I be at SELEM. YEAH!
I be at SELEM. YEAH!
Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
When I still could have...
I just returned from SELEM last night and want to express my profound gratitude to Brad (Bradfo69), Adam (Buffo), Chris (Lazerjock), Hank (HankLloydRight) and everyone else that participates in holding this event. I got to have meaningful conversations with most of the attendees which is my favorite part. Every year I learn more about you guys and am continually impressed by your knowledge, hobbies and skills. It appeared almost everyone brought something to share with their fellow attendees, including a plasma ball collection, inflatable dome, laser shows, pinball machine, and much more. It was great fun for me and I hope for all of you as well.
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you again next year if not earlier!
-David
"Help, help, I'm being repressed!"
Every year it takes me longer and longer to recover after SELEM! Got home Saturday evening at around 7 PM and pretty much went straight to bed. Unloaded all my crap on Sunday, and even after sleeping all night I was still pretty worn out. Went to work on Monday and felt close to normal, and after another good night's rest Monday night, I feel pretty good today.
This year's SELEM was really great. I especially enjoyed the "Laser Jam" on Thursday evening; I think that should be a permanent addition to the schedule going forward. I was also surprised at the size of the grass field just east of the venue; in past years, Chris Tate and I had both decided that the field was not big enough to fly drones, but once we actually walked over there, we discovered that it's much bigger than it looks. So next year I think we'll be able to do some drone racing over there.
I apologize for not being able to do the door prize drawing during SELEM this year. We were so busy setting up for the "Laser Jam" that I lost track of time, and by the time I realized it, we just didn't have enough time to do the drawings and still be able to start the Laser Jam on-time. Instead, I went to Random.org this morning and pulled a string of digits to determine the door prize winners. The door prizes included two free ILDA memberships (thanks to Patrick Murphy!), two Abstract coffee mugs (thanks to DZ!), four Laserium DVDs (thanks to Displaser!), and four laser-cut SELEM logo LED lights (thanks to Lazerjock!).
Here's the winners list:
ILDA Memberships: Mike Muhler & Ethan O'Toole
Abstract coffee mugs: Greg Southerland & Alex Cloak
Laserium DVDs: Wil Carder, Chris Short, Jason Salt, & Rick Hellman
LED Logo lights: Newlin Parker, Jeremy Cassell, Brad Stockdale, & David Francus
I've already sent the ILDA membership certificates to Mike and Ethan via email. The winners of the Laserium DVD will need to send their mailing address to Brad Billet so he can ship out the DVDs. Everyone else needs to send their mailing address to me so I can ship the LED logo lights and the Abstract coffee mugs.
Also, if you ordered one of the Lumia / Grating rotator units from John Laughlin, you'll need to contact Mike Muhler to arrange payment. (Mike will also need your shipping address.)
Adam
SELEM 2025 drone racing is a go!!
As Adam said earlier, we looked over the field next to the venue and determined that it was sufficient to bring back drone racing next year. A few people brought drones to fly this year making me wish I brought mine.
One that stood out was the DJI FPV that Jeremy brought. It is a really fast FPV racing drone but it has the safety feature that DJI is known for. The coolest thing was the Motion Controller (joystick). This is an optional wireless controller that allows you to fly as if you were in a fighter jet. It is very intuitive and I took to it right away.
When the word started spreading that drone racing was returning to SELEM several people commented that they were interested in buying the DJI FPV. I've been researching these for the past week and finally bought one off of eBay.
If you are in the market for one they are available new on Amazon and eBay, but if you are ok with a used model eBay is the place to go. Plan to spend between $500-$1000 for a used one depending on the options and accessories included. Adam and I both bought ours already and are excited to see how many others show up.
If you are looking to buy and have questions I am more than happy to help. Just PM me here.
Chris
Last edited by Lazerjock; 08-19-2024 at 11:21.