SteelSkin.net – The Ramblings of Chris Nutt

I just picked up a new set top box. It’s the Echostar HDS-600RS. In terms of features the box is amazing and compared to it’s conventional peers it is pretty good and responsive. However I am not used to normal set top boxes anymore.

For over 2 years I’ve been running PlayTV for my PS3. I unfortunately live in a low signal area and years after launch no HD or Sat HD version is on it’s way. I’ve seen my mates VM Tivo and I thought I was prepared for the massive backward step in interface PVRs have even today.

Really I am not, I have gotten used to things just happening quickly and beautifully. Why in all these years is there not a decent PVR platform that doesn’t require a PS3 or a full blown PC to run is beyond me. Seriously how slow and laggy are these boxes, no wonder people are leaving TV. The devices they use to access TV are RUBBISH.

As much I didn’t like the guy, Steve Jobs would never stand for this shit. Hell Bill Gates didn’t either and neither did Sony. Why the hell can’t Humax, Echostar or Samsung get their asses in gear and bring out a Android/Linux/WindowsEmdded/Meego box? Slap in a half decent ARM CPU, wifi and tuners and booom!

But no, it’s like they want Apple to come in and take all of their stuff.

I recently bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 9. It’s a new release, I previously have used Version 6 (free with my laptop) and before that Version 3 (way back when). I had considered Elements to be just too reduced. Adobe’s pruning was just too harsh for my liking. PSE9 has crossed the boundary for me. I am a long, long time user of Photoshop. I started on Version 3 on System 7 for the Mac at College in the late 90s. Before that I used Personal Paint on the Amiga A1200. I’ve used most versions of Photoshop since. Photoshop has filled out it’s feature set since Layers were first introduced, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

PSE9 is for an old time user the first Elements I am truly happy with. Sure it misses huge amounts of features. For me though the core nuts and bolts of what I want to do at home are there. For everything else there is Elements+. One area that kicks CS4 in the nuts (the Version I use at work) is Project Bin. Freed from the assumption and political maneuverer that is Bridge, PSE9 lets you manage your open files in the sanest manner imaginable, with thumbnails. Sure we have the stupid tabs from CS4, but at least they can be ignored. Also for an Adobe non-standard UI, Elements 9 looks far better than CS4. No more early 90sbattleship grey, no more monochrome icons. You artwork and the tools to work with it jump forward and the UI recedes.

UPDATE: Bought Elements+, not perfect by any means. Applying a layer style seems to rasterise vector layers and layer styles are far more limited. Worth the ~£10 though.