Problem: OWC On-The-Go Pro

About a month ago I purchased the OWC Mercury on the Go 320GB Hard Drive and I am now using it for my business file storage. I have all the tutorials that I make, Project files that include InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop files along with my Lightroom catalog and my website files and resources.

My initial reaction was that it looks cool and modern but it created a problem when restarting my computer. The first time that I had noticed the problem was when I was installing some updates. Software updater wanted to restart so I said ok and the installation process began as it shut down.

When the computer restarted it took 8x as long after the chime to display the Apple Logo, about 60-90 seconds. I originally thought that it was a fluke and that it would not happen again, but it did! So I shut it down and turned off the OWC Drive and then started the Mac back up. took the normal amount of time. The drive being hooked up to the computer was causing the computer to take longer to reboot.

I have 4 other external Western Digital Studio and Studio II drives and have had no problems with them. Is this just a fluke in the drive or is it a normal thing with OWC drives. If any one can help, please leave a comment.

New Tutorial - PS Color Change

Changing colors in an Image from Colby Otte on Vimeo.

This video show how to change a specific color in an image using an adjustment layer.

New Tutorial - PS White background removal

Removing a white background from an image from Colby Otte on Vimeo.

This video demonstrates a way of removing a white background from an image.

Apple Announces new iMac and MacBook and more!

On Tuesday Apple released it's new line of iMacs and Macbooks along with baroius other updates.

Included in the updates were a new 21.5 and 27 inch iMac. the new iMacs can have up to 2TB of hard drive space and 16GB of Memory. Apple is putting a Mac Pro Processor in a consumer level iMac. The recently released Intel i7 and i5 processors will be available in the 27" iMac in November. This means that some professionals can buy and iMac for a lesser cost and get the same processor that is in the Mac Pro.

The New iMac has a few new additions like a new SD card slot below the SuperDrive slot on the right side. The back of the previous generation of the iMac was plastic, but the new iMac has all aluminum enclosure. A deleted feature is the FireWire 400 port on the back. the port is now replaced with one FireWire 800 port

Other imropvement are the updated Mac mini to now include Snow Leopard server with 2 hard drives. and a new aluminum remote to replace the old white plastic remote.

PhotoshopWorld Aftermath and Thoughts

This years PhotoshopWorld was pretty good but I still would like to have more advanced classes.

The Classes I took

Here are some of the class I took the year.

Thursday

Graphic Secrets: Totally Text

This class is similar to Scott Kelby’s Typography class that was held last year. The difference is this class focus more on styling text in Photoshop

Work Faster with Smart Objects.

This class was ok, it is pretty self explanatory. Dave also talks about layer comps and some layer styles. This class is for people who want to use templates in Photoshop.

The Lazarus Effect: Raising the Dead Pixel

This class was ok, nothing special. it talked about how to recover images that might be to blury or color is bad.

Friday

Fix It in Photoshop

THis class is similar to the one above.

Top 10 things you should know is Photoshop

This class I took because I was with my sister-in-law, who is a beginner in Photoshop. RC did a good job of presenting and the the items he presented were really useful.

Concert Photography From Capture To Client

By Far the best organized instructor. This class was really cool. it talked about how to get approval to shoot at a concert and how the procedure works at the concert/ A GREAT Class

Tips for the Working Photographer

This class is smilar to Joe’s book, The Moment it Clicks. Joe is a really good instructor because he has real world experience with working with magazines such as National Geographic and Sports Illustrated.

There are No Bad Originals 1 and 2

This class is not for beginners. It is about using channels to cut our and enhance images. By usong the Apply Image command you can give your pictures a better look.

Saturday

Drawing with light.

This class was not too special. I expected more demos with models and poepla not landscapes.

Flashing for Fun & Profit

This class was a cool class. David has some great ideas that are great for on location shoots.

The Closing Ceremonies

This was ok, but lets do more videos and less chit chat.

Travel Home

On Sunday Morning I checked out of the Mandalay Bay and returned the Rent a Car and prceeded to the airport to fly home.

Overall Experience

PhotoshopWorld is a good conference for pople wh are jut getting started in Photoshop. but for more advanced Photoshop than I would not attend. I may not go next year.

I have posted a gallery of all of the images that i took here.

PhotoshopWorld Pre-Con Day

Today is the day! PhotoshopWorld Pre-Con Day has come and gone.

My Day

This morning I woke at about 9am and went to the Pool area and stayed in the Lazy River. the Lazy river is a river that has a current that takes you floating away. This is the best feature of the Mandalay Bay.

Shoot, Design, Print Pre-Con

This class was just OK. The time allowed to shoot the model was not enough, so my shots were not so good.

Chili's

For Dinner we went to Chili's and had a big meal cause we had not eaten lunch.

Overall it was a good day, the Pre-Con was disappointing.

PhotoshopWorld Day One

I am here in Vegas and am excited to go to my pre-con tomorrow. Here is what took place today.

Flight from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas.

Our Delta flight left this morning at 11 am. the best part of the flight what the in-flight entertainment. Our aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 and had a little TV on the chair in front of me.

I will NEVER fly in any other aircraft if I can help it. The Flight was pretty smooth, and only lasted about a hour.

Arrival In Vegas

After we arrived In Vegas we went to our baggage claim and waited for, what seemed to be forever, before our bag came and then took a rent-a-car shuttle to the McCarran Rent-A-Car Center.

After getting the car, we drove to the Town Square Apple Store. After browsing through the isles and looking at the new iPod Touch, I remembered that my earbuds where starting to fall apart. I went back to the car and got the earbuds and brought them in to and Apple Rep. and she gave me a brand new set of earbuds. the cost: 0, Zero, Goose egg, nada, etc. aka FREE!!! That is what I call great Customer Service.

Wal-Mart

If you have read my previous post regarding what to do for food in Vegas, if not than read it here. After the Apple Store we went to Wal-Mart and purchased stuff for Breakfast, Lunch and same Dinners. This is what I do to spend less in Vegas.

The Hotel Check-in

After giving the car to the valet, went to the registration desk and checked-in and got our room assignment. At this point it was about 3pm, 3 hours after we picked up our baggage in the airport terminal. We were so exhausted.

The rest of the day, we just relaxed and litsened to an audiobook. And now it is 11pm and I am off to bed

See you tomorrow!

PhotoshopWorld Traveling

Ok so I have all my stuff packed, I think. I leave tonight to go to the nearest non-puddle-jumper airport, which is Salt Lake City. I leave tomorrow at 11 am and arrive in Vegas at 11:23am. I am flying a Boeing 737-800 with a full cabin.

CU there!

Also follow me on Twitter where I will be doing some live upates during the Keynote an the rest of the conference.

PhotoshopWorld Blog

OK so I have not posted here for a while but I will be posting next week at PhotoshopWorld. I also could be posting on Twitter: @cjotte

This week the PhotoshopWorld blog began posting posts from actual attendees of PhotoshopWorld.

I read a few and there are very good, check them out here

Apple's Music Events to kick off

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Today at 10am Pacific, Apple will begin their annual Music Event titled "It's Only Rock and Roll, but we like it". Apple is expected to launch the new iPod line in time for the Holiday shopping season.

My Expectations: Apple will release the new iPod line, including a built in camera, for the iPod Touch, Classic and the Nano. I hope the they will also release a new updated version of the Apple TV Software to include Netflix's Watch Instantly feature. There will be no tablet or any new computer updates.

There are many websites that are live blogging the event today, Including:

• Macworld
• TUAW- My Pick
• MacRumors via Twitter
• Cnet

Tune in this week, Same Apple Time, Same Apple Channel!

PhotoshopWorld Info - Part 4: Hotel and Travel

OK, so you have decided to got to PhotoshopWorld, good for you! I think you will learn alot.

Now that you have made the decision to go now you are wondering how to get there, where to stay, and how to get around.

NOTE: this post may have some similar items that my other PhotoshopWorld travel post has

How to get there - Fly or Drive?

This could be a no-brainer if you live a long way from Vegas, but if you live close enough to drive you may have a decision on your hands.

The Pro-Cons of Driving

Pro-Cost Effective: this option can save you some money depending on where you live. for example, here are some estimated costs to drive to Vegas.

Key:

Gas: $2.58/gal

Car MPG: 25 MPG

Traveling at 70MPH

Los Angeles - 265 miles - $27.35 - 3 hours

Chicago - 1,752 miles - $180.81 - 25 hours

Orlando - 2,433 miles - $321.64 - 35 hours

Dallas - 1,360 miles - $140.35 - 19 hours

New York - 2,565 miles - $264.71 - 36 hours

Salt Lake City - 426 miles - $43.96 - 6 hours

Seattle - 1,265 miles - $130.55 - 18 hours

Con-Time consuming: this can take up to 8x as long to get there than taking a flight

The Pro-Cons of Flying

Pro-Time Saving: This can save you tons of time over driving. to get to Vegas from the above cities it can take as little as 45 minutes all the way to 4 hours - A big time saver over driving.

Con-Cost is more - To take a flight to Vegas can go from $60-$350 depending on where you live. The PhotoshopWorld website has a widget form AirlineWatchDog that tells the cheapest rate to Vegas from a big list of cities.

Where to Stay

There are a giant list of Hotels to stay at in Vegas. The Conference is being held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel Convention Center.

The Mandalay Bay

Located on the South end of the Strip

The hotel can be (ok, it is) expensive but if you book through the PhotoshopWorld website the cost per night is $137 per night, compared to $180 per night. The best thing about staying at the Mandalay Bay is that the instructors and staff from the conference are staying at that hotel.

The Luxor

Located 1 block north of the Mandalay Bay

The Luxor is a Egyptian themed hotel that is a great place to find something to eat cheap. The hotal offers a large food court and numerous restaurants. The Luxor is a little less expensive than the Mandalay Bay. with rooms starting at $50 for the weekdays and $150 for the Weekend. I you stay Sept. 29 - Oct 4, you only have to pay for 1 weekend night stay.

Other hotel include

• The Excalibur
• Tropicana
• New York, New York
• and about a billion other hotels

When to go?

You want to arrive before the day the conference begins. If you are planning on attending a Pre-con session than arrive the day before as well. The Conference Registration begins on Wednesday, for Pre-con attendees, and Thursday morning for all others.

If you arrive before conference you can take advantage of more of the amenities of the Mandalay Bay (or whichever hotel you choose). The Mandalay Bay offers a great 11 acre pool area, and aquarium that have over a dozen species of Sharks.

Stay as long as you schedule permits. But do not leave anytime during the conference, you might miss something good.

To rent a car or not to rent a car, that is the question!

Well it just depends on what other things you want to do.

Taxi

Taxi's are convenient but can be expensive. it cost about $20 to get from the airport to a Strip Hotel like the Mandalay or the Luxor. Off Strip hotel? taxi is about $25-$30.

Rent a Car

One of the great services from McCarran airport is an off property Rent Car Center. When you leave the terminal to get a car you board a shuttle bus to the center where all the Rental car place are housed in one spot. You pick up and return you car here.

To rent a car is about $40-$50 per day from Budget. I think it is worth the cost because you can go wherever and whenever you want.

PhotoshopWorld Trip Tip - Rent a Car

OK, here is a great tip. Today I went to check my Budget Rent a Car reservation and all was cool.

But, just out of curiosity I looked into what the cost to Rent a Car would be now. I was shocked to see that I could save about 40 bucks! thats major savings.

So I canceled the other reservation and booked the new one. I was able to do this because I did not have to give a credit card number when I reserved the car.

So if you have booked a car while in Vegas for PhotoshopWorld look in to see if the prices have changed. as long as you have not gave them you credit card number than you should be able to cancel your reservation.

Good luck!

Snow Leopard: The Aftermath!

OK, I will admit that I should not have upgraded to Snow Leopard so quickly, but in my defense I ordered the at 7am on Monday morning. I was Tired.

Ok, here is what I have done to upgraded to Snow Leopard and why I am downgrading to leopard.

First Install

When I first installed Snow Leopard on Friday night I didi a direct install over leopard. and did not wipe the Hard Drive.

For the most part the installation was a little faster and was great beacause it restarted after the installation was complete. so when I came back to my computer it was already booted in to Snow Leopard.

the problems

Photoshop kept crashing whenever I saved a document, be it a PSD or and JPG. and it would crash if it was just sitting there.

That was the biggest headache that I ran into and that is not a small thing to Graphic Designer like me.

The Second Install

OK, so I made the decision to reinstall Snow Leopard doing an erase and install.

The trick is to find the Utilities menu and go to Disk Utility. When I did the first install I could not find the Utilities menu to save my life.

When doing this install I found the Utilities menu and opened Disk Utility and erased the Macintosh HD. I was very surprised to find that it took five minutes to erase a 500gb disk.

the problems

After the install finished I noticed the screen is really pixelated and the fonts are very choppy. it is almost like the display is displaying a 1300x1000 resolution image in a 1920x1200 resolution image. It is really pixelated.

Anyway, I think I might have lost a font in the translation when clearing the disk.

So now I am going to downgrade to leopard and hopefully Apple will release a update and I might upgrade then.

Too all who are using Snow Leopard I hope you have had a better luck than I have.

There is just not that many features that make a difference in my work flow.

PhotoshopWorld Info - Part 3: Special Events

At PhotoshopWorld there are a number of Special Events that you should attend.

The Opening Keynote

Thursday Oct 1, 9am-10am

The Keynote is the number one item to put on your agenda. It is held the first day of the conference and is where all the attendees of PhotoshopWorld gather to hear the PhotoshopGuys kick off the Expo and the Events. THe keynote is held about 8am or 9am.

The Guru Awards

Thursday Oct 1, Opening Keynote

The Guru awards are the Awards given to people who have entered their artwork in a specific category.

The awards are open to all attendees of PhotoshopWorld and entries can be submitted on the website

The winners will receive a grand prize of great items from the sponsors.

The Photoshop Hall of Fame.

Thursday during the Opening Keynote

Photographers, educators, artists, and Adobe users - these are the people who have pushed Photoshop to new heights. For all their work creating, testing, and teaching others how to use all the latest Photoshop advances, a select few are honored by inducting them into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. Formed by NAPP, the Photoshop Hall of Fame recognizes those individuals whose contributions to the business, education, development, and art of Adobe Photoshop have enduring value.

Portfolio Reviews

Thursday Oct 1 - All Day

As a Photoshop World conference attendee, you'll have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get one-on-one instructive feedback as your portfolio is reviewed by some of the most highly acclaimed professional photographers in the industry today. Not only will they review your work, but you'll learn important portfolio tips, including which images are hitting home runs, which need to sit on the sidelines, which should open, and finally which should close the portfolio.

Portfolio reviews are free to full conference attendees, but time slots are very limited and reservations in advance are required. You will not be assigned a time slot until just before the

conference and you must sign up by 2 weeks before the conference or be added to a wait list.

The Art of Digital Photography

Friday Oct 2 - 7:15pm - 9:15pm

I have not attended this event before so here is the description from the PhotoshopWorld website.

This is a night of pure magic. It's where some of the world's leading digital photographers come together, on one stage, for an evening that you'll be talking about for years. Be right there as these gifted artists put Photoshop aside to focus solely on the creativity and art behind their brilliant photography.This is without a doubt one of the most inspirational, moving, and most talked about sessions in Photoshop World history, and if you've never had a chance to witness the passion, the emotion, the tears, and the laughter that truly amazing photographers can bring through their work, then you've got to be there for this night you'll never forget.

All conference attendees are invited to join some of the world's most celebrated masters, and the true living legends of photography, including Jay Maisel, Julieanne Kost, John Paul Caponigro, Joe McNally, Moose Peterson, Joe Glyda, and Jim DiVitale as they bring their amazing talents together for a night of pure magic. Be there as it unfolds in this special, free, after-hours event.

Dinner with a Stranger

Thursday, October 1st

An important part of the Photoshop World experience is making new friends, and if you're coming to Photoshop World by yourself, we've got a great way to do just that. It's called "Dinner with a Stranger"

PhotoshopWorld After Hours Party

Thursday, October 1st from 8:00-11:00pm

There's no better way to let loose, unwind, and relax after a busy day of learning the latest Photoshop techniques than to join your fellow conference attendees - as well as the Photoshop World instructors - at the Photoshop World After-Hours Party!The House Of Blues inside The

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(877) 632-7600
House Of Blues Las Vegas

Your party ticket includes a party buffet, two drink tickets, and exciting live entertainment from Scott Kelby's Big Electric Cat band.

Midnight Madness

Friday, October 2nd

Hosted by Scott Kelby, Terry White, Rod Harlan and Larry Becker

Dubbed as the session for "Photoshop freaks who just can't sleep," Photoshop Midnight Madness has become legendary in the world of training conferences. If you're lucky enough to snag a ticket to this late-night Photoshop love fest , you're in for a hilarious night of wild surprises, tons of prizes, howls of laughter, and loads of fun.

This night of no-holds-barred Photoshop mayhem is definitely the hottest ticket at the conference - delivering non-stop music, madness, contests, and partying is hosted by the conference ringmaster himself, Scott Kelby.

Only 200 tickets are given out for Midnight Madness. We’ll be handing out tickets at a location that will announced soon.

a few more Snow Leopard Annoyances

After having Snow Leopard for a while now. It seems that Apple has more that a few kinks to work out. The one thing that has annoyed me then most is the fact that Photoshop keeps crashing.

Adobe stated in a FAQ about Snow Leopard that the CS4 apps are compatible with the latest version of the Mac Operating System. I have heard a lot of reports about Photoshop crashing in the Adobe Forums.

I am considering downgrading to Leopard so I can do work in PS.

Have you upgraded? Any Problems? Write a comment below and express you thoughts.

A Snow Leopard annoyance

In 10.6 Snow Leopard's expose, a new feature shows the minimized windows. I hate that!

I minimised the darn thing cause I don't want to see it!

In the picture I minimized the Time Machine window and was watching iTunes. when I used expose I saw the minimized Time Machine window

Grrrrr!

My Gear

I have been asked to give a list of the gear that I have.

Computers

24" iMac

2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

4GB Memory

500GB Internal Hard Drive

17" MacBook Pro

2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

4GB Memory

200GB Internal Hard Drive

External Hard Drives

WD My Book Studio II 4TB Time Machine

WD My Book Studio II 2TB iTunes Media

WD My Book Studio 1TB Unused for now

WD My Book Studio 500GB General File

OWC Mercury On-the Go 320GB Graphic Design/Photography/Business Files

Other Accessories

Apple Aluminum Keyboard

Apple Mighty Mouse

Waco Intous 4 Large Tablet

Dell Multimedia Keyboard

Moshi Clear protector for the Apple Keyboard

Firewire 400 5 port hub

USB 7 port Hub

Epson CX9600Fax - kinda crappy

8 port Power Suppressor

7 port Power Suppressor

and a whole bunch of cables behind my computer

Photo gear

Nikon D80 10.2 MP DSLR

18-55mm lens

70-300mm lens

OLD unknown brand on camera Flash

2 Nikon Filters - neutral density filters

Software

Adobe Creative Suite 4: Master Collection

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

iWork 09

Quicktime Pro

ClamX AntiVirus

Google Earth

iShowU HD

VNC Media Player

Handbrake

Fairmount

Onyx

VisualHub

and iLife 08

I have a lot of interesting software.

Snow Leopard: My thoughts!

This week Apple shipped the new version of Mac OS X, dubbed Snow Leopard. This new version has not so much new features, but refinements under the hood.

Here are my thoughts about Snow Leopard.

The Finder.

You might notice a tiny difference in the look of the Finder. The fonts listing the files are in a bold front. the Finder is also a 64 bit app.

System Preferences

The Snow Leopard System Preferences have changed a bit. The former International pane has changed to include text correction, much like autoCorrect in Word or Pages.

System Preferences has also been recoded to be a 64bit app. But if third-parth apps are still in 32bit mode, System Preferences will ask to restart in 32bit mode. that is very annoying, because I still have some panes in 32bit mode, like flip4mac, Version Cue CS4, SnnekPeekPro, and Wacom Tablet.

Dock/Stacks

The dock looks the exact same as it did in Leopard, but when you minimize a window it is suppose to minimize to the app's icon. None of my apps do that. I have tried Finder, Photoshop, Safari and others and it doesn't work.

Time Machine

My original Time machine backup took a little less than it did in Leopard.

For the most part my upgrade to Snow Leopard has been pretty good. When the computer restarted after the original installation it took 5 min to start up. that was the longest 5 minutes in my life. Safari has crashed on me once but othern than those two bugs, all is good.

I have not installed Snow Leopard on my laptop yet but plan to do so.

My Trip to PhotoshopWorld - Part 2: Travel Plans

Last year when I went to Vegas I booked through Expedia and it was really easy to keep track of everything: Flight, Car and Hotel. But this year I wanted to book through Expedia, but as I was booking the trip the hotel sold out. so I had to book it separately. Here are my tips on how to book your trip and what to take with you.

The Flight

I love Delta but they are not always cheap so I went to Expedia to see prices on the flight so I could compare them. Expedia wanted $155 round-trip Delta flight from SLC to LAS.

Comparison:

• Southwest: $216 one way WOW! - Expedia - N/A
• American: $200 round trip - Expedia - $189
• Delta: $118 round-trip - Expedia - $155
• JetBlue: $135 round-trip - Expedia - $187

I had always wanted to fly JetBlue, but I am on a budget so I went with Delta.

If you are think of going to PSW book your flights as soon as possible.

Hotel

Ok, I know that you might think that the cost of this hotel is not worth it because it is kinda expensive, but stay at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Why?

Well because you are in the same hotel that all the instructors and staff stay at. You could see Scott Kelby walking down the hall. AND you have a short walk to the conference: down the elevators, to the Left

The Mandalay Bay is a tropical like hotel with a 11 acre beach/pool area and has a large selection of expensive restaurants and a small selection of relatively less expensive restaurants as well.

Here are some of the less expensive places to eat

The Bayside Buffet

Breakfast - $17, Lunch $21, Dinner $29, Eat all Day $35 (M-Sa), $40(Sun)

The Bayside buffet has a large selection of food and desserts, but it is pricey. It has a great location to the conference. If you want to eat here all day get the All-Day Pass for $35 (M-Sa), $40(Sun).

Raffles Cafe
About $10-$20 per person

Raffles Café offers a 24 hour casual dining with a wide variety of menu choices, including prime cut steaks, seafood and more. It has a good view of the beach area. It located down from the Bayside Buffet.

Burgers and Dogs

About $10 per person

Here you can get - what else - Burgers and Dogs. this place is located in the Food Court in the convention center - 100 feet from the doors to the Tech Expo!

The Luxor Food Court

The Luxor food court is located next door to the Mandalay Bay connected through the Mandalay Place shopping center. It has much more variety that the Mandalay has. The Luxor has a McDonalds, Quiznos and More.

Looking for something a little less expensive? Good! cause that's what I did!

On Tropicana Ave. is an Albertsons and a WalMart. go to either one and buy food for breakfast and lunch. There is no refrigerator and no microwave in the hotel room so also buy 2-3 styrofoam coolers, $2-$3 each. Set all the food in the bottom of the coolers and cover in ice from the hotel ice machines. Then set the coolers in the bathtub, just in case they leaks.

Transportation? - Car or Taxi

Well it just depends on what other things you want to do.

Taxi

Taxi's are convenient but can be expensive. it cost about $20 to get from the airport to a Strip Hotel like the Mandalay or the Luxor. Off Strip hotel? taxi is about $25-$30.

Rent a Car

One of the great services from McCarran airport is an off property Rent Car Center. When you leave the terminal to get a car you board a shuttle bus to the center where all the Rental car place are housed in one spot. You pick up and return you car here.

To rent a car is about $40-$50 per day from Budget. I think it is wort the cost because you can go wherever and whenever you want.

What to Take

Of course you take personal items and clothes but what specific things should you take to PSW?

Well that depends on what classes you want to take.

For PreCons I would take your camera and laptop

Here is what I take:

• 17" Macbook Pro
• Laptop Bag
• Mighty Mouse
• Nikon D80 an kit
• iPod touch - Hotel has available Wi-Fi for a fee, unless you book throught the PSW website then Wi-Fi is Free!
• NAPP attache bag - available with a Pro Pass upgrade
• Water Bottle
• Business Cards

Costs to go to PSW
PSW Alumni Admission + $449

Regular Early Bird admission: $499

After Early Bird Promo Ends: $599 • Ends Aug 28
PreCon - shoot, design, print + $199
5 night Hotel + $134 per night + $750 booked from PSW Website, tax included
Budget Rent a Car + $260
Delta Flights - $260 - 2 people
Total: about $1,924 plus food

Introducing the most advanced OS in the World. Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Today apple released the new version of their flagship OS - 10.6 Snow Leopard.

This new OS has very little new features but has been rebuilt to be more relilable and secure. and includes some breakthrough new technolegy.

New Refinments include:

• A more advanced, more nimble Finder.
• New look, new features for Exposé and Stacks.
• Quicker Time Machine backup.
• Faster to wake up and shut down.
• Faster, more reliable installation.
• Another leap forward for QuickTime.
• Innovative Chinese character input.
• More reliable, higher-resolution iChat.
• The right service at the right time.
• Automatic updates for printer drivers.
• Automatic time zone setup.

New Techlolegies:

64-bit computing used to be the province of scientists and engineers, but now this generational shift in computing gives all users the tools to apply the power of 64-bit to speed up everything from everyday applications to the most demanding scientific computations. Although Mac OS X is already 64-bit capable in many ways, Snow Leopard takes the next big step by rewriting nearly all system applications in 64-bit code¹ and by enabling the Mac to address massive amounts of memory. Now Mac OS X is faster, more secure, and completely ready for the future.

More cores, not faster clock speeds, drive performance increases in today’s processors. Grand Central Dispatch takes full advantage by making all of Mac OS X multicore aware and optimizing it for allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors. Grand Central Dispatch also makes it much easier for developers to create programs that squeeze every last drop of power from multicore systems.

With graphics processors surpassing speeds of a trillion operations per second, they’re capable of considerably more than just drawing pictures. OpenCL in Snow Leopard is a technology that makes it possible for developers to tap the vast gigaflops of computing power currently in the graphics processor and use it for any application.

Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, a major leap forward that advances modern media and Internet standards. QuickTime X includes a brand-new player application, offers optimized support for modern codecs, and delivers more efficient media playb ack, making it ideal for any application that needs to play media content.

Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard will be available as an upgrade to Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard on August 28 at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers, and online pre-orders can be made through Apple's online store starting TODAY. The new operating system will be available only for Mac users on Intel-based computers.

PhotoshopWorld Info - Part 2: The Tech Expo

The Tech Expo

Most computer related conferences have a big expo and small break-out classes. Well PSW is the the opposite. PhotoshopWorld has over 100+ classes but is also has a Tech Expo.

Browse the latest hardware, software, cameras, printers, and more from the biggest names in the business for three innovation-filled days. The Expo Exhibit Hall is where you'll get face-to-face with the industry's leading developers to check out all of the latest plug-ins, digital cameras, scanners, printers, peripherals, imaging software, hardware, storage devices, and transport cases.

• Adobe
• Artistic Photo Canvas
• Bogen Imaging
• Clipping Factory
• Corel
• Epson
• Western Digital
• Peachpit Press
• Graphic Authority
• GridIron Software
• Hoodman Corporation
• OnOne Software
• Kelby Training
• LAYERS Magazine
• and MUCH More!

Here is a video featuring the Expo from the PSW website

The NAPP Help Desk LIVE!

Throughout the conference you can get all of your questions answered at the NAPP Help Desk. Help Desk Live is open all three days during Expo hours, and is located close to the classrooms so you can just walk up and have your questions answered in an informal setting.

Bonus Classes

Photoshop World is unique beacause the training doesn't end in the classroom - there are also two theater-style classrooms right on the show floor. These bonus sessions real, in-depth training sessions by top professionals. These "Bonus Sessions" are important because they are held by the companies that professionals use every day.

FREE Expo Pass

If you are coming to PSW with your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, etc. than you might sign them up for the FREE Expo Pass. The pass will allow them explore the Expo and see all the exhibits. Note: They will not be allowed to attend any PSW class session outside the Expo Center.

For More Information visit the Official PSW website

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NOTE: The images and the video are from the PhotoshopWorld website

More Rumors for the Apple September Event

Ok now there are reports the Apple could be releasing more new

products at the upcoming September event to be held on the 8th.

There are some reports saying that Apple could be updating the Apple TV to include some DVR capabilities and to be able to have iTunes live streaming much similar to Netflix's Watch Instantly Feature.

Another report is saying that the release on Mac OSX 10.6 could happen as early as August 29 which has been rumored for the last few days. Also, a few images and YouTube videos have been posted showing off the new look of the Snow Leopard Installer (see below).

As I am writing this I saw a post on MacRumors is reporting that the UK Apple online store has put a ship date on the Leopard Up-To-Date program.

Also reports came in the Snow Leopard Mac box set has also briefly appeared in the Online Store. The set bundles Mac OS X with iLife '09 and iWork '09 of only $169. This box set is the only way to upgrade to Snow Leopard for users who currently don't have 10.5 Leopard. (Right Image from Gear Live)

Here is a Video showing the new Installer for 10.6

PhotoshopWorld Info - Part 1: Classes and more

Recently on my blog I announce a new series of blog post that will give some info about what I do to get ready PhotoshopWorld. Well on to my second series.

For this series I want to give new people who are thinking about going to PSW some good information.

The PSW Class Schedule

The PSW class schedule is a complete list of what classes will be offered when. The classes are organized in Track sessions such as, Photoshop, Lightroom, Digital Photogrpahy and more.

Each class that is listed in that track is relating to the theme of the track see an example above

Optional Pre-Conference Workshops

Pre-conference workshops are a great way to kick-start your Photoshop World experience. These special workshops are only open to registered attendees of Photoshop World and require a separate fee at registration.

Some of the PreCon topics include

• The Latest in LAB
• Shooting for Photoshop
• Shoot, Design, Print: Create a Movie Poster From Start to Finish
• Real World Concert Photography
• Photoshop Channels & Masks
• On Location Wedding Photo Shoot
• Canon Live Studio
• NAPP Photo Safari

The WorkBook

When I first went to my first PSW I was suppressed at how much stuff that get when I registered. I got a Badge carrier, a Show brochure and the best item of all was the workbook. This workbook had all the notes from most of the class session that were offered. the notes included screenshots and other graphics so you could get the most out of your experience.

PSW Alumni

If you have attended a PSW before then you are eligible for $50 off your registration. The alumni registration also gets you a sticker on your badge saying that you are a previous PSW Attendee.

For More Information visit the Official PSW website

Apple Set to Update OS on September 8.

Recently in some Apple news blogs the have been reporting that the new release of OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard could possibly happen in a Apple event rumored to happen September 8th.

Sites like AppleInsider, Mac Rumors report that the event could launch the new OS, as well as a refresh of the iPod line, including a rumored camera addition the iPod Touch and iPod Nano.

Apple has be advertising it's annual education sale that when you buy a Mac computer for education, you get a free iPod Touch. In browsing the web today I found that Apple made a little addition their banner at the US Apple Online Store. See Below (Click to enlarge)

The addition of "Hurry, Offer ends 9/8" could mean that a new iPod line is in the works for the upcoming holiday season.

Also rumored (but not expected) is a new tablet the looks like a larger iPod Touch. some videos where posted on Youtube apparently showing off the new tablet.

Youtube Video 1, Video 2,

What Do I think? Well, there will be a refresh to the iPod line, but the Tablet is a no go, at least not for the September Event. In the future, Maybe.

My Trip to PhotoshopWorld - Part 1: General Info

In the next few posts I want to discuss a little about what I do to get ready for Photoshop World in Las Vegas. These Posts could be a good read if you have been thinking of attending.

What is PhotoshopWorld?

Photoshop World Conference and Expo is a semiannual conference for photographers, graphic designers, web developers/designers and other services like these. At the conference they have about 100+ classes on all these topics.

PSW is the Official Conference of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, with membership about 30,000, the conference attracts about 3,000 people.

Here is a good summary from the PSW website

You've never seen a training camp like this! Photoshop World is the ONLY Photoshop and digital photography conference designed to put you at the top of your game with fast and furious classes from the world's leading experts. Photoshop World is where Photoshop users go to learn hard and play even harder!

PSW is held 2 time per year, one on the East coast and one of the West coast. the last few conferences were held in Boston 09 and Orlando 08 (East) and Las Vegas 08, 09(West).

Here is the trailer for PSW 09 in Vegas

For More Information visit the Official PSW website