tech


adobe light field multi lense

As a designer, I’ve come to love, breath, and sketch through photoshop and illustrator because of Adobe! Besides their awesome software, Adobe’s recently uncovered a fascinating bug-like multi-lense product that snaps pics at various depths, allowing photographers to later decide the focal length. Basically, it gives 2 dimensional images a 3rd dimension….best part is that it’s an attachment, so, no new camera, just a new component to latch onto your gear to take some sweet images. Watch the video above which will give you a better sense of this awesomeness!

via PopSci
Video

LiveScribe

“The smartpen is an advanced paper-based computer, with audio and visual feedback, processing capabilities, and built-in memory storage for handwriting capture, audio recording and applications. Users can capture and sync audio recordings to their handwritten notes and replay audio segments by tapping on what they wrote. The captured notes and audio in the smartpen can then be uploaded via docking station to a PC where they can be replayed, saved, searched or sent to others.

“The Livescribe platform takes paper-based technology to a radical new level, integrating software applications with physical paper,” said Rodney Brooks, Director of MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. “I see the smartpen as just the beginning for a new class of device with almost unlimited potential.”

Reminds me of a concept I had way back in college, but hey, at least it’s real now to some extent.. very cool none the less.

Video Demo
LiveScribe webpage.($149, out late march)

Evolution Weekend Links

I learned this week that 1 lump of coal equals 1 meg of data sent over the internet. Having this in mind, I sure do burn lots of lumps of energy on the net.

Evolution image above here.
Odd: Son’s tooth help saves dad’s sight.
Fun: Mouse Trap Bed.haha.
Tech: Flickr enables Geo Tagging. Pretty simple to use!
Design: Creating a creative culture.
Style: Ceramic paper like cup.
Neat: Brightness Illusions.
Art: Self-Portrait Competition.
Experience: Villa Eugénie Runway designs!

192021.org   world information RSW
19 Cities in the world with 20 Million people in the 21st Century.

Richard Saul Wurman, TED founder and now EG creator, just gave a glimpse at a pretty cool project at 192021.org.

“While some say the world is flat, supercities are rising – vast, intensely urban hubs will radically redefine the world’s future macroeconomic and cultural landscape. Most of the world’s population right now lives and works in cities. Many more will. It’s critical to gain a truer understanding of what’s happening: the rise of supercities is the defining megatrend of the 21st century.

The mission of 19.20.21 is a multi year, multimedia initiative to collect, organize, and better understand populations effects regarding urban and business planning and its impact on consumers around the world. This 5+year initiative will deliver results via 5 channels: web (including mobile), television (broadcast and cable), print (magazines, books, and atlases), exhibits and seminars (virtual and onsite). This project will included 10 worldwide partners.”

Very interesting read. Give it a glimpse, it’ll take 2 minutes. I’m pretty excited about this project. If you want to help out, send them a note!

www.192021.org

This is a first from what I know.. a TEDtalk available the day after the actual talk! Awesome! Hopefully this trend keeps up, besides the free LIVE session later today.

“Science educator Roy Gould and Microsoft’s Curtis Wong give an astonishing sneak preview of Microsoft’s new WorldWide Telescope — a technology that combines feeds from satellites and telescopes all over the world and the heavens, and builds a comprehensive view of our universe. (Yes, it’s the technology that made Robert Scoble cry.) Download this TEDTalk in high-def >>

via TED

TED’s opening one entire session to the public, and it just so happens to be one of the best sessions each year, the TED Prize!.

“Join a global audience and watch online as the 2008 TED Prize winners, Dave Eggers, Neil Turok and Karen Armstrong, share their inspiring visions, followed by the moving and infectious music of Vusi Mahlasela.

It will be an evening of big ideas, bold plans and audacious wishes — and you’ll hear ways to help grant their wishes right away!

Click here for the live feed, Thursday, February 28, starting at 5:15pm US/Pacific time >>

BIL Conference 2008
For those of you lucky and unlucky enough to attend the TED conference this year check out the BIL Conference, which takes place right after TED this weekend, March 1-2, along with some awesome speakers joined by many TEDsters and the best part is that it’s FREE! Yes, it’s free to go as long as you can get yourself to Monterey somehow.

The idea is simple. BIL loves TED. But not everyone can go/afford TED, hence why not make a free wiki conference right after TED called BIL for anyone to go to.
Read more about it here along with their many Wiki’s. Awesome!!!!!!

I’m not sure what to expect, but I looooove the idea. If you make it, let me know what it’s like…sounds very spontaneous, relaxing, fun, and lots of goofy smart people starting a mini Burning man for ideas in Monterey. =)

I gave Hulu.com a quick test run this weekend and I must admit, it’s pretty awesome and addictive! (the hilarious SNL Natalie Portman rapping video above) Sure there’s Joost, Veoh, Miro, Youtube, DailyMotion, and direct online streams from ABC, NBC, FOX, and several other networks, but hey, besides appearing like a lowercase web2.0 Hulk logo at first, it’s pretty clean, simple, and fun. They even have HD streams! One nice Hulu feature is embedding videos or even sections in a video, though you can’t embed a playlist of videos yet.

Hulu does have a few short commercials throughout their streams, but thus far it hasn’t distracted me much. I’ve only had one brief pause in a video unlike my horrible Joost experience, but maybe that’ll change once Hulu gets out of Beta in late March.

Anywy, I’ve embedded a few videos from Chef Gordon Ramsey’s feisty reality show “Kitchen Nightmares” which I’ve found very entertaining and a nice kick in the butt to fix your business and get rid of the lazy ones. He really shouts the crap outta you to be successful and make change!

Also, I’ll add a few movies! (Sideways, October Sky, Weekend at Bernie’s)

Videos after the jump (meaning, after you click “read the rest of the story”)

Hulu.com(I’ll have a more in depth review down the road)

Continue Reading

lamp bar sketches weekend links

This has been an odd week, of rescheduling then un-scheduling, hence, busy for no reason in the end. Makes you really appreciate people with concrete answers, directions, over the ones that can’t make decisions.

Tech: Building the perfect laptop(Lenovo x300). Great read on the process and obstacles.
Odd: Expensive High Heels without the heel!
Neat: How to be unidentified by a camera using an invisible light.
Cool: Self-Healing Rubber…Kind of like Silly Putty.
Music: FiddleFoxx…a fast paced fiddle crew with a beat boxer!
Video: How people from different nations count cash. How do you count your cash?
Fashion: Project Runways fashion walks during Fashion Week.
Nature: One crazy swimming pool location over Victoria Falls, with video.
Art: One HUGE panoramic image of London.
Music Video: Making music from 2 iphone and one DS.

SpeakLike Im translation

SpeakLike, the first instant messaging(IM) service for accurate, real-time translation chat across different languages. You type text in your language, and others see it in theirs.

Very cool idea…though they are using real people for now to accurately translate in real-time. I’m sure computers will accurately do this down the road, otherwise, those real-time phone translators we all saw in those AT&T commercials in the 90’s should be coming soon.. I’ve seen a few in action.

FYI: Blahblahfish is a pretty hilarious site that translates English to another language and back again for some rather messed up sentences.

via Springwise
SpeakLike