Monat: August 2017

How to Photograph The Eclipse On Your Phone

Halldor Kolbeins / AFP / Getty Images

If you want to capture a full eclipse, make your way to the “path of totality.”

The first thing you want to do is make sure you’re in the right place. Across 12 states from Oregon to South Carolina, a 70-mile-wide strip—called the “path of totality”—will experience a total solar eclipse, on Monday August 21, when the moon will almost fully block the sun.

If you’re on that path, you’ll be able to photograph the eclipse, which will look like a ring of light (the sun’s atmosphere, or corona) around the moon’s shadow. If you’re not on the path, you’ll be able to see a partial eclipse (as long you’re in the continental US, Canada, or Mexico), which will look like a big chunk is missing from the sun. This interactive NASA map shows when the eclipse is slated to start and how long it will last during the point of maximum eclipse for your location.

Hopefully, you’ve already made your travel plans. Cities on the eclipse’s path are expecting a huge influx of travelers for the event.

Pro-tip: Get to your site early (days in advance even!), and do as much preparation and set up as you can, so you can enjoy the eclipse with your own eyeballs (protected, of course, by eclipse glasses), instead of through the lens of your camera.

Get the right safety gear, for you and for your camera.

For you: When you’re taking pictures or, generally, on your smartphone, it’s easy to forget about what’s happening around you and focus just on getting a great shot. Generally, you should always be aware of your surroundings—but during the eclipse, ignoring safety protocol could mean serious, permanent eye damage.

Wherever you are, make sure you have eclipse glasses. They have especially dark lenses that protect the part of your retina that helps you see detail at the center of your vision, which is especially susceptible to the sun’s ultra bright rays.

Be careful. Lots of glasses marketed for the eclipse don’t comply with ISO 12312-2 safety standards. Make sure you grab a pair that are ISO rated.

Pascal Pavani / AFP / Getty Images

For your camera: The same goes for pointing your phone’s lens directly at the sun. “It is going to be an awful lot of light concentrated on a limited number of pixels,” said Sten Odenwald, an astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at NASA. “If you point your smartphone at the sun for a period of time, you may get a permanent blemish on the image sensor where the sun disc was fully exposed, especially on older generation phones.”

To prevent injuring your camera’s sensor, you can use what’s called a solar filter. “A simple solar filter that covers the front of the lens is all you need,” according to Todd Vorenkamp, a photographer and B&H Photo writer, who has been taking night and lunar shots for nearly 30 years. “There’s also a class called the intermediate filter, for advanced study of the sun, but those are usually very expensive and are used by scientists.”

There’s a $100 eclipse-friendly lens kit designed specifically for phones, but you could also fashion your lens protector with a much cheaper filter sheet and make your own with some cardboard and tape. You could also get an additional pair of solar eclipse glasses, which is sufficient for covering most phone camera lenses.

Never look at a partially eclipsed sun without solar filters or solar glasses. For those on the path of the eclipse, the only time it is safe to look at, or point your phone at, the eclipse without protective gear is during totality (which will last less than two minutes), when the moon has completely covered the sun. The Eclipse Megamovie app (free, iOS and Android) includes an in-app camera that will tell you when the eclipse has reached totality and it’s safe to remove your solar filter, and when you need to put your solar glasses and filter back on, during the partial eclipse.

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty Images

If you’re using your phone, here’s the truth: your photo isn’t going to look amazing.

As advanced as smartphone cameras have gotten, they’re still not powerful enough to capture something as far away as the sun and moon with a lot of detail.

“The sun’s very small in the sky. It doesn’t seem that way, because it’s so bright,” said Vorenkamp. “The other disadvantage with smartphones is that you don’t have a lot of control of the exposure. If you’re trying to photograph totality, your phone is going to crank up your ISO, and you’re not going to get a good shot.”

A solar filter will help your shot look less like a bright white orb and show more detail of the moon passing before the sun.

Your best chance at a decent phone shot is using a telephoto lens (with a solar filter!) and a tripod.

The key to getting a great astronomical photograph is a) zoom and b) stability. But whatever you do, don’t pinch to zoom.

“When you pinch to zoom, you’re going to lose quality,” said Erica Simas, a Seattle-based photographer and content coordinator at Moment, a company that makes mobile photography accessories. “When you use digital zoom [pinching] versus optical zoom [an external lens], it will drop your image quality. Anybody who is looking to capture the eclipse should consider having a telephoto lens for their phone.”

Those with the iPhone 7 Plus have a second lens that provides two times the optical zoom and may not need the extra accessory, but for those who don’t have a 7 Plus, Simas suggests Moment’s Tele Lens ($100) which can double the zoom on the iPhone or Google Pixel’s lenses. This telephoto lens for iPhone ($35) and this universal one for Android ($20) are also great.

But be wary of the dangers when using a telephoto lens: “The big caution is that you can’t use that telephoto on the uneclipsed sun, because you can burn out the lens on your camera,” warned NASA’s Odenwald. “Get a solar filter and put that in front of the telephoto lens, but do not put it in between the telephoto and camera lens. These filters are likely gelatin, and would melt pretty quickly.”

With a zoom lens, your phone will need to be super stable, so use a tripod and set your shutter on timer, so the tripod will have a chance to stop moving before it captures the scene — any shaking will make the image look blurry. Simas recommends the MeFoto Sidekick 360 ($30): “You can use it to screw your phone onto any tripod, so it’s really convenient if you already have one handy.”

Instagram: @filmandpixel

Also: Shoot in RAW if possible, so you can edit the full resolution file (instead of the compressed JPEG file).

When you take a photo, your camera app will probably save that image as a JPG file, which is compressed, so it doesn’t take up as much storage. According to Simas, you’ll want to shoot in RAW, so you can edit your image without losing image quality. Because you can’t shoot in RAW through your phone’s default camera app, use Manual ($4) or Moment (free) for iPhone, and Manual Camera ($2.99) for Android.

For editing, “I recommend VSCO [free, iOS and Android]. They allow you to import in RAW and edit in RAW, and make it really easy for quick post processing,” advised Simas.

Think about alternative ways of capturing the event.

Since millions of others are going to be shooting the actual eclipse event—and, for many folks, the eclipse will be too high in the sky to include anyone or thing in the foreground—think about other ways to capture the moment.

“I want to get my kids wearing glasses, and focus on their reactions when the full sun becomes a shadow,” said Ohio-based photographer Eric Ward, who will be off the path of totality. Unlike other photographers, who will attempt to get a tight shot of the eclipse, Ward is going to take photo and videos of reactions on the ground, and use a drone to capture the wider landscape.

NASA’s Odenwald also suggests using some kind of secondary lighting, like a handheld light, to illuminate people in the foreground during totality: “It’ll look like twilight, so try compositions before that low light sets in. The eclipse is going to be so high in some places, about 60 degrees above the horizon, that it will be difficult to see anything around it to help with the composition of the photo.”

Instagram: @littlecoal

The TL;DR is don’t spend a lot of time fussing with your camera. Enjoy this rare event with your own eyes — not through your phone screen.

The event will last three hours (so bring water!), but the actual eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun, will only last under two minutes. That’s not a lot of time to mess with settings and run out to get the perfect shot. If you can, do all the set up beforehand, and leave your video camera running or take a couple of photos, then put your camera away so you can actually enjoy it!

And remember the golden rule: There are going to be huge crowds. Respect other folks’ space.

Vorenkamp urges all photographers to follow the golden rule: “If you don’t want someone to block your view, don’t block theirs.”

See all of BuzzFeed's eclipse stories here, and buy your BuzzFeed eclipse viewing glasses here!

Quelle: <a href="How to Photograph The Eclipse On Your Phone“>BuzzFeed

The Latest Ruling In Uber Versus Waymo Is A Win For Waymo

When Alphabet’s trade secret lawsuit against Uber goes to trial this October, lawyers for the company’s self driving arm Waymo will be allowed to advise the jury of Uber’s behavior during the hearing, US District Judge William Alsup ruled on Thursday.

During a hearing Wednesday, Alsup said he was inclined to allow Waymo to tell the jury that Uber's lawyers had misled the court regarding their possession of stolen documents.

Waymo's lawyers argued at the hearing that the jury should know that the law firm representing Uber, Morrison Foerster, concealed the fact that it possessed stolen Google files, as well as the fact that the former Google engineer at the heart of the lawsuit, Anthony Levandowski, destroyed some of those files after being hired by Uber.

Judge Alsup, who on Wednesday threatened to put Uber's lead counsel Arturo González on the stand during the trial, ruled in Waymo's favor on Thursday.

The order says Waymo will be able to advise the court based on what was discussed at the hearing. “I am inclined to tell the jury this scenario, that Uber was ordered to come clean and did not come clean,” Alsup said on Thursday. Waymo's next step will be to propose wording for its jury instructions, which Alsup will have an opportunity to review before approving.

González strenuously denied that his firm concealed any stolen information from Google, saying in court, “There will never be a day, never, no matter what the Federal Circuit rules, that MoFo was hiding, or for that matter, Uber was hiding, 14,000 documents.”

Uber declined to comment on this story.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Waymo said that “Uber and its attorneys and agents have refused to produce key evidence, continued to harbor Waymo’s stolen files, and obstructed discovery at every turn.”

“We welcome Alsup's decision to allow Waymo to propose instructions to the jury regarding Uber's misconduct and we look forward to trial,” the statement says.

Waymo's lawsuit alleges that Uber illegally acquired trade secrets from Waymo when it hired Levandowski, a former Waymo engineer, through the acquisition of his self-driving truck startup, Otto Trucking. The suit, filed back in February, says Uber is actively using Waymo's trade secrets in its technology. Since then, Judge Alsup has said repeatedly that Waymo's case against Uber is a strong one. Thursday's ruling is yet another reason for Waymo to feel confident in this fight.

Meanwhile, Uber's string of missteps and crises in 2017 continues. Ex-CEO and founder Travis Kalanick is locked in a public and contentious legal battle with early investors. Benchmark Capital is suing him for fraud and breach of conduct, saying he failed to handle an internal crisis over allegations of sexual harassment inside the company, concealed facts in his acquisition of Otto Trucking that led to Waymo's lawsuit, and is meddling in the selection of a new CEO.

The firm currently has no CEO or CFO, and there are a number of other top positions waiting to be filled, as long-time employees continue to leave the company.

Quelle: <a href="The Latest Ruling In Uber Versus Waymo Is A Win For Waymo“>BuzzFeed

US Cyber Command Is Now One Step Closer To Spinning Off From The NSA

NSA commander Gen. Mike Rogers

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The United States’s cyberwar nerve center inside the military has gotten a promotion.

President Donald Trump announced via Twitter on Friday that US Cyber Command, the Department of Defense’s centralized hub for conducting offensive cyberattacks and protecting its networks against them, will be elevated to the level of a Unified Combatant Command.

The move, anticipated for several years now, gives USCYBERCOM more independent agency. But it’s perhaps most significant as a major step toward it eventually spinning off from the National Security Agency (NSA), whose primary mission is gathering overseas intelligence, into its own independent command.

Since it was first established in 2009, USCYBERCOM has always been helmed by whoever is director of the NSA at the time — a “dual hat” responsibility that critics of the setup, including many Pentagon leaders and former President Barack Obama have said is overwhelming for one person.

President Obama had recommended the reclassification as the end of his term neared, but it was unclear if Trump would continue down that path. As a presidential candidate, Trump often spoke of cybersecurity and war in controversial and confusing terms. On the campaign trail in October, Trump said of cyber capabilities that “America’s dominance in this arena must be unquestioned. And today it’s totally questioned.” The US, alongside allies like the UK, Australia, Israel, and France, are widely regarded as the most powerful nations in the world when it comes to cyber capabilities.

Critics of the idea of separation, however, note that in cyberspace, intelligence gathering sources often overlap with military targets, and fear that operations could conflict with one another. General Keith Alexander, the previous “dual hat” director before current General Mike Rogers, had also argued that if the were agencies distinct, the NSA could withhold key information that could be vital to USCYBERCOM.

It’s unclear when any full separation would take place. According to the White House’s announcement, Secretary of Defense James Mattis is reviewing the idea of separation, and will announce recommendations “at a later date.”

Quelle: <a href="US Cyber Command Is Now One Step Closer To Spinning Off From The NSA“>BuzzFeed