Category Archives: Media & Entertainment

“More human than human”

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That’s the motto of the corporation in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic, Blade Runner. The film was released 42 years ago and has stood the test of time. I watched it again last night. For the tenth time? The twentieth? And every time I discover some perfect new visual detail or bit of dialog. Like this from Rachael:

“I’m not in the business. I am the business.”

As I watched the movie again last night I was aware of the phone by my hand and the AI chatbots within. I asked ChatGPT about the “More human than human” line.

The line “More human than human” from Blade Runner is quite intriguing. In the context of the film, it refers to the replicants created by the Tyrell Corporation, which are designed to be almost indistinguishable from humans but are often superior in physical and mental capabilities. Philosophically, it can be interpreted in several ways:

    • Creation and Perfection: It suggests that the replicants are engineered to be better than humans, embodying idealized qualities that surpass natural human limitations.
    • Identity and Humanity: It raises questions about what it means to be human. If replicants can think, feel, and even surpass human abilities, what distinguishes them from humans? It blurs the lines between creator and creation.
    • Irony and Critique: There’s an irony in the phrase, as the replicants, despite being “more human,” are denied human rights and treated as mere property. It critiques the ethical implications of creating life and the responsibilities that come with it.

Overall, the phrase encapsulates the film’s exploration of humanity, identity, and the ethical dilemmas of advanced technology.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Scott called AI a “technical hydrogen bomb” and warned about its potential dangers.

Hotel California guitar solo

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Chen is one of the daughters in a “family band” from the Philippines. She —and what I assume are her two sisters and father— perform amazing covers of hit songs. The still to the right is from a 2 1/2 minute video of her playing the guitar solo from The Eagles’ Hotel California. A couple of things about this short video grabbed me. Her obvious proficiency with this guitar solo but even more was the blissed out concentration that you see in the faces of the best guitar players. In the zone?

A couple of questions popped into my head: How long did it take her to master this iconic solo… followed by, Who wrote and first performed it. I went to Perplexity for the following, including reference sources:

According to interviews and accounts from Don Felder and others involved, the iconic guitar solos and dueling guitar parts on “Hotel California” by the Eagles came together in the following way:

  • Don Felder originally composed the music and recorded a demo for “Hotel California” at his home studio in Malibu in 1976. On this demo, he improvised and recorded sample guitar solos and parts that he envisioned for himself and Joe Walsh to play on the final recording.
  • When it came time to record the guitar solos and leads in the studio in Miami, Felder and Walsh initially started improvising new parts together. However, Don Henley stopped them and insisted they learn and play Felder’s original demo solo parts note-for-note.
  • The problem was Felder didn’t have the original demo tape with him in Miami. He had to call his housekeeper back in Malibu, have her find the cassette, play it over the phone, and Felder re-learned and transcribed his own improvised guitar parts from the demo.
  • Felder estimates that over half of the iconic guitar solos and dueling parts on the final “Hotel California” recording came directly from the original demo he recorded at home, with him and Walsh splitting up and learning those parts.
  • Specifically, Felder played the first half of the ending guitar solo, while Walsh played the second half. They then combined for the harmonized finale section.

So in summary, while Felder and Walsh did collaborate and split the guitar solos, a significant portion was actually Felder improvising alone on his original demo, which Henley insisted they recreate faithfully in the studio.

Pocket 3 Gimbal Settings

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The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 has three main gimbal modes – Follow, Tilt Locked, and FPV. Today I shot a few minutes of video with the gimbal in the tilt-lock mode. The tilt-lock gimbal setting is designed to maintain the camera’s horizontal orientation while allowing for panning movements. This mode is particularly useful for scenarios where you want to keep the horizon level, such as when filming landscapes or during activities that involve lateral movements.

It’s hard to miss the up-and-down motion caused by my walking. The solution to this –according to most of the videos I’ve watched– is the “ninja walk.” A  bent-knee, heel-to-toe walk that is supposed to keep the camera level. Don’t think I’m going to be doing that in public.

The follow mode is the default mode and suitable for most shooting scenarios like vlogs and selfies. The pan and tilt axes are unlocked, allowing the camera to follow your movements left/right and up/down. However, the rotation axis is locked, preventing the camera from rotating/twisting around its own axis.

The two minute video below was shot with the gimbal in follow mode but I’m not sure that was the best setting. There are several places where the video is jerky (when compared to what I get with the iPhone). This is very likely operator error.

DJI Osmo Pocket 3: Face tracking and remote mic

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In this 3 1/2 minute video I play with face tracking features of the Pocket 3 and the sound quality of the remote microphone.

Face tracking feels like magic. To be able to move around and have the camera follow and keep me in frame creates a lot of possibilities. As far as I can recall, every video I ever recorded was a solo effort which meant the camera had to be stationary and I couldn’t move around. This feature should make for more interesting shots.

As for the remote mic… I’m impressed. I’ll have to figure out the best levels and settings but the quality is as good as anything I’ve ever used. And I’ve used a lot of microphones.

I’m looking forward to recording a uke song with this camera/mic. If I can get good audio from the uke as well as my voice, I can try some stuff. Still lots to learn about the Pocket 3.

Every time I power on this camera I discover some new and useful feature. If you noticed me looking at my iPhone in the video, I was using the DJI app to monitor and control the camera on the other side of the room. Additionally, the tiny remote mic can also control certain settings on the camera. It’s easy to see why this camera is so popular with vloggers.

Final thought: At 76 years of age, close-ups are not kind to me. This is about the right distance.

Blog maintenance: Video

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When I started blogging in 2002 it was really hard to include video in a post. YouTube was still three years away. Google had a video player for a while but streaming just wasn’t a thing. The first video files I uploaded were tiny because they had to download before they could be watched. But all that changed with faster computers and more bandwidth. And, of course, smart phones that could record video.

YouTube made it very easy to upload and share video from a website like mine. I have 677 posts on this blog that include video. Most of those were created by someone else but I’ve created a couple of hundred. My first was in February of 2006.

There are other streaming platforms besides YouTube. Vimeo, TED Talks, and WordPress has a player for streaming mp4 files. Fifty-nine of my posts use something other than a YouTube embed.

My posts with video now fall into several categories under Media & Entertainment:

Of the 200+ videos that I’ve posted here, 44 of them were me talking to the camera. Not sure these would be considered “selfies.”

Audio

Seventy-nine of my posts include audio. Interviews, funny songs, old radio jingles and commercials, etc. Some of my favorite stuff.