Click here to view the embedded video.

This is a video I made while out taking photos this evening.  The original duration was about 14 minutes and was sped up by 3,000% to a final duration of just under 30 seconds.  It was filmed with my canon 5D Mark II and Sigma 1.4 50mm and post processing was done in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3.

In this shot are the 10th Avenue Bridge, Interstate 35W (Blue) and the Stone Arch Bridge.

By Art Lebedev – $n/a

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/segmentus/

From the guy who brought us the Verbarius clock comes the Segmentus.  (Is anyone else noticing a naming pattern here?) This concept clock was built to address the challenge of creating a digital clock with hands.  While clocks have addressed this challenge before, this one brings the usual Art Lebedev polish to the final product.  The only thing I want to know is how noisy would this be to operate?  With dozens of little motors and mechanical parts,  this might not be a clock that you would keep in your bedroom.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Social Bundle Website

We recently just launched Social Bundle to help small and medium businesses build out their social presence online.  The program is simple – it costs less than a cell phone and we will build a custom Facebook Page / public profile, a personalized Twitter account and monitor both of them for you.

We focus on the core Facebook offering; we believe this is the basis for any good social media campaign.  We build a solid page and tweak it to match your business goals.  From there, we can build custom content tabs, integrate with your existing website, blog, etc.  We do all of the work for you.

Who uses us?

• Tony Oliva
• Rudy Maxa
• TubeClockDB.com

Learn more here: http://www.SocialBundle.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video was shot between 10:30PM and 1:30AM starting on 3/3/2010 from the Minneapolis Grain Exchanging looking east. Shots were taken at 10 second intervals and the final playback speed is 30fps.  A Sigma 50mm 1:1.4 was used at about f/2.8 allowing for 1/40th second exposures.  The frames were rendered in to a high quality H264 video and uploaded to Vimeo.

I just found a great new application in the Android Marketplace: My Tracks (QR Code Below)  Essentially, it takes your Android phone and converts it to a GPS data logger.  You can use it to analyze your running patterns or you can simply export the raw data to Google Docs, Google Maps, Twitter & Email (via Google Maps) or simply export the raw data as a KML or GPX file.  For this experiment, I used the GPX export option.  I took my usual hour long walk and used My Tracks to record my path.

The application itself is intuitive.  Simply open the application and wait for a GPS signal.  Once it is established, hit the record button and then put the phone to sleep.  It will keep recording data as a background process while you take your walk, run, flight, etc.  When you’re done, simply re-enter the application and hit stop.  You should probably give the track file a useful name.  After a few uses, it will be hard to tell “track23.gpx” from “track17.gpx.”  From there, you can export the data using the methods described above.  We want to save the track as a GPX file an import it to Google Earth.

In Finder (or Explore for you Windows folks…) open your Android device and grab the GPX file.  Drag it to the 3d view of Google Earth and voila – your track is open.  Use the following tools below to control the animation:

This control offers basic Play functionality.  It is visible above the Layers panel when you have a PATH selected in the Places panel.  Long story short – just click play.

The control below is visible in the top left portion of the 3D view.  You can use it to select a given point in time as well as to crop the start/stop points of a path.

The control below is visible at the bottom left portion of the 3D view.  It is used to start/stop/loop/save animations.  (This does NOT save video clips.  More on that later)

Lastly, the settings used in the animation are as follows (click to enlarge)

RESULTS:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other Notes:

• The animation was captured with iShowU HD.  I love this program and think it is one of the best OS X screen capture programs on the market.  The video was captured as an intermediate file format and re compressed using Quick Time Pro.  From there, it was uploaded to Vimeo as a 720P HD video file.
• Turning off 3d Buildings seems to speed things up…but it looks boring
• Turn off other interesting layers that Google Earth has on by default.  They just become a distraction in the final video
• When importing the data, have it stick the data points to the ground for best results
• The data points are jagged.  I haven’t found a good way to smooth them out but decreasing the sample frequency or increasing your speed should help.
• Downtown areas do not work well for GPS accuracy

Get My Tracks:

I purchased the unlocked Nexus One this past week and signed up for the Simply Everything Plus plan which includes VVM as a standard feature.  Everything on the phone works except for the visual voicemail.  I downloaded the application, tried several times and had no luck.  I gave up and went to the nearest T Mobile store for help.  The employee who was helping me was very kind and we tried calling the T Mobiles customer support and technical support several times and no one had a resolution.  It was only after about 45 minutes that she was transferred to Google support that we had an answer.  According to the rep, Google is blocking VVM on the Nexus one and suggests that I switch to Google Voice.  No F#$%king Way.

I am inclined to believe the employee helping me.  When the Google support person told her that, she turned white and verified that she heard him correctly.  Not only was this news to me, this was apparently news to everyone at T Mobile as well.  It is possible that she was mistaken and if I find out more information, I will gladly correct this post.  As it stands right now, I am still w/o VVM and it doesn’t appear that I will ever have it.

I don’t like Google having all of my personal information.  They have my contacts and calendar, a different company handles my email and T Mobile now handles my voice (after another bad Sprint experience.)  No one company should handle all of my information and that is why I am not using Google Voice.  I have an account and it seems like a great service, I just don’t like that Google is handling it.

If you find a workaround, please post it below so I can update this post!

Text from error messages:

Not Activated: You do not have access to Visual Voicemail. Please upgrade your account.

Visual Voicemail: Visual Voicemail is available with this phone as part of your data plan for no additional charge.  Click below to enable Visual Voicemail on your account.

Change Service Result: Your purchase cannot be completed at this time. Please visit My t-mobile.com or call 611 to purchase this value bundle.

Background:

I am 22 months in to a 24 month contract.  Sprint made a material change on Jan 1 2010 to my account and on principal alone, I wanted to terminate my contract.  In the contract that Sprint and I agreed to, I gave them the right to change the contract and they granted me the right to exit the contract for a material change.

Sprint made a material change to my account and I want to exit my contract.   I am not looking to change service providers nor am I looking to terminate my service.  I simply want to go month-to-month/non-contract and stay with Sprint.  According to three reps I talked to (1 online, 2 over the phone) – the only way to get out of my contact is to terminate the service or switch to a new carrier.  They are forcing me to go to the competition.

Let me reiterate that:  Sprint is not allowing users to stay on their network who disagree with material changes to their contract.  I want to stay with Sprint but they won’t let me!  If I want out of the contract, they are forcing me to leave.  They won’t simply prematurely terminate the contract and keep me as a customer.

I’ve paid every bill on time and have great credit.   You would think they would want to keep my service.  And all of this because of 2x $0.20 fees.  Someone is missing the big picture.  You know, someone could just wave 40 cents in fees and keep me in contract….

01/05/2010 06:53:44PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “How are you doing Brian?”
01/05/2010 06:53:52PM    Stuckey: “Im great, thank you”
01/05/2010 06:53:56PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “You’re welcome.”
01/05/2010 06:53:58PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “May I please have the reason you are chatting with us today?”
01/05/2010 06:54:09PM    Stuckey: “I have less than ********** months left of a ********** month contract. The regulatory fee is a material change to my original contract and I would like to switch to a month-to-month plan and keep my service.”
01/05/2010 06:55:22PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “One moment please.”
01/05/2010 06:55:31PM    Stuckey: “Sure thing.”
01/05/2010 06:57:17PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “I apologize but you are not able to go to a month to month basis since your contract is still effective.”
01/05/2010 06:57:35PM    Stuckey: “Right, but this isn’t the contract that I originally agreed to”
01/05/2010 06:57:54PM    Stuckey: “By allowing Sprint to change the contract, I was granted the right to exit for material changes”
01/05/2010 06:58:08PM    Stuckey: “I don’t want to cancel my service, only go month-to-month”
01/05/2010 06:59:21PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “That is correct and you cancel your service if you would like. You may call Account services to discuss that issue with them since they handle cancellations and contracts. The number is **********-**********-**********, option ********** and **********.”
01/05/2010 06:59:41PM    Stuckey: “I’m not looking to cancel”
01/05/2010 07:00:01PM    Stuckey: “Just to terminate the contract and become a monthly paying customer”
01/05/2010 07:00:11PM    Stuckey: “There are less than ********** months left”
01/05/2010 07:00:42PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “I understand that but they maybe able to cancel your contract since there is a change in it. But then they would still keep your service active. Account services handles that.”
01/05/2010 07:01:06PM    Stuckey: “Got it – Can they see these call notes?”
01/05/2010 07:01:25PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “They sure can see your account notes.”
01/05/2010 07:01:36PM    Stuckey: “Okay, I will give them a call. Thank you”
01/05/2010 07:01:46PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “You’re welcome.”
01/05/2010 07:01:49PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “May I please ask if you have any further questions for me?”
01/05/2010 07:02:02PM    Stuckey: “No more questions”
01/05/2010 07:02:07PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “Thank You for choosing Sprint as your wireless provider. We appreciate your business. Have a great day.”
01/05/2010 07:02:30PM    Session Ended

See also:

http://consumerist.com/2009/12/30-day-window-to-cancel-sprint-without-penalty-starts-tomorrow.html

Click here to view the embedded video.

As far as the video capture goes, I opted to film a 30 FPS and speed up the video in Premiere. (The other method is to use an intervalometer and combine the photos in post.)  This method works great when the source footage is short (less than 10 minutes long) and generally gives smoother results.  The only downside is that you generate significantly more footage than you will use and it takes a long time to process in post.  All of the source clips in this film are played at 5x to 50x their real time speed.

If you are interested in using the source footage, you may be able to find it on iStockPhoto or you may contact me directly.

Laserglow Special Holiday Newsletter – December 2009

Dear Fellow Laserist,

Happy holidays from Laserglow! You are receiving this message because you have made contact with Laserglow in the past, and we think that you may be interested in our new products and announcements. If you don’t want to receive these messages anymore, just hit “reply” and put the word “REMOVE” in the subject line to be permanently removed from this mailing list. We certainly wouldn’t want to bother you with our great sales, discount codes and new laser products!

Boxing Day Sale – Save 20%! (Dec 23-Jan 4)
Here in Canada the day after Christmas is called “Boxing Day”, and traditionally this is a time when stores have the biggest sale of the year. (Similar to the American “Black Friday”.) This year Laserglow is celebrating Boxing Day by offering you 20% off any in-stock handheld laser! You could save literally hundreds of dollars by taking advantage of this amazing sale. Electra, Hercules, Aries, and Aquarius lasers are all on sale (along with every other handheld series) so if you didn’t get what you really wanted for Christmas this is the best time to get it. This sale is only on items which are in stock, so you’d better hurry beacause the most popular items will not last long! To get your instant discount, simply add an in-stock item to your shopping cart and use discount code boxing20

Check out how much you could save!

Galileo-5 (green astronomy pointer): reg. $89 SAVE $17.80!
Electra-20 (violet 405 nm): reg. $439 SAVE $87.80!
Aquarius-10 (blue 473 nm): reg. $599 SAVE $119.80!
Aries-250 (blue 473 nm): reg. $789 SAVE $157.80!
Hercules-400 (green 532 nm): reg. $1989 SAVE $397.80!

…and of course our full selection of pointers and handheld lasers also qualify for the discount as long as we can keep them in stock. This offer is not combinable with other discounts or promotions including the “free shipping” promotion or other existing discount codes.

Rigel yellow laser pointer (593.5 nm) now available at 20 mW!
After a long period of development (and a lot of requests from our customers) we’re pleased to announce that we’ve been able to increase the power of the Rigel series yellow laser pointers to 10 and 20 mW! These brand-new models have just been released, and since we have some in stock they even qualify for the Boxing Day sale!

Take a look at the Rigel product page for more details: http://www.laserglow.com/GRI

We hope that you find this newsletter valuable, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact our sales department by email or phone: sales@laserglow.com or 1-416-729-7976

Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,

Justin Hosaki
Sales and Marketing Manager

Dimitry Fedorov
President
Laserglow Technologies

Sent by Laserglow Technologies, 216-5 Adrian Ave. Toronto, ON Canada M6N5G4

Macro Photo of a 2.5 Inch Hard Drive

I disassembled the drive and I simply wanted to take a photo of the hard drive internals.  I was surprised that the drive spun up with the cover removed- and was completely shocked that it still worked without errors.  I managed to keep it working for several hours without fail while I took a few photos and more importantly video.  I used the same reverse lens mount and cheap Canon EF 35-80 1:4 as in my previous macro experiments.  See the results below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you are interested in using the source footage, you may be able to find it on iStockPhoto or you may contact me directly.

I’ve been experimenting with a cheap macro contraption.  Generally, a dedicated macro lens works best.  Next up is a screw-on filter style.  After that is mounting two lenses end-to-end and lastly is my solution: just putting the lens on backwards.  A mounted my Canon 35-80 1:4 on backwards and it worked…shockingly.  The image is nearly impossible to control as the subject practically needs to be touching the lens and something like the 500D (linked above) would be much more practical, but this was a fun experiment.

Check out a few more images and a video of a $20 close up after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

Gallery and video after the break

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

]]> http://www.ineedcaffeine.com/content/2009/11/hennepin-avenue-bridge-at-night/feed/ 0 http://www.ineedcaffeine.com/content/2009/11/gold-medal-park-time-lapse/ http://www.ineedcaffeine.com/content/2009/11/gold-medal-park-time-lapse/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:11:53 +0000 Brian Stuckey http://www.ineedcaffeine.com/content/?p=1605 Last night I created a time lapse of Gold Medal Park between about 9PM and 11PM.  I used a Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon EOS Utilities software to control the interval exposures.  In the clips below, exposures were set at 5 second intervals and the final frame rate was 30FPS.   So, 1 second of footage  represents 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lessons learned:

Even a small breeze can make shooting a time lapse a headache.  The jitter in the frame was caused from the wind.  I tried using After Effects to stabilize the motion but the nature of the frame make this difficult.  I’ve successfully used this method on bright daylight videos but I couldn’t get a good tracking on most of this footage.

Second, all of the frames were 21 megapixel JPEG images.  The average file size was about 7MB per frame which meant that After Effects did not like processing them.  It worked – but slowly.  To speed up the process, I used QuickTime Pro to import the frames, scale them down to 3000 x 2000 pixels and compress it as an Apple Intermediate Codec file.  This seemed to speed up the process quite a bit.

Lastly, use manual mode.  The camera will automatically adjust exposure for each frame which will cause a subtle but noticeable flicker in the image.  What I did to resolve this was to take a few test shots to measure the exposure.  Once I found a set of values I liked, I switched to manual mode and started the capture.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The total duration of this film is about 2:30.  I have removed the music that was originally in the video so it is currently MOS.  If you know of any Creative Commons songs that would work, please let me know!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

High tech amish electric fireplace with a remote!

High tech amish electric fireplace - only $400!

High tech amish electric fireplace

UPDATE: this looks to be a scam.  It is basically a 1,500W space heater that costs $400 and had numerous consumer complains.  Not that I originally suggested anyone buy this in the first place, but this looks pretty damming:  http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/02/amish_heaters.html

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV

INEEDCAFFEINE Note: Video Samples HERE: http://vimeo.com/7152063 and here: http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/samples/eos1dm4/

INTRODUCING THE ULTIMATE MULTIMEDIA IMAGING SOLUTION:
THE NEW CANON EOS-1D MARK IV DIGITAL SLR CAMERA

The EOS-1D Mark IV Features a Completely Redesigned 45-Point Autofocus System, Fast 10 fps Continuous Shooting, 16-Megapixel Resolution, Outstanding ISO Sensitivity, and Full HD Video Recording at Selectable Frame Rates

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., October 20, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, is proud to introduce the next evolution in the EOS 1D series of cameras: the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera. The EOS-1D Mark IV is a high-speed multimedia performance monster with a 16-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors, and 14-bit A/D data conversion, all at 10 frames-per-second (fps), with the widest ISO range Canon has produced to date. This new camera also features 1080p Full High-Definition video capture at selectable frame rates packaged in Canon’s most rugged and durable professional camera body.

The crowning achievement of Canon’s 1D Mark IV Digital SLR is its new autofocus system that starts with 45 AF points including 39 high-precision cross-type focusing points capable of tracking fast moving athletes or wildlife accurately at speeds up to 10 frames per second. With greater subject detection capability than ever before plus a newly redesigned AI Servo II AF predictive focusing algorithm, the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera sets new standards for autofocus performance among professional digital SLRs. Whether shooting for the six o’clock news or the front page, the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR is the quintessential camera to freeze fast-moving action with high-speed stills or capture stunning HD video with dynamic color and image quality. To accompany the new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera, Canon is also announcing a new accessory, the WFT-E2 II A wireless file transmitter providing photographers with a wide range of professional digital connectivity options.

“Canon works hard to be the imaging leader in all our business endeavors. This goal has fueled our innovation and R&D efforts to engineer the most advanced autofocus system Canon has ever produced. We are proud to announce the camera that will deliver the ultimate in imaging quality to professionals working in all areas of multimedia imaging, whether it’s action photography, photojournalism or HD video and cinematography,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera will intrigue professional photographers in virtually every category from photojournalism and sports through nature, wedding, portrait and fashion to commercial, industrial and law enforcement. What makes the EOS-1D Mark IV camera different from its predecessors, in addition to numerous focusing system and image quality improvements, is its exceptional Full HD video capture capability. With this new level of functionality, the 1D Mark IV Digital SLR is destined to appeal not only to professional still photographers but also to a diverse market of professional videographers and filmmakers who are looking for exceptional Full HD video quality, amazing low-light performance, outstanding portability and a level of durability unheard of in most HD video cameras in this price range.

New 45-Point Autofocus System
The new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera features Canon’s most advanced Autofocus system to date. It is equipped with a newly developed 45-point AF sensor featuring 39 high-precision cross-type AF points, and an all new AI Servo II AF mode that gives still photographers the power and performance to track and focus a fast-moving subject at speeds up to 10 frames per second. With more than twice as many cross-type focusing points as the EOS-1D Mark III and a new AF sensor construction that improves performance in low light and with low contrast subjects, the EOS-1D Mark IV has greater subject detection capabilities than any previous EOS model. To complete the range of AF improvements, Canon has developed a new AI Servo II AF predictive focusing algorithm that significantly improves responsiveness and stability by making better decisions on focus tracking in a variety of shooting conditions.

Amazing High ISO Performance
Wedding and event photographers shooting in low light without the benefit of a flash can take advantage of Canon’s widest ISO range and highest performance ever. The EOS-1D Mark IV camera’s ISO speed settings range from 100 up to 12,800 in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments with ISO Expansion settings of L: 50 for bright light or H1: 25,600, H2: 51,200, and H3: 102,400 for even the most dimly lit situations. Photographers and documentary filmmakers working in available light will be impressed by the low-noise image quality of the 1D Mark IV, capturing amazing still images and video footage even at speed settings as high as ISO 12,800. High ISO, low light still images are further enhanced by Canon’s adjustable High ISO Noise Reduction feature, now a default setting in the camera.

The EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS HD Video Powerhouse
Over the past year, Canon’s EOS HD Video technology has changed the way users capture 1080p HD video and opened new doors for multimedia journalists and Hollywood cinematographers alike with full manual exposure control, selectable frame rates, and interchangeable lenses on some of the largest and most sensitive image sensors on the market. Canon continues this innovation trend with the new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR with Full HD capture and full manual exposure control, plus selectable frame rates on an all-new
APS-H-sized image sensor that’s similar in size to a Super 35mm motion picture film frame. The large sensor allows filmmakers to achieve shallow depth-of-field just as cinematographers have traditionally done using much higher-cost motion picture equipment.

The more than 50 Canon EF lenses compatible with the EOS-1D Mark IV give videographers incredible creative options, including an impressive selection of large-aperture professional L-series primes as well as zoom lenses, macro, Tilt-Shift and Fisheye optics. The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV allows for three video recording resolutions – 1080p Full HD and 720p HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The camera will record Full HD at 1920 x 1080 in selectable frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); and 720p HD or SD video recording at either 50p or 60p (59.94). SD video can be recorded in either NTSC or PAL standards. Sound is recorded either through the internal monaural microphone or via optional external microphones connected to the stereo microphone input. The camera also provides an in-camera video editing function allowing users to remove the start or ending of a video clip directly in the camera to eliminate unwanted footage and speed up post-production.

Image Quality and Performance
The heart of the EOS-1D Mark IV camera’s outstanding image quality is a newly developed 16.1-Megapixel CMOS sensor featuring Canon’s latest and most advanced proprietary technologies. These technologies include improved photodiode construction to enhance dynamic range and gapless microlenses that are positioned closer to the photodiodes for improved light gathering efficiency. The transmissive quality of the color filter array has been enhanced to improve sensitivity. Canon has also upgraded the sensor circuitry to improve noise reduction before the image data is exported from the CMOS sensor to the rest of the image processing chain.

With 60 percent more pixels than the EOS-1D Mark III, the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR employs Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors with approximately six times the processing power of DIGIC III for full 14-bit A/D conversion at 10 fps. High-speed continuous shooting up to 121 Large JPEGs is possible using a UDMA CF card. This camera also features three RAW shooting modes for versatility with Full RAW (approx. 16 million pixels), M-RAW (approx. nine million pixels), and S-RAW (approx. four million pixels). Three additional JPEG recording formats (M1, M2 and Small) are also available.

The 14-bit per channel conversion facilitated by the dual DIGIC 4 Processors provides smoother tonalities in final images capturing all 16,384 distinct tones in each channel (red, green and blue) at the full 10 fps frame rate. RAW images shot on the new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV use the entire 14-bit space when converted to 16-bit TIFF files in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software, which is supplied with the camera at no extra charge. The 14-bit A/D conversion is also the foundation for Canon’s Highlight Tone Priority feature that takes maximum advantage of the camera’s extensive dynamic range to preserve detail in highlight areas of the image. Canon’s new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR also features an improved white balance algorithm making colors more accurate when shooting under low color temperature light sources such as household tungsten lamps.

The EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR features Canon’s Peripheral Illumination Correction function which corrects darkening that can occur in the corners of images with most lenses when used at their largest apertures. When activated, it is automatically applied to JPEG images and video clips as they are shot. For RAW images, it can be applied in DPP software.

Other new features include a large three-inch solid structure Clear View II LCD screen with 920,000 dot/VGA resolution and a wide 160-degree viewing angle for enhanced clarity and more precise color when reviewing images and shooting video. The new in-camera copyright information feature helps professionals secure control over images by setting copyright data directly into the camera and appending that information to each image file in the Exif metadata. Additional features include a fluorine coating on the Low Pass Filter to further repel dust and enhance the EOS Integrated Cleaning System.

Minimize Post-Production with Enhanced Canon Auto Lighting Optimizer
Action photography truly is all about speed, capturing a fast subject with fast focusing and fast frame rates. However, all this speed might be wasted if it is slowed down by lengthy post-production procedures to adjust image quality. The EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR helps reduce post-production work with a powerful new Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO) system. When enabled, Canon’s ALO automatically adjusts the image for optimal brightness and contrast on the fly during in-camera image processing, reducing clipped highlights while keeping shadowed areas as clear and detailed as they actually appear. By optimizing brightness and contrast in-camera, Canon’s ALO system significantly reduces the need for post-production image optimization, and gives photographers image quality they can take directly to press. Demanding professional photographers who tested ALO clearly stated that this one feature will reduce their post-production image optimization process by more than 75 percent. Canon’s ALO works with both RAW[i] and JPEG images as well as video recording.

Rugged Reliability
Canon has taken every measure to ensure that the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera has the highest degree of weather resistance in the EOS line. The 1D Mark IV camera incorporates a wide range of design features that enhance its durability and reliability for professional assignments. For example, the 1D Mark IV’s body, chassis and lens mount are completely weather-resistant and 76 gaskets and seals surround all buttons and seams. The body covers and internal chassis, including the mirror box, are constructed with magnesium-alloy, one of the strongest and rigid metals available for its weight. For added strength, the lens mount is constructed with stainless steel. In fact, when used with Canon’s Speedlite 580EX II and/or most current L-series lenses, the entire camera system remains fully weather resistant, so professionals can concentrate on getting the shot instead of worrying about protecting their gear.

New Wireless Connectivity
Canon is announcing the availability of the new WFT-E2 II A* wireless file transmitter exclusively for the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera. The WFT-E2 II A wireless transmitter is an extremely small and versatile device that offers professional photographers a wide range of digital connectivity options including IEEE802.11a/b/g and Ethernet, ideal for commercial and studio work. In addition to adding the ability to connect to wireless networks over 802.11a, the new WFT-E2 II A adds a wealth of new professional features to the photographer’s tool kit. The new Camera Linking feature allows a single photographer to simultaneously fire up to 10 cameras remotely; and the updated WFT Server mode lets you remotely use Live View, control settings, and fire the EOS-1D Mark IV over the internet from anywhere in the world using a standard Web browser or many Web-enabled smart phones. Additionally, geotagging is now possible via Bluetooth, using compatible GPS devices to append coordinate data to the images.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in late December, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $4,999.00[ii]. Final pricing and availability for the Canon WFT-E2 II A wireless file transmitter will be available later this year.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

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[i] When processed in Canon Digital Photo Professional software.
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Giga-Pixel St. Paul

Click here to view the embedded video.

update: switched to Vimeo links

Photographs of the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, MN, taken at around 10 PM at night.  Click the link below for more photos.

 

Google ran another one of their semi-famous recruiting campaigns targeting the MIT student body.  Apparently it contained an obscured / encrypted code, presumably with instructions on what to do to apply.  I found the story and image via TechCrunch and do I did what everyone does:

I Googled it

And I found something much more interesting than zero results.  So, I wanted to perform an experiment.  I took the code and pasted it on one of my sister sites, TubeClockDB.com and used Ping-O-Matic to notify blogs of the update.  WITHIN 10 MINUTES of the ping, I started getting hundreds of hits per hour searching for “8MLDQ6″  This was interesting.  Google had crawled my site and started sending search results within just a few minutes.

Astounding Finding #1

They crawled my site, updated their indexes, distributed their updates to all of their machines and started returning my site as a result within 10 minutes.

That is amazing.  Simply the quantity of work involved with something like an update is impressive.  To do that in a few minutes is astounding.  Of course, Ping-O-Matic played a big role in that so hats off to them too.

Astounding Finding #2

Ping-O-Matic does a great job notifying Google and other blog services.  If you’re not using them, you’re missing out.

Astounding Finding #3

Almost all of the search results were coming from corporate networks.  Huh.  Adobe*, I’m looking at you.  You take the dubious honor of having the most employees searching for a job at Google from your network.  The US Military had the number two position.

*this could change.  It was the number one position when I was looking earlier.

Astounding Finding #4

People are lazy.  They want to find the answer on Google and give it back to them.  I have a feeling that Google is looking for a different kind of person, but I could be wrong.  (I’m not, however.)

8MLDQ6 T UI
67FML RH AA
NRA6Q 8EFL
DMQ86II2 O3
2S5J 13JXOJ

Click here to view the embedded video.

According to Amazon.com:

Product Features

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/emails/eossep09/

Canon EOS 7D

Not responsible for typographical errors.

All images and effects are simulated.

Images ©2009 Arthur Morris, Stephen Eastwood, Simon Bruty, Eric Meola, Bob Davis, Bruce Dorn, Onne van der Wal, Clint Clemens, Terrell Lloyd and Parish Kohanim. All rights reserved.

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