Grazing Browser 2.1 and Grazing Push for Mac

Instantly push links to your Mac and back to your iPhone and iPad! Plus Private Browsing, universal address bar, customizable gestures, and more!

For more information visit: www.grazingbrowser.com.

Once again, MacStories has a nice review.

Introducing Grazing Browser 2.0 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Now available: Grazing Browser 2.0, with a ton of new features:

• Universal App with iPhone and iPod touch support
• Grazing Push
• Tab Strip
• Fullscreen Mode
• Slide Controls
• and much more!

Visit grazingbrowser.com for more info.

MacStories gave it a nice review.

Abandoned: Urban Exploration Photobook

A complete preview of this book is available on Blurb:
Hardcover | Softcover

I had this big pile of urban exploration photos from the last couple of years sitting around. I figured I should do something with them… and a self-published photobook seemed like a good way to go. “Abandoned” is the result… my first photobook, published with Blurb.

Inside are my favorite photos from my ten favorite sites in southwestern Ontario and upstate New York:

Don Valley Brick Works
Symes Road Waste Transfer Facility
Kodak Building Number 9
Bowmanville Camp 30
Rochester Subway
Photech Film Factory
Holley High School
Kohl’s Cycle Sales
Church of the Transfiguration
Bethlehem Steel Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

The book is 80 pages. Each location is preceded by a small verse or lyric to set the mood (which I’m sure will seem increasingly hokey as time goes by), and there’s a paragraph about each location at the end of the book.

The layout was done in InDesign and it was uploaded as a PDF to Blurb. Printing takes about 4 days, and shipping is super fast (at least between their Canadian printing location in Calgary and Vancouver)… I received my books the next day after getting “Your order has shipped” email.

I made 2 versions: a 10×13 hardcover with dust cover, and an 10×8 softcover version. Sizing the book down was actually really easy – InDesign pretty much handled it after I put in the new page size, just had to tweak the individual pages a bit – and doing a cheaper softcover tester seemed like a good idea. Printing quality is pretty damn good – easily comparable to store-bought photo books, although perhaps not quite as vibrant as the best ones. They were printed on Blurb’s premium paper, and I tried both “matte” and “lustre” print types – the difference seems pretty marginal, I guess the lustre is a bit more shiny, but it’s not at all like the difference between matte and glossy photo prints in terms of color vibrancy. I prefer the matte.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the book and it feels like a nice summation of my Toronto-based urban exploration efforts (both independently and with the Toronto Exploration Society) before I moved out to BC.

If anyone’s interested in purchasing a copy, they’re available on Blurb:
Hardcover
Softcover

The pricing is the standard Blurb cost, plus a $5 markup which I’ll donate to a charity assuming I ever make enough for Blurb to cut me a cheque.

Tofino Photo Calendar

For the last couple of years, I’ve made a photo calendar for Christmas, mostly for my parents. I’ve had a couple of friends express interest in getting a copy, so this year I’m doing a little experiment to let friends order a copy if they’re interested. The theme of this year’s calendar is “Two Days in Tofino”, based on the photos from my recent trip to Vancouver Island.

I made the calendars in Apple’s iPhoto* online printing service, so ordering is a bit of a manual process – I’ll have to put in the order for you. Prices are as follows:

• Vancouver people pick-up – $23 – If I put in your order at the same time as mine, you don’t have to pay shipping, we’ll just have to arrange pickup some time.
• Shipping in Canada – $33
• Outside Canada – Contact me and I’ll look it up.

Contact me through Facebook, Flickr, or email if you’re interested.

Cheers!

Colin

* I’ve looked into self-publishing alternatives like Lulu and Cafepress, but their available templates were all, well… kinda ugly. If anyone knows of somewhere that will do on-demand calendar printing based on uploading a PDF (or at least has more attractive templates), please let me know! And, of course, if the price could come down to more reasonable calendar prices (hard for on-demand printing, I know) that would be cool too. ;)

Grazing Browser 1.1

I’ve added Ad Blocking, Sharing, TV-Out, and more to Grazing Browser.

See www.grazingbrowser.com/whatsnew.php for more info.

Introducing Grazing Browser for iPad

Introducing my latest project: Grazing Browser, a better web browser for the iPad. Find out more at www.grazingbrowser.com.

Hello, Vancouver

View set on Flickr | View set in gallery

Recently, I moved to Vancouver. Enjoying the weather and nature, and looking for new photographic realms to explore. In the meantime, after a long period of broken-camera-ness, here are some random shots from wandering the city and area.

Bethlehem Steel

Benzol Plant: View set on Flickr | View set in gallery

Coke Oven: View set on Flickr | View set in gallery

Warehouses: View set on Flickr | View set in gallery

Enormous and spectacular abandoned steel plant in Buffalo, NY. Miles of warehouses, coke ovens, pipes, and industrial buildings.

Benzol plant shots given HDR treatment.

Kohl’s Cycle Sales

View set on Flickr | View set in gallery

An abandoned motorcycle shop in Lockport, New York. Black and white treatment.

Church of the Transfiguration

View set on Flickr | View set in gallery

An abandoned church in Buffalo, NY. Some shots given HDR treatment.