New Monitor - Lacie 22"

[wxwax]

I've gone and done it. After a few weeks of hanging around ebay, I decided I wasn't going to get a much better price than retail. So I've ordered a Lacie Electronblue 22" monitor. Should be here in a week or so.

During this process, I've come to a conclusion.

People who are developing web applications seem to do so with the cutting edge in mind. They assume everyone has a fast connection, Flash, a good monitor, etc.

I've noticed almost an arrogance about this. As though these were the minimum requirements. And that if you don't have these tools, then you're deficient. Whereas the reality, of course, is that more people are using dialup than broadband. And that more people have bad monitors than good ones. I've observed the latter firsthand recently, looking at photos on various monitors, at home and at work. It's amazing how poorly almost all of them display colors and light intensity.

I decry the arrogance I see.

I know that I'm getting a good monitor so that I can satisfy myself that I'm doing the right thing with my photos in Photoshop. But I'm under no illusion that the majority of the people who view them on the web will have the experience I intend. I can accept that. Without the arrogance displayed by those who work on web applications.

[fish]

So people should be writing stuff in COBOL for monochrome monitors running off 640x480 VGA cards and 386 CPUs?

[wxwax]

Sure, that's exactly what I said. Vroom, that sound was the point going over yer head. :whip

[fish]

:rolleyes


would you buy radio shack speakers for your McIntosh amp?

[wxwax]

It's not a matter of whether or not I would. It's a matter of how many other people do. And the answer is.... lots.

[fish]

It's not a matter of whether or not I would. It's a matter of how many other people do. And the answer is.... lots.
so? should technology wait for the masses to catchup? bah.

[wxwax]

It's not the technology that's the issue.... it's how people choose to apply it.

[fish]

It's not the technology that's the issue.... it's how people choose to apply it.

okay. enough. i have completely lost any point you were trying to make, mr. luddite. :bluduh

[cmr164]

How about the simple fact that greater than 50% of the net is still 28k-56k dialup and that the web designers are designing pages that only work properly with a broadband connection. I think his point was that as marketeers they are idiots, which I agree with. Even though I have a T1 all to myself, I have flash set to run only if I click it to run. All popups are blocked and 95% of advertising is blocked. I can feel only sympathy for the poor buggers running IE on a dialup Wintel box.

[wxwax]

okay. enough. i have completely lost any point you were trying to make, mr. luddite. :bluduh

You never got it in the first place. 's OK, after all, that's the point. :doh

[patch29]

So did it arrive? Can I come borrow it for a little while? :dunno I want to make sure it is properly calibrated. :wxwax

[wxwax]

Not here yet. I thought it might arrive by today. Hopefully it will make it in the next couple of days.

[fish]

Not here yet. I thought it might arrive by today. Hopefully it will make it in the next couple of days.
Where did you buy it? No UPS tracking number?

[wxwax]

Sure, I could track it, just haven't bothered to. It will get here when it gets here.

[komet]

Sure, I could track it, just haven't bothered to. It will get here when it gets here.
Glad you got a new monitor, Waxie...but, fish did kinda spank you pretty good.

[wxwax]

Troublemaker.

[wxwax]

Well, the new monitor's here, installed and looking.... large. I'm getting a good sun tan sitting in front of I must say. I'll post a photo when I get my camera back upstairs. Next up... making sure it's properly calibrated.

[komet]

Well, the new monitor's here, installed and looking.... large. I'm getting a good sun tan sitting in front of I must say. I'll post a photo when I get my camera back upstairs. Next up... making sure it's properly calibrated.
You're slowly getting out of the dark ages...cable modem...new monitor...what next?

[wxwax]

A mate?

[DoctorIt]

How about the simple fact that greater than 50% of the net is still 28k-56k dialup and that the web designers are designing pages that only work properly with a broadband connection. I think his point was that as marketeers they are idiots, which I agree with. Even though I have a T1 all to myself, I have flash set to run only if I click it to run. All popups are blocked and 95% of advertising is blocked. I can feel only sympathy for the poor buggers running IE on a dialup Wintel box.I was thinking the same thing - I've always designed my websites on the simple side realizing that half the people (usually in the clubs I've made the sites for) won't have badass connections. But fish also has a good point, should we wait for everyone to catch up?

Nevermind though, this was really a thread about Waxy's cool new monitor. Congrats man!

[wxwax]

It is cool, thanks. WRT web development... no-one builds the car they think is best, and then waits for the market to catch-up to them. They build the car they think will sell. Oddly, that's not how many, perhaps most, websites operate.

[cletus]

I'll post a photo when I get my camera back upstairs. Where are our pictures waxy??? :ear

By the way... I've got a LaCie 22" on order now. They're backorderd so I probably wont see it for another couple weeks :cry

[wxwax]

Where are our pictures waxy??? :ear

By the way... I've got a LaCie 22" on order now. They're backorderd so I probably wont see it for another couple weeks :cry


Ooh, thanks for ther reminder. I'll take some late tonight and post them after everyone's gone to bed.

[wxwax]

Everyone asleep? Good. Here's the monitor. I'm undecided about putting on the hood. And I'm still looking around for a calibration tool. I'm thinking about the GretaMacbeth (http://www.i1color.com/) Eye One, which is "only" $240 for the monitor calibrator.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/2710508-M.jpg

[fish]

Everyone asleep? Good. Here's the monitor. I'm undecided about putting on the hood. And I'm still looking around for a calibration tool. I'm thinking about the GretaMacbeth (http://www.i1color.com/) Eye One, which is "only" $240 for the monitor calibrator.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/2710508-M.jpg you got rooked. there's less than half a screen showing up there.


Seriously...nice monitor, but holy cow...that's a small workstation. How close is your face to the monitor?

[komet]

Everyone asleep? Good. Here's the monitor. I'm undecided about putting on the hood. And I'm still looking around for a calibration tool. I'm thinking about the GretaMacbeth (http://www.i1color.com/) Eye One, which is "only" $240 for the monitor calibrator.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/2710508-M.jpgThat seems ridiculous to spend that kind of money to calibrate your monitor. Is it broke already? Take the money and get you a nice printer or something...or better yet...send it to the komet foundation.

[wxwax]

you got rooked. there's less than half a screen showing up there.


Seriously...nice monitor, but holy cow...that's a small workstation. How close is your face to the monitor?


I'm not saying my face is close to the monitor... but my neck gets sore as I have to constantly turn my head as I read across lines of copy. Actually, there's a desk to the right of the shot... and an unholy mess just outside the frame.

[wxwax]

That seems ridiculous to spend that kind of money to calibrate your monitor. Is it broke already? Take the money and get you a nice printer or something...or better yet...send it to the komet foundation.

At first, I agreed with you. But now $240 looks cheap. And since I care very much that I get it right when I adjust my photos,,,and $240 isn't that much compared to the cost of like everything else :wxwax in this game, suddenly it doesn't seem so outrageous.

[Sam]

Everyone asleep? Good. Here's the monitor. I'm undecided about putting on the hood. And I'm still looking around for a calibration tool. I'm thinking about the GretaMacbeth (http://www.i1color.com/) Eye One, which is "only" $240 for the monitor calibrator.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/2710508-M.jpg
Congratulations on your new monitor. I have never heard of LaCie. Can you tell me the difference between your LaCie and my ViewSonic. Is this a specialty monitor designed for graphics? Also what screen resolution do you use in PS? If I go to a higher resolution all the menue bars and icons are the size of a dwarf nat. Thanks

[wxwax]

Sam, I have it at 1152x864, 84 megahertz refresh rate. I could make things smaller, but then I'd need glasses. The monitor is designed for color accuracy. How they achieve that, and why it's supposed to be better that your Viewsonic, I can't say. I opted for this on the strength of advice from Patch29, Zero-Zero and a number of favorable reviews.

[komet]

Waxie, it is a nice monitor and I hope you enjoy it.:clap

[Sam]

Sam, I have it at 1152x864, 84 megahertz refresh rate. I could make things smaller, but then I'd need glasses. The monitor is designed for color accuracy. How they achieve that, and why it's supposed to be better that your Viewsonic, I can't say. I opted for this on the strength of advice from Patch29, Zero-Zero and a number of favorable reviews.
Thanks for the reply. After playing with some settings I was able to up the refresh rate to 85 megahertz, and reset the screen resolution to 120 dpi. This increased the size of the icons and fonts. I am now running at 1280 X 1024, and it seems ok. I may try some other settings later.

[wxwax]

In daylight, with yesterday's shot as the background.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/2735998-M.jpg

[lynnma]

In daylight, with yesterday's shot as the background.

http://wxwax.smugmug.com/photos/2735998-M.jpgLovely monitor Sid... very bright though isn't it????:lol

[dragon300zx]

Just so ya know Sid. It isn't about arrogance in designing the web application. We design more and more advanced applications because we have the tools and we can. Its about constantly improving our work and learning. If we don't stay cutting edge we fall. Everything in computers is like that. But many of us also know that very few in the whole scheme of things can view our more advanced web applications. Which is why good designers always design the application two ways. One the latest and flashiest site they can for those who can handle it. And the other a standard decent look web page that doesnt have all the bells and wistles but will load decent for the "my mothers" in the world. Hell whenever I am designing a web site I call my mother and have her run it on her system to see how it will work for the general public. Can't get more general than her 15" trinitron and 450mhz celeron W98SE machine.

[wxwax]

I wish our guys thought like you do. Your mom have a dialup? You can feel your life ticking by while you wait.

[dragon300zx]

Sid,
Yes she does. Also I love that monitor of yours whats the retail? And I hate dial UP. Another good trick for Web development is to develop the applications on a laptop screen at 800X600. If you can fit it on a laptop screen at the res without having to do horizontal scrolling and you know how to set the layout right it should be good to go for at least 80% of the viewing public. I get better and better at it every day. But then again i spend my life working on the puter, programming, working on my car, at class, homework, gf, and now taking tons of pictures again.
Gary

[wxwax]

Cost me $600. Not bad, considering. You sound like a busy man. Any websites you work on that we can see?

[dragon300zx]

As soon as I have one that I feel is finished to a point that it looks good lol.

[wxwax]

Oh. OK then. A perfectionist, eh? I can sorta relate. That's why Harvey Mushman still hasn't seen any pics from our day at Road Atlanta last year. Simply not good enough for public release. :lol3

[dragon300zx]

One of the ones I am working on right now is www.michiganwater.com (http://www.michiganwater.com) it is live.. However the site that is up there now I threw together in bout 2 hours so they would have something up cause they had to have something up right away. I am currently working on building them a flash sight and a regular html site that looks alot better than that one. I need many more water pictures of water in the home use and just plain water, so thats one of my assignments over the next couple of weeks. What I need to find is someone with a 4-5 year old little girl who will let me photograph her drinking water.

[Seamaiden]

Um.. I couldn't tell by the photo (and can't be arsed to Google it at the moment, been busy Googling gadgets and forums), but, is that a CRT or LCD? I just got a 17" LCD TFT, and I understand that for purposes of color matching, etc., they're not the best way to go. However, I absolutely enjoy having 25% more viewing area than my old 19" CRT, no twoing when I wake it up, and all this nifty desk space I didn't have before! I also very much prefer the "look" of the LCD.

My native res is 1280x1024, but then I have pretty good vision. The S.O. wants a 21" with a native res at a minimum of.. jeez.. what is it? 1600x1400 I think? (Oh, baby, what a big MONITOR you have! :wink )

I'm running a dual boot machine, and prefer to stay in my Linux OS (RH9 at the moment - seriously considering Gentoo when I get a spare box to tide me over compiling that kernel). I've been working bit by bit on learning the Gimp, and was just exploring my monitor's settings, including best DPI. I had no idea there were tools for this, nor that they would/could be so expensive (?!).

Must learn more.

[cletus]

Um.. I couldn't tell by the photo (and can't be arsed to Google it at the moment, been busy Googling gadgets and forums), but, is that a CRT or LCD?
It's a CRT.

My LaCie 22" showed up last Friday. Just a few comments about my new baby:

The LaCie 22" weighs about the same as the Mitsubishi 19" I had been using.
The Mitsu is noticeably deeper (front to back) than the LaCie.
It goes without saying that the LaCie has great color, but it's also very, very crisp and sharp.
At least in my office, the hood helps quite a bit.
I'm running XP. I've tried a couple different display settings but so far I like 1600x1200 with large fonts. Running at 1600x1200 some things are bit smaller than I would really like (some of the text here on dgrin for example) but the extra space I gain for CAD work makes it worth while.

[wxwax]

Didn't think about the larger fonts option. I'll have to try that.