[PICS] The Inauguration of President Barack Obama

Michelle and Barack Obama Dancing

Inauguration Ball Goers Capture the Moment

Citizens of Kenya Watching Obama Taking Oath

See the entire collection at: The Inauguration of President Barack Obama – The Big Picture – Boston.com

Review: Kodak EasyShare All-In-One Printer

I feel that it’s my duty to share with the world just how horrible Kodak’s EasyShare 5300 All-In-One printer really is.

Let’s just say that you get what you pay for. We purchased this printer for $99 thinking that it was a steal. With ink cartridges valued at $15 a pop and all sorts of cool USB hubs, its not difficult to believe that you’re getting a great deal. However, after attempting to print a photo on a Kodak-brand printer with Costco’s Kirkland-brand glossy paper, it came out grainy and washed out. I even tried with Kodak-brand glossy paper. Nope. No luck.  I continued to try printing photos with different settings every now and then, but they all came out the same: washed out, grainy, and unusable. The only thing this printer was good for is its built-in card reader and printing black and white text documents. Think school papers, that’s about it.

Last night was the last straw. I tried scanning photos for a DVD project and each of the photos produced horizontal lines embedded in the photo from the scanner hardware. “Uh uh,” I told myself. “I’m done.”

Check out CNET.com’s review of the printer. Users gave it a 2/5 stars while editors were generous with a 3/5 rating. Hard to believe that there are worse printers out there.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good-quality printer that quickly prints digital photos in color?

United States Army 2008 Year in Photos

This annual year-end special features the best of Army.mil’s feature photos, drawn from a variety of Defense Department sources. These photos capture the essence of America’s Army – the Soldiers and their Families – the Strength of the Nation.

read more | digg story

Polaroid Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

The sad day has arrived.

Polaroid had announced a while back that it was ceasing production of its beloved white-trimmed instant pictures. What I don’t quite get, according to CNN, is that:

“The bankruptcy filing was necessary because of an investigation of its parent company, Petters Group Worldwide, which has owned Polaroid since 2005, the Polaroid statement said. The group’s founder and other employees are under investigation for fraud. Polaroid said the investigation does not involve its leadership team.”

I thought it was because sales of Polaroid film were down due to the evolution of digital camera technology?

To read more, check out CNN’s article: “Polaroid files for Chapter 11“

Photographer Spotlight: Stephen Lackey

A good friend of mine from college, Stephen Lackey, just had one of his photos featured in New York City’s Times Square this week. It was used for a Dominion LED Lights holiday campaign. Check it out:

To see more of his photos, visit his website at LackeyMan.com.

No more Polaroid film?

How sad. Apparently the Polaroid film company will be discontinuing the production of its signature white-bordered pictures. Apparently it is a thing of the past and the company is trying to embrace the products of the future. While I don’t use it, I still think that it should stay on the market. But then again, I’m sure it all boils down to money for the company and its profitability.

Check out “Fans bid farewell to Polaroid film” on CNN.