| JVC GR-D750
The final word: The GR-D750 is a solid little performer that punches well above its weight; offering impressive image quality for entry-level users. If you're on the lookout for a cheap miniDV camera, you could certainly do a lot worse than this. ON PAPER at least, the GR-D750 is the unmistakable runt of the JVC litter. With its low image resolution, rudimentary feature set and cheap looking design, we certainly weren't expecting much; yet it turns out that looks can be very deceiving. From its attractive price tag to its above average video performance, this is one of the best budget offerings we've seen in quite a while. It represents excellent value for money and is a perfect introduction to digital video - provided you can live without the bells and whistles. The GR-D750 is a standard-definition camcorder that records video to miniDV tapes.
12/30 - 01/06 (84)
And finally the piste de resistance: Trekell said he has received e-mails from people "as they are crying at their computers and students just enraged and vowing vengeance." Crying at your computer just because someone won't pat you on the head and call you a "good boy" for sodomizing your buddy? Give me a break. That last part gives me a little concern, though. Vengeance? In what form? If it's a political effort to sway public sentiment, then that's their First Amendment right. But if it's something else, they'd better cool their heels and get a grip. .
Reviving the J-School
You do need to understand your audience, your community and the business you are in. You do need to appreciate the role of independent media, grasp the explosion of communications vehicles and value the First Amendment rights of a free press. And you’d benefit enormously from a solid liberal arts underpinning as well as a defined area of expertise. That’s why we have journalism schools. Our role is to prepare better journalists, provide them the tools to enter the marketplace and meet the demands of the industry for ready-to-work graduates that probably can not be met by English majors. Isn’t that what universities do for aspiring doctors, lawyers, chemists, engineers, teachers, philosophers and even businessmen? By the way, Michigan may not have a j-school, but I’ve taught a course in its journalism program, so I’d like to think it does value what we do.
Chris Rock
In a set full of topical material, Rock began with the Democrat presidential primaries and found rich pickings. The face-off between black man and white woman, says Rock, is like a suffering contest. Which oppressed group most deserves a crack at the presidency? This black man won't concede first prize to anyone ("Seabiscuit had a better life than my granddaddy"). But he manages to tread the line between shameless provocation (he suggests that "Barack needs a white woman", because no black woman could be submissive enough to be first lady) and neat new perspective. To what extent is a former presidential wife's claim on "experience" justified, given that "I've been married 10 years, and if my wife came onstage now, y'all would not laugh"? The politics material devolved into good, but predictable George Bush jokes and an unfortunate gag that seemed to consider US casualties as the worst thing about the Iraq war.
Welcome to the fabulous consumer electronics show
There's a lot of work to be done, but GM's research chief says that within the next 10 years, it should be able to produce a car that drives itself. Other automakers and parts suppliers are working on similar systems, and GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner will devote part of a Tuesday speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to electronically controlled driverless cars. .
There have been lots of iterations of DC's super team. We ponder which ...
Next Tuesday, the latest release is Justice League: The New Frontier, an animated version of Canadian Darwyn Cooke's universally hailed graphic novel, which is essentially his retro take on the formation of the world's greatest super team. With our super archival powers, we look at the various onscreen incarnations of the Justice League: Super Friends Running in various configurations from 1973 until 1986 on Saturday mornings (and still seen in reruns on Teletoon Retro), this is the super cheesy version, which at certain portions featured the Wonder Twins and Gleek, their caped blue monkey. Following on the Superman, Batman and Aquaman Filmation series, this was the first adaptation that brought the comic heroes together on the small screen. There were several iterations of this production, including TV-only characters that attempted to capture diversity, such as Black Lightning, Apache Chief and Samurai.
Coaches look for edge with sideline gadgetry
In the age of iPhones, Blackberrys, high speed Internet modems and every other technological advance never even dreamed of in the days of "Star Trek," high school football has joined the wave. For fans on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons, the focus is on the 22 athletes on the field. But just outside the lines there's an ongoing technological revolution. Equipment checks on game day go far beyond helmets and pads. Video cameras, audio headsets and laptop computers allow coaches to gather, communicate and analyze information faster than ever. Far from camera shy Film has largely gone the way of the dinosaur as the VHS tape is making way for the recordable DVD, and coaches end the practice day working with a machine that makes three DVD copies of a game at a time, all in about five minutes.
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