Look, for example, at the new Georgetown University registration page. There are in general two main ways to use a schedule of classes: (1) search for a particular class (by name, subject, teacher, credits, class time, etc), or (2) browse though the list of classes to find the one(s) you’re looking for. Obviously the designers of the new system favored the former and decided give people who prefer the latter, myself included, the short end of the bargain. In the previous system, I liked being able to click on a department (JAPN, for example) from the list of departments on the schedule front page and view a list of all the classes in that department. Now, in order to get the same list you have to choose a department name from a select box (that only displays three course names at a time), then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the screen and click on “class search.” When the list comes up there’s no way to bookmark the results page (variables not contained in the URL).

On the other hand, I definitely approve of the ability to filter classes by instructor or class time — so the new build isn’t all negative. I just wish they’d left the ability to browse through classes as well.

Lately I’ve become quite a fan of Sony electronics, but when it comes to digital cameras I’m a loyal Canon-user through and through. Serious digital photographers probably roll their eyes when I pull out my trusty second-hand Powershot S60 and take aim, but honestly, the thing takes better macro photography than almost any other point-and-shoot camera I’ve seen out there (scout around Flickr and browse by camera if you want to see for yourself).

So why make the jump for the Rebel XS? One of the main reasons I’ve shied away from DSLR’s until now is the size and the weight — after semi-retiring the S60 last year, I picked up a Powershot TX1 to use as my main digital workhorse. Though it’s received mixed reviews, it has great optical zoom and video capabilities — two worthwhile features that go well hand-in-hand — and I particularly like the flip-out LCD display and the vertical design.

For a camera-camcorder hybrid, it’s a scant 3.5″ x 2.4″ x 1.1″ — just 9.2 cubic-inches (like a chunky cousin to the Canon PowerShot SD750). And although the position of the controls (especially the shutter button) was a little confusing at first, I’ve become so used to the design that it almost feels strange to go back to the S60′s more “standard” setup. Unfortunately, I’ve been frustrated with its performance in low-light and action shooting situations — essentially because it lacks certain manual controls that would allow me to minimize the blur in these two scenarios.

And after that long detour, onto the Rebel XS — one of the most appealing specs for this camera is its 17.7 oz weight, which makes it the lightest ever Canon DSLR. It retains most of the appealing aspects of the Rebel XSi (and after all this I might just get the XSi anyway), and perhaps most importantly in my mind, it is backed by Canon’s reputation and technology.