Here's the camera for Alex if anybody feels like funding the Arboretum to the tune of $1300. Check out the zoom.
Sounds nice. I'm happy to accept donations, but I'm really waiting for the tool described below (from birdwatching.com):
"What does the future hold?
The binoculars of the future will be part of a digital information
system. They will not only amplify your seeing but will also make
video and sound recordings of your experiences. They will link
wirelessly to the personal computer in your pocket, where your
birding database resides. The computer, in turn, will be linked by
satellite to a world-wide information network.
Your binoculars will also function as a video display device. Ask,
"What does the marbled godwit look like?" and a high-resolution
video of that species will play in the eyepieces of your binoculars.
Your day's video recordings will be your field notes, recorded
automatically, and at the end of the day you can gather with other
birders and link your personal computers to a large screen to show
each other your best video highlights.
Since your binoculars can read out the compass direction and range
of what you're viewing, and your personal computer always knows
its exact position on the planet, the location of your sightings will
record automatically. Data on migration, bird populations, and
habitat could be analyzed regionally even as it is being gathered.
Electronic zoom and stabilization will be standard features. Light
amplification will let you see even by starlight. Or tune in to
different light frequencies: choose infrared to see in complete
darkness, or make the still-warm tracks of animals visible; choose
ultraviolet to see the flowers and foliage as insects do.
Of course, the binoculars of the future will be rugged and
completely waterproof. Solar-cell material will coat their surfaces
to provide all the power needed by the electronics. And if you
misplace your binoculars, you can ask them to please broadcast
their location so you can retrieve them.
These advances are not fantasy. All are presently under
development, and some already exist. For example, Leica recently
introduced the Geovid 7 x 42 BDA binoculars, with a built-in
infrared range finder and electronic compass. It calculates
distances up to 5000 feet with an accuracy of about three feet. It's
available now, for $6000.
Advanced technology? Yes, but whatever comes will still be stone
age stuff compared to the technology of a hummingbird."
|
- jim 8-07-2000 3:31 pm
Sounds nice. I'm happy to accept donations, but I'm really waiting for the tool described below (from birdwatching.com):
"What does the future hold? The binoculars of the future will be part of a digital information system. They will not only amplify your seeing but will also make video and sound recordings of your experiences. They will link wirelessly to the personal computer in your pocket, where your birding database resides. The computer, in turn, will be linked by satellite to a world-wide information network. Your binoculars will also function as a video display device. Ask, "What does the marbled godwit look like?" and a high-resolution video of that species will play in the eyepieces of your binoculars. Your day's video recordings will be your field notes, recorded automatically, and at the end of the day you can gather with other birders and link your personal computers to a large screen to show each other your best video highlights. Since your binoculars can read out the compass direction and range of what you're viewing, and your personal computer always knows its exact position on the planet, the location of your sightings will record automatically. Data on migration, bird populations, and habitat could be analyzed regionally even as it is being gathered. Electronic zoom and stabilization will be standard features. Light amplification will let you see even by starlight. Or tune in to different light frequencies: choose infrared to see in complete darkness, or make the still-warm tracks of animals visible; choose ultraviolet to see the flowers and foliage as insects do. Of course, the binoculars of the future will be rugged and completely waterproof. Solar-cell material will coat their surfaces to provide all the power needed by the electronics. And if you misplace your binoculars, you can ask them to please broadcast their location so you can retrieve them. These advances are not fantasy. All are presently under development, and some already exist. For example, Leica recently introduced the Geovid 7 x 42 BDA binoculars, with a built-in infrared range finder and electronic compass. It calculates distances up to 5000 feet with an accuracy of about three feet. It's available now, for $6000. Advanced technology? Yes, but whatever comes will still be stone age stuff compared to the technology of a hummingbird."
- alex 8-07-2000 7:13 pm