Remember that CFL softbox that I thought was really cool? I made my own, and I thought I’d share some of the details on how I put it together.
Just so we’re clear though, I’m really not very handy. I have some tools, a little bit of common sense, and I get really excited about going out and collecting materials to build things. That’s pretty much the extent of my background in object construction.
I spent $66.54 on supplies, and maybe a few dollars more on some extra screws and nuts.
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I love title sequences. And you might too, which is reason enough to highlight just how awesome The Art of the Title Sequence is.
It’s a website which houses (and pays homage to) a collection of amazing title sequences from films and television shows. Their most recent post shows off the simplicity and masterful cinematography featured in the first few minutes of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Other examples include Reservoir Dogs, Se7en, Bullitt, and one of my personal favorites, Stranger Than Fiction.
A word of caution, however: Watching the sequences quickly becomes addictive. So hopefully you’ve either got a lot of free time on your hands today, or your clients are really flexible on how you define “research.”
Photo from Indie4K
I think this is awesome. And now I want to make one. So I think I’m going to try.
The people at Indie4k created a softbox using five compact fluorescent bulbs. The kind that are color-balanced to match natural daylight (or about 5000K).
I’ve been using CFL bulbs to light almost all of my projects in the past year and it’s worked out well for me. The reduced heat output is reason enough to make the switch, not to mention the power-consumption benefits. I’ve even tried to make my own softboxes using the bulbs, but haven’t had great results.
At one point I tried using a single 120w-equivalent bulb with a cut-up t-shirt stretched over a picture frame that was precariously attached to a couple of clamps. This worked for a little while, but was pretty unsightly. It also had a tendency to fall apart when I tried to store it.
What the Indie4k people have done is made something that is not just practical, but nice looking; an accomplishment that’s especially rare for DIY projects. I realize that having good-looking gear may seem like a completely asinine thing to worry about, but there’s definitely a lot to be said for great design.
Being able to take pride in your work — and what you’re working with — is something I believe a lot of people can relate to.
Anyway, check out their post. Maybe soon I’ll be able to post pictures of my very own CFL softbox. Here’s hoping that I don’t electrocute myself in the process.
Of the seven items on my wishlist, five (and a half) of them were announced at today’s Apple event. I’m counting the new Nike + iPod announcement as a half since it wasn’t expanded to include iPhones. Kind of a bummer, but maybe that just means I have an excuse to buy a new iPod nano.
Today will also go in my calendar as the first time I’ve ever really been jealous of iPod touch owners. They have the ability to download the new 2.1 firmware immediately, while the iPhone firmware won’t be available until Friday. I’m anxious to get my hands on it. From what I’ve read so far however, there was no mention of the push notification service at the event today — which leads me to wonder if we’re in for another firmware update by the end of the month. It’s a feature that could be really handy for apps like NetNewsWire and Twitterific (or Twinkle, if that’s your thing), and I was surprised that there was no mention of it.
I like the new visualizer in iTunes. It’s actually not quite as awesome as I was hoping, but it’s still fun. I was a little curious as to why it’s listed under the nondescript label, “iTunes Visualizer” while the other visualizers have names like Lathe, Jelly and Stix. Either way, it’s something I probably won’t use very often. But it’s nice that it’s there.
I’m really excited about HD shows coming to iTunes. I’m not as excited about the 1.5GB that each episode is going to take up, but having the option there is very cool. It’s also worth noting that when you buy an HD episode (which is a dollar extra) you still get the standard version too.
Even cooler still are the Genius playlists. I have a lot of music that I never really listen to. I tend to roll through a few bands at a time, then slowly migrate to another. I’m not a fan of shuffle. I like listening to the albums the way they were produced — in order and (generally) uninterrupted. Shuffling makes me uneasy as I have no control over what’s going to play. The Genius playlists afford me a safety net of general musical similarity. I like that.
And now that I’ve settled down a bit, I can clearly see that we once again have no new displays. I really thought we had that one on lockdown this time. Oh, well. I guess you’re really can’t have it all. But HDTV sure is a good start.
- HD television shows and movies available in the iTunes store
- iTunes 8 (to support all those new TV shows and movies)
- Nike + iPod upgraded and expanded to include iPhones
- 4th generation iPod nano (pretty much a given)
- 2nd generation iPod touch (also a given)
- iPhone/iPod 2.1 firmware update
- New cinema displays
Okay, that last one is kind of a joke. I think I’ve wished for new displays before every major Apple event for the past few years. Still, I can hope.
Something I’m not expecting are new MacBooks or MacBook Pros. As much as I’d love to see a new design for the Pro, I’m not counting on it happening this month. There have been rumors floating around for a while about a dramatically redesigned case for the next generation, but nobody’s mentioned any dates yet. October, perhaps? Maybe by the time new models do come out I’ll actually have enough money to buy one.
I guess I’ll just have to satiate my Apple addiction with September 9th’s event, and hope that before the day is out I will have finally realized my dream of downloading Mythbusters in HD.