Oculus Rift Development Kit ordered

Sunday 2nd June 2013

Over the past week or so I've been watching a huge number of YouTube videos around the Oculus Rift. It appears to be the first consumer focused virtual reality headset targeted at a reasonable price point and complimented by a awesome array of features such as large field of view, head tracking etc and decent screen resolution.

I had originally read about the Rift on Kickstarter but as they were targeted for developers I didn't really think much about it. But as the developer kits were delivered and people started to post their reactions it became apparent that not everyone who bought the kits were themselves developers. I guess like most people who have an interest in VR they want to get it as quickly as possible and didn't want to wait for the consumer version to arrive.

What peaked my interest was the reaction people were having to the immersion. This was not just gamers but their parents, grand parents, friends and other family members. I decided to check the OculusVR webpage and the development kits are still being offered for $300USD. Now to me that is fantastic value and that would be the average pricethat I've paid for monitors. One of my favourite games is Armed Assult and I knew that it supported EyeFinity and ended up getting 3 new 27" monitors. That has served me well for about 2 years but always wanted more monitor space. A video of my setup is included below.

How do I increase the level of immersion with a monitor setup? Do I get bigger monitors? Do I create a Simpit in my garage to satisfy my demands? I've even seen novel ways of hooking up 3 projectors and having them overlap to give large field of view but nothing quite achieves the screen size as that of what the Oculus Rift aims to offer.

The potential for gaming is enormous. FPS shoot em ups are made for this but also flight/space and driving simulators. But there should also be lots of other opportunities for pre-visualisation of architecture and even for travelling to places you would never get to in person. 

How the Oculus team is staging the availability of the Rift makes perfect sense. No point bringing out a product if no one has any content for it. Get it out there for the developers first to understand their requirements and to allow them to create the tweaks to existing games.

My order # itself is over 56000 so if this aligns with the true number of developer kits sold that is a significant number and shows the potential that this has. Can't wait to receive the developer kit and looks like I'll have at least a 2-3 month wait.

Thoughts on bulk scanning with a Nikon Coolscan 5000

Wednesday 29th May 2013

Back in September 2008 I purchased a Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 scanner. My intention was to get through all my old negatives within the space of a year or two. But close to five years on I'm still slugging it out. So I've set myself a target of scanning one page of negatives a day with minimum adjustments using the default scanning software. Over time that will get the number of outstanding to a reasonable level. I've also flagged with my parents to get all the negatives that they have out as well. Not sure of the quantity involved but having them centralised and in proper folders will make me feel better.

One thing that does suprise me is the fact that there doesn't appear to be an easy way to perform a bulk scan. What I mean by that is to put a how lot of negatives into a holder and the scanner slowly goes through one by one. They do have a automated feeders for slides and an adaptor that will scan a whole uncut roll? 

Maybe some can get a KickStarter project happening to design, manufacture and sell? If reasonably priced I would definitely buy one.

Why 2015 will be the worst time to attend ANZAC Day at Gallipoli

Sunday 19th May 2013

On the 25th April 2015 many nations will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. Undoubtedly there will be a huge interest and demand to attend the ceremony with the Australian Government recently announcing details of numbers allowed along with the process of applying (you can read more about them here ... Gallipoli 2015 commemorations).

With numbers being restricted tour companies are finding other ways of getting people close to the ceremony including cruise ships being positioned off ANZAC Cove. Whilst for the passengers on board the ship it will be a spectacular scene looking back to the shoreline I believe that those people watching from land it will be a visual deterrent seeing a large cruise ship spoiling the view in front of them.

Once of the main things that I noticed on when attending ANZAC day ceremony at Gallipoli was the peacefulness one experienced as first light started to appear. Looking out over the calm, peaceful water it gave a stark contrast to what it would have been like that fateful morning back in 1915. Security will also be very tight for and if the troubles in Syria are still going on at that point it may also deter from the whole experience.

My advice is to give it a miss in 2015 and look to attend at another time.

My thoughts on Vine

Sunday 17th March 2013

Yesterday I decide to download the Vine application for my new iPhone 5. Vine is mobile application released by Twitter that allows users to create small videos with audio of 6 seconds in length. This appears to keep it in line with the 140 character limit of tweets ensuring the message is short and to the point.

After downloading I was intrigued on how you would use the application and what flexibility there was. On completing the setup where I allowed it access to my Twitter account I was up and running. It didn't take me long to make a quick video just after I finished mowing the lawn.

vine.co/v/bdxtTWJVwZY
— Nicholas Eggleston (@neggleston) March 16, 2013

I then scoured other videos that people had created to see get some ideas. Given the short amount of time to work with, I decide that I would make a short film about my coffee machine that I got as a birthday present (thanks Mum and Dad!) back in January.

Me with coffee machine vine.co/v/bdYVBAMrr91
— Nicholas Eggleston (@neggleston) March 16, 2013

I must admit I quite like the possibilities and opportunities. Being the first release the functionality is very limited. There are a few features I would like added such as :

• Being able to start creating a video, save it off and come back to it later. On the iPhone you can navigate to another application and then come back but you need to complete that video first before moving on. 
• Ability to use the front facing camera so if you need to film yourself you have some idea as to where the camera is pointing
• Edit clips together
• A dedicated iPad app 
• Create videos on PC/Macs etc
• Option to update the text/tags on videos  

 

Tropfest Australia 2013 - Review of Finalists

Tuesday 26th February 2013

Okay I've sat down and captured my thoughts around the Australia Tropfest 2013 finalists. Here is what I thought of each film.

Great Day - well the story behind this film certainly made it look like a good day for the main actor. I didn't mind the story on the second viewing. Was hoping for a little bit better production around the slow motion effect. Looked like it was shot in someones garage.

Let It Rain - I think most guys can relate to this film. Adult in body, child in mind. Loved the ending and I think that is what makes a great Tropfest film, keep the audience guessing to the last minute then let them visualise why you imply.

Time - This was my favourite film. Beautifully shot and the acting by the young cast was fantastic. Couldn't really fault it. Was glad that the young boy won the male acting award of the night. I see a successful career for him in the future.

Scene 16 - Professionally shot with some great acting. This film reinforced the fact that I should never date an actor.

Monobrow - I think most people can at least associate with this film is some way. The film leads the audience down one path and then takes you a completely different direction. Nice use of a song to assist with the story as well.

Inside - Thought this was creative film and great use of visuals to get it's point across. Again, some well known Australian actors assisting to create a worthy finalist.

The Pledge For Mr Bunny - Really struggled with this film. Just didn't get it. Appears that it was crowd funded as there was a stack of people noted on the credits. That's all I can really say. Cross referencing Facebook firends with the film makers and that of staff at Tropfest really makes me wonder how this made the final 16.

Cash Cow - Certainly had a few chuckles with this flick. But how can your average film maker compete with bringing in such well known TV personalities into your film. Well shot and complimented with some good acting.

Cargo - I have been watching a lot of The Walking Dead lately so didn't mind this zombie movie. With minimal dialogue we are taken on a journey that goes from bad to worse. A very nice "carrot and stick" analogy which allowed the film to progress through to the end.

Taser - This film reminded me of Momento, one of Christopher Nolan's first films. The earlier scenes of the story are played back more and more and you start putting together the pieces until you have the full story. Professionally shot with the main actor appearing in one of the recent Underbelly mini series, this film has highlights some issues around policing in NSW and the use of Tasers. Some very powerful scenes in there.

Punctured - What a simple little film, but loved it. With not a spoken word in sight it took us along for a fantastic ride. Loved the animation and the soundtrack. Well within my top 3 so glad it made it.

Better than Sinatra - As I've worked in Sydney for 15 years I have seen this guy, Raymond Borzelli, do his thing in a number of locations. We used to refer to him as "Dancing Man" and have vivid memories of him dancing at the food court at the back of Australia Square. I see him all the time when I go for a walk through Hyde Park. This is a very honest documentary. A very worthy recipient of the 2nd place.

Remote - Rather disappointed with this film. Whilst nicely shot in a rather exotic location I was left a little deflated once I realised the film was over. And coming from a previous finalist I was expecting a little bit more.

The Hustle - I enjoyed watching this film. Clever use of misdirection where the main protagonist leads you in one direction and then in the final moments the other side to the story is played out. The first in a couple of out of work "Sea Patrol" actors to appear in Tropfest this year.

A Man Walks Into A Bar - this to me is a film that is ideal for Tropfest. Small amount of actors and the film is based purely around a situation and good use of dialogue. Enjoyed it watching the second time through and picked up on a few things that I had missed on the first viewing. Was probably made on a small budget which if is the case another win for the short film maker.

We Have All Been There - thought that the film was well shot and had some well known actors. I certainly like Laura Wheelwright in this along with her previous role in the movie Animal Kingdom. Some of the other actors were familiar faces in Australian film and TV. Certainly shows how competitive Tropfest has become in use of professional actors. Disappointed though in hearing this film was based on other work. Surely for a 7 minute short film people can come up with something original.

Tropfest Australia 2013 - The Finalists and other thoughts

Sunday 17th February 2013

For a number of years I have wanted to submit a film to Tropfest. And for Tropfest Australia 2013 I finally did. I had great enjoyment in realising the dream. Though I didn't get shortlisted or become a finalist I can still be immensely proud of what I had achieved. Tonight the 16 finalists will have their films shown with one of them taking the ultimate prize.

Now looking at the finalists what sort of people was I up against? A quick analysis of the directors involved; 3 have been Tropfest finalists before, 13 are trained in the industry and 11 work in the industry. That I would say is pretty tough competition. I have absolutely no formal training, nor do I work in the film/TV industry. What I do have is passion of films and a belief.

Whilst the winner is announced tonight it won't be until late March when full rights to my film, "Last Flight of The Madhu", is returned to me. It's at that point I will have great joy in letting the rest of the world watch it.

I feel quite lucky that we live in a time when anyone can post a video for the whole world to see. Sites like YouTube and Vimeo offer your average Joe the ability to post your material. I look forward to looking at the viewing statistics. Where people are from, how they found the video etc.

So how will I get people to watch the film? I think an easy way is to post it on the usual social sites such as Facebook and Twitter and have friends of friends watch it. I will also rely on people who participated in the film and their circle of friends. What sort of numbers of viewings should I target? Do I be realistic or aim for lofty hieghts? 

Time will tell.

Total Solar Eclipse from Port Douglas

Wednesday 14th November 2012

Well the vodkas last night certainly helped with a good nights sleep. I didn't want to be waking every 15 minutes and clock watching. This is what typically happens when I need to catch an early morning flight. Woke around 5am but did not get up until about 5.30am. The bags were already packed so getting ready was not going to take long at all. Wandered down to the car park at around 6am and started setting up.

The sky had scattered cloud and a lot better than what had been there in previous mornings . The winds were rolling the clouds through so it is going to be a lottery if we are going to see anything. Setup of gear was pretty easy given I had practiced enough times. Connected the laptop to the 7D and it was just a matter of counting down. My little QStarz GPS was showing only the smallest of clock errors through the Eclipse Orchestrator so sync'd the DSLR clock.

By this time a number of other people had joined me in the car park. A few other people were jumping into cars which I though was strange at this late stage.

As we approached totality a rather thick cloud moved in front of the sun. I was rather annoyed at this stage but there is nothing I could do. The Eclipse Orchestrator application called out for filters to be removed which i did. At the point of totality the remaining sun beams that were appearing around the edge of the cloud disappeared. That was very dramatic and the gasps and wows from people around highlighted the spectacle. If I could describe it, it was as if the worm hole from Star Trek DS9 went from open to closed.

The DSLR was snapping away at this stage, every image was of cloud. About 30-40 seconds into the totality the eclipsed sun started to appear. There were no other clouds approaching so was going to experience totality pretty much to completion. To have just 1 second of totality, for me this was a success. Any additional time was going to be a bonus.

I turn around to look at the other people and some are still wearing the glasses. I shout to them that they can take them off.

Now to the beauty for the eclipse. It was really stunning. Most spectacles we see these days are accompanied by music to give atmosphere. All there was was an eerie silence and I found this very appropriate.

For the remaining time in totality I adjusted the positioning and exposure levels of the video camera. Then contact 3 when the diamond ring effect occurred for the last time it lit up the and surrounding cloud that had moved across. The automated photos on the DSLR had now completed and the call to replace filters had been made. Cloud had completely rolled in at this point so started packing up the gear.

I judged that I had experienced around 30 seconds of totality. But on returning to the hotel room and checking the video footage it was more like 70 seconds. A few SMS's had come through from people back in Sydney and abroad. I exchanged a few thoughts of the experience with them.

During the rest of the day I read reports from other eclipse chasers. Looks like people in Cairns were completely clouded over. Then people located only a couple of kilometers away were also clouded out. It simply came down to pure luck. Looks like it was on my side.

You can watch/hear the video on YouTube below...

And I have put together an image based on a stack of 5. These were of the prominences just before C3.