The ancients who first described constellations certainly had vivid imaginations; so vivid, in fact, that with the exception of a few, like the Big Dipper, many star clusters bear virtually no resemblance to the creatures, people or objects they supposedly represent.
To make identifying them easier, stargazers can use SkyScout, a hand-held device from Celestron that uses Global Positioning System technology to direct viewers to the right spot in the sky.
Users choose from 6,000 objects in SkyScout's database, which are listed on the display screen, then look through the lens. Blinking lights direct the viewer to move the device until the star, planet, constellation, asteroid, star cluster or comet is in view.
PHOTOS: NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
The SkyScout can also end debates about which celestial object is being viewed. Point the device at a star (or is that a planet?), push the Target button, and the name of the object is displayed.
The US$399 SkyScout, which will be available next month (www.amazon.com is taking orders now), also contains audio clips with information on 200 important objects.
When astronomers discover new objects, information on them can be downloaded from a Web site into the SkyScout. Next year, customers will be able to download customized audio tours of the heavens.
Joby Gorillapod
Browse a photo album by any beginning photographer and you're likely to see blurry shots. The Joby Gorillapod, a 45g tripod, can help budding photographers get a steady shot.
The Gorillapod is malleable and as cute as a chimp. Each of the three legs bends and twists in different ways, allowing you to attach a lightweight camera to anything and everything to grab a picture from an interesting angle.
You can use it to hang the camera from a tree -- gorilla-style -- or wrap it around a railing for group shots. The tripod, available online (www.gorillapod.com) for US$24.95, has rubberized feet, a quick-release connector and a ring that locks the camera to the tripod.
Made primarily for smaller point-and-shoot cameras that weigh 500g or less, the Gorillapod won't help you focus or figure out what white balance is, but it can keep a camera steady in places where traditional tripods can't. And a model for camcorders and larger cameras will be available soon.
Canon Elph PowerShot
The new Canon Elph PowerShot, the SD700, is practically unshakable. Designed for rough roads and the high seas, the camera features improved optical image stabilization and a faster shutter speed to grab action shots and capture changing scenes without distortion.
Small point-and-shoot cameras like the SD700 are usually designed to take group shots or images of striking sunsets -- situations where the scene is relatively still. Breaking with this approach, Canon has chosen to add lenses from its EF and video camera line to improve overall speed and quality.
The camera uses a 6-megapixel CCD sensor and has a 6.3cm LCD screen. It includes a 4x optical zoom and is compatible with USB 2.0 for speedier printing and faster image downloads.
It has 16 shooting modes including a 16:9 wide-screen mode for capturing panoramas, can record 640-by-480-pixel videos at 30 frames per second, and can take up to 240 shots on one charge.
The camera also has an ISO 800 mode that allows for picture taking without flash in dark environments, while a grid overlay allows photographers to compose shots with more precision on the LCD screen.
MiKo
Many programs enable you to make music on the computer, but the MiKo, a portable media work center from Open Labs, is a computer designed to make music and a whole lot more. The MiKo -- a combination synthesizer, audio mixing station, video editing console and broadband Internet hub -- has a 64-bit AMD Athlon processor and Windows XP under its considerably multifaceted hood.
It comes with a QWERTY keyboard, a 38cm touch-screen monitor and plenty of ports to connect audio devices, digital camcorders and video players to record and edit multimedia projects. The unit's toolbox also includes a 37-note musical keyboard, DJ controls and cross-faders, and a library of 5,000 preset sounds and effects. The MiKo, which can work with third-party audio and video editing programs, includes its own suite of multimedia software.
After editing, audio and video projects can be burned to a CD or DVD, or uploaded directly to the Internet through the console's Ethernet or WiFi network connections.
Basic configurations of the MiKo work center start around US$2,000; it can be ordered from www.openlabs.com, where full specifications are available. For those who want even more bells and whistles, the MiKo can also be customized with processor, hard drive and memory upgrades.
IBM ThinkPad C100
When Lenovo, the upstart laptop maker, bought IBM's ThinkPad division last year, it promised to overhaul Big Blue's staid and expensive line of business computers. Its ThinkPad C100 is a first attempt to deliver on that promise.
The C100 is a low-cost laptop with a built-in optical drive and a 39cm screen. Designed as the workhorse of the new 3000 series, this laptop starts at US$599 for a model with an Intel Celeron M processor.
Lenovo has taken its design cues from IBM's traditional black ThinkPad line, with a few variations. For example, there is no pointing stick, the tiny red dot that once graced the center of most IBM keyboards. Instead, there is a two-button trackpad below the space bar.
The C100 has four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire/IEEE 1394 port, and a 3-in-1 card reader. The laptop can last for about four hours on one charge and weighs 22.8kg.
The C100 is a budget entry for business computing, but a few of the features, including the large screen and card reader, can help take it out of the boardroom and into the family room.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) last week told residents to avoid wearing scary Halloween costumes on the MRT so as not to alarm other passengers. Well, I thought, so much for my plan to visit Taipei dressed as the National Development Council’s (NDC) biennial population report “Population Projections for the Republic of China (Taiwan): 2024-2070,” which came out last week. Terms like “low birth rate” and “demographic decline” do not cut it — the report is nothing short of a demographic disaster. Yet, in Taiwan, as in other countries, it is solvable. It simply requires a change in mindset. As it
Since their leader Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and others were jailed as part of several ongoing bribery investigations, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has risen in the polls. Additionally, despite all the many and varied allegations against Ko and most of the top people in the party, it has held together with only a tiny number of minor figures exiting. The TPP has taken some damage, but vastly less than the New Power Party (NPP) did after it was caught up in a bribery scandal in 2020. The TPP has for years registered favorability in the thirties, and a Formosa poll
Chiayi County is blessed with several worthwhile upland trails, not all of which I’ve hiked. A few weeks ago, I finally got around to tackling Tanghu Historic Trail (塘湖古道), a short but unusually steep route in Jhuci Township (竹崎). According to the Web site of the Alishan National Scenic Area (阿里山國家風景區), the path climbs from 308m above sea level to an elevation of 770m in just 1.58km, an average gradient of 29 percent. And unless you arrange for someone to bring you to the starting point and collect you at the other end, there’s no way to avoid a significant amount
Nov. 4 to Nov. 10 Apollo magazine (文星) vowed that it wouldn’t play by the rules in its first issue — a bold statement to make in 1957, when anyone could be jailed for saying the wrong thing. However, the introduction to the inaugural Nov. 5 issue also defined the magazine as a “lifestyle, literature and art” publication, and the contents were relatively tame for the first four years, writes Tao Heng-sheng (陶恒生) in “The Apollo magazine that wouldn’t play by the rules” (不按牌理出牌的文星雜誌). In 1961, the magazine changed its mission to “thought, lifestyle and art” and adopted a more critical tone with