A Pain in the Camera

Sigh, I been having the disposable electronics blues. A few months ago my digital camera (a Canon Powershot A710IS, with which I was very happy) stopped working. On pushing the power button, it would attempt to turn on, beep sadly and report "Lens Error". Something was wrong with the lens, but what? A web search revealed that this was a common problem with Canon cameras (it used to be called Error E18), and that there were a few things I could try. The easier ones (like giving it a solid whack) didn't help, so the other day I finally took the plunge and opened it up. It was quite a journey dismantling it so I could get to the lens assembly. I must have taken out 20 screws, which I carefully put on a piece of paper with a note for where they came from (yes, good planning!). I finally got the lens out and had a fiddle - it seemed to move fine, and there didn't seem to be any sand jamming up the works, although it's possible the gears had slipped out of alignment. I was about to put it all back together to see if I had magically fixed it, but decided to take it one more step. Rrrrrip! There goes a ribbon cable. Well, so much for that.

So now I had a camera that was definitely broken. As my housemate pointed out, I was no worse off than before. But I didn't feel that way - if only I'd put it back together, I moaned, it would work and I would be happy! A search on the web revealed that it's nigh on impossible to get a replacement lens assembly (and would cost a pretty penny if it weren't), let alone a new ribbon cable. But, someone is selling the same model camera for only about $150 on ebay. $150 to end up where I was before? Maybe I should upgrade.

Then I realised I had another broken camera, my Fujifilm FinePix E550, which also took pretty decent photos but which I broke while getting myself out of a hairy situation on a mountain in New Zealand. I had jettisoned my pack and the LCD display had smashed as it tumbled away. A small price to pay, I figured, given that I still had my life.

Turns out I can get a replacement LCD for only $60. Great! So I just sat down to open it up and check that the job would be doable. But I couldn't even get the case open - the screws are some special tri-star shape. Obstructionist buggers! Well, an extra hurdle, but I'll manage.

So much to avoid buying yet another camera! My first one lasted from September 2005 - January 2007. Only 16 months! My second managed a bit longer: January 2007 - May 2010, so 3.5 years. But it hasn't had a lot of use for the past 2.5 years, what with my CFS and all.

So anyway, disappointed at disposable electronics. I will just have to reframe my expectations of how long such things should last - i.e. not very long! Maybe I should just accept consumerism and commit to working lots in order to support the habit. Hah!

A few movies too

The movies I've watched over the last year or so. When I do watch TV, it is usually DVDs. I've worked my way through to the seventh series of "The West Wing" - on the home straight! Have also been enjoying "Monarch of the Glen" and "Changi".

4.5 stars
"Shine"
"Brand Nu Dae"

4 stars
"The Princess Bride"
"Avatar"
"City of God"
"Shackleton"

3.5 stars
"Tim Burton's Corspe Bride"

3 stars
"The Usual Suspects"
"Harvey Krumpet"
"Robin Hood" The Russell Crowe one

More reading

So long since my last post! I won't make any promises about posting more often, but you never know.

I've continued to keep a log of what I've been reading, and a rating. I found LibraryThing and have started using that, but it seems faster just to write it down. But see here for my LibraryThing page.

Also, I came across www.bookdepository.co.uk. Cheap books, NO shipping. It's awesome! Ironically, I found out about it from a newspaper article bemoaning the death of local publishing houses ...

Here is what I read between January and November 2010:

5 stars
"The Omnivore's Dilemma" Michael Pollan
"Wild Swans" Jung Chang

4.5 stars
"2001: A Space Odyssey" Arthur C. Clarke
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" J. K. Rowling
"Del Del" Victor Kelleher
"Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding" Noel Kingsbury

4 stars
"In Praise Of Slow" Carl Honore
"Contrary Farmer" Gene Lodgson
"The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work" Alain de Botton
"End of the Line" Charles Clover
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" J. K. Rowling
"The World Without Us" Alan Weisner
"Gardening In Hard Times" Steve Solomon
"Wild Fermentation" Sandor Katz
"Year of the Flood" Margaret Atwood
"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" Paul Torday
"The Permaculture Home Garden" Linda Woodrow

3.5 stars
"2010: Odyssey Two" Arthur C. Clarke
"A History of Tractors in Ukrainian" Marina Lewycka
"Harry Potter and the Philospoher's Stone" J. K. Rowling
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" J. K. Rowling
"Atlantic Fury" Hammond Innes
"Out of the Scientist's Garden" Richard Stirzaker
"Shop Class as Soul Craft" Matthew Crawford
"Outlier" Malcolm Gladwell

3 stars
"Crude World" Peter Mans
"The Fifth Elephant" Terry Pratchett
"Emergence" Steven Johnson
"Ill-Made Mute" (Book 1) Cecilia Dart-Thornton
"Lady of the Sorrows" (Book 3) Cecilia Dart-Thornton
"Little Women" Louisa May Alcott
"Adventure Capitalist"
"Temple" Matthew Reilly

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Stieg Larsson

2 stars
"Battle of Evernight" (Book 2) Cecilia Dart-Thornton
"Area 7" Matthew Reilly

A few months' worth of reading

I had planned to write a review of each book as I read it. Alas, I've been reading too much, and internet access has been too little. I have, however, been rating what I've been reading, so here is a list covering September 2009 - January 2010:

5 stars
"In Defense of Food" Michael Pollan
"This Accursed Land" by Lennard Bickel
"The Black Swan" Nassim Nicholas Taleb

4.5 stars
"Cooper's Creek" Alan Moorehead
"The Explorers" Tim Flannery
"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" Barbara Kingsolver
"Fooled by Randomness" Nassim Nicholas Taleb

4 stars
"South" Ernest Shackleton
"True Grit" Charles Portis
"Papillon" Henri Charriere
"Real Dirt: How I Beat My Grid-Life Crisis" James Woodford
"Oryx and Crake" Margaret Atwood
"Going Solo" Roald Dahl
"The Mud House" Richard Glover
"Two Weeks with the Queen" Morris Gleitzmen
"Van Diemen's Land" James Boyce
"A Terrible Beauty" Richard Flanagan

3.5 stars
"Life is so Good" George Dawson
"Frog Call" Greg French
"The Last Grain Race" Eric Newby
"The Wee Free Men" Terry Pratchett
"The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" Terry Pratchett
"Hat Full of Sky" Terry Pratchett
"The Secret Life of Wombats" James Woodford
"Eiger Dreams" Jon Krakeuer
"Handmaid's Tale" Margaret Atwood

3 stars
"Desert Solitaire" Edward Abbey
"Banco" Henri Charriere
"The Element" Ken Robinson
"Masquerade" Terry Pratchett
"Jaguars Ripped My Flesh" Tim Cahill
"Death of a River Guide" Richard Flanagan

2.5 stars
"Deep Survival" Laurence Gonzales
"My Uncle Oswald" Roald Dahl
"A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" Eric Newby

2 stars
"Walden" Henry Thoreau

Interesting how the distribution is very Gaussian ...

The best shelf builder in the universe!

These have been three months in the making, and at last, they are done!

Since moving to Hobart, our bedroom has been full of piles of assorted stuff. Finally we have a place to organise it all.

The shelves are made from all-recycled timber - the uprights and joists bought from the local tip shop, the shelving I scavenged on hard waste day. The thing about cheap recycled wood is that it's rarely straight, which makes it hard to get things neat. But it's good enough, and pretty solid. It's not very easy to dismantle, though, so hopefully we don't need to move anywhere in a hurry ...

In all I reckon I spent $30 ($15 for timber, $15 for screws), and it took me 15 hours. By comparison I could have bought equivalent shelving from IKEA for say $150. But the over-blown sense satisfaction just wouldn't be there!

Next big project is perhaps a bed - I want a high-rise double bed with lots of space under it for a desk and hanging space.

Summer garden

Here is a photo of our garden down here in Tasmania. It's going great! (Click for a bigger version.)


The chickens are up in the back left. We have seven of them. Three are young chicks that hatched a couple of months ago. We still don't know if they are hens or roosters yet. If they are boys, then we'll be having a roast dinner! Our original chickens were all bantams, but the chicks came from non-bantam stock (I think) so they are rapidly out-growing the old guard. So many chickens makes for a fun feeding time.

The corn is in old chicken soil, so it is growing like crazy - pushing seven feet tall! Hopefully we'll get a good crop in another few weeks. We've a few pumpkins, one of which has its roots in under the chicken coop, and so is gradually taking over the yard. I've trained a couple of others up on the fence, and have some nice young pumpkins hanging there, rapidly expanding in size. Will be great to get a bunch of pumpkins and store them away for the winter.

We've about 30 tomato plants, most of them along the right hand fence. They haven't ripened yet, and some of them haven't even set fruit. So not sure what sort of a harvest we'll get. We're banking on a big one so we can do lots of preserving.

Down the front left are some Scarlet Runner beans, climbing up the fence. These are lush, but I suspect a possum has been getting at the beans, because there haven't been too many for us! Our bush butter beans have been more successful, and are wonderfully juicy. Also down the front is our small strawberry patch, which produces the occasional gem of a strawberry. Nothing like home-grown berries!

A bunch of things have gone to seed, so it's about time we pulled them out and thought about getting our autumn/winter crop in.

Tents

In the market for a new tent, and thought I'd record my research.

Requirements

• Two person
• Up to the challenge of Tasmanian (and NZ) weather: rain, mud, occasional snow (would be nice to use it for snow camping, too). Fine weather use isn't much of a concern - that's what tarps are for.
  
• Would probably also get used as a car camping tent, although perhaps a dedicated cheap & heavy tent should be bought for that ..
  
• Preferably two doors and vestibules (makes for comfortable use while travelling)
• Closer to 2kg than 3kg
  
• Good ventilation (decent amount of mesh in inner, ventilation in fly)
• Bucket floor
• Preferably integral pitch (i.e. fly first)
  

After a bit of looking around and asking knowledgeable gear junkies, I came up with the following shortlists. This thread on the Bushwalking Tasmania forums was particularly useful. And Bogong Equipment has got a brilliant overview of bushwalking tents.

I have both 3-season and 4-season shortlists. This is because I initially thought a solid 3-season tent would be sufficient. However, Tassie weather can get pretty bad, and it would be great to use it as a snow tent in the future, so I am starting to think a 4-season tent would be a better investment.

3-Season Shortlist

Macpac Macrolight
This tent is coming out in October, and will be on sale (30% off) for the first week. 2 entry/vestibule, 2 pole dome design. Looks to be a two-person, two-pole version of the Macpac Microlight. The Microlight is reputed to stand up very well to bad Tasmanian weather. Hard to say if the Macrolight would be the same. It has a wide-ish ridge that might hold snow. Will have to check out the real thing in a few weeks!
Fabric: 30D (3500mm) fly, Torrentwear Light (5000mm) floor, 9.0mm poles
Weight: 2.0kg (min) / 2.2kg (packed)
Area: 2.8m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.71m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $650 (RRP), $455 (sale)

Mont Moondance II
3 season, 2 entry/vestibule, 2 pole dome design with short top pole
Fabric: 40D
Weight: 1.86kg (min) / 1.98kg (packed)
Area: 2.66m^2 (internal)
Price: $470

Note: this is not the Mont Krypton, which has a built-in footprint, which has been known to collect water and act like a bath!

MSR Hubba Hubba HP
The HP is warmer than the original Hubba Hubba, but lighter. 3 season, 2 entry/vestibule, unusual wishbone design (although essentially a dome tent). I had a look at this in Paddy Pallins. It is cleverly designed, and quite spacious. However, the single pole design means it suffers from twisting problems in high wind. Also, the floor is *very* thin - you would want to use the footprint with it.
Fabric: 20D (1000mm) fly, 40D (10000mm) floor
Weight: 1.7kg (min) / 1.93kg (packed)
Area: 2.7m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.8m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$400 (AU$460)

Wilderness Equipment Dart 2
Free-standing, 3-4 season, 2 person, 3 pole dome-style. I had a look at this in MDs. It is a great tent. The third pole makes the vestibules very big and useful. Internally, it is very long and spacious. A notable minus is that the 3-pole design creates a large flat area on top. This might be prone to pooling water, or loading up with snow. Also, it is quite heavy. The inner is mostly mesh, so could get a bit breezy in there.
Fabric: 30D (1500mm) fly, 75D (8000mm) floor
Weight: 2.62kg (min) / 2.89kg (packed)
Area: ?
Price: $580 (RRP), $406 (on sale from MDs)

Also available in a cheaper but heavier 75D version, and a "winter" version (same design, less mesh). These add an extra 250g, and cost $500 (RRP). I would call this a 3+ season tent.


4-Season Shortlist

Terra Nova Superlite Quasar
We used the Terra Nova Hyperspace in base camp on my expedition to Glacier Benito in Patagonia. They were heavy, but bombproof. A friend tells me the Superlite Quasar performs similarly well, but is much lighter. 4 season, 2 entry, 4 pole dome design.
Fabric: 4000mm (fly), 7000mm (floor), 8.55mm poles
Dimensions: 1.05m (h) x 1.36m (w) x 2.17m (l)
Weight: 2.2kg (min) / 2.5kg (packed)
Area: 2.88 m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.74 m^2 (vestibules)
Price: $990 (RRP), $690 (shipped from US)
Pretty impressive weight for a four-pole tent!

Macpac Minaret
A 2-pole, single-entry, 4-season tent. I had a look at this one in-store. It looks like a pretty good design. Roomy enough inside for two people to sit comfortably, but certainly not spacious. Funny shape means it's best suited to one tall-ish person and one short. Vestibule is not big but is functional. Needs to be guyed out well to be any good in the wind or snow.
Fabric: 30D (3500mm) fly, Torrentwear XP (10000mm) floor, 9.6mm poles
Dimensions: 1.00m (h) x 1.15m (w) x 2.00-2.50m (l)
Weight: 2.1kg (min) / 2.4kg (packed)
Area: 2.35m^2 (internal), 0.9m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $750 (RRP), $525 (sale)

Hilleberg Nallo 3
Hilleberg do some great tents. I remember walking with a guy around Torres del Paine who raved about his very nice 1 person one. The Nallo is only single entry, but there is a version (the Nallo GT) with super-big vestibule. 4 season, 2 pole sloping tunnel design. There is a Nallo 2 but from all accounts is sounds a bit small for two, so the Nallo 3 would probably be better.
Fabric: Kerlon 1200, 9mm poles
Weight: 2.1kg (min) / 2.4kg (packed)
Dimensions: 1.05m (h) x 1.60m (w) x 2.20m(l)
Area: 3.4m^2 (internal), 1.4m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$595 (RRP) = AU$770 (with shipping)

Hilleberg Kaitum 2
Two entry tunnel tent, with 3 poles. Looks similar to Macpac Olympus.
Fabric: Kerlon 1200, 9mm poles
Weight: 2.5kg (min) / 2.8kg (packed)
Dimensions: 1.00m (h) x 1.40m (w) x 2.20m (l)
Area: 2.9m^2 (internal), 2 x 1.2m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$715 (RRP) = AU$910 (with shipping)

Mountain Hardwear Spire 2.1
Four-season, double-entry, 2.5-pole dome design.
Fabric: 40D (1500mm) fly, 70D (3000mm) floor
Weight: 2.13kg (min) / 2.31kg (packed) + 310g for footprint
Area: 2.61m^2 (internal), 2 x 1.0m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$425 (RRP), ~AU$580 (with shipping), US$36 for footprint

Mountain Hardware also have the Skyledge 2.1, a similarly-design 3-season tent.

Mont Bell Stellar Ridge
4-season, double-door/vestibule 2-pole dome design. Doesn't look solid enough to be a mountain tent ... looks a bit like a Macpac Apollo.
Fabric: "Ballistic" lightweight materials: 1500mm fly, 2000mm floor, 10000mm footprint
Weight: 1.81kg (min) / 2.06kg (packed) + 295g footprint
Area: 2.7m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.52m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $650 + $50 (footprint)

Mont Bell also has the Chronos Dome which is a heavier and cheaper 3-season tent of similar design.

Exped Sirius Extreme II
4-season, single-door/vestibule tunnel tent. Looks pretty good. Better than WE Second Arrow. Similar to Hilleberg Nammatj 2 but cheaper?
Fabric: 10000mm floor
Dimensions: 1.00m (h) x 1.30m (w) x 2.25m (l)
Weight: 2.65kg (min) / 3.1kg (packed)
Area: 2.92m^2 (internal), 1.43m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$360 (~AU$500), or $530


Honourable Mentions
There are a few other tents that I considered, but didn't make the cut for whatever reason.

Hilleberg Nammatj 2
Similar to the Nallo, but doesn't slope down towards the end. 4 season, 2 pole tunnel design.
Fabric: ?
Weight: 2.4kg (min) / 2.8kg (packed)
Area: 2.8m^2 (internal), 1.2m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$575 (RRP), US$675 (for GT)

Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow
5 season, 2 person, tapered tunnel design (single entry/vestibule). Looks good in print, but in reality this tent is very small. It has a very low roof which makes the inside feel quite cramped. It is also quite short - I only just fit in. The single vestibule is not very big, but could be opened out in goodweather. Probably the First Arrow is a better option as a snow tent.
Fabric: 30D (1500mm) fly, 75D (8000mm) floor
Dimensions: ?m (h) x 1.30m (w) x 2.03m(l)
Weight: 2.28kg (min) / 2.57kg (packed)
Area: ?
Price: $600 (RRP), $420 (on sale from MDs)

Also available in a cheaper but heavier 75D version.

Mountain Designs Positron
Single entry, two-pole dome design.
Fabric: 40D siliconised fly
Weight: 1.74kg (min)
Area: 2.7m^2 (internal)
Price: $540 (RRP), $380 (sale)

One Planet Gunyah 2v
This thing is super-light! Probably too light for serious rain, but worth considering for the mainland ... Single-pole dome design, two entries, but only one vestibule.
Fabric: 15D fly, 20D floor
Weight: 1.35kg (packed), 1.66kg (with footprint)
Area: ?
Price: ~$540


Exped Vela II
3-season, two-door, two-vestibule tunnel tent.
Fabric: 10000mm floor
Weight: 2.65kg (min) / 3.05kg (packed)
Area: 3.2m^2 (internal), 2 x 1.25m^2 (vestibule)
Price: $600

Tarptent Scarp 2
Using just one pole, a light 3-season tent. Add another two poles for 4-season use. Don't like the look of the way the extra poles are added. Probably not that great in the wind.
Fabric:
Weight: 1.53kg (3-season), 2.01kg (4-season)
Area: 2.2m^2 (internal), 2 x 0.58m^2 (vestibule)
Price: US$325

Also want to know about some Salewa tents: Sierra Ultra, Sparrow II, Bergen II $230, Sierra Leone. But no info online!


I am waiting on more info on the Macpac Macrolight. If that looks good, then I think I will go for that. Have been very happy with Frightfully Delightful's Macpac Apollo, although it was a tad on the heavy side.