Author: DOuG pRATt

Flash in the Pants

Thirty years ago — OK, let’s make it 40 — Flash for me referred to a comic book character I liked. Now Flash is all about memory sticks. I started with a modest SanDisk 128-MB model:

But then I need a bigger fix, so I graduated to 1-GB:

That 1-gigger saw a lot of use and abuse, mostly at work. Eventually, all three of its caps broke, but not before it survived a ride in the washing machine and the dryer, while forgotten in the little “fifth pocket” of my Eddie Bauer chinos. Previously, I’d worn it around my neck, along with my employee badge, but the little piece of plastic for the lanyard broke, so into the pocket it went.

Now I have a 2-GB Flash drive, which even at USB-2 speeds takes some time to back up:

But now it seems that in the rush to meet demand, some USB flash drives are failing:

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/859798/651604/33969/2/

Fortunately, these things are ridiculously cheap. The research firm IDG is quoted in that article. They’re literally next door to the building where I work, but other than some of their people parking in our garage and eating in our cafeteria, we have no contact with them.

Searchers Far and W-I-D-E

Clicking here will open a previous posting in a new window.  Start the video clip there and let it run a bit before starting the one on this page.  You’re watching an example of how some widescreen movies are actually cropped regular format movies.

See how the composition of the uncropped version seems to have empty space at the top and bottom?  Some old comic strips did something similar to this.

Click here.

This posting is mostly an excuse for me to play with wide format video capturing.  But it also provides an opportunity to show a bit more of The Searchers.  I’ve spliced together four scenes that represent what I feel is the core of the movie.  Ethan’s search for his … niece?