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Definitely a good time for me to return to some moderation duties. :punk:

Seriously, congrats on the accomplishment.

I have definitely had varying roles of involvement here on Neowin, and I truly appreciate them all.

Thanks to Neowin, I was able to visit my favorite video game developer of all times, Valve.

I was also able to cover CES one year. Got to hang out with some really great guys as well. SkkyPunk, Shane Pitman, and Frank. Was a crazy fun filled couple of days. One of the weirder moments of that trip being when I interviewed Pro Gamer Fatality. Strictly by chance we hung out with him the night before at some crazy sponsored party in some penthouse, it was like a party you see in the movies. And he was a pretty cool guy actually, nothing like what I expected him to be based on all the crap talked about him online.

I was able to go to Seattle, and hang out with Sig from Deadliest Catch on his boat the Northeastern.

I got to go out to Austin Texas, and hang out with most of the staff at the time. Another great time (which I cannot remember any news stories from :laugh: ).

Shortly after the Austin trip, I did my official stint on the news staff, and unsuccessfully started the Gaming News Team. :cry: :D

All of these things I no doubt would have never done otherwise without Neowin.

There have definitely been some ups and downs with me and the site personally. However almost all of the downs have been while I was a moderator, and solely because I really did dedicate alot of hard work at times. I also did some things which I know caused some people to dislike me. But I always felt it was for the better of the community at large. I truly do mean that. I definitely could look back and say I have a few things I would have preferred went down differently, but overall I stand by the fact that every single thing I have done, no matter how unpopular at the time, and no matter how hard it may have been at times because like it or not I am only human and I do wind up getting to know people, was always something I felt would be best for all of the members. With all that said, the ups far outweigh the downs, and the downs were obviously not that bad, as I am back to moderating again.

So even though I am pretty sure I have said so in the past, would just like to say thanks for all of the opportunities and for the respect of the members. It truly has been a pretty large part of my life the past 8 years since I joined, and I no doubt appreciate it all.

I found neowin via google when I was searching a computer hardware problem that had to do with the realtek drivers not letting DFLW launch properly.

After that, i followed neowin but not as "religiously" as I do today. In the past months I've been busy with my full-time job and business but I have this as my homepage on desktop, laptop and iPhone. Everywhere I go, if I haven't checked neowin in half an hour I always do. I have you guys down as my RSS Feed on iPhones lock screen.

This place is wonderful, the admins, staff and most of the members are awesome people.

Everyone keep up the good work!

P.S. Entry into the drawing. Ive been itching to see this special forum. I can careless about ad free or not, I just want to know what you guys are hiding from us!

Entering!

It's hard to choose a favorite memory, but the one that stands out the most is my first time posting here in 2005. I was very tech illiterate and thought that a bully from school was hacking me. I posted logs from my McAfee which didn't really show anything. lol. I told neowin "He says he has my IP address and he is going to port scan me", etc. Then Neowin is all "Lol, that's like saying 'I have your house address'. He can't do anything.". Somehow the guy ended up registering here and found my thread. We started arguing like idiots, then John S. closed the thread and suggested that I call the police. After feeling like a moron, I decided to stick around here anyway and just read up. I learned so much. Neowin has impacted my life in a pretty big way. I went from thinking "If I press the wrong key on this keyboard, I could give the computer a virus" to building my own computers, being known as the guy to call when there's a PC problem, etc. It's good to be here and I plan on staying.

That "bully" and I are good friends now, too. We both ended up getting into computers and sharing many lol's. We jhated each other back then for no reason. hahah... dumb times!

I found Neowin years ago, I think on v4. I was probably in highschool when I found it. I don't go to any other tech website, and it helps me keep up-to-date with new products that are coming out especially while deployed, I like to keep my moral up and visit Neowin to do so.

Its not quite 10 years of neowin for me yet, but it will be next year! helluva long time to be posting in the same forums! Though before registering and finding help with my problems(main reason why probably most started coming here), i was visiting it randomly for several months before. Now it all seems like something from another life.

Anyway it has been good being here. And i loved to see the change happened over the many many years.

One day I sort of became a Microsoft fanboy. My brother got a new PC and it had Windows 7 installed. For me the world ended at XP, and I didn't care about anything other than it. It did what I wanted, and I only did light surfing and check my email occasionally.

I didn't even liked Windows 7 in the beginning! I thought, that when I stuck my Windows to the side, and it expanded to half of the screen, as a really annoying feature! I'm talking about Aero Snap. But eventually I really started loving the entire package, and thus begin my journey in the tech world. :laugh:

I didn't knew of any tech sites so I started going through all the Wikipedia articles related to Microsoft and also Apple. I learned a lot from there.

In one of Microsoft article, Neowin was mentioned as a "Microsoft fan site". So this was the first tech website I visited! I got hooked to it.

I liked reading people's comment, and what they thought about particular news article. So I signed up as FMH, with it being my name's initials.

I actually remember my first comment really clearly. I even remember what was the article about. It was an article about Bing and Google Earth!

And I got really bullyed on my first comment. I was really sad about it for days, actually. (I'm looking at you, kezzzs! :D ) But eventually I got used to this...

No matter how many tech sites I go to, and trust me I go to a lot of sites on daily basis(at least a dozen), Neowin is my favourite. I have done over 3000 comments already, with about 90% of them being made in last six months. As a comparison, on Engadget I have only made one measly comment, and that was only about referring someone to a ZDnet article.

I got to Neowin several times a day, and made some great friends too, over here.

I have really spend a lot of time on Neowin, did a lot of polls and forum posts. And it was a really happy time for me. And thanks to Neowin, my typing speed has improved drastically since I came to your site. :) Before this, I had trouble even finding the keys. I always used to forget there places. I can now type without even looking! :rofl:

I would really like to win this. I have not been here for that long a time, but I'm still young and would intend to be here for much longer.

And thanks to Neowin, I now know exactly what I want to do with my life. Hint: it's something to with tech.

And that's a pretty big deal for me. I fell in love with making UI and UX. I have filled several drawing pads after drawing pads. I know the exact moment that got me hooked to it. Thanks again Neowin in a really big way. I owe you one. (Y)

I guess some user at WinMatrix recommended me Neowin as a great site for tech news. It was back in 2005 when I had my first account here. Some years passed and I registered again (lost my account/e-mail, can't remember what happened).

Last year I felt I had to help you guys and subscribe, not necessarily to help, but to demonstrate my feelings for this great community.

Peace,

I was referred to Neowin during the v3.x days. I was just getting into to the whole pre-release windows thing. Found several sites for tech news Neowin, betanews, and a few others that don't exist anymore including JCXP. Neowin is the main site that I've stuck with all this time. Its always been a goto place for news and its only gotten better over the years. The design of the site just keeps getting better with every new version. Pegasus being the best yet.

early 2000 you had all these technology sites and forums flourishing, and i think i joined them all :) neowin stood out though, and still does, so i stuck around. this is one of the few sites i check every day for the latest stuff that's happening out there on the interwebs. neowin has this perfect blend of really informative stuff and totally random crap, all fun to read :)

I joined, I helped, I got frustrated, told Parker off, was banned. I came back, and I've been trying to help again.... I wouldn't mind a subscription package ... I remember the interesting discussions between Snyper, myself and others in the 'private' members metropolis! *LOL*

Over the 9 years that I have been involved in Neowin in some form there has been some awesome moments and some down moments. The down moments were being called Spammer because of the infamous 8m Thread and the 9m Thread and the 10m Thread but it was massive fun and met a few cool peeps there. The Ups have been joining the news team in 2009 and having a few months there and then leaving to pursue pastures new over at a movie website but then came the big news when I was announced as a MVC and felt quite privileged!

80,000 came around and I took a hiatus and well the amount of emails I got to return was crazy so I returned! and on the day I return I become a GMOD and the rest as they say is history!

I hope to stay another 11 years...but lets face it the world ends next year...right! ;)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
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    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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    • The name, you mean? If so, it's actually the objects common name. There's another one called NGC 7293 which is also known as Helix Nebula (because we're looking at a helix structure top down) but other times also known as the Eye of God. You'll understand when you see it
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