Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
Timelapze: Optimizing Screen and Camera Timelapse Creation on macOS; From Spectacle to Standard: The 1908 New York to Paris Race and Public Trust in the Automobile3 views
Author
Kaiser, William, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia
Advisors
Forelle, MC, Engineering & Society, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Behl, Madhur, Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Abstract
This thesis portfolio connects a Computer Science technical project with an STS research paper through the broader question of how technologies become useful, trusted, and socially meaningful. The technical project, Timelapze, develops a macOS application for creating efficient screen and camera timelapses by capturing only the frames needed for the final video. Beginning as a Python prototype and later rewritten in Swift using ScreenCaptureKit and AVFoundation, the project achieved major storage reductions, improved color accuracy, and better performance than standard recording workflows. The STS research paper examines the 1908 New York to Paris automobile race as a case study in public trust, arguing that racing helped frame early automobiles as reliable and legitimate through media coverage, promotion, and governance. Together, these projects show that successful technologies depend not only on technical performance, but also on how users and publics understand their purpose, reliability, and value.
Degree
BS (Bachelor of Science)
Keywords
automobile
Rights
All rights reserved by the author (no additional license for public reuse)
Kaiser, William. Timelapze: Optimizing Screen and Camera Timelapse Creation on macOS; From Spectacle to Standard: The 1908 New York to Paris Race and Public Trust in the Automobile. University of Virginia, School of Engineering and Applied Science, BS (Bachelor of Science), 2026-05-08, https://doi.org/10.18130/6n8x-qv88.
