Adobe Releases Lightroom 2

Yay! Adobe released Lightroom 2 this morning. I’m a big fan of Lightroom and this version offers some welcome enhancements. An upgrade will cost you $99. Regular price is still $299.

If you want a guided tour, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has produced a whole series of videos outlining the new features. You can see them here.

iPhone 2.0 Activation Errors

iPhone 2.0 Activation Error (-4)

If you’re trying to install Apple’s new iPhone 2.0 software update this morning, it’s very likely you’re seeing the “unknown error occurred (-4)” message.

The problem isn’t the update itself, which does download and install, it’s the re-activation that has to occur via the iTunes Store. There are heavy reports from around that world stating that the activation servers are just overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, the result of this inability to communicate with the server leaves the process incomplete, and the iPhone is totally bricked (broken, kaput, useless). It will not function until the server load is resolved and iTunes can reactivate your iPhone.

Once you see the error message, iTunes stops trying to communicate with the store. To get it started again, click on something else in the iTunes sidebar like, “Music”, and then click on the iPhone again. Doing this makes iTunes try again. Unfortunately, you’ll have to keep doing this until it works. I’ve been trying for about an hour. :(

UPDATE: It took about 3 hours, but iTunes did eventually reactivate my iPhone. I’ll be sharing my impressions of the new software in a later post.

Do you remember the pledge of allegiance?

pledge of allegiance

Happy Independence Day! One quick question for all of you Americans out there… Can you still recite the pledge of allegiance? C’mon, you did it 5 days a week for your entire childhood. :)

Anne Marie heard this question on NPR this morning. I must admit that I stumbled a little when she asked me. I was surprised by that.

Now Playing: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Opening today is a new documentary about the life of Hunter S. Thompson…

“From Oscar-wining director Alex Gibney and producer Graydon Carter comes a probing look into the uncanny life of national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. A fast moving, wildly entertaining documentary with an iconic soundtrack, the film addresses the major touchstones in Thompson’s life-his intense and ill fated relationship with the Hell’s Angels, his near-successful bid for the office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by Johnny Depp.”

Here in San francisco it’s playing at the Embarcadero.

Gonzo: Official Site