Sunset #12
4K Time Lapse of sunset over the Pacific shot from San Francisco.
I made this with a Sony A7C, 40mm F2.5 G and a GR-120QD slider. It's taken a while to work with this combo as Sony decided to omit a wired shutter trigger from the A7C. It took a long time to come to terms with this - surely I just had the wrong cable or settings, but no, it doesn't support this super basic function. In case you're struggling with this Hypoxic sells a bluetooth to 2.5mm adapter, although it's actually the other way round - the 2.5mm port causes the bluetooth shutter to activate. It's a little baroque as you're working with a camera (and battery), a slider (and battery) and an adapter (tiny coin battery and no idea how much power is left...). It works though.
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(Published to the Fediverse as: Sunset #12 #timelapse #video #sunset #pacific #4k #slider Sunset #12 )
Reviews for September 2023
Spoilers!
Movies
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Very nearly skipped this as the Crystal Skull installment was atrocious. The dial is the Antikythera mechanism which is cool, although it's a toddler proofed version with a very different function than the original. The film's heart is in the right place and it's much closer to the originals, but the CGI young Indie kind of sinks it. Harrison Ford is showing his age but better than any plausible replacement (definite Joe Biden vibes) and I wish they'd stuck with that. Instead there is a lot of flashback to fake young Indie which would make for an impressive demo but doesn't work in a major movie. Maybe the technology will get there one day, or maybe we should hand the baton on to a new generation of heros (again with Joe Biden parallels).
Operation Napoleon
Fun Icelandic thriller about a Nazi plane that crashed with a mysterious cargo.
Music
America
Haunting music and video by London Grammar. Keeps growing on me.
Podcasts
FiveThirtyEight Politics
In the run up to Trump's first election I started listening to the NPR Politics Podcast. It was hard to keep up, and the opening with the hour and minute where the content would still be relevant was on the nose. It's since got tired, and they unfortunately switched to a daily update which doesn't have much depth. Safe to say if I'm listening to a politics podcast I know the headlines already. Luckily I also started listening to FiveThirtyEight Politics. Nate Silver might be gone, but it's still great, diving into nerdy detail on the tiniest little thing. This goes to the top of my queue each time it's published, mostly twice a week at the moment.
Intrigue Burning Sun
Disturbing reporting on K-Pop, rape and the Koran legal system.
Intrigue Mayday
A dead British soldier, the White Helmets and fake chemical attacks in Syria.
Intrigue Tunnel 29
Yes I will be listening to the entire back catalogue of Intrigue this month. Tunnel 29 is the story of a tunnel under the Berlin wall. It's the best from Intrigue so far.
TV
Good Omens Season 2
The archangel Gabriel shows up naked at Aziraphale's bookshop, hijinks ensue. Great sequel.
Kaleidoscope
In principle Kaleidoscope is very clever because you can watch most of the episodes in any order, and Netflix says that everyone gets a random shuffle. In practice though it's a heist and so you already know every detail, only the specific macguffins and flourishes need to be added. I enjoyed it.
Special Ops Lioness Season 1
A little soapy. I'd rather watch Jack Ryan and Grey's Anatomy separately rather than mashed up together like an experimental ice cream flavor. Has its moments though.
(All images included with ITHCWY reviews are the property of their respective owners and are used to illustrate reviews only.)
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Blue Marble 2 Animation
This animation shows twelve sections from the highest resolution version of NASA's Blue Marble Next Generation image for December 2004.
Can you guess all twelve locations? Answers below.
I use a lower resolution version of this image in Catfood Earth. The full version is 86,400 by 43,200, or 3.7 gigapixels. I've always wanted to do something with all this data, and decided to just follow some random paths and animate out the results. It's a little like watching the view from the ISS, if the ISS could randomly change location and direction.
The sequences in order are:
- Passing over Madagascar and then across central Africa.
- Along the Aleutian Islands and into Alaska.
- Across South America and the Amazon.
- Up the Eastern seaboard of the US into Canada.
- Following the Nile through North Africa.
- From Siberia to Denmark.
- Up Baja California and then California USA.
- Philippines, Taiwan, China, Mongolia.
- Following the Caribbean to Florida.
- Across Australia.
- South South America, focused on Chile.
- Koreas, Japan.
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(Published to the Fediverse as: Blue Marble 2 Animation #etc #video #nasa #bluemarble #earth #satellite 4k 60fps video from high resolution satellite imagery, can you guess all twelve locations? )
Reviews for August 2023
Spoilers!
Movies
Brooklyn 45
Both a sensitive movie about coming to terms with the transition from war to peace at the end of WWII (as well as foreshadowing some other transitions) and a really average seance horror movie. Overall I don't regret watching it but this didn't need the hokey special effects (down to an actual shot of a photo with its eyes moving a little bit).
Heart of Stone
80% Mission Impossible, 20% Minority Report. Nothing new to see here, but it's a fun enough ride.
Luther The Fallen Sun
Luther hits the big screen. Really not the same without Ruth Wilson. It's fun and over the top but more silly than dark.
Paradise
Scientists figure out how to transplant literal years of life from the poor to the rich. What could go wrong? Lots of twists and turns, this was pretty good.
The Pope's Exorcist
Russel Crowe shows off his Italian, retcons the Spanish Inquisition and shows the devil the door. It's OK.
Music
Where is my mind
Amazing performance of an incredible song.
Podcasts
Search Engine
PJ Vogt's something turns out to be Search Engine, which so far has consisted of idiosyncratic deep dives that remind me of another podcast that died too soon...
TV
Hijack
Two hours of thrills unfortunately packed into a 7 episode show. A couple of episodes in I was rooting for the Hijackers. By the fourth, I just wanted the plane to be shot down. They spend three episodes figuring out the guns are loaded with blanks, although to start with they insist the guns are fakes which is a different proposition entirely and then it turns out that they also have real bullets. That's about 3 hours of plot. Feels like it was written in one sitting and then never checked for continuity or tension or interest. When Generative AI is making TV shows on demand this is what I imagine they'll be like.
Jack Ryan Season 4
I've got some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that you get to make one more season of Jack Ryan.
The bad news is that we really had to scrape the barrel to fund it. Your primary sponsor is the State Tourist Board of Myanmar. Their goal is to keep people away so you only get to include shots that look like the suburbs of LA and the plot can't do anything to upset the Junta. Other than that you have complete creative freedom. Although Jeff insists that one scene can be summed up as "No, Mr. Ryan, I expect you get to wrapped up like a cucumber".
We also got a few bucks from JLR so every third shot has to be a Range Rover looking awesome. Have fun!
Silo Season 1
Foundation was a big disappointment to me, de-Azimov'd generic SciFi, so I was pretty nervous about Silo. It's an adaptation of the first few installments of Hugh Howey's epic Wool series. The TV version doesn't dare to be quite as good as Wool, but it's pretty decent with a great cast and spot on production design. Looking forward to the next series already. If you haven't read the books then you're missing out.
The Outlaws Season 2
At this point it's Breaking Bristol. It's rare to get dramedy right, this is great.
The Witcher Blood Origin
Ever wonder where Witchers came from? Me either, but they're going to tell you anyway. This has an awesome cast - Michelle Yeoh with Lenny Henry! And the special effects and production values are similar to the main series. It's not that good though. Four episodes is a really awkward canvas. It might have been a tight film or an entertaining series but it's both not enough and too much for the space available.
(All images included with ITHCWY reviews are the property of their respective owners and are used to illustrate reviews only.)
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Shenandoah Valley
Timelapse including two sunsets over the Shenandoah Valley with some spectacular clouds, fireflies and a star sequence including the milky way.
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(Published to the Fediverse as: Shenandoah Valley #timelapse #video #stars #4k 4K time lapse of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia featuring two sunsets, fireflies and the milky way. )
Reviews for July 2023
Spoilers!
Books
Invasive
Losely a sequel to Zeroes (same universe, different lead character), Invasive is a thriller about saving the world from genetically modified killer ants. It's a very competent beach read kind of book, keeps the pace moving along briskly and gets the job done. His Miriam Black series is much better (and darker) and I am on the cusp of dipping into Wayward, the sequel to the rather good Wanderers.
Killing Moon
I thought I was done with Harry Hole at the end of Book 12, but he's surprisingly back and with an ending that strongly hints at more. This time Harry is forced to solve a crime outside the Norwegian police by some hand waving circumstances in Los Angeles. The main plot is another very nasty killer with many red herrings along the way. This series is my favorite Scandinavian Noir and it's a very solid installment but start at the beginning if you're new to it. There is a lot of history with many of these characters.
The Starless Crown
I really struggled to finish this book, to the point it backed up my reading and had me turning to Netflix for several months. It's a pity because the concept is great, a fantasy quest in a distinctly Sci Fi milieu, and many of the scenes are phenomenal. Maybe it will make a great movie or TV series one day. But the actual mechanics of the prose are leaden and tropey. Not a series that I'm planning to continue.
Movies
Blackberry
I watched Blackberry expecting to find out something interesting about the history of the famous business accessory, or maybe the phone version of the outstanding Halt and Catch Fire. Nope. Apparently they built it with swearing and then once people fell in love with the iPhone the company died. Nothing to add here.
Discontinued
Funny movie about our particular version of reality getting shut down. I like that the reason for the simulation is inconsequential, see this.
Fast X
This is one of those irritating moves that doesn't really end and just sets up the next chapter. It's also an exercise in too much CGI, some of it unforgivably bad. Beyond that I don't remember much, and I don't know much about cars so the fact he's in a Spaghetti Chiron Ghia means nothing to me. Some of the earlier installments were OK. I've watched between 3 and 12 of them.
To Catch a Killer
To Catch a Killer is a competent, adult police thriller set in Baltimore. It doesn't have any particular angle or seeming reason to exist in today's cinematic landscape. It's just a well made gift that arrived for no reason. Lucky rent.
Music
Don't Delete the Kisses
Low key but can't stop going back to this by Wolf Alice.
TV
The Days
The Days tells the story of the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. A nuclear catastrophe is always pretty gripping and I was pretty gripped. They clearly didn't have the budget to compete with HBO's Chernobyl though, and seem to have gone for a daytime Emmy instead. The special effects were not that great, and some of the acting was more horrific than the meltdown. There is one nuclear advisor who emotes surprise like a Tasered fish and you wonder if AI actors might be a blessing in some cases.
(All images included with ITHCWY reviews are the property of their respective owners and are used to illustrate reviews only.)
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Philosopher's Way in McLaren Park
Philosopher's Way is a 2.7 mile loop around McLaren Park in San Francisco. The trail was designed by Peter Richards and Susan Schwatzenberg and opened in 2013. The stone markers are fun to look for and there are various interesting plaques on the route as well. McLaren is the second largest city park in San Francisco. John McLaren is more famous for developing and then becoming the superintendent of Golden Gate Park. He is responsible for the windmills - to pump water to irrigate the park and apparently insisted that there could be no 'Keep off the Grass' signs.
Hike starts at: 37.718265, -122.412104. View in Google Earth.
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Philosopher's Way in McLaren Park #hike #video #sanfrancisco #sfdogwalk #map 2.7 mile loop walk around Philosopher's Way in McLaren Park, San Francisco, California. )
Pride 2023 Laser Rainbow (Time Lapse)
For the second year Illuminate SF has put on a laser rainbow show from the Ferry Building on Market Street in San Francisco for Pride. This time lapse was shot from Twin Peaks and shows first light until around 9:30 PM. The number of lasers has been doubled from 6 to 12, and you could see the beams travelling between Twin Peaks and out to the Pacific.
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(Published to the Fediverse as: Pride 2023 Laser Rainbow (Time Lapse) #timelapse #video #4k #pride #sanfrancisco #twinpeaks Time lapse of the San Francisco 2023 Pride laser rainbow show from the Ferry Building to Twin Peaks. )
Presidio Loop Hike
A pleasant loop hike in the Presidio of San Francisco. This is a dog friendly version, many trails are closed to dogs in the spring due to coyote pupping season. It starts at Mountain Lake, winds down the Ecology Trail to the main post and runs past both the new tunnel tops parks before returning to Mountain Lake.
Hike starts at: 37.786106, -122.472095. View in Google Earth.
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(Hike Map)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Presidio Loop Hike #hike #video #presidio #sanfrancisco #hikevid #map 4 mile loop hike in the Presidio of San Francisco, California including Main Post and Tunnel Tops (dog friendly). )
Reviews for May 2023
Spoilers!
Movies
Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves
Exactly what you'd expect. Fairly funny mostly good spirited quest adventure that is over-reliant on one gizmo that makes this more like Portal: The Movie.
M3gan
It was clearly the weekend for AI children. After The Artifice Girl I decided I needed to watch M3gan, a horror take on the same sort of topic. The Artifice Girl is thoughtful and quietly disturbing, M3gan has a traditional horror vibe and explores the topic of turning childcare over to technology a little bit before just jumping to killing people. The robot is very very creepy which is good but also you wonder why anyone would trust the thing in the first place.
Polite Socity
Polite Society is a pleasantly bonkers tale of a girl trying to save her sister from a semi-arranged marriage in a British Pakistani community.
The Artifice Girl
The Artifice Girl looks like a three act play turned into a movie. It follows the evolution of an AI girl who was accidentally developed to ensnare online predators. The first act is hugely compelling and the second two can't quite hit the same level, but it's definitely worth watching.
Music
Where's My Love
I wonder how much of the rise in depression can be chalked up to this one painful but beautiful SYML track? It's melancholy just listening but the video provides maximum bleakness.
Podcasts
I'm Not a Monster Series 1
I listened to this the wrong way round, starting with the second series on Shamima Begum. The first is the story of Sam Sally and probably due to having listened to the second series so recently it failed to grab my attention in the same way. It's not exactly the same story, but just how many women ran off to join Islamic State only to discover it wasn't a super empowering society?
The Coldest Case in Laramie
There really should be some naming convention for investigative podcasts that indicates if the case was cracked or not. This is one of the many disappointments that leaves you none the wiser. The highlight is some real insight into just how manipulative the police can be when forcing a confession. Regardless of the crime or level of guilt you really want a lawyer in the room with you.
The Political Party
For UK politics The Political Party has got the goods. Matt Forde interviews anyone who is anybody and quite a few fascinating people who aren't. Even though his politics are not subtle he draws great stories and insights from across the political spectrum. The live shows usually start with some stand-up as well. One of my favorite shows each week.
TV
Mrs. Davis
In Mrs. Davis a nun tries to kill a powerful Artificial Intelligence. This involves finding the Holy Grail and at one point the Grail is in a sperm whale. I really wanted to like it, and while it started off well it got somehow worse with each episode and the whimsy outweighed anything else that might have been going on. Not worth the time.
Perry Mason Season 2
I never watched the original, but Perry Mason on HBO is a fun trip to an alternative reality LA in the 30's.
Star Trek Picard Season 3
For Season 3 Picard stops showing us retirement projects and reunites the crew of Star Trek Next Generation to fight the Borg and some Shapeshifters in a cunning plan to overthrow The Federation that somehow only affects The Youth. I'm all for it. This was the Star Trek cast that probably had the best chemistry and it's amazing to see them together again. The plot just takes a very long time to get going and the final battle involves thousands of starfleet ships that can't quite overpower one aged space dock. Worth it for some quality Worf and Data lines though.
The Bay Season 4
The Bay, from ITV via Britbox in the US is a police procedural set in Morecambe Bay. Although it centers around the family liaison officer it's still a very standard but entertaining whodunit.
The Night Agent
I wasn't expecting too much from The Night Agent. It presents as a formulaic network FBI drama, but its sense of humour is far darker and it has a real edge to it. Based on a book so I'm going to go out on a limb and say any future seasons will be trash.
(All images included with ITHCWY reviews are the property of their respective owners and are used to illustrate reviews only.)
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