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Hooping
Hooping events or information.
Polycarbonate connectors from Synergy Firehoops
I love it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen significant innovation in hoop crafting. Once again Scott ( and I’m guessing Abel has something to do with it) up the bar with another innovation. This time with polycarbonate connectors from Synergy Firehoops.
I’m wondering how they got that polycarb hoop to cut connectors from. Merlin from PSIhoops had sent me a polycarb hoop prototype a few years ago that he had baked in a 10′ wide oven he had constructed specifically for this purpose. This was shrotly after I’d written “The hoop of the future?”.
Polycarb is an amazing plastic and ideal for this application. These connectors should be bomb. I can’t wait to get my hands on some.
http://www.synergyflowarts.com/
Burning Man lamp installation for Spin Cycle
I’ve been meaning to post about this and thought I’d throw some photos up. I’m constructing some intricate laser cut lamps for Spin Cycle this year. I’ve been dreaming of doing this for about 3 years and finally I have access to a laser cutter. Sweet!
here are the first panles that I’ve actually cut out. The process has been tedious to get all the variables right but it’s starting to turn out. Just creating the pattern took hours.
Palmer Tricycle – Peerless 800 series Transmission
Since the motor is broken and a replacement is very pricey, I’m investigating switching to a new motor, controller etc.
The first question I’m running into is whether I still need the Peerless transaxle transmission model 180B118. I think it’s a Peerless 800 Series. Here’s an exploded Transmission diagram and part list that I received from palmer. Peerless
From my limited understanding, there’s not much need for a transmission with modern motor systems. that said, it’s not necessarily a liability. It is added weight and there’s probably a little power loss running it through the transmission.
http://roms-peerless-transaxle-supply.ecrater.com/p/7186226/5-speed-peerless-820-series-037-transaxle
For the technically-minded bidder, the Forward-shift gear ratios are: 1st) 4.55:1; 2nd) 1.50:1; 3rd) 1:00:1; 4th) 0.79:1; and 5th) 0.61:1. Input pinion ratio is 2.54:1, final-drive/differential ratio is 8.02:1, and Reverse is 2.00:1. Other gear ratios are available for this transaxle — I can change ratios or convert this to a close-ratio transaxle, if you need it.
The last resource I’ve found on the Peerless transmission is a manual. Here’s the transmission manual.
Tecumseh-Peerless_Motion_Drive_System_-_Transmissions_&_Differentials(691218)
Hooping Idol – Video recording tips
Some of the first round submission for Hooping Idol 2 look top notch and some look sub par. I feel like I’m going to wind up being the production quality critic throughout the competition so I’d like to express some expectations. Putting a video in this competition suggests that you want people to watch your video. If you want someone to watch your video, it’s appreciated when it seems like you put some effort into making it look good! More people will watch and more people will enjoy it!
We’re all so used to watching HD video nowadays that poor resolution video stands out like a sore thumb. Even the cheapest cameras you can buy today will shoot at 720p. For a video submission competition, that’s pretty much the minimum acceptable quality. Anything less than that will leave your video looking inferior. That said, much higher than that doesn’t add much. Also, if possible shoot at 30 fps. That’s ideal for the internet.
Youtube is now in wide format, as are most video cameras. If your video isn’t in 16:9 format, we’re all watching black bars on the side of the screen. And please please please… don’t shoot your video in portrait. A vertical image leaves me looking at two thirds blank screen. Boring.
Tripod! Shaky video is hard to watch and unsettling. A tripod is easy! If you need the camera to move, try using a tripod with only one leg extended. You can then pivot the camera off that point, allowing the camera to move, and the tripod helps greatly at stabilizing the shot. Another trick I’ll often use is to attach a tripod even though I’m not using it. The extra mass helps keep the camera from shaking.
Last, listen to your video once throughout. How is the mix? Is your music louder than your voice during a portion where words are important? Here’s a personal pet peave: Blank audio. There should be some sort of audio throughout the video, even if it’s just white noise. Here’s an invaluable tool I found making Hoop technique: if you have voiceover or a speaking portion, try running the audio through Levelator. It’s free, takes only seconds and really helps the audio quality.
Failing these simple things make a video hard to compare to the videos that succeed at these simple steps.
Kony 2012 – Soundtrack to a movement.
An interesting aspect of this a dramatic and effective action campaign action is ability to hit right at the heart of so many people, particularly young people who are donating in small increments to make this happen.
This video is strikingly well done. Music is one of the ways videos grab us immediately. I knew I recognized the back ground track “I can’t Stop” but was so focused on the video it faded into the background as it’s supposed to. The track did add to my amped up, “Let’s do this”, fists pumping in the air feeling. I just looked up the track. It’s from one of my favorite dubstep artists, Flux Pavilion. I’ve used his tracks in workshops and posted them here on isopop in the past. I love hooping to Flux Pavilion because he really drops the beat grimey given me that jaw clenching pumped up energy.
Here’s the track from Kony 2012 video:
I think the music adds to the resonance this is having. I just watched a news clip from NBC and heard The Glitch Mob playing in the background.
Also, the Kony 2012 video featured a tracks by Mumford and Sons.
On a side note…
All the criticism about only a 3rd of their budget providing direct aid… I challenge the critics to find a budget that was as affective at getting the message out. I think their budget is dollar-for-dollar by far the most cost efective solution one could imagine. Well done.
Kony 2012 Stencil – Action Packs Sold Out
After watching the Kony 2012 video I went to www.kony2012.com . It’s great that they have sold out of the action pack but it left me wanting to take part. I made this stencil for myself from the poster and thought I’d share.
You can cut it out by hand, send to your local stencil cutter (which is fairly inexpensive) or run it through a laser cutter like I plan to at SF techshop.
Vector PDF Version: Kony2012
Jpeg below:
The Spin Cycle 2012 – Burning Man
The Fertile Desert from roy two thousand on Vimeo.
I can’t be more excited to announce that The Spin Cycle will be happening again this year. The ticket situations means this will be a different sort of a year but we’ll be doin it up like we do.
We’ll be looking to have new invite new faces to camp this year. Since so many weren’t able to get tickets, we’d love to have newbies step in and step up. Send me an email if you’d like joining us this year, rich at isopop.com
Video by a briliant musician and friend, Roy 2000.
Cheers,
Rich