Steve Schulman asked:
Ever get stressed out deciding where to go on vacation? Kind of ridiculous, isn’t it? After all, you’re getting away from work.
Vacations are supposed to be fun and stress free. But sometimes the planning can be a bear.
So, for your next vacation consider taking a cruise.
It’s simple. Sort of like one-stop-shopping.You’ll get to go to several locations, and not be stuck in one place.You won’t have to drive or deal with a lot of airports.You can kick back and relax while the captain and the crew are taking care of the transportation.You have a lot fewer choices to make. And most of them will be about what to eat.Your plan every day is to relax and have fun.
Simple.
And your cruise vacation is a lot more than just a trip. It’s something you will fondly remember for the rest of your life.
When you decide to take a cruise you still have a couple of choices to make.
What kind of cruise do you want?
A simple choice to make is the type of cruise you want to take. Among your choices are
Luxury cruisesBargain cruisesFamily cruise vacationsCruises for single people
Where do you want to go?
This is not such a tough decision because when you go on a cruise you are usually choosing more than one location.
One of the great things about cruises is that most stop at several ports along their routes.
A Mediterranean cruise could stop in Italy and in Greece.A Caribbean cruise will probably stop at different islands.A Mexican cruise usually stops at a couple of ports.An Alaska cruise vacation could be through the glacier waters of Glacier Bay, Prince William Sound or the waters of Kenai Fjords. Interior cruises could stop at multiple locations in the Yukon territory.
What should you pack?
The one thing you’ll probably want to spend some time on is packing.
Because you’re going to so many different locations you might need to prepare for different climates.
And there are usually some special events on most cruises.
For example, there’s often a Captain’s Ball, so you might want to pack more formal clothing for it.
You’re going to need some documents.
Once you put these together you’ll be able to take many of them on future cruises.
You might need your:
VisaPassportMedical historyInsuranceEmergency numbersTraveler’s checks
Depending on where you travel, the climate may vary. So be sure to search the internet for projected temperatures and weather conditions for where you’re going so you can be properly prepared.
Also, look into the activities aboard the ship to see if you’ll need anything special.
A lot of cruises have dress codes for dinner where they might require a pair of slacks or a pretty sundress. When you’re prepared you will enjoy your blissful time away even more.
The most memorable of experiences
Aside from being able to visit a lot of incredible destinations and being able to truly relax during your vacation, you should contemplate taking a cruise for one simple reason.
It will be one of the most amazing experiences you can have and it will be one you will cherish for the rest of your life.
Britney Simpson asked:
Animation and CGI in Documentary films
Things have come a long way since “Walking with Dinosaurs”. 3d animation, motion graphics, CGI and visual effects are now a regular part of many documentary films. As well as historical reconstructions and informational motion graphics, computer animation and CGI is now routinely used in almost any situation where shot footage isn’t available.
What’s more, costs have come down and quality of visual effects has gone up in recent years, so even a documentary film with a modest budget can now afford to use compelling and stylish computer graphic animations.
But as a documentary filmmaker, how do you go about adding visual effects and 3d animation to your productions?
Motion graphics and animation tips
Don’t be afraid to approach a video animation design or visual effects artist early on in your production. They’ll be able to let you know immediately what’s possible and how to get your animation done in the most effective way.
Give your animators as much detail as you’ve got -. 3d animation studios are used to doing research, but if you can give them access to your research, experts or helpful interviewees, you’ll get a much more unified view of the subject.
Use animation shots that tell a story: animated sequences and visual effects shots tend to be some of the more expensive shots in your production, so choose them well. Nobody likes re-using shots, but with an impressive 3d animation for example, it often works well. If you have several visual effects shots that work together to tell a story, using them separately earlier on in the documentary can increase their impact.
Types of visual effects and 3d animations in documentary films
Explanation graphics: Motion graphics are a great way to explain a complex idea or present information, if shot video footage can’t do it. These can be 2d or 3d animated graphic representations and often include text, but equally consider presenting them as cartoon animations or sequences with animated characters. Whatever the style of your piece, the animation can fit in with it.
Animation for colour shots: Colour shots are general cut-aways that can be used almost anywhere you need them. They’re purposely generic but relevant. A 20 second 3d animation in which the camera rushes through the bloodstream of a patient as blood cells fly past can be used pretty much anywhere in a medical documentary without looking out of place. A couple of colour animations of this kind can save your skin in the edit when you run end up with more narration than shot footage.
Visual effects reconstructions: animated reconstructions are often the “hero” shots of a documentary. If you don’t have the footage of the most important events or moments in your documentary film, an animated reconstruction is often the way to go.
Title animations: An animated title sequence is a good way to open your documentary, and it will set the tone for your entire documentary film, so it’s worth dedicating a little time to making sure that tone is spot on for the style and content of what comes after.
How to reduce your documentary film’s motion graphics costs
The quickest way to reduce cost is to talk to the 3d animator or visual effects studio about how the production can be simplified without affecting its overall look. For example, to animate a camera flying through a static model takes a lot less time (possibly weeks less) than animating every detail of the model itself.
What if I really can’t afford animation and visual effects?
Go graphical: Reconstructing the siege of Troy with every soldier animated in authentic detail is going to be a big job. But animating the strategic turning points of the siege replacing battalions with chess piece style graphics on a stylised representation of the battlefield is within the budget of most productions. Thinking of a stylised motion graphics look rather than a realistic 3d animated one will you’re your documentary film tonnes of cash. Going for still illustrations rather than motion graphics will save still more.
Rashel Dan asked:
So you got fascinated with hovercrafts and how it works. Next thing you knew you’re into designing a plan of your own. The only thing is that you don’t know how or where to begin. Building a hovercraft is a neat project to do. Not only is it fun, it’s a learning process too. Especially if you plan to do this at home, you must start with a nicely prepared homemade hovercraft plan.
Any design plan tells you that there are principles applied to it. A homemade hovercraft plan must also follow this general rule of thumb. How a hovercraft works is simply by air cushion pressurized below a platform. That’s how simple the concept is. Assuming that it’s already floating, you need to put some additional power to thrust it forward. And of course, an improvised way to steer your homemade vessel should complete the design concept.
Ready to go hovercrafts can be expensive. So, many prefers to build their own at home. Also, some hovercraft stores would sell a design kit instead. It’s cheaper and it’s fun. Your homemade hovercraft plan should be something like this - a design kit.
Your homemade hovercraft plan should have the following items:
1. Specifications for your fanning system. A vacuum cleaner or any gadget that can create air pressure such as a leaf blower can be an example to use. You will use this little machine to allow air flow. You may use improvised conduit type materials to control the direction of air. The objective is to send the flow of air below the platform.
2. So next thing you need to include in your homemade hovercraft plan is the platform. This is because of two reasons. You need it to ride in to and you need a surface area to distribute the air coming from the fanning system. An improvised version can be made out of plywood or hard foam or fiberglass. As long as it can carry your weight and is not too heavy for the pressurized air you will create for cushion.
3. Include the flexible skirt. All hovercrafts have this. This is used to hold and limit the air beneath the platform. The effect will create the air cushion and therefore provides the lift for your vessel. In your homemade hovercraft plan, you may use heavy and thick plastic sheets. This is skirted around the platform. Specifically sized holes will be bored into the platform for air flow passage. A hovercraft cannot be a hovercraft without a skirt.
4. The last part of your design should be the propeller system. If you have available equipment that can generate air pressure strong enough to exert air cushion and thrust for your hovercraft, use it. Label the specifications in your homemade hovercraft plan as to how this should be installed. Include the steering system as well. A simple steering for your homebuilt vessel is that of two handle bars that you can maneuver by pulling each. This should be connected to a rudder system behind the propeller.
When all of these items are in your design, you should be ready to go. Just don’t forget to put them all in your homemade hovercraft plan. Make sure it’s easy to understand. Then you’re done, start building the plan. If your plan works and works really well, you can even earn extra by selling your plan yourself.
Michael Baker asked:
Does your double chin bug you? Is your self esteem affected by your double chin? Are you always thinking about double chin removal? Are you getting impatient and cant find the right solution to your problem? I am about to tell you of some great chin exercises that will help you in your double chin removal efforts.
First of all, we need to know the reason why you have a double chin. It usually happens when the skin in our necks becomes loose and starts sagging forming an extra, or even worse, two additional chins. The more the skin sags in the jawline the more prominent the double chin will become.
Getting rid of double chin is easy. Obviously we all know that plastic surgery can take care of the problem, but before going to a doctor, we can do some exercises to get rid out of our double chin. These are double chin exercises:
Keep in mind that reducing a double chin, may not be the only problem. There may be a weight problem and you may need to lose some weight to really benefit from these work outs. You need to watch what you eat and follow other weight reduction techniques too.
While going to sleep, tilt your head over the pillow to such an extent that it stretches your neck and throat muscles. The muscles which we are working are the ‘Platysma’ muscle group. You need to feel those muscles tighten. At first, you might have some trouble sleeping in this posture, but gradually you will get accustomed with sleeping your neck a bit.
Sit on an armless chair, hold both sides. Now lean forward as far as you can. Open your mouth wide, stick your tongue out as far as possible. Hold this for 5-10 seconds. Now relax for a minute. Repeat this exercise 5 times in a row. You can do this two to three times a day.
Press the palms of your hands on your forehead. Gently press. Apply some resistance with your head and neck muscles. Hold this posture for 10-15 seconds. Sense that your face and neck muscles go tight. Gradually release the pressure. Relax for a minute. Once more do the same exercise after placing your palms over the back of your scalp, then both the sides cupping your ears with your palms. Repeat the procedure for 5 times in a row. Do the whole sequence two to three times a day.
Double chin removal is not something that can be done in a crash course. You need to be patient and wait for the chin exercises to work.