Trouble in Tech Town
Good news and bad news this week.
The Good News
A scholarship came through that covers a significant portion of the trip costs. Combined with the $200 on GoFundMe, the financial picture is looking a lot better. This is actually happening.
The Bad News
That action camera I was so excited about — the Looxcie HD — is a disaster.
Finally got a chance to test it and the footage came out completely upside down. Not rotated 90 degrees, not slightly off. Fully, entirely upside down. Tried every possible mounting orientation. Same result every time.
Then I noticed the pixelation. Even in decent lighting, the image was just breaking apart. Blocky, washed out, unusable. Went digging online and found forum after forum of people reporting the exact same thing. Widespread firmware defect. Company apparently never fixed it.
Ordered a second unit thinking maybe I just got a bad one. Same problems on the second one. Both went back through Amazon.
What's Next
Looking at the GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition as a replacement. Proven track record, good reviews, will actually work. The catch is the price — significantly more than what I paid for the Looxcie. Whether I can swing it depends on the budget. Still working through the numbers.
In the meantime, picked up a Rwanda travel guide to start reading up on the practical side of things. Visa requirements, local customs, packing, transportation. The kind of homework that's easy to skip when you're focused on the academic end of the trip.
Two and a half months to go. Camera situation is frustrating but it'll work out. More updates soon.
