Showing posts with label digression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digression. Show all posts

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Youtube's Video Stabilization Feature

I just recently discovered a feature on Youtube that stabilizes shaky videos.

Below is the unedited video which was taken while on a bumpy tricycle ride:



Here's the edited video where I also applied the "auto-fix" feature which improves the color.



I didn't expect the outcome to be as crisp as the original one. For most of us who only have ordinary digicams mounted on our shaky hands - this feature should come very handy. Here's an explanation of the technical details behind the stabilization.

Friday, November 1, 2013

A Year into Mountaineering: Hits and Misses, Lessons and Stories - Draft

A beetle struggles on a blade of grass, the same way we struggle on the trail.
A cloud-capped Bulusan Volcano stands on the background.
I wanted to say that there are two kinds of mountaineers - those who blog and tell a story, and those who just climb and make no big deal out of it. It doesn't take long to realize that this sort of classification isn't accurate. The latter species do not exist - it takes ones heart to pursue a hobby that is not only physically taxing but financially as well; mountaineering is a big deal. British explorer Dave Nixon ones said that the whole idea of old-fashioned mountaineering is "to get there and get back in one piece, and tell the great story at the end of it". The story comes in the form of blogs, of facebook albums and attempts to share the story even with friends who probably do not care. Regardless of the form, anyone who climbs has stories to tell. Secretly, even, there's pride from doing something that most people can't or won't.