Flutterby™! : New Toys

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New Toys

2009-12-01 19:06:48.300595+00 by Dan Lyke 8 comments

Thanks to Eric for the small DVD player: I'm unable getting it to load DVDs, which may be the same reason it was sitting idle in your house, but I adore the form factor and if I can't debug this one I'll be getting another one in that same size.

Thanks to my Dad for sending the Graflex Speed Crown Graphic. There's a whole bunch of interesting project here, hopefully I can keep it in the "this is fun" zone. And I've got the Polaroid back, it looks like The Impossible Project is bringing back instant film production, and Fuji is apparently still making instant films, so both of those would be a way to muck about with this without turning it into more than a walk downtown and an excuse to interact with people.

And thanks to someone whom I won't name, but... I'd had the conversation with him about enjoying playing in large format photography, and he said "I've got a small stat camera you can have, it's got a 2'x2' back. I went last night to pick it up, and really it's way too freakin' big for me to have around as something to play with, even if I were to try to repurpose it into a device for photography. It's a full-on stat camera, in vertical form, with the light booms and everything. I was thinking I'd just steal the lens from it, but it's too much for that. However, we were in his project room and he said "I'm 76 years old, there's a lot of projects I wanted to do someday in here that I'm not going to get to, is there anything you need?". I allowed as how I had some teenagers in my life who wanted to blow some shit up, and he said "my son who's now a doctor was into chemistry when he was a kid, you want chemistry stuff?". So I now, among several boxes of glassware and diagnostic tools other things, have a huge 3 necked flask, with heaters, an accurate PH meter that needs a new probe, and other toys yet to be discovered. I'm regretting getting rid of my triple beam balance, though a basic digital scale would be more useful in the kitchen anyway.

Now I really really really need to build that new workshop. But there'll be some things that go bang in the futures of a few kids in my life, probably starting with some extremely small amounts of nitrogen triiodide...

And if anyone has a use for a stat camera, give me a holler. He'd love to see it go somewhere other than landfill.

[ related topics: Interactive Drama Photography Invention and Design ]

comments in descending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 22:53:06.668798+00 by: ebradway

The Via Eden has an external power supply. I'll throw it in with the case. You probably don't want the case. I don't know if it will decode DVD in software or not. You may need an add-on board.

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 21:51:32.927915+00 by: Chris

Actually, the part that interests me is the camera itself, the other elements, stand, lights, ect don't figure into intended use. Wish I had a name/model number on it so I could do a search to get an idea of exactly what it is, and what elements could be useful.

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 21:30:07.302748+00 by: Dan Lyke

If you're serious I'll give him a call and see if we can figure out how big it really is, and maybe get a ballpark on weight. I envision it as something to repurpose into perhaps shooting directly to paper and then contact printing from it, although getting that beast out into the field, and figuring out how to drive the vacuum back in the field, is a challenge.

The thing's gotta be 4' high and at least 2' square, and we'd pack the lights on top of that. If you want to call shipping companies and start to look at shipping costs and logistics and packaging requirements, I'm happy to handle the legwork on this side to make sure it'll go to someone who'll use it rather than the landfill.

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 21:24:32.286409+00 by: Chris

Can always re-prioritize/reallocate space, if necessary I would throw out my stove and even sleep in the Shop to make room for it. Actually the only "normal" room in my house is the kitchen which also serves as an office and general communal hang-out space. After 3 wives and 3 divorces I am subject to no external ruling forces :) Not by choice, but circumstance, I might add...

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 21:19:59.767634+00 by: Dan Lyke

I think we can come to some agreements here. What sort of power supply will I need?

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 20:54:01.028536+00 by: ebradway

You know - I don't think I ever actually put a DVD player in that thing. I used it to play CDs with MP3s. It might not have ever worked. Sorry about that!

If you want to go another route, I'll send you my Via Eden board. It's only been up in a balloon twice (unlike Falcon Heane, who never really flew) and I promise I never sent it up in a kite!

I would want something in exchange for that - like a few of those "Mocha Muffs" from Petaluma Coffee Roasters...

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 20:49:27.295271+00 by: Dan Lyke

I'm guessing a few hundred bucks, but it may be more than that. I haven't shipped anything big in a while. You got the space for it?

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-01 19:53:26.997997+00 by: Chris

Congratulations on getting the Graphic. Am wondering how much it would cost to crate and ship a stat camera to northern Florida from your area Christmas IS coming, you know :) It has a 2 x 2 foot back? Hot damn...paper negative time