-
Recent Posts
- Our Truly Amazing TV Debut: Behind the Scenes
- Holi in Bangladesh Part 2: the Ruined Roll
- Holi in Bangladesh
- Hashing Out Old Dhaka
- The Blog is Back: First Impressions of Dhaka, Bangladesh
- A Few Words About My Father
- The Sky is NOT Always Blue in California
- “Artisans” documentary series – final (?) episode
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5. (part 2)
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5.
Category Archives: Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Young Afghans Perform at the Kennedy Center
This is the finale of a stunning performance by a group of young Afghans at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Touring from Kabul, they were teamed with a group of youngsters from Maryland to play music that got a … Continue reading
AFN Commercial: Proud to Serve Again
Here’s another fun “commercial” from the Armed Forces Network, or AFN. In this video, former military are encouraged to take up a job teaching. While this is an admirable profession and I certainly would never suggest otherwise, whenever you’re trying … Continue reading
Posted in AFN Commercials
Tagged AFN, commercial, kaffiyeh, military, post-military job, teaching
Leave a comment
The Korean Air Force Releases Les Miserables Parody Video
Following a long tradition of military folks getting involved in musical YouTube shenanigans, the (South) Korean Air Force has released a hilarious parody of Les Miserables they call “Les Militaribles.” After only a week, the video has picked up an … Continue reading
Posted in Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged Air Force, Korea, Les Miserables, musical, parody
Leave a comment
Namibian Nights: The Best Timelapse Ever
I’ve looked at a lot of timelapses, and after a certain number of them you just start to want to fast forward through them because they’re spectacular and all, but after awhile everything just sort of starts to look the … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff on Vimeo
Tagged desert, light, Namibia, night sky, stars, stopmotion, timelapse
Leave a comment
Did Jeep’s Super Bowl Ad Go a Bit Far?
So there I was, living in southern Africa, with the Armed Forces Network my only lifeline to the outside world, and poof! The satellite system goes on the fritz Friday before the Super Bowl. No worry, though – the best … Continue reading
Posted in Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged ad, Jeep, Oprah, propaganda, Super Bowl
Leave a comment
Sunsets: Tonemapping vs Importing from RAW
I’ve been playing around with tonemapping software – Photomatix – which can both be used to create HDR photos from bracketed JPEGs, and an HDR photo from a single RAW file. These are some photos I took of the same … Continue reading
Afghanistan, Then and Now
The Denver Post has just posted a wonderful collection of photos of Afghanistan from the 1960s which paints a world that was remarkably different than it is today. Taken by William Podlich, a professor from Arizona State University who took … Continue reading
Armed Forces Network: and now, a word from our sponsors…
I’m not one to complain about the Armed Forces Network – AFN has been a part of my life since the early 1970s, when we were living in Germany and it would basically play during prime time until around midnight, … Continue reading
Posted in AFN Commercials
Tagged AFN, Armed Forces Network, commercials, exercise, health, military, PSA, public service announcement, television
1 Comment
Tourist Promotion Video – for Afghanistan?
Not long ago, I posted a stunning video that was recently put together to promote tourism in Namibia. Now, the NATO channel, an arm of NATO’s public diplomacy machinery, has produced a video to promote tourism in Afghanistan, of all … Continue reading
Posted in Afghanistan, Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged Afghanistan, Hindu Kush, NATO, Panjshir, tourism
Leave a comment
Guest post: YouTube’s Automatic Transcript Function
OK, so here’s a thing. So apparently Youtube has an automatic transcript function, where it will use voice recognition to try and build a transcript of your video. You might think this presents all sorts of interesting IP issues, and … Continue reading
Posted in Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged script, transcript, YouTube
1 Comment
One-Way Ticket to Mars: Now Accepting Applications
(Updated on Apr 23, 2013 – see bottom of post) The organization “Mars One” has just released its eligibility requirements to become an astronaut in their 2023 Mars mission. And the good news is, if you’re over 18 and reasonably intelligent, … Continue reading
Posted in Contests, Other, Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged astronaut, Mars, Mars One, space
Leave a comment
Madagascar on 12.12.12 part II: the Snake
For my second installment in the “One Day on Earth” project, in which filmmakers around the world are invited to contribute footage which may be used in a feature-length film, I was also in Madagascar’s Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Technically, we … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff on Vimeo, Madagascar, One Day on Earth, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged boa, constrictor, eating, frog, one day on earth, snake, swallow, tree frog
Leave a comment
Madagascar on 12.12.12 part I: the Lemurs
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I have been pretty excited about 12.12.12. Why? Because that’s the day the third “One Day on Earth” film is to be recorded in every country around the world. The first … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff on Vimeo, Madagascar, One Day on Earth, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged indri, lemurs, Madagascar, one day on earth, sifakas
Leave a comment
In Namibia, the best light for photos is within 10 minutes of sunrise
Driving through the Namibian desert just outside the coastal town of Swakopmund at about 0545 can give you a real visual treat. It would have been more spectacular with a bit more of the fog/mist the area is known for, … Continue reading
One-Day Cactus Flower
I’ve heard rumors that many cacti bloom for only one day, but thought this was odd because I have cacti in my garden that will continue to bloom day after day (they open when the sun hits them and close … Continue reading
Posted in Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged bloom, cactus, flower, one-day
Leave a comment
Free Animation Course by Bill Plympton
Want to learn more about animation from one of its masters? Bill Plympton is an animator who hand draws all of his frames – a dying art that has almost been completely replaced by Pixar-style computer animation. Don’t get me … Continue reading
Peace through Dance
Every now and then, I like to see what people are up to on Kickstarter, and how they make their pitch – in particular the video projects. Now and then you come across some really interesting projects. “Dancing in Jaffa” … Continue reading
Archived historical films: Holland Carries On (post WWII)
One of the coolest things I have come across on the internet lately is the Prelinger Collection at archive.org (thanks to my daughter for pointing it out). On this site, you can browse hundreds of thousands of video, imagery and sound … Continue reading
Posted in Historical films
Tagged Dutch, film, Netherlands Information Service, propaganda, public diplomacy, World War II
Leave a comment
My Last Days: Meet Christopher Aiff
No words – just watch:
What are YOUR plans for 12.12.12.?
On 12.12.12, filmmakers all over the world will be collecting footage for One Day on Earth, the third volume in a three-year project to capture a single day on earth, as experienced all over this amazing planet. Wouldn’t you like … Continue reading
One Day on Earth: The 11/11/11 Trailer is Here!
“One Day on Earth” is a fascinating project to collate footage from every country in the world into a single full-length film. In its first iteration, filmmakers worldwide were asked to submit footage taken on October 10, 2010 – or … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Stuff on Vimeo
Tagged 11.11.11., 11/11/11, film, global, one day on earth
Leave a comment
Project Wild Thing: childhood’s not what it used to be
According to a 2007 study released by UNICEF, children in the U.S. and UK are among the unhappiest in 21 industrialized countries. One British filmmaker thinks it’s because our kids no longer play outside. When I was young, we’d head … Continue reading
Posted in Cool Kickstarters
Tagged Ashley Jones, David Bond, kickstarter, Project Wild Thing
Leave a comment
Be a MySpace “early adopter”! The redesigned one.
MySpace is reinventing itself (again) and I’ve been waiting by my email inbox all weekend for an invite. I’m just not sure if that invitation is coming from Tom, or from Justin. Since having been purchased in 2011, and having … Continue reading
Posted in Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff
Tagged myspace, new, redesign, timberlake
Leave a comment
Town of Ghosts
Awhile back, I posted about photographing ghost towns – specifically Kolmanskop, Namibia. When we looked at photographing the town, we thought about whether it might look better in black and white – but that morning, the warm light made everything … Continue reading
World’s Largest Stick Insect Hatches
Here’s a video you’ve probably seen before. It’s one of the world’s rarest insects, hatching from an impossibly small egg. The eggs are offspring of a breeding pair found under a bush growing on a rock that juts up out … Continue reading