For the spillover
There are moments in which, for whatever reason, being it a scientific discovery, a voyage into the unknown, or somebody’s excessive alcohol intake, humanity advances one step forward into its destiny, a final state of clarity and peace that will take us all to the stars. This moment complies with the three reasons. Ah, you Ms. Spinning Blonde in Jeans you. We love you.
Gabriel Delahaye (of Gabe and Max fame, as seen on Boing Boing tv) has a post up on videogum citing ten great light saber mashups found floating around on the internet.
The Star Wars kid has gotten a lot of shit over the years, mainly because he’s not a professional. He simply didn’t have the training necessary to pull off that fight sequence. On the other hand, there are lots of professionals who do have the training and simply lack the means to wield it. I’m talking about people like Aragorn, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Westley. If somehow you could only put a lightsaber in these fearsome warriors hands…Ugh, blogging. What am I even talking about? Let’s just be ourselves, you guys. I found a bunch of clips on YouTube where people took fight sequences from other movies and overlaid lightsabers on top of them using magic, and they are hilarious, and you’re gonna love it.
Link. #1 is awesome, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
I enjoyed this video of an adorable baby laughing in slow motion, especially the creepy low-pitched laughter. Link (Thanks, Chris!)
June 11th, 2008 — fun
It’s a Wii without the $250 console. It’s virtual Pong and so much more. Any object is now an input device, even your fingers. Bang, bang! But there’s no better way to introduce you to CamSpace than by letting you watch the demo video below:
CamTrax’s core technology is a pure software solution that allows nearly any ordinary PC webcam (95% are supported) to track up to four objects—even as small as 5mm—in real-time and with very high accuracy and reliability. (It works only on Windows). Locking and tracking (X, Y, and Z axes and angle) are all automatic. Yaron Tanne, founder & CEO of CamTrax Technologies, the company behind CamSpace, has been developing the technology practically single-handedly for three years in his apartment in Tel-Aviv.
Tanne claims that most of the algorithms used are in the public domain but have been enhanced. There are also completely new algorithms developed from scratch.
CamSpace requires an agent application to run locally in order to emulate a mouse, a keyboard, joystick, or other input device. Users can then program the emulation based on the game they want to control and the object(s) they want to control the game with. For example, one user could program a steering wheel for a racing game, where moving the wheel on the Z axis shifts the gears up and down. A different user can use two objects for the same game, programming the second object, say a coke bottle, to shift the gears.
Once a good portion of most popular games are emulated, the company will provide a portal where these emulations will be rated based on popularity and then offered for download.
Assuming there are no patent infringement issues, CamTrax could be a hit in several sectors, the most obvious one being gaming. While certainly the big game studios could take advantage of the technology, I can see a wider and quicker adoption among casual gaming entities such as Zynga and SGN. Cam-Trax could also find success in providing solutions for handicap individuals that cannot use standard input devices. Another application would be to emulate multi-touch control over media-centers. Some more ideas:
—Fitness programs using body movements
—Virtual instruments (air drums, xylophone, etc.)
—Drawing “in the air” applications for kids
These are just the tip of the iceberg… Remember, all you need is a standard webcam—that’s a VERY low barrier to entry these days.
I’ve had the chance to play with CamTrax’s technology on several occasions and it works like a charm. This is true even in low and changing light conditions—based on first-hand experience. It really is hard not to be impressed with the technology, especially seeing as it still has Alpha status.
The four-man team recently raised $200,000 in seed financing from angel investors and plans on raising a Series A round in the coming months.
In the meantime, the company is working on a developer platform which will allow the integration of CamTrax technology into casual games and mini-applications. Expect a follow-up post when this happens in the coming weeks.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
June 8th, 2008 — fun
I dare say I've actually been inspired by Lego blocks this morning, and, quite possibly, these classic scenes from human history could make self-described fanatic Jesus Diaz weep—just a little. There's Jeff Widener's 1989 photograph of "The unknown rebel" at Tiananmen square; and Joe Rosenthal's 1945 photograph "Raising the flag on Iwo Jima"; and—especially poignant for this soccer player—even Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal from the 1986 World Cup. For something so toy-like to be so inspiring and thought-provoking is a testament to the creator, a Flickr user known simply as Balakov. A plastic hat tip to you, sir.
June 4th, 2008 — fun
As we continue to fiddle with our own business cards, it was nice to come across a comprehensive list of 70 original and clever designs.
The site features a range of different shapes, sizes and forms, but my favorites are ones that have some sort of interactive or playful feature, like the pull-tab (above left) and scratch-off (below left). Obviously, the most important objective is to get the message across and in that respect some are definitely better than others. Nonetheless, it’s always a fun excercise to see how designers utilize a limited amount of space so have a look for yourself at Fubiz.
via Computerlove
The funnyhunters at Nerve have compiled a list of the 50 greatest commercial parody videos of all time. Above, the ecstasy egg. I could not agree more with their number one choice.
Previously: Fifty greatest comedy sketches of all time
April 28th, 2008 — fun
After Mister Jalopy posted a link to mmk_kobayashi’s “tasteless, frequently mean, sporadically NSFW, sometimes jaw dropping and generally hilarious” Flickr photostream my productivity ground to a halt. Link
April 28th, 2008 — fun
Photo [PPDIGITAL/Flickr]
Every gadget you own needs some kind of mains power. Even if you don’t hook it straight up to the wall, there will be some kind of battery charger involved. Finding enough outlets in your own home can be a chore, but at least all the plugs fit all the outlets. I was reminded of this on a recent jaunt to the UK, home of possibly the most paranoid electrical designs in the world. The first lesson was that you need to take your adapter with you. Almost nobody you visit will have adapters to fit their own country’s sockets. Why would they? All their plugs fit.
Photo [Wikipedia/Public Domain]
The second realization was that there is a second tier for electrical connections. While the World’s wall holes vary, there are a few international standards, exemplified by the Kettle Lead, or IEC connector (seen above) and its close cousins, the two-pin C7 and C8 connectors.
You find these everywhere, from games consoles to tape recorder to laptops and, of course, kettles. Even Apple uses a modified form on its notebook power supplies (if you have an old yo-yo style iBook mains adapter then it’s likely you’ve replaced the notoriously breakable Apple AC cable with a whittled-down C7).
Because these are so common, almost every house has a few spares, meaning that you can hook up to the local supply, even if it temporarily makes you white power brick look less pretty than Cupertino intended.
Britain
Photo [Docklandsboy/Flickr]
Aside from the practicalities of international portability, the differences in design are themselves fascinating and often reflect the national character of the host country. The most extreme example is Britain. In this joyless nation the average citizen can’t be trusted to think for himself. For this reason, standard 240v mains sockets can never be found in a bathroom (and bathroom lights are activated with a ceiling mounted pull-cord). When you get into drier areas of the house, the madness continues. Every UK socket has an Earth (or Ground) pin, and the three prong design means that the plug can only go in one way. You can still squeeze a two-pin plug in there, but it wobbles in a way that would strike fear into the most carefree Englishman.
It doesn’t stop there. Each and every socket has its own power switch. Even some power strips come with individual breakers. If you don’t think that the UK government interferes in every tiny part of its citizens lives, then consider a public service film that was shown there back in the seventies. In it, homeowners are warned to not only switch all appliances off at the wall before going to bed, but to unplug them, too. Failure to do so would result in electrical fires and death, joyfully illustrated by the scaremongering TV spot.
Other countries are more lackadaisical in their approach. In Spain, you’ll find mains power inches from the kitchen and bathroom sinks, with no way of isolating them. Some appliances requiring a Ground line can’t be fitted into groundless sockets, but that’s as far as the safety goes. For frequent travelers, it becomes clear quickly that people are very similar all around the World. It is these little, unnoticed and mundane, every-day pieces of public design that are one of the constant surprises for the globetrotter.
China
Photo [kenner116/Flickr]
Australia
Photo [Alikai/Flickr]
South Africa
Photo [Joi/Flickr]
Chile
Photo [César Rincón/Flickr]
Mexico
Photo [ZeroOne/Flickr]
Denmark
Photo [plindberg/Flickr]
Please point us to any more Creative Commons pictures, or tell us about any weird power cord conventions in the comments.
Further reading
Domestic AC power plugs and sockets [Wikipedia]
April 3rd, 2008 — fun
My friend Jennifer Brown scanned this fantastic photo shot by her neighbor of his desk, circa 1983. The Return of the Jedi promotional glass set from Burger King is a perfect touch. Link to bigger picture
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