Who Says Austin, Texas Does Not Get Snow — Look at the Photos

Well, I was on the flight to China, while in Austin, TX suddenly the winter brought a white surprise — SNOW!!! The tail tail signs of the snow started while I was in the plane on the tarmac at the Austin Airport waiting to take off for Dallas…. We were delayed to take off….because…..of having to have the plane deiced!!! By the time I hit Taipei about 26 hours later, I was emailed photos of our yard in Austin covered in SNOW! And a snow that stayed for more than 24 hours. Take a look at the photos — I think they are pretty neat. Especially the blooming jasmine bush covered in snow flakes :-)

Compact Digital Camera Wars: Lumix Vs. Coolpix

Recently, we found ourselves in the market for a new compact digital camera to be able to use on trips where our beloved Nikon D90 was not an option due to luggage space constraints. Our local Costco had a good deal on two promising looking compact digital cameras: a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 on sale for $179.99 and a Nikon Coolpix S570 discounted at $149.99. The two cameras had a similar basic feature set–both had 12 megapixels and a 2.7 inch LCD display. The Nikon was slightly smaller and had a sleeker appearance…and I have to say, based on our favorable experience with the Nikon D90, we were initially predisposed toward the Nikon Coolpix. However, when we delved a bit deeper into the camera specifications and read some online reviews, our ardor toward the Nikon Coolpix began to cool slightly. While both the Coolpix and the Panasonic Lumix got favorable reviews, the Lumix’s were a bit better, and it clearly boasted a more upscale feature set. The Lumix has a 8x optical zoom, compared with the 5x on the Nikon, and its slightly larger size allows it to have a considerably longer battery life–330 pictures, as opposed to the 220 pictures that the Nikon Coolpix is supposed to have. The feature that really tipped the balance for us, however, was the faster continuous shooting speed for the Lumix, which has 2 frames per second as opposed to 0.6 frames per second for the Nikon Coolpix. The icing on the cake was the Lumix’s HD video resolution (1,280×720), as compared with 640×480 for the Nikon Coolpix.

After trying out both cameras, it was obvious to us that the Panasonic Lumix ZR1 was the clear winner. The shooting speed was a standout difference between the two cameras and the Lumix seemed to have a more easily viewable LCD in bright sunlight. The extra $30 for the Lumix was easily justifiable.

Some helpful online reviews of the two cameras:
CNET review of Panasonic Lumix ZR1

CNET review of Nikon Coolpix S570

Very detailed Amazon user review of Panasonic Lumix ZR1

What happens when you are tired and in a strange hotel away from home

Well, earlier this year I was traveling on business. One of the evenings on my trip while in Sweden, I decided to check out the local channels on cable TV in the hotel…. I came across a great music video on MTV — believe me that was the first time I watched MTV in probably 15 years at least…. At any rate, the song I came across caught me and I decided to stay on the channel. I know, this blog is about travel experiences and all things related to that, but the song was really good (no, I do not get any royalties from anyone listening to it or watching the video).

Here is the YouTube listing for the song - give it a try: