Archive for the Category ◊ Fun ◊
I have a goal for Black Beauty, my 2001 Chrysler 300M, and of this morning, I’m 27,778 miles away. That is if whatever is causing the Check Engine light to be on doesn’t claim her first.
The great folks over at NFlightcam were kind enough to let me try out their cockpit video system, the Nflightcam1080P. I have to admit, the first time I saw the Nflightcam in the Sporty’s catalog, I was skeptical and assumed it was another example of an otherwise available product marketed specifically to the aviation community, along with a hefty price increase. I found that this was not the case with the Nflightcam.
The folks at Nflightcam take a high definition camera made by Contour and add the necessary components and cabling necessary to record cockpit audio along with amazing 1080p video. The result is a simple and very effective cockpit video system.
Here’s a couple videos I made using the system:
As a student pilot, I wish I had been using the Nflightcam from the very beginning of my training. I wish I could keep on using it for the remainder of my training too. The videos produced may not become viral sensations, but they are very helpful in reviewing and evaluating your flights. There are elements of my flying that I do not always fully appreciate until I see it on video. The landing sequence always seems to go fast for me, and that’s where I need the most work (you watched the videos, right?). Reviewing these landings give me the opportunity to pick them apart so I can do a better job in the future.
If I could make one improvement to the Nflightcam system, it would be this: make the audio cable detachable and have the ability to use the original onboard microphone. This camera is a considerable investment, and to be frugal, I would want to maximize the utility of it. Even with this demo unit, I’ve been so tempted to mount the camera outside the airplane to capture some of those great perspectives I’ve seen done by others. With the permanently attached cable I don’t think this camera would work well outside the cockpit (though others have done it). I understand that you can custom order the Nflightcam with a detachable cable.
All in all, if you have a few hundred bucks to spare, I highly recommend it. Just one hint: Even after you’ve used the nifty lasers to line up your shot, double check and make sure you’re not recording your video upside down. If you do, you might need this link.
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Originally uploaded by Bradc314
When I got home from work last night, Becky was eager to share with me a piece of video she shot in our backyard. This is by far the coolest wildlife sighting we’ve had in our yard.
We have an old straw bale in the back that we think is making an excellent home for field mice. Now that the hawk has had such luck here, we hope he’ll be back. It looks to me like he made his first kill, and before he starts eating it, he catches another mouse and ends up eating that one first. Better in his stomach than my basement, I think.
When dinner is over, you get a very brief view of just how large of a wing span this creature has. I think his departure freaked Becky and Our Oldest out just a little bit, as he flies straight toward them.
I read a blog posting this week announcing photosynth.net, a new web site that will stitch photos together to create panoramic views.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to try. Here’s my messy cube in all of its panoramic glory. You’ll need to install their plugin to view it.
Post a link to your synth’s in the comment section.
As far as I know I have never had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich in my life. A fact that is astounding to most southerners I meet. I have yet to encounter a Chick-Fil-A in the Chicago area.
Recently McDonald’s introduced a sandwich similar to the Chick-Fil-A sandwich, which I tried, and liked (a good comparison of the two here). All my southern friends said that this McDonald’s sandwich paled in comparison. On my recent trip to South Carolina, I decided that I would seek out a Fil-A for myself. On the way through Lexington, KY, I found a Chick-Fil-A with the help of the GPS (Becky was impressed with the gadget at this point). I was surprised that the nearest restaurant was actually in a mall’s food court. I felt a lot like Michael Scott from “The Office” pointing out his favorite New York pizzeria, a Sbarro’s. Thankfully I have a very patient family!
So, there it is, my first Chick-Fil-A:
I have to say, it is better than the McDonald’s version, but I doubt I’ll ever get off the interstate and seek out a food court for one again. If they were in available in Chicago, I’d probably eat there. Not three times a week like the nice lady I met in line, but perhaps once in awhile.
Last night after work I picked up my father-in-law and headed to the Addison, IL car show. There were some really nice cars there, including the tricked out ’56 Chevy above. There were, of course, some cars there that were old, but should have been in a junk yard, and not a car show. I didn’t take any pictures of those cars.
Here’s a few more of my favorites. The rest can be seen over on Flickr.
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