Origins of the Film Indrustry in North America

Contrary to popular opinion, and historical evidence, the development of the film industry in the US reaches far back before the early work of Edison and the early studios in New York. While the motion picture industry soon discovered the pleasant weather and scenic locations in the southwestern US, specifically Hollywood, it was an earlier group of people that developed simple motion pictures, the Mimbres who lived in present day New Mexico and Arizona. Lacking the technological advancements that gave rise to the film industry they instead created dramatic black on white picture bowls. By linking a series of these picture bowls together in a presentation it is possible to create almost any story imaginable. In fact these early movies were so popular that many bowls (single frames) were included as burial offerings. Something to watch in the afterlife. While this idea may appear somewhat far fetched it would be supported by the archeological record with the discovery of sets of picture bowls that could be woven into a storyline (script). Below is an example of a story based on Mimbres bowls.





Or watch on Youtube.

Low Level Clouds

The image below is a multi-image panorama spanning 13 miles of the Chiricahua Mountains at sunset. Taken from the ground since the monsoons are here and the runway is wet. Note the low level cloud band running the length of the mountain range a few hundred feet off the ground. Calm still air would make for great flying.


Click image to see a larger view.

Photosynth Point Cloud of Paramore Crater

Microsoft's Photosynth has an interesting feature that is particularly applicable to aerial photosynths. Below is the point cloud from Flying below ground level that I created by circling up and out of the crater while photographing the interior. The data points create a nice 3D rendering of the crater which can be viewed by clicking on the second button from the right and choosing "overhead". This will bring up a complete view of the crater based on the point cloud.

Video of Lightening Storm

Here is a short video from last nights monsoon storm. It was a spectacular lightening display but difficult to catch on video. The sensitivity of the camera chip is lower than the human eye. As a result what I saw as constant flashes of lightening did not always register on the camera. But here are a few of the brighter flashes.

It's Offical, the Monsoons are Here

There have now been more than 3 consecutive days with a dew point above 53 degrees and that means the monsoons are here. It also means the dirt roads turn to mud. Fortunately the Galion road grader is up and running (see video) and a couple of passes to clean out the washboards and generally improve the road surface were completed. This should lessen any monsoon related problems and allow easy access to the Painted Pony Resort. Those who haven't done any road work will surely feel the effects of the monsoon.


Large cloud buildup over the Chiricahua Mountains with visible rain.

Species (Genus) of the Day, Aphonopelma sp.

Tarantula

Tarantula burrow

This velvety black tarantula was outside my front door the other evening. Walked outside to check on some things and it was wandering across the yard. I have found several burrows around the place, and have observed a tarantula in one. It has some light webbing around the entrance and during the day webbing over the top of the hole. I grabbed a couple of pictures at the time but the other morning I found this tarantula again wandering around by one of the garages near the other tarantula burrow. Since the other burrow had webbing across the top I don’t think this one lives in that burrow and may have been looking for a mate. I have not sexed the animal so don’t know if it’s male for female. The most common species of tarantula found down here is Aphonopelma chalcodes the desert blond tarantula although over 50 species are reported from the southwestern US.

Thinking about work or play

Here is the first video created at the Painted Pony Resort. It has taken awhile to get things up and running and this is the first chance to create a new video here. Two cameras were used in filming, a Canon Vixia HF100 with a partial fish eye lens was used for the reverse and side views while a GoPro sports camera which has a 170 degree field of view (in the default setting) was used for the wingtip and control bar shots. The stability of the GoPro is good and the mounting is straight forward. It is important to note that the wider the lens the further back everything in the field of view appears, so one has to be right on top of a subject to get a close up and create the appearance of jeopardy. The balance between lens choice and the apparent distance to the subject is tricky and sometimes takes several attempts to get the right look.




you can also view the video at Youtube or at Trike Pilot Social