The Subtlety of Grandness

This the first confirmed photo of an extrasolar planet. In other words, this is the first planet outside of our own solar system that we’ve ever seen directly. (The planet is the tiny dot in the upper middle left; the big thing in the middle is its star.) We can detect planets without seeing them, usually by the gravitational wobble that they create on their stars. However, the distances between the stars is so vast it’s impossible to actually “see” those planets until now. This photo was taken from about 500 light years away, so the light reflecting off this planet bounced off of it sometime shortly after Columbus arrived in the New World. Put another way, this light has traveled approximately 3,000,000,000,000,000 miles to get here. In comparison, the Milky Way is 100,000 light years in diameter, and it’s just one of billions upon billions of galaxies in the universe. Makes you feel kinda small, doesn’t it?

Plaque in the town square. Still testing out the iPhone 4 camera. That is pretty darn good, but you should see the full-res version. Most impressive.

Goonies never say die, right? It’s official: This town is cool. Well, any town that will show The Goonies, in a theater, during the 25th anniversary year is officially awesome.

Also, pic taken with iPhone 4. Compare and contrast to The Very Last iPhone 3G Photo I’ll Ever Take. Definitely sharper.

I’m exhausted. Got up at 0500, and now it’s 2315 and I’m still trying to futz with WordPress. Above is the last photo I’ll ever take of with the iPhone 3G. Yes, after two years I’ve ditched that old battleaxe and made off with a younger hussy, the brand new iPhone 4. Today was launch day, and thankfully I had reserved one at the local Apple Store. (I had to reserve because AT&T crapped the bed when its servers crashed taking pre-orders.) The Early Birding paid off, as I got my phone at 0800, just an hour after the store opened. Meanwhile, there were hundreds of people still in line when I left.

I’m not sad to see the 3G go. It was always painfully underpowered; Apple didn’t bother to update the processor or the clock speed from the original iPhone. So, from Day One, the 3G felt pokey, a situation that got worse as apps were introduced. I didn’t get a 3GS due to the expense of an early upgrade, and by the time I was eligible I figured I should wait another six months for the next-generation iPhone. Though I’ve always envied those with the 3GS due to its responsiveness and speed.

Well, there’s a new Big Brother on the block, and, holy cow, the iPhone 4 thing is amazing. It feels incredible in your hand, like a slab of glass and steel. There’s a heft to it that gives it an authority that the plasticy 3G/3GS lacked. (I always loved the original with its mostly aluminum back.) In terms of performance, it screams. A faster CPU than the 3GS, and twice as much RAM as the 3GS and the iPad. The camera is pretty good, too. I can’t haul my DSLR and lenses with me everywhere, so for the past year I’ve relied on my 3G for photos when I’m out. Well, the iPhone 4 won’t replace a dedicated camera, but it’s pretty darn close to, and it’s a huge leap from the 3G. And, finally, the screen is just razor freaking sharp. It’s incredible to look at. And thank providence that I bought the bumper on a whim, as well. With all the reports of skin-touching-the-sides-killing-reception flying (which have been confirmed by Apple and the Steve himself), I imagine there’s going to be a monster rush on them. I actually like the bumper. It wraps around the steel sides snugly, offering protection. Meanwhile, it also lets you lay the iPhone down without the glass touching the surface.

So, yeah, this was a great upgrade. I finally feel like I have an iPhone that’s also a screaming computer in my hand, as opposed to an underpowered weakling struggling to keep pace in gym class.

It’s official: Finn Jones is Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers. Looks the part. Keep the casting announcements coming!

WordPress 3.0 was released today, and this blog has been duly updated. The video above will let you know what’s new, but suddenly I get the feeling that I’m going to spend quite a bit time redesigning this site. If it happens, it’ll probably happen this weekend. Keep an eye open!

Yes, it’s a crappy photo, but that was the scene near the town square. I swear, I’ve moved to freaking Stars Hollow or something. I’m going to say this, not for the first time in my life and not for the last, but East Coasters are weird. Sure, we West Coasters don’t have any history, and that’s a shame sometimes. Then again, we’re not burdened with having to reenact a Revolutionary War-era fife-and-drum corps and serenade cars in a parking lot.

Here’s a glorious 1920×1200 image of Sean Bean as Eddard Stark, holding the greatsword, Ice. I tell you it looks great on my dual 24-inch LCDs. Click for the full-size, wallpaper-ready image.