Fun little video I made about men blowing up things with Potato Guns while at a Men's retreat. The retreat was great and something I really needed. This little break in the day was much needed and glad that we could shoot something while at it.
the direct link to the HD version is http://vimeo.com/3502746
Men with Potato Guns. from Michael Shivers on Vimeo.
January 5th, 2008
Over the holiday's I worked in my work shed. There was some newspaper that was stuffed in the cracks between the window and the wall. It was to block any extra wind I guess, but I didn't think that it was doing a good job. So I took the newspaper out to fill the gaps. I figured it would be maybe ten years old. Nope- how about 49 years old! Pleasantly surprised.
Earlier this week I had an amazing opportunity to attend the induction/ceremony of the Dalai Lama as a professor at Emory University. It was a really exciting experience due to many things. First they had traditional Buddhist Monks praying/chanting while they played their instruments. This lasted about 30 minutes and was calming and very interesting. Though I was really close to the front of the stage where the Dalai Lama was sitting and the monks where playing, I was able to look at two huge High Def screens to my left and right. The production people had two main HD cameras in the front of the stage shooting front left and front right. These cameras were huge bulky broadcast cameras- but I couldn't see the brand of them. Then on the stage they had two Canon XHG1's. This is the HD version of the GL-2 with SDI out. I have never seen any footage from these camera's so I was excited to be able to see what they could produce and how the footage would mix with the two high-end cameras When the show started, the director stayed on the two main cameras for a while and then started switching to the two canon's. My reaction? AMAZING. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. In fact the images were sharper, cleaner and had higher contrast than the two "Broadcast" cameras. So with these Canon's you really could have a professional live HD video shoot with these $8,000 cameras, hands down. The SDI out on these cameras really comes through. The only downside of these cameras is if you wanted to record in camera using the HDV tapes, you suffer major quality degradation. But for live shoots, these camera's are well worth the money.
The induction and lecture lasted about 2 hours and it was one of the most memorable events that I have been too. The Dalai Lama was very humble and very very funny. He just did things through out the event that made every laugh. From helping hold the microphone when the President of Emory was having trouble with his notes; to making jokes about how people should listen to him now since he is a "proffesor". His ability to connect and relate to the 4,000 attendants was something I've never experienced before. And to top it off, the video production was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
"Thinking about the mundane; the hum-drum of daily living. Life is not less than this, but always more. Seems to me though that most of the time our lives are made up of the not less, and not the more. There should be both a level of acceptance and dissatisfaction with this. Accepting that this is daily life and dissatisfied that we don't yet see God face to face. All the while hoping that God injects the more in what we do. We shouldn't be consumed with the not less as the injections of the more also need to be in evidence. If not, I start scouting around for ways to escape where God has called me to live. "
Dr Gregory J. Laughery
photo by Michael D. Shivers
I've been really excited for the past few months to go to the Arcade Fire concert here in Atlanta. It was yesterday, May 1st and so the day had finally come. My friend Jeff Weaver and I left work to head to La Fonda (a small little Latin food joint) on Ponce de Leon. I got my salmon burrito and a couple of beers. Jeff didn't really know much about Arcade Fire so I was happily telling him about the group, yada yada. Well next thing I know, the lead singer Wim and his brother Will (guitarist and keyboardest and so much more) come inside for dinner! Wow is the least I could say.
So i saw them and really wanted to talk to them, but I didn't want to be the freak show all up in their buisness. Decided to go for it and struck up a quick conversation. Great guys indeed. They are really nice people and down to earth. No one recognized them in the restaurant, so it was pretty relaxed and such.
anyway- asked to get a picture with them, and they were really cool about it. So it just amplified my great impression of them and their music,. We parted ways and I told them i'd see them in a few hours....
The concert rocked! It was such a great show and the energy was amazing. This group is really talented and have a lot to offer to the music scene of today.
I'll be posting pictures of that soon....
That's right! Going to the Arcade Fire concert tonight in Atlanta Civic Center. Should be awesome. If you haven't heard of the Arcade Fire, go listen now. Truly one of the best indie/rock/something really new music in the past 20 years. I've really enjoyed listening to their new album, "Neon Bible". Anyway I am out the door now, so I'll write up more a review of the concert in the next couple of days.
I'm excited!
it's spring time again and everything is buzzing. I'm trying to get in the creative, feelin' good mode, but I am having a hard time. either I am too tired or too busy. Strange thing is that I have found some of the best music I have listen to in years. They've been around a bit and I've listen to them before, but now at this moment its just so fresh. the band... Arcade Fire. If you haven't listen to them, it is some of the best rock i've listen to in years.
I'm in the process of implementing this major video installation project, something that will give me new opportunities for video production. I'm really excited about it, but it's just taking so long on the builder's part.
But with all this, I'm dying to teach myself some new tricks, mainly with some design stuff, photoshop and css.
it's coming along, but the stuff can take a bit.
Oh and I am eating my oatmeal drinking V8. yum.
Our community has tried for 4 years to try and get a soundwall built. The builders of the community even stated that "one was coming". 4 years later still none. The say with a sound wall it would reduce the audio level by 50%. thats crazy. The area behind our house is very pretty- but the noise just overrides it sometimes.
Cynthia McKinney came over yesterday to give us an update on how the sound wall is coming. If all went well- the 5 million dollar wall could possibly, maybe, yeah right, be built in 2 years.
Her body guards were scraey looking. I thought they were going to ripp my camera away.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_McKinney
where do you start? wish i blogged more.. but at least I do eh? Today was a fun day in tech land because Flickr got a massive update and so now i am enjoying the benifits of that. Also today- Apple announced their new I-Book replacements- the new Macbooks. And they are freaking awsome. Good price and they can dual boot. sweet. yes that wil probably be my next laptop in a couple of years. when they have made everything univeral. Bought time eh? can't wait.
Summer plans are in the making lookks like.... no where for now! yep sitting tight hanging out and waiting for new things to happen. bought some new photography books the other day-- very cool indeed. and then i realized i am in dire need to update my photos on my site. bit dated. just takes so much work.
yahoo also updated their home page today- but of course it doesn't support saffari yet- only firefox and explorer. Coming soon they say! sawh ever.
well i'm here we are here and kicken. oh we saved a geese baby this morning. it was lost and we walked it to the lake behind our house and it found its parents! once of those moments you get all excited that you messed with nature a little.
ciao ciao!
I decided to see if i could capture something that us Georgian's see all the time. Lightning. We cringe at the sound and site of it- especially when we don't have a surge protector on our computer. I just upgraded so hopefully i'll make it through the summer. well hope you enjoy the picture!
Atlanta Skyline #1
Originally uploaded by mdshivers.
We had a lot of friends come out and help move. Of course it was perfect weather on friday and sunday- THE DAYS WE DIDN'T MOVE. Saturday was filled with rain and nasty weather. All of our stuff survived though.
I'm working on a massive video project. Taking up all of my time. Its for a video installation at the Georgia Aquariam in a week and a half. Very excited about it- just stressful trying to get it done. Hopefully I will be able to say good things about it once it is done.
In a little over a week we are going to Switzerland for a trip! Very excited. Going to see the old kicking grounds and show Laurie my old neighborhood. Lots of pictures will be taken!
But for now deadlines approach!
Needed a break with work so we headed to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens down the road. Very cool place and I took a lot of great pictures. Relaxing and inspiring.
