Technology
 
  Below is some software you should get for the best viewing experience;
  ipix Ideally, you'll need the free IPIX plugin for the 360 degree pictures (although there is a Java version). You can download it here.
  real The G2 RealPlayer will let you hear the sounds I recorded. You can get a _free_ version of the player from here. (no you don't have to get and pay for the "plus" version, get the free one!)
  The technology I took (click on the images for a closer view):
  Camera gear IPIX camera system:- Olympus C830L Digital Camera, FIT-IPIX Ultra Wide Converter Lens (FA=185 degrees!), Atlantic ALFA 3Q/R tripod, IPIX rotator tripod mount. Minolta APS camera (as failsafe backup!)

  Libretto Toshiba Libretto (P233MHz MMX, 64MB, 3.8GB), SVGA display, weighs 950g. Audio Technica Lapel Microphone (clipped to the side of the libretto), 4x 8MB flash cards (the 'film')

  Camera setup Example setup, with camera on custom 180 degree swivel mount.

  Mobile Phone Nokia GSM mobile phone

  Essential gear Juggling Balls - always essential

 

About this site
There are approximately 1000 HTML pages in this site.

It has been entirely designed, constructed, written and maintained by myself using Cold Fusion working from a Microsoft Access database.

The postcards are constructed and sent using Perl scripts. Images were manipulated using Photoshop and the IPIX wizard. Sound recordings were made directly into Cool Edit Pro on the PC and enhanced for Internet delivery before encoding into RealSystem G2. All remote access was done securely using F-Secure SSH.

The initial site (including database, dynamic templates and basic content) was built in 3 days. Updates were done remotely and on my return to London.
Editing, colour correcting and tweaking the 750 photos down in Photoshop took 4 "days". Of the 130 IPIX taken, only a handful were used; taking considerably longer to manipulate in Photoshop due to the nature of the lens optics and processing software.

You can see how the technology described below held up in this report.

  All photographs copyright Gavin R Starks