I saw three unusual uses for video cameras recently and was wondering how other people use them – other than the conventional ways of recording family gathering or important events in people’s lives.

I’m in the middle of a massive weekend project – removing about 1/2 of the 20+ year old scraggly non-budding out-of-control shrubs from a lush 1/3-acre garden. It’s a big task.  I am replacing the old shrubs that no longer bloom, flower, or even produce leaves with native plants that are drought tolerant and present a more natural landscape.  I was inspired by two things: weeks and weeks of excessive rain that made the ground soil soft and easy to dig, [some of these root systems are 3 feet deep!] and about 1/2 of the sprinklers in this antiquated system don’t work and need repair.

So, for the most part, I’ve fixed most of the sprinklers myself, but have had to call in an expert for some of the bigger issues and I was impressed with how this landscape expert assembled his tools. There, lying on the table alongside his PVC pipe cutter, pipe glue, shovels, and various other tools was a small video camera. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re the type that gets excited about tools and devices that beep, buzz, hum and generally need a battery to operate, then you may already know that the biggest international trade show is fast approaching and devotees are planning their visit like Trekkies at a Star Trek convention.

I’m talking about the Consumer’s Electronics Show,

commonly called CES that takes place annually during the first week of the year in Las Vegas.

According to Information Week, early reports say that digital cams, both still cameras and video cameras, and bluetooth technology and mobile devices, like smartphones  are going to be the biggest hits this year.

People from more that 140 countries representing 2,200 electronic companies worldwide annually converge at this event, and you can bet that the Videomaker Editorial Team will be there, looking the show over to find out what the next year’s gear will look like.

From gaming to kid’s electronics to planet Earth sustanibility, there’s going to be a lot to see, but we’ll try to keep focused on mostly video cameras and accessory related toys!

CES, sponsored by the Consumer’s Electornic Association, (CEA), began in 1967 and has been going strong ever since. Watch for more news on the event, and product announcemts, on Videomaker’s blog, during the next few months.