I got an AeroGarden from Bed Bath and Beyond on clearance about a month ago.  I got the classic version with the “gourmet herb” kit, and within about three weeks, I had a pretty good harvest.  I have pictures of the first couple of weeks, but don’t have them up yet to post.  The other day, I made mint tea, and put a bunch of dill in my scrambled eggs, and it was really good.  I’m impressed with the hydroponic system, and am amazed at the speed of growth.  The company hasn’t been doing that well however.  Their stock plummeted about a year ago, and hasn’t shown any sign of recovery.  I hope they will stay in business so I can get replacement parts (bulbs and pumps) in the future.

Anyway…my two bits are that it’s an awesome system…liked it so much, I got one for Mother’s day too!

If you watched my first test with the GoPro HD Hero, I placed it in my fishtank.  You might have noticed however, that the quality was fair before going into the tank, but terrible once underwater (the quality of the whole thing was a little sub-par because of the low lighting).  After surfing the internet a little, I found that everyone was having this issue.  The common assumption was that it was the domed glass lens on the waterproof housing that was messing with the light entering the GoPro itself.  The idea was to make a barrier of air between the domed lens, and the water to prevent this diffraction of light.

I did this very very (did I stress it enough?) quickly, and just wanted to get an idea of whether or not the theory would hold true…If you compare the two below, I think you might agree with me that it did make a pretty significant difference.

GoPro HD Hero test #1 in fishtank

GoPro HD Hero test #2 in fishtank w/modification

Here are some quick low-res pictures of what I did.

Again, it was a really thrown-together design, but it was only meant to be a test to see if the idea would work.  Basically I just found the thickest see-through plastic I could…that ended up being one of those clear CD’s they put at the top when you buy a stack of CD-R/RW’s for protection.  I just cut out a rectangle a little larger than the waterproof lens, and melted the corners up a little so I could wrap the rubber bands around it.  I then put some spacers underneath that (which you can see from the video, I didn’t cut big enough…I actually cut the corners off of my yoga mat for this…again…thrown together fast) and strapped the whole thing down with rubber bands. The fishing line was just what I used to drop it in the tank with.

Obviously it goes without saying, this would NOT hold up well for long underwater, especially at any great depths, but it’s a concept I hope to build from, and improve.  It will probably be a while before I go further with this project, but if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to leave comments.  I should mention, I owe the GoPro forums for a good amount of the information I got to do this.

cheers,

Justin

Edit: I wanted to mention, that all of the tests I have done were shot in the r3 mode which is 720p at 60fps

This is my second test with the GoPro HD Hero, but because I still can’t edit it, this is the uncut version uploaded again, straight to YouTube. I had another video riding much faster down a curvy street, but I didn’t think I should post license plates, and addresses on YouTube (plus watching it makes me sick from all of the turning back and fourth ) If you have a higher end computer, you’ll probably benefit more from the 720p option in YouTube as that is what I shot it at (60fps). Let me know what you guys think about the quality!
Cheers

I almost forgot to add a photo or two as well. It takes photos, but they aren’t the GoPro’s strong point in my view…the distortion from the wide angled lens is also much more obvious in the photos than the videos too…it looks like the trees are about to bend over It was a cloudy day, so the low light is affecting the quality too.

Got the GoPro HD Hero with my REI dividend yesterday, but bad news…my computers are so slow they can’t even play the videos it produces This little bugger is pretty cool though, and because it has TV cables, I have been able to watch the content there…I just can’t edit anything. My two initial observations are that (1) it is not very good at all in low light (indoors)…which you can expect from such a small lens, and (2) I had read about this, but found out myself that it produces fuzzy video underwater for some reason. Like I mentioned, I can’t edit the video, but I did one from inside my fish tank…I thought that would be a fun one to see. The following clip then, is the uncut video I uploaded straight to YouTube…maybe it won’t be as fuzzy to people who have higher end computers? I shot it in r3 mode which is 720p at 60fps. Enjoy!

This little camera/camcorder is incredible.  I have been planning to get one with my REI dividend+membership sale, and with videos like this, it’s easy to see why…

Sugar Cane GoPro HD PPG from Brett Paull on Vimeo.

A good review for the camera can be seen here ENGADGET REVIEW
I don’t really want to go into all of the pros and cons of this little gadget except to say, I am completely impressed. The design leaves a lot to be desired in my view. The boxy look, depth, and weight could be better…common GoPro…everyone else is doing streamlined bullet-cam-styled cams…why still the box? The top latch seems very flimsy to me too, but I hear the package holds up well, and they have a very loyal following both with the new HD version, and older standard definition one.


The thing can go up to something like 170ft deep in water, has a heater (that’s right I said heater) to keep the battery functioning in cold temperatures, can take 5mp photos both manually and at intervals, and can take HD video at up to 60fps!!! The attraction for me is the ability to mount it anywhere…for example, check this video out…this fellow turned it into a “chase cam” by putting it in a little wind-sock sort of device that follows behind his paraglider (attached to the trailing edge break lines)…

Or this one, where another person has attached it to the top of his wing…

Again, after seeing it in person, I was a little disappointed at the physical design of it, but it’s easy to forget when you weigh that with it’s good sides…this camera/camcorder has truly been impressive so far, with features, and applications that seem too good to be true for the price…
…almost forgot to mention…”early 2010″ GoPro plans to add accessories to the GoPro HD that hook into the back, which will allow it to have an; lcd screen, extended battery, and who knows what else…

Anyone have any personal opinions on it, or have used it themselves?…please feel free to leave comments!
Cheers,
Justin