Photographer creates 360-degree time-lapse movies – “San Francisco artist and programmer Ken Murphy has combined a point-and-shoot camera, a Canon firmware hack, and a motorized telescope mount to create lively, panoramic time-lapse movies.” Very cool.
TSA Screener Accused Of Stealing $50K In Electronics From Travelers – This is what happens when you give absolute power to an organization. Let them go through our luggage without supervision and we’re the ones who lose. TSA AIRPORT SCREENING IS OUT OF CONTROL! When will we make it stop?
Not what I expected, but you never know what to expect.
I set up my time-lapse camera — an old Canon G5 with a PClix attached — very early yesterday morning. We were supposed to get weather in Wickenburg and that meant clouds. (We don’t get clouds very often, so it’s notable.) I figured I’d get a dawn to sunset time-lapse of the weather moving through.
Unfortunately, it was cloudier than even I expected — not a glimpse of blue sky all day long. The video is a bit disappointing, although you can see the cloud movement and complete loss of visibility. The knobby mountain on the horizon is Vulture Peak, which is about 3 or 4 miles away as the crow flies. It doesn’t stay in the picture for long.
The formula for this video was one shot every 15 seconds, compiled at 30 fps. That takes a 12-hour period and reduces it to about a minute and a half.
One of the problems with shooting time-lapse movies of the sky is that you never know what to expect or where the best views will be. It’s all a crap shoot. That’s okay because the setup is digital and doesn’t cost a thing to operate. It’s just a matter of setting it up and running through the 2000+ photos it generates when it’s done.
I’ve got the camera set up again today and will have more action to show. There’s blue sky and a few clouds that are speeding through the sky, pushed by a strong wind. Perhaps you’ll see that here tomorrow.
For the past five weeks, I’ve been living in my RV on the side of a hill overlooking the Squilchuck Valley south of Wenatchee, WA. Every morning, I’ve watched the sun’s golden light spread out over the valley, illuminating the hillsides, mountaintops, orchards, and grassy knolls around me.
The view out the door of my RV for the past 5 weeks.
I’m leaving next week and although I think I’ll be back next year, I might not. I wanted to capture the experience to remember it.
So at 4 AM, I was outside, setting up my time-lapse camera. One shot per minute, compiled at 6 frames per second yields this 28-second video. Enjoy.
Here are two time-lapse movies I’ve done this month.
The Backhoe time-lapse shows my neighbor putting in his new driveway. Frankly, I liked the driveway he already had. Why tear up all that nice land?
The House Framing time-lapse was done today. My other neighbor has been framing his house for about a week. I’m kicking myself for not starting these sooner. I hope to make new time-lapses for this project for the rest of the week, so stay tuned.
My helicopter’s annual inspection was started yesterday. My old Robinson mechanic from Prescott came down with a knowledgeable assistant to do the job in my Wickenburg hangar.
Just for fun, I set up my old Canon G5 camera on a tripod with my Pclix timer and created a time-lapse movie of the job. The shots were taken 30 seconds apart and then compiled into a movie at 6 frames per second. Here’s the resulting movie:
Kind of fun, huh?
For those who aren’t familiar with the inspection requirements for aircraft in the U.S., here’s a quick summary:
Every year, the aircraft is required to have an annual inspection. This inspection requires an A&P mechanic to remove various panels and inspect parts normally hidden from view. It also includes an oil change, various filter changes, and a bunch of other stuff. It’s a calendar-based inspection.
Commercially operated aircraft are also required to have 100-hour inspections. These are virtually the same as annual inspections — in fact, its common for aircraft owners to substitute an annual inspection for a 100-hour inspection if it doesn’t appear that they will fly another 100 hours before the annual inspection is due. My helicopters have always been operated commercially, so I’ve always gotten these inspections.
Other time-based inspections or maintenance. These are things like oil changes (every 25 or 50 hours), magneto inspections/rebuilds (every 300 hours), gearbox oil changes, belt changes, avionics tests, etc.
The cost of an inspection or maintenance item varies depending on the age and condition of the aircraft, the type of inspection, and the mechanic’s knowledge and ability to get the job done quickly but thoroughly. The cost of an inspection can also rise considerably if the mechanic actually finds something that needs attention.
If you read about my trip to the Parker 425 this year, you may recall a certain incident involving an unbuckled seatbelt. I thought the problem was simply cosmetic — a job for a paint shop. But my mechanic believes it might be beyond just cosmetic. He thinks a few of the tiny dents may have compromised the integrity of the fuel tank behind those dents.
Keep in mind that I’ve flown the helicopter at least 6 hours since the event. No fuel leaks, no indication of a problem. The fuel tanks are nearly full right now — and have been full three times since then. No leaks.
But that doesn’t mean the dinged tank might not develop a crack or a leak. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
A new one from the factory will cost $3,700. Plus paint. Plus installation.
If you read about