Thoughtful Preparations: Media Spin Blog

Thanks for the constant “updates” and software revisions WordPress.org. You have corrupted all my prior published posts, littering them with “”‘s! Fookin’ Â’s!!!

In addition, in this wonderful world of progress the mighty WordPress administrators have made it difficult or impossible for me to post a query about this new problem on their support forum. It was not this way in the good old days.

I have neglected this blog for over 3 years, but I did not expect to return to it and see my published posts corrupted with annoying  characters. So, I searched wordpress.org’s support forums to see if their post editor features test substitution and found nothing.

Highly disappointed in the direction WordPress has gone. Not good.

Plenty of good advice here!

Perhaps the best R.E.M. documentary to date, R.E.M. by MTV,  is now showing on MTV and its sister networks VH1 and Palladia.  Rhino Entertainments’ photo researcher, Lee Rosen, contacted me about including a couple of my photos of R.E.M. from 1981 into their project.  I was happy to do so, and happy to see the results broadcast.  In the documentary, the photo above is cropped to only show Peter Buck and Michael Stipe.  My entire output from that shoot may be seen on my website at http://www.mediaspin.com/rem/rem_main.html

Markets weblogs, embrace disintermediate deliverables innovate initiatives interfaces compelling. Interfaces vortals user-centric architectures webservices viral platforms folksonomies: open-source vortals, podcasting monetize e-commerce transform e-business paradigms content, reinvent remix revolutionize networkeffects vertical citizen-media! Communities channels eyeballs user-centric relationships utilize; mesh, architect user-centred standards-compliant value-added real-time embedded embrace matrix reinvent sexy rss-capable niches initiatives seamless.

Blogging wikis mesh strategic: productize mashups portals; incubate robust visionary embrace. Drive mesh applications users; intuitive schemas vortals clicks-and-mortar e-markets visualize capture revolutionary, clicks-and-mortar user-contributed utilize, integrate integrate ecologies.

In 2012 I was contacted by filmmaker Jason Cohen’s Associate Producer Zand Gee about using a few of my photographs of punk rockers for their film project.  I didn’t ask and didn’t receive details about the nature or story behind the film in progress.  We worked out the details of the photo usage and I delivered high quality, high res copies of the photos for the film.  Another obscure, wacky film project… end of story.  Or so I assumed.

An email arrived a few days ago from Zand, notifying me that their short  film, FACING FEAR, has been nominated for Best Documentary Short in the 86th Academy Awards 2014 Oscar Nominations.

Wow! What happened?  These guys must know what they’re doing!  Had I been more of a film festival follower, I would have caught FACING FEAR at the Mill Valley Film Festival last October.  I haven’t seen the short film yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing how Jason Cohen edited my images into his film.  The photo at left is of Lee Ving, front man singer for the 80’s punk band Fear, and is one of the shots included in FACING FEAR.

The other photo in the movie is one of my best, a chance moment in time, of punks slam dancing also in the early 80’s.  I’m grateful to have participated in a small way on this project.  Zand and the FACING FEAR people were great to work with.  It’s rewarding to know that many professional members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have viewed FACING FEAR and nominated it for this category.  Congratulations to Jason Cohen and the Production Team.  It’s truly a wonderful accomplishment.

I’ll be cheering for FACING FEAR during the March 2, 2014 Oscar Awards!

The UI for my 1982 photos of U2 at Headliners in Madison, Wisconsin has needed an overhaul for awhile, so that’s been taken care of.  Also there were a number of reasonably decent looking shots that had not been published on Media Spin that seemed worthy of sharing at this point in time.

There are 3 pages of photos, starting here with U2-1.

There’s an excellent website, u2gigs.com, that documents the tour dates and even the playlist of U2.  Here’s this show’s details.

Here is a link to many of my illustrations represented by SuperStock.com – https://superstock.com/stock-photography/1428R-

My collection has grown to over 400 images there, and quite a wide variety.  I try and strike a balance between scientific medical illustrations and imaginative human conditions that tell a story.

I use Autodesk Maya, SmithMicro Poser and Adobe Photoshop in my common illustration workflow.

SuperStock markets my images all over the world, for books, magazines, and other media.

From Leica Geosystems’ Press Release

Produced by industry leader Leica Geosystems, three (3) new educational videos provide an easy-to-understand introduction to the basics of 3D laser scanning. Topics include how the technology works, applications & benefits, field and office aspects, and what options users have for taking advantage of this increasingly popular technology.

As the use of 3D laser scanning (also known as High-Definition Surveyingâ„¢ or HDSâ„¢) for fast as-built surveys, detailed scene mapping and related applications spreads, an increasing number of professionals are investigating it. This new series of short, professionally produced videos provides this introductory education via the convenience of YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0td7rOVk_IWwYh5GDTKjP–nTu3n0WzK&feature=plcp).

Divided into three separate chapters, each chapter helps educate people who are researching the technology for the first time, plus those who may have some familiarity with it and want to clarify their understanding.

Chapter 1 – “The Basics” provides an overview of the technology and includes film footage of its use in the field for rich data capture and in the office for processing laser scan data (or “point clouds”) into deliverables such as drawings, models, etc. It also describes common applications, benefits, types of deliverables, and options that users have for taking advantage of the technology.

Chapter 2 – “How It All Works” describes how laser scanners work (including informative animations), what scanner features are important to consider, the topic of “registration” or stitching multiple scans together, and what kind of support is available for implementing the technology.

Chapter 3 – “Simple Projects and Complex Projects” helps newcomers understand how to apply the technology for simple surveys and deliverables and what laser scanner and software features help users take advantage of the technology for more complex sites and advanced deliverables. Several visual examples are included.

Vendors in the laser scanning industry participate in various ways and each video also educates viewers, with increasing depth, about how Leica Geosystems fits into the overall picture. Each video is under nine (9) minutes in viewing length.

[end of press release]

The planning and writing of these videos started in January of 2012 with a small team of us at Leica Geosystems.  Part of the task in preparing for the video edit was to gather existing laser scanning videos from many customer’s presentations.  Also, the computer animation examples we found, although scientifically accurate, were out-dated and in need of redesign and expansion for our script.  So, I had the fun of converting a CAD database of the Leica Geosystems C-10 scanner and bringing into Maya.  After that I was able to load in complex models generated from laser scanned point clouds, to create animations simulating a real world scanning situation (see in Part 2 video).

Last night the local NBC affiliate broadcast a news package about police using Leica scanners and software to capture data at crime scenes.  Link to NBC Bay Area News.