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Connect a camera to your computer and install some free software to generate cool effects from scenes around you. Ordinary events become fascinating as their time gets speeded up. For example, this sunrise:
sunrise.avi1 MB
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Signing UpStep 1The hardware
You will need:
1. A computer
2. A Camera
Allow me to elaborate. You are reading this on a computer, so you are evidently in possession of item no.1. Item 2 requires explaining further. I do not mean those black light tight boxes with a lens at one end and film at the other end, I mean one of those light tight boxes with a lens at one end and a CMOS or CCD sensor at the other, which can be connected to your computer, whereby you can see the images on your computer screen.
Allow me to interpret the bit of verbiage above. You need either a webcam or a video camera and a capture card.
If you have a webcam on a USB port, you are limited by the length of your USB cable. You will have to carry your computer around, or bring your project to your computer.
If you try for the video camera and capture card solution, this gives you more freedom as the video cable between the camera and the capture card can be any reasonable length up to a few tens of meters.
Yet another solution is a digital still camera with a memory card inside it, and no cable at all between the camera and computer, but right now I shall not go up that, high quality and resolution (and cost!) route.
People who know loads will tell you that by this route, you are limited to fairly low quality movies, below 320x240 or so. That is okay. You can amuse yourself and your more easily amused friends with movies of fairly low resolution.
You have to remember that movies of high resolution need more expensive equipment to make, take up more space on your hard disk, and take up more bandwidth when you try to share them with your friends.
I'm trying to keep things simple and cheap.
That big round thing is a USB Webcam, and the other two are CMOS video cameras. I have used upto 25 meters of four conductor ribbon cable (ground, +12V, video and spare) between camera and capture card with no ill effects.
1. A computer
2. A Camera
Allow me to elaborate. You are reading this on a computer, so you are evidently in possession of item no.1. Item 2 requires explaining further. I do not mean those black light tight boxes with a lens at one end and film at the other end, I mean one of those light tight boxes with a lens at one end and a CMOS or CCD sensor at the other, which can be connected to your computer, whereby you can see the images on your computer screen.
Allow me to interpret the bit of verbiage above. You need either a webcam or a video camera and a capture card.
If you have a webcam on a USB port, you are limited by the length of your USB cable. You will have to carry your computer around, or bring your project to your computer.
If you try for the video camera and capture card solution, this gives you more freedom as the video cable between the camera and the capture card can be any reasonable length up to a few tens of meters.
Yet another solution is a digital still camera with a memory card inside it, and no cable at all between the camera and computer, but right now I shall not go up that, high quality and resolution (and cost!) route.
People who know loads will tell you that by this route, you are limited to fairly low quality movies, below 320x240 or so. That is okay. You can amuse yourself and your more easily amused friends with movies of fairly low resolution.
You have to remember that movies of high resolution need more expensive equipment to make, take up more space on your hard disk, and take up more bandwidth when you try to share them with your friends.
I'm trying to keep things simple and cheap.
That big round thing is a USB Webcam, and the other two are CMOS video cameras. I have used upto 25 meters of four conductor ribbon cable (ground, +12V, video and spare) between camera and capture card with no ill effects.
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Note: since I am not a professional programmer, there are some bugs in Perios which you may encounter. But for me and many other people it workes fine :) Anyway, I am planning to spend some time fixing the bugs on these holiday.
I spent 2 days putting it together out of junk that I had lying around. Chuck