There have been many things written and aired about US Airways flight #1549 that made the emergency landing in the Hudson River. Scene Systems, however, has managed to provide a fascinating perspective on the calm, cool, collected nature of the captain and events in an incredible animation.

Scene Systems traditionally makes animation for legal purposes (litigation, crime scene depictions, etc.), and according to its website:

Scene Systems made the animation at very short notice immediately after the event, completing it in just 3 days. This included data-analysis, modelling, animation, rendering and post-production. We were able to do this because of our unique proprietary animation technology, which allows for highly efficient production of highly finished visualizations.

As this video was made for the purpose of a demonstration, we did not have access to the usual data sources we would expect, such as flight-recorder data. Instead, our animators took data about the flight path from various reputable news sources such as the New York Times, and further details from photography and eyewitness reports.

We then applied our normal animation process to build this data together into an accurate visual representation. The final reconstruction contains digitized accurate models of the exact plane involved in the crash, and the whole Manhattan skyline, along with an accurate portrayal of the reported flight-path and a photo-matched depiction of the rescue of passengers towards the end.

(Note: If the video begins a bit choppy, pause it and wait a bit for more of the video to load, then resume viewing)

Truly amazing!

Anyone on Twitter? Clear on how it works and its function/necessity in life?

With the recent US Air plane doing a little body surfing on the Hudson River and the influx of “twitter” comments to CNN, I’m curious. I’ve signed on to Twitter (loveandgluttony), as it seems that instant communication and access is what’s important these days.

If you’re on Twitter, let me know. If you are a Twitter freak (would that be a “TWeak” — Twitter+freak, get it?), then send along your best tips!

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then just ignore the post and I’ll send along more Twitter instructions as I figure this out.

This is simply a “rant” and nothing more!

I have had my computer in to Apple four times in the past month for the same damned problem! Most recently, they had it for nearly a week!

First, computers were a nice tool that we used for work. Now, we can’t hardly function without them!

Do you ever feel a bit guilty about that wasted paper after you print a receipt from your email, or maybe directions off of the Internet? You know, that page that has one stupid line of text, usually the URL, or maybe some leftover legal mumbo-jumbo?

There’s a great new software out there that helps eliminate that extra printed page or two: GreenPrint

From their website:

“GreenPrint’s patent-pending software eliminates unwanted pages saving paper, ink, money, and millions of trees…  GreenPrint’s patent-pending technology does this by analyzing each page of every document sent to the printer and looking for typical waste characters….”

This is a no-brainer.  With the cost of everything going through the roof, tough economic times, and the fact that everyone should be doing what they can to help the environment, everyone should download and use this software.

Here are some interesting facts that I learned in the process of exploring their site and learning of GreenPrint (first, through a story on CNN):

•  1 ton of paper = 400 reams = 200,000 sheets

•  1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper, or 8,333 sheets

• 1 ream (500) sheets uses 6% of a tree

•  average cost of a wasted page is $0.06

•  average employee at a company wastes 10 sheets per day (roughly 1,410 sheets per year)

•  in the United States, we use enough office paper each year to build a 10-foot high wall that is 6,815 miles long.  That’s greater than the distance from New York to Tokyo

Interested in other conservation resources?  Check out Papercalculator.org from the Environmental Defense Fund.

I never imagined that religion would creep its way into my blog twice in the span of one week, but like with all things in life, one cannot necessarily predict when something will jump out in front of you.

Personally, I have huge issues with religion. Historically, it has been the root cause (or, if you rather, excuse/justification/rationalization) of more war, persecution, discrimination, genocide, fear, hatred — and the list could go on and on — than all other causes combined.

Please note that I respect those that find peace and comfort in their religion, and certainly understand its place in society and its implication on the individual.

With that said, I hope I am never too old to learn something new, and I believe that I am not so rigid that I cannot consider a new idea. I am inspired by innovation and solidly believe that our global society will continually evolve for the betterment of all citizens.

One critical step in creating a harmonious existence between religion and society is a new organization that came to my attention this morning, Charter for Compassion.

Charter for Compassion is a unique, collaborative endeavor to bring together the citizens and religions of the world to create a charter for a peaceful and harmonious global community. Not a new religion, but rather a baseline understanding and appreciation of our commonality rather than our differences.

Please watch the video, as it explains the mission and concept far better than I ever could:

Whether you consider yourself religious or not, this is an interesting project that provides everyone an opportunity to participate in shaping a core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule.

Visit the Charter for Compassion website and take a look around. Share your thoughts. Share the site with friends and family.

In recent months, here in the United States, the interdependency of people and community has been demonstrated over and over again. What happens in my back yard does impact you regardless of where you live (just take a look at the $850 billion financial bailout package that was heaped onto our backs). It goes beyond finances, to encompass employment, civil rights, healthcare, and so on.

Religion is no different, and it does have a global impact. Here’s an opportunity to think about shared ideology and that which unites us, rather than what tools we have in our religious arsenal that can be used against our enemy.