m.d. shivers' blog

New Blog

2006-04-11T15:01:00.000-04:00

I've set up a new blog and have been using it for a while. But when i do a google search of my name this blog pops up towards the top.
So i won't delete this blog- but i will be posting mainly on my main blog.

the address is
http://www.mdshivers.com/blog.html

Ally ready for Christmas

2006-01-26T14:36:00.000-05:00

Ally ready for Christmas
Originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Yes we all love dogs. We have a Miniature Schnauzer and we love it. Want to learn more about Schnauzer's or over mixed breed animals? Check out this link
Dog Breeds

Still here in the New Year

2006-01-15T00:10:00.000-05:00

Well we are in the new year and i'm still here. Plan on keeping blogging, just been a bit crazy lately. Had a great New Years in Atlanta. Getting together with friends who I haven't seen in a while was a lot of fun.
Flew up to New Haven this past weekend and drove back down with a "new" used car. That was lot of fun and a really long road trip. 18 hours. wow. by the end i was getting a little bit tired of the "road trip experience".
I've found a slew of friends blogs out there lately. Some are from people who i haven't seen in years. You find their site and bame- you like catch up with there life as you read. Thats fun. So i guess someone could be doing the same with me and this blog. feel free to drop me an email/comment even if i haven't talked to you in forver.

So lets see other techy news. Apple is starting to switch to Intel. Wow. I am excited but content right now with my PowerMac G5. I would like to get a laptop- but not sure what would be the most productive for me right now. Since i mostly use adobe products and macromedia (well adobe products) those haven't been updated to universal binaries yet. meaning one software for both current powerpc and just released intel.
so i don't know. if i was a first mac buyer i would go out and buy the new imac core duo or the new macbook pro. But if i were me or another proffesional using pro apps everyday and needed a laptop or a smoking machine (powermac) i would probably get the powerpc version ie powerbook/ibook/powermac. I mean there going to be good for another two years and buy then all software (microsoft/adobe/everything else) will have a working intel/universal binaires going on. ehh so anyway i want a laptop for my mobile projects. but who am i kidding. can't buy one right now anyway. saving up for other toys and necessites. so maybe apple will come out with some nice refurbs. love those.
so hopefully the transition will be smooth. they are really going a lot faster than expected.
drove around decatur today. it was nice. seeing things and checking out things i don't normally do. found a cool coffee shop too.

I also plan to update my blogging software soon. Going to try out some new things. I am thinking about wordpress. not sure though.
and flickr--- what a great website. never would i have thought a site can bring community together. just check out the atlanta one. you'll see.
thats all for now...

Ahh- Stuck in the middle

2005-12-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

Santa on a Harley!
Originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Stuck in the middle of two breaks. From Christmas to New Years. Some have to work and others are off. Had a wonderful christmas- seeing family and just having a relaxing time.

Anyways- looking forward to another break again! Doing lots of updates for several projects- so you'll see change all around in some way or another.

Thanksmas

2005-12-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

It seems that when we were younger- Thanksgiving and Christmas were ages apart. Took forever to get to christmas. Now its basically the same holiday! I still am amazed how time can fly by so quickly. You can't sneeze cause you'll miss it.
So yep another year coming to an end. There are lots of cool toys out there too. The video I-Pod. Geezz this thing is awsome. An i haven't even owned my 40gig I-Pod photo for even a year!! Got it last march- and its already outta date. but hey thats technology for ya. Don't hate Apple for it either. They gotta come out with new stuff. Speaking of "Creative" came out with a copy cat version- looks almost just like it. you'd think they would try a different tatic than that.
And in a month apple will be having their Mac World conference in San Fran. I really wonder what they will have up there sleaves then. Intel? who knows.

One of my favorite places to eat is Ru-Sans. Its a sushi place here in atlanta. Love it. crave it. man its good and a great deal. i can eat and get filled up there for the same price as i could at any fast food resturant. Now why would i would to eat a burger and fries while i could eat sushi. The mercury fix is way better than having greasy fingers.

well this picture i am posting is from Rothenburg, Germany. I took it in 2003 when I was working on this TV show for Diane Bish called "Joy of Music". The show and the experience was a lot of fun!!! I am really glad that i got to work with her. We traveled all through Austria and Germany for a Christmas Tour.
I plan to post more pictures just gotta grab some extra time.

Here are a couple l links to keep you in the Christmas spirt

Watch the video (click on the picture once you are on the Engadget's site)

He had to turn it off though because it was creating too much traffic. Read the article

Ready for the Turkey Break

2005-11-22T23:21:00.000-05:00

Its turkey time folks. An that means 4 day weekend. Glad its coming. Been a bit busy lately. Not much with side projects or overload work- but just running around seeing folks and doing things. Went camping/hiking in North Georgia 2 weekends ago. Had a blast. It wasn't too cold yet and it was perfect weather. Found a great campsite, nice stream, and crisp air. Did ten miles- coming back was a bit tiresome. This past week again was really busy getting stuff done around the house, doing life as they say. Went and saw some old friends and the to the UGA football game. Ist game i've been to in 3 years. Wow. Its been a while. Great game- took the camera and enjoyed it a lot.
Lately have been into taking photos a lot more. I've always done it- since i was a kid. Click click click. Then in highschool found the videocamera. film film film. Actually that was my major in college. So i did it. Loved it. Still love it obviously. But now it seems like the photo camera has popped up again. Why? could it be that video production takes so much time for just one person? I mean think about it. You come up with an idea. You write it. You find a place to shoot. You find a person or thing to shoot. You set the shoot. You do 10 takes of the same thing. x 15 scenes or what ever. You capture footage to computer. You go and go through computer to figure out the best way to edit. You find/create music for project. You put it together. You re-film. You re-edit, you are running out of space on harddrive. You stress (not as much cause I have a PowerMac. :-) _ you edit - you clean audio. You finalize. You compress to DVD. You create DVD. You Test DVD. You watch. ..... You give. they watch. Your happy. They like.
Now don't get me wrong. I like this process. Wouldn't have done it for so long. But with video - I love doing all of it. Everry part. Its all a great joy to me.
Now i am think a photograph. Humm. A lot of it is the same. It just goes a lot quicker. One image instead of 29 per second. Humm. So its just been very appealing to me lately. I have a good canon camera now- plan on getting a better canon in the coming months. Just waiting to see if anything happens in the market.
But its fun. It seems a little more random and a little more freeing. Unless you are filming a documentary-. So these are my thoughts for now. I won't give up the video. Got all the gear- just missing some time if you know what i mean.
so here a couple images from my two weekends - hope you enjoy.

Stanford on I-Tunes

2005-11-10T13:53:00.000-05:00

this is really cool. Download free music, lectures and speechs from Stanford University on I-Tunes. What a great idea! And the music sounds great!
Go here to Listen

Boulder, Colorado

2005-11-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

Boulder, Colorado
Originally uploaded by mdshivers.

Made A flickr account

exploring

2005-10-23T18:04:00.000-04:00

This week was a bit hectic- lots of going on. Had a live video program that was shown in washington DC. it was a lot of fun but a bit hectic during the setup. lots of side projects are done now- and thankful. Glad to have a break for a moment. All of the clients were very pleased and that is very relieving. Download some great stuff from I-tunes. The new "death cab for cutie" is really great.
Today has been a lazy day - didn't have any coffee. Still trying to figure out my voice here on this blog. its an odd concept. This site is meant for a lot of stuff. A showcase for my freelance production work, some of my latest photos and videos, my thoughts.
I like the idea of the blog- i know some people read this but not exactly sure who. I also like the idea of mixing blogs with photos- photos really do say a thousand words.
Lately i have really enjoyed just randomly surfing the net. Starting at point a (a good start is Flickr's Explore) and then go from there. Check people's sites, check their links and in a second you have found something brand new to you- but has been around for several years. Thats awsome. I like that type of information- you have to work to get it. TV- you just sit and flip. There is no exploring. But i enjoying watching certain programs- i love finding out new information. You just have to explore a TV guide for that.
But with internet comes distraction- you sat down in front of the computer to do this- and you ended up reading an article on how Kate Moss should stop being a model cause she uses drugs. What?! i don't know.
well happy surfing.

Nice Try

2005-10-10T17:28:00.000-04:00

Thought that may be a good title. Maybe it would catch the attention of some fellow surfer who just happened upon my site. Nice try.

Anywho- weekend was great and was able to make several updates on my site.
1. New Pictures
2. A new wedding video
3. "Believe" a short film I made is now online again.
4. I now have a search engine built into the site that actually work. Its on the main page and my blog page. try it out!
5. My links page has been totally revamped . There are actually some really good links there that are useful.
5. some other little things that needed fixing.

So now off to more stuff that needs to be added. Like my Services page. Its totally need to be worked on- but that will actually take more time than you think. But it will get done.

I recently have been finding some really cool sites - a great one on Photography/Photoshop/ How digital cameras work, and so much more. Its called "Luminous Landscape" Check it out. Lots of fun.

And still Flickr's Explore part of their site really rocks. I totally love finding new pictures and reading about people's stories.
Well thats my rant for the day. I plan to start posting more pictures on my blog- taking my camera with me- to find that one good shot. we will see what comes of it. This shot was taken last year when I was in New York.

Convergence

2005-10-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

This week Google and Sun have started a partnership. Then Autodesk (3Dsmax) bought Alias (Maya). Wow. Both of those are big news. Hopefully Autodesk won't stop supporting OSX.
Next week Apple is to make another big anouncement. Rumors are flying. Video -IPod? New Powermacs and PowerBooks?

As for my world- its going good. Completed a slew of projects and ready for a bit of down time for some creative growth. Working on some 3D work right now and then composting it. Fun.

5 Seconds of Fame

2005-09-30T10:51:00.000-04:00

All-
My life has changed. The phone is ringing off the hook. I have hired a consultant to manage my over seas accounts. I got the dog cleaned this morning. Yes its true- I made it on Channel 2 Actions Prime Time.
And how did this happen? Beauty? Inteligence? My utter grasp of the English Language? The secrets will be told in my next book. The Limelight is really blinding my preception of reality!!! I recorded the the video last night and made a still frame so you could see me. thought you all would enjoy. I'll upload the video so you all can watch.

Watch The Video

Playing Games on your OSX Dashboard

2005-09-27T17:47:00.000-04:00

So- we all know we gotta kick back a little during work and home.
So why not play a game? Well if you have Mac OSX Tiger there are now free games that you can play when dashboard is activated. (widgets)
Check out Unity's website that held a contest for Widget Games.

What is Dashboard? What is a Widget? Check Out Apple's site.

New Pictures on the site

2005-09-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

I posted some new "Nature" Pictures. Go to the Picture section and check them out. Just a few for now but will be posting more sections and more pictures soon.

How Corpse Bride was made

2005-09-12T18:41:00.000-04:00

Found this article today about how the new Tim Burton's film was made. Very very interesting. It wasn't done on CGI (computer animation) but stop motion with a Canon Digital Camera and Final Cut Pro!! Wow! Check the article out and check it i theaters September 23rd
Read Here

Sigur Ros Concert in Atlanta

2005-09-07T10:29:00.000-04:00

Wow- is all i can really say. The concert was in the Atlanta Symphony Hall in art district of atlanta. The concert was so refreshing and energizing. The band played their heart's out and were very passionate about their music. I love the band- though when i first heard them a few years back, i didn't know what to think. Laurie really enjoyed it too- and it was her first time really listening to their music. I had my camera and took a lot of photos' and some of them turned out pretty good. I took this picture that is posted. Anyway- check the band out if you hadn't heard of them. Its really refreshing to hear music that is not mainstream.

Botanical Gardens

2005-08-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

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.

web, video, oh my!

2005-08-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

well lots on my plate recently. This past week i have been working full force on labri.org's website. Swiss L'Abri wanted to implement a new "resource" page that would have a huge list of labri authors and other authors. took a bit of back-end work and some usability work- but its done and up and running now. so check it out at
http://www.labri.org/swiss/resources.html

my personal site needs a bit of work- planned on doing that a while back, but time can be your biggest foe. Working on two wedding videos and they are coming out very nicely. i will post some of the finished product soon. also about to start a small documentary on a legendary doctor here in town and that should be a lot of fun and educational.

expect to see some new updates on the my site and some other fun stuff in the works down the road.

working on labri.org

2005-08-19T23:11:00.000-04:00

feels like every deadline is this week. hummm. lots of coding and getting ready to implement some new additions to labri.org website. also been working on another website all week, and i've got several videos to edit. one is completed (actually my wedding video) and creating the DVD menus now. my brother-in-law filmed the wedding, so now i am putting all the footage together.
so updates soon across the board- hopefully some more video pieces on my site and have labri rolling out asap.

Grizzly Man

2005-08-14T00:25:00.000-04:00

Today we watch a independent filmed called "Grizzly Man" which is directed by Werner Herzog.
-----The movie relies on choice scenes from more than 100 hours of raw footage shot by Treadwell while he lived among the bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve on the Alaska Peninsula.

Treadwell, 46, and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, 37, both of Malibu, Calif., were mauled and eaten in October 2003 by a bear at their campsite, which lay at the confluence of several heavily used bear trails.----

My take on the movie- was that it was put together very well. Tim was a strange character and it shows on the first scene of the movie. i'm surprised at the honesty that is given by him and the director of the movie. Its sad to think that Tim puts all of his life and self worth into these bears- and grows cold of society around him. You wonder why he was putting all of this effort into filming these movies.

I have a lot more thoughts on it- but its getting late.
I am really courious about how he filmed all of the footage. How did he keep his batteries charged? Living out in the wild- ya gotta get power some how. Also he started filming 6 years ago- and i think he was shooting on a serveral different camreas, but the main one was a Sony Vx2000. All of the footage was in 16:9 and it looked really great. Especially on such a big screen. The audio was awsome to and i wonder how they sweetened it up. he had a lapel mic on. i hope someone writes about all of the techincal sides of it too.
anyway- getting late. ta ta

Buying a mid-range DV camera

2005-08-04T15:58:00.000-04:00

I wrote this to a friend the other day- thought it might be helpful for others:::::

Here is a quick suggestions. Depending
on your price range and quality you want there are
three levels.
1. Prosummer- $2000.00 and up
2.mid line $800-$1,500
3. cheaper but works. $400

You should stick with the "Mini DV" format for tape.
This is the digital standard and is much better than
Hi 8 or Digtial hi8. You transfer the info to the mac
via firewire on mini dv cameras. The software on the
computer will control the camera to tell it to play,
pause, etc.

I would recommend Canon on the top of the list. I have
been extremly pleased with them and the amount of
craftmenship that goes into their camera's.
Sony, Panisonic and JVC are also great brands.
Each camera will have its own "look". They use Charged
Couple Devies (CDD's) to convert light into Red,
Green, Blue. The better the chip and more chips you
have the more expensive the camera is.
Most mid and lower cameras have 1 CCD. That means one
chip converting Red, Green, Blue. Prosummer's have 3
chips dedicated to each color. Hence the color and
contrast will be much richer on 3ccd's cameras.
As for Canon, I prefer their camera, it has an
overall "warmer" tone to the images. Its hard to
discribe- but the images are soft, rich but also very
detailed.
1. Hi end for you- would be the Canon GL2. I bought
this camera in 2002 and its is very trusty. Also
images, prosumer- great quality, took it all around
europe- i film weddings with it etc. 785mm (20x
optical) zoom, 3ccd, light and small. It has gone
down some - probably find it for around $2,000- 2,200.
with maybe some rebates.
ps. any digtal zoom sucks. don't use it. look only for
optical.
2. There are several choices with them. The Optura XI
or the new Optura 600 look really great. Both have
great zoom's (10x optical) and are small and compact.
the Optura 600 is brand spanken new and it has a lot
of cool features. it is a hybrid, so it can also take
4.0 megapixel still images. (thats cool). It also has
true "widescreen" mode. so that it shoots in 16:9 (the
shape of the screen like movies theater and HD) and
that footage will play letterboxed on a regular TV
(4:3). So that is kinda the new cool feature to shoot
like that. Also most upper end canon's come with Image
Stabilzer- which takes the shakyness. It really works
too! Crap just read this camera is available in
september. so i don't what you think about waiting. If
not,the Optura Xi looks like a great one too. So
really look into that one too.
What you want to look at is this.
1. How many CCd's?
2. What is the effective pixel's on the one or 3
ccd's? like 350,000 blah blah. the higher the better.
3. What is the Optical Zoom.
4. the size- what to you want to carry around?
5. What is the cost? What are you going to use the
camera for? You always pay for what you get.
Canon's DV site
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=166&modelid=9371

be sure to copy/paste entire link

Other costs involved with buying a camera.
1. You want to get a UV filter for the lense. This
helps protect glare, uv rays, but most importantly
protects the camera lense from scratches etc. Its the
biggest life saver. around $15-$20 bucks.
2. Tripod- pick a good one up that is light and
compact for about $40.
3. Extra batteries. (they can die so quick and you
will probably want a back up) $50-$100 depending on
the size.
4. Camera Case-gotta have it to hold all your goodies.
around $20-80.
5. Mini DV tapes. buying online you can get it for
about $3bucks a pop (i think.)
6. Once you get rolling, probably want to look into an
external harddrive for all your video clips. Video can
get pretty big. "Lacie" is a good brand. Either USB2
or firewire. ($100-$250) depending on size.
7. Possibly upgrading your software to Final Cut
Express. check out apple's website on that. I movie is
great - this just gets more advanced.

Where to buy?
Go to your local stores to check it out see if you
like it. But don't buy it there. Go to B&H Photo
Video's website. Company based out of New York- Best
deals in states. I buy all of my equipment from them
and its great. No hassle- either order online or by
phone. I spent a lot here an never had a problem. No
tax and that will save you a lot- and usually lower
than other places.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

If you want local place to get all gear go to Showcase
Video and Photo
on the corner of Cheisbrige and La Vista (right down
the street from my place.)
http://www.showcaseinc.com/site/

Monday, Monday

2005-08-01T16:23:00.000-04:00

Things are going god- just keeping busy. Seeing old friends and new family the past few weekends. Have been doing a lot of reading on capturing 480p footage with a 16x9 aspect ratio in a 24p timeline. FCP pro does a great job doing it and the footage looks great! i will post some of my test footage.

anyway- keeping it real around here. lots of cool projects that i am working on.

Students doing cool stuff

2005-07-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

Here is how apple is promoting creativity in the youth. This works!
http://edcommunity.apple.com/gallery/student/

test_email

2005-07-18T17:56:00.000-04:00

trying to see if email works with the blog.

Gotta big ol truck

2005-07-18T14:36:00.000-04:00

Laurie and I have been traveling this past weekend to see family in florida. We were able to get some sofas from my brother and see lots of family. We rented a nice pickup truck for that occasion- and man it was great. I want a truck now.
talk soon.