Take Part in the Pittsburgh Gigapanoarama

On Thursday, September 23rd (weather permitting), a team of talented gigapanners will be capturing a stupendous photographic portrait of Pittsburgh. You are invited to take part. 

Designed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the GigaPan robotic camera mount is capable of capturing explorable, multi-gigapixel panoramas. From approximately 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the 23rd, we plan to take a series of GigaPans consisting of thousands of photographs from the top of the U. S. Steel Tower, a high point in southwest Pennsylvania. You can be in the picture, more than once if you move around. It’s free, fun, and you will be making history.  Here's how you can join the fun:

1. Check the first Pittsburgh Gigapanorama at www.gigapan.org/gigapans/47373/ Zoom in and find a familiar spot in the landscape where you’ll be seen.  The closer to the Tower the better, but any place that can be seen in the first image should also be visible in the second. 

2. Let us know who you are and where you'll be by visiting the Pittsburgh Gigapanorama FaceBook page or following the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry on twitter @CreativeInquiry. Please provide an e-dress and/or cell phone number so we communicate with you before, during, and after the shoot. 

3. We plan to take the image in four geographic segments on this approximate schedule:

 A. 11:00 – 12:00 – Oakland, the Hill South Side and points east

 B. 12:00 - 1:00 - The Strip, Lawrenceville and points north

C. 1:00    2:00 - Station Square, Mt. Washington, South Hills and points west

D. 2:00 –  3:00 - North Shore, PNC Park, and points north.

Plan to be in your position before shooting for your section starts and be ready to follow our Twitter feed on-site so you’ll know when we actually start taking pictures in your direction. 

While you can just stand in place and smile, we encourage creativity. Wear a costume or colorful clothing; hold a sign or banner, anything to help you stand out from the landscape. Also, bring a cell phone that day so we can communicate when we are shooting images in your direction.  Also have someone snap a picture of your display that you can send us.  

Since the Pirates will be playing in PNC Park at 12:35, you can also be in the picture simply by going to the game and sitting on the right or left sides of the field (no outfield seats).

We hope to release the completed image online in late October, when you will be able to visit the image, find and take a snapshot of your participation. We’ll also make a large (4 feet x 25 feet) print of the image and include it as part of our gigapanorama exhibit "New Perspectives of Pittsburgh" which will be in the Photo Forum Gallery in the upper lobby of the U. S. Steel Tower from October 11 through November 19, 2010.  Details to follow.

So join the fun and please also share this information with your Pittsburgh networks and contacts so others can participate. 

The Pittsburgh Gigapanorama project was initiated by David Bear at CMU’s STUDIO for Creative Inquiry and has received support from the Heinz Endowments and Sprout Fund.

The Homewood Children’s Village(HCV) celebrated its official public launch

The Homewood Children’s Village and PNCIS have been using the gigapan
to document the surroundings of Helen Faison Primary School.
Yesterday during The Homewood Children’s Village official public launch, community members
and students saw a large gigapan print and were able to annotate ideas and thoughts direct into the large canvas.


Last Summer ChargeCar Event: Fri July 30

We would like to invite you to our final community event and cookout of the summer on Friday, July 30th at 7pm, at the Electric Garage.

We will be hosting a public policy community day. In addition to invited members and representatives from local government and Pittsburgh's Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), CMU professor and former NASA astronaut Jay Apt will be giving a presentation on the electric grid.  Professor Apt will begin at 8:30pm.

     

    The Electric Garage is located at the former Exxon Gas Station on the 4600 block of Forbes Avenue, next to CMU

    Map and directions here

    pre-garage Street view:


    View Larger Map

     

    To stay up to date on all things ChargeCar, please visit www.chargecar.org and join our forum and mailing list.

    ChargeCar July 23rd Community Event and Cookout

    Join us at the Electric Garage this Friday evening at 7PM.

    We will be hosting a town-hall-style meeting/forum. This week, in addition to our normal open house, we'd like to switch it up a bit and invite everyone to suggest future community events and projects, as well as talk about anything that is EV related.

    To get the gears turning, here are a few questions that we've already brainstormed: 
    • Roughly ten years ago, electric vehicles gained a lot of visibility and popularity when car companies offered EVs to consumers and corporate fleets. Today, we can easily see the momentum gaining again, so how can we prevent a repeat of the last EV boom's decline?  Ten years later, what is different that would make it easier (or more difficult) us to do so?
    • While car companies are making large strides in the direction of EV production, some of them say that the future success of EVs will be largely based on collaboration between car companies.  Others can argue that competition is a large factor in moving the auto industry forward.  Is the EV going to foster a new age of automotive collaboration, or will competition lead the way?
    • On the policy side of progress, some countries are mandating that a certain percentage of public transportation use alternative fuel by a certain date. Can EVs be a part of this ideal, or should popularity and usage be left up to consumers?
    • How is ChargeCar different from the solutions from auto makers both now, and in the future?  What can we do to make ChargeCar a viable option?

     

    The Electric Garage is located at the former Exxon Gas Station on the 4600 block of Forbes Avenue, next to CMU

    Map and directions here

    pre-garage Street view:


    View Larger Map

     

    To stay up to date on all things ChargeCar, please visit www.chargecar.org and join our forum and mailing list.

    ChargeCar July 9th Community Event and Cookout

    Join us at the Electric Garage this Friday evening, July 9th:

    7pm

    Members from the West Virginia University Electric Vehicle Association are bringing their Formula Lightning open-wheel race car
    Electric Vehicles from the Three Rivers Electric Vehicle Association on display
    We will be serving grilled fruits and vegetables. 

     

    8:30pm

    Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo's Policy and Projects Liason, Mikhail Pappas, will be speaking about the proposed moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania.

     

    9:00pm

     Outdoor screening of the documentary Gasland followed by a short discussion.
    Please bring chairs and blankets for seating during the movie

    Feel free to invite your friends and family.

     

    The Electric Garage is located at the former Exxon Gas Station on the 4600 block of Forbes Avenue, next to CMU.

    Map and directions here

     

    pre-garage Street view:


    View Larger Map