March 18, 2009
Tech Specs for Slumdog Millionaire
A customized camera support and recording package had to be built to meet the unique form factor demands of the Slumdog shoot. They enlisted Pille Film, of Wiesbaden Germany, to create a custom solution which included a gyro stabilizer for the base of the SI-2K Mini. Instead of using the traditional film-style camera body, they elected to use Apple Mac book Pro notebook, running Windows XP, for the recorders, and built them into ruggedized backpacks, to be worn inconspicuously. Stefan Ciupek, the show’s technical supervisor and additional camera operator, coordinated the design and modifications of the camera system with Wolfgang Damm of Pille, whose team worked around the clock to get the 2K Mini rigs built.
Pille assembled four units for the production, and by testing them in a sauna, determined that the laptops would have to be packed in dry ice so they wouldn’t fail in India’s intense heat. Once shooting began, the dry ice had to be reloaded hourly; the production required up to 45 pounds of dry ice daily.
"I've done some odd things, but this was the oddest," Mantle says.
Posted by cmwillis at 3:37 PM
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CNBC "de-educates" investors..
If you enjoyed Stewart's grilling of Cramer last week, you may also enjoy this guy's take on it.
Snake-Oil Salesmen? Debating the Role of the Financial Media ∞ Get Rich Slowly
Remember: In general, it pays to ignore financial news. Sound investing is based on your personal financial goals and a pre-determined investment strategy. It’s based on time-tested wisdom from actual experts, not on daily updates from talking heads on TV. The shallow, breathless reporting in certain corners of the financial media simply fans the fires of greed. It de-educates.
Posted by cmwillis at 10:01 AM
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March 16, 2009
An interesting take on Jesus...
Cool Jesus, by Rebecca Robinson
The other day, in the toy department at Wal-Mart, I saw a row of hot lavender boxes with cellophane fronts on a shelf. “Cool Jesus” they said in puffy letters, and through all those cellophane windows, I saw my old friend smiling at me with those shiny, happy teeth. There he was—rows and rows of him—all different, all so cool in their various cool outfits. All saying, “I am it.” I looked and looked for the real Jesus, and then I noticed they were all the same—all cool.
I glanced at the nearest “Cool Jesus” box and noticed that the doll inside was staring at me in a particularly fixed way. The white smile in the brown face somehow made him look like no first century Jew the world has ever seen. When I pulled the string that stuck out of the box, he started talking in his tinny little voice full of every all-American smile ever smiled by a jerk on TV.
Posted by cmwillis at 10:00 PM
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