Month: July 2009

Live Video Streaming of 2009 FAIR Conference

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FAIR has just announced that they will be providing live video streaming of the 2009 FAIR Conference over the internet for $20. You can sign up for the video stream at the bottom of the FAIR Conference webpage here.

Now that they are providing that service, I’m curious to ask again: (poll below shows only on website)

With FAIR now providing live video streaming of the 2009 FAIR Conference (for $20), would you still be interested in a liveblog from TempleStudy.com?

  • Yes, definitely! (86%, 31 Votes)
  • No. (14%, 5 Votes)
  • I'll be watching the live video stream. (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 36

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0.41 Gigapixel Photo of Salt Lake Temple

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Not to be outdone by yesterday’s 360° Panoramas of Temple Square, Dr. Hamblin has produced probably the highest resolution photograph of the Salt Lake Temple ever made.  It is 0.41 gigapixels, which amounts to 410 megapixels.  Compared with most modern digital cameras which are capable of 2-8 megapixels, this is a super high resolution image.  The total file size of the image is 400 megabytes, but don’t worry, you don’t have to download all of that data to see it.

Dr. Hamblin used a new technology called Gigapan to create the gigapixel panorama.  The results are nothing short of amazing.  The image loads fast, and you can zoom into any portion of the temple and see exquisite details very close-up. I have embedded the photo below for your convenience (if you are reading this in email or RSS, it will only display on the website). If you’d like to see the photo fullscreen, click here.

Dr. Hamblin has also produced a short guided tour of some of the architectural features of the eastern facade of the temple in this photo. It includes the building dedicatory inscription or plaque, sun stones, star stones, clouds, squared-circle stones (sometimes called “Saturn” stones), all seeing eye, moon stones, Alpha and Omega, the Right Hand of Fellowship, and the Angel Moroni.  To see these, click here, and then click on the “Snapshots.”

360° Panoramas of Temple Square

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360° panoramas of Temple Square let you look around as if you were there.

360° panoramas of Temple Square let you look around as if you were there.

Dr. William Hamblin has put together some very cool high resolution 360° panoramas of different locations on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.  And they really are 360°.  You can look in all different directions, including up and down.  It gives the impression of standing on the spot.  Well done!

The locations he has included are:

  • West of the Salt Lake Temple (next to Tabernacle)
  • In between Assembly Hall and Tabernacle
  • East of the Salt Lake Temple
  • South of the Salt Lake Temple
  • Near the South Visitor’s Center
  • Christus statue in the North Visitor’s Center
  • Conference Center auditorium
  • Tabernacle interior

You get the best effect if you zoom in just a little.  You can zoom in and out by using the shift and Ctrl keys on your keyboard.  You can move around by clicking and dragging with your mouse.

I’ve always been impressed by how new technologies can take us places for fun or practical purposes.  I’ve written about visiting Utah temples with Google Street View, modeling temples in 3D with Google’s Sketchup, using Microsoft’s Photosynth technology to virtually zoom around Temple Square, or how the Church uses computer rendering to envision future temples.  Dr. Hamblin’s panoramas are a welcome addition!

See the 360° Panoramas of Temple Square

Human Bodies Emit Visible Light

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Very sensitive cameras capture light emitted from the body. Kyoto University, Tohoku Institute of Technology / Livescience.com

Very sensitive cameras capture light emitted from the body. Kyoto University, Tohoku Institute of Technology / Livescience.com

That’s right.  Our bodies actually emit a minuscule amount of real light.  This is not just radiation or infrared body heat, but actual photons are released from the surface of the skin:

Past research has shown that the body emits visible light, 1,000 times less intense than the levels to which our naked eyes are sensitive. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals. ((“Humans Glow in Visible Light,” Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience. http://news.aol.com/article/humans-glow/584160))

New research indicates that the amount of light varies throughout the day:  [Read more…]

Poll – Liveblogging the 2009 FAIR Conference?

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I did it last year for the FAIR Conference, but I’m not sure what kind of interest there was.  So I’m putting this up for a vote.  Would you like me to liveblog the 2009 FAIR Conference here on TempleStudy.com on August 6-7, 2009?  (The poll below will only show up on the website.)

Should TempleStudy.com liveblog the 2009 FAIR Conference on August 6-7, 2009?

  • Yes, definitely! (54%, 46 Votes)
  • Just take notes, and blog about it later. (24%, 20 Votes)
  • Sure. (15%, 13 Votes)
  • If you want to. (6%, 5 Votes)
  • No. Don't. (1%, 1 Votes)
  • Not necessary. (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 85

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