Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:13:36 +0000

if you’ve ever had dreams of backyard chickens, miniature goats or just becoming a better gardener, chances are you’ve picked up a storey publishing book (confession. i have two of their chicken books and i don’t even have a backyard!) three years ago, alethea morrison, now the creative director of storey publishing, her husband mars vilaubi and son xavier moved from san francisco to their own little plot of land in williamstown, ma. the couple had spent their entire lives in cities, but they’re all adjusting to life in the country just fine! and it’s giving alethea a chance to try out some of those storey books! {thanks alethea, mars and xavier! and special thanks to mars for the lovely photos!} -amy a

[Before we moved to Williamstown, I was desperate to get settled in a permanent home to ease the transition, but most of what we saw was a depressing assortment of dark houses with low ceilings that contrasted unfavorably to airy California spaces. The very last possible house we looked at was like a gift. Having just that day come on the market, we were the first to see it, and we bought it immediately. What I like most about the plan of our house is that the living room, dining area, and kitchen are all one big open area. It makes the space feel modern and is just plain convenient. I also love the exposed beams, the use of salvaged wood for architectural details, and the wide-plank pine
floors.

photo above: I have a longstanding design crush on Angela Adams, who designed the rug in my living room. My favorite piece of furniture in the whole house is the mid-century Scandinavian sideboard. Art on the walls is, from left, by Hatch Show Print, John Wischmann, Yee-Haw Industries, and decals by Blik. The pillow is by Crispina ffrench. I keep meaning to digitize my record collection, but I'll keep the vinyl all the same if for no other reason than loving the cover art. My dog Chico was born and raised in San Jose and can never get warm enough in this colder climate.]

[The ladderback chair and basket of pine cones at the foot of the stairs are from my grandparents. They were dyed-in-the-wool Yankees, and it greatly relieved my grandfather that I moved back east before he passed away. There's another Angela Adams mini rug. On the windowsill I keep a little nature shelf of pretty stones, driftwood,et al that I find here and there.]

[photo above: I bought this teak table and eight chairs for $100 at a tag sale my first summer here. Mars and I reupholstered all the chairs ourselves with Maine Cottage fabric, which taught us that we don't like to upholster furniture. It took us almost nine months to complete. What I do like is vivid color and bold patterns - vintage Harlequin dishes, workaday Fiesta, and Orla Kiely for Target fit the bill. I bought the enameled milk jug and wire egg basket at Brimfield. I can't say enough good things about these Modern-Twist silicone placemats: they are easy to clean, feel silky to the touch, and are beautifully designed. The ceramic fish trivet is something my grandparents bought when they visited Norway. I treasure it beyond reason. The art on the wall is a vintage Scandinavian plate and a print by artist Jen Skelley.]

[photo above: For our bedroom, I made portraits of Mars and me out of vintage wallpaper and housed them in Victorian frames. We have a lot of sock monkeys that we've rescued from flea markets and adopted. I had to put the kibosh on getting any more. There are only so many mouths you can feed. These two are named Gypsy and Harpo.]

Fujifilm is ready to roll out their new long-zoom category of compact cameras under the JZ line, where it merges style, substance and affordability in a single (and hopefully for them) winning formula. Just take a look at the design and chances are pretty good that you will be pleased with what your eyes see. You can choose from silver and black color choices, accompanied by elegant round edges, a smooth matte finish and measuring only 23mm thin, making the JZ cameras ideal for those who are looking for a pocketable, elegant shooter equipped with a longer zoom to shoot subjects from far away without compromising on image quality.

Accommodating a large 10x optical zoom lens which works in harmony with Fujifilm’s advanced CCD-shift image stabilization, chances are you will be able to achieve focused, blur-free images even at the full zoom range. Apart from that, the versatile 28mm wide-angle lens is perfect for wide landscapes or large group shots, making each shot captured in stunning detail. This range of cameras will also come with stunning High Definition playback regardless of whether you are concerned about stills or movies. Of course, in order to hook this up to your HDTV, you will need to purchase an optional accessory HD Player (known as HDP-L1).

Tracking AF (Auto Focus) also works great when tracking a moving subject automatically when the shutter is pressed down halfway. When you feel that the moment is just right, all you need to do is press the shutter button fully in order to capture the subject perfectly, making it particularly useful whenever you want to shoot an action shot with your subject moving constantly. With data storage being so affordable these days, managing your photo collection could prove to be challenging, which is why Fujifilm has thrown in a new file management Picture Search tool that allows you to find specific photos quickly and easily. Apart from that, you can also search by Scene mode to view all photos with people in, or all photos of landscapes among others. Any takers?

Press Release
Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Fujifilm introduces JZ compact camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]