text:
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Gentlemen, Start Your Computers!
The summer of NASCAR racing on TNT is upon us once again and this time things have changed. While it is true that the same on-air bunch will return, this year there will be something very different for the fans. Gentlemen, start your broadband computers!
TNT is unleashing a wickedly smart concept that is going to open some eyes among tech-savvy fans. Beginning this weekend, TNT and NASCAR.com are teaming-up to deliver fans directly into the race broadcast as never before.
The concept is called RaceBuddy. That is the handsome gentleman pictured above. This page on the NASCAR.com website is going to be a very busy one this summer. Here are the reasons why.
The TNT gang will be offering an opportunity to use your broadband computer as an active companion to the cable TV telecast. This new offering will include four video feeds that will contain different angles of the race and will include one in-car camera feed that fans can vote to switch during the event.
In addition, fans can forward videos and pictures along with questions to the actual TNT crew before, during and after the event. The idea is to get the fans as interactive as possible during the race in the same type of way that many fans now visit other chat rooms or websites. This time, it will be Larry McReynolds in the infield who will be reading the email and responding. That is pretty darn interactive.
The most interesting part is that RaceBuddy is free of charge for all the video, audio and interactive applications. Race fans have not heard those words in a while.
The RaceBuddy concept will also include lots of new website opportunities for fans to chat and post and network. There will be several contests and prizes offered during this series, including one with CNN's popular morning host Robin Meade. There is a video on the website that explains that contest, and good luck to all.
During the Daytona race in July, TNT will once again roll-out the "wide open coverage" concept that featured long-form original advertising in a second video box on the screen while keeping the race video active. While the network still has to leave for the local cable system commercials, last season fans missed less than five laps during those interruptions.
On a Tuesday afternoon conference call, the TNT gang sounded like they had a new focus and energy. Bill Weber expressed his desire to create an atmosphere this season that feels like a conversation between fans. Wally Dallenbach wanted to see if Kyle Busch can continue his good racing luck and Kyle Petty was happy to switch gears and step back into the TV booth.
Changes beginning this weekend also include a resurrection of Wally's World as a viable feature and not a useless TNT promo session. Dallenbach and Petty will both steer cars onto the track and try to explain the challenges facing the drivers with the COT cars during these six races. This could turn-out to be a useful feature once again, as one of Dallenbach's strengths used to be talking about the track while having some fun at the same time.
This season pit reporter Lindsay Czarniak has also been given a feature that will appear somewhere in the ninety minutes of the pre-race programming. Lindsay on Location will allow this veteran news reporter to uncover and explain a unique or little-known story from each of the six summer venues.
Pride of NASCAR will return to offer a feature on the veterans of the sport, beginning at Pocono with Bobby Allison. An accident at this track changed his life forever, and it will be good to check-in with him again about his activities. The final feature will be called NASCAR Future Stars. It will focus on the up-and-coming drivers with an eye on the Sprint Cup Series.
TNT's own Marc Fein will again handle the infield hosting duties, which mostly consist of keeping an eye on McReynolds. Ralph Shaheen, Matt Yocum and Marty Snider round-out the veteran crew covering pit road this summer.
For those fans like myself who have never joined NASCAR.com's Trackpass or purchased the Sprint Race View, this broadband computer experience during the race will be new.
In response to the last season's issues involving post-race interviews, TNT will continue to partner with NASCAR.com and use TNT's on-site announcers to handle the online post-race show on NASCAR.com. Yes, you heard me correctly.
This season, when the TNT broadcast is over, the full crew of announcers will switch-over to NASCAR.com for a post-race show that will once again be offered to fans free of charge. Now, when time is tight on TV, the rest of the top finishing drivers and those involved in race issues will be talking live on NASCAR.com immediately after the race. How about that?
Certainly, all of these new concepts are a lot to digest, but they have one good thing in common. They are all intended to increase the interaction between the fans and the sport. When the racing action settles down at Pocono, fans will now have an online opportunity to check-out other cameras, forward questions to the TV crew and socially network with each other.
RaceBuddy seems like a super concept coming along at just the right time. TNT needs to seize the positive momentum from Fox and work hard to make the summer races something unique for the fans. So far, it seems they are off to a very good start.
The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are on the right side of the main page. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.
42 comments:
- stricklinfan82 said...
I'm not going to bother with the computer stuff but it sounds like a cool thing for those that will. My main conern in this area is that the interactive stuff doesn't distract the attention of the TV broadcast away from the race. We better not be seeing Johnny from Colorado sending a video question to the TNT booth while the race is going on. Save the interactive stuff for the computer, keep the TV broadcast focused solely on the race.
I went out on a limb a few weeks ago and predicted that with 10 months to carefully study Fox and ESPN and read the viewers comments for every Cup and Nationwide race held during that time, that TNT would produce the best 6 race broadcasts of the entire season. I sure hope I'm not in store for a letdown.
Good luck TNT, I'm rooting for you.
- June 4, 2008 at 1:20 AM
- SophiaZ123 said...
Thanks for the advance info on TNT's plans for this season. It's great to hear in detail what's happening and that the guys in the booth want to make things fun for the fans.
I have to second your comments...I don't want to multi task (it's all I can do to read and blog here during here sometimes) but cool for those who want "interactive"...but will it just be another hi tech TOY to take away is my fear.
THAT said, I am excited that TNT is trying to make things better this season...BUT please remember, not everybody has access to broadband and after a race, if they tape or DVR and the post race is online, could miss it.
Also, I am still slack jawed that this is
a. FREE
b. The site won't lock up and crash like nascar.com does often times from what I hear..and especially on the free weekends. And will Buddy Boy become TNT's "Digger" deal..complete with shirts, hats, stuffed animals, Malibu Condo and race car set...and etc, LOL. (Next season Digger may have gal pal Diggerette...sponsored by Nicorette...well, you can see how this all can snowball..but I meander once again.
Still, I am glad TNT wants to make the race fan friendly but how about making sure we just SEE THE GREEN FLAG racing and the FINISH LINE!
I am already looking forward to the Daytona race !! :-) I LOVED last years showing of that.
Kudos for trying new things as long as we dinosaurs who want to just "watch the race" on tv can do so if we so choose.
- June 4, 2008 at 1:50 AM
- Karen said...
SophiaZ123 said...
I have to second your comments...I don't want to multi task (it's all I can do to read and blog here during here sometimes) but cool for those who want "interactive"...but will it just be another hi tech TOY to take away is my fear.
I couldn't agree with either of you more. By the end of the night, my neck has a crick in it from turning my head back and forth from TV to computer and my arm aches from sitting here with my hand on the mouse the whole time with my head turned toward the TV, being as I'm in my home office on a desktop.
Plus, JD, isn't the streaming going to be behind several seconds from the TV broadcast so we'll have to slow down our DVR just to stay in step? Way too much hassle for me to enjoy the race. It does take my eyes away from the TV screen, thus the racing.
- June 4, 2008 at 2:39 AM
- Cypress said...
Very little of this excites me the way it seems to excite JD.
Larry Mac answer viewer questions on the air? Eh, is really any different than the questions Myers throws off at Hammond/DW on Fox? Eh, I guess it's more interactive because it's "from fans" but my guess is that the questions will pretty much be the same. After all, of literally millions of viewers and thousands of emails, producers will still screen the questions and you have like a lotto chance of getting one on the air.
All this stuff about texting a driver during caution or getting to video-ask a question to a driver sounds like a distraction the drivers have to tolerate more than an innovation.
The chance to interact and network with fans is a plus, but I'm not sure how many fans will want to get devoted to the site if the plug will be pulled after TNT's six races, the way they pulled the plus on their NASCAR website last year (per your column)
The part the sounds kinda exciting is the four video feeds for free. I'll believe that they can handle the traffic and bandwidth when I see it - they could be swamped. Still, given the relatively low/grainy quality of most online streaming live video, I'm not sure I want to sit at my computer screen (as big and beautiful as it is) to watch four buffering feeds. And if I bring my laptop in front of the TV, well, four videos on one laptop will not be large.
In my opinion, if you cut through the fancy press releases and the enthusiastic press conference call you find only a few things to be really excited about with RaceBuddy (anyone else hate this name and the cartoon dude with the glasses?).
I'm prepared to be impressed and I certainly hope I am wrong, but this doesn't really excite me.
- June 4, 2008 at 3:15 AM
- bevo said...
Did they say anything about server loads or how they plan to handle so much traffic? What about the time lag with the telecast? So many times the folks who come up with features neglect to consult with the nuts and bolts guys. I'm afraid it might turn out to be an epic failure when it launches.
- June 4, 2008 at 4:10 AM
- Anonymous said...
None of this does anything for me. All I want from my announcers and reporters is that they are knowlegeable and play it straight with their reporting. Often, I wish they would just shut up and let us watch and listen to the cars! Its as if silence in the booth is a no-no.I'm not the least bit optimistic about TNT covering Nascar. Sounds like putting lipstick on a pig!
- June 4, 2008 at 4:12 AM
- Anonymous said...
Wow, strange that some folks are not looking forward to using the computer to add to the viewing experience. I for one want all the info I can get during a race.
Funny 2 saying they will not use it(TNT webcast) are 2 of the people who post on here the most!! They are on the computer, but will not use a site to enhance their veiwing of the race???!!!
- June 4, 2008 at 5:35 AM
- Anonymous said...
JD- Man I just want to watch the race.I am so tired of all this crap the networks keep shoving down our throats.I could care less about anything that is not going on-on the track.Weber "a conversation with the fans" -give me a break--what has happened to this sport can be blamed on the networks "covering" the events.
- June 4, 2008 at 5:56 AM
- Anonymous said...
I'm one to try anything...so I will be sure to give the "Buddy" a try. The race is soooo much more than the cars going in circles..every new toy we can use is better.
I go to about 5 races a year and could not imagine going without my scanner....keeps you updated and on top of the "stories within the story. I see not using the things available to the TV & Computer veiwer, like going to a race without my scanner.
Today you learn to use new technology or get passed by in business & life!
- June 4, 2008 at 6:27 AM
- Anonymous said...
Funny 2 saying they will not use it(TNT webcast) are 2 of the people who post on here the most!! They are on the computer, but will not use a site to enhance their veiwing of the race???!!!
I agree. Personally, I'll use as much info as I can get if I'm not at the track. And when I am, I use a scanner--this is the same thing.
- June 4, 2008 at 6:54 AM
- Anonymous said...
If TNT & NASCAR are going to provide the BUDDY for free, I have no problem with them promoting and using it during the TV coverage. I think they are trying to offer the fan a better viewing experience, if it stinks....we just stop using it.
- June 4, 2008 at 7:06 AM
- Anonymous said...
TNT's plans sound interesting. It will be cool to see if they can turn things around compared to last season.
- June 4, 2008 at 7:15 AM
- Anonymous said...
How much computer is this going to require? My system was pretty nice when it was new 3 years ago, but its video card isn't up to the modern version of a high-demand application.
This isn't going to be very relevant if only people with high-end gaming systems can use it.
- June 4, 2008 at 7:15 AM
- Vince said...
I applaud TNT for trying some new things. As a computer professional who has to deal with bandwith issues daily, I have my doubts that they can pull off what they want to do online without their servers crashing and burning or the bandwith "pipe" just being so overwhelmed that everything comes to a screeching halt. Also the lag in what we're seeing on the computer vs what is live on TV could be an issue.
But again I look forward to the new online offerings. I'm happy it's free. But wonder if the reason it's free is because we will be their beta testers of this concept. If I remember correctly, Nascar.com's TrackPass and the like were free for the first year or two also and then they were changed to being fee based. After most of the bugs were worked out. Time will tell.
- June 4, 2008 at 7:39 AM
- Rockin Rich said...
Okay, this is from a guy that is a 30 year former IBMer, that still does some technology consulting for school systems, and uses a computer probably 3-4 hours a day.
I am not interested in being distracted by the computer while I am watching a race. Most of the time I am watching with some other guys in what I call our "GarageBar". It is as much a social event as it is being absorbed in the race. Also trying to keep up with manipulating a computer would be a big distraction for me.
Even when I finish watching a race at home, I am really absorbed in watching the action. I think trying to mess with a computer at the same time would take away from that.
During the final year of the PPV In-Car Camera on cable, (2006 I think), we had it running on a second TV next to the TV the race broadcast was on. The opinion of the group was that it didn't add much to the enjoyment of the race despite being able to switch to several different cars as the race progressed. We wouldn't have renewed the service even if it had not been moved to satellite.
We would like to have access to the scanners, as that is useful during the race, assuming that the scanner chatter is in sync with what we are seeing at the time as it is at the track.
I am not slamming those that like the "challenge" of multi-tasking while watching a race. I am just saying it isn't my style, or of interest to the guys I watch races with.
Of course, the name of our gathering place may be a clue as to why the guys sometimes have a little trouble following multiple visual and information inputs! We do use the second TV for NFL football in the Fall, and that sometimes leads to interesting disagreements about what has just occurred in the race, or the game.
That said, I will probably take a look at the TNT offering at some point just to get a feel for the experience. Who knows, I could end up eating my words, (like that's never happened before!).
- June 4, 2008 at 7:39 AM
- glenc1 said...
I'm with Rockin Rich--I'm on a PC all day, I enjoy watching the TV for the races, not being on the PC. And yeah, I do the multiTV or PIP during football season. I have friends who have the PC attached to the gigundus screen for their gaming and whatnot, I just have no interest. No wonder America is growing in size (and I don't mean population...) But it's not just that, I don't NEED all that extra information--there's nothing better than being AT a race, and none of that would come close to recreating it. Occasional statistics might be interesting to me (such as who has the fastest car at certain places on a track) but not for a million pieces of info that will be meaningless after one blown tire. Part of the fun of racing is its unpredictability. And yeah, I don't have a problem with its being available to those who want it, I just wish they put as much energy into giving us the info we need on TV in a timely, informative fashion.
- June 4, 2008 at 8:31 AM
- GinaV24 said...
Since I have used trackpass on Nascar.com to follow my driver for several years now, it will be interesting to see how the new TNT interactive stuff works. Considering how horrible a job they did last year, maybe they will improve on their coverage this year. Pocono is a race better watched on TV than in person since it's so big that it's hard to see the action from the seats. (That of course assumes there will actually be ANY racing action.) I'll give TNT and Racebuddy a whirl and see how it goes. I can see the concerns about bandwidth and such, because trackpass has had its own share of problems with that, although not so much this year. Anyway, it's worth a try
- June 4, 2008 at 8:35 AM
- Thornton, Colorado said...
Once again, I don't need "extras". Just show the da** race! They will be so busy turning this into Grand Theft Auto, that viewers will be turned off immediately. Imagine the pre race is going to have at least 5 minutes of hyping this gadgetry.
Somewhere along the lines, people with too much money, and not enough common sense got some media power, and the rest of us "fans" suffer.
- June 4, 2008 at 8:53 AM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
Hey guys,
Great comments. The TNT video feed is going to use flash technology to try and avoid any delay.
Turner Interactive in Atlanta runs a lot of websites and just got the contract to take-over NBA.com recently. They have all the capacity to handle this with no problem.
For those of you trying to keep the TV and the computer separate, I am afraid it is a losing battle.
So many NASCAR fans are already on the computer during the race that this is a very attractive feature for a network like TNT to add.
There is no commercial element to RaceBuddy like Digger, TNT just decided to use a cartoon-like character to give the new concept a name, they do a lot of cartoons at Turner and had easy access to create this.
If you watched the NBA on TNT you saw this approach almost exactly and it went over very well with the viewers.
So, basically the TNT guys and NASCAR.com feel they have all the technology ready for folks who use the computer as a companion piece for the TV.
I think if you want to focus on the TV portion of the race, the computer stuff will be no hassle.
Broadasters from Major League Baseball to SPEED's sports car guys take email questions during an event and have done so for several years.
I really can't remember when new technology like this was rolled-out for free. Perhaps, it will bring a younger crowd over to NASCAR when they discover the added extras during these six races.
PS - it would not surprise me to see this NASCAR.com partnership spread to other NASCAR series.
- June 4, 2008 at 9:30 AM
- Dan said...
I know this type of tie-in is the future, but right now it doesn't do much for me. The cynic in me is thinking that this "expanded" broadcast is nothing more than a ploy to reduce the number of people that Tivo the race. The only way to take advantage of all TNT is offering is to watch the race live. That means suffering through all the commercials and promos. The idea might have potential, but for me, it's not nearly enough make me sit through a live broadcast.
- June 4, 2008 at 9:49 AM
- red said...
well, since i'm already on the laptop during the races, i will try this newest wrinkle this weekend. one of the features i'm frankly looking for is something that will allow me to . . . diminish my reliance on network broadcasters. i'm hoping this new feature will ADD hard information to my experience, not add fluff. i may be in the minority but, when i can't be at the race, i want all sorts of info: intervals, lap times, positions and lead changes, technical info, who's running what line where on the track -- all that stuff.
i'm very leery of any "ask the expert or driver or commentator" feature during the race as it has the potential to seriously pull attention away from the race and that's the biggest mistake any broadcast can make in my world.
if the internet presentation is going to be used for the "soft stuff," i'll absolutely return to my current way of watching a race at home: tv on, laptop on, several windows open simultaneously on the laptop and a radio nearby so i can mute the tv broadcast and listen to mrn.
i'm not a fan of the name or the cartoon image but, to borrow a phrase: "what . . . ever." i'll disregard that piece of tackiness if it brings me more solid information that adds to, doesn't detract from, my race watching at home. so, yes, i'll give it a solid shot at least this weekend. and, knowing how glitches happen, i'll likely be on-board for the next 4-6 races with this newest technology.
- June 4, 2008 at 10:07 AM
- glenc1 said...
To be honest, whenever those Q&A things come on, I can't hit the remote fast enough. I really don't care what Joe in Peoria is asking. I don't care if it's sports or American Idol. Biggest waste of time in the universe to me during a broadcast (an analysis show is different). The job of a reporter is to *anticipate* the questions the general public wants to know--if they did their jobs properly, we wouldn't need 'Joe' to ask the question...
Weren't features of Trackpass offered free its first season, and then after they lured people in, they started charging (although they added stuff, I think?) I just remember people being angry later, as if they thought they were 'entitled' to all that for free. Frankly, I never go to NASCAR.com unless it's a link, too much visual junk to find anything worthwhile. To me it's like a book. Some people want to read, and some people want to look at the pictures. Nothing wrong with either, just a different approach.
- June 4, 2008 at 11:12 AM
- Lou,Kingston,NY said...
Hi JD, I am back.LOL
Anyway just some wandering comments I made as I read the blog and comments.
Laptop always on during races. Lets see FREE and INTERACTIVE, will check it out. I just watched Robin this morning and she did mention the contest and her as the prize.lol. Glad Wally's back. Lindsay on Loc..., JD , could this be like Wendy's real deal? I enjoyed those segements very much. Live post race on NASCAR.com, sounds good. Currently watch the Jack Dan... post race. Will there be a conflict for them. I do enjoy the post race online. Love to hear about the new tech race stuff. Hope some of it works out. Yea, and to think I used to get my racing stuff in 1970 from Hot Rod mag. So yes, in general I do look foward to the next 6 races. ESPN rasied the bar, and we as fans now get to see it rasied further.
- June 4, 2008 at 11:17 AM
- Anonymous said...
To Anon @ 7:06.....
What an interesting concept! Try it, if you don't like it, turn it off. Who would have thought of that? LOL
- June 4, 2008 at 11:17 AM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
Ms. Czarniak is going to be finding an off-beat story from the track itself, this will not be a pre-produced feature done during the week. She is a full-time reporter, so the results could be interesting.
What if you wanted to know something or were upset by something and sent an email that was then answered or addressed on the telecast? I just have trouble seeing how this is a bad thing. I watch the Florida Marlins games, and the email has become an integral part of the game telecasts. Give it a try.
The best way to stop folks from doing the "DVR Dance" with the races would be to install side-by-side ads on all three Sprint Cup TV partner broadcasts. Maybe NASCAR and the sponsors will wake-up to the fact that full-screen ads are just a two minute opportunity for fans to do something other than watch that channel.
- June 4, 2008 at 11:37 AM
- Anonymous said...
Lou,Kingston,ny - I hate the Jack Dan postrace. Everytime I have watched it there have been so many facts that were stated wrong that I was screaming at the computer. The hosts are not very knowledgable. At least with the TNT version, it will be the actual TV announcers who presumably watched the race, LOL!
- June 4, 2008 at 11:42 AM
- haus20 said...
I do not use a computer to enhance my stick & ball experience, but I do enjoy using the computer during races. I enjoy knowing how my driver's lap times are compared to the leader or the guys around him.
I don't always use it, but the reality is that with 43 cars in the field, some drivers will not be covered as much as the others no matter how great the coverage is. This is a way for me to keep up with my driver at my convenience.
- June 4, 2008 at 11:51 AM
- Ken-Michigan said...
I guess I'm gettin' old or something, but the computer stuff just doesn't do anything for me when I want to watch the race.
Lately the ONLY things I watch the computer for during the race is JD's blog AND with all the timing and scoring issues with FOX, I turn on the computer for a better "up to date" scoring reference.
- June 4, 2008 at 12:05 PM
- Ken-Michigan said...
Attention Producers:
Why won't anyone try this.....
Lets coordinate the broadcast so you can have a NASCAR official IN THE BOOTH with the On-Air team.
I truly think this would be a huge hit with every single fan.
I'm not saying that this official needs to have a microphone for every lap, but simply to EXPLAIN the different calls during the event. ( PGA Golf has done a similar set up over the years with the networks to explain the rules of the game )
Think of the confusion it would clear up at a race :
Let the NASCAR person explain a debris caution, where is it and show us.
Show us and explain when and where a car was speeding on pit road.
Point out WHERE the scoring loops are on the track... etc.
Each and everyone one of us can think of a time when we WISH we had an explanation of why something was called the way it was OR wasn't called at all.
If you really want to encourage NEW FANS to join the NASCAR army, those NEW FANS need to know how YOU (NASCAR) is calling a race. Plus you would be satisfying alot of us 30 year fans along the way as well.
It may be too late in the game for TNT to add this, but ABC / ESPN..... lets try it.
You will not believe the positive feedback, IF YOU TRY IT !!
- June 4, 2008 at 12:22 PM
- Desmond said...
I will try out RaceBuddy at least once during the TNT season. I have faith in the website to keep up with the demand.
I am also relieved to see that TNT will have additional postrace coverage on NASCAR.com and hope that it is as extensive as possible (many driver interviews, full-field standings, etc.). At the very least, there is some alternative in case TNT again leaves early for a movie.
- June 4, 2008 at 12:25 PM
- glenc1 said...
I really don't think they're going to pick my question when I ask why they never showed a decent camera angle of what *really* happened in a wreck, or why they didn't question NASCAR's decision on something, lol. I've sent in Q&A for *other* types of shows, I just don't want them wasting time during my broadcast when they could be telling us something more worthwhile, like lap times, etc, or cover a driver they haven't mentioned. Yes, I do sometimes want to know what happened to someone, but I usually just find out later. It's not to the point where I'd pay for extra.
- June 4, 2008 at 1:24 PM
- SonicAD said...
They actually did something similar last year... though it was just a couple cameras. I'm all for expansion of it.
Also, I'm really glad they decided to do the extended online post-race show again. TNT did it at Daytona and Chicago last year, and interviewed a lot of the drivers who were lower in the field. You can actually still access them, since they're part of the online post-race NASCAR.com does already. This is the thing I was hoping they'd continue most, so hopefully TNT will have an improvement all around this year.
- June 4, 2008 at 3:11 PM
- JHD said...
Even with the Flash application, I'll have to see if this works. My home computer is an IBM that firmly believes it's a Commodore 64. I usually have the Trackpass scanner (and only the scanner) on during the race because using anything else will cause my computer to crash. One of these days, I'll rejoin the modern world at home....but I digress.
If this does work for anyone, and I will get to focus on drivers that aren't normally on my TV as opposed to showing different views of the same 5 cars I see on TV, then it'll be worth it.
- June 4, 2008 at 3:16 PM
- haus20 said...
JHD, I agree with your hope that this allows for the ability to focus on some of the other drivers. If it does, it will be a successful venture.
- June 4, 2008 at 4:14 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- June 4, 2008 at 5:19 PM
- Newracefan said...
I will play with Buddy to see what it offers, I already have Trackpass, Foxtrax and this blog running during a race so whats another screen or 2. Hopefully it works better than raceview I tried taht a few times and never could get it to load but Pitcommand always worked fine and I love listening to Jimmie and Chad and as long as I do not have to give that up I'm game.
- June 4, 2008 at 6:49 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- June 4, 2008 at 9:32 PM
- glenng said...
I don't use trackpass because of the cost. Last year I prefered the live leader board. It was a simple thing that updated the running order as the drivers would cross the start finish line. It gave information of the drivers speed, time behind the leader, points where they were running and so on.
This year however, the new format that nascar.com is using is like those cheep hotdogs that are sold at the track. Chopped full of peckers and lips. There are so many ads running. Several are animated. They just keep going and going.
I have a 6meg connection, which I know is not the fastest. But it's not shabby either. In a race this spring the "LIVE LEADERBOARD" was 30 laps behind in their data by the end of the race.
Just another example that more isn't always better.
- June 4, 2008 at 10:25 PM
- Anonymous said...
Until Bill Weber is not on the
show ..there is simply nothing
postive about it. In fact it sounds like TOOO much stuff...
If Bill Weber could talk ina few
lower tones...AND NOT go on these
streaks of R A I S I N G HIS
V O I C E ..at the end of sentence
after sentence...but alas it will
never happen.
Kyle is a nice guy great driver
gives a ton to charity .. but talks
too much in the booth
good nite...
- June 5, 2008 at 12:58 AM
- AndyPandy said...
I hope this system works well for all of you who will use it. I also hope that the TV broadcast is never tied to it so closely that the viewing experience requires an online component.
I'm another one of those IT guys (staring at a monitor 8 hours a day at work, 3 hours a night at home) and when it's race time, all I want is my big TV, surround sound system, and a couple of cold cans of Busch. Maybe some Doritos. I refuse to touch a mouse or follow anything on a small screen between the green and the checkers. I use the race as an escape from my usual routine, and a PC tie-in feels too much like work. However, for those who choose to take advantage of the technology, it looks like this may be a good step forward in the evolution of the product.
- June 5, 2008 at 10:51 AM
- Lisa Hogan said...
Well said, andypandy! :)
- June 5, 2008 at 12:02 PM
- Richard in N.C. said...
From a quick glance, NASCAR.com looked as cluttered and user-unfriendly as the last time I tried to use it months ago. To check on their level of commitment, I tried to see how easy it would be to leave a comment, and never found out. Even at ESPN it is basically intuitive, and for the borderline computer literate like me, resonably easy to leave a comment.
Since TNT is part of Time Warner, "free" would seem to be an alien concept.
Except for possibly trying to pick up some MRN broadcasts - like qualifying - that I cannot locate over the air, I'll probably continue to avoid NASCAR.com.
- June 5, 2008 at 7:05 PM


text:
In chaotic situations, certain people rise to the top, and that is certainly the case for Mohammed al-Hariri, a former air conditioning repairman who commands enormous deference on the windblown streets of Zaatari refugee camp.
In less than a year, the Zaatari camp in Jordan has grown into an instant city, with 120,000 residents who have fled the war in Syria, sheltered in trailers and tents. Officially, aid workers manage the camp. But Hariri is the de facto boss, a mafia don to Syrian refugees who seek his help.
At 48, he keeps his gray beard trimmed, and his steely hair, which stands high on his head, appears blow-dried. His shoes are clean and polished, remarkable on the dusty streets. He is deceptively small, almost delicate, but there is nothing gentle about the way he has built an empire in the camp, living in relative luxury.
"This is the kitchen," he says, as he gives a tour of his living compound. "It's a humble kitchen as you can see."
The well-stocked pantry is hardly humble by refugee standards. Hariri has a private water tank and bathroom. Artificial turf in his courtyard gives relief from the sand and rocks. His children watch cartoons in a separate air-conditioned trailer. Another trailer is a storage room filled with blankets and food. Three small refrigerators hum in the storeroom.
Hariri freely admits tapping into electricity from an Italian hospital nearby and helps others get free power, too.
"Look, everyone does it," he says, jabbing a cigarette in the air as his temper rises. "But know this," he continues, "we are in the 21st century, even animals in a barn have electricity."
Hariri can deliver more than electricity to upgrade the refugee trailers that line the dirty streets. He offers a tour of his section of the camp: His workmen have created decorative fountains out of concrete and stone in shaded courtyards behind corrugated metal front gates. The clear pools and bubbling water cools the desert air.
"A cup of coffee by the fountain in the evening, it's an extraordinary thing," he says, juggling calls from two Nokia cells phones, "and you enjoy the wonderful weather of Zaatari."
Friction With Aid Workers
Hariri makes no apologies for running what aid officials consider a criminal racket. He insists he serves his people. He gets them what they want. He rages against the aid worker he considers stingy and heartless.
"They are thieves and robbers and they are corrupt," he says, though he offers no specifics.
Before he became the boss here, he says he taught air-conditioner repair in a technical school in the Syrian town of Dera'a. When the protests started against President Bashar Assad, he immediately joined a rebel brigade and became commander of a special unit in the Falcons of the Tribe of Mohammed. Hariri says he specialized in mines.
In August of last year, he fled to Jordan and saw how he could be another kind of leader. His first lesson came on the day he arrived, the 60th refugee in Zaatari. He asked for extra blankets. An aid worker told him he would need a special coupon. His response: "Give me the stuff now or I will separate your head from your body."
He got the blankets, and then began building his empire. Ask how he does it, and he won't give a straight answer. There are rumors in Zaarati that he can have people killed. "I could, if I wanted to," he says, dismissively, "but I would never let it get to that point."
He claims he can solve problems in the camp, stop the riots that have resulted in injuries to Jordanian security police.
Two Powerful Men
Solutions are what everyone is looking for in Zaatari. Aid workers want to stop the violent protests, the looting, the trafficking and the stealing of electricity. The refugees want dignity and safety in a camp that is now as big as a city.
"He's acquired wealth and he is powerful," acknowledges Kilian Kleinschmidt, a burly German aid worker who manages Zaatari for the U.N. refugee agency. He was sent to the camp by the U.N. to restore order because he has a reputation for solving impossible problems. Zaatari is the most daunting challenge of Kleinschmidt's career.
Kleinschmidt introduces himself as the mayor here, and a few weeks ago he agreed to meet Hariri.
"We made a deal that we wouldn't work against each other," says Kleinschmidt, "because we are two powerful men, so, if we would work against each other, the camp would explode."
Kleinschmidt thinks more like a mayor than a manager for 120,000 Syrian refugees. He's promised to put in streetlights. His aim is to get every refugee out of the tents and into trailers by the end of the year. He says he understands these refugees, the toughest he's ever met.
"They rebelled against authority. Authority was something negative," he explains, describing the Syria revolt.
He wants camp residents to recognize that authority can be something positive, if it's directed in the right way.
"If it becomes good governance, that is one of the contributions to the rebuilding of Syria," he says.
His deal with Hariri is a step to bring illegal activities out of the dark.
"We will establish the rules and continue to work together," he says. "We are testing each other. He tests me and I test him."
Back in his shaded courtyard, Hariri continues to see a stream of visitors. Two women sit in plastic chairs and pour out their troubles. One says her daughter is about to give birth, she wants to go back to Syria to be at her side. The other's husband is stuck at the Jordanian border; the Jordanian police won't let him pass. Can Hariri get him in?
Hariri snaps open one of his cell phones and barks out orders.
"OK, it's been solved," he says to the women. They are grateful and relieved.
How he solved it, he wouldn't say.
Now to the Middle East, inside the conflict in Syria. There are so many political players it can be difficult to keep track, including some outside Syria. Today, we're going to the Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian desert which has grown to 120,000 residents fleeing the war in Syria. More refuges arrive every day, sheltering in tents and trailers.
Officially, aid workers run the camp. But if you ask the question, who's really the boss in Zaatari, you will get a very interesting answer, as NPR's Deborah Amos reports.
DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: On these wind-blown streets, Mohammed al-Hariri commands respect. Refugees and aid workers call out his name as he passes. At 48, his beard is neat, his steely hair blow-dried, shoes clean and polished, remarkable in this dusty place. He's deceptively small, almost delicate, a mafia don by some accounts. He's the most powerful man in Zaatari.
He invites us to his trailer for tea.
MOHAMMED AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) This here's the kitchen. It's a humble kitchen, as you can see.
AMOS: Not by the standards of a refugee camp. Hariri's living compound is a relative palace. He's got a private water tank, the artificial turf in his courtyard is a relief from the wind and the rocks in the camp. His children watch cartoons in a separate air-conditioned trailer. A storage room is filled with blankets and food.
So this is your fridge here and this is another fridge and this is a third fridge? He taps electricity from a camp hospital, he says, and he helps others get free power too.
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) I have people who climb these different poles and they install lines for me. I currently have four lines. One of them is from the Italian hospital.
AMOS: So you're essentially stealing electricity, correct?
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) Look, everyone does it. And finally, if they want me to pay, I'll pay gladly. But so this, we're in the 21st century. Even animals in a barnyard have electricity.
AMOS: Hariri can delivery more than electricity. An indoor fountain in a refugee trailer in the middle of the desert. Sure thing. His workmen create the pools out of concrete and stone. Running water cools the dry, hot air.
AL-HARIRI: (Through translator) I mean, come on. A cup of coffee by the fountain in the evening. It's an extraordinary thing.
AMOS: He makes no apology, insists he serves his people. He gets them what they need and he rages against aid workers and NGOs.
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) Most of these clashes here happen with NGOs. And all the NGOs here are thieves and robbers and they are corrupt.
AMOS: Before he became the boss of Zaatari, he taught air conditioning repair and studied some law in the Syrian town of Dera'a. But he says when the protests started against President Bashar al-Assad, he joined a rebel brigade, led a commando unit. He fled to Zaatari last August and saw how he could be another kind of leader.
Jordan's desert air is cold at night, so when he first arrived he asked an aid worker for an extra blanket.
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) And they said: No, this is not an easy thing to do. You have to be given some kind of coupon for it. And I said: Look, give me the stuff now or I will separate your head from your body.
AMOS: He got the blankets. From then on he built an empire and a network inside the camp. Ask how he does it, and he won't give a straight answer. There are rumors here that he can have people killed.
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) I could if I wanted to, but I would never let it get to that point.
AMOS: Can you start a protest?
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) I mean, of course I could if I wanted to start one, but think of it logically. You would start a riot, people would bash the building, loot what's going on, and what has been solved? Nothing. Instead, I make sure that a problem has been solved. I do not leave until it is solved.
AMOS: Solutions. That's what everyone wants here. Aid workers want to stop the riots, the looting, the electricity mafia stealing power for free. The refugees want dignity and safety in a camp now as big as a city. When we drive him to the front gate, Hariri is greeted by Killian Kleinschmidt, a burly German aid worker who manages Zaatari for the U.N. refugee agency.
Kleinschmidt calls himself the mayor of Zaatari. Still, he greets Hariri as an equal.
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) Fine, thank you.
AMOS: You two know each other, right?
KILLIAN KLEINSCHMIDT: Yes we do. We work together.
AMOS: Hariri invited Kleinschmidt to his trailer a few weeks back and over tea they reached an agreement.
KLEINSCHMIDT: We made a deal that we wouldn't work against each other because we're two powerful men in this camp, so if we would work against each other, the camp would explode.
AMOS: Yeah, amongst other things.
Back in the courtyard of his trailer, Hariri sees a stream of visitors. Two women pour out their troubles, one says her daughter is about to give birth. She wants to go back to Syria. Another one has a husband stuck at the border. Can Hariri get him into Jordan?
He snaps open his phone, barks out order. Can you solve this? Can you help these ladies?
AL-HARIRI: (Through Translator) Of course, it's already been solved.
AMOS: How he solved it he wouldn't say. Deborah Amos, NPR News.
MARTIN: You're listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Saturday, January 3, 2009
come on guys.... wake up.... it's showtime!!
I have stopped watching television. I cannot. I find it unbearable – especially the sight of some of our smarty pants news anchors wearing their prejudices so blatantly on their respective sleeves . Night after tiresome night, we are subjected to these talkathons during which we get our retired military analysts, our social scientists, badmaash politicians, over- talkative former editors, smug current editors, official party spokespersons, legal eagles, supercilious and shrill opinion makers…. in other words – the usual suspects – banging on about the latest crisis. The debate rages – from jung to jung, especially if the anchor has also managed to 'pakdo' a Pakistani politician,but at the end of an hour of gassing, nobody remembers nor cares what the original topic was. Sadly, however, everybody can invariably tell who scored most of the brownie points through the tedious proceedings – our chatur-chalaak neighbours, of course. Most of them are far better looking, for starters. And better dressed, too. Our guys (especially the senior journos from Delhi) show up in ancient tweeds, peculiar caps, or mufflers and World War - style overcoats , which they refuse to remove even inside temperature-controlled studios. Pakistani commentators, on the other hand, are nattily outfitted ( sooooo Savile Row!!), do their homework, are armed with convincing arguments, supported by authentic-sounding facts and figures. Their accents and presentation are way more polished, and somehow they always end up making our lot look like turkeys. Underdressed turkeys, at that. Howcome the neighbours , who are perpetually on the offensive, are rarely challenged or silenced by Team India?? Howcome, our aggressive, gelled hair anchors who think nothing of letting locals have it, turn into purring pussycats while throwing questions at the official 'dushman'?? Is it to show how 'fair' we are…. how objective, non-partisan and rational?? If that is the thinking behind all the hot air, then it is a complete waste of viewers' time. Which is why I no longer watch…. not after what Mumbai endured . Not after the obvious and blatant lies we were fed on television.
It is time to grow up. 2009 is already here. Going eyeball-to-eyeball with Pakistan (on television debates), is not helping the situation. If anything, we are looking wimpish and apologetic, as minister after minister makes the same meaningless noises, while those guys get away with quotable quotes about non-state actors , reactions to actions and other boasts , which frankly, sound terrific when delivered with such aplomb from across the border on apna channels. Viewers feel like yelling, " Shut up , you guys. Kuch kar ke dikhao. Doomb mat hilao," to our dheela chaps. Sometimes, we do manage to get an intelligent perspective, generally from an academic or defence strategist. But since that person is not a media 'celeb', nobody pays attention – except the very people who should not be in the loop about the chinks in our armour or even our future plans, in quite such an upfront manner. Nothing is a secret these days… there are eyes and ears everywhere. Even so, when panelists are discussing war – WAR, for Chrissake – a modicum of discretion isn't such a bad idea. One of the main media flaws while covering the Mumbai terror attacks was the absence of discretion, which in retrospect certainly seems to point towards lives lost because tv reporters blabbed away, revealing more than was needed. Even after that horrific experience, we continue to use those mikes as weapons of mass destruction, with a shocking absence of sensitivity in grim situations.
In the first week of a brand new year, every columnist wishes to write an upbeat, cheerful column, highlighting the more positive aspects of the twelve months ahead. This was my desire as well. Come on, De, I said to myself – stop being such a party pooper. Unlike Suketu Mehta, who claimed he was ready to put on his dancing shoes and jetlite it to Mumbai to drink a beer at Café Leopold right after it was partially destroyed by the terrorists, I am still in shock ( but not in awe). I can't stop sulking. I can't control my seething rage. It can't get any worse than it already is – I mean, look at it this way. It is election time… of course, there will be maar peet, looting, cheating, murders, kidnapping, lynching, extortions, horse trading, poll rigging – the works. The fun has already started. Everyone knows how it plays out. This election will be about caste and nothing else. So, be prepared. Criminals are already in the fray… there will be several more by the time the last ticket is handed out. Big Brother ( do I need to spell out which one I am referring to?), will be watching, advising and monitoring this one closely. Really, really closely. The neighbours will also be there, tongues hanging out to see the farce as it unfolds. There will be violence and deaths . Mayhem and manipulation. It may turn out to be the bloodiest election in India's history. But so what?? We are still a democracy,darling! We can criticize our netas and report all this - LIVE – the ultimate reality show. Wow! Imagine. Rahul Mahajan and Sanjay Dutt campaigning – that's how open a society we are – even they, with their records have their constituencies. There are more scoundrels waiting in the wings. Isn't that something?? Meanwhile… bechara Kasab. Uski haalat to dekho! Let's hope he gets a fair trial, so we can show the world our great judicial system and how it works in our great democracy. Our enemies are just trying to demoralize and malign us. Ignore them, yaar! We know the truth – Hum sab chor hai. Jai Hind. Have a great year. And don't forget to vote !
31 comments:
- hitch writer said...
News channels are taken too seriously at times... remember they just have to fill their 24 hours and will do anything for that.... ( who needs a Paki view point in these stupid debates that resolve nothing but just enrage us more, plus the paki will just not reply to the questions he is asked but completely come up with an irrevelant argument or a completely different event and deflect the attention. )
Mud slinging is always easy ...!!
Do you have any solution to the situation we find ourselves in ??
Does a solution exist ???
Things are changing... they are becoming better... nothing is going to happen overnight !!
India is awakening... the citizens rage has ensured the politicians now fear, they apologise even resign. They are starting to feel accountable....
Once more and more people will vote the ministers will have to perform to be elected or stay in their jobs...
Also at times we try and expect a near ideal nation for ourselves which I am sorry doesnt exist any where and each country has its own set of problems !!!
Crows are black every where ...
Regarding Pakistan they are being exposed slowly but surely.... They themselves now feel they are being isolated internationally. That is the first step in the diplomatic war we find ourselves in....
Harness the rage citizens and keep the pressure.... things will change... they have started to change for the better ...
- January 3, 2009 at 1:30 PM
- Baba Tiratzo said...
I agree with you Shobhaa. I think we are loosing at every front now. If Israel can do it ... why can't India?
- January 3, 2009 at 1:52 PM
hi shobhaa ...i like your to the point content and writing style...though its a pain reading in the layout you have...all messed up in one paragraph.
breaking it up into different paragraphs will make it so easy to read.
- January 3, 2009 at 3:00 PM
- Rashida said...
Ms. De, your points are very apt, and its true that media as anything but responsible. Lets face it news channels are 24X7 reality shows.
Nonetheless, the youth has become quite aggressive. if this aggression is not channeled appropriately we will see much more destruction and mayhem leading to even more disastrous ripple effects thanks to the recession.
We need to ignore the debates and actually follow democracy in its true meaning. A Group of people, called Citizens Alive, had organised the Global Peace Rally in Pune. And Pune saw better response than Mumbai. The people are more aware now. I hope that people vote right and we see better times (politically) in 2009!!!
Happy New Year!!
- January 3, 2009 at 3:08 PM
- Arjun said...
saucy as ever.
all we do is talk talk talk.
only lets out the steam.. no real solution.
Time we decide to VOTE... yes I just kinda enrolled to vote.. not the perfect Indian am I.
But then the question arises - whom to vote for. It's an age old question and we all understand politicians and their corrupt ideas.
Sadly there ain't even a single party with a national level executable agenda which will work beyond words - at this time
- January 3, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Your point about the Pakis being better dressed than us is well taken. The downside to it is that they talk a lot of nonsense.
Anyway, there is only a limit to which you can be affected by all this. We all have lives of our own to lead too!
- January 3, 2009 at 3:47 PM
- Ramesh Patel said...
You are amusing as usual. You have an infatuation towards glib talking well dressed liars (I mean Pak.Foreign Minister and others). You have described them as 'chatur & chalak' which is misleading. I have a feeling that you would even appreciate good looking well dressed terrorists.
- January 3, 2009 at 6:11 PM
err... what is the point but?
I mean, we all can crib and crib and revel on our intelligence showing in the smart taunts that we've hurled and crib some more...
But haven't we had enough of this? I was really expecting celebrated writers like you to focus on solutions coz. the problems are there for all of us to see and live through.
Has even Shobhaa De has got nothing better than cribbing (and that too in style)?
- January 3, 2009 at 7:47 PM
I think i am going to puke @ celebrated writer. UGH!
- January 3, 2009 at 9:27 PM
- Navin said...
Solution dahlings solution!!!...stop cribbing..and why dont we focus on what should be the solution!!...NSG in every prominent city??...High security checks at railway stations, airports, malls??..Wont this make Mumbai a Fortress??...Talk about all these points dear, than talking about the polished dressing sense of Pakistanis, smug editors, Big Brother and what not!!!..Once the solution is drafted, can we form a civic body to administer its implementation...why is nobody talking about all these things!!!!..Come on Shobhaa, being a fiery journo & one with high contacts, why dont u contribute to society in a positive than cribbing on blogs??...Come on..isnt it about time to give back to the society??
- January 3, 2009 at 10:59 PM
- Pritesh Patel said...
Guys, experience 'Australia', i was completely overwhelmed by it. Great cinema!
- January 4, 2009 at 1:06 AM
the point is not if pakis are better looking or well dressed, the fact is that they speak lot of bull shit these days. in the first week after 26/11 they were talking about a mossad -RSS conspiracy JUST BECAUSE hemant karkare 9who was investigating 'hindu terrorists' role in malegaon blasts) was killed! and when india asked pakis to hand over mazhood azhar and co, the 'better looking, well dressed' intellectuals said pak can ask for advani and LT. col purohit in return!!! what crap! and your point of pak bashing by the indian media is confusing!! even the FBI and the british agencies have agreed to the same
- January 4, 2009 at 7:48 AM
Okay, so why not a panel composed of Shobhaa De, Tavleen Singh, Arundhati Roy, Teesta Setalvad, Varsha Bhosle (bring her out of retirement!!!), Asma Jehangir and Begum Nawazish Ali? (And some others from uss paar - I am not familiar enough to name names.) Barkha Dutt, are you reading this?
- January 4, 2009 at 10:03 AM
- Balvinder Singh said...
Shobhaa, i think the point that you wanted to make somewhat drowned a bit in your English. So the commentators here have conecentrated more on categories of the debaters and their dresses taht you were talking about.
Yes i was following news hour debates like that of Arnab Goswami and others. These debates are becoming a drab and meaningless affair now. The very fact that same speakers on both sides are seen day in and day out repeating same accusations and defence every time, one is bound to have doubts that whether or not these debates are stage managed to earn TRPs ???
- January 4, 2009 at 3:49 PM
Contest 2009 election. Possible ?
- January 4, 2009 at 6:43 PM
- Rashida said...
If only few of the people who are here cribbing, complaining and contradicting would actually have the guts to enter the system!!!
The candidates may just be among us Ms De, if we stop cribbing, we might find them.
Power is a vicious drink, it gives an instant kick, we need leaders who can sustain it and hold their drink!!!!
- January 4, 2009 at 10:04 PM
- Dewdrop said...
Agree Shobha... we need to rise strong and march shoulder to shoulder against this... enough is just enough!
- January 5, 2009 at 1:14 AM
Some dumb people who commented earlier think that if Israel can do it, why can't india?
Are they so stupid to know what sort of political and economical situation India is right now? We cannot afford a war, nor can we get the political support to back it. Its that simple yaar... grow up and do a little more research before turning into uneducated and ignorant war mongers. Pakistan bashers are simply kids who want to throw a tantrum which quite frankly is possibly the easiest task in the world.
All i have to say is GROW UP fellow indians. You are as half assed as our politicians (especially BJP) are.
- Anonymous returns ;)
- January 5, 2009 at 7:52 AM
Its simple. Nuke the Muslim savages next door and gas the muslim savages in our country. It may take a while but its well worth it.
- January 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM
And who the hell cares what those dirty Pakis are dressed like ? The SS dressed well too, were you impressed by them too ?
But you're absolutely right about the unprofessionalism of the Indian reporters that I think they should all be executed, starting with Barkha Dutt.
- January 5, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Hi Ms De,
Your blog is difficult to read.
Its poorly formatted and doesnt have good enough pragraph-ing - which would facilitate easy reading and help to focus on the point you are making.
Too many "...", etc!
You are a fantastic writer - Loved your "Superstar India".
And to then have a blog that is so tacky in presentation is surprising!
Please help out!
- January 5, 2009 at 3:23 PM
- sanjuayyar said...
Agree. Agree. Agree.
Have a point to add De.
The anger is still simmering, particularly after looking at our national leaders who are making condradictory comments on alternate days.
One day, they speak of surgical strikes. The other day, good old Manmohan says that war is not the solution.
This post can easily be added as a page anywhere in Aravind Adiga's 'The White Tiger'.
Loved that book. Have you read it yet?
- January 5, 2009 at 6:01 PM
- Kiran said...
Hi Shobha,
India need people who can stand up to the challenges. We are just full of politically correct people who cant even make honest statements, forget any action whatsoever!
I stopped watching desi news channels after waiting for a month to see if our dear govt can do something but they cant just do anything( except for filling their pockets). Sadly our govt is reflection of our society, no matter how much I feel for our country but the truth is we are a bunch of manipulative politically correct arses who just want to make sure our children score 90% and we earn more than our neighbors!
Its only when 26/11 happens we shout few slogans, make comparisons with Israel and then go on with our lives, because we just dont have it in us! Most of us would not even want to send our children to compulsory military training, we love to do just one thing- talk!!!!......blah blah blah, it should be this way, should , should and more shoulds....
I too keep a blog( http://www.jobschahiye.blog.com ) and love reading your views, I might not endorse everything you write but I just admire the fact that you have it in you to write opinions and not politically correct statements....
- January 5, 2009 at 7:50 PM
- Another Kiran In NYC said...
Anonymous on Jan 4 10.03 AM :
Loved your guest list for the round table discussion. Oh can we add that foaming at the mouth Natrajan woman and Renuka Chowdhary of silk saris and lipstick on teeth fame to the list? What about the very articulate and bright Vasundhara Raje, though she has too many undemocratic "royal" nakhras and "adaas". Perhaps HIB (Hamari Italian Bahu)too! But that will mean that HIB will actually have to say something of note and make sense and not just sulk to get her way and look sour. Hmmmmm... perhaps HIB better not be there.
Varsha Bhonsle we need you to liven up the discussion. That woman is bright and not afraid to speak her mind. Havent seen her write for a while, but loved how she wrote even if I did not agree with all of it. She should be enough on the other side of the table to take on the Teestas and Arundhatis of the world. She is "teekhat and meeth" (chilli and salt) enough to make the mental masala taste good!
Shobhaa if you know Varsha please tell her a fan awaits!
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the talking heads were only women. Would perspectives change?
- January 5, 2009 at 8:20 PM
Kiran, HIB is actually an extremely smart woman, like it or not.
- January 5, 2009 at 10:29 PM
- Another Kiran In NYC said...
Ah yes, I must concede that HIB is extremely machevellian in pushing a personal or familial agenda , but her skills are nary used to lead people in good governance. The scuttle butt in Sadi Dilli is that unless you have promised her much, much more than your first born you will not be granted a hearing even to conduct day to day business and to get more than an extremely sour look or be treated to her famous sulks. An inaccessible (and dependent only on loyalty) administrator or leader is neither.... Administrator or Leader. That is not smart at all.
- January 5, 2009 at 11:52 PM
Anonymous you sound like a typical Congress supporting liberal, leftist secular faggot. Sonia Gandhi definitely has a bigger dick than you, you stupid cocksucker.
- January 6, 2009 at 12:40 PM
what do u think of urself??
u want to c srk in ur saree?? give it ur husband.. giv bangles and ear rings too..God knows.. he maybe wearing them always.. and u think deepika is ugly?? then who's beautiful?? ur daughter?? i'd seen her wedding photos.. she's not half as beautiful as rakhi sawant.. what to say abt ur daughter.. look at u.. ha ha.. look who's commenting on deepika's beauty.. zaraa aaina isthamal karo..
- January 6, 2009 at 5:10 PM
- Dr K PrabhakarRao said...
Hello readers and Mrs Shobha De
Kindly visit my blog
kuntamukkalaprabhakar blogspot.com
There are eight full fledged research articles relating to Bombay attack and Indian inability to strongly react. Ours is a nation devoid of competent guys who can lead the country well. After Indira Gandhi, the country has drifted away to inaction and pseudo secularism. Governmnet reaction towards Pakistan after the attack is a great shame to our country. The whole world is laughing and mocking at us as an incompetent and impotent nation where some most inefficient men on the earth are leading the nation. IT IS A DISGRACE TO ALL OF US. Yor post in Dc, Hyderabad was good and tallys with what I wrote in my articles. These artcles are also posted on Progressive Islam.org . You may reply at these posts too.
Prof Dr Colonel ( Retired) K Prabhakar Rao
- January 7, 2009 at 7:57 PM
- @lankr1ta said...
The one thing that surprises me after the Mumbai attacks is how everyone is taking them seriously. Because in India we do not take any of these things seriously. I think it is a fad, another passing idea. Because there was not much flak at the Assam bomb blasts. But Mumbai is on everyone's list. Concern, you say? Where was this concern since 1992? Pakistan may be involved- ( terrorists being Pakistanis does not make the country involved, just as Ramalinga Raju being an Indian does not Make ALL Indian software firms corrupt).But the non-serious way in which we deal with ANY law and order issue in the country is signal enough all over the world. Everyone just makes the right kind of noises. The pity is, this time even the common masses are chiming in- adding to the noise. No one cares. Not the public, not the politicians. Because we would have cared a long while ago and not been such a deeply fragmented "hota hai" kind of people.
- January 8, 2009 at 10:40 PM
- Siva Cool said...
A truly motivational and life changing book
This book is really a good book which shows us right path. but i read
one more book named "ONE BOOK FOR LIFE SUCCESS" which is truly
motivational and life changing . .The writer has described in Plain English with lot of examples which is easy to understand...For More
Please watch the videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biORjS8ngv0
- July 4, 2014 at 12:49 PM


text:
As you may have guessed by now, most of what I have been doing is inputting all of this collected information into a Genealogy software package. There are many choices, but I have been using the Family Tree Maker program for a number of years. I have shared a couple of outputs from that program for this project, and here is a link to another feature I used.
Civil War Map
What was demonstrated in that Blog, was how I created a Map of the various battles that the 2nd Infantry Regiment, Maryland fought in.
Each of the squares is a battle location. In the database is details on each of the battles, but this gives me an idea of how far they traveled.


text:
a link by link weblog journey of an eternally inquisitive netgirl... curiouser and curiouser
Main | Archives | Recently
Site feed: Atom
From::Fullerton, California, United States
happily married since 1982 to my high school sweetheart, proud mom of a beautiful teen, liberal, feminist, pagan, dreamer, frustrated writer, amateur astrologer
View my complete profile
brought to you by
The Truth Laid Bear
Technorati details:
Profile | Links
100+1 very boring things
My blogger code is:
B6 d- t k+ s u f i- o- x- e c+
My political compass:
Econ Left/Right: -7.88
Soc Lib/Auth: -6.26
i love you, Jimmy Page!!!
gamma ray afterglow reaches earth
speaking of winged creatures
monarch fall migration begins
a corporate history primer
unconditional love ~ Full Moon in Pisces
wish i was here
born to be worn!
right-wing myths about katrina debunked
light and shadow and perspective
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
May 2007
the bba bloglist:
(pop-up) | (non pop)
After Downing Street Coalition
when it's over, let it go:
Heard the Word of Blog?
I bought two: how about you????
All proceeds will be donated to Bake Sales for Body Armor. This is a non-partisan issue, the lives of our soldiers are at stake, please donate now!
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
blog goddesses:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
blog rennaissance men:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
happy fun blogs & links:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
2nd star to the right:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
shining stars:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
the resourceful ones:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
think globally/act locally:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
feed your head:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
feed your senses:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
feed your soul:
(pop-up) | (non-pop)
hopelessly devoted to:
JP circa 1988
JP today
*~*Version 6.2*~*
better than ever!!
"My vocation is more in composition really than anything else -- building up harmonies using the guitar, orchestrating the guitar like an army, a guitar army."
~~~ Jimmy Page
JP avatars created
with templates from:
more fanlistings:
(pop) | (non-pop)
Planetary Hour:
Moon Position:
Moon Phase:
moon phases
Template By Caz
Powered By: Blogger


text:
- Collections :
- Search Collections
Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Andrew, the Mourning Virgin, the Man of Sorrows, the Mourning Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Raphael Archangel, and Saint Lawrence
Predella from an altarpiece once in San Paolo, Collegarli (Pisa)
Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Andrew, the Mourning Virgin, the Man of Sorrows, the Mourning Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Raphael Archangel, and Saint Lawrence
Predella from an altarpiece once in San Paolo, Collegarli (Pisa)
Taddeo di Bartolo, Italian (active Siena and environs, Perugia, Pisa, and Genoa), first documented 1383, died 1422
Made in Italy, Europe
Tempera, tooled gold, and colored glass on panel with horizontal grainDimensions:
9 1/16 inches × 6 feet 10 5/8 inches (23 × 209.9 cm)Curatorial Department:
European Painting
* Gallery 210, European Art 1100-1500, second floorAccession Number:
Cat. 95Credit Line:
John G. Johnson Collection, 1917
This panel was a predella, or base of an altarpiece. The figures are centered in medallions surrounded by relief decoration known in Italian as pastiglia. To create the designs, artists worked wet plaster (called gesso) into raised patterns and allowed it to harden, then applied gold leaf. Beads of colored glass were embedded in the gesso to enhance the surface's glittering effect.
Explore the Collections
Italian Paintings 1250-1450
The three central medallions form an image of the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist mourning Christ, who stands in the center as the Man of Sorrows, nude and with his arms crossed at the wrists. The wounds of his hands and side are visible, and he wears the crown of thorns. To the left the Virgin gestures toward him in a manner that recalls medieval Roman icons of the Virgin Advocata, such as the renowned sixth- or seventh-century image in the Franciscan basilica of Santa Maria Aracoeli.1 To the right John buries his face in his robe. The other saints are identifiable by their attributes. On the left are Anthony Abbot, holding a book and a tau-shaped walking stick, and the apostle Andrew, carrying the cross of his martyrdom. On the right are the archangel Raphael, holding a sword and a fish-the latter an allusion to the Old Testament story of Raphael and Tobias-and Saint Lawrence, dressed as a deacon and carrying a book, the grill of his martyrdom, and a martyr's palm.
The origins of the predella with the Man of Sorrows in the center can be traced to its use in Simone Martini's altarpiece of 1320 for the Dominican church of Santa Caterina in Pisa.2 Joanna Cannon (1982, p. 73) has suggested that Martini's choice of subject was influenced by the Dominican order's promotion of the feast of Corpus Domini, established in 1264 (see Taddeo di Bartolo, Philadelphia Museum of Art, John G. Johnson Collection cat. 101), which celebrated the actual presence of Christ's body in the eucharistic host. The growing popularity of this feast explains the diffusion of the representation of the Man of Sorrows, with its emphasis on Christ's corporeal sacrifice, in fourteenth-century Italian art. With Martini's work as the inspiration, the predella consisting of medallions also became common in Sienese art (see Princeton University, The Art Museum, Bequest of Dan Fellows Platt, no. Y1962-57),3 and Taddeo di Bartolo employed the formula on a number of occasions.4
Bernhard Berenson (1913) thought the predella was an early work by Bartolo di Fredi and close to the style of Lippo Memmi. He later (1932), however, changed his attribution to Barna da Siena. Federico Zeri, in a letter to Barbara Sweeny dated Rome, December 20, 1958, was the first to recognize that the predella belonged to Taddeo di Bartolo's early work. The delicately painted saints in the artist's predella in Denver,5 which is part of the altarpiece dated 1395 in Grenoble,6 provide a close comparison and prove that the Johnson Collection's painting must indeed fall relatively early in the artist's career.
In 1985 I (Strehlke 1985a, p. 6) associated the Johnson predella with Taddeo di Bartolo's altarpiece (present location unknown) once in the oratory of San Paolo in the parish church of Santi Vito e Modesto in Collegarli in the Val d'Evola, which was part of the diocese of San Miniato al Tedesco. Although subjected to the rule of Florence since 1370, the town is not far from Pisa, where Taddeo was active early in his career. The altarpiece is dated 1389 and signed with a rhymed inscription that recalls Duccio's signature on the Maestà (see James Stubblebine's reconstruction of the front of Duccio's Maestà [from Stubblebine 1979]). Solberg (1991) has further proposed that two panels showing the Annunciate Angel (see Bergen, Norway, Billedgalleri, no. 2.) and the Virgin Annunciate (see Bergen, Norway, Billedgalleri, no. 2) were pinnacles of the same altarpiece. Two early descriptions of the altarpiece in situ do not mention the predella, but both accounts are summary.7 The altarpiece and predella were probably separated when the main section entered Cardinal Joseph Fesch's collection before 1845.
Taddeo's inscription on the altarpiece mentions one Andrea Bindachi as the rector of the oratory.8 The fact that his patron saint, the apostle Andrew, appears in the predella rather than the main panel suggests that Bindachi was not the patron but only the person who arranged the commission.9 Carl Brandon Strehlke, from Italian paintings, 1250-1450, in the John G. Johnson Collection and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2004, pp. 404-407.
1. Gertrud Schiller. Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst. vol. 42. Gütersloh, Germany, 1980, fig. 448.
2. Pisa, Museo Nazionale di San Matteo; Andrew Martindale. Simone Martini: Complete Edition. Oxford, 1988, plates 49-52. There the Man of Sorrows is combined with the Virgin Advocata. The apostle Luke is on the other side.
3. There are examples by Naddo Ceccarelli at Princeton University, The Art Museum and by the Master of Panzano in the Museo Horne in Florence (no. 37; Filippo Rossi, ed. Il Museo Horne a Firenze. Gallerie e musei minori di Firenze. Florence, 1966, plates 35-39 [as Sienese School]). The former is the predella to an altarpiece in Siena, Pinacoteca Nazionale (no. 115; Piero Torriti. La Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena: i dipinti dal XII al XV secolo. Genoa, 1977, fig. 146 [color]), from Santa Maria della Scala in Siena.
4. The predella in the Denver Art Museum (no. E-24; Sibilla Symeonides. Taddeo di Bartolo. Preface by Enzo Carli. Accademia Senese degli Intronati, Monografie d'arte senese, 7. Siena, 1965, plate xb [as in New York, Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Collection]) consists of an arcade of three-quarter-length saints; and his altarpiece of 1401 in the cathedral of Montepulciano (Symeonides 1965, plates xx-xxxxii) has narrative scenes in medallions. The Man of Sorrows is the main subject of the altarpiece depicted in Taddeo's Saint Francis's Christmas Mass at Greccio, of 1403 (Hanover, Niedersächsishes Landesmuseum, Landesgalerie, no. 379; Symeonides 1965, plate xliid). Its predella consists of figures in round medallions.
5. See n. 4 above.
6. Musée de Grenoble, state deposit 1876; Symeonides 1965, plate x.
7. Cited by Gail E. Solberg. "Taddeo di Bartolo: His Life and Work." Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1991, pp. 1186-87, they are Michele Carlo Cortigiani's account of a pastoral visit made in Collegarli on December 1, 1683 (San Miniato al Tedesco, Archivio Arcivescovile, Visita pastorale, c. 274); and Domenico Maria Manni in Filippo Baldinucci. Notizie de'professori del disegno da Cimabue in qua. Edited by Domenico Maria Manni. vol. 2. Florence, 1768, p. 231 n. 1.
8. He was from a Pisan family. Solberg (1991, pp. 1189-90) has shown that his family had some connection with the family of one of Taddeo di Bartolo's later Pisan patrons, the Sardi da Campiglia.
9. A comparison can be made with an inscription on Cenni di Francesco's (q.v.) 1370 altarpiece (Miklós Boskovits. Pittura fiorentina alla vigilia del rinascimento, 1370-1400. Florence, 1975, plate 86) in San Cristoforo a Perticaia (Rignano sull'Arno), near Florence. It identifies the church and society of the Virgin Mary and Saint Christopher as the patrons of the altarpiece, which was made during the time of the rector Peter. As in Taddeo's work, the rector's name saint, Peter, is absent from the surviving main sections of the altarpiece.
Frank J. Mather, Jr., and Roger E. Fry. "Recent Additions to the Collection of Mr. John G. Johnson, Philadelphia." The Burlington Magazine (London), vol. 9, no. 41 (August 1906), p. 352 (Bartolo di Fredi);
Bernhard Berenson. The Central Italian Painters of the Renaissance. 2nd ed., rev. and enlarged. New York, 1909, p. 141 (Bartolo di Fredi);
William Rankin. "The Collection of Mr. John G. Johnson: The Early Italian Pictures." The International Studio (New York), vol. 37, no. 147 (May 1909), p. lxxx (Bartolo di Fredi);
Bernhard Berenson. Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings and Some Art Objects. Vol. 1, Italian Paintings. Philadelphia, 1913, p. 54, repro. p. 292 (Bartolo di Fredi);
Alice van Vechten Brown and William Rankin. A Short History of Italian Painting. New York, 1914, p. 342;
Bernhard Berenson. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works with an Index of Places. Oxford, 1932, p. 41;
Bernhard Berenson. Pitture italiane del rinascimento: catalogo dei principali artisti e delle loro opere con un indice dei luoghi. Translated from the English by Emilio Cecchi. Collezione "Valori plastici." Milan, 1936, p. 35;
John G. Johnson Collection: Catalogue of Paintings. Foreword by Henri Marceau. Philadelphia, 1941, p. 2;
[Barbara Sweeny]. John G. Johnson Collection: Catalogue of Italian Paintings. Foreword by Henri Marceau. Philadelphia, 1966, pp. 6-7, repro. p. 92 (Barna da Siena);
Bernhard Berenson. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works with an Index of Places. Central Italian and North Italian Schools. 3 vols. Rev. and enlarged ed. London, 1968, p. 26;
James H. Stubblebine. "Segna di Buonaventura and the Image of the Man of Sorrows." Gesta (New York), vol. 8, no. 2, (1969), p. 8, fig. 10;
Burton B. Fredericksen and Federico Zeri. Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections. Cambridge, 1972, p. 194;
Arno Preiser. Das Entstehen und die Entwicklung der Predella in der italienischen Malerei. Studien zur Kunstgeschichte, 2. Hildesheim, 1973, pp. 212, 380, fig. 200;
James H. Stubblebine. Duccio di Buoninsegna and His School. 2 vols. Princeton, 1979;
Joanna Cannon. "Simone Martini, the Dominicans, and the Early Sienese Polyptych." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes (London), vol. 45 (1982), p. 73;
Carl Brandon Strehlke. "Sienese Paintings in the Johnson Collection." Paragone-arte (Florence), vol. 36, no. 427 (September 1985), pp. 5-6, figs. 3a-c;
Gail E. Solberg. "Taddeo di Bartolo: His Life and Work." Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1991, pp. 695-98, fig. 7;
Philadelphia Museum of Art. Paintings from Europe and the Americas in the Philadelphia Museum of Art: A Concise Catalogue. Philadelphia, 1994, repro. p. 232
Companion panels for Philadelphia Museum of Art, John G. Johnson Collection cat. 95:
A. Altarpiece: Virgin and Child with Saints Sebastian, Paul, John the Baptist, and Nicholas of Bari. Present location unknown.
B. Pinnacle panel of an altarpiece: Annunciate Angel. Bergen, Norway, Billedgalleri, no. 2.
C. Pinnacle panel of an altarpiece: Virgin Annunciate. Bergen, Norway, Billedgalleri, no. 2.
* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit.


text:
My grandfather was William T Claude…son of Sophia Muse Worthington. He helped move Capt John Worthington's remains to St Anne's Church. There is a book published early 80′s? called Family of Annapolis… University of Maryland archives have letters saved from the families.too. hope this helps?
Thank you for that. I will have to see if I can find that book. I wonder if your grandfather knew the Worthington's from Frederick, like Judge Glenn Howard Worthington, who was also involved with the move of Capt. John.
Again, Thank you,


text:
Dropzone.com: Skydiving Community, Skydive Information
User Search
Skydiving Disciplines
Photography and Video
Thread Options
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Share Thread
View Threaded
Dec 1, 2007, 12:16 PM
Post #1 of 1 (28400 views)
If you're new to the forum or camera flying, please read all of these questions prior to posting.
How much experience should a person have before starting to fly camera?
A: 200 jumps and a USPA C-Licence or FAI equivalent is recommended. See
USPA SIM Section 6-8.
Other countries have rules and/or recommendations that differ from the USPA. It's recommended to have a solid background in the discipline for which you are planning to video.
Even when people say they're only using it as a 'flight recorder', a camera ads a distraction, and your flying will change. Focusing more on trying to capture the subjects on video and less on your surroundings and your own flying can pose a risk to all participants.
Having 50 freefly or wingsuit jumps does not make you an experienced flyer in the discipline. Each time you begin a new discipline, take the camera out of the experience until you've got more jump history in that discipline.
What is a Copyright and who "owns" my work?
A: Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.
See US Copyright Office Circular 1.
What does the phrase "Work Made for Hire" mean and how does that affect my rights under Copyright law?
A: Although the general rule is that the person who creates a work is the author of that work, there is an exception to that principle: the copyright law defines a category of works called works made for hire. If a work is made for hire, the employer, and not the employee, is considered the author.
See US Copyright Office Circular 9.
Is it legal to use (insert name of popular tune) in my tandem videos?
A: Legally, you'd first need to get permission of the Copyright holder. Imagine how you'd feel if someone used one of your photos in an advertising brochure without paying you or getting your permission.
See SIGNATURE SOUND, INC. -- 11 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Music Licensing.
Where can I look to know more about the nuances of camera flying?
This thread
is an excellent start.
What size box fits the (insert camera model here)?
A: It's almost impossible to know the answer for this question for every camera but there is at least one manufacturer that posts information about their camera enclosures for you on-line.
See Bonehead Composites, Cookie Composites, Skysystems, or other camera manufacturer listed on Dropzone.com
What wide angle lens do I need?
A: Use the search function; this is often asked.
Why is a camera jump any different from any other jump? Why do I need 200 jumps before jumping a camera? Why do tandem manufacturers recommend 500 jumps before shooting tandems?
A: Billvon wrote an excellent response from the point of view of one of those people that isn't really shooting camera as a "camera flyer", but simply "wearing" it as a way of documenting the event.
Because it absolutely will affect how you fly. You will pay more attention to the camera than to the jump. Two examples of this in action:
1) At about the 2000 jump mark, I built a chestmount camera to use during AFF. A bit later I took it on a bigway at Perris. At this point I was a decent bigway flyer - had a few state records, had a reputation of being a reliable late diver etc. Well, on the first jump I collided with someone, and the second jump I ended up in the wrong sector. Kate told me to get rid of the camera (which I did.) Why was I having a problem? Was it getting in my way? Nope, it just stayed on my chest; I didn't even have to aim it. Was it making the dive more complex? Nope - I just turned it on before exit and turned it off after I landed. It was just that I knew I had a camera on, and was thinking not only about my job on the skydive but about what the camera was seeing (which all camera flyers do.)
I made a bunch more jumps on the system (probably another 100 or so) and then took it to another bigway event. This time I was OK; I could handle the multitasking better. Since then I've taken a similar system on three world records and gotten some good pictures.
2) At Brown we did a demo one day into a golf course. It could not have been an easier demo. Wide open landing areas, low winds, clear day. We took people with at least a C license.
It was a scary thing to watch. A helicopter on the ground - perhaps 1/4 mile from the LZ - waited until everyone was under canopy before starting up, and didn't take off until well after the last person landed. But one jumper saw the rotor start to spin up and freaked out. He landed hard enough to break both his femurs; amazingly he was OK. (The wet grass had something to do with it.) Someone else landed into the only tree in a 500 foot radius of the target.
Why did they have so many problems? Was the area tight? No. Were there immediate hazards they were dodging? No. It was just that they had more things to pay attention to. There was a helicopter that had its rotor spinning! Oh no! And there's a tree! What do I do? I should avoid that . . . WHAP.
It wasn't that these people didn't have the basic skill to land in a big area - it's that there were distractions that they didn't have the experience to manage yet. Camera is like that as well.
I'd wait until you have 200-300 jumps, until you can do RW without worrying about whether you will get there or not, without worrying whether you can break off safely, without ever losing sight of the people on the dive. Once you can do that, then add the camera and do very simple skydives until that is second nature as well.
How current do I need to be?
A:Currency is a good thing. If you've got 175 jumps over the past 5 years or have had a long layover, it's probably a good idea to get current before considering putting a camera on your head for many reasons in addition to those laid out above.
I want to become a camera flyer/videographer/photographer, but I'm a newbie. What should I be working on until I have 500 jumps?
A: The answer to this is debatable. One school of thought says "Get good on your belly and be capable of doing at least elementary 4-way before putting on a camera." Another school of thought says "Just fly, have fun, learn to fly your body so you're comfortable in the air, then worry about learning the various techniques of the camera flyer."
Both have merit, but both opinions also bear repeating the tired but true concept of "
Talk to the instructors and experienced skydivers at your dropzone."
And another post of similar thought from VideoFly
"During my entanglement, I knew I had a problem. I had no idea I was just about to clear my cutaway cable from one risers three-ring assembly. A sudden disconnection might have broken my neck and/or created more problems. My helmet was pinned down so hard that my helmets chin area bruised my chest and my hand was trapped in the mess A helmet cutaway was not an option as the back plate was held closed by tightly twisted risers. I know this was a bad situation and I was lucky. This is one reason that camera flyers get so concerned when inexperienced jumpers throw cameras into their routines without considering or preparing for potential consequences.
While being a truly wonderful experience, flying with cameras adds distractions and potential hazards to skydiving.
Experienced flyers know that. In the future, in addition to my standard EPs, I will be more conscious of my cutaway cables when clearing twists. I have no argument for others using RSLs or Skyhooks. As I said, without cameras, I would use them. I was hoping to inform others of the possibilities involved when clearing riser twists, with or without cameras involved.
Another post with other commentary from DaveLepka
Of course this is the classic question many new skydivers ask with regards to shooting video. They go on to suggest that this camera or that helmet have almost no risk for snags, so what could it hurt?
The reply is always the same about the camera being a distraction to the jumper and those around him, and if you don't know how to handle it, bad things can happen. I had forgotten about this until it popped up in another thread, but now I present to you, a bad thing happening -
This was 12+ years ago when mini-DV was brand new, and sidemount cameras had not been released. As such, there were literally 1/10 the number of cameras on the DZ because not many folks were keen to jump the big stuff.
Guy 'A' and guy 'B' are expereinced freeflyers with at least 500 jumps each, and many, many jumps together. Guy 'A' mans up and buys a camera helmet, and I present you guy 'A's first camera jump, where he did a two-way with guy 'B', alot like the many two ways they had done before.
Long story short, guy 'B' was stoked to be on video, and guy 'A' was stoked to be shooting video. Both forgot about break off, tracking, or pulling. Both well over 200 jumps, both got sucked right into the camera, and almost didn't get out.
What editing software should I use?
A:There isn't a single answer. The common editing software packages available are;
Adobe Premiere (PC and Apple)
Avid Liquid (PC only)
Avid Xpress Pro (PC and Apple)
Canopus Edius (PC Only)
Final Cut Pro (Apple only)
iMovie (Apple only)
Sony Vegas (PC only)
Sony Vegas Movie Studio (PC only)
Ulead VideoStudio (PC only)
Windows Movie Maker (PC Only)
Is XXXX a good reseller to buy from?
Check out
resellerratings website
to learn if a seller is reputable or not. Learn the meaning of "caveat emptor!!"
Why does everyone demand I fill out my profile?
A: Filling out your profile not only tells people a little about you, but it helps them tailor their responses to you as a person rather than a generic response that may be either beyond your experience level or beneath your ability. Anticipate some grief if you attempt to hide your jump numbers if you're a low-number jumper.
Can I use a hard drive-type or DVD-based camcorders?
A: No, unless you're only doing hop n' pops from low altitudes. Hard drives require air pressure in order to function properly. DVD drives cannot manage the stress and bounce of freefall.
Stick with memory card or tape-based camcorders.
Which is better, top mount or side mount?
A: There is no fixed/proper answer to this question, it depends entirely upon what you're wanting to do.
Top mount systems as a general rule, are better for your neck at deployment time, sidemount systems are easier to manage in small aircraft. Sidemount systems run a risk of riser slap, top mount systems are not as easy to manage for some freefliers.
What is "EIS" and "OIS?"
=Electronic Image Stabilization
=Optical Image Stabilization
For stills, you won't be worrying about this feature in the air.
Most camcorders today are OIS, or "Optical Image Stabilized." EIS can be preferable for free-flying.
Sony offers a couple of EIS models. All Canon and Panasonic camcorders currently are OIS.
Why does everyone recommend Sony camcorders for aerial use?
Aside from the fact that Sony is a tried/tested brand in the air, only Sony and Canon offer LANC control, which allows the camcorder to provide feedback to an optical device, indicating the current state of the camera (recording, stopped, off) Panasonic and JVC do not offer LANC. Newer Sony and Canon camcorders do not offer LANC, Sony has an AV/D control that products like the HypEyePro D will access. Canon does not offer this.
Additionally, helmet/box manufacturers seem to strongly lean towards Sony for box models.
Can I sidemount an HD camcorder?
HD camcorders in their current form, do not lend themselves well to side mounting. There are helmets made for sidemounting these wide-bodied camcorders, check them out from people who OWN the helmets vs what resellers of the helmets may say.
What are the differences between lenses and the numbers that describe them?
Numbers like .3 describe a lens that is very wide.
.5 describes a double-width, etc.
.5 is common for outside video, .3 is common for inside video.
A test of sorts may be found
that demonstrates the different widths of lenses.
What do all these acronyms mean?
There are a lot of them, no doubt. Here are a few that might pop up often:
-Advanced Video Codec/High Definition
AVCHD is based around MPEG technology. Not all NLE systems directly support AVCHD; be sure you know what you're getting into if you choose an AVCHD camcorder. AVCHD is the "new DV." It replases Standard Definition DV. All AVCHD is widescreen.
-Standard Definition. Usually a 4:3 display image, it's what most cameras have delivered fo the past 12 years.
-High Definition. There are two flavors of HD, the predominant flavor is 1920x1080 at display. Your camera may record 1440x1080; this is still an HD display.
-Hard Disk Drive. As mentioned above, HDD camcorders CANNOT be used for freefall above 9000 feet, and it is not recommended to use them at all due to potential shock damage to the hard drive platter/heads.
-High Definition Video. This format is based around a combination of DV transports and MPEG2 technology.
-Nonlinear Editor. A computer-based editing system.
(This post was
by DSE on Dec 23, 2010, 6:22 AM)
Skydiving Disciplines
Photography and Video
Thread Options
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Share Thread
View Threaded
Introductions and Greets
Skydivers with Disabilities
Blue Skies - In Memory Of
General Skydiving Discussions
Safety and Training
Gear and Rigging
Tandem Skydiving
Wind Tunnels
Events & Places to Jump
Skydiving History & Trivia
Skydiving Disciplines
Swooping and Canopy Control
Relative Work
Canopy Relative Work
Wing Suit Flying
Photography and Video
En Français
Foro de Salto libre
Security and Scam Alerts
Suggestions and Feedback
Error and Bug Reports
2005-2006 USPA BOD Elections
2008-2009 USPA BOD Elections
World Team 2006
2013-2015 USPA BOD Elections
2006-2007 USPA BOD Elections
this forum
this category
all forums
All words
Any words
Whole Phrase
About Us
Terms of Service
Contact Us
Write for Us
All rights reserved