NEWS: Fire at Perinton Apartments

I was just about to leave work Friday night when I heard over the scanner that there was an apparent structure fire in Perinton. It was about 11:30. The dispatch described flames coming from an apartment complex. Having nothing better to do, I headed over to the scene on Blackwatch Trail (across Rt. 31 from the Perinton Wegmans.

I could tell it must have been a good sized fire when I saw smoke in the distance as I got closer. I parked in a plaza next door and walked over. A firetruck was blocking the entrance to the complex, and was pumping water from a hydrant. There were no visible flames by the time I got there, but a good deal of smoke rising from the space once occupied by a roof.

Armed with a BlackBerry, I started taking pictures and shot about 5 minutes of video. Amazingly, the 3.2 MP, pen-tip-sized lens actually captured some half decent stuff. My hands were freezing (ironic - watching a fire with fingers so cold you could barely feel them), so there was no way I was going to try to get an interview. We could call the next day for that.

The details to be learned the next morning: multiple fire departments responded to the call, with flames from the roof by the time they got there.  Luckily no injuries, but several units were destroyed, and about 6 families have been displaced. The Red Cross is providing assistance. No word on cause - although I did notice rolled up carpeting in multiple dumpsters around the complex. Makes me think a remodeling effort was underway - perhaps related somehow - but that's pure speculation. At the end of the day, a sad experience for residents. For me, an interesting Friday night that led to what I'm calling "cell phone journalism."

SCIENCE: "Super" Full Moon

I dragged out the camera and captured the image above of tonight's Perigee Moon (click on image to enlarge). What is a Perigee Moon? The video below from NASA explains it nicely.

TELEVISION: Jeanne Moos celebrates 30 years at CNN

She's known for her quirky reporting, unique voice, and creative story ideas on CNN.  But when she started at the "Cable News Network" 30 years ago this weekend, Jeanne Moos was a serious hard-news reporter.  Her coverage of the '91 Gulf War earned an international journalism award.  Moos also covered the Beijing Student Uprising, interviewed Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, and reported on political corruption cases.

That all changed in the mid 90's, when a new segment debuted called "Making the MOOSt of it".  From then on, her niche became odd, quirky, off-beat stories.  Luckily, these reports, that usually range from 2 to 2 and half minutes, are available to CNN affiliate stations (which means I can put them in my local newscast in Rochester, NY).  Since I began producing I have become a huge Jeanne Moos fan, and was excited to come across the behind the scenes video posted above.  I was even more excited that she is a fellow Syracuse University grad! 

To see the report marking her three decades at CNN, click HERE.  Before CNN, Moos got her start at WPTZ-TV, the NBC affiliate in Plattsburgh, NY.

HOLLYWOOD: Behind the Scenes

Stargate Studios 2010 Virtual Backlot Demo from Stargate Studios on Vimeo.

Ever wonder what everything looks like behind the scenes of your favorite TV show or movie?  This video from Stargate Studios offers a glimpse of the smoke and mirrors that bring the sound-stage to life.  Truly fascinating.

We use the same green-screen technology every night on the news, but obviously on a much more simple level.  Smaller green-screens in television news studios allow us to put the meteorologist in front of full-screen weather maps, and give us the option of putting reporters in front of still or video images.  You have to be careful though - no green clothing at all, or viewers at home will see right through you!

The whole thing works with computers that are calibrated to recognize a particular shade of green.  The computers then replace the green with whatever image is desired, say a weather map for example.  A person standing in front of the screen blocks the green, and therefore appears in front of the image.

I came across this by accident.  About two years ago, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper stopped the presses, cut staff, and went to an all digital format.  I wanted to see what the website, seattlepi.com, and came across this video.

TECH: Motorola's Super Bowl jab at Apple

In a play on Apple's legendary "1984" commercial in which the computer company unveiled the Macintosh, Motorola is now accusing it's tablet rival of having become "Big Brother." It's no secret that Apple's Ipad dominates the tablet PC market. With Motorola gearing up for the launch of it's Google Android-based "Xoom" tablet, the Super Bowl proved the perfect venue for a 1984 rematch. The ad shows the open-source Android tablet as non-conformist, and portrays Apple users as mindless consumers accepting the latest Apple products. To see Apple's classic 1984 commercial, play the video below.