Lots of new features, I particularly like that it now supports presets (preset adjustments) and the new brushes function looks pretty slick. This version also gets the iPhone ‘09 Faces and Places features added, Places gets some additional functionality to support importing GPS tracks and another function to use GPS data slurped from iPhone photos, without necessarily importing the iPhone photos themselves into your Aperture library. 3.0 also supports importing and storing video files (like iPhoto), it even has a nifty feature to easily extract a jpg screenshot from captured video and another to easily separate audio+video tracks.
Nothing seems to have been done about my big bugbear with Aperture: lack of native ability to backup to physical media (i.e. DVD) with any ease. There are a couple of plugins that do this, I just wish it was as simple as the way iPhoto does it.
That said, I’m really looking forward to installing this update.
The Bathurst 12 Hour Race is on again this weekend, looks like they’ll be 47 entries split into eight classes, sadly no entries appear to have been received for the MINI Challenge class again.
Outright victory looks like it’ll again be a battle of the Evos, with the Shelby Mustang looking like the dark horse if it can make the distance (pun intended).
I was lucky enough to go to the race last year and had a great time: no crowds, open and largely unrestricted access to the pits, great weather. Due to number of things happening right now, I’m not going to make it this year, though I’ll be following along with the live stream when I can on Sunday.
Spent a day out at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, checking out the local trackday scene. Unfortunately I didn’t bring along my long lens so only had a max of 55mm to play with, not the best for taking shots at a circuit with such massive F1-compatible runoffs.
Ended up walking right out to the end of what they call “The Mall”, between the main back-to-back grandstands along the two long straights, could not get over the size of this place. The trackday was being held on what is the full 5.5km F1 layout so that action was pretty spread out. That said, from a vantage in the main stand I could see the majority of the track, I just couldn’t reach it with my camera.
Lots of Lotii in attendance, along with a bunch of well sorted JDM Hondas, Subarus, a few (LOUD) Altezzas and a Veilside-kitted RX7.
The day itself seemed well organised, I only saw a couple of incidents – one Civic failed to secure its bonnet properly with obvious results, whilst another car (I think it was a Proton of some sort) stopped out on the circuit and brought out the red flags during one session. Overtaking seemed to be allowed anywhere and most, if not all, cars had passengers each time they went out. I can see how – with those two massive straights – the layout would suit big-power cars and can imagine that the big stops at the end of them, combined with the heat, would make this circuit pretty tough on brakes.
Perhaps next time I’ll get out on the track myself.
Hot on the heals of MINI releasing the first official footage of their upcoming R60 Countryman SUV model, albeit heavily camouflaged, leaked photos of the final production model are now out.
I have to say that I do like it alot. Very impressed that MINI have finally got themselves what looks like a proper non-metallic white paint option – rather than the White Silver (dull grey) and Pepper White (cream) that have been offered to date. Really looking forward to seeing more photos and seeing it in full World Rally Championship warpaint soon (MINI are strongly rumoured to be entering the 2011 WRC with cars built by the venerable Prodrive outfit).
UPDATE: Official photos + info have been released by MINI, all the details about the new R60 Countryman can be found over on Motoringfile.
Better late than never, time to crank out some stats for 2009. First up, music.
Compared with last year’s graph, 2009 was a little sporadic, especially the second-half. I spent most the year listening to podcasts or watching video rather than listening to music, with a major exception being when I was out running.
Graphs produced by the ever excellent LastGraph using my Last.fm scrobble stats.
Sometimes I find that my Nike+ kit (which I’m using with a 4th gen iPod Nano) will fail to provide spoken feedback on a run.
This either happens from the outset: it fails to play the usual “walk around” prompt to find/pair with the shoe sensor, yet will still find it if you do indeed walk around; or will fail during a run after playing some initial prompts “walk around”, “1km completed” etc only to then fall over and stop playing any future prompts. This more than likely means that you’ll be running hard thinking that the second km is taking much longer than the first and generally leading to intense frustration. While run data is still recorded as normal, you’re missing one the most compelling features of using the Nike+ kit.
How to prevent this: Before running, I will always perform a reset. After following these instructions, iPod will restart and – in my experience – Nike+ will work as expected with no missing voice prompts.
