4thOfJuly
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Capturing the "rocket's red glare" of fireworks with your iPhone camera this 4th of July
With the 4th of July holiday rapidly approaching in the US it's time to think of both your backyard and big time municipal fireworks displays, and how to best capture them on your iPhone. The latest generations of cameras on the iPhone have greatly improved, and while still not up to high end DSLR quality, the built in 5 MP camera can take some extraordinarily good images. Here's the basics, to make sure you get some keepers. First, the camera needs to be steady. It's too late to get hold of a special iPhone camera case with a tripod mount, but if you have one already, like the Gorilla Pod, you're in business. No tripod? You're not out of luck. Steady the iPhone on your lap, on a chair back, or on the roof of a car. If you have to hold it, it's a good idea to take a deep breath and hold it in while you are shooting the fireworks. No, not for a long time! Your camera will have a tendency to follow the moving fireworks. Resist the temptation, and hold the camera steady when you take your picture. You don't want streaks and blurs caused by movement. If you have the latest iPhone 4 with HDR, turn it off. Fireworks happen quickly, you don't want multiple exposures slowing things down. And please, turn off the flash. Your little puny LED flash isn't going to illuminate the scene. Before everything starts, decide if you are going to shoot landscape mode or portrait. If you are trying to capture the foreground crowd, landscape is fine. Most fireworks are set off vertically, so if you are shooting well above the horizon, portrait mode is best. Digital zoom is a no no. It makes the picture larger, but increases the noise and decreases the quality. Stay at full wide with no digital zoom. The iPhone should auto-focus with no problem. If it doesn't tap the screen where the fireworks are, then hold steady and take your image. Don't forget, the iPhone is also an excellent video camera. Many of the same rules apply. Try to hold the camera steady... and let the motion come from the fireworks, not from your camera. If you get some great pictures, leave us some links in Flickr, Picasa web albums or your MobileMe galleries. We'd like to highlight the best of them.
Sega Toys makes indoor fireworks infinitely safer, to Elvis Costello's dismay
Lovers of pyrotechnics everywhere have always struggled with the quandary: what to do on a rainy day? Well, firebugs, get a load of this: Sega Toys Japan has heard your prayers and answered 'em in the form of the Uchiage Hanabi. This is essentially a projector that displays "fireworks" on the walls and ceilings, with realistic movement and sound. And if that weren't enough, you can create your own fireworks and program your own shows. Now you can have Bastille Day, every day, in the privacy of your apartment! Out August 1, with a list price of $168. Video after the break.[Via Japan Trend Shop]
Happy 4th from Wii Fanboy
For our international readers, the fourth of July is nothing more than another day. But, for us in the United States, it's a fairly important holiday that demands we light fireworks and enjoy an assortment of meats prepared on the grill. More importantly, though, we get some free time. Free time to play games.We'll likely be spending a majority of the day plowing through Resident Evil 4. Will you be playing any games? If not, how will you be spending the holiday?From all of Wii Fanboy, have a safe and happy holiday and, as always, thank you for reading!
Happy Fourth of July
Happy Fourth of July to all our American readers. Most of our bloggers hail from America (I happen to live in one of the most historically important cities in the country, Philadelphia), and as such there will be light posting today. I hope everyone has a great day, and remember that you can celebrate the 4th with your Mac.[Picture via Animaux on Flickr.]
We pledge allegiance to capture the flag
Our colleagues at AOL Games are running a festive feature to celebrate this 4th of July. Instead of the usual stuff about barbecues and fireworks, they took the flag route. No, not the red, white & blue ... just red and blue usually ... on two different flags. Yup, we're talking about every online gamers favorite pastime: Capture the Flag (that's CTF to most of us).With essays from the AOL Games staff, and contributions from Jay is Games' John Bardinelli and GamerDad Andrew Bub, it sure is a nice way to spend an uneventful 4th. That is, unless you're either busy: a) drinking your face off; b) playing Capture the Flag. If you aren't doing one of the above (poor sod), check it out and celebrate the red and blue!Snip from Scott Steinberg's piece: "Allies may shoot us in the tush. Prepubescent teens, call our manhood into question. But bombing the base and swiping the goods isn't sport or fancy: It's everything, period. And, like an homage to the pleasures of flag-snagging excitement, let the plasma-scarred torsos of friend and foe alike serve as a testament of our devotion -- we love, I mean really love, Capture the Flag." Amen. [Thanks, Dan]
F$%# (bottle) rocket n00b!
Halo fan FyreWulff has created a replica of the SPNKR rocket launcher to celebrate US independence this year. The launcher -- still a work in progress -- takes on the trademark Halo design, including the "HOLD LIKE THIS" image on the side. Describing his project, FyreWulff said: "...This is not meant to be a 1:1 remake of the Halo rocket launcher. I'm basically "skinning" another (fake!) rocket launcher to look like it, as best as possible." The launcher will be used to fire holiday shells and bottle rockets this 4th of July. Whether you're a Halo fan or not, surely there is no better way to celebrate our country than by blowing up a small part of it. Follow the read link for more pictures. Anybody else have any cool holiday projects? [Via HBO]
