i-rant
Moving through time and overthinking every minute of it.Stop-Motion Video Shorts with DJ
Posted on September 03, 2007Daniel is computer animation.  Took a class this summer in camp. He also wants to use his Lego Bionicles to do it.  I told him about stop motion and his friend has done it with a small camera.  I found JoJo’s website and this might do the trick for him.   Photojojo » How to Make Stop-Motion Video Shorts with Your Digital CameraIt gets better – with my nikon and my new mac-pro this will be a breeze.  I have Final Cut Express and it has Blue and Green screen filters built in.  As described on Final Cut Pro QuickTips via Digital Media Online this is very possible to do. We can do the stop motion as JoJo suggests but on a green screen and have it on any background we like.  Here is a cool site from a DIY site that describes a low-budget way to make backdrops. And another Down and Dirty Greenscreen. Researching paint color to just paint a wall revealed you just want to get as close to true green or blue (like on the test pattern on the TV).Â
This Garden Is Illegal – A Garden Blog
Posted on August 09, 2007This Garden Is Illegal – A Garden Blog
is a great resource for information on gardening and related activities. As the writer states, gardening is an obsession; which is pretty much the way I’ve been running lately.
Peachtree Road Race 2007
Posted on July 13, 2007Place: 2,205 out of 55,000 JAMES A. CHARANIS ATLANTA GA Gun Time 49:40 Chip Time: 48:32
per my goal from the qualifier http://www.i-rant.org/2007/03/04/chattahochee-road-runners-10k/
Swift Sweet Rush
Posted on May 31, 2007
Swift Sweet Rush by Jim Charanis
Took a bunch at Maia’s recital but this one of her and her friend running across the bridge in euphoric enthusiasm before the performance was candid. Funny how things work out – life is what happens when you are making plans.
instructables : String Tripod
Posted on May 04, 2007I love reading tidbits during my lunch break. This is a great idea – esp when I’m hiking.
Pruning and Watering – Frost Burned Plants
Posted on May 03, 2007Eco-Terra Landscape Consultants has a great article on what to do with this frost damange here in the South. 
Here is the little Maple I planted last year, It had come in so nicely and I had pruned it back a bit on the interior to give it a nice look. That’s probably all that would have survived, so I blew it. I have dead wood all the way down to the trunk. I’ll cut it back and hope for the best. I just deep watered them, will do that once a week.
Here is one of the Crepe Myrtles that got wacked . I had just pruned them 
The Article says to just let them grow, they should come back.
Mac Pro for digital pictures and video
Posted on May 01, 2007I can’t stand it. I’m getting a Mac Pro. I have a Compaq Presario Intel Win XP box I’ve been running for over 5 years and my trusty PowerBook G4 1Ghz. It just takes too long to process the RAW photo’s from my Nikon D200 (10MP) on the powerbook and if I’m going to upgrade my Win XP box I might as well run it on an Intel Mac now that I can. It also takes too long to process movies even in iMovie. I like my transitions and titles, pan and scan. Every time I change something it renders for a good 5 minutes. Sure iMovie is smart enough to do that in the background but on a Quad Core Intel box it will tear through this stuff. No I don’t need the 8-Core. I’m researching a Mac Pro to run Final Cut Express, Aperture, Adobe Dreamweaver and Flash. I’ll upgrade FC Express and the Adobe Web suite and buy a new copy of Aperature.
I spoke with a Mac guy at the Apple store and he confirmed that the processor speed isn’t the challenge for me. I’m not doing heavy engineering or gaming that might require intense calculations. So figure a Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon (that’s 4 2.66 GHz processors!). $2,499.00
Upgrading the memory both Ram and HD is the key. I have looked into it and I think getting the RAM from Apple is probably the best bet. When they configure the box they will fill all of the memory slots so getting 1GB will fill 2 slots with 512MB RAM, 2GB will fill 4 slots. I have also heard the Apple memory is built to be cool in a box that doesn’t have many fans. So figure a $699 upgrade to 4 x 1GB 667MHz DDR2 fully buffered ECC RAM in 4 of the FB-DIMM slots.
Then I take the standard Hard Drive in Bay 1 – 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s. The upgrade to a 750GB drive is $299, for that price I can get two 500GB drives and create one RAID 0 volume. That’s right – these drives are now selling for as low as $0.23/MB! This type of RAID, also referred to as a striped array, reads and writes data to and from all the drives at the same time, which can really speed things up. In fact Macworld tests show that this gives more critical applications almost as much throughput as moving to the 3.0MHz CPU costing hundreds more. Add the RAM upgrade and my photo and movie editing should fly. Less waiting, more creating.
The Apple rep also suggested upgrading the Graphics card to the ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI) for $249. This doubles the onboard RAM and the ability to support two 30†HD Displays. Not that I’ll ever afford such eye candy. In fact I will probably have to keep my SyncMaster 20†for now. But when we build the home theater – POW! Another reason to upgrade is that it uses a special double-wide slot designed to accommodate its on-board fan and vent. If I got the standard Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT it would be in this slot and really a throw away if I ever needed to upgrade – unless I wanted to drive more then two monitors. Doubt it. Having said all of this there was a comparison done by Christoph Vonrhein for Final Cut Pro. Based on this review and the kind of work I’ll be doing it probably won’t make much of a difference and I should save the $249 upgrading later if I need to.
In fact, I should put the $249 towards AppleCare to protect the purchase and provide onsite support for 3 years. Not that I expect problems but it did help with my PowerBook for a power supply and great tech support. In fact, if I purchase a monitor with it that will be covered too. And I’ll include an Airport Extreme card with Bluetooth.
Grand Total $3,526.00
With a 24†HD Flat Panel Monitor $4,425
Add the two hard drives (2 x 500GB @ $125 each) $4,675
Add Aperture ($299) and an upgrade to Final Cut Express ($99) $5,073
Tax at 7% ( $355) $5,428.11
Add Windows Vista to run my old stuff (or I could just install my old copy of Windows XP). $99 to $150 more.
Okay, maybe I’m not. For a while.
Alternatives:
Other World Computing for the memory and Newegg.com for the drives. I have purchased drives and batteries for my power book from them before. Should be able to get the 1GB RAM model and then purchase 4GB RAM from these guys for $430.
For the CPU – mail order saves tax and shipping less then $70: Small Dog, Power Max ($200 rebate with AppleCare, $75 with RAM), MacConnection ($150 rebate), MacMall ($150 Rebate, free printer, bundles).
I ran in Chicago- three days there
Posted on April 25, 2007New Feature: Running in Chicago – my route on Google Maps
The weather was great in Chicago – a bit rainy but none the less, I always run along the lake when I go to Chicago. This was a 6 mile day, Check out the route on Google Maps, above.
Its particulary interesting if you go the satellite view.
Appalachian Trail – 2007 Trip Planning
Posted on April 21, 2007I think BJ has done the work for us this year. Terrific site and one Andrew and I can use to plan this leg of our trip. Check this out: Appalachian Trail Adventures – 2007 Trip Planning
We are trying to find a place to hike on the AT this year. Perhaps not to many hills as neither of us have been conditioning. I suggested the Shenandoah in VA beacuse its on the Blue Ridge. My issue with flat areas in VA is too many people and pollution.
In 2005 I finished the last section of GA. I would like to continue on in NC. It would be too difficult to get to Bly Gap to start where NC starts – only option is to hick south and north from .
This is pretty much what I did in 2005 to get to Bly from the south. A shuttle guy dropped me at Blue Ridge Gap and I walked 3 miles norht to Bly, then turned around and walked back.
So this year I don’t know where we will go – Here is my idea:
| Thursday, May 17, Day 0: | Meet in Atlanta | Travel Day |
| Friday, May 18, Day 1: | Up 4:00AM –
5:00AM: drive to Deep Gap, USFS71 and Park the truck. |
125 Miles – approx 3 Hour Drive |
| 8:00AM Meet Shuttle Driver – Shuttle to Tellico Gap, NC 1365 | 42 miles – approx 2 Hour Drive | |
| Hike Miles 0-3.6 | 10:00AM Hike to Cold Spring Shelter just south of Copper Ridge Summit.
Lunch: Rocky Bald Sleep: Cold Spring Shelter. |
3.6 Miles – Hike up approx 1,000 feet over 1.5 miles and then rolling to Copper Ridge, down to shelter.
Mile 1.4: Good Spring on right after long climb. WATER Mile 1.7 Rocky Bald Trail Mile 2.9 Vista – Copper Ridge Bald Mile 3.6 Cold Spring Shelter |
| Saturday, May 19, Day 2:
Hike Miles 3.6-15.7 |
6:00AM to 6:00PM
Cold Spring to Siler Bald Shelter |
12.1 Miles – Gradual up and down for 6 miles then 1 mile up 800 feet, down up for 2 miles, then down 2,500 feet 3 miles, up 1,000 for 2.
Mile 5.2-5.5 – Tower Overlook – Sloping Spring just before WATER Mile 8.1 Crossroads 12.1 – .5 mile walk to shelter |
| Sunday, May 20, Day 3
Hike Miles 15.7-28.5 |
6:00AM to 6:00PM
Siler Bald to Big Spring Gap Shelter |
12.8 Miles – Down 1,000 for 4 miles then up and over 800 for 4 miles. Up 800 for 3, up 500 for 4.
Mile 2.7 US64 Winding Stair – trash cans and picnic areas – Spring just north. WATER Mile 6.8 Wallace Gap Old 64. Just east of St. Ind Campground. Mile 7.0~ .7 mile blue blaze to John Wasilik HUGE Poplar Tree. Near USFS 67 Mile 7.5 Rock Gap Shelter Mile 10 Blue Blaze to S.I. Campgr. Mile 12.8 – Shelter and WATER 75 Feet down. |
| Monday, May 21, Day 4
Hike Miles 28.5-42.9 |
6:00AM to 8:00PM
Big Spring to Standing Indian Shelter |
14.4 Miles – Sharp up & down 200, Gradual down and up 500 for 6 miles, 1,000 up for 5 miles (St.Ind) then down 1,000 for 3 miles.
Mile .6 Albert Mtn Summit and Tower Overlook Mile 2.2 Moony Gap USFS83 Mile 3.1 Betty Creek WATER Mile 5.1 Vista trail on L Mile 6.8 Carter Gap Shelter (new) Mile 9 ~ Streams WATER Mile 10 Beech Gap and up-hill Mile 12.9 – 600 ft. climb to summit of Standing Indian Mountain Mile 14.4 Shelter WATER |
| Tuesday, May 22, Day 5
Hike Miles 42.9-43.8 |
8:00AM
Standing Indian to Truck |
.9 Miles – Down to Parking Lot |
| Drive to Atlanta
9:00AM – 12:00PM |
125 Miles – approx 3 Hour Drive | |
| Wednesday, May 23, Day 5 | Head Home |
Appalachian Trail Adventures – Trail Log
Posted on March 21, 2007Appalachian Trail Adventures – Trail Log
Hiker’s blog
people think:
Close block