ArchivePage 3 of 10

Sony A200 - An Affordable DSLR Camera

Published
by
Rubin
on July 17, 2008
in Photography and Products
. 0 Comments

The Sony Alpha 200 (or Sony A200)
(Update 7/25/08: This is a good simple review of the camera here.)

I’ve wanted a DSLR for awhile now just to learn the ways of digital photography and get back in the game. I really wanted the Canon 5D of course because that’s what most of my friends were shooting with but since that’s really around $2500 I had to figure out a more subtle first step.

In came Davey who sold me on the size / features of the Sony A200. It’s a lightweight small DSLR that gets amazing reviews and has the price tag of only $499 on Amazon right now. That is the kit with an 18-70mm 3.5-5.6 lens.

In closing I think it’s a great start to using a DSLR. I’m very happy with it and I don’t have any urges to upgrade to another camera yet. Also has many lenses to choose from if you’d like to upgrade that part.

I’ve taken lots of photos with it, you can view them on Flickr. Look for the “shot with Sony A200” exif data when looking at the photos (so you don’t think my iPhone photos are from it.)

Simple specs, learn more at Amazon.

  • 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
  • Kit includes 18-70mm lens
  • Super Steadyshot image stabilization; Bionz image processor
  • 2.7-inch ClearPhoto LCD; Eye-Start autofocus system
  • Powered by lithium-ion battery (supplied); stores images on CF I/II and Memory Stick Pro Duo cards

Purchase at Amazon for $499.00 (with free shipping)
Read reviews of the A200.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

Dr Dog - Fate

Published
by
Rubin
on July 16, 2008
in Entertainment and Music
. 0 Comments

Since I’ve loved every record they’ve put out, I was anxiously awaiting the new Dr. Dog record. Fate (releasing July 22nd) is even better than I imagined and the perfect soundtrack to my new San Francisco home. It sounds like The Band mixed with… just get it.

Listen to:

Dr. Dog - Old Days:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Dr. Dog - The Ark:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.


Purchase at Amazon
Visit Park The Van Records for many different purchasing options for Fate.
View their Myspace page.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

Hospital Ships - I Want To Get Out

Published
by
Rubin
on July 3, 2008
in Entertainment and Music
. 0 Comments

Hospital Ships a project of Jordan from Minus Story. I’m VERY excited that I got to hear this today (via Stereogum) The album Oh, Ramona will be out 10/21 via Graveface.

Hospital Ships - I Want To Get Out:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Myspace

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

Sub Pop Singles Series

Published
by
Rubin
on July 3, 2008
in Music and Products
. 0 Comments

When I was in highschool I subscribed to the Subpop Singles Club mainly because I wanted The Anniversary / Superdrag split. I got many gems during that time. Death Cab for Cutie, etc…

They stopped doing it and now they’re BACK new and improved for one year only.

Here is all you need to know about the club. It’s going for one year only and there are a lot of new additions.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

The Anniversary - B Sides and Rarities

Published
by
Rubin
on June 24, 2008
in Music and Products
. 0 Comments

I released The Anniversary’s first song on a 7” that was a split with Proudentall in 1998. It’s very out of print and the song Alright For Now can now be found on this record that was released today called Devil On Our Side: B-sides and Rarities. It has some great unreleased/random songs that you might not have ever heard.

You can purchase it at iTunes or Amazon.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

The Weekly Check In - with Bryan Sheffield

Published
by
Rubin
on June 20, 2008
in The Weekly Check-In
. 0 Comments

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

(photo by Meryl Slay)

When I first moved to Boston for photography school, I knew a kid who said he was friends with this photographer Bryan Sheffield and that he knew my photography website. So months went by and I tried to find him. I finally did. He was having a photo show at the Middle East with photos of Jon Cheese (who I later met) and I went up to him and was like “Hi, cool photos.”

I kept trying to get him to meet up, made him finally meet me at Burrito Max (RIP) and begged (I don’t know what I was thinking) to be an intern at Doghouse Records. He said I could. And that was the beginning of our friendship.

Bryan gave me a real job at Doghouse pretty much the day I graduated photography school. We moved out to Los Angeles together and have been here just around 1 month shy of 5 years. He is the reason I get to do what I am doing today and have learned what I’ve learned so far being out here.

So in closing, I thought it was appropriate to do a weekly check in with him for the last check in I’ll be doing while I live in Los Angeles, since he is the person who brought me here.

You can view his photography at http://bryansheffield.com

RR: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Sheffield: The things that stand out are: I recently finished about 35 photos for the new The Subways album packaging. Documented them recording with Butch Vig. The record is coming out this Summer. Great band, fun photos.

I also just shot Katy Perry for Blender. That shoot was a ton of fun.

RR: Where have you traveled so far this month?

Sheffield: This month I have been to Simi Valley about 1/2 dozen times. I am sitting at a table in the shade there now. Green Day is playing on a speaker somewhere nearby. It is hot here. I am going to Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and a weekend in Santa Barbara in the next few weeks. I was in Boulder/Denver last month, but I have mostly been circling around LA this June.

Jon Cheese and I have been planning an Alaska trip for a long while. It is the only state the two of us have not been to yet, and is the only place I am dying to go see. Soon.

RR: What’s your favorite music right now?

Sheffield: Foals. MGMT. Crystal Castles. The Byrds. The Whip. Pavement. Neil Young.

RR: Best food you’ve had in your neighborhood lately or while you were traveling?

Sheffield: Hmm. I eat a lot of cookies and soy milk. I like The Vegan Spot on Sunset. New place my best friend forever Meryl and I went to twice in 14 hours. Flore and Real Food Daily are amazing and frequented too.

RR: Anything Else You Want To Mention?

Sheffield: I will miss Matt Rubin a ton when he moves to San Fran next week. I am going to hug his sweaty man body til he pushes me off of him.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

MagCloud - Publish Your Own Magazine

Published
by
Rubin
on June 19, 2008
in Publishing and Websites
. 0 Comments

“MagCloud enables you to publish your own magazines. All you have to do is upload a PDF and we’ll take care of the rest: printing, mailing, subscription management, and more.”

VERY curious how this will all work out. Not recommending the service because I’ve never used it/it’s brand new but the idea is very interesting.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

This Weeks Releases - 6/16/08

Published
by
Rubin
on June 16, 2008
in Entertainment, Music and Products
. 0 Comments

Bowerbirds: Hymns For A Dark Horse [iTunes]

Such a GOOD ALBUM. Get it. It’s beautiful. Yes.

(Here are this weeks releases. I haven’t HEARD all of these, but these are the ones I’m interested in. If they have a STAR by them, it means I’ve heard it and I like it.)

CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOADS:

Bowerbirds: Hymns for a Dark Horse (reissue with BONUS tracks) *
Coldplay: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends [iTunes]
Eef Barzelay: Lose Big
The Hold Stready: Stay Positive (iTunes Download) *
My Brightest Diamond: A Thousand Shark’s Teeth [iTunes]
The Notwist: The Devil, You + Me [Amazon MP3] [iTunes]
Reggie and the Full Effect: Last Stop: Crappy Town [Amazon MP3] [iTunes]
Silver Jews: Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea [Amazon MP3] [iTunes]
Tilly and the Wall: O [Amazon MP3] [iTunes]
Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer [Amazon MP3] [iTunes] *

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

The Weekly Check In - with Harrison Boyce

Published
by
Rubin
on June 13, 2008
in The Weekly Check-In
. 0 Comments

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

I met Harrison through Jim bauer and checking out the blog Defgrip. He is always really busy, takes REALLY good photos and makes great websites. I don’t even know where he is right now but I bet he’s doing something pretty cool.

Check out his Portfolio
Check out Defgrip

RR: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Boyce: Always working on a bunch of stuff for MacNeil. We are getting all the samples going for our 09 line, so I’ve been picking fabric swatches for seats, choosing paint colors for bikes, doing new sticker packs, the list goes on… I’ve been in the middle of editing a small web video for MacNeil from our France trip, but that hasn’t been moving that fast.

Defgrip has been going a bit slow lately, just because I’ve been pretty swamped with freelance, but I have some rad features that are just sitting in my inbox waiting to go up.

As far as freelance, I’ve been doing a few projects for Levi’s. I’m working on a few websites right now, both clothing companies. One for Maiden Noir and the other for Ludwig. They are both small companies that are doing some great stuff and I’m psyched to get their sites up, so keep an eye out!

Other than that, I’ve been trying to ride and bit a film a small section for the Lotek DVD that will be out in September. We also just finished up a Defgrip X Lotek shoe that will be out in fall and I’ve been working with DVS on a shoe project as well.

RR: Where have you traveled so far this month?

Boyce: I’ve been to Seattle a few times this month, but aside form that, this year’s been pretty crazy. It started out with a trip to Estonia and England, then two trips down to LA, then back to England and over to France for about a month, home for a day, then down to Guadalajara, Mexico.

RR: What’s your favorite music right now?

Boyce: I can’t seem to stop listening to the new M83. The new Roots is quite good and Four Tet’s album Rounds has been in heavy rotation.

RR: Best food you’ve had in your neighborhood lately or while you were traveling?

Boyce: There is this Mediterranean place in Bellingham that I hit with my good friend Andrew a few weeks back and the term “melt in your mouth” really applies to that place. I had some great Thai in Seattle last weekend and there is this burrito spot in Vancouver that I can’t get enough of called Red Burrito… You know what’s funny… I was in Mexico for a week last month and I didn’t eat one Burrito… But I did have some good carne asada.

RR: Anything Else You Want To Mention?

Boyce: I really hope the summer shows up sometime in Vancouver, because it’s been raining for the entire month of June and I’m OVER IT!!!! Haha.

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!

This Weeks Releases - 6/9/08

Published
by
Rubin
on June 9, 2008
in Entertainment and Music
. 0 Comments

My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges [iTunes]

(Here are this weeks releases. I haven’t HEARD all of these, but these are the ones I’m interested in. If they have a STAR by them, it means I’ve heard it and I like it.)

CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOADS:

Beach Boys: US Singles Collection (16-CD box set)
Dinosaur Jr.: Hand It Over (reissue) [iTunes] *
Emmylou Harris: All I Intended to Be [iTunes]
The Fratellis: Here We Stand [iTunes]
Husker Du: The Living End (reissue) *
Joan as Policewoman: To Survive [iTunes]
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III [iTunes]
Love: False Start (reissue) [iTunes] *
Love: Out Here (reissue) [iTunes] *
My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges [iTunes] *
Robert Pollard: Robert Pollard Is Off to Business [iTunes]
Styrofoam: A Thousand Words [iTunes]
Twilight Sad: Here It Never Snowed [iTunes] *

  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Pownce
  • Ma.gnolia
  • E-mail this story to a friend!