Archive for December, 2007

New to the Iphone?

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

Are you a new Iphone user? Looking for some cool websites to help educate yourself on how-to use your new phone, customize it, find out when updates are coming, buy the right case and more? Well, here is my quick list of websites that have helped me along the way. (this post was prompted by a few friends buying new Iphones this evening)

Apple Iphone School -  This is a great educational website for new Iphone users. They go over in depth how to use every function of your Iphone. You can even find custom themes, wallpapers, firmware updates and more.

Iphone Alley -  Great tips and tricks site. Always up to date on the latest news as well.

Iphone Atlas – If you are looking for a good how-to and fix-it site this is it. They are always posting ways to get around problems (although I really haven’t had many), how to create ringtones, hacks, etc… I guarantee there is stuff on here about your Iphone you did not know.

Iphone Freak – Just as the name says the site is dedicated to the Iphone freak in all of us. Good news and up to date information. Itouch information here too.

FlickIM – Must go to this link from your Iphone. Its a great Safari IM tool that lets you use AIM or Yahoo Messenger on your Iphone through your Safari browser.

Fandango Iphone – Looking for movie times? If you go to www.fandango.com on your Iphone it loads like the website was built for your Iphone. Very easy to use!

Tips and Tricks Blog – Just found this one tonight and still looking through it. So far I have found 5 useful tips that I didn’t know about. Good times.

Iphone Atmo – A nice collection of FREE Iphone wallpapers.

Flickr Iphone Wallpapers – This group was started for members to dump their Iphone wallpapers in so everyone can enjoy them FREE. Over 1000 already.

Iphone Savior – Another great Apple news site with mostly Iphone info.

Tuaw – Tuaw has a great Iphone section to their site with helpful links.

Ilounge – If you aren’t a member at Ilounge you should be. The best Apple forum online with plenty of information on all apple portable products.

If you have some favorites of your own please post them in a comment for others to enjoy!

Batteries not included

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

If you are a traveling photographer then you probably already read about the new rules set down by the FAA and DOT about carrying lithium batteries you can travel with. These new rules will become effective January 1, 2008. Basically the press release says that passengers will no longer be able to take spare lithium batteries in checked luggage unless they are installed into devices such as your camera body or laptop. If you plan on bringing anything with lithium batteries on the plane they also need to be installed into devices or you can have spare batteries as long as they are carried in plastic bags.

They say they are doing this to prevent unintentional short-circuiting and fires. Okay, how many times has this happened does anyone know? I did a little googling and did find this story about a Dell laptop exploding into flames but I am pretty sure its very rare. Where the actual press release is unclear though is how they are going to have the TSA agents trained to know what is allowed and what is not. I am still doing research but it seems like consumer/prosumer batteries such as the batteries in a Canon 20D/30D/40D/5D or Nikon D200/D300 are not part of this new rule. Batteries found in cameras like my Canon 1-Series bodies or Nikon D3/D2x bodies are going to be watched. As you and I both know TSA Agents are just a notch above your average fry cook at Burger King so how are they going to be able to look at our gear and say what’s what?

I headed on over to my favorite traveling photographer’s blog to see what Fish had written about these new rules. As expected, he already has a plan to make getting past TSA Agents easier. Head on over to his blog to read more.

I have to say I am not very happy about this. I am all for making travel a safe and friendly environment but professionals need to be able to do their jobs. Let’s see what happens when the new year rolls in and people start getting stopped in security lines. Soon, we will have to place everything we bring on to planes in small plastic bags including the clothes we wear.

National Treasure – Book of Secrets

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

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Finally got around to seeing National Treasure Book of Secrets yesterday with my good friend Bo. I really enjoyed the first National Treasure movie, so much that it has found a permanent home on my Iphone when traveling. Great movie to flip on I never seem to tire of. Prior to purchasing tickets I had heard mixed reviews online. That really doesn’t mean much these days, however my friend Sean who I share much of the same movie taste with said it didn’t match up to the first. Hoping to prove him wrong Bo and I headed out popcorn in hand. The movie started strong taking you back in time to the Lincoln assassination just after the Civil War had ended. You quickly learn that the movie is about Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) trying to disprove a rumor that his great great grandfather Thomas Gates was not part of the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The same cast of characters arrives in this installment as well, Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase, Jon Voight as Patrick Gates, Justin Barta as Riley Poole, Harvey Keitel as FBI Agent Peter Sadusky and new welcomed actors Ed Harris as Mitch Wilkinson, Helen Mirren as Emily Appleton Gates and Bruce Greenwood as US President. On top of great actors this movie takes you to some amazing places such as Mount Rushmore, The Library of Congress, Statue of Liberty, White House, Buckingham Palace, Mount Vernon and more. If you have a love for history this movie as its predecessor are for you.

The writing I will agree with Sean and say it was not as good as the first. Still, Bo and I both very much enjoyed the story line and pace of the movie. Plenty of action, great character interaction, Abigail is smoking hot, and Riley’s smart ass comments steal the show once again. Something I enjoy about both National Treasure movies is the use of real American history. Sure, there are parts of the movie they hype up because it is a movie and some of the booby-traps I am sure are not realistic to the abilities of the people of the time period. Overall though you get a great sense of history and adventure throughout.  I would suggest checking it out yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

Keeping time

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

I think we all have a guilty pleasure hidden inside, so what’s yours? If money was no object what would you spend it on? I can think of about 100 things off the top of my head but one of my passions has to be time pieces. I love a nice watch but unfortunately my budget does not allow me to own most of the watches I would like to. If I could own any watch right now it would be Breitling Navitimer or Navitimer Montbrillant. Both watches are absolutely gorgeous and would look great on my wrist. The problem is you can’t pick one up for less than $5000. That’s a far reach out of my budget for watches! I can buy a new Canon 1D Mark IIn for that! Some people, especially where I live buy something like this as a status symbol, I am not one of those people. I’m all about the beauty of the piece and how it looks strapped on.

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I have a Breitling knock-off that an old boss of mine gave me about a decade ago. It has the real Breitling band but the watch itself is a copy. It holds the same weight as the original and honestly unless you know the watch you probably couldn’t tell the difference. The problem is I can. Oh well it will due for now. My watch budget usually caps out at about $300-$400 per watch (unless well I’ll just say unless). Lately, I have been getting really turned on by Invicta Watches. Invicta started off as a knock-off company years ago which eventually transformed into a full fledged watch company making some very unique time pieces. Below is a shot of my current favorite that I wear pretty often. I purchased the Invicta Corduba Chronograph 3960 because of its unique style and fit on my wrist. The casing is a gunmetal type color, the red luminous dial glows in a black light, the knobby black caps on either side give it that raw military type look I was going for and the band fits great. I was sporting this watch in Las Vegas during the SEMA Show and got nothing but compliments. The first place I came across the watch was at my local shopping mall but the clerk was asking over $500 for it, which was out of my budget. After about two weeks of shopping around online I found it at WatchZworld.com for $260, perfect! They have a great Invicta collection so give them a look if you are in the market. I am always on the lookout for unique watch companies so if you know of one please let me know. Off to bed I go…

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Brake Brake!!

Friday, December 28th, 2007

Leave it to BMW “the ultimate driving machine” manufacturer to come up with something like this. The futuristic days of cars that will drive themselves is creeping ever so close. BMW has invented a system that plugs into their cars that literally allows them to drive themselves. From what I have read basically they install this new system, drive a course and the car memorizes with GPS satellite signals where it has been and can then drive itself around the course with nobody behind the wheel. Impressive! First, Lexus comes out with a car that will park itself and now BMW does this. Seriously, how much longer before people aren’t needed at all? My favorite European car magazine Top Gear had their guru’s test drive one and give us the low down. The technology is amazing but for car nuts like me it sure does take the fun out of driving the car yourself!

BMW “The Ultimate Car that doesn’t need you Driving Machine”.

Foose P-32

Friday, December 28th, 2007

Ryan gave me a hand today clearing out my storage unit (thank you very much my friend and by the way go buy your iphone already). On the way back from our last trip we made a pit-stop at Oakley so he could get some new lenses. If you haven’t been to the Oakley corporate office you should really go check it out sometime if you are in the Foothill Ranch, CA area. Its brilliantly designed. On top of the design of the building they always have a bunch of cool vehicles lurking about. As we entered the shop area we noticed the Chip Foose P-32 Hot Rod was on display. Badass! I snapped a couple iphone pics for you all to enjoy but I am seriously thinking about going back with my camera (if they allow it).

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I mean even the gas tank lid is cool on this ride. If I had the money I wouldn’t hesitate one bit dropping it in Foose’ lap and telling him to build me something bitchin’. Chip is really a magician when it comes to bending metal. Known for reworking some of the best classic and muscles cars around. This vehicle named the P-32 Lincoln Zephyr V-12 is a homage to the flyboys of WWII in remembrance of the fighters and bombers left behind during the war. Every piece of the car is magnificent and built to an exact specification. If you want to learn more about it head on over to his website at www.chipfoose.com.

You can also find me…

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

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Like most people these days I have a myspace page. Aside from the massive amount of weirdos on the site it has proven to be a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and getting photography work. I have actually booked over 50 shoots through myspace alone. Everyone in the damn world is on it so why not use it as a marketing tool, right? If you want to checkout my myspace page just click on the above left image.

The above right image will take you to my model mayhem profile. Model Mayhem has also proven to be a great site for networking with models, make up artists and stylists. The site works pretty well and doesn’t have the drama you find on myspace because they regulate the page for just people in the industry. One huge problem with the site though is the amount of GWC’s (guys with cameras) running around. A GWC is basically a guy posing as a professional photographer just wanting to get pretty girls in front of his camera. These people are the plague of the photography world. We all started somewhere and there is nothing wrong with saying you’re an amateur so don’t try and pose as being more than you are. I encourage all models that shoot with me to be careful when deciding who they are going to shoot with. Judge the person based on their work, references from people they have worked with and finally from speaking to them. Go ahead and click on the above right image to check out my page.

I have a few other random profiles out there but I rarely access them. Lately, I have been considering getting a facebook page going. It seems to be the new myspace and since I am in the business of self promotion, the more sites I am on usually means more customers. Also, facebook has been working directly with Apple to make accessing your page via an iphone really easy. So, we shall see what happens with that. I think for now I have enough to concentrate on with this new blog developing.

Droppin some lbs

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

What was your New Years Resolution from last year? Do you even remember it? Did you achieve it? For the first time for as long as I can remember not only do I remember mine but I actually achieved it! Over the past few years I had really let myself go physically. I’m an active person, I would actually say very active. However, being on the go all the time doesn’t equal quality exercise time and a good diet. Media events, dinner parties, late night photo shoots, crappy hotel buffets all really don’t do a body good. My goal was to get back in shape and exercise regularly. I grew up playing a lot of sports so exercise was never a problem for me back then. As I got into my late 20’s I stopped playing sports and the pounds came on. Every year I told myself to get my butt to the gym and stop eating crappy food and every year it didn’t happen. Well, not this year. A few life changing events occurred last year which really helped motivate me to lose weight. Unfortunately, those events were heart attacks suffered by a few of my family members. Everyone is doing okay now but with heart problems running in the family that meant my ass needed to get back into shape. The other event was when I visited the doctor for my annual physical in December of 2006. I weighed in at a hefty 252lbs. HOLY CRAP is what I said. At the time I didn’t own a scale, I’m a guy and most of us don’t own scales. I knew I had gained some weight but not that much. The doctor told me I should start paying attention to my weight because at 6 foot tall thats a bit too large (unless I was some huge body builder). I told myself, that’s it Jordan you are going to lose weight in 2007 and that’s final. Well, as you can see from the picture below, I did it. The image on the left is a shot of me sitting on the couch a year ago and the image on the right was taken tonight.

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I know they aren’t the best pictures and no I am not standing against a blank wall topless like they do on those lose weight commercials. So, why am I telling you all this? Well, I plan on sharing with you what I did to make this happen for me. I hope that someone out there finds it useful and makes something like this happen for them as well. I have to thank my friends and family for supporting me through this year, it wasn’t always easy and it was a lot of work (don’t kid yourself thinking it’s not). My goal was to get down to 190lbs and I did just that. Since I hit 190 a few months ago I have started lifting weights and put on some good muscle pounds and now I am not concerned with the scale as much as my overall body shape. I have set goals for myself for 2008 and I hope this time next year I am posting a third image attached to the two above looking even better!

There is no way I can explain to you my entire year in one post so what I am going to do is separate it into months. Each post will be a month in the year talking about my exercise plan for the month, how I changed my eating habits, how I was feeling during that time and other experiences. I kept a pretty good journal throughout the year and also have a decent memory so hopefully I get it all right. Before I continue on I do want to point out something very important. I am in no way a doctor or physician or a medical expert. The experiences I share with you are my experiences and what worked for me. We are all different people and you should consult your doctor, physician or medical expert before developing your own exercise plan. What worked for me may not work for you, so take what I say with a grain of salt and use some common sense will yah. I am just an ordinary guy who wanted to lose weight and now that I did that I thought maybe I could help another. So let’s start things off with January 2007. Go ahead and click continue reading below to read more.
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