Observatory

So then, consider if you will...

Stella and I have taken a trip to an observatory out here. Yes, with the looking at stars and such. That is the kind of nerds that we are. What is even cooler, we are not just doing observing, we are doing imaging. Now, we are beginning in this whole CCD camera thing so we have the easy set up. Normally you would have to do 3 exposures to get color images on the bigger set ups, but this is the starter one where you get it done in one exposure so you can have a color image. Now we aren't just pointing it at the sky and going "snap" color photo. That would more be the method of some of my DSLR astrophotography. Haven't really done much on this trip, since last night was windy/cloudy/snowing. But I will undoubtedly do some more of that method eventually.

First you have to locate the object that you wish to image. This is done through some cool software and then you get to tell the telescope to point in that direction. The telescope rotates and you are ready to begin. You then tell the camera to take an image or series of images of varying lengths. We took a few 15 minute exposures that stand alone, but we have also been taking a range of exposures and stacking them. I have been taking between 5 and 30 minute exposures to stack together.

After you have taken the picture, you have to open CCDOPS and remove the hot and cold pixels. This is from temperature regulation of the chip, but it is an easy thing to fix, just a few clicks in the program. After you have all of the pixels cleaned up you stack the images and then you are ready to save them for photoshop.

Now in CCDOPS you open the picture, its in black and white and you can see that you have a picture of an object in the sky. But when you open it in photoshop basically you have a black screen looking back at you. You then have to play with curves and levels and saturation and all. Stella has been working this end of the process. But it is cool to watch her go from a blank screen to an amazing image of a deep space object. After its done in photoshop it is done and saved.

Don't worry, these will find their way onto my photoblog so that you can be all amazed. And feel free to show your friends and brag that you know the imager of the images being shown.

Just a few things

First off... 8-bit Christmas, Nick, you want to check this one out:

http://www.doctoroctoroc.com/video-games/8-bit-jesus-full-album-release/

Next off, a Garmin commerical:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHTi2aZ4H90

"One for a viking, out for some hiking, find the village, he will pillage"

It may not be the Rockettes....:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weGTZ5VXR4s

Since I'm at youtube anyhow...:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mal6XbN5cEg

Finally the story of Santa:

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/12/alt-text-vide-1.html

Hope you enjoy.

Some Computer Notes

So as noted in the other blog Stella's computer is acting up again.  Her plan is to get a mac, which should work out.  Right now her laptop is being very odd.  Like it just booted up, and then decided it would shut off.  Its plugged into the wall, so it has power and such.  It is just odd.

Speaking of computers that just won't boot, the newer desktop is getting ready to be shipped back to Compaq for them to see if they can make it run.  They kept sending me links to solutions to get the darned thing to boot, and it continously didn't boot.  So since it is under warrenty they should be fixing it or sending me a new functioning computer.  

Now the old desktop, the one that got me through college and then stopped living this past summer, well, I have orderd a case so I can convert its old harddrive to an external harddrive so I can recover the stuff on there.  Then in the future I can order a TB internal and switch it out so that its an external.  Then there will be much storage space.  After that I will probably pull the cards I wanna keep from it and then see where I can take the rest of it so that it can be properly disposed.  

Luckily my laptop continues to function, even though it is a Vista based machine.  Though I still believe that the most computing power in the house lives in the PS3. 

I think that should wrap up these notes, I will end the post and wish you all well. 

Little Big Planet

Ok, so I rented Little Big Planet and it is a lot of fun.  I haven't really gotten to experience all of it, but the levels I've played have been really cool.  Stella played a few with me and she enjoyed it as well.  

So for now I'll keep this short, but I'll write more on it later.

The Force Unleashed

OK then...

I rented the force unleashed and have been playing it for a bit. Mostly I rented it cause I wanted to rent Little Big Planet and they didn't have any copies so I picked up this one, cause I have been curious to see how it is. However I can say that while it looks very good (amazing how they can make a video game look that good and the new clone wars movie looks like crap), the game is rather repetitive and gets dull. Basically you waltz through a level swinging your light saber randomly (cause there doesn't seem to be a good aiming system) then zapping lighting at people. Then you get to the boss where you swing your light saber and zap lighting at one guy instead of a level full of guys and the background doesn't change.

More and more I am becoming increasingly less accepting of anything new that George Lucas puts out with a Star Wars title on it. I am still willing to buy the original trilogy on Bluray provided I get the theatrical cuts, but beyond that there must be a really good reason for me to support any new Star Wars stuffs.

So yes, I've said it before, I hope I don't have to say it again, leave Star Wars be, if you take 20 years and craft a truly good story and make that a movie, I might go see it, otherwise I'll be ignoring it.

Twitter

So for updates on what I'm up to I am working on twitter. My twitter can be viewed here. It should allow me to keep things more up to date then on just the blog. The blogs will remain up for random ideas and thoughts like the last couple posts that are up, but the twitter will be more a running log of what is going on.

This blog will stay as it is, the photo blog will still feature photos. But we will see how this new set up goes.

Excel Music Video

Ok...
So this week has been wild. First I learn that scotch tape can produce x-rays. Yes, you read that right, but just once more so it sinks in SCIENTISTS FOUND A WAY TO PRODUCE X-RAYS FROM SCOTCH TAPE!!! Oh, yes, I mean you have to have a vacuum and all, but really. Who goes about peeling scotch tape in a vacuum, who is that bored and how much of a government grant were they playing with to get this to this point? You can read more about it here.

Now, while we are speaking of bored, why not a way to spend some time. Bored at the office? Well thats ok too! Apparently AC/DC decided to release a music video via Excel. So now you can download it and watch at work. Of course you can watch the youtube video, but then where would the fun in that be. So go here, download, watch it in Excel. Its kinda cool to think that its possible to make a music video in such a format.

Well, I think that will wrap it up for now.