shindotv

Just when I felt hot to post today, my Macbook goes on the fritz. I had a dream a few days ago that I dropped my laptop and the monitor was shattered. Might have been an omen, though things have not happened as literally as I dreamed it. For one thing, the MacBook in the dream was one of those new aluminium kind, while the real life version is encased in white plastic. Also, my computer simply isn’t booting up.

I have the iPhone and the Wordpress app, so I’m not completely lost. Still, I am not a fan of the iPhone keyboard and I can’t copy and paste. A real keyboard is much more comfortable to type with.

I get to take my MacBook in to see a Genius tomorrow at the University Towne Center Apple Store in La Jolla. It’s much sooner than if I tried to get an appointmet at the Fashion Valley location, which would have been on Friday.

I am frustrated I couldn’t see a Genius today. I miss the early days of the Apple Store Concierge where one could sign in to see one in a few hours, but now it’s a couple of days. I should be happy I’m seeing one tomorrow. But, these problems never happen on a timetable. That would be too convenient.

Here’s to hacking it out on the iPhone,

Yesterday, I mentioned the CameraBag application for iPhone. I downloaded Photo Lab, which has some artistic filters one can apply to the photos on your iPhone. The options range from simply adjusting the color to rendering the image as a line drawing. For $2.99, there are 20 filters and it’s easy to use.

To show some of the effects, I used a picture I took of my friend Jaylen. First, here’s the original photo taken with iPhone’s default camera app next to one with the Auto Correction filter applied:

Left: Original. Right: Auto Correct

Left: Posterized. Right: Saturated.

Left: Line Drawing. Right: Line Drawing with Color.

Left: Stencil. Right: Sculpture.

UPDATE: While I enjoy using Photo Lab on my iPhone and tweaking the photos with it, the app has crashed on me a lot today. Please, developers of this fun product, please work things out so that there are less crashes. I will less likely bitch and moan and scream ‘FAIL!’ if you do.

You can’t always say you get what you pay for with iPhone apps. Some of the best ones are free while some of the paid apps are utter FAIL (such as allRadio). Given that, I paid $2.99 for the CameraBag, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

The iPhone’s default camera application is simply point and click. There isn’t much one can do with the “camera” besides have a steady hand and shoot. With CameraBag, that part is still true, but there are several options to manipulate the image for a “vintage” effect.

Here are some examples of the effects offered by CameraBag:

Jaylen in “Lolo.”

Amber and Julie in “infrared.”

Amber in “1974″

Sharon and Brian in “1962″

Casey in “Helga”

If you wonder what an SDTwineup is, it is essentially a smaller Tweetup (a meeting for Twitterers) with a healthy dose of wine and cheese. Organized and hosted by @DowntownRob, the soft opening of the Twineup was held in Rob’s West Downtown apartment, which has a very beautiful view of the Marina District and even the new Electra Tower. Among the Twitterers represented were your truly, @NREK, and @Nomatophobia.

The benefit of the Twineup is that there is more of opportunity to meet and get to know fellow Twitterers, which is present at the Tweetup, but there are fewer people with a less hectic party pace. And, there is nothing like some wine and cheese to help the conversations get going, very good ones indeed.

The Twineup eventually migrated to Altitude, which had an excellent view of Petco Park’s baseball diamond. We eventually met up with @MyMelodie, who was with her friend @jenniferaron. At one point, several of us couldn’t resist doing a runway walk, which was only a small part of the crazy fun post-wine.

A special thanks to Rob for his hospitality and for creating the event. As I’ve mentioned before, Rob is a big part of the San Diego online community, helping to organize the Blogger Meetups and recently co-sponsoring last week’s SDTweetup. His internet server business, Webwizards.Net, has a special 60 day trial plan available to Twitterers. Check it out and make your grand presence known beyond Twitterville.

The next SDTwineup is on October 24, 7pm.

Am I the only one who’s taking pictures where the perspective is warped on my iPhone? Perhaps I’m accustomed to the two-dimensional effect of conventional cameras, but from time to time, buildings seem out of whack. Here are some lovely examples:

5th and Washington, Hillcrest.

Ash Street towards the Harbor, Downtown San Diego.

Columbia District, Downtown San Diego.

This one almost seems to be in classical perspective, but is still a bit off:

Core District and East Village, Downtown San Diego.

Please tell me I’m not crazy.

Sometime ago, I went Project Runway on an old tie and dress shirt. Last week, I lost the darn thing, which then compelled me to create another one. I still have enough remnants of the tie and dress shirt to make a clone, but it was much more fun to make it out of Okinawan textiles this time.

For the shell, I used a bingata fabric. This isn’t the traditionally hand-stenciled textile, but a more commercial one available in Okinawa. I got it from my mother, who in turn got it from a friend of hers who recently traveled to Okinawa.

For the lining, I used an old pair of jinbei shorts. I’ve had too many of these things growing up and even as an adult. I liked the fabric on one of them, a very soft material that looked like Okinawan plantain fabric without the itch.

This project went more quickly than the last, but I didn’t have issues I had with the tie fabric this time. Plus, sewing went much more smoothly and this one is prettier.

Just a little silliness to get through Monday morning:

Which would you pick: iHunk or I-Hunk?

The iHunk - sighted while I was waiting for my Genius Bar appointment on Friday:

or the I-Hunk, an image I found on Flickr:

I’d take the iHunk over the I-Hunk anyday.

As you may know, I have a new relationship in my life and it is with my iPhone. A friend mentioned in an e-mail that I have satisfied my Apple fetish for now. He has also said to a mutual friend of ours that this device is my new boyfriend. Oh god, what a high maintenance one it is.

Getting the iPhone is one thing. Anyone can get one, provided that they have the right plan and a great deal of patience. The next step is to get a cover, and anyone can buy one. There are so many choices, especially if one has some money to throw away to accessorize. There are gummy protectors, leather holsters, and even eco-friendly, granola-ey sheaths. However, not everyone can make their own covers.

On Tuesday night, I set out to do a Project Runway of my own. My materials were a Geoffrey Beene necktie and a Geoffrey Beene dress shirt. My budget was $0 since I was recycling some fashion that fell into disuse. I could hear Tim Gunn telling me to “Make it Work.”

Of course, I had a few ideas. While I had a great time destroying a tie, I then turned my attention to a dress shirt to make a soft lining. I also thought some elements of the shirt could make clever features on the iPhone sheath. However, in the end, I settled on a more minimal design. The tie’s fabric can do the talking without any competing elements.

With the lining, I made it work. It compliments the shell instead of competing with it.

No machines were used; everything was stitched together by hand. A steam iron (along with an ironing board) to smooth out the fabrics, a sharp air of scissors, and some pins to hold the fabric together helped me a great deal. Making sure the lining was integrated and the seams not showing was the most challenging part.

Why did I do it? For several reasons: I’m too cheap to buy a sheath and I like creating things. While I don’t have granola tastes, I like the idea of recycling fashion. Plus, the final result is something I’d use. It looks nice on its own and it doesn’t look out of place in a suit’s breast pocket. Very dandy indeed.

Yesterday, I finally got the iPhone after waiting for two Fridays and a few days. I’ve downloaded the wordpress app and I’ve written this entry on it. Tapping ok a glass screen takes a little getting use to. Sometime, a bit later, I’ll have to do a proper blog entry with a picture of my blog on my phone. Plus, I started to go Project Runway on one of my ties. I’m making a cover for it. Fun times.