Ferris Wheel

Holga photo by Rocky Arroyo
In "Fates Worse than Death", Kurt Vonnegut mentions that the origins of the Ferris wheel can be traced to the contraptions used by artillery observers in the Union army during the Civil War.

Cardboard Condo

Planned for construction at Hayes and Franklin Street.


This building might fit in commercial/residential SOMA, but Hayes Valley deserves a different architecture.

The earth coloured walls rising above the roof create an emptiness that cheapens the appearance and negates any strength in the design.

Thanks SocketSite
Categories: San Francisco Architecture

The Price of Petrol

The Chevron gas station at Fell and Masonic is a good indicator of the highest price for petrol in the US. These were the prices tonight for a gallon of petrol. All three grades hit $4 for the first time.
(1 US gallon = 0.833 Imperial Gallons = 3.785 litres)

Inside-Out Umbrella

With the ribs on the outside of the canopy, I think this umbrella has a beautiful industrial appearance.

Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, made in France, and sold under the Guy de Jean brand.
£150 here.

Thanks DesignBoom
Categories:Design

Dale Chihuly Industries - Saffron Tower

I came across this installation after sunset, and just before it was dark enough for the street lights to compete for attention. Like a moth to a flame, I had to see what it was.


This 30-foot yellow neon tower installation was constructed to accompany the exhibit of Chihuly works at the de Young Museum June 14th - September 28th.

More about Dale Chihuly here.

Categories:Art

Free iPhone Ringtones

Apple only allows you to create ringtones for the iPhone from music purchased from the iTunes Store. But iToner lets you get around that restriction and add any ACC or mp3 files to the list of ringtones on your iPhone. No Jailbreaking required.

(The sale of ringtones is highly profitable for the phone companies. I can not fathom why anyone would pay for ringtones.)

GoPro Camera

The GoPro would appear to be a good digital video camera for sports/action videos. It records 56 minutes of video with sound at 640×480 resolution and 30 fps on a 2GB SD memory card. That's more than enough for YouTube. And the 120g weight will give you a more stable image than a heavier digicam. Best of all, it comes with all the mounting hardware for car/helmet/window, and it only costs $180! It runs on 2 AAA batteries. The main shortcoming is the lack of an LCD display.

This GoPro video is taken from a Formula Atlantic car at my favourite race track, Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma. The race car goes "off" between turns 3a and 4, to avoid contact with another FA car that it has just passed.


Update 4/18/08:
I bought the GoPro. The camera has the quality of a cheap toy. That wouldn't matter if the camera worked properly, or if it worked at all. But I was only able to take one 15 minute video. The video quality was good. Then it stopped working. And customer service is by email only...

Update 4/19/08:
Customer service by email is not good customer service! But GoPro has been responsive to my emails, and they will get the camera working or replace it.

The reviews on Amazon for the GoPro are all positive, so my unit might just be a dud.

Update 4/21/08:
GoPro customer service advised me to format the SD card as FAT16 rather than the FAT32 I'd been using. The problem is fixed. The videos are quite good for such a small/simple camera.

Update 5/2/08
More trouble: The camera will record short videos, but if I leave the camera running for more than a few minutes it stops recording. And the .avi file stored on the SD card is empty!
The GoPro is becoming more trouble than it's worth.

Update 6/4/08
Two weeks ago I returned the camera to GoPro for repair or replacement. I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Update 6/25/08
GoPro sent me a new camera two weeks ago. It was exhibiting the same problems. I thought perhaps my 30 minute battery charger was frying the NiMH AAA batteries, and they weren't holding a charge. So I bought a good Sony 8 hour charger. After charging and draining the batteries a few times, the problems have gone away!




Categories:Cars Movies Gadgets

I'm Walking Backwards (2008 vs 1956)

This video reminded me of The Goons:

Spike Milligan (comedian, and member of The Goon Show with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe) had an amusing ditty that would sometimes be played between acts in the radio show. I sometimes sing it to myself as I trudge to work. It went something like this:

I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
Across the Irish Sea,
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
It's the only thing for me.

I've tried walking sideways,
And walking to the front,
But people just look at me,
And say it's a publicity stunt.
...

Thanks GrowABrain
Video from RocketBoom
Categories:Movies

Replus Cat Tower

Osso&Co. has a new store at 1232 9th Avenue, in what was for many years a camera shop. They have a very expensive, but small, inventory of accessories for cats and dogs. Everything they sell seems designed to appeal to the human guardians rather than the animals.

This kitty condo caught my attention. The cat tower looks better in person than it does in these photos: The colours are more vibrant and the cubes are covered in a pleasant corrugated cotton material. I'd like to have it in my living room. I don't know if the boys would like it though. $290. Gulp. Yelp.

Chair by Jay Stanger (1986)

On display at the de Young Museum. (Note: The de Young allows non-flash photos of all art in the permanent collection!)

"Since the late 1970s, Jay Stanger has been creating functional artwork. Both in his furniture design and architectural sculpture, Stanger's work has broken the barriers between fine art and craft."- JayStanger