Light Start – DJI Storm, old eclipses in motion, Dark Crystal, and Pokémon Sleep
Brett Venter
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DJI Storm: For when you absolutely have to film something the right way (and have an unlimited budget)
We’re so used to DJI’s series of consumers drones that it’s easy to forget that the company also makes stuff that’s out of reach for the common man. Stuff like the DJI Storm, a gigantic drone that comes with its own film crew. Something tells us we’re not going to be able to pick this one up in stores… But that’s because you can’t actually buy one. All you can do is rent it from DJI, who will send it — along with a van and a crew — where you need it to be. You won’t even have to pilot the thing. Or, rather, won’t be allowed to pilot it. We reckon there might be insurance issues or something. The Storm has a top speed of up to 80km/h, can carry up to 18.5kg and comes with the company’s Ronin 2 gimbal. It’s rated to cart around some very high-end camera equipment, so we reckon that movie companies and the fabulously wealthy are going to be the targets here. Pity. We’d have liked to pilot this one. Hopefully not into a tree. Probably into a tree. It’s not available in South Africa, as yet.
Source: The Verge[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Time for a throwback: The oldest footage of an eclipse is almost 120 years old — here it is
It’s not Thursday but we’ll take this throwback anyway. The first solar eclipse to be captured on video was filmed during a British Astronomical Association trip to North Carolina in 1900. And, thanks to the magic of the internet, we can now look at that footage, which was recently refurbished and uploaded to YouTube. Shot by a magician using a camera with a telescope attachment, the event is quite spectacular. For its time. And even now, really. If you were concerned about your smartphone camera performance, it might be a good idea to look at just how far we’ve come. Though, we must say, we’re quite impressed with the contrast from the 1900-era footage. You can watch the old-timey eclipse at the link below.
And now, a teaser for the upcoming Dark Crystal prequel from Netflix
It’s been a long time since the original puppet-driven Dark Crystal first appeared on screens around the world. It’s about time for something a little more… modern. If you can call a series that takes place before the original film ‘modern’. Since the Dark Crystal prequel, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, is being made by Netflix we suppose we’re going to have to give it the designation. Because 2019. What does a modern throwback look like? Well, the first teaser for the 10-episode prequel has been unleashed upon the world. Based just on what we’ve seen here, Jim Henson would probably approve. Check out the two-minute introduction at the link below.
And the latest from the Pokémon Company — a little something called Pokémon Sleep
Here’s something that we never thought we’d see: a sleep tracker of sorts from… the Pokémon Company? It’s called Pokémon Sleep, and it’s an app that turns your sleep data into a video game. Kinda. That’s… totally normal, right? It’s not immediately clear how it’ll all work but you’re going to need some additional hardware — The Pokémon Go Plus +, which’ll work just like a standard Pokémon Go Plus. But leave it at your bedside and it’ll track your snoozing (somehow) and turn it into… game data (also somehow). The app and hardware will only be turning up next year, so there’s still time to find out more about how it’ll actually all work. We look forward to sleeping on the job a little.
Source: The Next Web[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
