I have a confession to make (several dozen, but let's focus on just one for now)
All the photos posted on this site - unless taken from websites - no let's make that unless "borrowed" from other websites (I try to always give credit) are snapshots taken with a now bruised and banged up Vodafone G3 cell phone - an aging model that predates the acquisition of Vodafone KK by Masa Son and SoftBank.
But rummaging around a bit, I realized that this would be about the tenth mobile phone handset I have owned in Japan. Like most denizens of this "kohyou-hatsu-bai-chu" inflamed consumer culture (it means, "brand new, so get one of these, it's the hottest thing on the block" I have continued to be sucked into the feature-race for more things, some useful others not, that the industry engineers are cramming into these little gizmos.
Suffice it to say, my red Toshiba Voda is sadly out of date. But it works, and it takes fine pictures with only a 1.2 megabit camera lens. Dodgy in low-light situations but excels in dwindling light, such as dusk dawn or shadow. It has a great eye for red which is great in this land of vermillion shrines (more on which a few posts back), and does OK too with the rest of the palate, make that palette - but tends to oversoak the shots in high intensity sunlight and sharp contrast - daytime summer light.
I have my eyes on a new DoCoMo SH703tv model that comes with digital TV, GPS mapping, and the SUICA digital wallet that now allows automatic recharging on train and bus passes. All I hope for now is an on-bike display and an on-bike dynamo to charge this thing while I ride. Not a handicap, and training tool. Easy to remove for races.
Which reminds me: Please have a look at this great new gizmo, invented by some aerospace engineers. It is an accelerometer that essentially serves as a power-meter but WITHOUT having to install extra sensors (Polar) new cranks (STM) or new bottom-brackets (Ergomo). I think it is great EVEN THOUGH power-metering is a delicate art, boy those graphs are ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Nonetheless I urge a look see. Combine THAT with a camera and we are off to the races. Half-distance Ironman is my self-flaggelation of choice (officially known in the medical profession as Ironman 70.3 see website here).
