Using focus stacking and strobes to take high-res photos of snowflakes is nothing new. Here's a YouTube video of how to do it yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKA8Boa9hBA
Looking at the first video link, that guy is using a telephoto/macro with a canon camera in ambient lighting conditions. Nathan has a scientific scope using a high power microscope objective, an XY stage, and lighting. The results are different. Focus stacking improves depth of field. But if you're aligning the flakes perpindicular to the optical axis, flat, then it makes more sense to just select the appropriate objective and lighting for the DOF you want, and scan the XY with a very high resolution objective to get the 2D details of flat flakes.
Big difference (I do both, but not on snowflakes).
> Every single part of his Frankenstein-esque device, which stands at about five feet in height off the ground when placed on a table, was built using materials that are less likely to cause melting or sublimation of the subject matter.
I'm seven and a half feet tall when I stand on a chair.
This truly isn't new; I've seen coffee table books from the 80s that used similar techniques for the photographs. This is a strangely credulous article.
They aren't random. He's a gigantic patent troll and has a strong vested interest in maintaining the appearance of being a quirky inventor.
I suppose he genuinely is one, to a degree, but the fact that he made a killing by squeezing actual innovators en masse robs the situation of most of its charm.
> Intellectual Ventures ... has been described as the country's largest and most notorious patent trolling company, the ultimate patent troll, and the most hated company in tech.
[+] [-] shmageggy|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stephen82|5 years ago|reply
https://alexey-kljatov.pixels.com/
[+] [-] mojuba|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] marcod|5 years ago|reply
I guess they have a few more pixels, so they can claim the "title" :p
Also, don't shoot in yellow snow!
[+] [-] ipsum2|5 years ago|reply
Gallery of incredible snowflake photos by the same guy https://skycrystals.ca/snowflake-gallery/ (adblock stops the gallery from working for some reason)
Myhrvold is just really good at PR.
[+] [-] dekhn|5 years ago|reply
Big difference (I do both, but not on snowflakes).
Agree he's good at PR.
[+] [-] john_minsk|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ddingus|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andytruett|5 years ago|reply
> Every single part of his Frankenstein-esque device, which stands at about five feet in height off the ground when placed on a table, was built using materials that are less likely to cause melting or sublimation of the subject matter.
I'm seven and a half feet tall when I stand on a chair.
[+] [-] mianos|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wiremaus|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jjoonathan|5 years ago|reply
Another puff piece for the patent troll king!
[+] [-] dr_dshiv|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jjoonathan|5 years ago|reply
I suppose he genuinely is one, to a degree, but the fact that he made a killing by squeezing actual innovators en masse robs the situation of most of its charm.
[+] [-] thesausageking|5 years ago|reply
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_Ventures
[+] [-] umvi|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] martinesko36|5 years ago|reply