I’ve had two problems with using Firefox as my primary browser on Mac OS X.  The first is speed.  The stock Firefox builds on Mac OS X are anything but fast.  The Intel- and G5-optimized builds available from a few sources are better, but they have their own issues.

The other issue I have with FF is in stock form, it’s ugly.  The form widgets and stock theme are really unattractive and don’t fit with the “look” of OS X at all.  Us Mac users (especially those with designer in us) like our stuff perty.  The form widgets in FF2, especially, are a hideous crime against humanity.

Good news… Firefox 3.0 beta 1 fixes both of these issues (especially if you install the “Proto” theme, which I’m told will be the default OS X theme upon release).   FF 3.0 is fast in beta-uno form, which is a good sign of things to come when it goes release.

I’ve been using it as my main browser for a few days now, and I’m honestly not missing Safari at all… which says a lot.  Since Firebug isn’t FF3-aware (yet), I’m still using 2.0 for development, but for day to day use I’m loving 3.0b1.

This is a micro-review because I haven’t gotten too far into Rock Band (the new mega-game from the makers of Guitar Hero I and II).  What I can say right now:

• It seems Easy and Medium are MUCH MUCH easier than Guitar Hero II or III.
• You have to be a lot more precise with your strums.
• Drums are farkin’ hard.  But I’m not even close to a good drummer.
• Vocals are fun.
• The box is HUGE.  No, really… huge.
• The songs are almost all original artists (same with GH3).
• I don’t like the feel of the Strat controller.  The fret buttons click, the strum bar doesn’t.  This is the opposite of a GH controller.
• The “effects” using the 5-way on the Strat is novel, but kind of gimmicky.
• Drums are hard.
• Overall, the whole package is very well executed.  I need to see it on my HDTV at home (I’m at my inlaws for Thanksgiving right now) to really test out the graphics.
• Rush rules, there’s a Coheed & Cambria track on there too… and of course, Enter Sandman.
• The damn guitar should be wireless.  The 360 has built in wireless, there is NO reason they couldn’t have used it on a $170 package.

Overall, I’m not saying it’s as good as GH3… yet.  The guitar part of GH3 is much more exciting (some of the guitar parts are boring in Rock Band), but the full-band thing is great fun with friends/family.  It’s a solid effort from a solid developer and I’m reserving my judgement until I get into it a bit more.

Heh.

If you’re craving the short recycle time of a flash powered by a Quantum Turbo Battery, but don’t have $400+ to spend, you’re in luck. SP Systems, a budget studio lighting manufacturer has a high-voltage battery pack for their AC/DC “Lancerlight” line. The SP Studio Systems Battery Pack with Charger is only around $125 and is compatible with Quantum Turbo cables. That means for $125, you can have 300 volts of light-generating power jacked directly into your Nikon SB, Vivitar 285, or any other flash with a high voltage port (most higher-end flashes have one and an associated Turbo cable).

The SP pack is larger than a Turbo 2×2, but it has the added advantage of using a Panasonic-style sealed lead acid battery pack (you know, the big camcorder batteries from the 80s)… they’re both cheap and easily available. It’s very easy to swap a new one in, even in the field.

Disclosure: If you click the link above, I get a small referral fee from Amazon.