I just saw this video thanks to Fake Chuck Westfall (@fcwestfall) on Twitter. It's pretty amazing. Having worked on a Rube Goldberg machine myself, I can testify to how much time, effort, frustration, and more is involved...and the one I worked on is only a tiny fraction of what this one is. Ours was probably a minute tops, but this one goes on for four. Anyway, here's the video by 2D Photography. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKpxd8hzOcQ&feature=channel_video_title]
[Video] The Great Camera Shootout 2011
Steve Weiss of Zacuto, Robert Primes, and their teams put together an amazing documentary comparing film and digital cameras and their ability to perform in many practical situations. The cameras range from $66,000 Arri Alexa to the affordable Nikon D7000. Yes, the D7000 is $1,200, but that's dirt cheap in the professional world. Robert Primes and his team put together a series of scientific tests called the Single Chip Camera Evaluation (SCCE) designed to put the cameras under stress.
The first episode, "The Tipping Point," features the dynamic range test, under exposure test, and over exposure test. One of the most interesting things I noticed was variation within the Canon DSLRs in the over exposure test. The Canon DSLR range is known for its astounding video quality, but I expected more consistency within Canon's cameras. If anything, I expected the full frame 5D MkII to beat out the cropped sensor 1D MkIV and 7D.
Although I am not immersed in the field of video, it's an area I've been dabbling in thanks to DSLRs and their ability to shoot high quality HD video. This (30 minute) episode is definitely a good watch if you are interested in the world of video. Episodes 2 and 3 are scheduled to be released in July and August respectively.
Check out Episode 1: "The Tipping Point" over at Zacuto's website!
[App] iProcrastinate
I just checked out the Mac App Store and found this little app for free today. It's called iProcrastinate and its great to say the least. It's a productivity app in the form of a simple organizer for various tasks that you have to get done. I love that it is complex, yet simple at the same time.
The leftmost column is dedicated to subjects. In my case, I have all my classes listed here. The center console is where the meat of your info is: each task. The top right section is dedicated to steps one needs to take to fulfill the particular task. Finally, in the bottom right, you will find a space to attach documents related to the task at hand.
You can color code each subject (I think of Gmail labels) and prioritize each task based on importance (Low, Medium, High). Each level of priority will then be color coded according to importance (green, yellow, red, like a traffic light). You can assign each task a due date and make a reoccurring task repeat due dates.
You can also sync your iProcrastinate to a mobile device (e.g. iPhone, iPod Touch) after you purchase the app for the mobile device for $0.99. If I had an iPhone or used my iPod more often, I would definitely get that app to sync with.
Overall, this app is totally worth the $0.00 I paid for it. I've been needing an organizer, so this was perfect!