The original Jawbone headset by Aliph provides excellent noise reduction.
However, the unit has a design flaw; the charger fits too tight around the back of the unit. In fact, as I recently found out, it is SO tight that it can easily destroy the headset when removing it.
When I contacted Aliph customer service, they were cordial, but unwilling to help since I couldn’t find my receipt.
After some additional research, I found a video tutorial showing the best way to remove the charger. Apparently, this is known issue.
It’s really lame of Aliph to not stand behind their product. I definitely WILL NOT be buying my replacement headset from them.
by Ron on February 20, 2009
by Ron on February 15, 2009
I needed an 82mm replacement lens cap for my Sigma 100-300 f4. Preferably, the center pinch type since the one provided by Sigma can’t be removed or attached with the lens hood on. 
I found a really inexpensive version on eBay and decided to give it a try. It works great!
Search this seller’s store for 82mm:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjiakgong
I paid $3.60 with free shipping. It took 7 days to reach me in the US, although I assume transit times can vary widely.
by Ron on February 13, 2009
The excellent bookmark sync tool is not available for Safari. That’s great news for those (like me) who use both Firefox and Safari for different reasons.
Thanks, Foxmarks!
Download it at Foxmarks.com
by Ron on February 4, 2009
At work, I was unable to access my Ensim control panel (on RHEL4); the browser kept timing out. So I thought I’d restart it to see if that would fix it. I did the usual:
/etc/init.d/epld restart
And got this error
Stopping Ensim Pro For Linux Control Panel [ OK ]
Stopping Ensim Pro For Linux SSL Tunnel [FAILED]
Starting Ensim Pro For Linux Control Panel [ OK ]
Starting Ensim Pro For Linux SSL Tunnel [FAILED]
I checked the log file and see this:
cat /usr/lib/ensim/frontend/httpd/logs/error_log
…No space left on device: mod_rewrite: could not create rewrite_log_lock
Problem Found
A quick google search told me it was a semaphore problem. So I ran the ipcs command to check my config:
ipcs -l
—— Semaphore Limits ——–
max number of arrays = 128
max semaphores per array = 250
max semaphores system wide = 32000
max ops per semop call = 32
semaphore max value = 32767
Then ran the ipcs command to see how many were semaphores were left:
service httpd stop
ipcs -s | grep apache | wc -l
It showed 110. Not 128, but maybe enough to cause problems. PLUS, it “should” be zero with apache stopped.
Solution
With apache and epld stopped, I ran this command
ipcs -s | grep apache | gawk ‘{ print $2 }’ | xargs -n 1 ipcrm sem
Then started apache/epld again. All is fine.
service httpd start
/etc/init.d/epld start
by Ron on January 23, 2009
Lately, I’ve been seriously considering switching platforms from Canon to Nikon. Specifically, to the Nikon D300. And, I have the lens choice narrowed down to either the Nikkor 17-55 f2.8 or the Nikkor 24-70 f2.8.
So, I decided to run the numbers again to see which would be a better choice based on which focal length I shoot most.
Phil Harvey’s Exif Tool is the way to check that.
Turns out that over 76% of my shots are between 17 and 55mm. Whereas only 66% are between 24 and 70mm. Of course, I adjusted for the 1.6 to 1.5 crop difference.
For longer shots, I’m considering the Sigma 100-300 f4.
So, if you’re unsure what your next lens purchase should be… check the stats from what you’ve been shooting.
by Ron on January 14, 2009
While trying to run a YUM update on a CentOS server today, I got an error message about my /boot partition being full. I ran a df -h and sure enough, there was only 100k left. (My standard install uses 100MB for the boot partition.)
Here’s what I did to fix it.
rpm -q kernel
That returns a list of installed kernel updates. In my case I had more than 25…
kernel-2.6.9-22.EL
kernel-2.6.9-42.0.8.EL
kernel-2.6.9-42.0.8.plus.c4
kernel-2.6.9-42.0.10.plus.c4
…
kernel-2.6.9-67.plus.c4
kernel-2.6.9-67.0.1.EL
kernel-2.6.9-67.0.1.EL.plus.c4
kernel-2.6.9-67.0.4.plus.c4
kernel-2.6.9-67.0.7.plus.c4
kernel-2.6.9-67.0.15.plus.c4
kernel-2.6.9-67.0.20.EL
To remove some of the older ones, run:
yum remove kernel-2.6.9-42.0.10.plus.c4
or to get several at one time:
yum remove kernel-2.6.9-42.*
I recommend leaving a few of the older ones in case you need to revert one day.
by Ron on January 6, 2009
The Cactus units aren’t incredibly reliable. Often they don’t fire… and I can’t figure out why.
I had a “real” assignment to shoot, so I upgraded to the PocketWizard Plus II. Like all the reviews say, they are rock-solid. Not one single misfire in over 1500 shots last month.
Highly recommended.
by Ron on December 1, 2008
by Ron on November 17, 2008
I just received the Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger V2s from Gadget Infinity. The cost was $32.95 plus $5.00 for “Regular Airmail.” It took about a week to arrive from Hong Kong.
My goal was simple… eliminate the PC sync cable from my camera to the strobes in my very small studio (as cheaply as possible).
The new setup: The receiver is plugged into a Novatron M500 using an old PC Sync cable. The transmitter is on my Canon 40D.
Overall it works ok. There are a few quirks that may be specific to my setup.
1) I must use 1/200th shutter speed. Anything else results in a partially dark frame.
2) Occasionally, it doesn’t trigger the strobe. Maybe 1 out of 20 times. However, I think this is a cable contact issue. After twisting the connection to ensure it is well seated, I’ve gotten better results.
The range is more than acceptable for what I need: 150′ (45 meters) indoors with no obstructions. Your mileage may vary.
Packaging is pretty simple.
The pc cable fits snug, but I found twisting it after inserted ensures fewer failed shots.
It includes this flash stand (that I doubt I’ll ever use). It’s hidden under the packaging. If you aren’t looking for it, you’ll accidentally throw it in the trash.
Transmitter on the Canon 40D.
Update: Camera Dojo also has a good review of the Cactus Flash trigger on their site.
