Two of my favorite teams here at Microsoft have teamed up to deliver an exciting new way to explore panoramic photos: Microsoft Research Image Composite Editor and Photosynth. You can now create stitched panoramas in Image Composite Editor (ICE) which can be uploaded to Photosynth to get ‘buttery smooth gigapixel panoramas’ (using Silverlight, my new team -- bonus).

The best part is it’s wickedly simple…

1. Drag and drop your photos into Image Compositor Editor.
2. Click the Publish to Photosynth button.

Click on the image below or here to be taken to a gallery of panoramas created with this new feature.

Here is my result on the Photosynth site: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=767dcbda-58fc-4577-9f1c-40a33fe997a0

For the photography buffs here are the details: Image taken near the Rim Village Visitors Center and historic Crater Lake Lodge this image is a composite panorama of 53 images. | Equipment Used: Canon 5D Mark II Camera | Canon EF 24-105mm Lens | Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod | Manfrotto 804RC2 Pan Tilt Head | Canon TC-80N3 Remote Shutter Release. Image Details: ISO = 100 | Aperture = f/18 | Exposure = 1/125 | Focal Length = 24mm.

My brother is getting married this coming June and the bonus is I get to be the best man and one of my daughters gets to be the flower girl -- way cool.

So, I decide to use some of my frequent flyer miles to get some free tickets.  I call the toll free 800 number and get 'Allan' who is a computer. 'Allan' (who should really be named HAL) informs me I have enough frequent flyer miles to receive two peak or non-peak round trip tickets.  We then have a back and forth conversation (honestly, give me a real person -- please!).  After 10 minutes of this, he informs me there are no flights matching my criteria.

So I decide to forego the phone interface (never once was I offered the chance to talk to a real person) and attempt to book via the web.  I go to the USAirways website, sign in and begin selecting the departure dates.  This is what I get after attempting to select dates in May and June as the departure.

All flights are 'Sold Out'...?  Granted, the summers are busy travel times for folks with vacations and all -- but according to 'Allan' my frequent flyer miles are valid for both PEAK and non-peak travel.

Hmmm....

So I visit http://www.travelocity.com and 1 minute later find I can actually purchase the EXACT same flights on USAirways for $349 each right now.  And LOOK -- I can fly on a competing airline for $187.  Ideally, I would like to fly all four family members on the same flights, so I do the math...

   2 Paid Tickets on USAir + 2 Free Dividend Miles Tickets = $698
   4 Paid Tickets on Competitor = $748

I've gone out of my way many times to book my travel in such as way that I could log miles at USAirways, hoping it would pay off at some point with the ability to be rewarded for my loyalty to the company and brand.

It doesn't appear they feel loyal to me as a customer.

So, I'm booking the tickets with their competitor tomorrow, if not tonight.  $50 more gets me everyone on the same flights WITHOUT the hassle.

On the bright side, I think I can use those frequent flyer miles to get a (literal) ton of magazine subscriptions.

Anybody know the true story on the Capital One Miles credit card...?  The commercials make it sound great, but if it's more of the same I don't want to invest the time and energy.