Category Archives: Hobby

Catch Up

Posted on February 1, 2011 | Comments Off on Catch Up

Been a while, so I figured I post something, being 2011 that is…

Baby: Our daughter is getting really big, she’s healthy, chatty and social. To put it mildly, my wife and I are incredibly happy.

Hobby: Still assembling Gundam models, currently working on a RG MS-06S Char’s Zaku. Slow going, but getting there. The Detail on the 1/144 scale RG is amazing.

FIOS: Frankly, the speed is getting ridiculous.  Above you have the speed test from December 2009 and below from February 2011…

Android: Been playing around with Android OS (It’s Linux) lately.  Lot of good things about it and I like that you can get in there via ADB and look around. The ADB terminal sucks, but with a little work, you can start an SSH server, limit it to loopback and connect via ADB port forwarding.

Music I’m listening to right Now:
“Chances” by “Five for Fighting” from the “Slice” Album.

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Posted in Cool Stuff, Hobby, Personal

HGUC Hi Nu Gundam

Posted on April 4, 2009 | Comments Off on HGUC Hi Nu Gundam

hi-nu-hgucSaw this on Ngee Khiong’s site (great site); It’s the HGUC version of the Hi Nu Gundam. Prior to making the HGUC Nu Gundam and Sazabi, I would not have gotten this, but  I’m really impressed by the level of detail and flexibility of the recent HGUC line by Bandai.

When it comes out, I’ll probably just walk down to Image Anime on 30th street and just get it.

Music I’m listening to now:
Nothing at the moment.

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Posted in Cool Stuff, Hobby

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Gunpla model making tip

Posted on March 22, 2009 | Comments Off on Gunpla model making tip

One of the more annoying things about assembling Gundam Models (in this case a MG Kämpfer) is getting the gun to stay in it’s hands.

The hands are meant to look cool, not hold the gun properly. I finally came upon a simple solution: DAP BLUESTIK Reusable Adhesive Putty.  It’s the sticky clay like stuff that used to be used in place of thumbtacks.  Unlike glue, it is not permanent but holds pretty well.

I used just a bit about the size of the tip of a pen and the gun stays where I put it. It only cost me a couple of dollars and makes life a lot easier.

Music I’m listening to right Now:
“I Hate This Part” by the Pussycat Dolls from the “Doll Domination” Album.

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Posted in Cool Stuff, Different, Hobby

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Spray painting plastic models

Posted on March 14, 2009 | Comments Off on Spray painting plastic models

Currently painting a plastic model. I’m only doing selected high lights, but I have to be carefull not to put too much on at one time. Rule of thumb: if you think you’re close to putting on too much paint, just STOP. You can do touch up later.

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Posted in Asides, Cool Stuff, Hobby

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Gundam Expo Japan Limited Gunplas

Posted on February 25, 2009 | Comments Off on Gundam Expo Japan Limited Gunplas
MG Gundam Ver. 2.0 Clear Color Ver.

MG Gundam Ver. 2.0 Clear Color Ver.

Saw this on Ngee Khiong’s site: The Gundam Expo 2009 in Hiroshima will have show special versions of several kits.

In this case, this is the MG Gundam Ver.  2.0 in clear plastic. As this version has a fantastic internal frame with a great deal of details (See the review on Dalong.net for images) this should be very cool.  I hope to see it on Ebay and maybe pick one up, hopefully at not too great a price.

Music I’m listening to right Now:
“No One Lives Forever” by Oingo Boingo from the “Dead Man’s Party” Album.

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More PG Astray photos

Posted on February 15, 2009 | Comments Off on More PG Astray photos

pg-astray-poseNgee Khiong posted 39 photos of the upcoming PG Red Frame Astray. I have to say, this is an amazing model.

He also found someone who assembled one an placed it next to a PG RX-78-2.

Music I’m listening to now:
Nothing, but I did just buy the Blu-ray edition of “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.

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Posted in Cool Stuff, Different, Hobby

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New Gundam Models from Bandai

Posted on February 6, 2009 | Comments Off on New Gundam Models from Bandai

g-fighter-boxOne of my hobbies is assembling Bandai Master Grade (MG) Models and lately, Bandai has been releasing some really good ones.

One that I thought was over the top, but in the original Anime, is the Master Grade G Fighter. Naturally, Dalong.net (Excellent Site, but in Korean) has got one and is reviewing it now. Just like the Anime, the Version 2.0 MG RX-78 Gundam can be loaded into it. I won’t be getting one, but look forward to Dalong.net assembled photos of it.

In related news: Ngee Khiong (another great site) has new photos of the New Perfect Grade (PG) Red Frame Astray. To put it mildly, it looks fantastic (the gold detail on the sword is a great touch!)! You can see full size images here at Xhood an and here at Toysdaily.

I have quite a queue of models to build and won’t buy any soon, but the latest offereings from Bandai really are incredible.

Music I’m listening to right Now:
“Good Morning Britain” by Aztec Camera from the “Stray” Album. You can see the video here.

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

Posted on December 2, 2008 | Comments Off on Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

Costco sent us a $30 coupon, so I figured I’d get it. After using Photoshop CS2, I find this really does most of what I do now with no problem.

Best of all: it works OK on my 2001Pentium 4 PC.  (In an effort to save money, I’m using it until it falls over.) So far, it works very well. I’m able to process RAW images from my D80 without any problems.

As I play around with it, I discover that it has some features that really like. In the Organizer, you can right click and assign a location to an image by right clicking it and selecting ‘Place on a map…’, and then paste the address. It looked it up the address, prompted me for confirmation and added the GPS coordinates to the files I selected. This sounds trivial, but when I upload to Flickr, it automatically place the image correctly on the map. Here are the EXIF Tags it adds:

GPS Latitude        : 40 deg 45' 9.00" N
GPS Latitude Ref    : North
GPS Longitude       : 73 deg 58' 39.00" W
GPS Longitude Ref   : West
GPS Position        : 40 deg 45' 9.00" N, 73 deg 58' 39.00" W

Which, when posted to Flickr, says the photo is in “Taken in Tenderloin, New York“. Odd. The only gotcha I found is when I add GPS to a NEF file, the coordinates did not make it to the JPEG version. Maybe I did something wrong.

It comes with a photo downloader that I’ll be testing too and It has version control so I can see the before and after of an edit. Moe as I play with it.

Music I’m listening to now:
Nothing at the moment.

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Posted in Cool Stuff, Hobby, Images, Photography

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Visit to the Empire State Building

Posted on September 28, 2008 | Comments Off on Visit to the Empire State Building

Empire State Building
Originally uploaded by S.D.

Lots of fun, with an added bonus: Janny works in the building. That means that we don’t have to stand on line. Instead of taking 30 to 60 minutes to get to the top, we just go right to the head of all lines.

I think that got some people annoyed at us (we heard “Hey! There’s a Line!!!” a few times) but it was worth it.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy and hazy but we could always go back. Since the sun is setting earlier as winter approaches, I think we’ll go after work one night and get some great night shots.

Music I’m listening to now:
Nothing, I’m watching Mythbusters.

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Posted in Cool Stuff, Hobby, Images, Personal, Photography

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HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK – 2008

Posted on August 2, 2008 | Comments Off on HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK – 2008

Dragon Boat in TorontoI wanted to check out the 2008 Dragon Boat Festival today, but it’s raining *AND* there is lightning, so I bailed. I know people on at least three different teams, specifically, Team Xtreme, DCH, and Women in Canoe. Knowing some of the team members, I was hoping to get them while they were racing or just on the boat.

Hope tomorrow is better, I’m hoping to get some good photos.

UPDATE: Went on Sunday, saw several friends and took over 500 photos. Unfortunately, we got there late and the light was not too good, but it was fun and I think I got some good photos. I’ll post to flickr later.

Music I’m listening to now:
“Hero/Heroine“, by Boys Like Girls from the “Boys Like Girls“ album. You can see the video here.

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