I stumbled across this clever animated short film called FULL PRINTED about how 3D printing is useful as well as a potential future of this technology.
FULL PRINTED from nueve ojos on Vimeo.
All posts in Video
I don’t often watch the fireworks from the beach, but thanks to some free tickets, I was able to view them from the bleachers at English Bay. We showed up just before the show started thanks to assigned seating and got out of there as soon as it was over easily.
Since I had a guaranteed seat on a stable grandstand, I decided to bring my camera and tripod and shoot some photos. I’ve never been happy with my photos of the fireworks but it’s usually because I can’t be bothered to try different settings once it’s all setup…not to mention the ‘randomness’ of the fireworks display and trying to capture just the right shot.
So, I decided to package up all my photos taken during the evening, about 550 of them, into a time-lapse where you can view the entire display in about 40 seconds:
Enjoy!
I’ve setup a UStream channel for my MakerBot so you can see what I’m currently printing with it.
Can’t promise it will always be on but will try to record interesting prints and live stream as much as possible.
If you have any suggestions for better/free ‘webcasting/recording’ software that is Mac compatible, drop a comment as I’m not entirely happy with the UStream option. I’d like to at least record in HD if not broadcast in HD as well.
Trying out my new time-lapse rig, using a Creative Live! Socialize HD Webcam
Just over 2.5 hours to print and surprisingly sturdy!
Our first full day in Alaska had us going on a 6+ hour catamaran boat cruise with Kanai Fjord Tours of the Kanai Fjord National Park.
Apparently, they rarely get sun in Alaska as the crew kept (jokingly) apologizing for the amazingly warm weather. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt but also brought a rain jacket and fleece as instructed.
Heading out from the surprisingly beautiful Seward harbour, we headed out for open water.
Then the trip started to feel like a put on. Kind of like how a cruise like this would be at a Disney resort. “And over here we have our friend, the sea otter, playing in the water” – and presto, a sea otter appears and does many little rolls in the water for the adorning crowds on the boat:
Then, as if on cue, we had our first (of many) whale spottings:
I wasn’t able to get any ‘good’ shots of the whales (there were at least two at this location) other than lots like this as they never really broke the surface…at least from my vantage point.
The wildlife highlight of the trip (for me) was definitely the half hour visit we had with these dolphins (I forget their exact name) which looked like mini-orcas. This was shot from the bow of the ship and apparently there were lots along side the ship as well:
I’m not sure exactly how many there were but my guess was at least a dozen (they are hard to count!). Even the ship’s crew commented they haven’t seen that many at once before (usually only 3-4 at a time). They probably tell all the tourists that.
If you want a sure fire way to make over a hundred people really, really happy, invite dolphins to the party…everyone was euphoric during and after this encounter.
We then headed toward the main event: glacier ice on the water:
I’d never seen a glacier up close like this before and it was spectacular:
The sounds the ice makes as it breaks up is unbelievably loud…like being front row for a thunderstorm.
This guy shot photos and video of the whole cruise with just his Blackberry Playbook:
After spending a fair bit of time at the glacier, we headed out again and then came across a ton of stellar sea lions:
We weren’t as close to these guys as I got during my zodiac tour earlier this year but close enough to hear them fighting each other for prime sunbathing spots.
Then, after a brilliant day at sea, we headed back to Seward harbour. I still can’t believe the amount of wildlife we saw on the cruise…the brochure really didn’t lie as others on the same trip which took the same cruise the following day confirmed the amount of wildlife they saw as well.
I had heard good things about cruises in Alaska but really wasn’t expecting them to ‘deliver’ in this way…it was an incredible experience. One tip though – you may want to bring some gravol with you. Out of the 6 of us in my party, apparently, I’m the only one with the stomach for the Alaskan seas as everyone else was a little green for parts of the trip. I guess I can submit my application to the Deadliest Catch now!
Here’s a slideshow of all the photos I took during the cruise:
Disclosure: GM Canada paid for this activity as part of the media tour of Alaska that I was on.
I just got back from spending the better part of an amazing week in Alaska as part of a media tour for the launch of the new Chevy Volt electric vehicle which will be available in Canada this fall. But more on that part of the trip in a future post.
One of the activities our group chose to do was glacier ice hiking. This involved meeting up with Exit Glacier Guides in Seward, Alaska where our guide, Julian, outfitted us with crampons, trekking poles and backpacks and gave us some introductory tips for hiking on the glacier.
We then took a van (powered by bio-fuel!) to the local airstrip a few minutes away where we got on a helicopter for a 7 minute flight up to the Godwin Glacier.
Much to my delight, Sean, our helicopter pilot already had a GoPro mount on the front of the helicopter and offered to let me shoot footage of our flight up to the glacier…so enjoy the breathtaking scenery in Alaska:
I also had the GoPro mounted to my helmet the entire time we were hiking shooting still photos so here’s some of the best shots combined with ones taken by my Nikon D7000:
View the full photoset on Flickr.
My huge thanks to Adria, Veronica, Garry and Lisa for making this trip possible and the rest of my hiking crew Kathy, Alex, Jason, Garry and our excellent guide, Julian.
The guys at Exit Glacier Guides were fabulous and I can’t recommend them enough if you every want to check out this experience for yourself.
Definitely the trip of a lifetime!
Disclosure: GM Canada paid for this activity as part of the media tour of Alaska that I was on.
This weekend, Volkswagen kicked off their cross Canada Freedriving Tour in Coquitlam, BC at the local mall which just happens to be a few minutes from my house.
It’s a fun twist on the traditional vehicle test drive where you’re able to get behind the wheel and take any VW for a spin on a closed course and really push it while being instructed by a professional driver.
I documented my drive in a 2011 Tiguan by sticking my GoPro camera to the hood. VW already had one inside the car (I’ll post the footage in a few days once they post it) to show your reactions to some of the maneuvers they get you to try.
It was a little wet on the morning I did my drive but that only added to the fun. As I write this, there was still some spots left to take the tour in Coquitlam this weekend and then VW takes everything to the next town on their tour.
Thanks to Volkswagen for having me out and Frank for being my backseat cameraman.
I’m embarrassed to admit it’s be years (possibly 15) since I visited the Aquarium in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Fortunately, I was able to correct that oversight recently when I was invited to check out the new summer exhibit, Birds Up Close which runs until September 5th.
Aside from the regular attractions at the Aquarium, such as the belugas:
the jellyfish:
the spinnaker dolphins:
and the super cute sea otters that hold hands:
Birds Up Close give guests a chance to see a number of birds, um, up close like this great horned owl:
Bald eagles:
and turkey vultures:
It was pretty amazing to see so many animals and birds right in front of you (up close even)…I can’t imagine it will be years before I return to the Aquarium again. Thanks to Jonah Lewis and the Vancouver Aquarium for inviting me down to check it out.
You can view my full set of photos and videos from Birds Up Close on Flickr.
I spent last Friday afternoon doing something I’ve wanted to do forever – skydiving! Well, in this case, it was simulated in a vertical wind tunnel but as you’ll see, it’s pretty close to the real thing:
Out in Delta, Fly Zone Body Flight, gives visitors a chance to experience the feeling of free fall skydiving, without having to get onto a plane:
After a short session in a classroom, Rebecca (Miss 604) and I donned our jumpsuits, goggles and helmets and headed to the wind tunnel which was outside. It’s actually on a flat deck trailer that can be moved to various locations.
Here’s me flying around inside the tunnel on my first run:
Here’s Rebecca doing her full first flight:
Watch as the flight instructors strut their stuff after our first lesson:
One thing I wasn’t expecting was the amount of drool I had blown all over my face from being in the tunnel…I’m pretty sure it was due to the giant smile on my face as the turbine spun below.
Last year, I happened upon a strange ‘structure’ that didn’t have any context. I assumed it was part of a movie set but there was no cameras or people or really anything around it:
It turned out to be the set for Final Destination 5 which was shot in Vancouver last fall. It also turns out that the structure I came across was part of the Lions Gate Bridge set which gets destroyed in the film:
Note the yellow/orange truck beside the bent railing and their position in both images.
Here’s the full trailer so you can see the complete bridge destruction:
