Panorama fun
Well, I’m having a hell of a time trying to make equirectangular panoramas, but in the meantime I thought you might want to see some regular old cylindrical 360 degree panoramas I made:
(More …)
Updates from April, 2007 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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euicho
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euicho
Comments from a Pissed-off Soldier
Just wanted to share this.
Also this,
(requires login, attainable here)PS: Forgive the metafilter-style non-descriptive links
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Doody
It is interesting to finally here a soldier’s point of view that has not been edited and watered down to fit on a TV spot.
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Jesse
If it weren’t for the far left the far right wouldn’t have as much support, the hatred the war supporters feel for liberal wackos makes them even more supportive of their leaders. The whole idea that if it pisses off educated liberals it makes the blue collar workers happy. Which is a big theory about why Bush always seems to act like an idiot in public.
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euicho
Total General Recall
I think the gist of Gonzales’ testimony is he does not recall.
Geezuz. I couldn’t even get through this whole video. I wonder if he gave them ANY information AT ALL? What a pussy way to plead the 5th amendment. I hope nobody believes him. If he has that poor a recollection he needs to step down and seek medical attention for amnesia.
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euicho
Impossible to create a “School Shooter” profile
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, you may find several people oversimplifying the human psyche and spouting in their completely unprofessional opinions like “He was a loner” or “He wrote disturbing stories” (Yeah, so does Stephen King. Does he kill people? Not AFAIK).
The fact of the matter is creating a profile of the “School Shooter” type is impossible. Find out why at livescience.com:
But again, most mentally-disturbed individuals don’t pick up a gun and use it. “You can’t say they have isolated themselves and they are depressed, so they are going to turn into a mass murderer,†Nelson told LiveScience. “The problem is now you’ve labeled literally tens of thousands of people incorrectly, because most people who are depressed, isolated and can’t talk, don’t become mass murderers.†-
euicho
Watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower This Weekend!
If you have the time this weekend, especially very early (before dawn) Sunday and Monday, you should definately stay up late or get up early to view the Lyrid meteor shower. It will be peaking this weekend, and although its pretty tame as far as quantity goes, it’ll still be great fun to go get away from the city lights and relax under the stars.
You can expect about a dozen meteors an hour, so if you scan the entire sky, you’ll hopefully see one every 5-15 minutes (+|-). For a real treat, set your camera up on a tripod and take some nice long exposures (minutes a piece if yours allows). Your photos should come out with streams of white arcs from the stars as the earth rotates, and if you catch a meteor, it will be a straight line cutting through some of the arcs. They make for really neat photos.
Earth & Sky has a better article than I could write on the subject, so go check it out for some more pointers and info.
If you want to know when you can catch the more impressive showers, read Watch Meteors Like a Pro in 2007, also by Earth & Sky.
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euicho
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B
wow o i wonder if hiro can do that!
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euicho
Infrared Eye
Took this in total darkness to get my iris so big : )
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Jesse
Here’s what I’m currently Reading:
unit GasGunMain;
interface
uses
Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs,
StdCtrls, ExtCtrls, TeeProcs, TeEngine, Chart, GasGunInterface,
Errex, GasGunC, AppEvnts, daqx;type
TGasGunMainForm = class(TForm)
RelatStatuGB: TGroupBox;
vrs: TEdit;
Label1: TLabel;
Label2: TLabel;
srs: TEdit;
SensorStatusGB: TGroupBox;
StrainGaugeStatusGB: TGroupBox;
Label4: TLabel;
Label6: TLabel;
Label7: TLabel;
Edit5: TEdit;
Edit6: TEdit;
Edit7: TEdit;
Voltagegraph: TChart;
Chart2: TChart;
RoomtempGB: TGroupBox;
RoomAirTempEB: TEdit;
Label8: TLabel;
GroupBox1: TGroupBox;
FireControlBT: TButton;
SensorVoltageSourceGB: TGroupBox;
Label9: TLabel;
SensorVoltageEB: TEdit;
VoltageOnBT: TButton;
VoltageOffBT: TButton;
VacPumpOn: TButton;
VacPumpOff: TButton;
SolValveOff: TButton;
SolValveOn: TButton;
Label10: TLabel;
Label11: TLabel;
RadioButton1: TRadioButton;
RadioButton2: TRadioButton;
Label14: TLabel;
GroupBox2: TGroupBox;
Edit1: TEdit;
Label16: TLabel;
RadioButton3: TRadioButton;
RadioButton4: TRadioButton;
Label15: TLabel;
Button2: TButton;
Button3: TButton;
Button4: TButton;
Timer2: TTimer;
procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
procedure VacPumpOnClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure VacPumpOffClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure SolValveOnClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure SolValveOffClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure VoltageOnBTClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure VoltageOffBTClick(Sender: TObject);
procedure Timer2Timer(Sender: TObject);
procedure FireControlBTClick(Sender: TObject);
private
{ Private declarations }
public
{ Public declarations }
end;var
GasGunMainForm: TGasGunMainForm;
Fired: Integer;
Counter: Integer;
SensorVoltage: Real;implementation
{$R *.DFM}
procedure TGasGunMainForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
OpenTheDaq(1);daq9513SetMasterMode(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, 1, DcsF4, false, false,
DtodDisabled);daq9513SetCtrMode (DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, 1, DgcNoGating, true,
DcsF4, false, false, false, false, true, DocInactiveLow);GasGunInterface_Frm.InitRelays;
{Turning all relay status settings to off}
vrs.text := ‘OFF’;
srs.text := ‘OFF’;
Counter := 0;end;
{Turning on Vacuum Pump Relay via button}
procedure TGasGunMainForm.VacPumpOnClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOn(VacuumPumpRelay);
vrs.text := ‘ON’;
end;{Turning off Vacuum Pump Relay via button}
procedure TGasGunMainForm.VacPumpOffClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOff(VacuumPumpRelay);
vrs.text := ‘OFF’;
end;{Turning on Solenoid Valve Relay via button}
procedure TGasGunMainForm.SolValveOnClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOn(SolenoidValveRelay);
srs.text := ‘ON’;
end;{Turning off Solenoid Valve Relay via button}
procedure TGasGunMainForm.SolValveOffClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOff(SolenoidValveRelay);
srs.text := ‘OFF’;
end;procedure TGasGunMainForm.VoltageOnBTClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOn(SensorVoltageSource);
end;procedure TGasGunMainForm.VoltageOffBTClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOff(SensorVoltageSource);
end;
{***********************************************************************
* Firing Controls *
***********************************************************************}procedure TGasGunMainForm.Timer2Timer(Sender: TObject);
begin
SensorVoltage := Scandata.ReadOneChannel(SensorChan);
SensorVoltageEB.Text := FloatToStr(SensorVoltage);
end;procedure TGasGunMainForm.FireControlBTClick(Sender: TObject);
varloop : boolean;
SensorV : real;
str : string;
DateTime : TDateTime;
Hour, Min1, Min2, Sec1, MSec1,Sec2, MSec2: Word;
eTime : real;
counts : WORD;
count1 : WORD;
count2 : WORD;
ctrval : WORD;
velocity: real;begin
loop := true;
counts := 0;
count1 := 0;
count2 := 0;
DecodeTime(Time,Hour,Min1,Sec1,MSec1);GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOn(SolenoidValveRelay);
daq9513SetHold(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513,0, 1, 0);
daq9513MultCtrl(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, DmccArm, true, false, false,
false, false);daq9513MultCtrl(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, DmccSave, true, false, false,
false, false);daq9513GetHold(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, 1, count1);
while loop
do
begin
SensorV := Scandata.ReadOneChannel(SensorChan);
daq9513MultCtrl(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, DmccSave, true, false, false,
false, false);
daq9513GetHold(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, 1, count2);
if SensorV > 3.1 then Loop := false;
end;daq9513MultCtrl(DaqHandle00, DiodtLocal9513, 0, DmccDisarm, true, false, false,
false, false);GasGunInterface_Frm.TurnRelayOff(SolenoidValveRelay);
DecodeTime(Time,Hour,Min2,Sec2,MSec2);
eTime := (Sec2-Sec1) + (MSec2-Msec1)/1000;
velocity := 24/((count2+1)*1.0);
{str :=’Travel Time – ‘+ ‘Low=’ + FloatToStr(eTime-0.015)+’s'+’ High=’ + FloatToStr(eTime) +’s';
showmessage(str);
str :=’Projectile Velocity – ‘+ ‘Low=’ + FloatToStr(24/eTime*1/12) +’ ft/s’+’ High=’ + FloatToStr(24/(eTime-0.015)*1/12) + ‘ ft/s’;
showmessage(str);
str := FloatToStr(count2-count1-11);
showmessage(str);}str := ‘Projectile Velocity ‘ + ‘ High – ‘ + FloatToStr(24/((count2-count1)/1000-0.0109999)) + ‘ ft/s’+ ‘ Low – ‘ + FloatToStr(24/((count2-count1)/1000)) + ‘ ft/s’;
showmessage(str);
str := ‘Projectile Travel Time ‘ + ‘ High – ‘ + FloatToStr((count2-count1)/1000)+ ‘ Low – ‘ + FloatToStr((count2-count1)/1000-0.0109999);
showmessage(str);end;
end.
After a month of writing this program I’m beginning to go a little bit crazy. It’s a good thing it only fires one round.
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Jesse
They delted my gravatar, artards.
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euicho
ROFL awesome! But why the heck did they delete your gravatar? R-tards indeed.
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Doody
That is an awesome picture though.
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euicho
Cool Motorized Snow Skate
Can you say “I Want One!” kiddies? I can:
Its a motorized snow-skate created by some engineering kids at the University of Waterloo, and its really, really awesome. Check the video out via MAKE.
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euicho
The Irresponsibility of the Press
And yet we wonder why Americans are so ignorant to the rest of the world…
B, 
Jesse, and 
Luke 8:05 pm on 4/30/2007 Permalink
Hey Tom.
Those panoramas are pretty cool. I’d figure I ask you this. I’m looking for a digital camera what would be good for under $200? I saw a Sony with a Carl Zeiss lens with a 7 mega pixel res. but it has an internal rechargeable battery. So I come dumbfounded to you.
-Luke
euicho 11:47 am on 5/1/2007 Permalink
Thanks Luke!
The Carl Zeiss Sony cameras are very good. Mine is a Sony F717 though it is 5 years old and only 5MP, it has very high quality (Carl Zeiss) glass in it. When we decided to look for a camera for Amme, she wanted a very compact one with a big screen, good mega pixel count, and good photo quality. We decided on the Sony DSC W50, which also uses Carl Zeiss glass. It takes really crisp photos. Both these have proprietary batteries, but even my 5 year old battery holds a charge just fine, and only cost $25 for a backup battery. I suggest getting the Sony if you can get it for $200 or less. Other than that I, choosing a camera depends on what you are looking for, ie: number of mega pixels, zoom, do you want an ultra-compact or do you care about size? etc. I suggest going to Steves Digicams, this place is my bible for cameras, and click on either “The Best Cameras” which will give you the best cameras for each category, or hover over the “Our Reviews” button and select a mega pixel range. This will give you a matrix of cameras and features so you can narrow down the camera that is perfect for you. For good cameras in general for around $200, here are a few options:
Luke 7:36 pm on 5/1/2007 Permalink
Wow, you have saved me hours or research. Thank You.
Jesse 1:46 am on 5/3/2007 Permalink
What’s with the phantom doody in the downtown pic, thats creepy. Uh oh I think he’s behind me oh god…
euicho 11:19 am on 5/3/2007 Permalink
lol you noticed him too huh? I was wondering if Doody had see.. GAH! *gak* *gurble*….
B 9:58 pm on 5/3/2007 Permalink
wow o wowee those are sweet
Camera Collector 6:29 am on 5/23/2009 Permalink
I really admire that model of camera. They say a good photo is not due to how good the camera is, but the skill of the photographer, but just the same, I still suspect that I could be a better photographer if I bought one.