I'm a bit mixed about French presses. While they're generally better than a shitty coffee maker, a good one will beat it hands down. They just don't make as velvety smooth coffee as a good machine will. On the plus side though they're a hell of a lot cheaper.
There's also a song about being on the moon, called "The Fucking Moon" by the Evolution Control Committee, that's pretty much an audio version of the Onion article. [blip.fm]
They also did a couple amazing mashups of Herb Alpert and Public Enemy years ago. You can listen at [evolution-control.com]
Oh Onion. An apocalyptic disaster that would make even Jesus Christ say "JESUS CHRIST!" can wreak havoc can occur, and I'd probably still chuckle at that article.
@lpranal: geez, what the hell have you done there?
My favorite is the aeropress, just for simplicity. Crema from a $25 non-electric coffee maker - Brilliant! Second favorite is my Saeco machine with upgraded boiler, and a Make magazine inspired hydraulic tamper. It makes better coffee, but much bigger hassle to drag out and prepare.
@Lizard_King: $60 espresso machine w/ PID controller. First thing I go for is my aeropress (upside-down brew technique), espresso when I have the chance to take my time and do things properly. Definitely need to upgrade a conical burr grinder though- I had to modify my cheapo GE burr grinder to go fine enough
@Lizard_King:
Nah, Olympia Express Cremina. Since 1967 they are considered to be the finest of the home lever espresso machines, and so by extent, home espresso machines.
Lizard_King promoted this comment
Bluecold:Of volcanic temperament but soothed by a custard pie balsam. was starred
Bluecold:Of volcanic temperament but soothed by a custard pie balsam. was unstarred
That Leica defines classic. The dollar figure, however, defines ridiculous. Unless it automatically forwards my photos to National Geographic for instant publication, nothing justifies that price.
@Weihovah: I own an original Leica M4 that I paid far less for. They're fantastic cameras, but I doubt that this one takes photos that are $4500 better than a Nikon D90.
since that camera is from the 60s/70s, i bet if you adjust for inflation, you'll get a few comments here saying how overpriced it is. if you want to compare photos from a m7 to a d90, let's say a d90 has a useful life of 100,000 clicks (i think that's very conservative). as DPYu said, the m7 will last far more than 100,000 clicks but we'll use that for consistency. take the $4500 difference and divide by 100,000 clicks and you'll get a difference of 4.5 cents per photo (yea, there's film and development costs but that's a whole other debate). so are photos from a m7 $0.05 better than photos from a d90? that's not a difficult argument to make especially if you're printing larger than 5x7
@Weihovah: I think I paid about $800 for the M4 a few years ago, and yeah, it still takes great pictures 40 years later. I attribute that to the lack of electronic systems to fail.
I'm not arguing, Leica makes amazing cameras that will probably still be taking great photos in 50 years.
My issue is that this Leica is a point-and shoot, targeted at amateurs. It doesn't have some of the options that an actual professional is going to want on a camera that he's using to do his job.
For me, it would be very hard to justify spending this much on an amateur camera, but I'm obviously not Leica's target demographic.
For very wealthy people who want the absolutely best amateur camera in the world, that will still take pictures after they run over it with their Range Rover, then yes, this is a great buy. :D
(I can't remember for sure, but I think Nikon guarantees their high-end D-line for around 300k clicks, at least for the shutter and mechanics.)
@Segador: I don't like the terms "professional" and "amateur" when describing photographers. All it says about someone is whether they make money from their photography. I think what's more important is what kind of photography a person is doing. Someone in a studio setting will benefit greatly from DSLR's, since the DSLR system is adaptable and flexible and digital post processing allow folks to get their photos just the way they want it. Whereas someone doing candid photography and street photography will want something discrete, and has no dependency on batteries ala the Leica M6/MP and other non-Leica mechanical rangefinders. Both of these groups of photographers can be considered professional, but they have entirely different needs/desires in a camera.
As Dan said above, it's a fantastic "pro-sumer" camera for serious photo enthusiasts who can afford it. I can't, and my amateur photo skills don't justify the price. In any case, I highly doubt that there are many disappointed M7 owners.
Maybe I should have just said that in the beginning. =)
@Segador: if it's 300k clicks, the difference per photo will be <2 cents (sorry, i'm studying for a finance test and i'm looking at everything as a math problem).
when my disposable income and photography skills are high enough, i'll get a leica and it'll definitely be worth it
Ahh yes, The Onion. The only 100% guaranteed source of laughter for me. Honestly, I don't know how they do it.
My first guess is they sold their souls to the devil for insane comedic talent. Any other theories?
@joule79: You made me think, why the heck has battery technology changed so much for laptops and cars etc. but the 1.5 V AA battery has remained the same for all this time? It hasn't gotten too much more efficient and/or longer lasting. Since it's size remains the same, it should at least double in power every couple years. Wait, does Moore's law apply to batteries? #toshibamkxx33gsg
@PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: : battery technology is improving every year. In terms of what chemicals produce the best reaction while being the least harmful to whatever they don't want to harm. The AA cannot really improve much more without changing its size/shape, which would defeat the purpose of being an AA battery. There are more powerful and smaller batteries, it's just hard to adapt their technology to still produce 1.5 V in that size. #toshibamkxx33gsg
@psychiccheese: Still, battery tech is improving at a slower pace than the rest of technology. Battery tech is actually what is keeping us from advancing even more quickly. Though I did see that there were some recent breakthroughs, I can't wait till they're out. #toshibamkxx33gsg
@Digo: another thing I forgot to mention is backwards compatibility. When someone designs a faster, more efficient CPU, if they can't make it fit on existing motherboards, they simply make a new motherboard for it. With batteries, even today, new gadgets run on AA batteries, because they're the most widespread and universal. Not because they're the best kind, but because everyone will have access to them. #toshibamkxx33gsg
And already out of date. It's kind of undeniably sad when a company spends what was probably a tidy sum on a product that will be DOA. #toshibamkxx33gsg
@vercordio: Perhaps Toshiba can find other markets aside from us, such as airlines, racing, etc. that still use this type of storage. Plus, it's cheaper then the flash alternative. Just a thought... #toshibamkxx33gsg
Wait...I got an iPod classic 80 GB in 2007 and there also was a 160 GB one...then my friend got a 120 GB one for Christmas 2008 since they were the only ones available...WTF
@Bababoof is amazing: Two generations ago, Apple had an 80GB and 160GB. The generation before this, they decided to get rid of both and instead offer a single 120GB. Now, it appears they "went back" to the 160GB to replace the 120GB, though it's innards might or might not be different, as there was some type of upgrade.
@FlameEye: The old 160GB model was thick, about the size of a cigarette pack. The 120GB model was the thinner, standard Classic size. This new 160GB model is also the standard size. They dropped the original 160GB model because of the physical size of the device (which also took a nasty toll on the battery).
07:19 AM
11/21/09
They also did a couple amazing mashups of Herb Alpert and Public Enemy years ago. You can listen at [evolution-control.com]
11/21/09
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@Lizard_King: perfect blend of old and new. 2nd favorite way to make coffee, after my wonderfully hacked espresso machine
11/21/09
My favorite is the aeropress, just for simplicity. Crema from a $25 non-electric coffee maker - Brilliant! Second favorite is my Saeco machine with upgraded boiler, and a Make magazine inspired hydraulic tamper. It makes better coffee, but much bigger hassle to drag out and prepare.
11/22/09
11/22/09
Nah, Olympia Express Cremina. Since 1967 they are considered to be the finest of the home lever espresso machines, and so by extent, home espresso machines.
11/22/09
I got a 100yr old Arcade Burr grinder mounted on the wall. Just gotta get around to roasting my own beans.
11/22/09
I am sure. However, the Aeropress is more like a thoughtfully designed french press. Just as portable, simple and cheap. It's like French Press +.
I take mine camping, take it to work, use it at home, etc. It gets a workout.
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since that camera is from the 60s/70s, i bet if you adjust for inflation, you'll get a few comments here saying how overpriced it is. if you want to compare photos from a m7 to a d90, let's say a d90 has a useful life of 100,000 clicks (i think that's very conservative). as DPYu said, the m7 will last far more than 100,000 clicks but we'll use that for consistency. take the $4500 difference and divide by 100,000 clicks and you'll get a difference of 4.5 cents per photo (yea, there's film and development costs but that's a whole other debate). so are photos from a m7 $0.05 better than photos from a d90? that's not a difficult argument to make especially if you're printing larger than 5x7
11/21/09
I'm not arguing, Leica makes amazing cameras that will probably still be taking great photos in 50 years.
My issue is that this Leica is a point-and shoot, targeted at amateurs. It doesn't have some of the options that an actual professional is going to want on a camera that he's using to do his job.
For me, it would be very hard to justify spending this much on an amateur camera, but I'm obviously not Leica's target demographic.
For very wealthy people who want the absolutely best amateur camera in the world, that will still take pictures after they run over it with their Range Rover, then yes, this is a great buy. :D
(I can't remember for sure, but I think Nikon guarantees their high-end D-line for around 300k clicks, at least for the shutter and mechanics.)
11/21/09
11/21/09
As Dan said above, it's a fantastic "pro-sumer" camera for serious photo enthusiasts who can afford it. I can't, and my amateur photo skills don't justify the price. In any case, I highly doubt that there are many disappointed M7 owners.
Maybe I should have just said that in the beginning. =)
11/21/09
when my disposable income and photography skills are high enough, i'll get a leica and it'll definitely be worth it
11/21/09
My first guess is they sold their souls to the devil for insane comedic talent. Any other theories?
11/05/09
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11/05/09
[www.rapidrepair.com] #toshibamkxx33gsg
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11/05/09
The World's Wittlest 320GB Hard Dwive
The World's Littlest 320GB Hard Drive? #toshibamkxx33gsg
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09/12/09
I'm so confused.
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09/10/09
Why they did this, I'm not sure.
09/11/09