Archive for the ‘Geeky Stuff’ Category

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Getting my iPad 2 at the SXSW Apple Pop-up Store!

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Tech/Web, Videos

Mar 12 2011

It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited to shoot a one of these videos, but I couldn’t help myself. After covering the iPad 2  launch with Brian Brushwood for TWiT Live for hours and interviewing all the ecstatic new iPad 2 users leaping out of the Apple store, I wanted one to call my very own.

If you missed the live show you can listen or watch TWiT Live Specials 66: iPad 2 Launch here!


Woot! 32GB White Wifi iPad 2.


Brian shows off his new iPad 2

The Apple Pop-up Store in downtown Austin had one of the most enthusiastic crowds I’ve ever seen and perhaps the geekiest with SXSW going on.


Inside the Pop-up Apple Store.

The Pop-up Store location was so secretive, even the Apple employees didn’t know where it was going to be until the day of the event. I honestly can’t believe they put up this store in less than 3 days! It looked exactly like a regular Apple store.


Scott (Camera+ dev too!) and I are just wee bit excited to get our iPads!


Sexy white iPad.

Tomorrow should be another great day, I will be party-hopping with chief TWiT Leo Laporte himself and maybe… just maybe… we’ll see another crazy crowd surfing episode at the Diggnation party :P You can watch us live starting at 9pm CST on TWiT Live.

Awesome TWiT crew minutes after we finished our live coverage!


Leaving with my LOOT!


Scott, Phil & I take an Uber pedicab back to the hotel to set-up our new iPads!

On Sunday, I’ll be on This Week in Tech with some amazing guests. The action starts at 5pm CST! If you are in SXSW come by Momo’s for the Live taping of the show and a meet and greet!

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Video Tour of Leo Laporte’s TWiT Cottage

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Videos

Jul 25 2010

When I was in SF for WWDC in June, I made the trek up to the TWiT Cottage in Petaluma to film an episode of MacBreak Weekly entitled “Harry Potter”. I always find the cottage such a cool place, so I thought I’d make a brief behind-the-scenes tour to share with you.

Special appearances by Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, a camera shy Don McAllister, Alex Lindsay, Sarah Lane, Tom Merrit, super-edit Tony.

Thanks to Andy Inhatko for jumping in as camera man. :)

16 Comments »

How to Take Great Street Photography with your iPhone

tagged in Featured, Geeky Stuff, Photography, Videos

Jun 19 2010

How to Take Great Street Photography with your iPhone Using Camera+ from Lisa Bettany on Vimeo.

3 Comments »

5 Reasons I’m not buying an iPad

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Opinion

Apr 2 2010


Celebrating my first iPhone… a year and a half after my American neighbours.

I’m going to be a total party-pooper and say, “nay” on purchasing the new Apple iPad. “Ohh, but it’s so shiny and new. You know you’ll want one when you see it,” say the fanboys. True, it is shiny and new, but I still don’t want one.

That doesn’t mean that I won’t sweat and quiver a little when I hold an iPad in my hot little hands, but the moment will be fleeting and easily replaced when I grasp the 16-35mm f/2.8 I have my eye on.

Besides feeling mentally bloated with the sheer number of iPad related articles in my RSS reader, chatter on Twitter & Facebook, and unboxing and app preview videos on YouTube, I actually feel quite underwhelmed by the product. Here are the reasons why I’m not buying an iPad:

1. The iPad is not available in Canada yet.

Canadians and International customers are snubbed again. It’s like the iPhone all over again. All the Americans grinning with their new fancy toy, saying, “Haha. Want one of these? Hey? Want one? Well, you can’t have it. So ha!” What’s the deal? I live 1 1/2 hours from the US border. Couldn’t just pop a few in an air canon and send some our way?

2. I already own an iPhone.

I love my iPhone. It’s light and small and fits in my back pocket. It has 3G so I can use it outside of my house when I actually need to be connected to the internet and google maps, as I have the tendency to wander. It has a plethora of cool apps and I can even take pictures with it!

3. Any gadget without a camera is useless to me.

It should be a rule that every gadget has a camera. If I could take pictures with my toaster I would. Think about it. Toaster cam. Actually, add a video camera to that and live stream it on YouTube. Done.

4. I own a laptop.

I get it. Laptops are heavy to truck around. Even the Air can weigh you down after a while. But, laptops can actually do useful things like run Photoshop and Final Cut and they have actually have real keyboards that are attached to them! And honestly, who would ever go on a trip without their laptop?

I am an extreme multi-tasker. When I am on a long plane ride, I don’t watch movies or play solitaire, I edit photos or videos. If all I could do was look at pictures and videos and flick them around, I would become so frustrated.

5. I don’t have $500-$800 kicking around in my back pocket.

As a photographer I have a long list of “Things I need” that should and will go before buying something as frivalous as an iPad. Sure it’s cool, but I’m going to be honest with myself and my financial situation and groceries unfortunately have to come before gadgets.

It’s not that I don’t think it’s cool, it is just a completely impractical product for me. Honestly, I just don’t think I’m the right demographic for the iPad. For me, functionality and simplicity trumps any shiny, new fun thing.

What about you? Are you gonna buy the iPad or save your money and buy a sweet new lens?

87 Comments »

The Words Don’t Fit The Picture

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Life, Photography

Mar 3 2010

The Words Don't Fit The Picture
5DMKII, 16-35mm, f/3.2 @ 1/20, ISO 6400.

I was feeling a bit down about the Olympics being over and then this happened. I guess there still is a bit of awesome left in Vancouver.

From this I learnt two valuable lessons:

  1. Don’t despair. You might run into a storm trooper outside your apartment; and
  2. Never leave home without a camera.
16 Comments »

My 5DMKII Video Set-up

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Photography, Tech/Web

Feb 23 2010

5dMKII video set up

A lot of people are asking me what I am using to record my most recent videos covering the Olympics, so I thought I’d share my set-up with you.

It’s nothing super fancy, except for the 5DMKII :) For lenses I’ve been primarily using the 35mm because it’s the widest lens I’ve got. Plus, my 50mm f/1.4 had a small accident and is currently in the Canon’s hospital for sick camera lenses. I rented the 16-35mm f/2.8 this weekend and absolutely fell in love with it shooting the crowd scenes in the Ignite your Dream video.

I’ve experimented with longer lenses, my 85mm f/1.8 used in the stadium during the victory ceremony video and the 70-200mm IS f/2.8, but found it impossible to keep steady while shooting hand-held and possibly clapping or screaming which seems to be a requirement during the games. Also, tripods and huge swarms of people don’t seem to mix well. I tried it once during the games and nearly punctured someone’s liver.

I’m using the RØDE VideoMic (Directional Video Condenser Microphone) for sound which has worked out alright. It’s obviously not ideal to shoot in noisy crowds like this video I shot in a crowd of enthusiastic hockey fans. But it’s a great, low priced mic that I’ve used in many video projects. You can tell the difference in using the VidMic compared to the on-camera mic at the end of this video.

For extra lighting in night scenes or in door shooting, I’m using a Litepanels Micro LED light. This small LED light panel runs on 4 AA batteries and has an integrated dimmer dial that allows you to control your lighting output. You can also put coloured gels in the flip-down filter holder to correct any white balancing issues.
The mic and the litepanel are connected to my camera’s hotshoe using the Cool-Lux MD300 light and sound bracket.

This is my first time shooting with the 5DMKII and it has absolutely blown my mind how crisp and vibrant the footage looks even at ISO6400. Well, that is when it’s in focus! It is definitely a challenge to grab focus in night time shoots, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it.

Any questions or comments?

25 Comments »

Photojojo Giveaway

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Photography

Oct 12 2009

title

It’s Thanksgiving up here in the frozen North, so I thought I’d do a little Photojojo book giveaway to say thank you to all my followers. I have 3 awesome Photojojo books to give away. This is a great book for inspiration, DIY projects & tips.

Here’s how to win

Simply ReTweet the following phrase & follow me (@mostlylisa) on twitter:

“Win a copy of @photojojo’s New DIY Photography Book from @mostlylisa. (Details via http://shak.in/1m )”

10 Comments »

My Twitter Account has been Hacked!

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Life, Tech/Web

Sep 30 2009

@mostlylisa gone!

Dear Twitter,

My Twitter page @mostlylisa has been hacked and deleted. It’s GONE!!! I am currently catatonic. Please help me restore my account, it’s like, my meaning in life.

Much love to whom ever helps me!

PS. If you miss me like I miss you, you can always be my Friend OR Fan on Facebook. I know it’s not the same, but it’s all I have now. *hold me*

42 Comments »

Top 10 Back to School Gadgets for Geeks

tagged in Geeky Stuff, Tech/Web

Sep 7 2009

Mostly Lisa & the DSiGeekin’ out on the DSi with Blackbox’s M14 ANR headphones.

Back to School doesn’t have to be the end of fun! Well, in all honesty it does, but at least you can soften the blow of returning to the grind by treating yourself to some great geeky gadgets.

neverlate_clock

1. Neverlate 7-day Alarm Clock ($34 + shipping thinkgeek.com)
After a few months of enjoying blissful afternoon sleep-ins, that first week of 7am wake ups are going to smart. To make sure you aren’t late for your first semester of classes like I was in 3rd year University, you might want to invest in a serious alarm clock.

This alarm clock allows you to set 7 independent daily alarms for each day, so you don’t have the nightly annoyance of setting your alarm. You can also customize your snooze time from one to 30 minutes and set a midday nap alarm with the push of a button.

Picture 11

2. Canon SD960 IS Digital Elph Camera ($299)
So you’ve managed to drag yourself out of bed and grab some caffeine and Coco Pops. You should really capture this pivotal moment. Why not snap a picture with the new Canon SD960 IS Digital Elph camera. The slick, pocket-sized point and shoot comes in four colours (blue, pink, silver & gold).

It’s packed with a 12.1 megapixel sensor that takes crisp, vibrant images and stunning HD (1280×720, 30fps) movies. This little camera has the best looking video I’ve seen from a point and shoot in a long time.

space invader bag

3. Space Invaders Messenger Bag ($49 USD + shipping 16BIT.etsy.com)

I guess it’s time to head to school or all that hard work getting out of bed will be for nothing. You definitely need a sweet bag to match your Converse sneakers and ironic tee. 16-Bit has some amazing, handcrafted retro gaming messenger bags that will store your laptop and all your school essentials. From Super Mario to Donkey Kong to Space Invaders, these limited edition bags are as funky as they are functional.

(more…)

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Mostly Lisa at Nintendo Canada: Part 2

tagged in Entertainment, Geeky Stuff, Videos

Jul 9 2009

The new Mario Bros is so awesome. And my favourite character, Yoshi is back! Wii!

I also picked up a sweet new blue DSi and instantly got hooked on the musical game, Rhythm Heaven. It is the silliest game I’ve played since WarioWare Smooth Moves for the Wii, which is definitely cool in my books. As you may have guessed, I’m a wee bit strange. 8-P

14 Comments »
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