Wrongcrowd.com

Good World War 2 Photos

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:33:09 -0700

There are some amazing shots here.

3rd Party Fix coming for GoPro HD Hero underwater blurriness

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:45:07 -0700

Eye of Mine is supposedly soon releasing a fix for the blurry video resulting from using the HD Hero under water. There is a video showing the product in action, though exactly what the product IS is unknown so far. Comments from the vendor on the video page suggest it will only be rated to 100 ft. Better than nothing, but disappointing for scuba divers for sure.

GoPro HD Hero Underwater Performance Unfortunately Poor

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:53:51 -0800

Lately a lot of small and relatively inexpensive hi-def digital video cameras have hit the market. One of them is the GoPro HD Hero, which has some really interesting specs. Check out the videos on the home page, too.

720p and 1080p video
Very wide field of view
720p 60 fps mode
Includes a waterproof housing in the ~$300 price

The HD Hero's combination of a very wide field of view and a housing that will take recreational scuba diving makes it a really interesting little toy for divers looking to do video on the cheap. Unfortunately, the camera's underwater performance is seriously hobbled by the design of the lens.

A ScubaBoard member recently posted this video of the HD Hero on a scuba dive in California. As you can see, underwater things look rather fuzzy, but as soon as the camera breaks the surface, it's nice and sharp. Upon asking GoPro's tech support why this might be the case, this was the reply.

Due to the curved lens of the waterproof housing for the HD HERO camera and standard def Wide HEROcameras, you do get a slight loss of sharpness/focus to underwaterimages. In video mode with the standard def camera this hasn't beenvery noticeable due to the lower resolution. With the HD HEROcamera this becomes more evident at the higher resolution. Ourdevelopers are looking into whether we can possibly offer a differenthousing or housing lens in the future to correct this issue.

This is really disappointing, because if the video was sharp, the HD Hero would be the cheapest way to get decent video under water. Add the optional LCD, so you can see what you are aiming at, and the HD Hero costs about $350. One of its main competitors for this use is the Flip HD, which is about $200 for the camera, $260 for the Ikelite housing, and you'd probably need to spend another $250 on the wide-angle lens.

Here's hoping GoPro comes out with a modified housing or lens for underwater use... Even a flat port that slashed the FOV would be better than the current state of affairs. Advertising the depth rating of the case is also kind of misleading, since if you are looking for HD video, you wouldn't be happy with what you got under water.

Scribblenauts will bring out the worst in you

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:11:34 -0700

Scribblenauts is a Nintendo DS puzzle game. In a typical level,your goal is simply to grab a star located somewhere out of reach. Yourtools? Anything you want, ostensibly. You can write a word, like "gun"and the item will appear on the screen for you to use. The game itselfhas some flaws (here is a review)but the ability to summon items and creatures is astonishingly welldone and probably worth the purchase price all by itself. It seems likethey thought of everything...

I wrote chupacabra and a little green guy with red eyes appeared. He left a dog alone, but he instantly attacked a goat I summoned. (This alone makes it game of the year.)
God will kill a zombie, but a vampire will turn God into a vampire. I summoned a phaser to shoot the vampire but hit god-vampire instead; he was killed. The remaining vampire ran from my cross.
As the review mentions, you can summon a time machine and ride it, which takes you to a realm of knights and damsels.
In that medieval world, I accidentally destroyed a drawbridge with my sword. The princess on the drawbridge happened to fall in the water, so I summoned a shark to eat her. I tried summoning a school of piranhas to eat the shark, but as you can only do one at a time the shark kept eating them.
The game knows roflcopter. It looks different than the helicopter.
Try writing I win button.
An evil clown looks like a clown but thinks evil thoughts.
Pirates kill ninjas.
A succubus attacked me, but a cherub nailed her with arrows... after which she liked me. (I could use the cherub's bow to make other creatures turn good.)

There are definitely more surprises to find inside Scribblenauts.

Interesting reading on the Air France 447 tragedy

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:39:37 -0700

This is a list of interesting material I have found while reading about the AF447 investigation.

Detailed meteorological analysis of the area
Big forum thread at airliners.net. Interesting reading--some pilots are participating.
Similar thread at jetphotos.net.
Lightning strike protection for composite aircraft
BBC article indicating debris has been spotted. Page has links to many other AF447 articles.
More recent article about the debris, with many interesting tidbits.
AirDisaster.com also has news on their front page.
SailWX.info lets you track the positions of vessels at sea. This link shows the area of the crash; currently the Dutch vessel Jo Cedar is on site, looking for debris.

The Truth About Cars

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:39:44 -0800

TTAC is a web site with news and reviews. It's an enjoyable read. Their Worst of 2008 article was entertaining. If you are a defender of Detroit, you probably won't like what you see here.

Extremely Clever: Hand drawn holograms

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:59:14 -0800

By making scratches in a piece of clear plastic, you can create crude holograms viewable in normal light. Learn how at the link.

California Burns Again

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:48:27 -0800

These pictures were taken on November 16 2008 in Diamond Bar, CA. The city's posh gated community, called "The Country," was evacuated due to fire danger. Not for the first time, planes had to make fire retardant drops around Ridge Line Road. See more below.

Currently there are fires in Brea and Yorba Linda, among many other places. iReport has more photos of the fires.

Update: Excellent photos at Boston.com.

11 die climbing K2

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:58:44 -0800

This is an interesting and morbid article about mountain climber deaths.

New info on SOE's "The Agency"

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:46:27 -0700

JonnyG from The Agency HQ was at SOE's Fan Faire and talked to Hal Milton (lead designer), Steve Kramer (PvP designer), and Lorien Gremore (buildmistress). The interview transcripts reveal some new information about The Agency.

Part 1: PVP
Part 2: Operatives and Missions