Mind Whispers: August 2009

Book Reading - The 4 Hour Work Week (Timothy Ferriss)

Another book from a friend. Not sure i should read more, haha...cos Albert Einstein said:

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking

This book is about:
"Forget the old concept of retirement and saving for the future - there is no need to wait and every reason not do. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing first class world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with no management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint."

Suggested step-by-step to 'reinvent' yourself:

Definition - 'new rich' lifestyle
Elimination of the unimportant, increase per hour results, selective ignorance, low info diet, etc. Result is to get be rich in time and how to accomplish more by doing less.
"Doing something unimportant well does not make it important & Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important"
"Being busy is a form of laziness- lazy thinking and indiscriminate action"
Automation for more time and income.
Refine rules and processes before adding people.
"Using people to leverage a refined process multiplies production; using people as a solution to a poor process multiplies problems"
Liberation for mobility, mini retirement, remote control and 'escaping' the boss, haha!

Nikon vs Canon - SLR

Many friends asked me this question: Should i choose Canon or Nikon camera?

I have no answer, frankly. Both have good camera & lens. If you are newly investing in SLR, my suggestion is to personally hold the SLR, play with it and decide which one you like. Canon has more lens options and is comparatively cheaper while Nikon has good history of lens compatibility & quality.

I am not favoring any side in sharing my choice. To me, i like something simple and as little lens as possible (more options does not mean better), i choose Nikon. I have limited budget and my D40 serves me well (my collections: standard kit lens is great + telephoto + prime lens). What i need is just a beginner SLR with good quality and reliable lens. If your aim is to shoot prof sports events or to build a huge collection of lens. Maybe, Canon is your choice.

Agian, why Nikon:
1. I did try both models before buying (to be fair, search online for comparable Nikon and Canon models to try): Nikon gives me reliable quality, Canon just shoot everything
2. I have limited budget and D40 comes with a great standard kit lens which serve me well as a beginner. And...i dun't want a heavy SLR. I can only invest in cheap body but expensive lens SLOWLY.
3. Not all Nikon lens work on Canon but almost all Canon lens work on Nikon body (this is what the Canon salesman told me). Not a problem to me, i normally stick to the same manufacturer, some more Nikon is reliable in compatibility issue.
4. My interests is to shoot daily, not prof photographing for National Geography nor sports journal.

No bias, these are other comments found on Nikon VS Canon SLR:

Check out some debates on this topic:
http://www.macworld.com/article/131467/2008/01/debate.html