Author: Phloating Man

Seeing Pi Chart

 

Happy Pi Day 2013!


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Ready Made

Source

“Seeing Pi Chart” is inspired by the Snellen chart and π.

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License

To the extent possible under law, Phloating Man has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the article “Seeing Pi Chart“ which means you are free to share, remix, and use this work commercially without attribution or permission.

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Tutorial: How to Make a Word Cloud from a Subreddit

 

Overview

Example

Here is a word cloud created from /r/videography.

Use reddit-analysis to analyze your subreddit

Requirements

I initially tried creating the word cloud in Mac, but I was running into Java problems. Then, I tried in Ubuntu Linux and ran into Java printing problems. Finally, it worked in Windows. If you don’t have windows, I suggest installing it in a virtual machine via VirtualBox (open source). Whenever I experiment with new software, I test it out in a virtual machine first with a clean installed operating system.

You can get reddit-analysis from git. I didn’t have git in my clean installed Windows 8 virtual machine, so I simply downloaded and uncompressed the zip file instead.

Once you have EDP installed and the reddit-analysis directory ready to go, do the following.

Steps

  1. Run this command in Command Prompt
    • easy_install redditanalysis
  2. Use your reddit username and the name of the subreddit you want to analyze with the word_freqs command. My command was this.
    • word_freqs phloating_man /r/videography
  3. Open the resulting .csv file in notepad. It should be located in the same directory that you ran the word_freqs command from. This was mine.
    • subreddit-videography.csv

Use the resulting raw data with Wordle to create the word cloud in PDF format

Requirements

Steps

  1. Visit http://www.wordle.net/advanced
  2. Copy and paste all the raw data from the .csv file that reddit-analysis created into the first field and click Go
  3. Customize the filters, font, layout, and colors to your liking
  4. Click Print… and print with the PDFCreator printer to create the word cloud in PDF format

Create vector and raster versions from PDF file

Requirements

  • Vector graphics editor such as Inkscape (open source) or Adobe Illustrator (torrent/buy)

Steps

  1. Open the PDF in your favorite vector graphics editor
  2. Resize and tweak to your liking
  3. Create PNG raster version
  4. Create SVG vector version

Conclusion

Creating the word cloud was a lot of fun. Besides sharing the word cloud with your subreddit, here are some other ideas on what you can use it for.

  • Desktop Background
  • Poster
  • Infographic
  • Motion Graphic

Run the word_freqs –help command to change the variables. The default time period is data from the last month.

If you’d rather have someone else create your word cloud, make a request at /r/MUWs.

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License

To the extent possible under law, Phloating Man has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the article “Tutorial: How to Make a Word Cloud from a Subreddit“ which means you are free to share, remix, and use this work commercially without attribution or permission.

If you enjoy my work, please click here. Thanks!

Video Rendering (xkcd “Compiling” remix) Part Deux

 

Thanks to the beauty of Creative Commons, I’m able to remix xkcd comics by Randall Munroe without worrying about being sued or asking permission. To use Creative Commons with your own work, click here.

One of my favorite xkcd comics is the “Compiling” one below.

A couple years ago, I initially remixed it for /r/videography.

I just got a my first graphics tablet, a 7.7-Inch Vistablet PenPad, and wanted a quick project to test it out with. It’s no Wacom, but hey, it’s only $40 bucks. I think the tablet works great with Photoshop. However, I don’t have any experience to compare it to, so what do I know?

Also, I’m hoping to use it with my NLE since I hear people having success with it.

Anyway, I thought /r/editors and /r/computergraphics might enjoy their own remixed versions, so I used the tablet to create these.

Video Editor

VFX Artist

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Notable Works whose Copyrights were Waived by their Creators

This list was created to show that consciously waiving the copyrights to your work can lead to amazing things.

The two requirements to be on the list are…

  1. The work needs to have an article on Wikipedia to be considered notable.
  2. A reference needs to be provided that shows the creator explicitly choosing to waive the work’s copyright.

If you know any works that should be added to the list, please leave a comment.

The World Wide Web was dedicated by Tim Berners-Lee on April 30, 1993.
reference: Ten Years Public Domain for the Original Web Software

SQLite was dedicated by Richard Hipp on September 20, 2001.
reference: Dr Richard Hipp, Geek of the Week

S5 was dedicated by Eric Meyer on July 28, 2005.
reference: S5 1.1

LibriVox was dedicated by Hugh McGuire on August 10, 2005.
reference: why public domain and not creative commons?

Public.Resource.Org was dedicated by Carl Malamud on August 17, 2007.
reference: Public Domain Spotlight: Public.Resource.Org

Microformats were dedicated by Tantek Çelik on December 27, 2007.
reference: Making open standards as open as possible

The Online Books Page was dedicated by John Mark Ockerbloom on January 1, 2008.
reference: The Online Books Page: Copyrights and Licenses

The Zen Habits blog was dedicated by Leo Babauta on January 7, 2008.
reference: Open Source Blogging: Feel Free to Steal My Content

The Personal Genome Project was released by George Church and Jason Bobe on March 11th, 2009.
reference: CC0 Spotlight: Personal Genome Project

“Free” Checking Account via Green Dot Prepaid Visa Card (US only)

 

Overview

 

Get a Green Dot Prepaid Visa Card

Requirements

  • First and Last Name
  • Social Security Number
  • Birth Date
  • Mailing Address
  • Phone Number
  • Email

Sign Up Options

Features

  • No Credit Check
  • No Minimum Balance
  • Use Card Anywhere Visa is Accepted
  • Free Bill Pay
  • Reload with Free Direct Deposit (account and routing number will be provided)
  • Reload with cash via MoneyPak (~$5.00 + load amount)
  • Withdraw Cash Free at MoneyPass ATM Locations (fees apply for non-MoneyPass ATM locations)
  • Two Options to Waive Monthly $5.95 Charge
    1. Post 30 Purchases in a month
    2. Load at least $1,000 in a month

 

Email Yourself 30 Separate $0.15 Amazon Gift Cards

Like I mentioned above, you can waive the Green Dot monthly charge if you post 30 purchases in a month. For me, the easiest way to meet that requirement is to purchase 30 separate $0.15 Amazon Gift Cards. $0.15 is the lowest denomination available.

WARNING:
Do not attempt to purchase all 30 separate gift cards in a single day. Doing so will flag your account with suspicious activity, and your account will be frozen.

Instead, spread out the purchases. Every morning, I purchase two $0.15 Amazon Gift Cards from here as 2 separate orders. I do this for about two weeks until I get the 30 posted purchases to waive the monthly Green Dot charge.

 

Conclusion

I had some issues with ChexSystems that prevented me from opening a Patelco Credit Union Free Checking Account. As an interim solution, using the Green Dot Prepaid Visa Card as my checking account has worked out great.

Although not technically “free”, I still have some purchasing power with the Amazon gift cards instead of wasting funds on the monthly Green Dot maintenance fee.

Here are some things that I’ve used the “free” checking account for.

  • Linked my Coinbase account via direct deposit to purchase Bitcoin for use with the bitcointip bot, so I can tip people on Reddit with bitcoin
  • Linked Amazon via direct deposit to receive payments from my Mturk (Mechanical Turk) and Associates accounts
  • Linked Google Adsense via direct deposit to receive payments generated from my YouTube account
  • Paid all my monthly bills via Bill Pay
  • Mailed a check to my mom’s house to pay her back via Bill Pay

 

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License

To the extent possible under law, Phloating Man has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the article “Free” Checking Account via Green Dot Prepaid Visa Card (US only) which means you are free to share, remix, and use this work commercially without attribution or permission.

If you enjoy my work, please click here. Thanks!

Budget Friendly Videography Kit for Beginners

 

Overview

Camera

At the heart of every videography kit is the camera. Here are features that an aspiring videographer should look for.

  • Full Manual Control (Aperture, Shutter, ISO, Focus, White Balance)
  • Interchangeable Lenses
  • 1080p24 for that “Film Look”

Here are three popular and relatively inexpensive camera choices that have those features.

Camera Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens		 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens		 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Price $600 $750 $650
Lens Mount EF-S and EF MFT E
Crop Factor 1.6x 2x 1.5x
Hack Magic Lantern
by Trammell Hudson		 PTool
by Vitaliy Kiselev		 Soon?
Someone 1.00 and Vitaliy Kiselev are working on it
Slow Motion 720p60 720p60 1080p60
Video Quality Better Best Good
Portability Good Good Best
Low Light Good Better Best
Recording Limit 12 Minutes No Limit 29 Minutes
Universal Shoe Mount Yes Yes Needs Adapter
Memory Card SD, SDHC, SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC & Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
Sample Footage “Salton Sea Beach on Vimeo”
by Philip Bloom
Shot with T2i (discontinued) which has the same sensor as T3i.		 “Home Cooking”
by Philip Bloom		 “Booths and Bodies”
by Philip Bloom
Shot with 5n (discontinued) which has the same sensor as 5r.
Verdict It’s the least expensive and the sheer number of lenses and accessories available make the T3i a great learning camera. If you value video quality above all else and are willing to spend more, then the GH2 may be the best option for you. It can record continuously for hours. It can hang with more expensive cameras such as the Red Epic and Arri Alexa. The best camera is the one that’s with you. The 5R with a pancake lens can literally fit in your pants pocket. A good choice for impromptu moments and short form videos.

Audio

Good audio separates the professionals from the amateurs. A common workflow for videographers is to capture audio from an external audio recorder with a video mic or lav mic. Then, sync the audio from the external recorder with the internal camera audio in post.

Zoom H1 Audio Recorder Rode VideoMic Azden EX-503 Lav Mic
$95 $150 $20
1 AA Battery 1 9V Battery Phantom Power
microSDHC
Tripod to Shoe Mount Adapter

Lighting

Capturing light is the essence of videography. You can achieve nice three point lighting with just the sun and a reflector.

Neewer 110cm 5 in 1 Collapsible Reflector Neewer CN-160 LED Video Light Cowboystudio Umbrella Continuous Triple Lighting Kit
$20 $30 $60
6 AA Batteries

Support

For the love of all that is good in this world, please use a tripod unless your scene calls for handheld or shaky movement.

Sunpak 9002TM Tripod/Monopod with 3-Way Fluid Head (Quick Release) Vello Triple Shoe Mount V Bracket for Lights, Mics, and Audio Recorders General Brand Gaffer Tape
$35 $30 $6

Conclusion

Starting for around $1,000, you can get a decent kit and enter the wonderful world of videography.

If that’s out of your budget, consider buying a used previous model of one of the cameras suggested from sites like KEH or Amazon. A Canon T2i, Panasonic GH1, and Sony 5N may be discontinued, but they still offer full manual control, interchangeable lenses, and 1080p24 for a great price. For example, the T2i can be bought used for about $450.

If that’s still out of your range, you can rent from places like LensRentals.com, BorrowLenses.com, or ATS Rentals. For example, the T3i and a lens can be rented for a weekend for about $90. That’s enough time to shoot a couple of short video projects to start your portfolio. Then when you’re more confident, you can charge your first paid gig to cover your next rental plus a little extra to go towards purchasing.

However you decide to finance it, do what you have to do to start shooting!

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License

CC0

To the extent possible under law, Phloating Man has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the article “Budget Friendly Videography Kit for Beginners“ which means you are free to share, remix, and use this work commercially without attribution or permission.

Thanks

If you enjoy my work, please click here. Thanks!

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