4 ms·

First drone footage of x is becoming a little rarefied, not to say boring and predictable for some values of x. So I expect this to be the peak of consumers bu

First drone footage of x is becoming a little rarefied, not to say boring and predictable for some values of x. So I expect this to be the peak of consumers buying little mavics to film their trips to Mont Blanc or the Amalfi Coast. Honestly, their friends are not interested. It was sad and ridiculous while it lasted, and now I hope it's over.

ryukoposting 2y ago
Why should they care what their friends think? Can we not take pictures and videos of things for our own enjoyment of that act? FWIW I don't own a drone nor have I ever considered buying one. I do have a horde of 35mm film cameras though.
- mikhailfranco 2y ago
  If it was really enjoyable, you will remember it. The human memory is designed to fix emotional experiences. No need for celluloid or pixels. If you were with a loved one, your future conversations about that time will keep the memory alive. There is a certain value and excitement in showing personal photos or videos to grand-children. But their children will not even know your name. The vanity and self-importance of youthful experiences will wane with age, reflection, wisdom, and a certain acceptance of our transient existence. Yes, I left many meaningless 35mm negatives, in a long forgotten attic, of a distant house, which I used to inhabit. Nobody will miss them. Not even me. If they are, perchance, discovered by a future owner of the house, they will be excited, for about 10 minutes, then throw them away.
  - ryukoposting 2y ago
    > If it was really enjoyable, you will remember it. The human memory is designed to fix emotional experiences. No need for celluloid or pixels. If you were with a loved one, your future conversations about that time will keep the memory alive. Words to live by. My point is this: the act of capturing photo and/or video is itself the draw for some people. It's an art form - beauty isn't just captured in a photograph, it's created through composition. A great photo is never just a photo of a great thing. Why should the transience of my art deter me, if I myself am also transient?
    - mikhailfranco 2y ago
      I think the value of photography is in teaching how to really see and appreciate the world, not in any artifact you may have created (at least not very often, unless you are a genius). It is similar to the way learning a musical skill (instrument, composition, production) teaches you to really hear music, which is probably more valuable than any particular sounds you created (again, geniuses excepted). There is a similar formula for other artistic and professional practices. No graphic designer just reads a web page. No cabinetmaker walks into a room and sees it the way you do. No architect or town planner ever just walks down an anonymous street in a strange city...
jncfhnb 2y ago
Seems like a stupid take to me. The fact that it is drone footage is not why it’s interesting. It’s merely indicating that it’s drone footage because that implies a novel ability to film something interesting from a good angle.
patall 2y ago
I think you may be speaking from an affluent bubble. None of my friends ever approached me with their drone footage. And my grandma would absolutely be stoked if I did show her something like this from myself. Yes, drone video have become a bit too much of a thing in any kind of documentary (and it can be a tad boring for at least 5-10 years now). But that is just how it is, colored video (or HD etc) is also not novel anymore, yet we keep doing it.
krallja 2y ago
First written account of x is becoming a little rarefied, not to say boring and predictable for some values of x. So I expect this to be the peak of consumers buying little bics to write about their trips to Mont Blanc or the Amalfi Coast. Honestly, their friends are not interested. It was sad and ridiculous while it lasted, and now I hope it's over.
- mikhailfranco 2y ago
  Assumed to be obvious before it was observed (how else?). Seen and filmed many many times for adults leaping into the water. Already documented: 'witnessed by scientists'. Published by a site called petapixel with breathless words like 'astonishing', 'unprecedented', 'enormous cliff', 'huge jumps', 'rare and heart-stopping', 'extraordinary footage', 'huge ice cliff', 'brave chick' ... in an effort to create buzz for their sponsor National Geographic. The only mildly interesting phrase is: 'Scientists who monitor penguins from satellites'. Sounds like a fun job and I'm sure AI can help. I didn't know that (although I once helped the BAS effort to monitor elephant seals diving deep in the S.Atlantic, using radio transponders glued to their backs, with burst-transmit-on-surfacing via satellite, so I should not have been surprised, had I thought for a second). But then they spoil it by adding 'satellites...in space'. If the chicks were drawing lots to see who had to jump first, then I might be interested.

ryukoposting 2y ago

Why should they care what their friends think? Can we not take pictures and videos of things for our own enjoyment of that act? FWIW I don't own a drone nor have I ever considered buying one. I do have a horde of 35mm film cameras though.

mikhailfranco 2y ago
If it was really enjoyable, you will remember it. The human memory is designed to fix emotional experiences. No need for celluloid or pixels. If you were with a loved one, your future conversations about that time will keep the memory alive. There is a certain value and excitement in showing personal photos or videos to grand-children. But their children will not even know your name. The vanity and self-importance of youthful experiences will wane with age, reflection, wisdom, and a certain acceptance of our transient existence. Yes, I left many meaningless 35mm negatives, in a long forgotten attic, of a distant house, which I used to inhabit. Nobody will miss them. Not even me. If they are, perchance, discovered by a future owner of the house, they will be excited, for about 10 minutes, then throw them away.
- ryukoposting 2y ago
  > If it was really enjoyable, you will remember it. The human memory is designed to fix emotional experiences. No need for celluloid or pixels. If you were with a loved one, your future conversations about that time will keep the memory alive. Words to live by. My point is this: the act of capturing photo and/or video is itself the draw for some people. It's an art form - beauty isn't just captured in a photograph, it's created through composition. A great photo is never just a photo of a great thing. Why should the transience of my art deter me, if I myself am also transient?
  - mikhailfranco 2y ago
    I think the value of photography is in teaching how to really see and appreciate the world, not in any artifact you may have created (at least not very often, unless you are a genius). It is similar to the way learning a musical skill (instrument, composition, production) teaches you to really hear music, which is probably more valuable than any particular sounds you created (again, geniuses excepted). There is a similar formula for other artistic and professional practices. No graphic designer just reads a web page. No cabinetmaker walks into a room and sees it the way you do. No architect or town planner ever just walks down an anonymous street in a strange city...

jncfhnb 2y ago

Seems like a stupid take to me. The fact that it is drone footage is not why it’s interesting. It’s merely indicating that it’s drone footage because that implies a novel ability to film something interesting from a good angle.

patall 2y ago

I think you may be speaking from an affluent bubble. None of my friends ever approached me with their drone footage. And my grandma would absolutely be stoked if I did show her something like this from myself. Yes, drone video have become a bit too much of a thing in any kind of documentary (and it can be a tad boring for at least 5-10 years now). But that is just how it is, colored video (or HD etc) is also not novel anymore, yet we keep doing it.

krallja 2y ago

First written account of x is becoming a little rarefied, not to say boring and predictable for some values of x. So I expect this to be the peak of consumers buying little bics to write about their trips to Mont Blanc or the Amalfi Coast. Honestly, their friends are not interested. It was sad and ridiculous while it lasted, and now I hope it's over.

mikhailfranco 2y ago
Assumed to be obvious before it was observed (how else?). Seen and filmed many many times for adults leaping into the water. Already documented: 'witnessed by scientists'. Published by a site called petapixel with breathless words like 'astonishing', 'unprecedented', 'enormous cliff', 'huge jumps', 'rare and heart-stopping', 'extraordinary footage', 'huge ice cliff', 'brave chick' ... in an effort to create buzz for their sponsor National Geographic. The only mildly interesting phrase is: 'Scientists who monitor penguins from satellites'. Sounds like a fun job and I'm sure AI can help. I didn't know that (although I once helped the BAS effort to monitor elephant seals diving deep in the S.Atlantic, using radio transponders glued to their backs, with burst-transmit-on-surfacing via satellite, so I should not have been surprised, had I thought for a second). But then they spoil it by adding 'satellites...in space'. If the chicks were drawing lots to see who had to jump first, then I might be interested.