The Narcissist Channel

I'm surely not showing off; I'm learning.  If I'm gonna get any use out of my DJI NEO, I've got to remember to play with it once in a while.  I found its orange case and walked out of our front door with the miniature drone.  

It is tiny enough to sit in the palm of one's hand.  In fact, that is how the owner 'retrieves' it when it is in FOLLOW ME mode.  You'll likely see my outstretched hand in this video a couple of times.

The drone is a technological miracle.  It's a toy that couldn't have been assembled or even even imagined a couple of decades ago.  The software side is equally amazing as the LightCut software, on my phone, uses AI to study the video clips and creates an interesting collage.  Picking which the royalty free music to add to the mix changes the outcome.  How awesome!

 

Don't judge these 44 seconds on the main character or the location.  Just imagine what someone with a little imagination and talent would be able to do with it.

Hot Tub Time

It's the end of April but the weather didn't get the memo. It's 1:10 pm and the outside temperature is just 11°C (52°F) and drizzly. 

Our building has two residential towers with a covered swimming pool and hot tub between them. We're right next to the Columbia SkyTrain Station with a tunnel opening by our property. However, I snapped this photo, so you could see the edge of the pool facilities along the left side of the image.

 

The hot tub is where I head on a morning such as this one.  I brought down the DJI NEO drone with me today.  Because the mini drone doesn't require a GPS lock, it can be used indoors.  I'm am not experienced and competent with the device yet.  So, I am doing little practice sessions whenever I find the time.  

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS IMAGES OF ME IN A BATHING SUIT.

Today's clip is a mere 34 seconds.

Easter Monday

Although Easter Monday is a statutory holiday in Canada, I find that I have every single day of the week free.  Mostly government offices and schools were not open, I think.  I did walk down Columbia Street this morning for a bit of exercise.  It still feels pretty damned cold.  The chilly wind was blowing up the river.  I have heard that things may warm up later in the week and it might get up to 20°C or 68°F.  

I ducked into the Thrift Store and looked around.  I nearly found nothing of interest.  Then, I noticed a baseball type cap.  Jay likes the ones without the adjustable strap on the back.  He's bald and they usually chafe and leave a mark.  The hat didn't look as though it had ever been worn, so I picked it up for CA$2.99.  Oh, actually it was CA$2.69 because the clerk automatically added my senior discount.  I'm not really sure how I feel about that.  I used to be asked but now sales people just assume!  LOL

Later in the afternoon, the Amazon guy bought a small case for my new DJI NEO drone.  It was a few days late but at least it got here.

I put the two photos above to represent the day, but I realize I didn't continue talking about the cap.  The size was marked as S/M so I thought it'd fit Jay.  However, it was too large and ended up fitting me.  I didn't have a mannequin nearby.  I had to put it somewhere to take a photo of it too.  I don't do selfies but I needed a place and my head was handy.  The company is a Swiss watch company that still makes mechanical watches only, I discovered.

My Chance at Being a Star!

I first read about the tiny DJI Neo drone when we were in South Africa in February. I ran to buy one in Cape Town. However, I didn't learn to use it and only experimented enough to know that I got a product that wasn't defective. Fast forward a couple of months, and I hadn't taken it out of the box much. Granted, until today, the weather has been pretty crappy in British Columbia.

I walked down to Westminster Pier Park across the road and over by the river. This morning, I finally learned some of the simple automatic modes. It can follow, it can do a dronie, rocket, or circle without user intervention. 

This drone is going to be a blast and will be useful because it doesn't require any set up. Its tiny size is a bonus as it can literally slide into my pocket. I can even launch and land the device on the palm of my hand.  All the saved video clips are contained within the drone. To edit, I wireless downloaded to my phone and into a video editing app called, LightCut. Finally, I let the software select a minute's worth of scenes and put it to public-domain music.

WARNING: If you don't want to waste a minute of your life that you'll never get back, you should probably go somewhere else right away.

 

A 4K Walk in the Park

Day 093: We've only a few days left in Cape Town. For a little morning exercise we returned to The Company's Garden to see all the folks enjoying the sunshine and warm breezes.  The temperature was about 22°C but on its way up to 26° later today.  The backdrop to summer was all the sounds of the birds and kids playing.  How nice!

   

My new drone is so small, I tucked it into my hat for protection and carried it in a bag. The park had many more people than I'd anticipated. However, I whipped it out of the bag and set it on my hand for take off with 'follow me' set to my height. I ran enough for a thirty second clip. I palm landed it but had to extend my reach rather than expecting it to come to my outstretched hand.  Once I get used to the DJI NEO, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with it.

 

Jay and I stopped for bananas on the way back to the Airbnb.  The total outing was only about 4.5 kilometers but a great way to spend some time!

Follow Me, Buzzy

Day 087: It's good that I have few qualms about embarrassing myself. That trait has come in very useful over the years. I guess though, my willingness for self deprecation may prevent me from ever being president one day.  

It was cool this morning. Not quite being ready to take my new drone outside, I just attempted to see if I could follow me around the Airbnb. Luckily, this drone will function inside even without a single GPS satellite lock. There isn't too much room inside, so I set the 'follow me' feature as 'close' to see what it could do.

I cut out about a minute of the clip and added music. This is not art. But one learns by doing and there's no need to throw away the result of learning something new. Maybe next time I'll dress up and plan the shot. Or probably not!

 

This clip is less than two minutes and it shows it'll probably be a fun option when walking in a park or on a hike.  I've named the new device, Buzzy.  That is not for a personal high school and college friend of my youth but because of the tiny drone's pitch. It is annoyingly noisy.

Now a New NEO

Day 86:  I suggested we go for a walk today, so I could find and pick up a new drone.  We headed to an Apple reseller which is less than a kilometer from our Airbnb. We walked a longer route going than when returning. Yet, I had my intended purchase in hand when we got back.

I do a lot of research before a purchase but eventually decided to go ahead with the purchase of a DJI NEO Combo Pack. My original DJI Mavic Mini of five years has now been officially replaced!  Although the old device still works as well as it did when new, it is not with me. That drone is light enough to easily take along but it is a bit too much of a hassle to use. It requires a few minutes to get ready and set up.  This makes it less useful as a travel drone. Although it shoots video, I snapped photos almost exclusively from altitudes impossible otherwise.

I am looking forward to get to know the NEO as it can practically fit in a jacket pocket. The camera isn't much of an upgrade and the gimbal is less sophisticated. A battery only allows for 15 minutes of flight. Yet it has other features I want. As well as using the traditional controller and phone app, it can fly with a number of pre-set modes right from the palm of one's hand. It'll follow its user around autonomously. I hope to practice using video and uploading clips to YouTube and other social media.

After lunch I had the battery and the two spares, the controller, and the NEO charged up.  I downloaded the new firmware and let it follow me around the living room a bit.  In the days ahead, I plan to learn and practice a lot.