How to get a 360 degree panoramic shot

Now this is a very clever invention developed from phd work by Jonas Pfeil, a student in Berlin. He has built a 'Throwable panoramic camera' which has 36 mobile phone cameras embedded in a ball that you throw in the air and it takes a 360 degree picture at its highest point. There's a video on his website that explains it and there's a link to this panoramic shot to show what it can do.

This reminded me of a wedding in Winchester about 16 years ago, when the Brother of the Bride attached a camera to a rocket - a firework style rocket - and sent it up over the wedding party as we stood on the mizmaze at st catherine's hill, an old pagan site. We all dutifully looked up and smiled for the birdie, then watched in amusement as the rocket did not come straight back down but got blown off course into the brambles, with Brother of the Bride in hot pursuit regardless of his bare legs. After a good half hour of searching he did not come back triumphant, just scratched. He probably shouldn't have worn shorts to a wedding. I do wonder if the camera was ever found. This ball camera would have been more reliable, though possibly not as spectacular and harder to hide in a pocket during the ceremony.

The other drawback is that you have to catch the ball before it lands, not my strong point. Though jostling to catch the camera ball at a wedding would have more point to it than trying to catch the bride's bouquet.

little fishes

Oh, and if you're reading this on an iPad then that big blank space at the top of the page is meant to have cute little goldfish swimming around who come to your mouse cursor. But not for iPad users.

now, where was I?

I haven't been away, just sidetracked by life. Things have been happening - work, conferences, family. I have made dates in my diary to try and catch up on writing here. First I need to backtrack and check what I have and haven't shared about what was happening back in May - I hate not working in chronological order. So that's at least five months of posts if I can remember what was interesting. It may be bullet points. Just need to mark the spot and remind myself to come back regularly. Currently getting back into swing after three weeks of feeling decrepit. That may just have been post-funding-application exhaustion or possibly a virus. One of those can't-be-bothered-to-get-up-off-the-floor-and-lie-on-the- bed viruses. The application was about trying to get funding to work with Grandparent Carers and their families on a storytelling project. More of that in November as that is when I will hear if I have the funding. If not, then I will no doubt rant about it here before I have to develop plan B for paying for my flat white soy decafs in 2012