BlogDogIt

Only the best blogs. Where blogs come to hang out.

For better than a year now I have been lamenting the fact that technorati dot com has given up on their blog rating system and completely changed the landscape in the blogosphere as far as I'm concerned. There once was a time when your Technorati rating was some indicator of your blogs standing in the community. I would find great sport in perusing the list of registered blogs and would always pay special attention to those blogs with a similar rating to BlogDogIt. Once upon a time I would only "Spotlight" websites that shared a similar Tecnorati score to my site's. Since that system of measure is no more (or NoTechrati, as I now prefer to think of them) the business of discovering new blogs to visit has been a bit more random. Now the house rule regarding a blog's eligibility to be featured here requires that it must be accessible via links originating from BlogDogIt.

A few months ago - following the example of Amanda Wood (Journey of Mixed Emotions, Clearly Writing) - I added the LonelyBlogs "Badge" to BlogDogIt and in so doing have opened a fresh new world of interesting discoveries. As I find the gems I will catalog them in the BlogDogIt Links section so look for more activity in that area too.

LonelyBlogs is basically a feed aggregator of their member blogs. I have personally made several valuable discoveries by visiting the page and selecting sites from their dynamic up-to-the-minute list of freshly published articles. Since joining and having BlogDogIt included in the mix I have noticed a bump in visitors to this site traceable to this initiative. I invite you to check them out and join the fun. Their motto "Only the Best Blogs" would include you, right?
Get started today!

The section below is reprinted from the LonelyBlogs website:

Random represents indie sensation, Cindy Maple's directorial debut. The film was written by Cindy and wisely places her in a starring role beside her real life hubby Rusty James.

Graphically powerful and erotically romantic, this touching film offers the viewer a delightfully voyeuristic glimpse into this pivotal night of life and love for the unquestionably happy couple. Cindy Maples brings to the screen a side of herself that this reviewer will not soon forget while Mina Fedora's original score sets the mood and caries us solidly through to the final fade.

A truly impressive 7 minute short that showcases the talents of all involved in a polished work that will no doubt serve as first-rate resume enhancements for the creative, technical, cinematic and production personnel. Carriage House Productions and Cindy Maples prove once again that they are in it to win it.

The Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDoMNC2FGSk

This review was written by me for submission to IMDB

When I learned that the church was planning to hold a water balloon fight my first thought was "this cannot happen without my video camera and me in attendance." My first words had me volunteering to document the event. And so that "snowball" was put into motion...

It did not take too much thought to realize that in the midst of a water balloon war is not the optimum location for the delicate, precision electro-opticals of a digital video camera (unless yours happens to be of the Go-Pro® variety.) My Samsung HMX-F90 - as it just so happens - is not designed for making movies in moisture so I had to figure out a way to take the camera out from under the umbrella and into the field of battle.

Slipping the video-cam into a Ziploc bag was the first idea that had merit but polyethylene bags are not manufactured for optical clarity and I did not much relish the thought of filming a water balloon battle as though it were a Doris Day close-up. Since I do have several bits of scrap Plexiglas in the workshop I considered cutting a disk to serve as a port-hole to allow sharply focused rays of light into the bag-o-cam.

When I was a kid I had the plans for building an underwater camera housing using Plexiglas, epoxy, o-rings and wing-nuts-out-the-wazoo and wondered if the time had come to put those plans into action but was curious about what other "DIY" types are doing to waterproof their cameras. This is one of those questions that helps the internet earn its keep and as expected there was a fair amount of advice on building home-made submersible camera enclosures.

Many of the more popular methods involved using PVC drain pipe and fittings with Plexiglas for a window - some really good ideas but these involved turning on the camera before loading into the housing and allowing it to run non-stop until its retrieval; this left a lot to be desired in the way of composing, changing focal length, reviewing shots and cinematography in general. I had to dial back the enthusiasm a bit and - by way of the drawing board - invent what I think of as a "rain coat" for my camera, as opposed to those "Helmet Diver Suits" that certainly serve a purpose but are not really what this assignment called for.

In the laboratory, er workshop I was reminded of how well suited the scroll saw was for cutting out Plexiglas [see Bridge Head Template] and returned to that workstation to get this manufacturing process under way. The dimensions for the largest part - the "wrap around" piece - was worked-out using cardboard. The locations for the bends were transferred in pencil to the protective paper coating on the stock Plexiglas. Using a pen knife I lightly scored the brown paper in the hopes this would lead to a more accurate bend.

The bending was accomplished with the use of a heat blower gun; the material being situated between an iron straight edge and along the edge of the iron table saw top. There is a certain art to bending Plexiglas this way but it is a skill that once mastered will serve you well for many ingenious solutions. You should however, exercise great care when heating Plexiglas because the temperature at which the material bends is uncomfortably close to the temperature at which it will ignite. That being said, you are also well advised to have a fire extinguisher handy anytime you plug in the heat blower gun - just sayin'...

Once the large piece was formed the camera is tested for fit and  I discovered the camera controls could be manipulated easier if there was just a bit more clearance space above the camera. This adjustment was made by re-heating and some creative jig rigging but ultimately resulted in a satisfactory shape which was then traced onto more Plexiglas stock to form the front and back panels. These pieces were cut out handily on the scroll saw and the next step involved the rather tedious task of removing the paper from the parts.

The only reason I came to posses a supply of this 1/8th in. Plexiglas is that its previous owner was storing it in a poorly climate controlled warehouse and after several years of heating and cooling extremes the protective paper - which under ideal conditions is adhered with low tack adhesive - is mindbogglingly difficult to remove to expose any usable clarity. Not one to let such a valuable cache of resources find their way to the nearby land-fill I offered to let them continue in their tradition of improper storage in an out of the way nook in my unheated garage/workshop.

I will let it be known here that I have arrived at a method for removing even the most stubbornly adhered protective paper coating from even the most mistreated of Plexiglas rewarding you with crystal-clarity with a minimum of fuss. For this most valuable of trade secrets I ask only the paltry sum of $15 and a self addressed stamped envelope sent to "Tell Me How To Do It" P.O. Box 555..... but seriously here's how it's done:

Soak the Plexiglas parts in a container appropriate for complete submersion in a mild water/ammonia solution for anywhere between overnight and a few days. This will enable you to remove the paper without much trouble. The use of a hard plastic squeegee as a scraper will speed the process and save your fingernails. The only problem now will be the glue residue that is left clinging to the precious Plexiglas. There is only one thing I have found that will cause the glue to release its death-grip and that is none other than Denatured Alcohol. In fact if you ever need to remove sticky residue (as from bumper stickers etc.) go straight for the denatured alcohol and take care of it lickety-split (of course the usual disclaimer about "check for color-fastness in an inconspicuous location to determine if safe for your application" applies here.)

Once the protective paper with its glue mess was gone, window cleaner and paper towels finished the chore. Using a bit of emery cloth I sanded 1/4 in. bands where the Plexiglas pieces needed to be bonded to add some "tooth." At this time I also drilled the hole for access to the camera's tripod socket and scuffed that area to give a bit of grip to those surfaces. Using clear plumbers silicone caulking I applied a bead to the perimeter of the flat end pieces and assembled the project on end and weighted it down to dry overnight. The caulking goes on white but drys clear and make for a clean looking bond despite my rather sloppy caulk beads. The shape of the housing did not allow for the usual technique of smoothing the caulk with a moistened finger so it is what it is.

This video camera rain coat turns out to be a perfect companion piece to the "steady(ish)-cam" that was constructed for the "Rockin'4God" event [see: About this Rockin' 4 God Video] and the combination performed admirably in the heat of battle providing close-to-the-action footage that helps to make "The Balloon Fight Movie" the instant classic it is (among all those who took part in that most epic day of fellowship and fun.) The proof is in the pictures. Check out the video made with this rig and you will agree that without this clam-shell layer of protection it would have been the end of this video camera as we know it. All in all this was the proper amount of engineering to make good on my promise to "deliver the goods."

In my next post I will talk about editing "The Water Balloon Fight Movie" using open-source software and the complexities of building the soundtrack that added so much to the enjoyment of this video project.

[See BlogDogIt Article: Sound Trek]

 

The Dig project continues slowly but surely. Collecting the various bookmarks for the alphabetical highlight pages is a lot of fun but I especially  enjoy uncovering something that demands to be shared in the form of a post. The website I am sharing here is a Dutch language tribute to the 2009 Fanoe Kite Festival and features the adventures of three daring Belgian thrill seekers. 

You should probably brush-up on your Dutch or fire-up the translator before visiting their website but you are sure to enjoy the video below (created by Michel "Bitchkoemer" De Meester) which clearly speaks the universal language of friendship and fun!

Een weekje Fano 2008
A week of Fano 2008
        from Michel De Meester

Eind juni 2008 trokken we met de motorhome een weekje naar Fano.
In late June 2008, we went with the motor home for a week to Fanoe.

Uitsluitend om te buggiën en een beetje te genieten van het vliegerfestival.
Mostly for buggying and a bit to enjoy the kite festival.

Hier ziet u een korte samenvatting van onze "uitspattingen" aldaar.
Here is a brief summary of our "excesses" there.

Groetjes
Greetings

Bitchkoemer (B1084)

 

 The Video: https://vimeo.com/1564977

 

Wie zijn wij?
Who are we?

Soms noemen we ons "Tree of a Kite", een woordspeling van de bekende poker term "Three of a Kind".
Sometimes we call ourselves "Tree of a Kite," a pun of the famous poker term "Three of a Kind."

We zijn inderdaad "Three of a Kind", we zijn met drie, we kennen elkaar al jaren en hebben samen al heel wat woelige watertjes doorzwommen, kortom drie goede vrienden, ieder met een eigen persoonlijkheid maar door onze vriendschap zijn we, net als broers, meestal wel in elkaars buurt te vinden.
We are indeed "Three of a Kind", we are three, we've known each other for years and have been together for quite some turbulent lessons learned. In short, three good friends, each with their own personality but through our friendship we, as brothers, are typically found together.

"Tree" verwijst enerzijds naar "drie" , maar ook naar het dorp waar we alle drie wonen: "Boom" (tussen Antwerpen en Brussel), "Kite" spreekt voor zich, we zijn alle drie met de vliegersport bezig.
"Tree" on the one hand refers to "three", but also to the village where we all three live: "Boom" (between Antwerp and Brussels) [boom means "tree"], "Kite" Obviously, we are all involved with the sport kite.

---

De oudste (en dus ook de slimste :-)
The oldest (and therefore the smartest :-)

Michel De Meester, in de vliegerwereld beter bekend als Bitchkoemer (B1084), houdt zich voornamelijk bezig met buggiën, maar ook af en toe een éénlijnertje onder de naaimachine duwen lukt hem wel.
Michel De Meester, in the kite world known as Bitchkoemer (B1084) mainly engages in buggying, but also occasionally pushing a tow-kite through a sewing machine with successful results. [?]

---

De middelste
The middle
 

Rudy Belis, de buggy collega's kennen hem als FamGaga (B1158), hij rijdt ondertussen iets meer dan een jaartje en begint zich aardig uit de slag te trekken in zijn karreke.
Rudy Belis, the buggy colleagues know him as FamGaga (B1158), meanwhile he runs a little over a year and begins to withdraw from the battle in his nice karreke. [?]

---

De jongste (en ook de lelijkste)
The youngest (and the ugliest)

Peter Bastaens AKA Viper, zal af en toe wel enkele rakjes rijden maar houdt zich voornamelijk bezig met onze technische ondersteuning, ook de catering valt meestal onder zijn bevoegdheid (lees pintjes halen voor de rijders :-)
Peter Bastaens AKA Viper, will occasionally do some buggy driving but is mainly concerned with technical support, also catering usually falls under its jurisdiction (read: fetch beers for the drivers :-) [?]

---

Do you feel called to participate in the organization?
Do you feel called to sponsor us with "beverage and food?"
...please do not hesitate to send an email to someone of "Tree of a Kite!"

Michel aka Bitchkoemer (B1084)

Rudy aka FamGaga (B1158)

Peter aka Viper

pareidolia
par·ei·do·lia (păr′Ä«-dō′lÄ“-É™) n.

The perception of a recognizable image or meaningful pattern where none exists or is intended, as the perception of a face in the surface features of the moon.

Images from the interwebs.

Pareidolia

 Click On The Image For Source Page

To shine a spot light on Noël ILL is akin to pointing a flashlight at the moon; so many features -vs- so little light.

I have been following the work of Noël for a couple of years now and am still learning about her many talents and areas of interest.

I first discovered Noël as the earthling behind "Saucer Time" and soon found that "Independent UFO Researcher" was just the proverbial tip of her iceburg proportioned resume

The website, NoelILL.com, "abouts" her thus:

The Links

YouTube

Noël Ill
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5QvZK_CwSL6f78Mw0z1HA

Contributor to

Art by Noël ILL
http://noelill.blogspot.com/

Saucer Time! UFO blog
http://www.saucertime.com/

Galaxy Sorceress
personal blog
http://galaxysorceress.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

@SaucerTime      @noelill

While the rest of geekdom was shedding a happy tear over the announcement of a new installment in the the Star Wars franchise - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - this nerd was beside himself over the fact that the world premiere of the long awaited, much ballyhooed, indie sci-fi, horror, action, thriller Ezekiel's Landing was about to occur and in my own back yard (so to speak.) Now don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Star Wars and take pride that I was among the first in line for the premiere screening of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in Indianapolis at the luxurious Eastwood Theater in 1977.

 

Irving Theater - not as plush as the infamous Eastwood but with a far more colorful history - was the "happening" place-to-be in Indianapolis for die hard fans of independent films of the sci-fi persuasion. On April 24 the world premier of Eziekiel's Landing was featured "At The Irving."

On first inspection one might find the Irving better suited to a random Rave than a world premier, motion picture unveiling but what it lacked in bolted-to-the-floor seating, carpeting and ceiling tiles it more than made up for in warm, friendly fans of creativity rubbing elbows with the craftspeople who came together to make the night even possible and ultimately enjoyable.

Executive Producer Kate Chaplin took to the microphone as a pleasantly enthusiastic Master of Ceremony sharing the spotlight with Writer/Director James Treakle who set the stage for a respectable crowd of eager theater goers. The 85 minute film, included the briefest of intermissions 3/4 of the way through by some very needy anti-virus software on the projectors source MacBook - that's free anti-virus for you.[smiley:;)]

Following the featured presentation was a very informative Q&A session that had all cast and crew in attendance standing in the front of the hall. After taking several questions a suggestion was made that perhaps the wireless microphone should be passed down the line so that each member in attendance might declare their favorite scene and share one of their fondest memories of the production. This was priceless entertainment that can never be equaled. I am thankful to social media for keeping me in the loop so that I could attend this once in a lifetime event.

I encourage you, dear reader, to support the independent filmmaker in whatever genre suits your taste and discover right there, in your own "back yard," what it is that makes the movie industry so magical: the blood, sweat and tears of those individuals with the vision and drive to love, create and share in pursuit of what can only be called a really good movie.

In an effort to show my support for these folks I offer the following review of the film Ezekiel's Landing - originally posted to IMDB:

[ Continue Reading ]

You know me... I take a look at the tweets every day if I can; sometimes only to discover I have been followed by some mega-conglomerate that I just know really cares about what is going on in my life right up to the point where "I ain't buying it..."

Today I learn that I picked up a new Twitter follower (#85 woo-hoo!!) four days ago (ok, so maybe I don't check it every day - see more proof I do stuff...) Now I ask you, how could I not investigate a follower by the name of "The Dog House Show" or @doghouseshow (to be precise?)

What I find is the Twitter presence of a YouTube channel featuring a fresh animated web series called (ironically enough) "The Dog House Show." Here are the words from the "About" page on that site:

A show about Kole Kardashian, yet another brother of that infamous family, and his lady dogs- Rachel and Martica. This hilarious web series will take you on a ride with the funny shenanigans of this crazy trio.

So get in on the ground-floor with Webisode Numero Uno from this all-new, gotta-subscribe-to channel: The DogHouse Show

Enjoy!

Sole, Mare, Vento (artworks by Sara Quida)

Having been a YouTube subscriber of Rudolf Dierckx for a couple of years now I have come to expect a gourmet feast for the eyes (and ears) in the form of his own brand of artwork set to life as animated slide presentations that have emoting power that simply must be experienced to be understood.

Rudolf's latest presentation explores the artwork of the uniquely talented artist Sara Quida. Together these two remarkable talents will take you into a world of Sun, Sea and Wind that - set to the ethereal sounds of  Karunesh - offer to the viewer that magical power of art to touch the soul. A mighty fine use of the internet if you ask me... [smiley:;)]

Enjoy!

Artworks : Sara Quida (Italy)
Edition : Rudolf Dierckx (the Netherlands)
Music : Karunesh "Journey of my heart"