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I am a meteorologist on TV. I work in front of a chroma key wall. I would love to have a simulator like this where I could swap in the background image... wel

I am a meteorologist on TV. I work in front of a chroma key wall. I would love to have a simulator like this where I could swap in the background image... well, you get the idea. This would especially be good for me as I do the weather in Nebraska from a studio I built at home in SoCal. As far as I know I'm the only regularly scheduled TV news anchor to work from home in the US and possibly the world.

mikehollinger 8y ago
Fascinating. How’d you land that gig?
- geofffox 8y ago
  I've been doing this over 35 years and have seven Emmys. They got someone they shouldn't be able to afford and working from home I could afford to accept it. I'm a pancreatic cancer survivor (Whipple) and this flexibility helps. I am a professional. My job is to forecast their weather and I am diligent in that pursuit. Windows are overrated.
  - lanewinfield 8y ago
    Wow, this is such a fascinating story. I'd totally subscribe to an AMA. Glad to hear you've kicked cancer's ass.
    - geofffox 8y ago
      Point me in the right direction. I'd love to do an AMA -- except I'd take questions on the site and answer via YouTube live or something similar. That way I could demo any studio questions live. Where can I get info on doing one? Also, sneakily, I have other ideas for where my studio can be used beside traditional outlets, especially since I make a full suite of weather maps. This would give me a chance to explain.
      - spike021 8y ago
        I think typically they're done on Reddit these days, but I bet you could do this kind of questions post you refer to on HN and then follow up with a link to a video or stream.
        geofffox 8y ago
        Already found a great article on 'how-to.' I will. It's second nature to me, but most people are sort of stunned when they see a broadcast quality studio in my (former) garage.
        spike021 8y ago
        I think that's pretty awesome myself. Closest I've been to that kind of setup is back in.. either middle or high school tech class. We had a separate indoor sound-proofed "room" used for a broadcast channel just for school. Cool stuff.
      - voltagex_ 8y ago
        With your setup, Twitch or YouTube Live would work. Take the questions on Reddit or similar beforehand (with an established channel you've got other ways of taking questions, but for a new set up it's a bit trickier).
  - andremendes 8y ago
    This is impressive and cool, I really would like to read more about it. You should write a blog!
    - geofffox 8y ago
      https://www.geofffox.com/ https://www.geofffox.com/ -- Since July 4, 2003.
  - geofffox 8y ago
    In response to Lane -- Pancreatic cancer is the worst. It is incurable in 2018! I was very lucky that it was found before it spread. It was removed in a six hour, two surgeon operation called a Whipple. It was pioneered in the 1930s. Back then they lost about 1/3 on the table. Only about 1/3 of pancreatic patients can receive a Whipple and only about a third of those have my result. Only 9% live beyond five years. The Whipple is considered the most difficult operation a surgeon can perform. The docs who do this are hospital all-stars. On day one I told my doctors (with cancer you get an army of doctors) I wanted to aggressively go at it. I had a catheter port inserted in my chest for IVs (like chemo or with my CTscans). It's been used over thirty times. When I take a blood test it's commonly a dozen vials or more. My treatment ended around a year and a half ago. I am certifiably cancer free, though my body knows how to make pancreatic cancer and could do it again. I am missing a few internal parts. Whipple surgery reconnects some parts of the digestive system differently than original factory specs. With half a pancreas I shoot insulin 4-5 times a day (no big deal). My right pinkie will be tapped for blood drops around 1,500 times this year. I am the luckiest person you will meet today. And, it's a kickass diet. I lost 35 pounds. Because I am old I am on Medicare. I subscribe to a Medicare Advantage program, which means I limit myself to an HMO's doctors in return for paying less for services. I would think my medical care had to cost over $500,000. I paid ZERO. I do pay for some drugs -- thousands a year -- but my army of doctors were paid by the government. People shouldn't go broke or need GoFundMe because they get sick. The US needs Medicare for all. Insurance just means we all share the risk for the few that need it.
    - cockatoo2 8y ago
      The republicunts don't believe in healthcare for sick people.
      - geofffox 8y ago
        The fact that we need GoFundMe campaigns for people who get sick or that veterans beg for charity through Wounded Warriors upsets me to no end. A modern, successful democracy should take care of its people.
Insanity 8y ago
That sounds really cool actually! How did you end up building such a studio at home etc? Sounds like a lot of work to me! (Always cool to see what kind of people hang around here on HN as well!)
- geofffox 8y ago
  I am very unusual in that I'm comfortable on both sides of the camera. What I learned is building a studio is an IT project! Maybe the most unusual part is, none of this would work unless I could run the show by myself. My TriCaster is programmable with macros which is what I've done. I am my own director while on the air. Oh -- with a friend I created a map making system which runs on an i5 and produces ~ 40,000 maps a day. Here are some samples I threw together a few months ago. These are 100% produced using FOSS including the map databases and fonts! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/172O4Xl35np8RnbRi07PDw80OvhhigNSt https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/172O4Xl35np8RnbRi07PD... My last computer class was as a senior in high school, 1967-68 semester. This was BEFORE computers had screens.
  - mxstbr 8y ago
    Wow this is super interesting, you should do an AMA!
  - Insanity 8y ago
    That is really amazing! My hat off to you! I agree with the others here that an AMA might be worth it :)
  - voltagex_ 8y ago
    This doesn't look like any map system I've seen - can you share details on your renderer? There's a lot of untapped potential in geospatial (even with Google taking most of the mindshare)
    - geofffox 8y ago
      Sure -- It's a multistage process making a graphics sandwich. The meteo data is done by GrADS. I render these at full HD resolution-- 1920x1080. The base map and overlay are both produced in QGIS using the NaturalEarth database. Because GrADS can't read geographical info from graphics they are built by hand and the parameters are entered into GrADS by hand. Animations are made from still png frames using ffmpeg. OpenSans is my font. All of this runs on an i5 with 8Gb of RAM under CentOS7. I make around 40,000 maps a day (one per frame in the animations). I am 68 years old. My only computer training came 51 years ago. This is all self taught.
reaperducer 8y ago
Do the people in Nebraska know you’re in California? Is that disclosed or simply not mentioned, hoping nobody catches on? Do you have any problems with this remote setup like Sinclair has with “Centralcasting” local news from far away? (Graphics and visuals for the wrong station showing up, talent’s obvious lack of knowledge of local events and terminology, etc...) What happens in the event of a California-centric disaster like an earthquake or wildfire, and you’re not available? Or if there’s a major weather event in Nebraska and you’re not there, or not able to feed into Nebraska because Vyvx/internet goes down or the satellite dish freezes over?
- Justin_K 8y ago
  Holy crap how many questions are you going to ask?
  - andischo 8y ago
    Curiosity and persuit of knowledge are what drives many people. I would like to believe that HN is a place where these traits are encouraged and not looked down upon as you seem to do with your comment. If I could down vote your comment I would.
  - jdironman 8y ago
    How many do you have time to answer?
    - geofffox 8y ago
      Football Sunday. I'm multitasking.
- geofffox 8y ago
  We don't mention it on-the-air, but it's not hidden. You don't want to lie about something like this (or anything, actually). When you're caught you'll pay. It's difficult to explain but what I do is designed for me. There's a lot I do because I understand both sides of the equation which means my studio isn't a turnkey solution anyone could walk into. You need to be able to understand 'why' when something doesn't work. That being said, IMHO Sinclair did it the wrong way. The weather unit should be an autonomous production, not dependent on the regular studio being free. My all-in studio cost is around Hyundai money. It removes complexity and allows live production where needed and closer to air always. I had a trip from SoCal to Milwaukee cancelled because a few guys who robbed a gas station decided to drive the getaway car to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix -- where my first flight was headed. Random shit happens. In three years of doing this what you describe hasn't ever happened. We use the Internet for data. I have fiber to the wall.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Sephr 8y ago
I made exactly what you're asking for: https://rainpaper.com https://rainpaper.com
- ChristianGeek 8y ago
  Why is it rated Mature?!
  - Sephr 8y ago
    This is required for any apps that offer user-configurable reddit integration.
PatientChance 8y ago
WOW this is a surprise... What a small world! I used to watch you and Dr. Mel on WTNH Ch 8 many years ago when I lived in CT. I still think of you guys every time I'm back in CT and turn on the 11pm news. You are fantastic and always entertaining. I always looked forward to watching you predict whether I'd have school the next day. Thank you for the memories.
- geofffox 8y ago
  I am blushing. The people of Connecticut were very kind to me and I will be forever grateful.
  - timmaah 8y ago
    The Geoff Fox? You came to my house in Durham when I was a kid and interviewed my mom for some moon landing story. I think we saved a seltzer can you drank for a few months.
    - geofffox 8y ago
      It is very cool for me to hear that something I did years ago was memorable for your family. Thanks for saying hi.
lbebber 8y ago
(author) Hey, I could help with that. I was beginning to work on a better version of it a while ago, but haven't gotten around finishing it.

mikehollinger 8y ago

Fascinating. How’d you land that gig?

geofffox 8y ago
I've been doing this over 35 years and have seven Emmys. They got someone they shouldn't be able to afford and working from home I could afford to accept it. I'm a pancreatic cancer survivor (Whipple) and this flexibility helps. I am a professional. My job is to forecast their weather and I am diligent in that pursuit. Windows are overrated.
- lanewinfield 8y ago
  Wow, this is such a fascinating story. I'd totally subscribe to an AMA. Glad to hear you've kicked cancer's ass.
  - geofffox 8y ago
    Point me in the right direction. I'd love to do an AMA -- except I'd take questions on the site and answer via YouTube live or something similar. That way I could demo any studio questions live. Where can I get info on doing one? Also, sneakily, I have other ideas for where my studio can be used beside traditional outlets, especially since I make a full suite of weather maps. This would give me a chance to explain.
    - spike021 8y ago
      I think typically they're done on Reddit these days, but I bet you could do this kind of questions post you refer to on HN and then follow up with a link to a video or stream.
      - geofffox 8y ago
        Already found a great article on 'how-to.' I will. It's second nature to me, but most people are sort of stunned when they see a broadcast quality studio in my (former) garage.
        spike021 8y ago
        I think that's pretty awesome myself. Closest I've been to that kind of setup is back in.. either middle or high school tech class. We had a separate indoor sound-proofed "room" used for a broadcast channel just for school. Cool stuff.
    - voltagex_ 8y ago
      With your setup, Twitch or YouTube Live would work. Take the questions on Reddit or similar beforehand (with an established channel you've got other ways of taking questions, but for a new set up it's a bit trickier).
- andremendes 8y ago
  This is impressive and cool, I really would like to read more about it. You should write a blog!
  - geofffox 8y ago
    https://www.geofffox.com/ https://www.geofffox.com/ -- Since July 4, 2003.
- geofffox 8y ago
  In response to Lane -- Pancreatic cancer is the worst. It is incurable in 2018! I was very lucky that it was found before it spread. It was removed in a six hour, two surgeon operation called a Whipple. It was pioneered in the 1930s. Back then they lost about 1/3 on the table. Only about 1/3 of pancreatic patients can receive a Whipple and only about a third of those have my result. Only 9% live beyond five years. The Whipple is considered the most difficult operation a surgeon can perform. The docs who do this are hospital all-stars. On day one I told my doctors (with cancer you get an army of doctors) I wanted to aggressively go at it. I had a catheter port inserted in my chest for IVs (like chemo or with my CTscans). It's been used over thirty times. When I take a blood test it's commonly a dozen vials or more. My treatment ended around a year and a half ago. I am certifiably cancer free, though my body knows how to make pancreatic cancer and could do it again. I am missing a few internal parts. Whipple surgery reconnects some parts of the digestive system differently than original factory specs. With half a pancreas I shoot insulin 4-5 times a day (no big deal). My right pinkie will be tapped for blood drops around 1,500 times this year. I am the luckiest person you will meet today. And, it's a kickass diet. I lost 35 pounds. Because I am old I am on Medicare. I subscribe to a Medicare Advantage program, which means I limit myself to an HMO's doctors in return for paying less for services. I would think my medical care had to cost over $500,000. I paid ZERO. I do pay for some drugs -- thousands a year -- but my army of doctors were paid by the government. People shouldn't go broke or need GoFundMe because they get sick. The US needs Medicare for all. Insurance just means we all share the risk for the few that need it.
  - cockatoo2 8y ago
    The republicunts don't believe in healthcare for sick people.
    - geofffox 8y ago
      The fact that we need GoFundMe campaigns for people who get sick or that veterans beg for charity through Wounded Warriors upsets me to no end. A modern, successful democracy should take care of its people.

Insanity 8y ago

That sounds really cool actually! How did you end up building such a studio at home etc? Sounds like a lot of work to me! (Always cool to see what kind of people hang around here on HN as well!)

geofffox 8y ago
I am very unusual in that I'm comfortable on both sides of the camera. What I learned is building a studio is an IT project! Maybe the most unusual part is, none of this would work unless I could run the show by myself. My TriCaster is programmable with macros which is what I've done. I am my own director while on the air. Oh -- with a friend I created a map making system which runs on an i5 and produces ~ 40,000 maps a day. Here are some samples I threw together a few months ago. These are 100% produced using FOSS including the map databases and fonts! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/172O4Xl35np8RnbRi07PDw80OvhhigNSt https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/172O4Xl35np8RnbRi07PD... My last computer class was as a senior in high school, 1967-68 semester. This was BEFORE computers had screens.
- mxstbr 8y ago
  Wow this is super interesting, you should do an AMA!
- Insanity 8y ago
  That is really amazing! My hat off to you! I agree with the others here that an AMA might be worth it :)
- voltagex_ 8y ago
  This doesn't look like any map system I've seen - can you share details on your renderer? There's a lot of untapped potential in geospatial (even with Google taking most of the mindshare)
  - geofffox 8y ago
    Sure -- It's a multistage process making a graphics sandwich. The meteo data is done by GrADS. I render these at full HD resolution-- 1920x1080. The base map and overlay are both produced in QGIS using the NaturalEarth database. Because GrADS can't read geographical info from graphics they are built by hand and the parameters are entered into GrADS by hand. Animations are made from still png frames using ffmpeg. OpenSans is my font. All of this runs on an i5 with 8Gb of RAM under CentOS7. I make around 40,000 maps a day (one per frame in the animations). I am 68 years old. My only computer training came 51 years ago. This is all self taught.

reaperducer 8y ago

Do the people in Nebraska know you’re in California? Is that disclosed or simply not mentioned, hoping nobody catches on? Do you have any problems with this remote setup like Sinclair has with “Centralcasting” local news from far away? (Graphics and visuals for the wrong station showing up, talent’s obvious lack of knowledge of local events and terminology, etc...) What happens in the event of a California-centric disaster like an earthquake or wildfire, and you’re not available? Or if there’s a major weather event in Nebraska and you’re not there, or not able to feed into Nebraska because Vyvx/internet goes down or the satellite dish freezes over?

Justin_K 8y ago
Holy crap how many questions are you going to ask?
- andischo 8y ago
  Curiosity and persuit of knowledge are what drives many people. I would like to believe that HN is a place where these traits are encouraged and not looked down upon as you seem to do with your comment. If I could down vote your comment I would.
- jdironman 8y ago
  How many do you have time to answer?
  - geofffox 8y ago
    Football Sunday. I'm multitasking.
geofffox 8y ago
We don't mention it on-the-air, but it's not hidden. You don't want to lie about something like this (or anything, actually). When you're caught you'll pay. It's difficult to explain but what I do is designed for me. There's a lot I do because I understand both sides of the equation which means my studio isn't a turnkey solution anyone could walk into. You need to be able to understand 'why' when something doesn't work. That being said, IMHO Sinclair did it the wrong way. The weather unit should be an autonomous production, not dependent on the regular studio being free. My all-in studio cost is around Hyundai money. It removes complexity and allows live production where needed and closer to air always. I had a trip from SoCal to Milwaukee cancelled because a few guys who robbed a gas station decided to drive the getaway car to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix -- where my first flight was headed. Random shit happens. In three years of doing this what you describe hasn't ever happened. We use the Internet for data. I have fiber to the wall.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

Sephr 8y ago

I made exactly what you're asking for: https://rainpaper.com https://rainpaper.com

ChristianGeek 8y ago
Why is it rated Mature?!
- Sephr 8y ago
  This is required for any apps that offer user-configurable reddit integration.

PatientChance 8y ago

WOW this is a surprise... What a small world! I used to watch you and Dr. Mel on WTNH Ch 8 many years ago when I lived in CT. I still think of you guys every time I'm back in CT and turn on the 11pm news. You are fantastic and always entertaining. I always looked forward to watching you predict whether I'd have school the next day. Thank you for the memories.

geofffox 8y ago
I am blushing. The people of Connecticut were very kind to me and I will be forever grateful.
- timmaah 8y ago
  The Geoff Fox? You came to my house in Durham when I was a kid and interviewed my mom for some moon landing story. I think we saved a seltzer can you drank for a few months.
  - geofffox 8y ago
    It is very cool for me to hear that something I did years ago was memorable for your family. Thanks for saying hi.

lbebber 8y ago

(author) Hey, I could help with that. I was beginning to work on a better version of it a while ago, but haven't gotten around finishing it.