Tag Archives: time lapse

NASA captures red sprite, puts it in a jar

Posted on by

NASA captures fiendish red sprite, puts it in a jar

Lightning doesn't always shoot downwards. Just occasionally, a thunderstorm will be accompanied by a red sprite: a huge, momentary electrical explosion that occurs around 50 miles high and fires thin tendrils many miles further up into the atmosphere. Sprites have been caught on camera before, but a fresh photo taken by arty astronauts on the ISS helps to show off their true scale. Captured accidentally during a timelapse recording, it reveals the bright lights of Myanmar and Malaysia down below, with a white flash of lightning inside a storm cloud and, directly above that, the six mile-wide crimson streak of the rare beast itself. Such a thing would never consent to being bottled up and examined, but somehow observers at the University of Alaska did manage to film one close-up at 1000 frames per second back in 1999 -- for now, their handiwork embedded after the break is as intimate as we can get.

Continue reading NASA captures red sprite, puts it in a jar

Filed under:

NASA captures red sprite, puts it in a jar originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Dvice, National Geographic  |  sourceNASA  | Email this | Comments

Insert Coin: Etcher, the fully functional Etch A Sketch iPad case

Posted on by

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Image

Visions of the iPad as a modern-day Etch A Sketch have so far been primarily decorative: they've been more about remembering youth than recreating it. That's why Ari Krupnik & Associates' officially-sanctioned Etcher iPad case project on Kickstarter stands out. Those knobs? They work, and they're Made for iPad certified. And, as the Etcher is a product of the digital era, your creations in the custom-written app can be saved and shared to Facebook, Flickr or even YouTube as a time lapse video. Shaking the Etcher will still erase your image -- it just doesn't have to disappear forever this time.

Your pledge level determines not only what variety of Etcher case you get, but how much control you get over the project. Committing $45 is all it takes for the nostalgic red, but if you spend $60, $75 or $100, you'll have the additional options for blue or a special backer-only color. Those at the $100 level get to vote on what color they and the $75 pledge-makers will see. A $175 outlay will provide early access to the software development kit as well as a say in what open-source license the code will use. Moving up to $210 or $360 will give you that control as well as an accordant five or 10 Etcher cases. If you like what you see, you have just over a month to contribute and make the iPad drawing add-on a reality.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Etcher, the fully functional Etch A Sketch iPad case

Insert Coin: Etcher, the fully functional Etch A Sketch iPad case originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKickstarter  | Email this | Comments

Brinno TLC200 Time Lapse Camera Records HD Resolution

Posted on by

There a lot of times when time-lapse camera is needed, either because recording times will be really long, or for creative filming. A new time lapse camera has been announced from a company called...

Insert Coin: Genie turns any camera into a world-class time lapse rig

Posted on by

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Image

New Zealand-based designer Chris Thomson and filmmaker Ben Ryan found that motion-control time lapse gear too expensive, too complicated and too bulky. So they set about building the Genie, a box that moves your camera around under its own power. Designed to be cheap(er than the competition) and user-friendly, the device will let you choose from a variety of presets or build your own to turn and position the camera. It will also draw itself along a guide rope, either on a dolly track or cable-cam for stunning landscape photography. It's reached $42,542 of its $150,000 goal and if successful, each unit will cost $1,000.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Genie turns any camera into a world-class time lapse rig

Insert Coin: Genie turns any camera into a world-class time lapse rig originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKickstarter  | Email this | Comments

Triggertrap: nine ways to activate your DSLR with an iOS device, choose one

Posted on by

triggertrap-remote-activated-dslr-iOS-app

When we first heard about the Kickstarter-funded Triggertrap, it was a nice but nichey lab instrument of a device that could fire your DSLR with diverse stimuli, like lights or ringing phones. It wasn't the first photo-tripping idea we'd seen, but at least it could be had for a fair sum ($75.00) and be used out of the box. But now, by connecting that tech to an app and charging $19.98 for both the software and hardware, Triggertrap might open up remote snapping to a lot more folks.

Running off any iPhone, iPad or iPod using iOS 5, the app uses a dongle which can be connected by cable or infrared to most DSLRs or advanced compacts. From there, you'll be able to use all of your iDevice's sensors as triggers, from motion through to facial recognition and even GPS. The app doesn't just fire the shutter, either -- it also gives you control over the focus and flash. And if you don't have a separate camera, the iPhone's built-in cam can be used instead -- which would save you from buying the $9.99 dongle, if you have the necessary accoutrements. So if you've been wondering how to get those hard-to-shoot images, or have more nefarious ideas, check the videos after the break.

Continue reading Triggertrap: nine ways to activate your DSLR with an iOS device, choose one

Triggertrap: nine ways to activate your DSLR with an iOS device, choose one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

See a Qbo robot built from scratch in a minute-and-a-half (time-lapse video)

Posted on by
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/see-a-qbo-robot-built-from-scratch-in-a-minute-and-a-half-time/
Ever wondered just how fast a Qbo robot can be built from scratch? Perhaps not, but TheCorpora is happy to show you anyway. The answer is just under three hours (by a skilled engineer, of course), but the company has managed to whittle that down to a minute-and-a-half thanks to the magic of time-lapse video. Head on past the break to see it for yourself -- and, if you haven't already, catch up with some of the tricks the bot is able to do once it's fully assembled.

Continue reading See a Qbo robot built from scratch in a minute-and-a-half (time-lapse video)

See a Qbo robot built from scratch in a minute-and-a-half (time-lapse video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceQbo (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments