GasBandit
Staff member
I thought so too, at first, but perhaps it would allow for better failure recovery, in the event some of the engines go out, the center of mass can always be rotated to the midpoint between whatever rotors are left functioning.
It's a hexacopter, not a quadcopter.
And what the video is showing is that having rotating armatures allows for previously unavailable levels of attitude control. It can fly upside-down, for instance, or hold position perpendicular to the ground, and it can yaw while in any of those orientations.
--Patrick
fade
Staff member
Yeah, I get all that, but part of the whole appeal of a quadcopter (I know it's a hexacopter, but I'm using quad as a counterpoint) is its simplicity and low weight of operating components.
Securitas is currently experimenting with security drones thethered to a pick up truck. Drive to location, deploy drone, hover over all site of the client, check the back of houses, etc, without risk of battery issues unless the car battery dies.
Of course, being wired has other issues
I think I played with this toy as a kid. It was a helicopter on a tether but you could only control the rotor speed and pitch and it would just go around in circles.Securitas is currently experimenting with security drones thethered to a pick up truck. Drive to location, deploy drone, hover over all site of the client, check the back of houses, etc, without risk of battery issues unless the car battery dies.
Of course, being wired has other issues
--Patrick
Dave
Staff member
Be interesting to see what they do next.
It's just Shadow Theater brought up to the modern age.
And they say technology has nothing to offer on old techniques. Hah!
--Patrick
fade
Staff member
I don't understand all the high praise for this movie. It was better than what came before in the X-universe, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. I'd have to watch it again to put it into words, but I think it comes down to just too many obvious emotional pleas, and a rather predictable, cliched plot overall. Obviously I don't mean plot point details, but the structure of the story even at muscle level was pretty tried-and-true. Which would be fine if the filmwork had something new to say, but that was more or less off the shelf, too. The high end shelf, no doubt, but still off-the-shelf. That makes it a good movie, but not an outstanding one, and not a masterpiece.
I think it's getting so much praise because it deconstructed a lot of what things we come to think of with the superhero "genre". They eschewed a lot of the big, flashy fights for more intimate, dirty ones, and made their powers a life-threatening burden, instead of allowing those powers to redeem them in the end. I agree that the story structure wasn't anything that unusual, but they took a risk making this a graphic, depressing, more adult superpowers film. I'd maintain that Patrick Stewart's performance is one of the most realistic I've seen of someone suffering from dementia/Alzheimer's, even though the consequences are purely fantastic.
I don't know if I'd call it a masterpiece, either; there are still some parts I found a little lacking. But I think their focus on your emotions, aside from the usual "romantic love/loss/heroics", makes it a unique entry into superhero movies in general. It's not a favorite of mine, but I'm really glad I got to see it.
GasBandit
Staff member
For me, it was (since most of the other X movies were such trite popcorn fodder at best and direct insults to my intelligence at worst) that actually being able to commiserate with the characters and care about what actually happened was a refreshing change. The fact that it felt so much more genuine, and had much more respect for the characters and their struggles, make me much more easily overlook its handful of problems.
That's a masterpiece by Sony standards.
That's a masterpiece by Sony standards.
It seems like "woe is me" is the norm in the comics, or a DC Universe, non-Wonder Woman movie. I feel like other films, like the MCU and Sony (not counting F4), are pretty positive. Even when there is self-doubt, the outcome is usually optimistic. Personally, I, like you, prefer a hero/es who enjoys their gifts. Logan just struck me as less "woe is me" and more "not everything has a happy ending".
It's my favorite movie of the year, and possibly of the past few years. I don't know what more to say other than that, I clearly liked it a lot more than you did.
Man, what happened to their video quality? Contrast is too high for people that pale.
Also, that's the drunkest I've ever seen them.
Hah! You haven't seen the original. Let's fix that.
The whitest people get whiter. Ow, my eyes.
--Patrick
