
Bert Kersey
Apple II developer, bird fancier
Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Bert Kersey. I am currently shooting, writing and editing an 80-minute video about the birds of California. In my spare time I play with Photoshop. Thirty years ago I was writing and publishing utility software for the Apple II - those were the days.
What hardware do you use?
I have owned only Apples since 1979. I currently use a 2008 17-inch MacBook Pro exclusively. For video editing, it's connected to an Apple external display and a G-Raid 2TB drive. I have backups on various G-Raid and LaCie drives scattered about my property and at a friend's house, just in case.
My wife gets my laptop hand-me-downs and is beginning to whine about her 2006 PowerBook's old-fashionedness.
I shoot birds with a Sony HDR-FX7 HDV camcorder and a Century Optics 2x tele-extender (2400mm, 35mm equivalent). I call wild birds to my camera with an iPod photo connected to a small Radio Shack speaker. It works!
I record narration with an Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone, connected to my Mac.
I drive a 1997 Monaco Dynasty motorhome, which serves as a 30,000 lb. bird blind, recording/editing studio, and mobile hotel room. I'm in it right now, writing this. It's dark out and I sometimes forget where I'm parked.
I pick up internet on the road with a Verizon USB dongle.
And what software?
Sorry, nothing unusual:
- Final Cut Pro
- Soundtrack Pro (for recording narration)
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Excel
- Toast, TextEdit, Mail, Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, iDVD...
- Monster Fair Pinball
What would be your dream setup?
Hey, I used to edit film with scissors and glue, so I'm living my dream right now.
A Mac Pro would speed up video editing, but it wouldn't be practical on the road. Bigger cameras would be better, but HDV is a great lightweight compromise for what I'm doing.
In 1982, I was interviewed by Softalk Magazine and I was asked what a dream setup might be for the future. I went out on a limb and imagined:
- Smaller, less fragile floppy disks (smaller than 5-1/4 inches)
- The ability to do typesetting on my desktop.
- Movies on the printed page.
#1 was introduced in 1984 with the Mac. #2 became a reality in 1986 with the LaserWriter. As for #3, I guess the internet is the next best thing.
So I'm happy with my setup, but a more rugged MacBook Pro case would be much appreciated.