1. Posted above as my blog banner for the day is the unwrapped version and clip from the Kodak 360 4k cam. You can see the splice in the middle where anything close is gone. This is due to the overlap of cameras. I can bring it back but everything in the distance will have two distinct pieces then. I would rather lose the burner frame.
Its the way the cameras are set up and I want to be able to use the video take for panos later so I have them set in this orientation.
The software to unwrap and rewrap in VR mode is basic and since this is me playing at the moment its as good as its gonna get for now.
I made a clip of the launch you are seeing above and the spin and it came out nicely with a little error due to the unstable place it has on the basket. When you move in a basket the basket moves too. Jiggle jiggle... so.... It was fun.. It worked.. It will be better. I did upwrap the video as panos too but have not had the time to do anything with it.
I did just now grab a little clip from the flight right when we took off that is all up view and shows how fast the Lindstrand Racer can rotate.. its pretty wild to watch the sun throw the shadows of the lines across the scoop as we spin. I didn't even have the vent open that wide.
Ill post it when it starts working .. it keeps failing.
Yay! Working now...
http://invisibleblack.zenfolio.com/p316393783/h964ABAD2#h964abad2
I will give a more in depth post on the camera later after I have played with it more. Trying to upload to YouTube isn't working but it is to Facebook. Who knows why. So far. Nifty.
2. Pitas Kisses crown.. The crown being the most top part of the balloon which is really a separate circle of fabric held in place by "positioning lines" ( remember that ) and have a point where those thin lines attach to a pulley and a rope goes through that pulley and down to the basket on one end and attached lower in the throat of the envelope on the other side. This when pulled draws the crown away from the edges of the top of the envelope and the big hole up there to vent hot air out causing the balloon to go down... Longer the pull faster the descent or drop. There are limitations to how long you should open the crown depending on what kind of balloon. Doing it too long is very very bad.
So... Pitas kiss has had a problem with staying up in the air since she had some repairs done. It seemed to Bob that he had to burn an awful lot to stay level or climb. Bob thinking he might be too old for flying was worried. HAH. So we went out this Saturday and stood her up to check out what might be happening.
We found out.
The crown should bubble up into the load tapes ( Load tapes are an inch thick ribbon of strapping that really hold the balloon together and the fabric in place. They go up to a ring and are sewn to it at the top. The crown should be puffy against this web. The crown should also be stuck tight against the edge of the hole around the top.
This was not happening at all. The "positioning lines" are too tight and are holding the crown off the top slightly which is causing the crown to not seat which is leaving large gaps all around the edge exhausting hot air all the time causing it to be unstable in the air and wanting to drop all the time. This is a bad thing. There is another problem but its associated with this problem. So .. Bob will be going into the repair station Monday to get it all corrected.
From that we go to number 3.
I got a new phone... mini computer, videography system and all around interesting bit of kit per say.
The Samsung Note 8. It just hit the streets but I have been watching it for a while since I have / had the note 4. I was going to go with a note 7 when it came out but I don't need an explosive thing in my pocket while flying.. no thank you.... That problem being with the battery and the manufacturer of the battery not getting them within the tolerance that Samsung required which meant it would rub and explode.
Back to the Note 8. No problems with booms. That's good.My note 4 was going down the drain. Battery life was bad. New battery's were not helping... and the note 8 came out and it was a package of things that were very very cool.
The dual camera was my first like. Takes two pics at once... plus you can bokeh any shot forward or backwards, you can slow video or speed video... There are so many options in it....
The ability to send very large files to people or myself is the second like.... way.. up to 2gig. Used it three times today. Two video clips that would never have been sent went.
The colors and screen are next... Colors.. wow... Quality and crispness and displaying pictures of video or taking either is a dream.
I used it instead of my Nikon to capture the crown in Bobs balloon rippling and showing the holes and the line problem. I also played with the speed option while he was doing a burner test... Link below. I used it to speed up Matthew down at AERCO working on a dry bag for my son... no link.
I worry about dropping it. My note 4 had an otterbox over it and you could near throw it on the ground and not worry. This otter box does not have a screen cover so you only have the belt clip cover to protect it and it does not cover the whole screen! Thank you Insurance.
Link to the slo mo of bobs burner check.... Slight processing error in the middle due to my computer not the phone.
http://invisibleblack.zenfolio.com/p316393783/h964934AF#h964934af
So easy to capture and then you can go in and re position when you want the slo mo to start and end... or if you want more than one section... sooooo much things!
Here are some shots of what I have done to mine so far....
Screen with side bar activated for quick shortcuts. I have one for family that shows a row of quick call links.
Dual cameras, finger print sensor and health picups. A bit of dust on the otterbox as I need to dust ..and dust is a thing we live with in New Mexico. Better than humidity.
Main screen with my background... Lots of screens to create if you want. I can change the icons and place them any where I want.... and I do.
When the phone is shut off the screen still displays the time and date and any notifications with little icons. You can also add a personal photo to it if you like.. so I did. Now that my head is getting into InstaGram mode and square shooting I can feel myself liking it and its expansiveness in its control.
Music player in the sidebar. Gotta like that.
Camera with cross hatches for lining things up. short cut above to screen. Huuge screen.
Main screen with time shown.
Camera with more options displayed with a swipe of the finger.
Its not really a phone. Its a processing system with the ability to make phone calls. Ill use it more for its videography ability than as a phone. I've stopped wanting to talk to people unless its specific information. Texting is less time consuming. Yeah.. the world is a changing... you can even see it happen now.
I do know a few ( very ) who only have flip phones and don't text or use that device for anything else but calls... I don't know anyone who has stopped using a cell outright. No .. its not like I'll die if I don't have it with me.. but its convenience in a small package is worth the need to carry it.
I only answer calls when I want to. Texts when its necessary. But the other bits.. all the time. Flashlight, camera to record bar tags or equipment at work or capture a picture of writing I cant see because its behind something else or too small for normal reading... for work it helps me... for the Photographer/Videographer its my backup for my DSLR. Not a replacement... as I love my 24 megapixel Nikon. But in a pinch you can capture some great things.
Other than all that I have been working with my home video cameras... they seem to fail out on and off. I have replacements but its getting frustrating. Going to run new line to make it less frustrating.. which is frustrating...
New week and closer to Fiesta... Getting some things done but today because a measure of lethargy... nothing was moving.... nothing was happening... and I know for a fact tomorrow I will be mad at myself for not getting anything done..... Intervention!!
Okay .. I dusted the computer room... satisfied?!
Probably not.
