Better to customize a van, smaller panel- or step-van, or school bus, I think. School buses are best, as they come in a good variety of sizes and you don't have to install windows (which is rather a pain to do). That said, in Australia you've got a much greater variety among the VW Westfalia-style camper vans (i.e., smallish)--in the U.S., we've mostly these massive monstrosities with pop-outs on either side and whatnots. Despite their being so large, they mostly seem ill suited for people who want a functional mobile home/studio-workspace-whatever.
I agree as I do find the layouts unsuitable for the way I like to live. Most kitchens are over kill to me and seem to take up too much space. I am going to have a look at some small vans later today and consider how I could fit them out. Thank you for your input I do appreciate it. Alex
And, of course, you'd mount your scope solidly in the back of the van. Then use jacks to raise it off the tires, to get a nice stable - and warm - and well-stocked - observing platform...
I had such an approach in mind however I have been having great success with short exposures and stacking them which takes the pressure off having a stable playform so I can probably be less focused on car jacks. Moreover I am thinking to set up another rig around a smaller mount that for me will be more managable. I hope to get the new mount very soon that even though smaller than my current mount will still carry my 8 inch. The game has changed from long manually guided exposures to multiple short exposures with a guide scope and camera that via the lap top guides the mount and keeps the object being photographed in constant position. Capturing is at most 50% of the effort for it is the proccessing that is really the main component. The images I posted here in the astronomy section suffer from poor almost non existent proccessing...I have yet to update my software. I am somewhat past it really given my leg problem but I have forced myself back into it mainly to have a reason to get out of bed. Same with planning a van its something to help to push the pain out of my head. Alex
I want people to understand my references. all of them no matter how obscure ........................ 1000 clowns is on the tv loved the play like the film from whence I got: "Gosh n gollies you betcha" amazingly when I say that, it seems to offend ........................ When I turned over the water operator job to a neighbor who made the mistake of complaining I leapt to my feet, pointed at him, and declared: "Aha I call 'moose turd pie', so you're volunteering to take the course and test and take over the job"? He said(rather meekly) "Yes". Weeks later, while I was training him to take over, I mentioned the joke............... and then told him the entire thing----he liked it. He said that during the association meeting, he had no clue what I was talking and had thought that I might be mad--bonkers--insane. ............................................................... I do not want to feel responsible for other people's ignorance
I want to come back in a thousand years to see where we've gone, then again 5 thousand years later, 10 thousand... etc. Seriously, I want this more than anything else in the world.
I wouldn't be. It isn't about seeing our 'success'... it is just about knowing what happens, whether we fail as a species or not.
I like that one too. I guess it would change a person. Unless you used a massive buffering system. Or maybe time slows down while you assimilate the data.
Lots of money. While it cannot buy love, it can buy a reasonable facsimile. It can also make misery easier to tolerate.