FAANPRM-RemoteID-Comments.pdf (1.2 MB PDF)
My comments are 60 pages, single space, with about 75 footnoted references.
The summary of my comments was previously posted on the blog.
The full comment file adds all the gory details.
These were uploaded to regulations.gov last Thursday.
But with Gear VR not being compatible with Samsung’s newest flagship phone, and with Google announcing in May that the Pixel 3A wouldn’t support Android’s built-in Daydream platform, it’s hard not to think that phone-based VR may be on the decline.
Source: Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 10 won’t work with its Gear VR headset – The Verge
VR was sort of dead at CES 2019, sort of buried at E3 2019, and then Samsung and Google dropped out of the Cardboard-like phone-based viewer market. Paid VR content is said to be dead. IMAX said it is shutting down its VR theater offering.
Over the past six years since the Oculus Rift was introduced, the total number of VR users is estimated at 10 million – most of whom are video gamers.
I have three friends that are professional VR film makers, and one that has built a VR product for the dental industry. I get the dental product business model but do not get 2 of the 3 filmmakers’ business models.
A very few places are projecting VR video on to theater domes – this makes sense versus having everyone wear a large headset. But this is a far smaller market than was 3D.
I shoot VR myself, mostly still photos, that can be easily panned on Flickr or Facebook for 360 viewing without VR headsets.
VR was fading at CES 2019 – and it sort of seems that this might presage a collapse in 2020, similar to the path that was followed by consumer 3D (I shoot both 3D stills and video). VR remains stuck in gaming and is not being adopted by a wider consumer community. Proponents think it just needs better, new tech headsets.
The proposal would assess a fee of about A$20 for each model aircraft owned, plus a fee of A$100 to A$160 for each commercially used model aircraft:
CASA is planning to introduce a drone registration and accreditation scheme later this year.
Source: Drone registration and accreditation scheme – update | Civil Aviation Safety Authority
The UK is proposing an annual fee of 16.5 pounds. The U.S. assesses a fee of US$5.00 per pilot, good for 3 years; the registration number is applied to all aircraft operated by the pilot.
The drone attack which brought chaos to thousands of Christmas travellers at Gatwick Airport was reportedly an inside job, a source has claimed. A disgruntled employee is suspected to be the person
Source: Gatwick drone chaos ‘was an inside job’ | London Evening Standard
While many reviews provide useful information about camera features and capabilities, behind the scenes, many, if not most, are now motivated by increasing sales revenue of everyone involved.
Youtube camera enthusiast review “channels” are frequently tied to affiliate marketing programs. Watch the review, click on the link to one of the online retailers helpfully included with the review, and the reviewer sees a sales commission if you make a purchase (of any product on the web site, not just the camera).
Further, everyone is caught up with the idea that the next camera model with 20% more pixels will somehow make one a better photographer. Granted, there are some photographers and especially professionals and the semi-professional (wants to be a pro) for whom new features can improve efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and quality. But for the rest of us, the latest and greatest is often for bragging rights and showing off.
DPReview.com emailed a summary of new items on their web site with this interesting wording:
Everything is oriented towards not only having you salivate over the latest and greatest but to shame you in spending more money. No one wants to be seen in public with a camera for which you have not spent enough money! And geesh, only spending $900 – what sort of photo wimp are you?
Cameras have become the 21st century sports car, generally impractical but certainly a tool to impress others! We need not go far to see people hiking on trails with $10,000 worth of camera gear – the same price as a decent used car.
In the past two weeks I’ve had 2 photos selected and highlighted in the Flickr “Explore” photo collection, receiving thousands of views.
What’s my secret? I used discontinued, cheap Nikon 1 cameras, one of which cost me about US $200 🙂 Because photography isn’t about how much money you’ve spent on your camera!
Exclusion zones around airports will be extended and drone users will have to be registered under the plans.
Source: Police to get new powers to tackle illegal drone use – BBC News
Plus
This is done in the aftermath of the invisible drones at Gatwick Airport. At this time, the only provable drones in the air over Gatwick Airport were those operated by the Sussex Police, which they admit, were unmarked and were likely many of the reported sightings. After they admitted this, there have been no further updates on the investigation.
Some of the sightings of drones which kept Gatwick Airport on shutdown may have involved the police’s own craft, a senior officer has admitted.
Source: Some Gatwick drones ‘may have been police devices’
The police chief insists that in spite of this, he’s still certain that there was an illegal drone flight because … well, he has no reasons other than he believes. Ok, fair enough, many of us believe he is an idiot, therefore, this must be true.
The broken drone they found in a field (at unknown location and unknown distance from the airport) – and a second one too – are acknowledged as having no involvement with Gatwick Airport.
The story of the bicyclist seen packing up two drones several miles from the airport? That story has vanished.
The innocent couple they arrested because they lived less than 3 miles from the airport and once flew model aircraft? Oh sorry, they are totally innocent – our bad, oopsie.
140,000+ people at Gatwick on the first day, 21,000 staff, plus police, military and media stakeouts all looking for drones – and not one photo or video clip.
67 or 93 people reported seeing drones? Where are the interviews of these people by the media? Mysteriously, there are none.
During this mass hysteria, some in the media and politics demanded more regulations, and some demanded a ban on all model aircraft – based on hysteria induced paranoia. Will any of the media retract their previous speculation – de facto fake news – reports? Doubtful. And they are shocked when people call them fake news.
This is in the U.K.:
“A drone in the wrong hands could be just as lethal as a gun.
“They are unregulated and can easily be bought by anyone online for under £30. Even the cheapest has a range of 150 metres and can fly for half an hour.
“Drone users should be regulated and registered in the same way as firearms certificates.”
Note – there’s a lot of oddities in this story and some things – like 30 pound quadcopters flying for half an hour – that are not true.
The logic is kind of weird. In the U.S., firearms killed over 30,000 people in 2017 alone. Model aircraft? To the best of our knowledge, no one in the nearly century has been killed by model aircraft.
I had the pieces in place for some time but I neglected to update a server file and continued to have some linked images reference without using https. You should no longer see any Chrome browser warnings about some items on this page not being secure.
From the migration of purple butterflies to the crafting of bamboo steam baskets, Taiwan’s leading 3D film director has spent a decade painstakingly capturing the island’s beauty.
Beauty in 3D: Taiwan filmmaker’s vibrant vision