Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Video Blogging Ideas

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A recent post on Fuzzygalore.com about the voices of bloggers caught my attention, in part because I wonder who’s behind the blogs and what they sound like, but more importantly it reminded me of thoughts and ideas about video and how I might incorporate that media here.  When I was in graduate school I made a lot of video with little miniDV and point and shoot cameras.  I tried to upload one that gave a bit of insight into what makes me tick but YouTube had pulled it because I was bad and used some music by Brian Eno.

The scooter video above is old, poor quality, and was made not long after I got my Vespa LX 150 in 2006 when I had big ideas about video.  But that medium is a lot more work that shooting still pictures and I wasn’t sure I had anything to say.

I tried the GoPro camera and while the capability was astounding I didn’t see anyone having much interest in watching the road ahead, at least not if I wasn’t running into something or some similar misfortune.

Perhaps the winter doldrums are pushing my thoughts towards other things.  If I could draw I might be considering a comic strip.  Video seems to be on my mind now and maybe there’s a role for video and blogging on Scooter in the Sticks.

Maybe something different might surface.

Lane-Splitting with Mr. Fish

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Mr. Fish is a British scooter rider (Piaggio BV250), and YouTube video blogger.  He recently added the capability to narrate while riding and his droll sense of humor is engaging.  This recent addition to his collection is a bit unnerving for me as he scoots his way through traffic.  It’s easy to see the commuting advantages of lane splitting.  I know the wide angle makes things appear to move faster but even so, it’s not something I’d be comfortable doing so I’ll choose to lane split vicariously through Mr. Fish.

For those unfamiliar with the term — lane-splitting is the act of riding your scooter or motorcycle in the space between lanes of cars and trucks.  They may be stopped, they may be moving.  It gives a rider the chance to keep moving when everyone else is at a standstill.

Have a look and see what you think.

Our Beautiful Earth

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Deep in the holiday season the world still turns with it’s tapestry of good and evil.  A video crossed my digital desk that reflects the our physical world, at times transcending the noise and chaos for a few moments, and at others providing a mesmerizing look at our collective influence on the planet.

The Baum Foundation, an organization committed to improving people’s lives through programs in the arts, education and environment, presents a video by director and composer, Kenji Williams, who compiled views from NASA and other sources of the Bella Gaia, our beautiful Earth. Give yourself a gift by watching and for a few minutes soaring through the heavens.

This video was supported by NASA, the Baum Foundation, the Foundation for Global Community, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and is a production of Remedy Arts, LLC.

Please enjoy and share this unique view of the Earth and its environment with those you know.

Peace on Earth

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I saw this Christmas video posted on the Modern Vespa forum this evening and it reminded me of how I wish things were in the world. One hundred years have passed since men waged battles in the trenches of Europe. While wars continue, the spark of human hope and imagination persists that seeks peace on earth and that one day the world will be a better place.

May this video remind you of the dream as well.

UPDATE:  After reading the comments on the video I remembered the song “Children’s Crusade” by Sting done in the 1980s.  It’s a powerful follow to the above video.

Winter Riding and Camping in the Arctic

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Any winter riding I’ve done pales in comparison to British rider Ed March.  He’s ridden his C90 Honda all over the world, by himself, without backup.  That’s adventure.  The video is definitely worth watching.

You have to consider March’s riding extreme by any measure.  The fact that he rides a small machine earns him some dismissive reactions from those that think adventure is the realm of bigger bikes.  I suspect it led to his production of “Hitler Finds Out Ed March is Riding to the Arctic Circle”, one of dozens of parodies of all types built around clips from the film “Downfall“, a chilling portrait of the last days of Adolf Hitler played masterfully by Bruno Ganz.  Be warned if you are a big adventure bike rider, especially of the BMW variety, you are in for some not so subtle ribbing.  The description of BMW’s wiring and electronics crack me up.

Again, worth a look.