Archive for Blog

iOpener – Apple Power Brick Is A Bottle Opener!

May 7, 2012 Blog, Technology, Video No comments

For the longest time, I thought my Macbook Pro’s power “brick” was unnecessarily big and useless. Unlike other power cables, this “brick” is so big, it sticks out of the electrical outlet about 4 inches if you don’t use its extension. That’s far enough for any unsuspecting passerby to potentially kick it out of the socket and break the brick. This brick really seemed useless—until I came across a blog on Cult of Mac. The blog talked about opening up a bottle with the Macbook Pro or iPad power “brick,” so I gave it a try—success! I love my power brick now! All you have to do is take off the part that plugs into the socket and you have yourself a bottle opener! The post on Cult of Mac doesn’t have a video so I thought I’d make my own. Here it is:

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Spring in Portland, Oregon

March 28, 2012 Blog, Photography No comments

Using the “360 Panorama” app, this picture of Cherry Blossoms on the downtown waterfront is perhaps the best picture I’ve ever taken with my iPhone 4. Photos taken with camera phones tend to have blown-out skies, but the overcast produced nice shades of gray under the clouds.

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For just $.99, the “360 Panorama” app for iPhone is a steal and should be part of everyone’s apps library. I believe they have a version for Android too. More information here.

UPDATE: I just uploaded this picture to Occipital’s “Immersive Viewer” to see what the experience was like. The picture quality isn’t as good on a desktop, but if look at this with your phone, you’ll be blown away. Here it is, check it out!

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TriQuint Semiconductor TRITIUM Duo™ Launch

March 2, 2012 Blog, Technology, Video No comments

Until recently, with the launch of TriQuint Semiconductor’s TRITIUM Duo™ family at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, I haven’t had a project at OakTree Digital that has truly tested every bit of multimedia skill I have. AND, I should add, within a very tight deadline! The animation below, while seemingly simple, took about 3 weeks to produce and is the final result of the following tasks:

  • Discovery and Planning
  • Creative Strategy and Direction
  • Storyboard and Script Development
  • 3D Modeling and Animation in Lightwave 3D
  • Video Editing in Final Cut Pro X
  • Special Effects in After Effects
  • Custom Illustrations
  • Flash Animations
  • Graphic Design and Production

Modeling the actual circuit board in 3D was definitely the most fun part about this project. Basically, I took a test circuit board that had the TRITIUM Duo™ chip on it and modeled out every major component for animation. Smaller components and details were mapped on with 3D textures. After every moving part was built and animated, I then took the rendered videos and stitched them together in Final Cut Pro X. Some polishing and special effects were also added with Adobe After Effects.

There are definitely parts of this animation that I wanted to polish even more but, given such a tight deadline, I thought it came out pretty good.

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SLIK Clamp Used as a DSLR Grip

March 2, 2012 Blog No comments

Here’s a quick video tip that will make shooting video with a DSLR much easier and more stable. I attached a SLIK clamp head to my DSLR, rotated the bottom part of it around and, voila, instant grip! See image below. I also added a quick release plate so I can, well, quickly release my camera, but it’s completely optional. If you have a SLIK clamp head, try it.

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“Talking Tom” Speaks Mien!

February 22, 2012 Blog, Video No comments

Just the other day, my wife’s friend come over and shared her “Talking Tom” app on her iPhone with my daughter who went absolutely bananas over Tom! She was completely amused at how she could serve milk to Tom, make Tom scratch the screen, punch Tom in the face, and make Tom speak. Wondering what she was having so much fun with, I downloaded the free app to see for myself and, needless to say, I reverted back to being a 2-year-old and found myself equally amused. The coolest part, however, is the fact that you can record Tom as you make him do various things and talk. I then proceeded to make Tom say a few things while I recorded him and played it back for my wife to see how she reaction — this was the seed for the idea that grew into the video below. If you’re Mien, you might get a kick out what Talking Tom says in Mien.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to see the next “Talking Tom Speaks Mien” clip. It’s even funnier than the first one!

[UPDATE: 2012.02.23]
Here’s the follow-up Talking Tom Cat speaking in Mien video; wishing everyone a Happy Mien New Year! Enjoy =)

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