diy
Steadycam
a tool (something you can use) posted by lxpk Sat, 2007-12-22 11:58 Tags:
A steadycam stabilizes your video camera in moving shots, producing shake-free footage of dramatic motion.
A steadycam saves you from having to use image stabilization software in editing that degrades your image.
DIY $14 Steadycam
Steadycams (or camera stabilizers) are attachments used to capture smooth looking video even when the camera and camera operator are in motion. The camera operator may walk (or even jog), move through tight hallways and doorways, and even climb up and down stairs without shaking the camera. Unfortunately, professional steadycams cost around $1500. Even the cheap 3rd party ones cost $600+. Not exactly a bargain considering many of us use cameras in that price range. So, I decided to make my own version.
It turns out, it only costs $14. Not too bad.
And I'll show you how to build your own right here (or you can buy a
ready-to-use steadycam from me through this website
[littlegreatideas.com]). Whether you are an aspiring filmmaker, a
videographer, the family documentarian, or just want more utility out
of your video camera, you'll appreciate a steadycam.
If you
know what you are doing, you can probably build one of these in about
20 minutes. It might take you an hour if you have to read this web page
while you do it and aren't very good with tools .
—http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/steadycam/
Refridgerator Poetry
Refridgerator Magnets are a wonderful source of creative expression. When else can you get drunk as fuck, smack yourself against a fridge and randomly assemble the most mind-bogglingly creative and inspiring poems you've ever seen in your life? (That is, until you sober up again)
Subversive Fridge Magneting
Take some blank fridge magnets, write inspiring messages, web sites, or activist slogans on them, and distribute them to the masses vis-a-vis their refridgerators.
DIY
Making your own magnetic poetry.
To buy magnetic poetry - no matter how fascinating and wonderful the stuff is - does end up being pretty expensive. Making it yourself is much cheaper. Many Magnetic Poetry kits include blank magnets so that you can put your own "personalized" word on them - but making your own magnets is even better.
Equipment:
- Computer with printer
- Pack of magnetic backed A4 paper suitable for printers - the "ausinc" brand is a good choice.
- Steel ruler and sharp cutting instrument such as a razor blade, scalpel etc.
- Scissors.
- Optional - dictionary, list of unusual words, poetry anthologies, etc. -For inspiration.
A pack of this type of magnetic backed paper
costs around US$7.00.
It includes about five pages, which is enough to cover the fronts of almost two entire refridgerators. You could make more than one packages, and have big magnetic poetry parties on the weekend!
Method:
In a word processing program such as Microsoft word, type in all the words you could possibly imagine. I use Times New Roman in size 18 font.
Extend the margins out so you use as much of the page as you possibly can.
Set the line spacing to 1.5.
Remember to put two spaces between each word.
Otherwise, your words will look cramped when you cut them out.
Try to use alot of the most frequently used words in your language. There is a very long list (about 1000) here.
Then - add all the other words that you want. Add your name, your lover's name, your
pets' names. All the words that they never put in the magnetic poetry
sets - you know....Lesbians! Monkeys! Soy! Ass-fuckingly! etc.
DO NOT FORGET
to add in lots and multiple sets of conjunctions and connecting words like I, am, me, us, you, yes, no, to, the, before, after, it, etc... I can't tell you how many times I've been frustrated because I couldn't formulate a sentence like: "Smack my wet booty."
Add symbols, numerals, spare letters, and lots of "ing" and "es" and "ed" and other useful suffixes and prefixes. Exclamation marks and question marks come in very handy. You could even go through things like the Wingdings font and pick out some of the cool bits.
Focus on specific topics: animals, gems, types of fabric, whatever you think could drum up a plethora of words to choose from.
Then - when you've put in all the words and characters that you want - read over your word document. Wherever there are blank, unused spaces in the text, put in little words that would be useful: I, We, You, me, sex, etc. Make sure you utilize every centimetre of space. Then - remember to spell check.
Can't have badly spelled magnetic poetry, now can we?
If you want - consider a test print run on a piece of paper.
Print off your wordage onto the magnet backed paper. It often requires 24 hours to dry - leave it somewhere where not too much dust will settle on it, where the cat won't tread on it, etc.
When it's dry, cut out the words. I use the ruler and razor to separate every line of typing, then use the scissors to cut apart all the words. There will be little bits of magnet paper left over - keep them.
With these left over bits - consider making random letter poetry - various different newspaper and magazine letters stuck onto them. Or tiny pictures that you draw yourself, or calligraphy
letters, or anything else that comes to mind. A few blank bits of magnetic poetry
are handy if you want to hide part of a word when composing your bullshit masterpiece.
DIY magnetic poetry isn't always as user friendly as the real thing - it's thinner, occasionally hops off the fridge when you don't want it to, and can be a bugger to get off the fridge when (eg) you're drunk and trying to play with it. But for $15 and a little time to cover three fridges with personalized magnetic poetry with crunchy good words on it - I say it's worth it.
Creating Your Own Word Magnets
DIY
idea posted by cidviscous Fri, 2007-09-21 16:13 Tags:DIY means Do It Yourself.
Why?
There are a number of reasons to embrace the Do It Yourself ethic.
- Save Money: Since you're the one doing the doing, you can control what (and how much) goes into whatever you're working on. You don't have to waste time or money on extra (unneeded) features.
- Pride: It's a good feeling to know that you've made something yourself. Success in these areas can go a long way to building up your self-confidence.
- Extension of Skillset: Frequently when you're doing something yourself, you'll have to learn new things to successfully finish the project. This is a great way to increase your skillset, discover new talents and interests, and provide yourself with a stronger base for future success.
- Entertainment: It can be very rewarding and diverting to work on something yourself, sometimes consuming your interest (in that wonderful way where you lose track of time).
- Control: Since you're the one making the Whatever, you get to decide exactly what you want it to do and how you want it to get done.
- Self-Reliance: The more things you are capable of doing yourself, the less you are subject to someone else's control. This, in turn, gives you more choices about how to live your life.
Doing It Yourself for Fun and Profit
If you stop and think about it, there are really a lot of things we can get done for ourselves, right where we are, with the things we've already got.
Everybody's got various talents and abilities and resources, but these are not limited and fixed. New talents can be developed, existing (sometimes latent) talents can be unlocked and enhanced with a little practice and experimentation.
You might start to adopt this DIY attitude for any of the reasons above, or for some other reason, but the point is, you'll likely discover a lot about yourself (and the world) in the process. It's a very freeing feeling to use something you created with your own two hands.
You don't have to start from scratch
Many people hear DIY and think of shoddy, homemade Rube Goldberg-style contraptions which are barely functional (and quite possible dangerous), but this doesn't have to be the truth.
Like it's been said so many times before, you don't have to re-invent the wheel.
Modding
One of the best (and easiest) ways to start using the DIY ethic in your own life is to begin by Modding some kit you've already got. Go ahead, make all your gear customized.
Sanitizing / Blackspotting / Relabeling
It's the worst, right? You just paid (way too) much money for your shiny new Whatever-it-is, but that's not enough. You don't just have to pay for it, you end up as a walking billboard for whoever made it in the first place.
Blackspotting / Sanitizing / Relabeling save you from being a walking advertisement by blotting out (blackspotting), removing (sanitizing), or altering (relabeling) these corporate logos with something of your choice. Have a favourite symbol? Want to send out a message? Got some comfortable shoes, but don't wanna help out the manufacturer's ad campaign? Customize your gear by replacing labels and logos with whatever you feel like saying.
Painting / Resurfacing
Again, you can control the way your kit looks just by getting a little creative. Some ideas? Take the case off your cell phone and paint it your favourite colour. Make covers with some of your favourite art to put on folders/binders (actually, anything with a smooth surface).
Add some Pockets
Pockets are one of the easiest things to attach. Add pockets to your clothes, your backpack, add hidden pockets, add stylized pockets with custom logos.
Sewing's really not all that hard to learn (at least the basics) and you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll be able to make simple alterations--hem those pantlegs, add patches, add pockets, add overlays (for texture and colour).
Reinforcement
Many things we use in day-to-day life can be strengthened and extended with just a little bit of work. Backpacks can be made stronger by double stitching, adding additional straps, etc.
Almost anything can be made water resistant (with chemical treatments, or the clever addition of plastic sheets).
Items receiving hard use can be patched (even before they wear out)--for instance, sewing extra cloth over the knees or seat are can greatly strengthen a pair of pants.
Take it to the Next Level
The DIY ethic has progressed a long way over the last few decades. Many DIY'ers have begun to form communities and share their information, and consequently there are many, many resources which can serve as 'Jumping Off' points to get you started. You might not realize just how far you can take this mindset.
Self Sustenance - You can save money, eat healthier, and ease your reliance on society's infrastructure by growing (some of) your own food. Even in urban environments, you can probably grow more stuff than you've thought about. Herb boxes in windowsills, indoor plants, back yard planters (if you have a back yard), community gardens, etc.
Get off the Grid - Some people have even gone so far as to DIY their own electricity. Solar, wind, hydrological, whatever they happen to have available in their area. In fact, many of these people stay hooked up to the electrical grid, and if they don't make enough power, they can still buy it from the electric company, and when they do, they can sell the excess power back to the electric company and help sustain other peoples' use.
Auto - If you develop skills in the automotive areas, you can begin to work on your own vehicles. Many people start slowly and build--beginning by changing their own headlights or oil or wiper blades, and as they learn more about it, they begin to take care of more things themselves.
Education - School is great, but it is far from the only way to learn. All of the overwhelming amount of knowlege we (humans) have discovered so far is available, somewhere, to someone. Much of this information is available for free to anyone (in the form of libraries, peers, and the Internet). While self-taught education might not be a replacement for formal education, it can certainly be a supplement.
DIY Media (a.k.a. Don't hate the media, become the media)
Many people (exponentially more so, given the advent of the Web) have taken to creating and distributing their own, independent media.
Songs, videos, images, newsletter, blogs, newspapers, discussion groups, podcasts, and a host of other formats provide you the chance to get your own ideas out there, and to soak up the creative excretions of other free thinkers.
The more ideas we have to rub together, the more complex and refined those ideas can become. Mainstream media (being a business), inherently has a goal--namely that of making money. Thus, choices made about content and presentation are often trumped by reasons other than getting the best content out there.
Independent, DIY created media doesn't necessarily have that limitation, though it most certainly can still be subject. Point is, by having the creations of anybody who has something to say, the pool of media (and human knowledge) can be expanded. More choices for everyone.
Some Resources to get you Started.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY
http://www.diynetwork.com
http://www.doityourself.com
DIY Philosophy
blog posted by doobius Wed, 2007-09-19 22:37Groups: SubVirginity Tags:
In the middle of intense conversation I came up with a classification for eastern religion with a focus on individual practice and potential.
Hence DIY religions are taoism, zen, and buddhism. Non-theistic, personal philosophies that lead to personal well being.
Practice, get to know yourself, learn the inner workings of your energy, and how to interact with the universal energy, and everything else falls into place. The mythology of them includes immortality, and special energy manipulative powers. We'll leave that to you to discover, but this type of philosophy certainly sounds a bit more proactive then the dogma based religions of our culture.
I just wanted to write this somewhere.
- doobius's blog
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Alternative Media
book posted by cidviscous Fri, 2007-09-14 19:37 Tags:The term Alternative Media (or Independent Media) describes any content produced and released by an independent or non-traditional source. This can be anything from a single person to an organized group, producing anything from blogs, newsletters and podcasts to videos, music, books and games.
Basically, alternative media is any media content that is not mainstream.
Diversified Sources
Many of us do not think enough about the sources of our information--gossip, television, random websites, magazines, etc. We live in an age where there is an overwhelming amount of information available to us, and as such we are able to reap the benefits of this huge mass of human knowledge.
Thing is, one needs to be very careful about where one gets one's information, and exactly who to believe. There are an inordinate number of conflicting sources, as well as just plain disinformation.
In order to make the best decisions, it is important to examine all the facts available, rate the sources, and put together your own picture based on all the info you have available. Common sense, right? So why don't more of us use this critical thinking to filter our inputs?
By examining a more broad set of sources, you can start to see different perspectives, and begin to piece together a larger picture. The more diverse your pool of inputs, the more information you'll have to help you on your quest for the truth.
Trust
Each source needs to be weighted by how much you trust it. Here's the tricky part--there is no master list to check who to trust, so you'll just have to make up your own mind. Sources (both mainstream and alternative) can be rated for trust in a number of ways.
Friend of a Friend--If a media source is recommended to you, you can weight the new source based on how much you trust the judgement of whoever recommended it to you. In fact, you probably do this already, automatically, but by consciously thinking about who's telling you what, you'll be less likely to believe something you shouldn't.
Prior Record--By examining a source over time, you are able to better determine how you feel about it. If the source always releases content that's spot on, that trust level will build. When you see crap coming out, it's a big clue to take what's said with a grain of salt.
Critical Analysis--Even if you have no other info to base trust (or lack thereof) on, you can still use your head to examine what you're being fed. Does the info make sense? Do you like what you see/hear? Can claims and references be verified? Common sense and critical thinking/logic skills go a long way in this area. Is your bullshit filter in good repair and engaged?
Finding New Media
There are a plethora of media outlets to experience. In fact, there's more media content out there than you'll likely be able to soak up no matter how hard you try, or how long you live. Not all of this media is digital, by any means, but the Interweb has provided us such a unique and powerful new paradigm for sharing and distributing information.
http://www.zinelibrary.net/
The best way to find new media is to keep your eyes and ears open. Search engines can be powerful tools for finding new media--though advanced searching techniques are a bit beyond the scope of this page. Audio and video directories are also great tools for stumbling onto the newness.
Below, I'll provide a few content categories and some of my favourite links to independent content.
Indymedia is a network of independent journalism web sites where you can find local news and post news stories in your community.
Audio
A collection of hacking/phreaking/security/technology audio feeds all in one place.
A weekly hacking/phreaking radio show produced by 2600 staffers.
A (formerly weekly) hacking broadcast on a variety of subjects.
A weekly independent news baudcast on current events, interesting thoughts, and opinions from a wog perspective.
An alternative audio source, a division of RantMedia, they have music, news and talk.
radio freek america
A (now defunct, but still informative and entertaining) phreaking/hacking internet radio show.
An open music competition--song title is release and competitors have a week to make the best song, which users vote on.
A collection of homemade songs and remixes of video game musihttp://www.zinelibrary.net/c.
MC Frontalot, the Godfather of Nerdcore Hiphop.
Several compilations of various nerdcore/geeksta tracks, distributed in bittorrent form.
twat radio - today with a techie
A community produced show on anything technology related.
Video
Recently, a plethora of video hosting sites have popped up. I don't think you'll have to much trouble....
Images
Images are a wonderful form of media which is often overlooked in this sort of list. Everything from scans to digital art to photography.
Books, Zines and other Text
An extremely diverse collection of various textfiles assembled by Jason Scott.
A collection of free books on computers, programming, networking, etc.
Google's collection of scanned books, freely available.
An online collection of various Zines.
An actual physical library of various Zines, located in Denver, CO.
A collaborative collection of papers on computer/hacking/technology/free thought/culture jamming/etc topics run by the ddp.
A very interesting source of very interesting links and stories.
Other
open educational resources
MIT's project to make public their course materials.
user moderated news feeds
slashdot (/.)
DIY - Get your own voice out there
"Don't hate the media. Become the media." --Jello Biafra
The best thing about the internet is its ability to connect us to anybody else (or everybody else) on the planet, regardless of physical location. And the best thing about digital media is its inherent ability to be reproduced perfectly, without additional overhead.
Take these two things together, mix in your own ideas, style and opinions, add a dash of motivation and patience as required, and you can become dj of your very own radio or tv station. You can author something which has the potential to reach millions of other minds, and what some publisher says is irrelevant. You have the potential to communicate with the world.
Cool to think about, huh?
Closing thoughts
The point of Alternative and Independent Media is not simply to cut yourself out of the mainstream. It is to provide a more rich set of resources for you to inform yourself about the universe we live in.
Look at all your choices, and try to build a broad view. Weight everything you take in by how much you trust it, how reliable, how useful it's likely to be. Don't necessarily shun the mainstream simply because it's mainstream (very hipster, I know, but a silly idea nonetheless).
Keep your eyes peeled.
If you have something to say, put your own voice out there. Be the media.