New iPad
So, back when the iPad was released in Canada near the end of May, I decided to go down to Future Shop to check one out in person. Of course, they had been sold out for a few hours by the time I got there. But I was able to check out a display model and found it to be a neat little device. Specifically, the iWork apps seemed to work fairly well - and what appealed to me most (besides the ultra-slick web browsing) was the possibility of syncing my documents to a very portable device. The iPad in the store worked very well. So I went home and after doing a bit more reading, I placed an order with Apple.
After a week, I got a note from Apple that my iPad would be shipping by June 18. Today, I checked out the Future Shop website and lo and behold, they had several in stock! So I cancelled my Apple order and bought one in store. It's the 32GB wifi version.
So far, I've been impressed with the intuitive nature of the interface. I've been typing this entire blog entry on the new device. It's not as easy as a regular keyboard... I'm finding my typing to be slower than on a normal keyboard. So I'm undecided about whether I'll want a Bluetooth keyboard or not. But it works in a pinch for doing basic data entry. The Apple case I got is also great for holding it at a 30 degree angle for typing.
I haven't had a chance to play around with it much more than that (I did pick up the iWork apps though). But hopefully this device continues to work well for my needs!
Cathedral Building Progress
This is really cool: a webcam has been pointed to the construction of the new Saskatoon cathedral.
The image auto-updates every 30 seconds.
There’s a voice that keeps on calling me…
It was officially announced yesterday that as of the July 3/4 weekend, I will be pastor in Watson, Engelfeld, and St. Gregor.
One cool thing is that Google Streetview has been through Watson! Here is the Sacred Heart Parish church:
(If the above didn't work for you, try this link.)
Eventful weeks
Whew! The past few weeks have been eventful:
1. We have a new bishop in Saskatoon. Welcome, Bishop Donald Bolen! It was a great celebration on March 25 at St. Patrick in Saskatoon. A few days later we celebrated the annual Chrism Mass at the same church.
2. I presided at the Triduum celebrations at St. Anne, culminating with the Easter Vigil. The font in the church is nice and large (and heated), allowing me to go in and do full immersions for the baptisms. It was very much a thrill to be able to baptize, confirm, and give first communion to 5 people (plus baptize a child, and confirm another adult)!
3. As complicated as the ordination, Passion Sunday, Chrism Mass, and Triduum celebrations were, they have nothing on the intensity of presiding at a family wedding on April 10 in Barry's Bay, Ontario. Congratulations, Danny and Becca!
4 & 5. I was also able to be present (and godfather) at Spencer Korvemaker's baptism in Ottawa. (Go Riders!)
Dual channel mic preamp
Things have been busy at St. Anne's, as usual. It's a great parish with lots going on!
On my days off I've been working on my latest electronics project: a dual-channel microphone preamplifier. I built it using the SC-1mk2 kit from www.fivefishstudios.com. The cost for parts was pretty much what it would have been if I had built a similar circuit from Jensen Transformers and ordered the parts from regular electronic sources like mouser.com and digikey.ca, but with a very important bonus: printed circuit boards! Printed circuit boards are orders of magnitude easier to work with than the perf boards I used for my mics, where I hand-wired everything.
(Well, sort of. I still managed to destroy a voltage regulator IC. Umm, it's not a very good idea to try and adjust the heat sink while it is still attached to the IC. The chip kinda broke into two pieces. Fortunately, a replacement was found at a local store for $2.)
I have yet to use it for any recording, but it sounds great when I connect it to my monitors. It seems to have a nice, natural-sounding tone. That was my main reason for wanting to build some preamps in the first place: the preamps that are built into my Presonus Firepod are ok -- they're great value for the money, actually -- but they can be a little harsh-sounding with certain instruments. The high quality amplifier chip and the Cinemag input transformer that are used in the SC-1mk2 preamps should help warm up the sound and bring out more of the depth of acoustic instruments - all the while being a lower noise device than the Presonus preamps.
I'll post some recordings when I have a chance to make some.
Here are some photos. See the Facebook page for more.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=394628&id=793360323&l=966c23a382
