It’s a bit unnerving at first.

Wiggle the mouse/stylus or touch the touch-pad/screen and we’re brought back to the boxes UI.

Uh huh, I see. Start typing again, cursor, everything gone.

Fullscreen mode may be best new WordPress feature by removing everything.

This is the Creekside bus shelter from the Legends Hotel.

The Whistler Creekside Gondola

Nothing real original here, I’m simply using the 555 timer in monostable mode. A PIR sensor detects motion and using an NPN transistor, triggers pin 2 by setting the voltage negative. Pin 3 sends just over 3V to the Canon WL-DC100 camera remote which has been rigged with its button permanently pressed.

Depending on your camera, you could trigger it directly with a cable but I like the idea of separating the sensor from the camera.

Next step is to get this hooked up with batteries in a weather-proof case and try to catch some wildlife.
Lots of fun learning all about the 555.

Here is the schematic for the circuit;

It’s hard to pick just one day from last year as being the best but one does come to mind. Instead of a day with the the deepest snow or with the best friends, my best day was January 3, 2010. I planned on riding solo so I could capture some timelapse footage. “No friends on a powder day” and ever fewer are willing to stand around in one place for a couple hours on the top of a mountain in winter.

It wasn’t the greatest bluebird day but I intended capture some of the cloud movement. Using a DSLR camera, a tripod, lenses, and remote trigger I set out to capture the Harmony zone on Whistler Mountain. After scouting a couple different areas, I set up then waited patiently as the frames clicked by.

Here are the results from that afternoon.

Besides learning a bunch about time lapse photography, which I plan as a separate post, I also managed to take some of my favourite on-mountain shots that day. The clouds were layered with a pink hue and the lighting was soft. Here is one of those shots.

I had plenty of great days last year. Each one for different reasons. January 3 stands out for me as one of the best because I could just be up there and take the time to look around. Enjoy the atmosphere and relax in anticipation of how the photos were going to turn out. Here’s to having many more days like that one this year.

Based on http://hype.joshuadavis.com/02_examples/gridlayout/04_gridlayout/

Let me begin by stating that this is not a prediction. It is not leaked photos or insider information. It is just what one graphic professional would like to see and what I’m willing to pay for it.

I want a 13″ MacBook Pro with a full-fledged keyboard, dual-core processor (at least) and for it to have dedicated graphics. I want a solid state hard drive, have it run OS X 10.6 and support oodles of RAM. I want it to not only compete but slay the other notebooks on the market.

Now I hear you. You’re saying “But that’s a 13″ MacBook Pro and it’s available today!” And that is where I say… “Yes but I want it to have a detachable screen. And there is no need for shouting :)”.

Here’s the deal. I want to be able to detach the screen from the keyboard and have it work independently from the base. When released it acts as a dumb terminal or wireless monitor, utilizing all that power and storage of the base unit. The tablet must have a pen type stylus. To me it’s very important that the tablet experience mimic closely the one I have with my Wacom tablet. Without that I’m afraid it’s destined to become nothing more than an overpriced internet-enabled ebook reader with a smudgy screen.

If you think that would be cool, here’s where it gets better. With a flick of a switch, it has the ability to operate independently of the base by kicking into it’s second operating system. The iPhone OS. This is where it may more resemble the speculative designs of a big iPhone or iPod Touch.

The advantage of including the iPhone OS, and a key feature is that the opposite side of the 13″ panel is sporting a familiar 480px by 320px iPhone screen and interface. Accessible and “always on” when the complete notebook is closed in sleep mode or even turned off.

This is my dream product. One that I can only hope for and would expect to retail for around $2300 – $3200 depending on specs. It would be beautifully enhanced with a Cinema Display and could conveniently sync with an iPhone. And one more thing Mr. Jobs and Mr. Ive while I have your attention, I would like this unibody aluminum product to be powder coated black with black cables, dock, and accessories. Is this a lot to ask?

UPDATE: Jan. 27 2010 The long-awaited tablet called iPad was announced today and while it’s an impressive looking device, it failed to meet a couple of my key requirements. I can only hope that in future versions it may use a stylus for input and run OS X, capable of running full fledged applications. Today’s product announcement smartly places it in a category that does not replace the iPhone or a laptop which makes it a bit of a luxury item. One that I want but do not need at the moment.

Hurricane Bill as of 9:30 am Sunday August 23 2009

Made all the more impressive in the rain.