Flying fish apocalipse

If you haven't seen one of the Asian jumping carp videos yet, take a look at this--the fish that makes ecological disaster fun!

Posted on youtube by dorlandtgroup at http://youtu.be/F37GA8I3gBQ.  

 I don't know where this was shot.  There are lots of jumping carp videos, from different parts of the Mississippi River basin, none from the Great Lakes--yet.  The fish is the silver carp, which has been introduced to and is well-established in the Mississippi and is working its way north. These aren't small fish; according to the Wikipedia entry, silver carp "can grow to over 40 lb (18 kg), and can leap 10 ft (3 m) in the air. Many boaters traveling in uncovered high-speed watercraft have been injured by running into the fish while at speed."

I can't stop watching these videos: they show dozens or hundreds of fish jumping, and people in open motorboats being pelted with fish.  I've seen one with a little kid standing in shallow water, surrounded by tiny jumping fish, and one with kids on water skis, in carp-hunting costumes, trying to hit fish with swords.  There are a couple of videos in which the guy holding the camera can't stop laughing, and in some the scene jolts once in a while as the cameraman is hit by a fish.

And, of course, the silver carp has a terrible effect on the environment.  I suppose the videos won't seem as funny if the fish ever get to the Sacramento River.

PVC camera stand part 2

The stand is designed to use parts that are already available at home.  Using more or fewer of the commonly available PVC fittings from the hardware store, the design could be made simpler or more complex, and there are probably hundreds of variations on this design that will work.  And with extra parts, I could add a paddle rest, for instance, or a cup holder, or a small water cannon (connected to the bilge pump), or a soap bubble generator, or a beer dispenser (since the white PVC is food-safe), or some kind of Rube-Goldberg contraption that's completely impractical but looks cool.

The two tees in the center\right in the photo and the pipe that joins them aren't going to be glued.  The tees have to be able to rotate to adjust the camera's position.  I expect to be able to remember to check the stand when I adjust it to make sure the upright tee is sufficiently tight.  The parts could be joined internally or externally (with elastic cord, thick string, whatever) to make sure it all doesn't come apart at some inappropriate time.

The latest stand with the invisible camera tilted up.

The stand in the above photo has a glued crosspiece to keep the two halves from separating.  The end caps (on the left side) are there because using caps was easier than gluing foam into the ends of the fittings.  A pair of right-angle elbow fittings would have worked better, but I didn't have any extras to use.

The right-angle elbow fittings on the aft end of the stand (near the cockpit) are there to raise it enough that the lower center tee isn't resting on the lengthwise ridge on my kayak's deck, which would keep the thing from being level.

The stand on the kayak.

The plug has been improved slightly: a wide, small diameter rubber band (from a bunch of broccoli) is wrapped around the lip on the outside end of the plug (it probably should be glued on), which makes it a lot easier to grip with wet hands.  Something like the cap of an aspirin bottle, or some other plastic disk with knurled edges, glued onto the end might serve the same purpose.

On the adapter, the nylon screw is pushed thru a tight-fitting rubber bumper, which provides a good grip for putting the screw into the camera.  A wing nut secured with a regular nut would also work.  There's a nylon washer between the bumper and the bushing so the screw can be turned without turning the adapter.  The inside of the bushing is filled with neoprene and sealed with RTV to keep water out, and there's a nut on the screw to keep it from sliding out of the adapter.

The plug and the adapter.

 On top of the bushing is a rubber gasket that I found in my toolbox--it provides a much better grip on the bushing.  There's a rubber washer at the end, which fits tightly over the end of the screw so that it won't fall off when I'm not looking.

The camera-to-stand adapter, and the tee plug.

The adapter works pretty well: there's enough friction to keep camera from twisting on the adapter when it's help sideways, but not so much that the camera can't easily be turned by hand.  The bumper makes it easy to take the adapter on or off the camera with wet hands, and the rubber gasket makes it easier to get out of the tee.

The stand worked pretty well on it's trial run.  I made some changes to the plug and adapter (as above), and I'll probably leave it at that.

A still shot with the Optio WP on the camera stand.

 I'm going to upload a few trial (and low-quality) videos to youtube, like this one:

From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLjYMbWFl9U.

Kayak camera stand

This is a homemade camera stand made from leftover stuff from other projects.  I plan to use it for shooting video with a compact camera while paddling the kayak.

It's made to be inexpensive and easy to assemble, with measuring, cutting, and drilling all kept to a minimum (I didn't feel like trying to clear off my workbench).  The camera can held horizontally (in landscape position) or vertically (portrait position) and can be adjusted to point left and right, and tilted up and down.  The stand will also float if it has to.

The bare PVC camera stand.

The material is 3/4" PVC pipe and PVC fittings (all available at Home Depot, OSH, etc.), a nylon screw, neoprene scraps, and rubbery plastic foam packing stuff.  The pipe and fittings would be glued with PVC cement if I had any--I'm going to use Plumber's Goop instead.

The stand is held in place by the forward deck rigging, or by a bungee cord (the red one in the photos), or both.  The camera is attached to an adapter, a ¾"-½" PVC reducer bushing, which is shoved into the top or side of the uppermost PVC tee fitting, as shown in the photos.

The stand under the deck rigging with the camera held vertically.

The open hole in the upright (uppermost) tee has a plug in it to keep water out.  Neither the adapter or the plug is fixed in place--they should be pushed into the tee with enough force that they'll stay put, and loosely enough that they can be removed by hand.  I suppose they could be kept in place with hitch pins in rough conditions.

The stand with the camera held horizontally.

The camera is attached to the adapterwith a 1/4" nylon screw.  I could have used a plug or an end cap instead of the bushing to make the adapter, or I could screw the camera onto a tee (and move the tee to change the camera's position).  I used the bushing because I couldn't find a plug or a cap.

The camera attached to the PVC adapter.

The thing on the end of the adapter is a spacer for the screw, a sort of a thick rubber washer that was meant to be put on the bottom of a small appliance.  It's not necessary--I used it because it was handy.  The black stuff is scrap neoprene, and isn't necessary or even, as it turns out, a good idea.  Eventually I'll find some kind of thin rubbery gasket for the top of the adapter, and a nylon or stainless steel washer for the bottom, and I'll cut the screw to the correct length.

Plugs and the camera-to-stand adapter.

The 3/4" PVC pipe is either the thick-walled or thin-walled stuff, depending on what was handy.  It's probably a good idea to use the thicker pipe since the thin pipe can break.

The pipe is plugged at one or both ends with some expanded rubbery plastic packing foam, which is sealed with RTV silicone.  These plugs are the "bulkheads" that keep the stand from filling with water (and possibly sinking) if it gets broken.

The pipe (on the right) plugged with foam.

I'm going to post the other details later.

Where To See the USS Iowa, part 1b

I didn't consider that the Iowa will be towed under the drawbridge on the Union-Pacific rail bridge, and so will be closer to the Martinez side than the Benicia side when it gets to bridges - so the view from Vista Point isn't going to be as good as I thought.

Looking towards the bridges from the Carquinez Strait.  The drawbridge is over on the right, the docking area in Benicia is on the left.

The auto pier (upper right) seen from the bridge.

 If it's too windy to take the kayak out, I may go for the the view from the bridge, and although I'll miss most of the trip from the reserve fleet to the auto pier, I should get a good view of the Iowa from above, and an adequate view of the action west of the bridge.  I'll also freeze my keister off if it's windy.

A view of the auto pier (upper left) from the bridge.

If you are going to be on the Benicia side, take a look at Greg B's page on flickr.com: USS Iowa tow, Day 1 Photo ops.  He's done a better job than I have of scouting out the views from the Solano side of the strait.

If I had to pick one spot on the Contra Costa side to watch from, it would be on one of the tankers at the oil terminals, but that's not going to happen.  And there doesn't seem to be any easy access to the shore from the Martinez marina to Bay Point, even tho some of it is regional park land.  The Solano side is probably the place to be, since the only real choices on the CCC side are the fishing pier at the Martinez marina, and the pedestrian walk on the bridge.

On Friday, when the ship is towed from Benicia to Richmond, the south side of the strait will have lots of better opportunities to watch.  If you have a kayak, launch from the Martinez marina, Port Cost, Eckley, or Lone Tree.  (I think you can also launch from the Crockett marina, but it isn't such a great place for that.)  Without a boat, there's the Carquinez Scenic Drive, the shore at Port Costa, the shore and pier at Eckley, and the hiking trails at the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline (both west and east of Eckley); and in Crockett there's the east end of Winslow Street, that little park next to Crockett Cogen (altho the view there is getting to be obscured by trees that never get trimmed), the marina and adjacent shore, Vista Point, the parking lot at the Dead Fish, and especially the pedestrian walk on the Al Zampa Bridge.  (There are a couple of other places that I won't tell you about.)

On the Solano side, there's the Benicia waterfront, the Benicia State Recreation Area, the shore at Glen Cove, Vista Point at the north end of the Al Zampa bridge, and the pedestrian walk on the bridge.

Once the Iowa's out of the strait, I don't think there will be any good places (maybe Point Pinole) until the ship gets to Richmond.  Then there's Ferry Point, for instance.  I might list some more if there is any interest.

Where to see the USS Iowa (part 1)

On Thursday October 27, at noon (last I heard), the battleship USS Iowa will be towed from the Reserve Fleet (you may know it as the Mothball Fleet, or the Ghost Fleet) to the deepwater industrial pier in Benica.  On Friday at 9:30am (last I heard - the times are subject to change) the Iowa will be towed to Richmond.

So, where do you go to get a good view?  (Assuming that you don't have a boat, or access to a local oil terminal.)

This afternoon (having nothing better to do) I walked across the George Miller, Jr. Memorial Bridge (the westmost of the Martinez-Benicia bridges) to the Vista Point \ rest stop area near the north end of the bridges to scout out the good views.

Vista Point

Vista Point, looking towards Martinez.

On Thursday, the Vista Point area at the north end of the Benicia-Martinez bridges will have a good view of the ship being towed from the reserve fleet to the bridges, especially if you - the discriminating public that follows my blog - head up the hill at the north end of the Vista Point area.

The picnic table at the top of the hill, looking towards the reserve fleet.

The Thingy at the top of the hill.

The best view is going to be from the picnic table at the top of the hill adjacent to the Vista Point parking lot.  In the parking lot it will be necessary for people of average height to look thru a chain-link fence - which isn't such a big deal if you aren't taking photos - but if you get near the top of the hill you can see over the fence, and if you're early enough (or good at shmoozing) you can sit at (or stand on) the picnic table, and comfortably watch the proceedings at a distance.  Look for the wiry-gazeboish thingy at the north end of the Vista Point area; walk up the hill, and look for the table next to it.  If the table is occupied there is a concrete thing (under the wiry thingy) that you can stand on to see past the tall person who will always stand in front of you.

When the ship reaches the first bridge it will be necessary to get to the pedestrian lane on the west-most bridge to see the Iowa being towed to the pier in Benicia.  That may require five or ten minutes of walking.  If that sounds like too much work, then consider the shore under the bridge; I've seen fishermen there, but I don't (yet) know how to get there, and the view there will probably be as restricted as the view from Vista Point (but you may get a better view of me in my kayak).

The ped lane on the bridge should be roomy enough to give everyone a view of the strait to the west of the bridges, but there's a fence that makes taking photos more complicated: see the next image.

View of the industrial pier (to the upper-right) from the G. Miller Jr. bridge, shot from between the bars of that stupid fence..

I don't think that the public can get onto the auto pier, but I haven't really researched it; my hunch is that security concerns will keep people away.

Another option, if you are one of those unlucky people without a boat, is the fishing pier at the Martinez marina.  I think the view won't be very good, and if a lot of people show up, it won't be very comfortable (but there will probably be plenty of parking).

If you really want a good view, it might be best to wait until Friday, when the ship is towed to Richmond, because there will be more options.  I'll put those in another blog entry.

The new old camera

The Casio's replacement (for now) is a FujiFilm FinePix A345.  It's a 4.1MP point-n-shoot digital camera, given to me by someone who has more digital cameras than her family uses.  The second image here has been resized and tweaked in Photoshop; the other pictures have been resized but otherwise unaltered.

The Moku Pahu at the C&H dock.

HSTC-1, the Moku Pahu's integrated barge.

Dillon Point, Mt. Diablo, and a bit of the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline.

Lunch break near the Cal Maritime campus.

San Pablo Bay.

The colors are sometimes oversaturated (especially on the hill in the Dillon Point shot), but usually pretty good.  The skies and white surfaces aren't constantly blown out the way they were with the Casio, but the detail isn't as good, and so cropping isn't the useful tactic that it was.  The FinePix can't seem to get the horizon level, but the Casio had a problem with that too, and I've gotten used to it.
  
The camera is idiosyncratic - it doesn't always start when the power button is pressed, and it doesn't always work even when it powers on, and sometimes it powers on or off for no apparent reason.  The camera does have a microphone for recording video, but it doesn't seem to pay attention to the many curses directed at it when it malfunctions... or maybe it's saving them up to play back at some inappropriate time.

I recently bought a 5MP waterproof camera on ebay, and with any luck it will be here before the USS Iowa is moved (Friday of next week) from the mothball fleet to Richmond; if not, the FinePix is going to have to carry the load, and so far it doesn't seem to be ready for the challenge.

Stupid camera.

The last moments of the Casio QV-R51

The Casio point-n-shoot camera that I use when kayaking seems to have kicked the bucket.  Although I'm hoping that it's comatose rather than dead, I'm assuming it's the latter.  I have yet to perform the examination\autopsy that will make the final determination.

New and old bay bridges, and a kayak

I took the kayak and the Casio to Crissy Field in San Francisco for the Blue Angel's practice show (for Fleet Week 2011).  The Casio was a bit blurry-eyed, but responsive, on the way there, and took the usual photos of the bay bridge(s).

The Snowbirds demonstration team

Once on the water, the Casio began to show signs of disorientation, and increasingly blurred vision.

St. Francis Yacht Club

The wave organ

The Casio seemed to rally at the Wave Organ jetty, taking several blurry-but-almost-adequate pictures.

The Lemming Club's annual event

The last communication from the QV-R51

This photo of the USAF F-15 Strike Eagle (the gray spot in the sky) was the last image from the Casio QV-R51.  It's long and largely successful career ended to the sound of waves against the sides of the kayak, and of the F-15 blasting gently overhead, on the peaceful waters of the San Francisco Bay, free from it's waterproof plastic bag, looking wistfully at the clear blue sky, and perhaps thinking of its far-away homeland.

That's assuming it's dead, of course.

More shots from the kayak on the Carquinez Strait

More shots from the kayak on the Carquinez Strait.  These are photos that I thought might be interesting to someone else, but that I didn't like enough to post on flickr.com.

This is from the occupation of the Glen Cove waterfront park area by the Miwok, Ohlone, Patwin, and other indigenous peoples, due to a dispute over the Glen Cove shell mound(s).  (Please feel free to correct me if I have this wrong somehow.)

Crockett, west Contra Costa County, California.

Marker in Southampton Creek.  There was another marker in the same condition on the other side of the waterway, and a sign so weathered that I wasn't able to read it.  I suppose the message was "GO AWAY GET OUT OF HERE WE DON'T WANT YOU GET LOST," or words to that effect.

Oslo Bulk 8, Singapore, at the C&H dock in Crockett.

I was going to make this another fake Mono Lake shot on flickr, but I don't think I'll bother, since no on seems to get the joke.  (That is, they think it really is Mono Lake, or they just don't care.)

More rejects

I don't know who wants to look at lousy photos, but here are some more.

A sea lion popped up a couple of yards from the kayak, and almost gave me a few opportunities to get its picture.  This one is the least wretched of the shots that I managed to get.

Good ol' Golden Bear.  The sky and the bridge aren't overexposed (as they so often are), but the ship is bright enough to be seen from space, and the Casio can't handle it.

Not such a lousy photo.  I think I threw this one out because I had a very similar shot that I liked more.

My hand is in focus, and the sky looks good, and everything else sucks.  What was this supposed to be a picture of?

Kayak shots from the recycle bin

Most of the shots I take from the kayak are crappy.  The most usual problem is overexposure, because the exposure compensation on my old compact camera has to be adjusted for almost every shot that has the sky in it.  Problems handling the camera in the waterproof bag cause framing and other problems.  Sometimes the shot would have been junk anyhow, but I'd rather blame the camera than myself.

The waterproof bag's lens cap thing needs to be held open.  The wooden structure is identified as "dike 14" on the NOAA charts.

I guess I need a brighter flash.

Framing and focus problems.

Overexposed.

Water spots on the bag, and an edge of the part of the bag meant for the lens is showing.

A bit overexposed.

Out of focus, overexposed sky.  This was a blind shot, so I guess I'm lucky I got anything at all.

Overexposed.

I can't remember why I put this in the recycle bin.  It seems like a decent image in spite of its problems.

The casio has a special feature called "digital zoom" that it uses to ruin images.  Digital zoom is very easily activated by mistake.  Digital zoom really, really sucks.

This is from the one time that I saw a harbor seal in the strait.  I got a couple of other pictures of it, but they weren't as good as this one.

I don't know why I threw this one out.

Almost every picture I took of the Peace Lucky was overexposed, like this one is.

Overexposed.  It might have been an interesting anyway if I had been able to zoom in more.

Has glare from the camera bag.

Nothing's in focus.  What was the stupid camera looking at?