More pictures of cats. Big cats.
December 2, 2013 8:00 AM Subscribe
Strap a camera to a 4 wheel drive remote control car and let it loose among a pride of Botswana lions. Curiosity and cuteness and some pretty amazing pictures ensue. SLYT
They're just like house cats, cute and curious as they paw at the strange device. Except these cats can and will kill and then eat you.
Think 'bout that, next time your cat is "lovingly" staring at you.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:12 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Think 'bout that, next time your cat is "lovingly" staring at you.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:12 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
3:36 for the pictures from the RC car.
posted by Zarkonnen at 8:24 AM on December 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Zarkonnen at 8:24 AM on December 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
It's always fun to be reminded that pretty much the only thing keeping your housecat from playfully ripping your head off is *relative size*
posted by The Whelk at 8:24 AM on December 2, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:24 AM on December 2, 2013 [8 favorites]
That music was all wrong. They should have gotten the rights to use Little Green Bag.
Love them big kitties.
posted by fuse theorem at 8:25 AM on December 2, 2013
Love them big kitties.
posted by fuse theorem at 8:25 AM on December 2, 2013
Completely irrelevant to the video itself, which is fantastic - is anyone else disturbed by the images in the opening credits? To the title of "Chris McLennan in Africa", there's a quick-fire montage of images: leopard, sand dunes, male lion, elephant, dark-skinned child with dreadlocks, dingo (?), female lions, zebra, more female lions.
One of these things is not like the others.
posted by talitha_kumi at 8:26 AM on December 2, 2013 [6 favorites]
One of these things is not like the others.
posted by talitha_kumi at 8:26 AM on December 2, 2013 [6 favorites]
It's a fun project, but I can't help but think a GoPro video camera would be better for this kind of thing.
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on December 2, 2013
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on December 2, 2013
Completely irrelevant to the video itself, which is fantastic - is anyone else disturbed by the images in the opening credits?
Yes, I'm not comfortable with the number of lions shown. McLennon is clearly a crazy cat guy.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:30 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yes, I'm not comfortable with the number of lions shown. McLennon is clearly a crazy cat guy.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:30 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
talitha_kumi, yes, I noticed that and was unimpressed by it as well. >:/
On the subject of the video itself though, 3.49 (ish, close up of nose) was pretty much a larger version of what I was greeted with last Christmas morning. Well, that and about 6kg of cat standing on my sternum. Ow.
posted by halcyonday at 8:32 AM on December 2, 2013
On the subject of the video itself though, 3.49 (ish, close up of nose) was pretty much a larger version of what I was greeted with last Christmas morning. Well, that and about 6kg of cat standing on my sternum. Ow.
posted by halcyonday at 8:32 AM on December 2, 2013
OMG! The cute little paw pads! The sweet little nose! THE GIGANTIC TEETH! AHHHHHHH!
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:48 AM on December 2, 2013
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:48 AM on December 2, 2013
THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
posted by Nanukthedog
Perhaps you should just admit that you are in the pocket of Big Dog, Nanukthedog.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:49 AM on December 2, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog
Perhaps you should just admit that you are in the pocket of Big Dog, Nanukthedog.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:49 AM on December 2, 2013 [5 favorites]
That one Lioness on the left: does she have a blue eye or is it injured?
posted by royalsong at 8:50 AM on December 2, 2013
posted by royalsong at 8:50 AM on December 2, 2013
It's a fun project, but I can't help but think a GoPro video camera would be better for this kind of thing.
GoPro image quality is not all that great. And it's not made by Nikon.
Anyway, the project makes sense once you realize the guy's a Kiwi.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:10 AM on December 2, 2013
GoPro image quality is not all that great. And it's not made by Nikon.
Anyway, the project makes sense once you realize the guy's a Kiwi.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:10 AM on December 2, 2013
This looks like Nikon's response to Beetlecam, which used a Canon. Pics. Video. More video.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:10 AM on December 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by MuffinMan at 9:10 AM on December 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
It's a fun project, but I can't help but think a GoPro video camera laser pointer would be better for this kind of thing.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:20 AM on December 2, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:20 AM on December 2, 2013 [7 favorites]
Oh yeah, forgot about that link. Short internet memory. Thanks, talitha_kumi!
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:27 AM on December 2, 2013
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:27 AM on December 2, 2013
THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
Nothing about that video (except the opening credits) was not a nice thing.
posted by jeather at 9:40 AM on December 2, 2013
Nothing about that video (except the opening credits) was not a nice thing.
posted by jeather at 9:40 AM on December 2, 2013
ne of these things is not like the others.
I assumed they were images from his African trip, which would make them all relevant. Are you maybe reading something else into it that may not be there?
posted by Brockles at 9:51 AM on December 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
I assumed they were images from his African trip, which would make them all relevant. Are you maybe reading something else into it that may not be there?
posted by Brockles at 9:51 AM on December 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
I assumed they were images from his African trip, which would make them all relevant. Are you maybe reading something else into it that may not be there?
Given the way Africans have been treated in the past, don't you think it's problematic to throw one picture of a human child into a quick-succession montage that's 90% pictures of animals?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 10:30 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Given the way Africans have been treated in the past, don't you think it's problematic to throw one picture of a human child into a quick-succession montage that's 90% pictures of animals?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 10:30 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I tend to agree... It's like treating exotic Africans as part of the scenery. It's like a couple of different links making the rounds on Facebook these days, linking to some hackneyed photo galleries of "what people wear in other parts of the world."
Anyway, this is a pretty cool project, although I'm more interested in the little buggies than the photos of lions.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:34 AM on December 2, 2013
Anyway, this is a pretty cool project, although I'm more interested in the little buggies than the photos of lions.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:34 AM on December 2, 2013
That one Lioness on the left: does she have a blue eye or is it injured?
Injury. Maybe a cataract as well, which cannot help the life in the wild (blind on one side, no depth perception).
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:44 AM on December 2, 2013
Injury. Maybe a cataract as well, which cannot help the life in the wild (blind on one side, no depth perception).
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:44 AM on December 2, 2013
don't you think it's problematic to throw one picture of a human child into a quick-succession montage that's 90% pictures of animals?
Nope. But I just see an image as a pleasing selection/spread of colours and composition. I don't necessarily extract any political or social judgment on each one (or presume to apply it to the photographers intent when displaying them). So I see no problem. I am assuming the photographer selected a series of pictures he was particularly pleased with and it's a nice shot of the child. I assume that (as a predominately wildlife interested photographer based on other content) that he just had 90% animal pictures from which to choose his showcase from.
Again, I think people that see that spread of pictures and say "SEE! The implication is that the child is an animal" are bringing other stuff to the party. They are just nice pictures, that's all.
posted by Brockles at 10:53 AM on December 2, 2013 [7 favorites]
Nope. But I just see an image as a pleasing selection/spread of colours and composition. I don't necessarily extract any political or social judgment on each one (or presume to apply it to the photographers intent when displaying them). So I see no problem. I am assuming the photographer selected a series of pictures he was particularly pleased with and it's a nice shot of the child. I assume that (as a predominately wildlife interested photographer based on other content) that he just had 90% animal pictures from which to choose his showcase from.
Again, I think people that see that spread of pictures and say "SEE! The implication is that the child is an animal" are bringing other stuff to the party. They are just nice pictures, that's all.
posted by Brockles at 10:53 AM on December 2, 2013 [7 favorites]
2:57 best picture
I love how big cats act just like house cats in their body language and interests. Heck they like catnip and boxes!
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:57 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I love how big cats act just like house cats in their body language and interests. Heck they like catnip and boxes!
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:57 AM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Think 'bout that, next time your cat is "lovingly" staring at you.
What, that she's not capable of killing me? Okay.
posted by aught at 1:37 PM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
What, that she's not capable of killing me? Okay.
posted by aught at 1:37 PM on December 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Again, I think people that see that spread of pictures and say "SEE! The implication is that the child is an animal" are bringing other stuff to the party.
I do agree that we all bring different things to the party. But I feel like you're implying that what some of us bring is oversensitivity, or crazypants, or something. Personally, I'm bringing the years I've spent working in rural South African communities. It's honestly more common than you think, people unthinkingly grouping exotic African animals and 'exotic African people' into the same bin. I'm sure this is unintentional. But it's part of a larger trend of people unintentionally making that same comparison all the time.
I'm not trying to derail this thread. I'd describe my mood as "dubious/concerned" rather than "wildly offended". I know if you haven't noticed this stuff before, this sounds crazy. But this is a real thing that happens. I just think tourists in particular need to be careful about how they represent foreign people. Especially people who have historically faced great indignities because they've been compared to animals. Step 1, let's not include their children in a montage of our safari pictures.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 2:46 PM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
I do agree that we all bring different things to the party. But I feel like you're implying that what some of us bring is oversensitivity, or crazypants, or something. Personally, I'm bringing the years I've spent working in rural South African communities. It's honestly more common than you think, people unthinkingly grouping exotic African animals and 'exotic African people' into the same bin. I'm sure this is unintentional. But it's part of a larger trend of people unintentionally making that same comparison all the time.
I'm not trying to derail this thread. I'd describe my mood as "dubious/concerned" rather than "wildly offended". I know if you haven't noticed this stuff before, this sounds crazy. But this is a real thing that happens. I just think tourists in particular need to be careful about how they represent foreign people. Especially people who have historically faced great indignities because they've been compared to animals. Step 1, let's not include their children in a montage of our safari pictures.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 2:46 PM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
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THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2013 [6 favorites]