaii. Instead of looking at the resorts photos, I thought it would be more helpful to get a visitor's perspective of the place, so I visited Google Maps and entered the name of the Hotel (The Mauna Lani on the Big Island). As I suspected there were dozens of photos submitted by visitors showing the lush landscapes and beautiful grounds of the Hotel.

If you click on the map you'll get more information
including reviews from customers.

The last topic I'll talk about in this post is Google's local business search. These days people are using the Internet to not only find product to order and have shipped, they are also using it to find local services. For instance, I just encountered back spasms for the first time. I was in extreme pain and I had no idea what to do. My wife suggested calling an acupuncturist. I never visited one so I turned to Google to find a good one. I searched for "San Clemente Acupuncture". Google first presented me with a map of the area and pins placed at acupuncture locations. If I click on the map I will have a host of detailed information including customer reviews, photos, videos, and maybe even coupons provided by the business.

The advantage for the tech-savvy business is most small business owners have no idea they can have full control of their listing for free, it's like having free advertising for people that are already looking for you. Hopefully as time goes by more businesses will take advantage of this free tool, which will make searching on Google even more effective.

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Securing my digital needs for Hawaii

Image by whl.travel via Flickr

I'm looking forward to a relaxing time on our Hawaiian vacation.

After booking the flight, hotel, and rental car, my next step is making sure I have my photo gear set for the trip. I want to travel light, but I also want to pack the gear that will get the shots I want. Most people will bring a short lens followed by a long telephoto. Unfortunately the auto focus on my telephoto is broken, so I'll have to stick with my new Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. Here is a quick video review of the lens.

                                       

I learned about this lens through a great lens review site, so far the photos are looking good. Here are a few samples while I was messing around.

This photo was taken by my 5 year-old son, Braden. Thanks to the Tamron's Vibration Compensation he was able to take a sharp photo with a shutter speed of 1/40 of a sec.

The lens is also pretty sharp. Here is another photo taken by my son, notice the nice blurry background (called bokeh).

Finally, here is a photo I took of my dog. This image displays the wide angle this lens of capable of capturing.

After taking the photos, I obviously plan to post them online, which means I'll need a computer and an Internet connection. I'm inclined to bring my older laptop since I don't want to risk anything to happen to our newer computer.  That computer is running a Linux operating system, so I can't use Lightroom to organize my new library of photos. Instead I'll use this opportunity to test the open source programs designed to complete the same tasks.

One other feature I plan to use the the Canon 7D's ability to take photos in in both RAW and JPEG formats so I can have the RAW photos for later and the smaller JPEG files for on-the-road blogging.

In case you were wondering what camera gear I was planning to bring on my trip, here is a little video of me taking inventory of every item.



Since I'm planning to blog and use the Internet, I thought it would be a good idea to check what Internet services are offered at our hotel. It turns out the Mauna Lani Hotel and Resort offers free WIFI!

I promised my wife I would not bring too much photo gear to our trip.
I'm wondering how much is too much?

The only problem we'll run into is our mobile phone service. My wife will bring her iPhone 3G, but our plan doesn't include minutes outside of Southern California. We have a really old and cheap plan which is great for home, but roaming charges will kick us in the butt. I looking into upgrading our plan, but it doesn't make sense  just to save a few bucks on our one week trip.

I know it sounds like I'm putting too much thought to this tech stuff, but I just want to land in Hawaii and start having fun. I don't want to think about anything but playing with my kids on the beach, laughing with my wife, and taking lots of great photos to remind us of our wonderful time together.

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iPad, iPod, and Google Tablet Rumors

Image via CrunchBase

It seems every day a new rumor surrounding Apple and Google products surfaces to mainstream media. While I find the news exciting, I'm also exhausted with trying to figure out which product to buy. So far I've held strong against the urge to buy any of these new mobile gadgets, I have to admit I'm gearing up for a purchase soon.

Before I go on I want to give a nod to Annie Leonard's "Story of Stuff". In it she explains the perils of buying into this gadget market and how if effects the people and climate of our world. Here is her flagship film that got everything started. When you're done watching the video, I suggest buying the book. The chapters outlining electronics and how they're disposed of got me to hold onto my iPod a little longer. When I'm done with it I plan to sell it or send it to Gazelle for responsible recycling.

                     

Now back to buying new gadgets...

First I'll say I use my iPod every day. I listen to audio books and podcasts all the time. I listen to it while I'm working out, driving to and from work, and even during those honey-do chores on the weekends. For me the iPod enables me to learn while taking care of daily chores that require little thought. Using those moments allows me to read more books and gain new skills I would otherwise never get to. So when I make my next purchase, I have to consider the device's ability to deliver the same content as I've come to expect from my current iPod.

The second criteria for a new device is the ability to utilize apps. I find myself constantly using my wife's iPhone 3G when I want to surf the Internet and every computer is being used in the house. I'm also picking it up to finish a level of Angry Birds (that is such a fun game). Sometimes I'll take a photo and upload it to Flickr or Picasa, or mess around with the Map app and find the closest book store. I find the device to be incredibly useful for productive as well as entertaining uses.

At this point you might think I'm in the market for a new iPhone - well, you guesses wrong. Since my son destroyed two of my wife's iPhones by dropping them in the toilet when he was 3, we used up our upgrading options until next year, which means I would have to pay $500 for a new iPhone which is not happening.

In addition to the high cost of a new phone, I'm a little weary of committing to a new phone plan. As it is I barely use my phone at all and I can't imagine changing my habits anytime soon. I was actually thinking of getting an iPod touch instead. I'm hoping the next generation will have all the same features as the iPhone 4 minus the phone, then I would use Skype to make my calls. I realize I would have to find a Wifi hotspot, but I think I can manage. It would be like the days when we had to find a pay phone in order to make a call.

I guess now I have to mention the rumored Google tablet (Since it was in the title of the blog post) that's supposed to come out November 2010. While the specs look good, I don't see myself buying one. I don't see myself carrying around a tablet, I don't need the Internet that large at my fingertips all the time, I think I'm perfectly happy with stuffing it in my pocket. Plus the idea of having a small device would make it easier to create blog posts on the fly as cool thing happen while I'm out and about, not stuck in from of a computer. I could include videos and photos of my excursions a lot easier with a pocket device instead of a larger tablet, which might be why there is a new rumored smaller iPad in the works later this year too.

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Getting ready for Hawaii

Image via Wikipedia

Hopefully this is what I can expect at my Hawaiian destination.

I'm getting myself and photo gear for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. Before I start thinking about anything like lenses I'm going to solve the humidity problem.

Last time I ventured to a tropical island my lenses fogged and I couldn't use the camera for hours. This time I plan to come prepared with a cool little cleaning cloth that's supposed to get rid of the foggy lens and allow me to shoot right away.


The product is called "Fog Eliminator". Even though the product is distributed by Nikon, the cloth will work on glass from any manufacturer. I have no idea what makes this cloth so special, but I'm willing to give it a try. I heard about the cloth by listening to This Week in Photography and thought it was worth the $8 to see if it works. From what I've read you simply wipe the cloth on the lens and you're good for a couple of hours. I'm not sure if anything can be done if there is condensation on the inside of the lens, I think this is where the pro-grade lenses with weather sealing become more useful.

I think what I'll do is simply get a bag of rice and place my lenses in it, then let the bag sit outside for a while to acclimate to the new surroundings.. I know I'll be anxious to snap some photos when we land so I'll have to exercise some patience in the first few moments.



*I just remembered the last time I returned from Hawaii at 5am a few years ago. We were returning from Kauai and I had to place my keys in the little tray when walking through the metal detector. The problem was I forgot to pick my keys back up. When we touched down after a 5 hour flight I searched everywhere for my keys but couldn't find them. I finally called back to Kauai and was able to locate the keys back on the island.  It was early morning in a dirty terminal, with a 1-year old, an angry wife, and my parents shaking their heads. I think I was fortunate enough to find a hidden spare to make it home. From there I was able to break into my house and use a spare set of keys until the other set arrived in the mail. Needless to say I will be far more careful with my keys this trip.

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My 7D got some skin.

Shooting the Junior Guard Video on the beach made me nervous about sand and the salty air destroying my Canon 7D. I know my friend John assured me that photographers have put similar cameras through worse conditions, I couldn't help myself to some extra protection from these harsh elements.

I came across the this Delkin model after a long time of searching for "Rubber cases for the Canon 7D". Finally I realized the product is called a "Skin". I thought a rubber skin would provide the perfect protection at the beach while allowing me full access to all the camera's functions, it had to be better than the Opteka rain gear I purchased last month.


1) Putting the skin on the camera is a little annoying. You have to take the camera strap off and back on in order to apply the skin properly. I realize it's not a major drawback, but I was still irked.

2) The LCD cover floats around too much. I think Delkin should have fixed the LCD cover on the skin instead of having it attach independently. I think I'm just going to scrap this cheap piece of plastic since it adds to the glare while checking out the footage on the back of the camera.

3) It gives the camera an entirely different feel that I don't think I like. Sometimes you're not sure the buttons are getting pressed down completely, and the Mfn button on the front is real hard to press down since it's so small.

While I realize I'm complaining a lot about this skin, I'm also glad I have it. I plan to take it off once the Junior Guard project is over, but I'll keep it in my gear bag in case I come across objectionable surroundings again.

Geeking out on my Canon 7D

I've had my 7D for months now, but I haven't been able to work with the supreme video features because of the limited capabilities of my computer... until now.

Fellow lifeguard and photographer, John Hanacek and I are working on the next San Clemente State Junior Lifeguard video. John has the computing power and photography skills to help this project leap to the HD level, which sets us up to create something substantial.

I spent all last week working on several problems I'll face at the beach while filming. I bought a shotgun mic and fuzzy windscreen to overcome the wind and crashing waves competing with the voices I want to record.

A Hoodman was purchased to overcome the bright sun that washes out the LCD screen used during recording. I also purchased a bunch of rubber bands to attach the Hoodman to the camera.

I already had a flash bracket to attach the mic off to the side of the lens to keep it out of the field of view.

I purchased extra neutral density filters to take advantage of the large apertures available on my Canon 50mm 1.4 lens.

I tried a couple of DIY stabalization systems, but in the end I decided to use a monopod along with  an Opteka X-Grip I bought from Amazon.

Day 1 -  I downloaded some picture profiles that were supposed to create a cinematic effect with the 7D. John and I reviewed the footage at the end of the day and noticed everything looked brown and soft. We decided to go with the Standard picture profile for the rest of the shooting.

Day 2 - The new picture profile is working great, and I'm getting better at manually focusing. The shotgun mic works better than expected (Azden SMG-1X), I was able to capture audio from distances beyond what I was able to hear during recording.

Day 3 - I plan to return to shooting this Friday where the Junior Guards will be watching a rescue demonstration. That should be lots of fun.