Cricalix.Net

Calling the In-Game Browser in EVE Online a browser seems to be pushing the definition of the word.  I’m playing with some code that makes use of option lists, and option groups inside of those lists.  Every browser from about Netscape 4 supports option groups (and before that based on memory of some screenshots) – they let you take a big long list of items, and apply some kind of logical grouping so that the group header can’t be selected, but items under the header are indented slightly and selectable.

EVE’s browser, on the other hand, discards any notion of option groups.  This annoys me, because I spent about 2 minutes thinking of an elegant way to convert some SQL table output into option group lists.  I could have used those 2 minutes for something else.  Perhaps, one day, CCP will add just a bit more HTML compliance to their browser code.  Maybe.  I hope.

Went back to Jessops at lunch today, and handled the Pentax and Nikon side by side – switching from one to the other, running test shots (without a card), and getting a feel for the grip, button layout etc. The Pentax K10D is a technically fantastic camera, complete with weather seals, a button for flicking in and out of RAW mode and two RAW file formats. However, despite all of the nice things that the Pentax can do, I couldn’t hold it comfortably – the grip was too shallow. That also means I can’t hold it securely. Bummer. I can hold the D80 much more securely and comfortably, and while it may not be sealed, and only supports NEF, it has other ‘points’ on the Pentax.

For giggles, I handled the Canon 400D, and handed it back within 5 seconds – far too small, and an even smaller grip than the Pentax. The 30D just didn’t feel right either.

I can get the Nikon with the 18-70mm internal-focus (which the KM didn’t have on the two lenses I had) for £700. I’ll have to put a good SD card on top of that, but it’s worth it, as it gets me out of the house. The other plus on the Nikon at the moment is that it comes with a full ecosystem of lenses, flashes and other accessories, while the Pentax is limited (though they are meant to be ramping up with new lenses). Time to call the store I guess, as the manager said it’ll take about a week if they have to get the camera from the warehouse (due to lack of 18-70 lens availability). Also need to work out what the 75-300 KM lens is worth, and post it on Dyxum or similar.

Praise be to the power of the Internet, and the Hive Mind that inhabits Ars Technica.  I posted there, enquiring about the lens options for the D80, as I’d like to avoid spending too much on the replacement for the 5D.  A reply by kefkafloyd supplied me with information I’d been unable to find anywhere else, and apparently it was unknown to the authorised Konica-Minolta repair center in the UK – namely that the issue I’ve been having is a known (internal repair documents) design flaw in the KM 5D and 7D cameras.

I’ll be having another chat with the manager of Jessops when I’m back in the store playing with the Pentax and Nikon – according to those same internal documents, something like 25% of the 5D population is affected by this flaw.

Well, the bare plaster walls in the kitchen have been painted with cheap white paint. I present pictures from my mobile phone camera, as I have no other camera at the moment.

Before:

After:

For my next trick, I’ll be finding some tiles I like, and getting a backsplash tiled in, along with the windowsills.

Following on from an earlier posting, I went to the local Jessops store today and returned my Konica-Minolta 5D for (essentially) store credit. The manager was quite pleasant, and gave me 500 quid in vouchers – the camera value plus the extended warranty I had purchased. I then played with a few cameras, primarily the Sony Alpha and the Nikon D80. The Sony, to me, is totally outclassed by the Nikon. I’m tempted to go back this afternoon and play with the Canon 30D as well, however the reviews on DPreview.com for the Canon show that it has a few issues that would really bug me – like the camera turning off when you remove the CF card. That may have been fixed in a firmware release, so I’ll have to go scour the net a bit.

There were three things that made the D80 stand out over the Alpha 100 to me:

1. Build quality – the Nikon just felt better, complete with textured thumb rest. The Sony is smooth plastic (which some tape would fix).
2. Viewfinder – the Nikon is much brighter than the Sony. Reading on DPreview, they used a prism instead of a mirror.
3. Top LCD – the Nikon has one, the Sony doesn’t. ‘nuf said.

There are other factors now that I’m home, including the fact that there’s a much better lens selection for the Nikon. Sony said they’d have a wide range of lenses out by the end of last year, and I certainly haven’t seen any, and the store manager hadn’t seen any either. If I really want to be pedantic, Sony were also responsible for that rootkit debacle last year (though it was another division of Sony).

I told the manager that I would probably take a few days to decide. I’ve got to work out what to do with my zoom lens that Dad gave me for the KM5D – he’s suggested asking the place I got it from if they’ll take it back for second-hand sale and trade-in value on a new lens from them for whichever camera I pick (assuming I don’t go for the Sony). That store is closed at the moment, and their web-form tries to pigeon-hole your request (and they don’t have the right hole for my question) so I’ll have to do that on Monday.

So I’m sitting here working on a mid-sized array that defines permission flag names, and the default values for different types of user – I’ve dumped the array out after sorting it, and I’m re-importing it into the code so that I can find bits easier (alpha search by analogue eye).  As I’m running a series of search and replace functions, I found myself thinking ‘Self, this would be easier if you stored it in an SQL table.’  I actually proceeded down that train of thought for about a second, until I remembered – this array in code is the source for a database table that the rest of the code uses.  It’s just the installer if you will.

*twitch*