So I had this crazy idea a while ago that when I made my journey to the left side of the country that I wanted to make a time-lapse video of my trip. The first thing was to find a camera. Now, mind you, I already have three digital cameras, and the two point and shoots don’t have an intervalometer, and the digital SLR is too damn big to have resting on my dash for 4.5 days. I found the Nikon P7000 some time ago, and played with it at Photoshop World, and liked it. The only downside was the limited time selections. The P7000 will only shot 1 frame every 30 s, 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 30 min, 60 min., which wasn’t quite what I was looking for. So I switched gears, and continued to look around, but I ended up not liking any of the options because I didn’t want to buy another digital camera that was really only good for one thing, and the Canon G12 was way too much camera for what I needed it for.

Ultimately, I decided to just upgrade my iPod to the iPod Touch with video, and go from there. The limiting factor here is pretty big though; the camera needed to shoot images, not video, and the iPod shoots stills only of high enough quality to be HD video ( 960 x 720 ). Which is tiny in comparison to an actual digital camera.

With a couple of test runs in hand using the TimeLapse app on my iPhone, I was off and running with a plan, and a device ready for execution, and here’s the outcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEX9ZB2VT38

The only thing I’m not really happy with is the sporadic exposure control of the iPod’s camera. It doesn’t do well at all with bright lights and unevenly lit skies. Some parts of the video are really dark in comparison to how the lighting actually was, the device and hardware functioned flawlessly though. The only problem I had was when I parked in the sun. The iPod overheated and stopped recording while I was at Mount Rushmore. I don’t think I would truly call the quality HD like Apple states on their site, but I guess if size is the only qualification, it is.

Overall I think the video turned out really well, and the iPod was a good choice for this application. The only other thing I will add is that the song I originally chose for the video is Cities, by the Talking Heads and YouTube nixed the audio, so I had to use Audio Swap to replace it with something else. The Talking Heads is a much better fit.

This thing has got to be the weirdest looking Squid I have ever seen. Watching it float there I can't help but think in the next couple of seconds I would see some laser equipped sub come shooting onto the scene with Will Smith screaming somethin' about "Oh no you didn't just shoot that green sh!t at me!" Luckily this isn't the tentacled, mind controlling aliens from Independence Day. These things are Magnapinna, or "big fin" squid.

According to the article at National Geographic, there are only four known types of Magnapinna; pacifica, atlantica, talismani, and another unnamed species. They are all very similar, so it is impossible to distinguish which species this one is from the video. Spotted at the Shell Perdido rig in the Gulf of Mexico, it has been added to the list of deep water rigs which have either spotted exotic or new species, or are helping scientists examine and research the creatures that live at these depths. Since the oil companies already employ deep water ROVs, it seems a natural fit for some to partner with them for the sole purpose of utilizing their equipment or sharing camera time. The Serpent Project is just one group that utilizes this partnership.

It seems like a good idea to me since the oil companies have to spend the cash already, and if they're willing to share their equipment for research, why not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ZJXFzSjdA

This is another reason why I think the iPhone is a better mobile device than any other available by the collective knuckleheadery of the industry, it does a ton of cool; albeit useless, things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiZzzOD4rzY

iHologram works by assuming a constant viewing angle (35-45 degrees), typical for when the device is placed on a tabletop. The 3d scene's perspective is then warped using anamorphic perspective, making the animation appear in a 3D space. As David points out on his blog, this is the same technique used by 15th Century painter Hans Holbein in his painting The Ambassadors.

The animated character is from David O'Reilly, and his animated series Please Say Something, a cartoon which only leaves me with a resounding… meh. But back the iPhone. I would really like to get one, if only because of all the goofy and fun things you can do with it. With a built in accelerometer, the ability to detect ambient light changes and proximity, there are a lot of things you can do with it. All of these features are, by the way, also available in the new iPod Touch. The only two bad things I can say about the iPhone is that I cannot change the battery, and it doesn't support Flash. What Jobs decided to go on Jihad for Flash I do not know, but it seems like an idiot move to me. Take one of the most ubiquitous devices and have it ignore the most ubiquitous media player on the planet… sure that's a win-win.

There's a better version of the clip on Vimeo, if you want to view it there.

This next clip from EA Games and Tiger Woods is pure genius!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ1st1Vw2kY

That clips illustrates exactly how companies should market to communities at the social network level – especially if they want get the results of their efforts to go viral. It's so easy to get it wrong, come off looking like you're trolling (because, well…. you are), and have an adverse effect rather than the one you were so desperately hoping for.

This illustrates that EA, Tiger and whoever the Ad Agency is; really gets it. They know what it means to deliver relative content to a community that moves at blazing speeds with a fish-bowl memory. The best part about this response is that this clip is taking full advantage of an existing community in a matured trend, and not jumping onto the latest whatever with their Johnny-come-lately content. In fact this clip was added 2 years after the original upload of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Jesus Shot. Yet, after 2 days it has more than 451,000 views, 90 video responses, and more than 1,000 comments.

Note: Here is a link to Tiger putting a Rubik's Cube……

I think maybe I had too many neurons firing over the day 1 activities because I woke up with a headache yesterday, and it really put a damper on things until about lunchtime. That's not to say I didn't have some good sessions though.

Day Two
Session 1 was led by Seb Lee-Delisle from Plug-in Media in Brighton, and it was top-notch for being early in the morning for everyone. The talk was on Flash pyrotechnics or particle effects and it was cool. Again I left there wondering how I could do something with my new found knowledge and source code. I still have no real idea about how I could use this stuff except in games and to start working on some AS3 experiments of my own, but this is one of those things that I love to get in on. Maybe I will get to build some more games this year….

The next session only added to my headache. The one I wanted to go to was canceled, so I chose a runner-up because it sounded interesting and turned out to be… well… ignorant. I'm not going to go off and slag it, because I am sure the gal who was on stage is a decent developer, but I didn't drive 3 hours and pay the admission to listen to someone piss and moan about their job. Boo hoo…. It might have gotten better, because I heard some dude just ranting about how he loved it, but within the time I was in there – about 10 +/- people left; and I wasn't in the mood to sit through the full hour on the off chance it became more interesting.

The rest of the day was an interesting mix of work from various places around the US mostly – and there was some wonderful work showcased. Day 2 left me wanting a bit though. The previous day was so mentally charging for me that I was hoping for day 2 to be the same way; but I am sure my headache got in the way a bit. It was great to see new works from GMUNK, Joshua Davis though – they are very talented, and it's always good to see what other folks are up to.

The last session I went to for the day was by Buck. This was an excellent sesion too – these guys build some really cool videos. I don't really do a lot of video, nor do I do any 3D (or get the opportunity too) – but as I said above, it's always good to check what other folks are up to. I can get ideas, and quite often do, from other styles or genre of work other than just Flash and Web Design.

After the day was over, I walked around Toronto a bit since I wanted to go up the CN Tower. Holy smokes this thing is big! I was up all the way to the top, and it is pretty freaking cool. I will post some more pics on flickr either tonight or when I get home.

I have yet to totally plan what is in store for me today, so maybe I should shut up and get to it. 

I received in the mail my package from TransplantExperience.com today. I found out about this a little while after my transplant, and finally sent in for the information and to sign up for the quarterly newsletter. The package contains a DVD, a diary with questions, note pages and information for patients prior and after transplant – in fact I wish I had found out about this before my transplant as there is a good amount of information here that would have been helpful before hand – especially when explaining all this to family members. There is also a booklet explaining Prograf and what the medicine is, why you want to take it 12 hours apart, and other information including controlling cholesterol and high blood pressure. All of the information they sent looks to be on their website as well.

This is a great site for anyone, and I don’t think it is limited to certain hospitals, I was transplanted at UPMC in Pittsburgh, and the DVD I received reflects that; although there are several organizations listed on their site – so I assume they are all associated with this program.

I just received it today, so I haven’t had a chance to watch the DVD yet – so I can’t vouch for what’s on it, but by the looks of their site – I am sure it will be well presented material. The site and package is also funded by Astellas Pharma, the company behind Prograf. I like the fact that Pharmaceutical companies are starting to do this sort of thing, I know it’s a dual purpose venture, but it’s not like I have a choice on which immunosuppressive drug I take. They have enough money fund well designed, and organized projects like this so they should be the ones who do it – besides, they know about the drugs they make, so it makes sense to me on several levels.

As a side note, don’t lick the sticky strip on the survey card they send you – it’s completely nasty!