Pentax W90

The critics at Photography Blog have reviewed the recently released Pentax Optio W90.  Sounds like a good camera with some unique features, good image quality (except low light), and a decent price.  Click below for the full review.

Pentax Optio W90 Review (via Photography Blog)

Canon D-10

I have been watching these cameras since last summer and I think at this point if I was to pick up, I would get the Canon Powershot D10 which is reviewed here by tech gadget blog, Engadget. We currently have a Canon for the family camera and it does a great job and is easy to use.

Fish Pimp fly fishing products. Keep your pimp hand strong.

Last month, at the International Sportsman’s Expo in Salt Lake I met Quentin, the guy behind Fish Pimp.  He has a really nice product line including a cool line cleaning system that  hooks onto your rod, a two part powder based fly drying and floatant system, Fly Sauce, and a cool take on cork indicators.  He was kind enough to give me some free products to match any that I purchased from dealers at the show.  I bought some Fly Sauce and the medium strike indicators and he gave me the smaller indicators and dry fly spray.

On my recent trip to the Green River I was able to use the stuff for the first time.  Overall I was pleased with the products.  I have been nymphing for a long time and have tried all kinds of methods/products for strike indicators.  I tend to like the foam cork ones as they float high, are responsive, and are easy to add to or take off of your line.  The Fish Pimp indicators really fit the bill well.  Instead of a toothpick to hold them in place, they use tightly fitted lengths of tiny surgical tubing.  I found that they were effective indicators and we definitely caught our share of fish even with many subtle strikes.  The larger indicators stayed in place well and were easy to adjust up or down the leader.  I had one issue with the smaller sized indicators when I applied one to the lower end of my leader to help me fish a tiny … Continue Reading

Rugged camera review (Crunchgear)

Last week, Crunchgear posted a great review of the current rugged point-and-shoot offerings on the market today.  Looks like there are some good options out there. I currently don’t have a camera like this and use either the family point-and-shoot or my iPhone.  I am certain that it is only a matter of time before one or both them them take a swim.  Hopefully I can resolve this situation in the coming year.  In the meantime, check out the review below.  What are you using on your outdoor adventures?  Leave a comment below.

Rugged Camera Roundup: The Movie

NePo Suet Cakes from neposuet.com

I had a pretty good bird day yesterday.  I took a walk on my lunch hour down at the Jordan River parkway and saw a few great birds that I don’t normally see, including a couple of belted kingfishers and some ruby-crowned kinglets.  One of them lit on a branch right near where I was standing and I got to watch him flit around catching midges until some runners came by and scared him off.

Upon returning home, I found I had received my two Nepo suet cakes in the mail. I was pretty stoked to get them and give them a try.  My first impression was that these are very high quality products.  I am just estimating here, but it felt like one of these cakes weighs about the same as two suet cakes you might buy at a large retail store.  What’s more, NePo cakes are very dense and contain no filler material like the common store brands which are about 80% cracked corn.  I don’t have many birds in my area who like eating that stuff and it mostly ends up on the ground, so I was really happy have a cake that will get 100% used by the birds.  I am guessing that they will feed a lot more birds than what I was using before just due to their density.  The two cakes I requested were the Insect Blend and the Peanut Butter Blend, both of which I am certain the birds are going to devour.  You can read about the extensive process they follow to create these cakes here, but suffice it to say that … Continue Reading

Two things going on in this post.  First, I am celebrating my 100th post for Under the Aspens.  I started this blog over the Christmas holiday on a whim of boredom, but it seems to have stuck.  I am enjoying spending an hour or so each night writing stories for the next day.  So far, the response has been pretty good and readership seems to be growing steadily thanks in large part to Twitter and a few other areas where links are posted.  I hope to keep it coming.  If you have enjoyed what you have read, give me a shout out in the comments below.

Second, which I guess really should be the primary focus here, is I came across a cool project today, thanks to Maker Blog, called project NOAH.  The project makes it possible for all us regular Joe’s to unleash our inner scientist and contribute to a worldwide catalog of species.  To make it even easier, they have created a new iPhone application that uses GPS to pinpoint observations and you can upload photos as well.  I haven’t yet submitted anything, but the application is simple to use with a clean interface.  One cool thing I like is the targeted missions to which you can contribute.  Currently there are 6 missions listed that cover cataloging squirrels, ladybugs, mushrooms, butterflies, and more.  In all it looks like it should be pretty fun to contribute.

Links:

• Project Noah: Networked Organisms and Habitats (via Maker)
• Project NOAH
• Get the app now! 

A couple months ago I went fishing on the South Fork of the Snake River with my cousin. He brought along a killer addition for a snowy day, ThermaCare heat wraps for our lower backs. We happened to be fishing on one of the few snowy days in October. We were floating with a guide which usually means a lot of casting giant streamers. This tends to be pretty exhausting on my lower back now that I am getting old . The heat wrap kept me going all day without any problems and had the added benefit of providing some heat to my waders. Last week I picked up a couple of boxes from Wal-mart since I knew I would be fishing today. I put one on before leaving my house and by the time I got to the river it was nice and toasty. After a few hours standing in the cold I was very thankful to have deployed my ThermaCare Lower Back Heat Wraps. Pick up a few for your next cold weather trip!