Technology has moved on so much in my time, from the simple calculator to computers that now decide how our lives are led, we rely on technology for everything, this blog, uses a lot of technology from the computer to the network to the web and back to you and me. 2 pieces of tech that are causing a bit of a stir at the moment is laser tech and drones, I will talk about lasers in another blog, today I want to concentrate on drones.
Drones are great fun, I have one with a small camera that flies for 6 minute then needs re-charging, but, those 6 minutes are great fun, I have flown fixed wing model aircraft and their fun, but you need training and it's a skill, it took me quite a few hours before I could fly my Bi-Plane that had a top speed of over a 100mph, the trainer I had flew at about 30mph so the difference was a lot as was the flying skills required to fly the bi-plane, I also had to join a flying club as it's illegal to fly fixed wing aircraft anywhere other than designated areas and at certain times. Insurance was also a compulsory purchase, I had to have 1 million pounds cover, so you had to be serious about your hobby, all of the above included helicopters which were the hardest things to fly.
So as the years have past and tech has advanced, mini helicopters are controlled by 2 sticks, as opposed to 6, and quads (drones) also 2 sticks, you don't need a license or have to fly these mini helicopters in designated areas, you can fly them anywhere.
I have a drone, with a camera and its great fun, no need to have lessons on how to fly them, after just 5 minutes I could zoom around the living room without crashing, I also learnt to do flips in less than 10 minutes, so anyone can fly these things, which brings me to the whole point of this blog.
We are all aware of the military use of drones, surveillance and delivering payloads with deadly accuracy, pizza companies are looking at them as a delivery vehicle, replacing the guy on a bike, flying over traffic directly to your door, also there is talk of using them as the first on the scene of an accident by the police to assess the situation of what vehicles may be required and of course traffic control, a drone can get anywhere really quickly and using the on-board cameras, we are able to see where we are flying and observe from a height that's safe without interaction of those or things that we are looking at. The use of these drones has already proved important at events for crowd monitoring, and even giving chase to those who have a reason to run.
So what's all the fuss about? privacy, that's what, people have reported that they have had drones outside their bedroom windows watching them, people in their gardens being watched, also on beaches and parks. So to test this I launched my tiny drone which is just 4 inches wide and 2 inches high and flew up to my bedroom window, and hey, I could see in through the window, and see my bed, so it works, but surely that's a minority of people using these devices for peeping tom activity? apparently, according to my police insider, peeping drones are on the increase, I had never thought of using it for that purpose, for me it's just the fun of flying and I also have a job to do where I have been asked to provide some aerial photography for someone, it's cheaper to use the drone than hire a helicopter or plane to fly over the property.
I now understand that the government are looking to ban these drones flying in public areas, and you will soon need a licence to fly one, why? because most of the people buying these are idiots, they fly them near airports, military bases and schools, even in shopping centres, which is stupidity at its best. So what about us guys who just like to fly them for fun, well, we are going to need a licence and a reason for using them in the near future, which is a shame, as like I said they are good fun, there are some great demonstrations of the little devices working together to make tempary nylon bridges, check out TED Talks for the videos.
Drones are the future for various uses as I talked about earlier, but we should all have access to these amazing little machines, so we can develop new uses for them, and improve their capabilities.
I really like my little drone and I will continue to fly it when ever I have a need for some fun.
Footnote: I just flew my drone out of one of my bedroom windows and looked back through another at myself, the quality is amazing, you could see everything, I wonder when I will start getting complaints from the neighbours about me buzzing around the garden. My answer to them will be, 'FUCK OFF' I'm having fun.
Next Blog: The Laser Pointer.
Drones are great fun, I have one with a small camera that flies for 6 minute then needs re-charging, but, those 6 minutes are great fun, I have flown fixed wing model aircraft and their fun, but you need training and it's a skill, it took me quite a few hours before I could fly my Bi-Plane that had a top speed of over a 100mph, the trainer I had flew at about 30mph so the difference was a lot as was the flying skills required to fly the bi-plane, I also had to join a flying club as it's illegal to fly fixed wing aircraft anywhere other than designated areas and at certain times. Insurance was also a compulsory purchase, I had to have 1 million pounds cover, so you had to be serious about your hobby, all of the above included helicopters which were the hardest things to fly.
So as the years have past and tech has advanced, mini helicopters are controlled by 2 sticks, as opposed to 6, and quads (drones) also 2 sticks, you don't need a license or have to fly these mini helicopters in designated areas, you can fly them anywhere.
I have a drone, with a camera and its great fun, no need to have lessons on how to fly them, after just 5 minutes I could zoom around the living room without crashing, I also learnt to do flips in less than 10 minutes, so anyone can fly these things, which brings me to the whole point of this blog.
We are all aware of the military use of drones, surveillance and delivering payloads with deadly accuracy, pizza companies are looking at them as a delivery vehicle, replacing the guy on a bike, flying over traffic directly to your door, also there is talk of using them as the first on the scene of an accident by the police to assess the situation of what vehicles may be required and of course traffic control, a drone can get anywhere really quickly and using the on-board cameras, we are able to see where we are flying and observe from a height that's safe without interaction of those or things that we are looking at. The use of these drones has already proved important at events for crowd monitoring, and even giving chase to those who have a reason to run.
So what's all the fuss about? privacy, that's what, people have reported that they have had drones outside their bedroom windows watching them, people in their gardens being watched, also on beaches and parks. So to test this I launched my tiny drone which is just 4 inches wide and 2 inches high and flew up to my bedroom window, and hey, I could see in through the window, and see my bed, so it works, but surely that's a minority of people using these devices for peeping tom activity? apparently, according to my police insider, peeping drones are on the increase, I had never thought of using it for that purpose, for me it's just the fun of flying and I also have a job to do where I have been asked to provide some aerial photography for someone, it's cheaper to use the drone than hire a helicopter or plane to fly over the property.
I now understand that the government are looking to ban these drones flying in public areas, and you will soon need a licence to fly one, why? because most of the people buying these are idiots, they fly them near airports, military bases and schools, even in shopping centres, which is stupidity at its best. So what about us guys who just like to fly them for fun, well, we are going to need a licence and a reason for using them in the near future, which is a shame, as like I said they are good fun, there are some great demonstrations of the little devices working together to make tempary nylon bridges, check out TED Talks for the videos.
Drones are the future for various uses as I talked about earlier, but we should all have access to these amazing little machines, so we can develop new uses for them, and improve their capabilities.
I really like my little drone and I will continue to fly it when ever I have a need for some fun.
Footnote: I just flew my drone out of one of my bedroom windows and looked back through another at myself, the quality is amazing, you could see everything, I wonder when I will start getting complaints from the neighbours about me buzzing around the garden. My answer to them will be, 'FUCK OFF' I'm having fun.
Next Blog: The Laser Pointer.
RSS Feed
