Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Fall River Public Library Entrance


Fall River Library Entrance in Narragansett Bay

We took this shot in the entrance to Fall River's Public Library. It's a great virtual reality panorama made of some superb architecture.

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com

Fall River Public Library


Fall River Library Hall in Narragansett Bay

Fall River's Public Library stands as a testimony to Fall River's heyday as a wealthy manufacturing center. It's like a building that one might find tucked away in some corner of Rome or Paris. It has been recently restored and now one can stand at the front desk and let one's eye travel upwards to vaulted ceilings and richly painted walls hung with world class artwork. This photo was taken at the beginning of 2009 and is one of Aerial Vr's most viewed. We hope you enjoy it.

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com

Monday, November 16, 2009

Mount Hope Bridge from Island Park


Mt Hope Bridge in Narragansett Bay

The Mount Hope Bridge connects Aquidneck Island and Bristol Rhode Island. Newport lies at the southern end of Aquidneck Island. At the northern end lie the communities of Island Park and Common Fence Point where the Mount Hope Bridge comes arcing in for a touchdown. I had a great time looking for places to shoot this bridge from.

Time for some personal philosophy. I think everyone should spend some time wandering around with a camera over their shoulder looking for pretty things to take pictures of. Or a guitar ... cameras and guitars both suit the itinerant lifestyle and say to the world: "I travel but not because I have to." I had trouble with that last turn of phrase. It didn't really "turn", do you know what I mean? I might also have said " ... but not because I'm escaping famine." or " ... but not because I'm on my way to work." or " ... but not because I have buck teeth." This is degenerating.

I think I should get into why I think people should travel around with either a camera or a guitar. Because .... It opens the mind. It makes one into an observer. It also gives you something to say to nosy cops when they grill you about what the hell you're doing in their town. Just shrug and point to the camera or the guitar as if to say "what does it look like I'm doing Sherlock." I think I should also add that you should only carry a guitar if you can really play one or if you think there's a very high probability that you'll be able to play one in the future. If you can't play one you shouldn't carry one because sooner or later someone is going to ask you to play it and then your cover is blown or you'll really annoy someone who loves music. If you can't play a guitar then stick with the camera. Anyone can take a picture.

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com

Mount Hope Bridge from Roger Williams University


Roger Williams Dock in Narragansett Bay

Roger Williams University ... a good university in a great location with a very nice dock. That should be their motto if you ask me ... just say it in latin and it will sound like the wisdom of the ages instead of the blurting of a scenery junkie like me. I skulked around the campus in my mini van, ogling coeds and looking for a likely spot to shoot a picture that would include the Mount Hope Bridge. I eventually found a road that led down to the water's edge through a grove of trees where the University's sailboats lay waiting for young sailors to man them. I did find that view of the bridge and the dock that you can see here.

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Tower


Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Tower in Narragansett Bay

We took this shot in late October of 2009 after taking the short ride out to the island where the lighthouse sits in Rob's lobster boat. Rob is one of the friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse because he grew up there. He lived there for 2 years with his parents and sister. He could point out the spot where his mother grew tomatoes. When we climbed into the tower he told he was often sent up there to eat his lunch alone when he was naughty. He loved it up there. It wasn't much of a punishment and he was canny enough not to let his mother know.

While we're on the subject of friends ..... we took this series of panoramas with the help of our little friend Merlin Orion. Merlin is an automated "panohead" which aims our camera with great accuracy and ease. We love our little Merlin. He only cost the ridiculously low sum of something under $300. He was developed for use by amateur astronomers but panoramacists are catching on to his talents. He's built more like a Dodge than a Mercedes. Eventually one of his plastic gears will break a tooth but he's an amazing bit of equipment for the money and we can highly recommend him. We often put Merlin at the top of a tall pole. He never complains and goes about his job with his usual equanimity and dispatch, spinning and snapping photos like his life depends on it.

We usually speak to Merlin using a laptop computer equipped with a wireless device made by an outfit named "Silex." Silex wasn't working this trip however. The power regulator was broken and apparently the entire consumer electronics industry was incapable of supplying us with a working version of this simple but crucial device. (bad, bad industry). Merlin came through for us though. We programmed him with 6 positions and sent him into "cruise and shoot" mode with the flick of a few buttons on his handheld keypad. He went about his business in his usual quiet and efficient manner without laptops, or software or wireless communication devices, rotating and snapping and rotating and snapping ... and thank goodness he did because we came away with some great shots that we wouldn't have otherwise. Way to go Merlin!

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com

Pomham Lighthouse Flagpole


Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Flag Pole in Narragansett Bay

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is about as cute as they get. It is currently owned by Exxon but they've been good corporate citizens and have let the "Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse" come out and spend huge amounts of money and effort to get the outside restored. They have plans to eventually purchase the lighthouse and run it as a bed and breakfast much as Rowes Island is run.

I don't know about you but I'm glad that lighthouses have friends. They look so lonely out there all alone and after a few decades of salt water and storms they really need a few friends to get them spruced back up. Here's a link to a website all about Lighthouses and their friends. There are many of lighthouses and all or most of them have friends but the page I'm sending you to is all about Pomham Rocks. http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=683

The tour's not over! We took 4 panoramas while we were out there and have already processed two of them. The other one is from the tower itself. You can go to the next blog entry to find it or you can follow the little white arrow that appears in this one. Have fun.

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com

Crescent Park Carousel, East Providence, RI


Carousel in Narragansett Bay

We took this photo of the Crescent Park Carousel in late October of 2009. It's pretty much all that's left of a famous seaside amusement park where the good people of Providence would come to play around the turn of the century. They could take a trolley from Providence out to East Providence and amuse themselves to their hearts content all summer long. It has been beautifully restored and is looked after by a father and son named Ed. (They only have one name between them.) They let us in when we explained our mission and this photo is the result. If you'd like to know more about the carousel you can ask them. They can tell you all about it or ... you can visit this link www.eastprovidenceri.net/boards/CrescentParkCarousel.php

Fair Journey,

Brian Shriver






Aerial Vr - "Your location in high definition virtual reality."
email us with your comments and ideas at btshriver@aerialvr.com & cblake@aerialvr.com
For more about our services see our website at www.aerialvr.com
This is the blog of Aerial Vr (www.aerialvr.com). We create virtual reality photographs for viewing on the web. We also send our cameras into the sky on a variety of kites and blimps to see the world from a bird's eye view. We're blogging about our experiences as this exciting new technology and the market around it develops. We're also dedicated to developing a resource for visitors to the Narragansett Bay & Southcoast areas so that they can explore in virtual reality before they come. Try the links above to see all of the content we present in this blog, especially the "Vr Map" link which presents information with a Google map as starting point. "Home" will bring up several recent posts. Or page downwards and try the "Labels" or "Blog Archives" to bring up blog posts and panoramas from our expanding portfolio that fall within a given category. Fair Winds!

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