Panorama

Panorama - an extended pictorial representation or a cyclorama of a landscape or other scene, often exhibited a part at a time and made to pass continuously before the spectators.

So I just realized that my phone can take Panorama pictures...pretty cool I think. It shows you where the last picture left off so you know where to line up the next one, then it sort of blends them together.

anyway, these are some I took today. Cant wait to play with this feature more.


Drainage pond behind the building.


Behind the Coffee shop counter.

Campus Walk

School has been busy, assignments, projects, reading, papers, and class. however, I have been enjoying every aspect of it. I have been practicing to live in the moment. Not living in the moment with no regard to future, but to truely appreciate each moment and not wish for something boring to be over, or for the next thing to come, or the weekend.

Even during the mundane schedules we can enjoy, and suck everything possible out of that instance.

These are some photos i took with my phone while on a walk through campus with Annie.

THE LANDING

Annie and I got a jobs as... hmm not really sure what as, but at the Landing Java City coffee shop underneath my apartment.


Its a fun job making coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, and Javalanches (coffee smoothie). Its fun working with her as well. the pay is very minimum but its nice that its just one floor under my room. And I get free food and drinks.

Egyptian night

Well, this is a little late but I just found the pictures so I gotta post it.

the night before i left for North Carolina, my father took us out to eat at an Egyptian, Mediterranean, Pakistani Restaurant. The owner gave us the best seats in the house on a bench with cushions and we ate a large platter of food off the brass ottoman looking table. It was very authentic and very good food.

the owner then invited us back that night too see an Egyptian magician. My father did not go but Whitey and Adam came along with my sister and I. Again, the owner gave us the seat of royalty and we smoked Banana Sheesha.
The Egyptian Magician started off his act by spinning for about 15 minutes straight while twirling a very large skirt/umbrella type deal.
Next he brought out a bed of nails, layed down on it and asked Annie to come and stand on his chest...no blood was drawn. He then put another set of nails on his chest and asked someone to stand on that.
He then took out a sheet with broken glass. broke 4 more Heineken bottles and proceeded to walk on the glass. He then picked up Whitey and Adam (which is a task in itself) and walked on the glass. No blood was drawn nor did he flinch his face.

He did some other tricks then an Egyptian singer and keyboardist came out and sang song while we danced. A fun night.

InterGraptions

Strange Interactions between grapes and people are bound to happen at parties.

when a bowl of grapes is placed on the snack table, it catches the eye of almost everyone...who likes grapes. As people approach this bowl of juicy grapes, the following scene ensues leaving the guest confused and the grapes offended.

You want more than just a few grapes, so you spot a branch that has about the amount you want to take. what stands in your way is that that branch is attached to a larger branch containing 8 times the amount you want. you don't want this much either.... so you find a good place to break the branch and be on your merry way eating grapes.
WRONG: the grape branch is very strong and it takes some intense struggling, shaking, and twisting to get it loose. meanwhile half the grapes on the branch you're fighting for have fallen off and mixed with the small shriveled grapes at the bottom of the bowl.

you've got the branch free but have lost most the grapes and your dignity and after the 5 minute struggle you still have not gotten your fix grapes.

Advise to hosts serving grapes...accompany the grape bowl with scissors, knife, or other sharp objects to avoid these encounters.

From Dusk to Darkroom

This summer, my sister Annie and I had a goal to make a wet darkroom in the older side of our basement...It was sort of a distant thought until I came across a Beseler enlarger at a local goodwill. I didn't know much about film photographer so I got my Annie to look at it. She said that it was the same brand as the enlargers they use at her school.

So we got the Enlarger after testing it out for $15


Over the next couple weeks, we kept our eyes out ( what a funny expression...if thats even it "kept our eyes out") anyway, while digging through trash piles we got a couple trays. But the jackpot came when Adam stumbled across a large pile outside someones house that contained the makings of a very advanced darkroom. I think he said he spent around 3 hours digging in that trash pile.

Anyway, the list of things we added was extensive and all of it was FREE.


We then began clearing out a corner and light proofing the basement. It took some black trash bags and some old thick blankets we had around the house.


Our father helped us fashion a safe light out of some sheet metal and red plastic we found.
We borrowed a lens from our Grandmother, who has a darkroom.

Annie's photo teacher was ecstatic about our project and donated a timer and several bottles of new developing chemicals.

We made our first prints using Annie's negatives from the past school year. she taught me how the workings went and I did my first composite. Definitely a fun time...and more to come.

Total costs
Enlarger - $15
low wattage light bulb - $2.39
Everything else - FREE

The Voyage of Yumei

Dream Fulfilled, my mother has gotten a small boat.

A family friends father had a heart attack and they wanted to liquidate his things so he could possibly move into a retirement home...anyway, about the boat.

It is a 9-foot fiberglass dingy with a sail. As my mother told me, this is a good thing that it has oars because if there is no wind, you can put your arms to the work. As opposed to a Sunfish type of boat, if you're without wind, you're stuck.

she got the boat for $50. the original price was $100 but they couldnt find the sails so....
It need some repair work to some rotted wood at the stern and fiberglass holes in the bottom.
She worked hard to repair these problems then painted the inside of the boat.

We planned to bring it up to Deep Creek maryland just to float and row around in the lake, but Dr. Hymas suggested that we craft a make shift sail out of a tarp.
We cut one up, and sewed it using the same old sewing machine that my mom had used to mend the sails on Zephros when they were sailing in central america. I think it brought back some good memories of her youth.



We rode up to deep Creek Friday night and had the maiden voyage on saturday morning. The lake was a bit cold and the wind was scarce but it was perfect weather to learn on. She taught me the names for all the sheets (ropes) or a sail boat, names for maneuvers and even the jolly rodger song.

I also got to look at the photo album with all her pictures from the five years living on Zephros. It was inspiring and made me want to keep a little picture of the boat along with me anywhere so that if i was ever feeling boring square, I could look at my mom sailing through the ocean and be inspired to go on an adventure.

As tons of speed boats, water skiers and jet skis zoomed by us, we were enjoying the unique feeling of capturing the wind and using it to move. We also enjoyed the wake created by the boats as they created a rough sea taste.

At night, we enjoyed making fake owl calls by the camp fire and watching other campers flash their lights up into the trees looking for the owls.

great time with my mom, and awsome stories about her sailing days.
PS. Yumei means Dream in Japanese. We called it Dream because it was her dream to sail again and to have a boat that she could operate alone and drive in the Van.

Journey to the end of the world

Last weekend, Adam, Whitey and I decided to take a bike trip. Ride for a day, camp out, and then ride back. We looked at some maps and plotted our route North-West on the C&O Canal.

After a late night dancing at the Blackcat, we got to bed around 4 a.m. Tired and sore, we woke up, packed our bikes down, and stuffed food into our backpacks and took off to Ballston where we took the metro to Rosslyn. From there we rode across the Key Bridge into Georgetown and started up the C&O Canal trail.

The trail was nicely paved with pea gravel and for the most part there were no hills. It was a pleasant and scenic ride that was almost entirely under the shade of big trees.

Around Great Falls area we all started feeling a little fatigued so we stopped a bit and ate granolla bars and carrots. Feeling a little bit better but we biked on passing through the large crowds swarmed around the Great Falls.

we set our goal for 25 miles and once we hit it, we started looking for a secluded place off the trail where we could camp and not be seen by any bikers or worse...trail patrol.

We found a place a ways off the trail through thick thorn bushes and down a small cliff. After struggling to push our bikes through we came to a grassy little beach right on the River.

We had made it a rule that we could not look at our watches or anything that would tell us the time for the whole trip. So we figured we had about 3 - 4 more hours of daylight so we built a lean-to using the sticks from the large pile of drift wood nearby. we found fire wood and prepared a fire pit and laid the tarps out under our lean-to.



With about 3 hours of daylight let, we swam in the Potomac. It wasn't very deep at all so we waded out into the middle and floated/frolicked around on a log. we carried out.

Once night hit we lit the fire and ate our dinners. As we got ready to go to sleep, the mosquitoes flooded the camp site. We spent all night swatting them away and trying to keep from getting bit while also keeping our ears covered from their weedwacker like hum.

I think its accurate to say that non of us slept more than about 30 minutes. Exhausted and defeated we got up as the sun was rising and jumped into the river to wake up. We ate a little breakfast, loaded down our bikes then rode at an incredible rate for home.
We returned at about 10:30 a.m.... meaning that either we left extremely early or rode very fast.

Total riding distance - 57.05 miles
Number of hours slept - .5
Number of mosquito bites: 300

last week we finished our Summer Time commercial to help out kids who are faced with a long empty summer and parents at work.

We shot and edited this in about a week so it could play at two local highschools before school ended. It has been playing on Channel 69 in Arlington.

We just returned home from a four day movie shoot in Durham NC. The film is a short film called Perryville Crime.

Anyway, check out the video...and learn from it.

New York Exchange

Friday, Adam and I woke up at 5, drove to Georgetown where we met up with the crew from MRB films. They were filming something I later found out was called the "nose PSA".

We picked up the Van they rented for us and loaded up the film. 6,000 ft. 35mm . Before we left, we got a few comments from some of team members regarding the severity of the goods we were carrying. words like "important", "a lot of time and money went into this" and "loose them, you die" were mentioned to us as they went home after the all night shoot.

the mission:

Drop of the film at Post works in Manhattan.
Drive to Brooklyn and pick up 6 bird costumes.
Drop off the van in Alexandria.

Adam and I used the time in the van to write a script for our next short film called PERRYVILLE CRIME, that is going to be shot later this week in North Carolina.

We got into the city around 11:30
dropped off the films and called the costume place. They weren't going too be ready until 4 so we thought we'd park and walk around. well, finding parking for a cargo van in Manhattan is ridiculous. we drove into at least 4 underground parking garages and had back out because the ceiling was almost scrapping the roof.

We found one and parked for 2 hours... 30 dollars...not our money though. MRB paid for the van, gas, tolls, parking, and lunch...and $100 each for driving.

We found a wheel chair in the trash and took turns pushing eachother around in it - each time acting out a different ailment.

We ate at Famous Ray's pizza. our pizza looked like it had all the past days left over on it. but pretty good.

we then went into Central Park and did some Jumpstyle... if you don't know what that is, look it up... it will change your life.


anyway, this is getting long.
we drove through insane city rush hour traffic and got lost. picked up the costumes then got lost in brooklyn some more. we got home around 12:30.


Im glad we didn't get stopped by any police...just because they are police and because if they had looked in the back of the Van, they would have thought we were transporting 7 dead bodies in bags.

good trip.

if you havent watched all of the Morris & Deutsch videos online, do it up.

DIY Clapboard for Movies

So when digatizing some footage, I came to the realization that even though the clapboard is no longer a nessecary item in digital film making, it is one that will save time in the footage capturing process as you scan through footage. Seeing a white clapboard will lets you know when the scene is starting and what take it is.

So you could just use a white dry erase board, or go out and buy a $60.00 dry erase clapboard...but that wouldnt be so fun.

things you'll need:

- dry erase board

-two boards 2x1

-one 1in. hinge

-Saw

-Tape

-Spray paint

Here is what I made... everything was free for me but if you dont have such luck, it shouldnt take more than $20.

I started out out with white dry erase board. (the kind that sticks on a college dorm room door, so kids can draw obscene pictures on it)

Then I found two 2 by 1 inch boards to use as the actual clapping mechanism.

Found a little hinge to fit the board. (1 inch)

Cut a slit into one of the board so that the dry-erase board can slide into it. (a sharp saw is good)

Cut the other board into half. so its about 1x1.5 in. then attach with the hinge.

Take the clapper part off the dry erase board, mask off some diagonal lines and paint them.

Then If you want to add a stencil of your production company like I did, do it up!

Maybe spray it with some Clear coat to prevent scratches (but not the part of the board where you write)

Take some black electrical tape and mark some squares to write the Scene information.

Attach it all together and use it up!

good luck

Maybe attach a Dry erase marker on the back.

nice.... a blog

Morris & Deutsch Productions have just uploaded many of thier video shorts to Google Video.

check them out. It contains some that arent on the DVD!

just search for Morris & Deutsch or click here http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=morris+%26+Deutsch&so=0&hl=en&start=0


enjoy!

News Article # 10

iTech limits computer usage
By LaShana Sorrell
April 27, 2006

http://www.studentprintz.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/04/27/445030397dd58

the University of Southern Mississippi has put a bann on the personal profile websites, facebook and myspace. What prompted the decision was a cartoon drawn in the student news paper depicting a common scene in their computer labs. Students stood in line for computer time because all the computers were taken by students visiting the websites facebook and myspace.

This is an excellent step in breaking the addicting usage of these ridiculous websites that consume some students lives and ruin others reputaions. even though many schools have rules that give students with study needs the first rights to computer usage, students still get caught up in these websites and the studying students get put aside.

I can see many school computer labs doing the same thing as these computer labs. It is kind of a shame to see how many people in our UNCW library are on facebook or myspace when they are supposed to be working on studies.

News Article # 9

Library book downloads picking upBy Tonya MaxwellTribune staff reporterPublished April 25, 2006, 10:07 PM CDT

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060425library,1,1074962.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

This article is about a new library resource that are available to the public now from a website called www.chipublib.org. From this website, users with a card and the freely downloadable software can download audio books from a selection of 1,300 downloadable titles. Once the user downloads the audio book, they can put it on their MP3 players, or listen to them on their computer. After 21 days, the encrypted audio book file locks up and the user can no longer listen to it unless they redownload it. They dont need to return things, pay late fees or renew the titles. This has already cought on with many users, and they are demanding more and more titles to be available.

I think this is a great idea. its kind of like the library and its not violating copywrite laws because the file locks up after 3 weeks. however i do think that hackers will be able to override these blockers so that they can perminatly keep the files. that is however if they are pretty desperate.
One realy neat thing about this new resource is that there are no late fees or overdue media. you dont need to wory about remembering to turn in things and on the other side, librarians dont need to track down the audio books, send out reminders, and charge the users.

I cant wait to get onto the website and try this new service out. i often like to listen to books on tape when i make long drives so by using this new service, i can just download them, put them on my ipod and not worry about anything after that.

News Article #8

Science News
NASA satellite launch is scrubbedApr 26, 2006, 0:23 GMT

Article: http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1158455.php/NASA_satellite_launch_is_scrubbed



Regarding my last blog post on the new satellites programed to give us cloud information, the satellite launnch has been posponed due to bad weather at the launch site in Vanderberg Airforce base in California. At the waether report for 6 a.m. they found higher than normal levels of upper winds.

NASA, not wanting to risk anything, postponed the launch untill wednesday at 6 am. However many meteorologists say that judging on the information they are receaiving now, it may be too soon becausthe upper level winds still may be too much to launch.

I think that the date that was reset may betoo soon aswell. the new technology would bring us so much good information and i think they should definatly wait until a good day launch.

News Article # 7

Exploring Cloud Secrets
New York Times
Posted online: Sunday, April 23, 2006

http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/2984.html

This article explains the new satallite techniques that are now being put in to practice to monitor cloud movement and other climate condiutions. NASA sent up 2 atellites designed for this science are being launched friday.

One of the new technolgies used is called CloudSat. It is a radar 1000 times more sensitive than the radars used to profile clouds now. the satellites are predicted to orbit for 22 months and give scientists two seasons of data to work with. Having this data will help meteorologists track weather patterns and predict global climate movements.

I think this new technology is pretty cool. i think its cool that they can gain so much information from clouds and just a series of pictures of clouds at that. I can see sometime in the near future where google will get a hold of these satellite photographs and make a google-climate, where you can navagate around the world looking at photographs of earth clouds. It is also cool to think that by having these photographs, meteorologists can relay information to america. this will make the weather reports much more accurate and many people will be happy.

News Article # 6

Vice-premier stresses application of information technology
www.chinaview.cn 2006-04-21 21:14:27
Editor: Liu Dan

Article:http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/21/content_4458608.htm

This article is about the Chineese Premier's desicion to not only focus on economical and social development but also put high emphasis on the development of information technology. Being the leader of a group in Information technologies, the premier Zeng, strongly supported experts who were making great stides in research on strateges to apply IT technology.

I think that the Premier is making a good choice for his country. If China is to be the next world power, they need to get themselves technologically advanced and also build up their information infulstructure. America has developed very good IT technology which has helped the sompanies to thrive in the world economy.

Because much of China is still poverty stricken and undeveloped in terms of technology. It may take a while for China to become the superpower but because of the mass amount of people and the estimated growth, they have the potential to become the world super power. the Information infilstructure is also an important key factor which is benificial for the prenier to address in order to fullfill China's potential. . .

News Article #5

::WIRELESS
Mobile web surfing on the rise: report Wednesday, April 19 2006 by Ciaran Buckley

http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9680810.html


This article is about the mass number of people who have adopted a relatively new way to acces information on the internet. They are using their moble phones whereever they are to visit weebsite. The article stated that Japan is leading the world with 4 out of every 10 cell phone users accessing the web with their phones. However in the US it is not that impressive. Many americans prefer notebook computers for accessing the web becasue of its extended battery life, easy usability, and that more web sites are formatted for computers.

However phone companies predict more popularity with webaccess through phones if they can manage to reduce costly phone bills from internet access.

I beleive that if phone companies are able to make it cheep and easy, many more americans will end up using the web from their mobile phones, and stop taking their laptops everywhere with them. however i do see all the advantages that laptops have over phones. i also think that if more websites could be formatted for mobile phones then this will also atract more customers who prefer laptops.

News Article # 4

Are you watching what your kids post?
By Tim Donovan -->
Published: April 18, 2006, 10:00 AM PDT

Article: http://news.com.com/Are+you+watching+what+your+kids+post/2010-7348_3-6062106.html


This article is by Tim Donovan who is the president of a company who developes computer programs for children. In the Article Donovan states that many naive kids create trouble for themselves in the future by posting irrational things on the internet and making them available for the public.

he mentions myspace and other blog sites where kids may write about people they dont like, teachers they hate, or violent plans they plan to fulfill or just fantasize about. Never the less, the kid grows up, applys for a job, the employer googles the persons name and finds a blog from 1994 containing mass amounts of anti-semetic or racial bashing comments. Although this may not be how the person feels now, the employer will think twice about the person because of those things they wrote in 8th grade of middle school.

I think this is very true. I know i have probobly written things on websites or in e-mails that is not very good and could be used against me in the future. I do agree with the author when he says that we need to create a place where kids can say things like that and not be held accountable ten years down the road.

But on the other hand, i think that kids should learn that their actions have re-actions whether they be good or bad. perhaps they could implement some policy like the criminal policy. empoyers would not be able to use things written or posted from when the kid was under the and of 18 and still a minor.

I know i am going to be careful about what i write from now on... and maybe even go back and delete some e-mails.

News article post # 3

Google Calendar Beta: A Hot Date The beta release of Google Calendar offers a lot of interesting features, but may have been premature. By Barbara Krasnoff InformationWeek Apr 17, 2006 04:46 PM

Article:http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=185303316

Wow, as soon this new google calendar is open for public use, there are articles picking it apart.

This article states that google calendar has too many gliches in it and said something like "maybe they jumped on it too soon". besides the short paragraph about the trouble the author had with google calendar on his own computer, the article praises google calendar and reveals many new oporations that i didnt know by using it just a few minutes ago.

the calendar is a very easy to use set up with many different option to occomodate different preferences and needs. this could be used by anyone. i plan to update mine as i do my dayplanner.

one of the neat things that the author of the article mentioned is that google can send you reminders about events you scheduled by means of email or a pop-up. this is also why the author was having so much trouble with his calendar. you must disable the pop-up blocker in order to receive reminders this way... it makes perfect sense. the author makes it seem as though the product is useless if you must disable the pop-up blocker. i think that it is totally fine. I you want a pop-up then disable your pop-up blocker dumbass.

i have enjoyed using the new google calendar and hope to enjoy all the cool features like sharing calendars, changing the layout and colors, adding and editing multiple events, and creating and managing more than one calendar all for free.