I don't watch as much news on TV anymore. Is it that the internet has taken over, or perhaps I've become subconsciously aware of the same boring pattern. See video below:
Showing posts with label videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label videos. Show all posts
Mar 10, 2010
Jan 6, 2008
Dec 16, 2007
I'm a Dad!
9th December 2007, 9:29 pm. A day and date I will never forget.
My life changed forever the moment my son Antariksh was born. I've heard it said that we all fall in love with our children, and it's absolutely true. I still cannot believe how beautiful he is. One moment at a time T there are n people in the room, then at the time T+1 there are suddenly n+1 people, all of whom look absolutely happy. Simple mathematics, absolutely miraculous.
Ever since that moment, life has changed forever. All petty lazinesses, procrastinations, and selfish worries become subdued. The first concern is now my boy. The way one thinks is altered forever.
A new light enters the home and radiates happiness everywhere.
My life changed forever the moment my son Antariksh was born. I've heard it said that we all fall in love with our children, and it's absolutely true. I still cannot believe how beautiful he is. One moment at a time T there are n people in the room, then at the time T+1 there are suddenly n+1 people, all of whom look absolutely happy. Simple mathematics, absolutely miraculous.Ever since that moment, life has changed forever. All petty lazinesses, procrastinations, and selfish worries become subdued. The first concern is now my boy. The way one thinks is altered forever.
A new light enters the home and radiates happiness everywhere.
Aug 29, 2007
Lunar Eclipse in Wellington
I finally saw one. Some time ago, my brother in South America was talking to me on the phone while he was watching his first lunar eclipse. Normally non-plussed, he was very excited - "Oh my God, it has really gone blood red."
So, I had a mental note that on 28th August I must, at all costs, get out and observe the lunar eclipse which would be visible here. When the evening came, it was actually my wife who reminded me. We both went out onto our staircase to observe the sky.
The moon was glowing beautifully in the sky. The Eclipse was to have started, but we could not observe anything out of the ordinary. Then we noticed a small shadow beginning to creep up under the moon's disc.
The clumps of heavy clouds were moving quickly across the sky, and we got glimpses of the progressing eclipse through the gaps in the clouds. A strong, cold Wellington breeze was blowing, The shadow very slowly progressed from the bottom of the moon's disc to the top. As it covered more and more of the moon, the colour of the shaded region got redder. So this is what is also referred to as 'blood moon' or 'Red moon'.
I took some photos with my regular Digital Camera.
More information links
So, I had a mental note that on 28th August I must, at all costs, get out and observe the lunar eclipse which would be visible here. When the evening came, it was actually my wife who reminded me. We both went out onto our staircase to observe the sky.
The moon was glowing beautifully in the sky. The Eclipse was to have started, but we could not observe anything out of the ordinary. Then we noticed a small shadow beginning to creep up under the moon's disc.
The clumps of heavy clouds were moving quickly across the sky, and we got glimpses of the progressing eclipse through the gaps in the clouds. A strong, cold Wellington breeze was blowing, The shadow very slowly progressed from the bottom of the moon's disc to the top. As it covered more and more of the moon, the colour of the shaded region got redder. So this is what is also referred to as 'blood moon' or 'Red moon'.
I took some photos with my regular Digital Camera.
More information links
Jul 31, 2007
National Library 3D Building Model for Google Earth
I'm submitting this model to Google Earth today.
Google Sketchup Model
Link to this image: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1176/962260016_9c348e09e3_o.jpg
Google Earth view
(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Link to this image: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/971357387_6f747e9bc0.jpg
Link to large image: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/971357387_fb76db9f49_o.jpg
Background
Google Earth is a very popular downloadable program for users, that allows one to 'dive in' and navigate the earth as seen from the air. Originally, this would have started out at as a GIS (Geographical Information System) that was mapping satellite photos on to the globe, but a rapid pace of innovation has introduced a lot of extra possibilites. Basically, if you can place it on a map, then it should be placed on this application. A very popular such feature layer is 3D buildings where if you navigate to any place on Google Earth, you can actually see 3D realistic models of buildings standing in their positions. The first such models were built by Google, but since has been opened up to accept user built contributions. Google released a very user-friendly application called Google Sketchup to build such models, and an online repository called 3D Warehouse to store the contributions. Google then assesses these for their suitability for inclusion.
Video of the Model
Current status (and how to see it in Google Earth)
Right now this model has been submitted to Google's 3D warehouse. You can search for it by going to the 3D Warehouse site and searching for "National Library" or more specifically "National Library of New Zealand". If you are using Google Earth, please note that the model will not turn up by default in Google's 3D building layer until it goes through Google's approval process, but you can still see it by following the instructions here to get the Google 3D warehouse network link.
I've been doing this project in my 'spare time' at home. Now that I've finished, my wife will finally be happy to get more of my time. Not easy being married to a techie sometimes.
Also ..
just in time for the Library building's 20th Anniversary of completion (5 August 2007)!
Relevant Links
Google Sketchup Model
Link to this image: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1176/962260016_9c348e09e3_o.jpg
Google Earth view
(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Link to this image: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/971357387_6f747e9bc0.jpg
Link to large image: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/971357387_fb76db9f49_o.jpg
Background
Google Earth is a very popular downloadable program for users, that allows one to 'dive in' and navigate the earth as seen from the air. Originally, this would have started out at as a GIS (Geographical Information System) that was mapping satellite photos on to the globe, but a rapid pace of innovation has introduced a lot of extra possibilites. Basically, if you can place it on a map, then it should be placed on this application. A very popular such feature layer is 3D buildings where if you navigate to any place on Google Earth, you can actually see 3D realistic models of buildings standing in their positions. The first such models were built by Google, but since has been opened up to accept user built contributions. Google released a very user-friendly application called Google Sketchup to build such models, and an online repository called 3D Warehouse to store the contributions. Google then assesses these for their suitability for inclusion.
Video of the Model
| URL: | |
| Embed: |
Current status (and how to see it in Google Earth)
Right now this model has been submitted to Google's 3D warehouse. You can search for it by going to the 3D Warehouse site and searching for "National Library" or more specifically "National Library of New Zealand". If you are using Google Earth, please note that the model will not turn up by default in Google's 3D building layer until it goes through Google's approval process, but you can still see it by following the instructions here to get the Google 3D warehouse network link.
I've been doing this project in my 'spare time' at home. Now that I've finished, my wife will finally be happy to get more of my time. Not easy being married to a techie sometimes.
Also ..
just in time for the Library building's 20th Anniversary of completion (5 August 2007)!
Relevant Links
- Official Page on Google 3D Warehouse
- National Library of New Zealand Home Page
- Presentation at BarCamp, Scio-sphere post
- Where to get Google Earth
- How to view Google's 3D building layer
- How to view contributed 3D building content
May 13, 2007
Armageddon 2007 in Wellington
OK, my hand's been force-ed. I had been lazying around not putting up the pics from the Armageddon 2007 event in Wellington. But thanks to my pal Monty's initiative, I better get around to it. There are always more than one side to a story.
'Armageddon' is held every year in Wellington, it's a showcase of art, technologies, media and of course toys and collectibles related to the imaginative worlds formed in human minds. This is the first time I visited one of these. We got to meet Billy Dee Williams, the actor who played Lando Calrissian in Star Wars. He was pretty nice - smiled and shook hands.
We also got to meet with the actor John Rhys Davies - he played Gimli in Lord of the Rings. I told him I'm a big fan, and the big man winked back, while putting sugar into his coffee.
Most of the cast of Pan's Labyrinth was also present, but we had no idea who was who.
There were stalls showcasing the gadgetry that goes into making the costumes - rubber masks, clothes and props. There were lines of computers with enthusiasts trying out the latest computer games. Sony was showcasing its latest Playstation 3 gaming console. There was a team from Massey University Institute of Technology and Engineering demonstrating a robot that can play a ball game on a board. I chatted with the project Professor, and he said that they sometimes have teams of robots playing each other. The robots were controlled by a remote computer, rather than being autonomous devices. An overhead camera mapped the board and the position of the robot and relayed that to the controller.
There were also plenty of vendors selling computer games, board games, DVDs. I completed my collection of Matrix movies, by picking up a DVD of the first movie. There were plenty of characters from the movies walking around, there were competitions happening on stage involving re-enactments of favorite scenes.
The New Zealand Army was in here too. They were letting people try out their training simulations. These looked like games but responded much more sluggishly, probably more realistically. All wars should remain that way - games inside machines - and not spill out messily into the real world.
I had really come to take a look at the graphic artists and their work. Comic art has a lot of influence on contemporary culture. Look at all the latest movies such as 300.
In the end, I just felt a couple of decades younger, and let myself go into the fun atmosphere. There's a slideshow of more pictures below, none of which are to be take seriously, of course. ;)
Monty's take on things:
Photos
Comic
'Armageddon' is held every year in Wellington, it's a showcase of art, technologies, media and of course toys and collectibles related to the imaginative worlds formed in human minds. This is the first time I visited one of these. We got to meet Billy Dee Williams, the actor who played Lando Calrissian in Star Wars. He was pretty nice - smiled and shook hands.
We also got to meet with the actor John Rhys Davies - he played Gimli in Lord of the Rings. I told him I'm a big fan, and the big man winked back, while putting sugar into his coffee.
Most of the cast of Pan's Labyrinth was also present, but we had no idea who was who.
There were stalls showcasing the gadgetry that goes into making the costumes - rubber masks, clothes and props. There were lines of computers with enthusiasts trying out the latest computer games. Sony was showcasing its latest Playstation 3 gaming console. There was a team from Massey University Institute of Technology and Engineering demonstrating a robot that can play a ball game on a board. I chatted with the project Professor, and he said that they sometimes have teams of robots playing each other. The robots were controlled by a remote computer, rather than being autonomous devices. An overhead camera mapped the board and the position of the robot and relayed that to the controller.
There were also plenty of vendors selling computer games, board games, DVDs. I completed my collection of Matrix movies, by picking up a DVD of the first movie. There were plenty of characters from the movies walking around, there were competitions happening on stage involving re-enactments of favorite scenes.
The New Zealand Army was in here too. They were letting people try out their training simulations. These looked like games but responded much more sluggishly, probably more realistically. All wars should remain that way - games inside machines - and not spill out messily into the real world.
I had really come to take a look at the graphic artists and their work. Comic art has a lot of influence on contemporary culture. Look at all the latest movies such as 300.
In the end, I just felt a couple of decades younger, and let myself go into the fun atmosphere. There's a slideshow of more pictures below, none of which are to be take seriously, of course. ;)
Monty's take on things:
Photos
Comic
Mar 5, 2007
Summer Fiesta in Wellington
This has been a very busy summer in Wellington, in terms of events we've attended.
On 10th February we had the X-Air games in the morning and the Petone Fiesta in the evening. On 17th February, Petone Fair with the parallel Gypsey Fair carrying on till 18th. I may write about these later, but last weekend, it was the Cuba Street Carnival in central wellington.
A very large crowd including suburbians, converged in central Wellington. There was plenty of fun to go around. With professional performers displaying their skills at various points along the streets. Food vendors sold snacks, roaster nuts, corn, even spanish paella.
Our favourite among the performers were the Pan Pipes group. They seemed to be native South Americans and calling their group, 'The Cherokee spirit' or 'Los Incas' depends where you check. They performed amazing, soul-stirring music on pan pipes of every shape. I never realised that pan pipe instruments were capable of such a range. It sounds so much better live.
Among the other street performers, there was also an acrobatic hulahoop group, the regular juggler, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator (the one who charged our camera), a juggling unicyclist and many others.
There were several stages on various points with music bands programs. The adventurous also took their chances with the thrill rides.
Then at 9:15pm, we had the carnival parade. The pictures and video's below will describe it all.
Pictures:
All the photos can also be viewed at here.
Videos:
(Note: if the window below says "Want to see more video's from this playlist? Click here", then refresh the page and choose the next video to play.)
All the videos can be viewed at here.
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