Tuesday, 31 March 2026

When It’s NOT the Computer… It’s the Switch!

We’ve all been there…

Web pages won’t load.
Emails refuse to send.
Everything feels just a bit broken.

So what do we do?

Reboot the computer.

Of course.

I did exactly that… and guess what?
Still broken.

Some pages would load. Others wouldn’t. Emails sat there stubbornly in the outbox like a dinghy stuck head-to-wind on a windless Thames.

At this point, it’s tempting to blame:

The computer
The browser
The email software
Or even “the internet” (whatever that means!)

But here’s the thing…

The Real Culprit: The Network Switch

After a bit of digging (and resisting the urge to throw the mouse overboard), I traced the issue back to the network switch.

Now, switches are one of those bits of kit we:

Install once
Hide away
Completely forget about

Until they go wrong.

And when they do go wrong… things get weird:

Some websites work ✔️
Others don’t ❌
Emails half-send
Connections drop randomly

Sound familiar?

The Fix

Simple.

Reboot the switch.

That’s it.

Within seconds:

All web pages loaded properly
Emails sent instantly
Network back to normal

Problem solved.

Takeaway

Before blaming your computer:

👉 Check the whole system
👉 Think about what connects everything together
👉 And don’t forget the humble switch

Monday, 30 March 2026

To Do Lists, Life Management… and Do Apps Like Notion Actually Help?

We all love a good to do list.

There’s something deeply satisfying about writing down “Fix the boat seat”, “Edit YouTube video”, “Prepare A-Level lesson”… and then promptly ignoring half of it while making a cup of tea.

But in recent years, the humble scrap of paper has been replaced by a growing army of apps—one of the most popular being Notion.

So… do these tools actually help, or are they just another way to procrastinate?

The Old School Method (Paper & Chaos)

A paper to-do list has some real advantages:

Quick and simple
No login, no distractions
Very satisfying to cross things off

But…

Easy to lose
No reminders
No long-term organisation
That one important note is always on the wrong piece of paper

Sound familiar?

Enter Notion (and Friends)

Apps like Notion try to solve all of this by putting your entire life into one place.

You can:

Create task lists, calendars, and reminders
Build databases (students, lessons, sailing projects…)
Track progress over time
Link everything together (notes, videos, plans)

In theory… it’s brilliant.

In practice… it depends how you use it.

The Big Advantage: SYSTEMS

The real power of tools like Notion isn’t the list…

…it’s the system behind the list.

For example, you could build:

A lesson planning tracker for GCSE & A-Level students
A video production pipeline (idea → filming → editing → upload)
A boat maintenance log (because something always needs fixing…)
A content calendar for your daily blog and social posts

Now instead of random tasks, you have a workflow.

The Big Trap: Productivity Procrastination

Here’s the honest truth…

You can spend hours building the perfect system
…instead of actually doing the work.

Classic signs:

Colour coding everything
Designing the “perfect dashboard”
Rebuilding your system for the third time this week
Watching YouTube videos on “How to be productive” instead of being productive

At this point, the app has become the hobby.

What Actually Works (From Experience)

A simple hybrid approach works best:

1. Daily Simplicity

Write 3–5 key tasks for the day
Whether on paper or digital

2. Use Notion for Structure

Long-term projects
Reusable systems
Tracking progress

3. Keep It Lean

If it takes longer to manage the system than do the task… simplify it

A Practical Example (Your Kind of Workflow)

For your setup, something like this works very well:

Notion
- Blog ideas list
- Sailing project tracker (Vanessa restoration?)
- Tuition lesson plans
- Video production workflow
Simple Daily List
- Today’s filming
- Edit one video
- Post blog + social
- Respond to students

Best of both worlds.

Final Thoughts

Apps like Notion can be incredibly powerful…

…but only if they help you do more, not just plan more.

At the end of the day:

A messy list that gets done beats a perfect system that doesn’t.

Getting the Shot – It’s All About Camera Placement

Having a camera with you on a boat is one thing…
Actually capturing the action? That’s a completely different challenge.

Anyone who has ever come back from a sail thinking “that was brilliant!”… only to discover they’ve filmed 2 hours of their own elbow… will understand exactly what I mean.

Why Placement Matters More Than the Camera

It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a GoPro, a Insta360, or even a high-end DSLR — if it’s pointing the wrong way, it’s useless.

On a moving boat, everything changes:

Direction
Heel angle
Wind
Spray
Crew movement

So your camera needs to be:
👉 Secure
👉 Well-positioned
👉 Thought through before you leave the mooring

Popular Camera Positions on a Sailing Boat

1. Mast Mount – The “Classic Sailing Shot”

This is the go-to shot for a reason.

Pros:

Shows the whole boat and crew
Great for analysing sailing technique
Captures sail trim, tacking, gybing

Cons:

Can miss facial expressions
Needs secure mounting (and a backup tether!)

💡 Tip: Angle slightly down and aft — too high and you’ll just film sailcloth.

2. Stern Mount – The “Chase Cam”

Perfect for capturing the crew working and the boat powering forward.

Pros:

Great storytelling shot
Shows helm + crew interaction
Excellent for YouTube content

Cons:

Can get soaked
May miss what’s happening ahead

💡 Tip: Combine with a forward-facing camera for a full story.

3. Bow Mount – The “Into the Action Shot”

This is where things get exciting — spray, speed, and drama.

Pros:

Incredible sense of speed
Captures waves and spray
Great for social clips

Cons:

Risk of water damage
Can be unstable

Tip: Use waterproof kit (this is where the Olympus Tough shines).

4. 360 Camera – The “Set and Forget”

Honestly, this is becoming the game changer.

Pros:

Capture everything
Reframe later in editing
No need to aim perfectly

Cons:

More editing time
Can look less “cinematic” if overused

Tip: Mount centrally (mast or boom) for best results.

The Real Secret: Think Like a Director

Before you even leave shore, ask yourself:

What story am I telling?
Who is the focus — helm, crew, or boat performance?
Do I want drama, instruction, or memories?

Because random camera placement = random footage.

Lessons Learned (the Hard Way…)

From experience (and plenty of unusable footage):

✔ One well-placed camera beats three badly placed ones
✔ Always use a safety tether (gravity always wins)
✔ Check angles before launching
✔ Batteries and memory cards matter more than you think

Final Thought

You can spend thousands on cameras…
…but if it’s pointing at your buoyancy aid for two hours…

You’ve just made the world’s most expensive documentary about fabric.

Sunday, 29 March 2026

Creating 360° VR Videos – Step Inside the Story

There was a time when filming meant pointing a camera at something and hoping the viewer looked in the right place.

Now… we don’t even tell them where to look.

Welcome to the wonderfully disorientating world of 360° VR video, where your audience can look left, right, up, down—and occasionally completely miss the point you were trying to make. Perfect for sailing videos, slightly terrifying for teaching!

What is a 360° VR Video?

A 360° video captures everything around the camera at once. When viewed:

On a phone → you drag the screen
On a computer → you click and pan
In a VR headset → you look around naturally

It’s the closest thing we have to saying:
“Here, you take control of the camera.”

The Gear – Keep It Simple

You don’t need a Hollywood budget. In fact, simplicity is key.

Typical setup:

A 360 camera (like the Insta360 X3 or GoPro MAX)
A small pole or mount (often magically disappears in editing)
Spare batteries (you will need them!)

For sailing, I tend to:

Mount the camera above head height
Keep it central (so the stitch lines behave)
Avoid putting it where ropes, sheets, or enthusiastic crew will knock it off

Why 360° is Brilliant for Sailing

Traditional video shows what you think matters.
360° video shows what actually happens.

That means:

Viewers can watch sail trim AND helm movement
They can see mistakes (including yours… unfortunately)
It’s perfect for teaching manoeuvres like tacking and gybing

And for those learning to sail at 65+…
You can pause, look around, and replay without getting wet.

The Challenges (or “Why is everything wonky?”)

360° video is not just “press record and relax.”

Common problems:

Stitch lines – where the camera joins images
Camera placement – too low = lots of deck, too high = floating drone effect
You can’t hide – the camera sees EVERYTHING (including the biscuit stash)
Viewer distraction – they might look the wrong way at the key moment

And my personal favourite:
Spending hours editing… only to realise you were standing in shot the entire time.

Editing – Where the Magic Happens

Editing 360° footage is different—but not difficult once you get used to it.

Software like DaVinci Resolve allows you to:

Reframe shots (turn 360 into normal video clips)
Add titles that stay “locked” in space
Stabilise footage (very useful on a boat!)
Export for YouTube VR

A useful trick:
Create BOTH versions

A full 360° interactive video
A “director’s cut” normal video for social media

Teaching with 360° Video

This is where it gets really exciting (teacher hat firmly on).

Imagine:

A physics experiment where students can walk around the setup
A chemistry lab where they can “stand” next to the reaction
A sailing lesson where they can choose to watch helm, crew, or sails

It turns passive watching into active exploration.

Final Thoughts

360° VR video is not about replacing normal video.
It’s about adding a new dimension—literally.

It works best when:

The environment matters
There are multiple things happening at once
You want the viewer to feel present

And on a sailing boat?
It’s about as close as you can get without handing them the tiller.

Saturday, 28 March 2026

DaVinci Resolve 20 – Keeping Up With the Editing Arms Race

Every time I sit down to edit a video in DaVinci Resolve, I’m greeted with the same feeling:

“Ah… yes… everything has changed again.”

Not broken. Not worse. Just… more.

And if you blink, you’ve missed three updates, two new panels, and something powered by AI that claims it can edit your entire video while you make a cup of tea ☕ (it can’t… but it’s trying).

🎥 What’s New (and Actually Useful)

1. AI is Everywhere (Whether You Asked for It or Not)

Resolve 20 leans heavily into AI tools:

Object tracking that actually works (most of the time…)
Auto masking that saves hours
Smart reframing for different aspect ratios (useful for your X / Instagram posts)

For sailing videos or lab demos, this is gold:

Track a boat automatically
Highlight a moving experiment
Reframe for vertical video without re-editing everything

2. Editing is Faster (Once You Find the Buttons Again)

They’ve improved:

Timeline responsiveness
Multi-cam editing
Clip organisation

Which is brilliant… once you work out where everything has moved to this time.

3. Colour Grading Still Reigns Supreme

Resolve is still king when it comes to colour:

Node-based grading gives you full control
Better HDR tools
Improved LUT workflows

For those cloudy Thames sailing days (which is… most of them), this is essential.

4. Audio (Fairlight) Gets Even Better

The Fairlight page now feels like a full studio:

Cleaner audio tools
Better noise reduction
Easier mixing

Useful when:

The wind is howling
The outboard is humming
And your “clear explanation” sounds like it was recorded inside a kettle

⚙️ The Reality: Learning Never Stops

Here’s the honest truth:

You never “learn” Resolve.

You just become slightly less confused than last week.

And that’s fine.

Because each new feature:

Saves time
Improves quality
Lets you do things that were impossible a year ago

🚤 From Lab to Boat to Studio

For what we do at Philip M Russell Ltd:

Teaching videos
Sailing footage
Experiment demonstrations

Resolve 20 means:

Faster turnaround
Better visuals
More engaging content

And yes… a few more hours clicking around thinking:

“I’m sure that button used to be over there…”

🎯 Final Thought

If you’re not updating your tools, you’re falling behind.

But if you are updating them…

You’ll spend half your life learning where everything has gone.

Still worth it 👍