It’s possible you may have managed to avoid ever running into Charlie Brooker’s columns at the Guardian, it being a British newspaper and all. But even if his scathing reviews of UK shows are no longer appearing regularly, there’s a newer piece of Brooker no one should be missing: How TV Ruined Your Life.
This episode is particularly relevant — video inside. → Read More
We’re just a few weeks away from the release of LA Noire on May 17, and today Rockstar has released the game’s third trailer. → Read More
I can’t say I’m all that surprised at Yahtzee’s take on the Pokémon franchise. Of course, it’s not his kind of game, but still. → Read More
This is very, very neat. It’s a portable N64 called the D64 that can actually be used to play multi-player games. Gadget of the year, right here. → Read More
This is an interesting video for anyone who’s ever done black and white photography. I’ve spent my fair share of time in the darkroom, but I wouldn’t say my technique is quite as refined as that of Ansel Adams. Whether you consider his photography wonderful or staid, timeless or out of date, you have to admit that he was a master of the process. This video shows off his personal darkroom and the… → Read More
Take one minute out of your life to watch these two grizzled warriors in a truly epic clash of the Segways. Yeah, I’d probably do that too if I won the lottery.
The rainy bits were shot on a Phantom, by the way. I know how you guys love those. → Read More
All these games are being played by one (virtual) controller sending the same controls to every system. This video, and others like it, is mind-blowing in the truest sense. My brain can’t really even compass what’s going on at any one time, but I know there’s a system behind this madness. → Read More
You might have heard of the da Vinci surgical robot — it’s the state-of-the-art system used by surgeons to operate remotely, and although it’s quite a bulky setup, it’s also nearly as precise as human hands. Seattle surgeon Jim Porter, in order to show off the da Vinci’s capabilities, folds a paper airplane using the system’s little grippers.
Check out the video inside, it’s really quite… → Read More
I think we can all agree that while bass is an important part of most music, there is a limit past which it is pointless to amplify that part of the sound spectrum. This video is about going so far beyond that point that the sound starts being measured in gut punches rather than decibels. That poor phonebook never had a chance. → Read More
Eric over at Photography Bay captured this demo of Adobe’s in-development Photoshop app for iPad on video. It’s way more full-featured than the Photoshop Express already available — if file management was a little easier, this would go a long way towards making my iPad an actual full-powered blogging station.
There’s no release date yet, but I can’t wait. We’ll let you know as soon as we… → Read More
One of the games for Kinect that I’m genuinely excited about is Child of Eden, from the geniuses behind the mesmerizing Rez and Lumines. The system seems just perfect for it, and the aesthetic is… well, just watch the trailer. → Read More
Maybe it’s just the indie snob in me, but I have to say that Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect (oh, and Fallout 3/NV) are some of the most overrated games of all time. So I wasn’t really expecting much from Dragon Age II except a new style and perhaps faster combat. You know, for the kids. → Read More
Crysis 2 and Total War: Shogun 2 have come and gone, so that leaves only a few big PC releases left this year. What you see here is the latest Battlefield 3 trailer, “Get That Wire Cut.” → Read More
Up here in Seattle there’s a band called A Gun That Shoots Knives. That’s a good idea, but until we get the technology for that ultimate weapon worked out, we’re going to have to use A Crossbow That Shoots Machetes. → Read More
The SmartBird, designed by Festo, is an ultra-light flying machine modeled on “herring gulls,” whatever those are (we have “seagulls” here), and it actually flies by flapping its wings as a bird would — not just up and down, either, but twisting at the precise angles that make precise flight possible. → Read More
Kids, this is a really bad idea. I’m hoping these guys at least wore goggles, but considering they decided to break the glass with their bare hands, I don’t think safety was the #1 priority. → Read More
This is really cool. I’m sure those of us with stationary kitchen islands wish we could scoot it out of the way now and then, but even then, where would we put it? This guy, using an iPhone app I don’t recognize, is controlling a lift in a utility room downstairs that lifts that kitchen island right up. → Read More
We all know basically how an LCD works — there’s a backlight, there are pixels, sub-pixels, and so on. But I was unaware of the polarizing crystals and the reasoning behind top-down refreshes. Bill Hammack from the U of Illinois (and one of my favorite video bloggers right now) shows us what’s what in this great video. One thing that was not made clear: what about the difference… → Read More
Microsoft officially released Internet Explorer 9 the other day, and I think it’s fair to say it was reasonably well received. The problem is that so many of the “tech guys” online have such a low opinion of the browser, partially owing to its tortured history, that the reviews all end with something like, “It’s not bad, but it’s IE, so there’s that.” → Read More
You wouldn’t think that a how-to for rigging up a 5D mk II to an old 8mm projector would stand much of an artistic treatment, but James Miller’s little piece has charm to spare. By switching out the projection lens for an element of a Canon 35mm photographic lens (as well as some other stuff, obviously), he’s made a real-time capture tool for 8mm film using common photographer’s tools and a little… → Read More
Bytejacker is a good “layman’s” resource for the indie gaming world: up to date but not esoteric, enthusiastic but not fanboyish, and generally bite-sized, although this week’s episode, in which they hit up GDC, is longer than usual. There’s lots of good stuff, including a few previews of games you know are going to be big, some random good stuff, and even a brief interview with Pixel, who pretty… → Read More
Epic Games showed off a video last week at GDC that reminded people just how much the ancient Xbox 360 hardware is holding back the development of shiny graphics technology. And even though Microsoft has seemingly begun work on its next console, in the near- to medium-term we’ll be looking to the PC for any sort of development when it comes to improvements in graphics technology. (Or did you… → Read More
Researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology are developing a big cloth that’s embedded with capacitive touch sensors. To what end, you ask? The idea is to one day create wearable clothing—is “wearable clothing” redundant?—that “sense[s] what’s happening around the wearer.” → Read More
Nintendo has released a new trailer for Skyward Sword, the next Zelda game for Wii. I have to say, it’s looking better than it did at E3, but maybe that’s because it’s not being controlled live. I do have faith that Nintendo will come up with quite a few interesting sword dynamics — their ingenuity is unlimited when they set their minds to it.
Not exactly looking stunning graphics-wise, but… → Read More
I like the “Western RPG” market – it’s almost a version of the games it creates. Each game has its own unique take on the open world idea, a special way of going about combat that may not agree with every player, and usually a few glaring flaws that some can forgive and some can’t. So choosing a western RPG to like is a bit like playing one — a very personalized affair. → Read More
It may be that filament-based bulbs are on their way out, what with CFLs and LED bulbs taking over, but there’s still a lot to appreciate about the classic tungsten bulb. Apart from how reliable it’s been for the last century, this type of bulb is kind of an engineering win in how the tungsten filament is made.
As always, Bill Hammack’s videos are succinct, interesting, and well-made. Take three… → Read More
Here’s one of the more unique uses of Microsoft’s Kinect. A project called Fabricate Yourself turns the Kinect into a 3D printer of sorts. Well, a 3D modeler for a 3D printer. You’d best follow along with the video. → Read More
This timepiece/piece of art is made by Humans since 1982, a Stockholm design studio apparently composed of people my age, and that seems to specialize in clock-based clocks. I can imagine having this around would be quite mesmerizing, though I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that, since they only are making five.
Check out the video inside. This thing is pretty rad. → Read More
The Japanese Arcade Experience from Strata Studios on Vimeo.
Here’s a success story of the crowdsourced variety. 100 Yen, a documentary project looking at arcade culture in Japan, has garnered all the cash it needs (via IndieGogo) to finish shooting, edit, and distribute their film, and it should get a release this fall. I don’t think you’ll be seeing it at your local multiplex, but I bet your… → Read More
I’ve been looking for an excuse to post a clip from the new sketch comedy show Portlandia, a dead-on parody of the Northwest and modern online life. I just found it. → Read More
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