Below are photos taken with the S5IS last week.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
DSLR versus Compact Super Zoom Camera
This afternoon, we have a little discussion inside the office of the differences between DSLR and super zoom compact camera. Nowsaday the compact camera functionality is almost similar to DSLR. Like the Canon S5IS, it can be used as point and shoot as well as manual control of focus, ISO plus there are lots of scene selections which I am still exploring. The conclusion is that there is not much different unless you are a professional who are willing to invest thousands in lens. DSLR has much better CMOS sensor that reduce noise and bigger aperture that will allow more light to enter the camera even with short shuttle speed. Yes, this is the problem with my S51S. When taking photo in low light without using flash and due to the much longer shuttle speed and my hand shake, the photo is not sharp. However I am still not going to invest in getting a DSLR. A compact super zoom is good enough for me as I mostly used it as point and shoot. Hopefully one day the CMOS sensor of compact camera will be further improved to reduce the noise and bigger aperture allowed to let more light through at low illumination.
Below are photos taken with the S5IS last week.
Below are photos taken with the S5IS last week.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Frost II
The temperature in my suburb dropped down to -2 degree Celcius this morning. I took the photo of the frost this morning. This is the closest I have to snow. Adelaide will never have snow. I have to drive 12 hours to Mount Bulla at Victoria for the ski resort.
Friday, July 25, 2008
My understanding of economy
Below is my observation and understanding of the effect of globalisation. Compared to 20 or 30 years ago the world economy has gone through different stages of reform. After ending of the cold war between the formal Soviet Union, Communist China and the Western countries, the economy of the formal rivals are interdependence.
An American multinational company might outsource the production of its goods in China and manufactured using the steel imported from Australia. The goods are later sold to the consumers in Europe. There is free flow of capital, skilled workforce and resources from one country to the others depending on the supply and demand. A Chinese company might buy over a mining company in Australia due to the demand of the resources in China.
I would like to share on my thought why some country will progress whereas other is going backward. The wealth of a country is a contribution from the following:
1.Natural resources like oil, gas, steel, coal, aluminium etc.
2.Skilled workforce like trade person who can maintain machines and professional occupation.
3.Capital. The industry in the country shall have sufficient capital to carry out research and development work and invest in new technology to find a way to reduce cost in order to make the products competitive. For example, automation used in factory to reduce labour work.
4.A stable government.
5.Equal opportunity
I can say the prosperity of the Australian economy is due to all the above mentioned factors especially resources. There is one tiny little country that is proporous since independent from British and Malaysia without any natural resources. The country is Singapore. The country is making full advantage of the other four factors for it to develop to where it is now.
If a country is rich in natural resources, will it be wealthy? The answer is no if the other factors are not developed. The best example is Malaysia. The country is blessed with abundant of natural resources like oil and gas, tin, timber, etc. However the economy of the country is deteriorating year after year.
I will explain the situation of Malaysia from the last factor, equal opportunity. Malaysia is practising discrimination policy which is known as New Economy Policy (NEP) where the Malaysian of Chinese ethnic do not have the same right of the indigenous Malay in education and business opportunity. The intention of New Economy Policy is to redistribute the wealth of the country so that the Malay will also benefited from the development.
The intention of the NEP is good, but the way it is implemented through the government policies has caused the Chinese to lose control of the much bigger companies to the Malay. In addition, the Chinese do not have equal opportunity for further education.
As I explained before that the globalisation has enable capital and skilled workforce to free flow from one country to the others, the Chinese with their capital and skills are leaving Malaysia to other countries like Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Britain and America. New capital or foreign direct investment is avoiding Malaysia due to the NEP.
The tricky political situation in Malaysia where politicians siphon the country coffers into their own pocket and the politicians are applying all dirty tricks to keep them in power created a very unstable government. The government delivery system, police, judical system are corrupted beyond operational.
In the factor of capital, the foreign exchange revenue from the export of resources are unfortunately used in non productive way like building white elephant projects. The capital is not used to improve the production technology. Factory are labour intensive. Construction site are labour intensive. Automation and prefabrication technology are not promoted. To reduce the labour, capital is required to acquire new technology or new way of doing things.
The outflow of skilled workforce is happily replenished with heavy in flow of unskilled workforce. This is disaster in the making where the productivity of the economy is competing in the lowest end labour intensive market.
Above are my own opinions and what make me leave Malaysia to settle in Australia. I don't expect my opinions to be accepted by others. But I believe if my opinions are taken into consideration, it will help in reviving the current situation in Malaysia.
An American multinational company might outsource the production of its goods in China and manufactured using the steel imported from Australia. The goods are later sold to the consumers in Europe. There is free flow of capital, skilled workforce and resources from one country to the others depending on the supply and demand. A Chinese company might buy over a mining company in Australia due to the demand of the resources in China.
I would like to share on my thought why some country will progress whereas other is going backward. The wealth of a country is a contribution from the following:
1.Natural resources like oil, gas, steel, coal, aluminium etc.
2.Skilled workforce like trade person who can maintain machines and professional occupation.
3.Capital. The industry in the country shall have sufficient capital to carry out research and development work and invest in new technology to find a way to reduce cost in order to make the products competitive. For example, automation used in factory to reduce labour work.
4.A stable government.
5.Equal opportunity
I can say the prosperity of the Australian economy is due to all the above mentioned factors especially resources. There is one tiny little country that is proporous since independent from British and Malaysia without any natural resources. The country is Singapore. The country is making full advantage of the other four factors for it to develop to where it is now.
If a country is rich in natural resources, will it be wealthy? The answer is no if the other factors are not developed. The best example is Malaysia. The country is blessed with abundant of natural resources like oil and gas, tin, timber, etc. However the economy of the country is deteriorating year after year.
I will explain the situation of Malaysia from the last factor, equal opportunity. Malaysia is practising discrimination policy which is known as New Economy Policy (NEP) where the Malaysian of Chinese ethnic do not have the same right of the indigenous Malay in education and business opportunity. The intention of New Economy Policy is to redistribute the wealth of the country so that the Malay will also benefited from the development.
The intention of the NEP is good, but the way it is implemented through the government policies has caused the Chinese to lose control of the much bigger companies to the Malay. In addition, the Chinese do not have equal opportunity for further education.
As I explained before that the globalisation has enable capital and skilled workforce to free flow from one country to the others, the Chinese with their capital and skills are leaving Malaysia to other countries like Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Britain and America. New capital or foreign direct investment is avoiding Malaysia due to the NEP.
The tricky political situation in Malaysia where politicians siphon the country coffers into their own pocket and the politicians are applying all dirty tricks to keep them in power created a very unstable government. The government delivery system, police, judical system are corrupted beyond operational.
In the factor of capital, the foreign exchange revenue from the export of resources are unfortunately used in non productive way like building white elephant projects. The capital is not used to improve the production technology. Factory are labour intensive. Construction site are labour intensive. Automation and prefabrication technology are not promoted. To reduce the labour, capital is required to acquire new technology or new way of doing things.
The outflow of skilled workforce is happily replenished with heavy in flow of unskilled workforce. This is disaster in the making where the productivity of the economy is competing in the lowest end labour intensive market.
Above are my own opinions and what make me leave Malaysia to settle in Australia. I don't expect my opinions to be accepted by others. But I believe if my opinions are taken into consideration, it will help in reviving the current situation in Malaysia.
Frost
I never see snow. Adelaide is not cold enough to snow. Yesterday was the coldest day in this month. Before I went to work, I saw the grass at my backyard covered with a layer of frost. I called my wife and she was exited too. When I was in the car, the thermometer recorded 1 degree. I did not take any photo yesterday as I was hurried to go to work.
In the evening, the news reported some part of the state recorded -5 degree. I think this is the lowest temperature in South Australia. I took some photo of the frosty grass this morning and it was 3 degree.
In the evening, the news reported some part of the state recorded -5 degree. I think this is the lowest temperature in South Australia. I took some photo of the frosty grass this morning and it was 3 degree.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Testing my camera at Barossa Valley
We supposed to go hiking at Water Fall Gully but unfortunately it was a rainy day. So plan B was to go to Barossa Valley since David has to replenish his stock of wines. This morning was freezing cold. The weather was 10 degree but due to the wind, it felt like 3 degree.
Green glass during the winter. The grass will turn brown during summer.
The wood fire place inside the wine testing centre will make you feel warm.
Wine racks.
Wine testing.
Wines
Felicity and her big friend Phillipa.
The sceneray could be better if it is a sunny day.
Nevertheless it is still a good opportunity to try out my new Canon S51S.
The street of Lyndoch
We are having coffee and cake at The Lyndoch Bakery and Restaurant.
Eagle sculpture at the Sculpture Park.
Angas Park dry fruit.
My family.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
My old and new camera
Since the introduction of digital camera, photography has been make affordable. There is always a factor of uncertainty with the traditional film camera. The end result could only be determined after the film being developed. It is an expensive process where each photo will cost 50 cents and the photo might come out blur. With the digital camera, the hardisk is the only limitation. The portable drive solve the problem now as the hardisk of the computer is free out.
My first digital camera is inherited from my father. It was a Fujifilm 1.3 Megapixel camera. My father bought it at 2000 and took it with him for his China trip. The image result was dissapointing for him and he decided to stick with the traditional film camera and gave it to me. I soon find out that the macro was turned on and he used it to shoot all the photos. Not the fault of the camera. In fact this is a superb camera which is much better than a lot of digital cameras that I have used. I will talk about these very old digital camera some other times. Fujifilm gave me a very good impression due to this very first digital camera under my collection.
I bought a Canon S51S on Thursday on my way home after I dropped my workmate to collect his car at the workshop. I bought it at Harvey Norman. I make a comparision between the Canon S51S and the Fujifilm S5600 that I am using now.
This is the Fujifilm S5600 that I have used for the pass year. I have no complain on this camera and it is a beauty. It is 5.1 Mega Pixel and 10X optical zoom. S5600 is a point and shoot camera but with option for manual control that I never use. Most of the photo in this blog are taken by the S5600. I am 100% satisfied with what it offers. The grid is superb and the feeling is good. This camera set me back at $300.
The reason I bouught a new camera is I want to have much better resolution and bigger zoom. I have considered Canon S51S and Nikon P80. The Nikon P80 is 10 Mega pixel and has 18X zoom. It is a powerful feature inside a small camera. Even DSLR can't match the feature. The review that I have is you will never go wrong with the S51S. The photo quality is good and it has fast response time. The review on the Nikon P80 is not that impressing. Almost all reviews commented the camera response is sluggish. Better think twice before purchasing. Both camera are selling almost the same price with the Nikon a bit dearer. I go for the Canon and I lost 2 Mega pixel and 6X zoom. I hope it is a right choice.
This is my new camera and an investment of $530. It weight the same as the Fujifilm S5600 but a lot shorter when the camera is turned off due to the len is retracted inside the camera. I am still exploring with what this camera can offer. Beside the bigger zoom 12X and higher resolution 8 Mega pixel, I still can't find its advantage over the Fujifilm S5600. It does not have the firm grid as the S5600. The S5600 feels more solid in turn of handling compared to the S51S. I only took a few photos with the S51S and this is insufficient to justify its capability. The LCD display which can be twisted is an atrractive feature and I don't have to bend or kneel down like before to took the photo of my little girl. S51S also has the image stabilizer which is not offered by S5600. How good it is I still don't now. The S5600 photo was taken by S51S and S51S photo was taken by S5600. Which one is better?
My first digital camera is inherited from my father. It was a Fujifilm 1.3 Megapixel camera. My father bought it at 2000 and took it with him for his China trip. The image result was dissapointing for him and he decided to stick with the traditional film camera and gave it to me. I soon find out that the macro was turned on and he used it to shoot all the photos. Not the fault of the camera. In fact this is a superb camera which is much better than a lot of digital cameras that I have used. I will talk about these very old digital camera some other times. Fujifilm gave me a very good impression due to this very first digital camera under my collection.
I bought a Canon S51S on Thursday on my way home after I dropped my workmate to collect his car at the workshop. I bought it at Harvey Norman. I make a comparision between the Canon S51S and the Fujifilm S5600 that I am using now.
This is the Fujifilm S5600 that I have used for the pass year. I have no complain on this camera and it is a beauty. It is 5.1 Mega Pixel and 10X optical zoom. S5600 is a point and shoot camera but with option for manual control that I never use. Most of the photo in this blog are taken by the S5600. I am 100% satisfied with what it offers. The grid is superb and the feeling is good. This camera set me back at $300.
The reason I bouught a new camera is I want to have much better resolution and bigger zoom. I have considered Canon S51S and Nikon P80. The Nikon P80 is 10 Mega pixel and has 18X zoom. It is a powerful feature inside a small camera. Even DSLR can't match the feature. The review that I have is you will never go wrong with the S51S. The photo quality is good and it has fast response time. The review on the Nikon P80 is not that impressing. Almost all reviews commented the camera response is sluggish. Better think twice before purchasing. Both camera are selling almost the same price with the Nikon a bit dearer. I go for the Canon and I lost 2 Mega pixel and 6X zoom. I hope it is a right choice.
This is my new camera and an investment of $530. It weight the same as the Fujifilm S5600 but a lot shorter when the camera is turned off due to the len is retracted inside the camera. I am still exploring with what this camera can offer. Beside the bigger zoom 12X and higher resolution 8 Mega pixel, I still can't find its advantage over the Fujifilm S5600. It does not have the firm grid as the S5600. The S5600 feels more solid in turn of handling compared to the S51S. I only took a few photos with the S51S and this is insufficient to justify its capability. The LCD display which can be twisted is an atrractive feature and I don't have to bend or kneel down like before to took the photo of my little girl. S51S also has the image stabilizer which is not offered by S5600. How good it is I still don't now. The S5600 photo was taken by S51S and S51S photo was taken by S5600. Which one is better?
Monday, July 14, 2008
Koi
I keep kois while I was in Malaysia. I sold all my kois while I moved to Australia. The reason for me to sell them is to let them have a good owner who can take care of them. Otherwise they will die soon. I now reside in South Australia. Koi like carps are pest here. It is illegal to rear them.
Kois are stunning and beautiful fish. I bought them at less than 100mm and manage to grow them up to 600mm. Due to the limited size of my tank, they won't grow any further.
Keeping koi is a hobby of science. The challenge of glooming the fish is not what you feed them or how you take care of them. It is water treatment. Koi is a very dirty fish. They eat a lot and also poo a lot. The chemistry lie in converting the ammonia to nitrate in a fast cycle so that the water register zero ammonia, nitride and nitrate. Otherwise the ammnonia will kill the fish and nitrate will cause algae to grow in the water and the water turn green pea colour within a day. You take care of the water and the water will take care of the fish.
What is the magic gadget that will take care of the ammonia? The answer is bio filter. The filter is a separate tank about 30% the size of the koi tank. It has 5 compartments. Three compartments are used to house the Japanese mat, one for coral and another for pump. Bacteria live inside the Japanese mats and they are working on the conversion. The end product nitrate will be absorbed by water plant flooding on top of the surface. I also included water lily and some water plant in the main tank to absorb the nitrate. Keeping water lily with koi is a challenge as koi treat them as food and they like to dig the water lily up and eat the roots.
Maintaining the bio filter require the skill of a plumber and electrician. All pipe works are DIY. The pump fails periodically and I have to replace them. It is an expensive hobby. The koi if Japanese breed is not cheap. I have a combination of local and Japanese breed. However it is worth it. Looking at the koi swimming is relaxing and it make one to relax and enjoy the peace the fish bring to you. The kois are like ladies in beautiful kimono. I have Sanke, Showa, Tancho, Shushui, kohaku, ogon etc. Most of them are about 600mm long.
I hope the new owner treat them well. I have sold them for two years.
Kois are stunning and beautiful fish. I bought them at less than 100mm and manage to grow them up to 600mm. Due to the limited size of my tank, they won't grow any further.
Keeping koi is a hobby of science. The challenge of glooming the fish is not what you feed them or how you take care of them. It is water treatment. Koi is a very dirty fish. They eat a lot and also poo a lot. The chemistry lie in converting the ammonia to nitrate in a fast cycle so that the water register zero ammonia, nitride and nitrate. Otherwise the ammnonia will kill the fish and nitrate will cause algae to grow in the water and the water turn green pea colour within a day. You take care of the water and the water will take care of the fish.
What is the magic gadget that will take care of the ammonia? The answer is bio filter. The filter is a separate tank about 30% the size of the koi tank. It has 5 compartments. Three compartments are used to house the Japanese mat, one for coral and another for pump. Bacteria live inside the Japanese mats and they are working on the conversion. The end product nitrate will be absorbed by water plant flooding on top of the surface. I also included water lily and some water plant in the main tank to absorb the nitrate. Keeping water lily with koi is a challenge as koi treat them as food and they like to dig the water lily up and eat the roots.
Maintaining the bio filter require the skill of a plumber and electrician. All pipe works are DIY. The pump fails periodically and I have to replace them. It is an expensive hobby. The koi if Japanese breed is not cheap. I have a combination of local and Japanese breed. However it is worth it. Looking at the koi swimming is relaxing and it make one to relax and enjoy the peace the fish bring to you. The kois are like ladies in beautiful kimono. I have Sanke, Showa, Tancho, Shushui, kohaku, ogon etc. Most of them are about 600mm long.
I hope the new owner treat them well. I have sold them for two years.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Mount Lofty Botanic Garden
The kids are having the holiday break for two weeks. I am not taking any leave as I expected I will be busy during this period.
It is in the middle of winter and I heard that snow might fall at Mount Lofty on Monday. I was thinking while don't I plan a trip to Mount Lofty to enjoy the cold during the weekend. My wife agreed and she contacted our old friend Bridger' wife who was also agreed with the idea.
Why Mount Lofty？ I drove pass the botanic garden during my last trip to Handorf but didn't have a chance to pay a visit. I saw a castle and think that it might be interesting to visit.
We met at Frewville Foodland at 11am and headed off South of Glen Osmond Road. After 20 minutes drive on the free way we reached the lower car park. We walked from the lower car park to the upper carpark. It is pretty tiring as we have to do some hiking and mountain climbing. When we reached the upper car park, we did not proceed to look for the castle as we still have to make our way back to the lower carpark. We will leave it to the next visit as different season has different view.
All together we spent around two hours there. We have our lunch before leaving the garden. We headed off to Handorf in order to visit a farm. After learn that we have to pay $30 per family to see the goat, sheep, cattle and horse, we did not enter. Instead we had a walk down the main street. The scenery now is different from Autumn as the Maple trees have lost their leaves.
We concluded today trip by having dinner at China Town. Wife do some shopping at the Chinese run supermarket. We have to go back earlier tonight as there is a kids movie at 7:30am. Enjoy the photo below:
It is in the middle of winter and I heard that snow might fall at Mount Lofty on Monday. I was thinking while don't I plan a trip to Mount Lofty to enjoy the cold during the weekend. My wife agreed and she contacted our old friend Bridger' wife who was also agreed with the idea.
Why Mount Lofty？ I drove pass the botanic garden during my last trip to Handorf but didn't have a chance to pay a visit. I saw a castle and think that it might be interesting to visit.
We met at Frewville Foodland at 11am and headed off South of Glen Osmond Road. After 20 minutes drive on the free way we reached the lower car park. We walked from the lower car park to the upper carpark. It is pretty tiring as we have to do some hiking and mountain climbing. When we reached the upper car park, we did not proceed to look for the castle as we still have to make our way back to the lower carpark. We will leave it to the next visit as different season has different view.
All together we spent around two hours there. We have our lunch before leaving the garden. We headed off to Handorf in order to visit a farm. After learn that we have to pay $30 per family to see the goat, sheep, cattle and horse, we did not enter. Instead we had a walk down the main street. The scenery now is different from Autumn as the Maple trees have lost their leaves.
We concluded today trip by having dinner at China Town. Wife do some shopping at the Chinese run supermarket. We have to go back earlier tonight as there is a kids movie at 7:30am. Enjoy the photo below:
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