Here is a pretty funny rendition of apple product ownership.
What it's like to own an Apple product - The Oatmeal

How about a "Panasonic DMC-GF1-K/PC Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera" as a stop gap until you can buy your Leica M9?
Similar specs to the Leica M8 but less expensive. (second hand even)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1277394564.jpg

With this lens adapter you can use your classic Leica M lenses on this camera.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1277394606.jpg

And a "Live View Finder"... Old school style rangfinder that's affordable ... Love it!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1277394691.jpg

The point is you can start your collection of Leica M lenses and then go to the M body when you can afford it.

I read about a new app:

"But after a brainstorming session last year with his son and two daughters, ages 11, 9 and 5, respectively, he came up with the idea for an iPhone application that would turn the phone into a virtual blender. Users could pick a fruit like strawberries, watch the phone's screen appear to fill up with milk, and witness the ingredients get pureed into a smoothie."

iPhone apps: Companies help nontechies create killer apps - latimes.com

Makes me really want more gizmos that are useless. I mean we are being abused by all these silly gadgets.

I'm glad there is gadget fever.

If life grades on a curve, those of us without gadget fever get one heck of an advantage when compared with those who do intelligence-wise. ;)

my wife is going to hate you..;) googling now!

Thanks For weighing in Sammy, the thread would not have been complete without your ever important opinion on our ever important non-sense.

SmileWavy

That is very cool. I had no idea this existed. And I just sold my two M6 bodies and three Leica lenses on Craigslist!!!

Right, for every 10 useful apps, there are 1000 or maybe even 10000 that are crap.

Apologies to Mrs Vash :(

dottore...can you PM me about the selling process of a M6 body? i have zero idea on pricing for starters.

what about 500 series Hasselblad stuff? sheesh..i'm a hoarder.

Dayum that M9 is pricey.

I thought that the whole idea of digital was to bring down the cost of shooting. --what's the film version Leica go for? (including 8000 frames of film)

You may have been misinformed. However, digital does bring down the cost of shooting; just not the shooter.

Best,
Tom

What are these "flat screens" you speak of?

Yes, I still have CRT's at home :rolleyes:

Sigh... all I want is a crappy used Japanese car...

Actually, as far as gadgets go, this is not the most useless one you could buy...
We bought ours instead of another computer. It's the "downstairs" / sofa / couch potato computer - mostly for Email and browsing... Fantastic in that role, long battery life, versatile, light, ON in 1 second flat (vs. a laptop that might be shut down or in sleep mode).

Bonus: Netflix streaming, videos for the kids (no fighting for TV channels), games, and countless distractions if we dine out and the kid gets antsy.

I like the Ipad so much I'm considering dropping the Iphone, actually...
I say give in to the fever !

PS: doesn't hurt mine was free... I bought a few shares of AAPL when the world said the Ipad was nothing but a useless giant Iphone. Sold it at $100 profit per share a few weeks ago, more or less... Free Pad, enough for 2 of them in fact ;-) A company that finances the purchase of its own products, how cool is that ;-)

Stopped by the local Apple store this afternoon to see what was happening. Must have been 5-600 people waiting in (2) lines in the mall. One line was for people who pre-ordered phone, the other was for walk-ups.

A fellow walking by me talking on his old iphone was saying that he just got his phone after a 7 hour wait that started before 6 am.

I try not to pay too much attention to that... same kind of people who sleep on the sidewalk to be the first in line to see the latest Star Wars or Lord of the rings...

When the Ipad came out, I preordered and it arrive at my doorstep, why camp outside the store ?? The crazies or the "gotta have it" people are no proof that the product is not worth having ;-) Really, the Ipad's pretty cool. Better than the phone for me... You can go blind staring at that Iphone ;-)

Screw that. I wouldn't wait in line like that for anything. OK, sure, if they were handing out gold bricks for free, Carrera GTs, etc..., but there is nothing that I need to purchase that bad.

Oh great... now I'm going to waste half my day surfing this site...

Funny stuff!