Panorama apps for smartphones have been around for a while, but this one adds a new spin to things: in addition to being able to create entire 360 degree wraparounds, one can also look up and down in the pictures (like you can on locations on Google Maps, right?).
What's more, it's free. I'm gonna get it. Maybe I'll let you guys know how it is.
Check out the article here!
-Kevin
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Stalker Protection
I guess this isn't exactly hot off the press, as I have had friends that have told me about this app for a while now, but it's still pretty cool.
It's called TrapCall, and essentially your smartphone can find out who is calling you from a blocked number, create a fake voicemail saying that your phone has been disconnected if you decide not to pick up, and even block incoming calls from that person.
Not to toot my own horn, but I've had some stalkers before, and this seems interest.
Unfortunately, it's five dollars a month, so I won't be buying. But maybe you guys will!
Check out the full article and video here.
It's called TrapCall, and essentially your smartphone can find out who is calling you from a blocked number, create a fake voicemail saying that your phone has been disconnected if you decide not to pick up, and even block incoming calls from that person.
Not to toot my own horn, but I've had some stalkers before, and this seems interest.
Unfortunately, it's five dollars a month, so I won't be buying. But maybe you guys will!
Check out the full article and video here.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Oh, the wondrous relationship of physics and music. Check it out: http://gizmodo.com/#!5788372/massive-xylophone-constructed-in-the-woods-to-sell-japanese-cellphone
My favorite part is how they had the secondary balls roll out from the side onto the other tracks to do the trills on the long notes. That is dedication right there. And for a cell phone?
Also, I think it's funny that the blogger who wrote the article is skeptical of its authenticity. It's pretty obvious from the video/audio lineup that it is authentic. Honestly, I think it would be harder to replicate something like that in post production than just get out there and do it.
I'm not saying that what they are doing wasn't difficult and time-consuming, but it is something that can very definitely be done. I just really enjoy the creativity of all of it.
Go Japan!
-Kevin
My favorite part is how they had the secondary balls roll out from the side onto the other tracks to do the trills on the long notes. That is dedication right there. And for a cell phone?
Also, I think it's funny that the blogger who wrote the article is skeptical of its authenticity. It's pretty obvious from the video/audio lineup that it is authentic. Honestly, I think it would be harder to replicate something like that in post production than just get out there and do it.
I'm not saying that what they are doing wasn't difficult and time-consuming, but it is something that can very definitely be done. I just really enjoy the creativity of all of it.
Go Japan!
-Kevin
Friday, March 11, 2011
Finally...
I never really thought of this before I read Gizmodo's article about it, but one thing that doesn't seem to have evolved in the past decade is the jukebox.
Sure, they are still around, but it seems like they are more of an homage to the past than a convenient way to play music at an establishment. This all may change, however, with the new Virtuo Jukebox.
It's not that the technology is anything ridiculously innovative or anything, but I just find it a little strange that something hasn't been around like this prior to now, especially with all of the touch-screen technology that has been around for quite a while now.
Oh well. I'll pay fifty cents to have a song played through a neat looking touch screen.
Sure, they are still around, but it seems like they are more of an homage to the past than a convenient way to play music at an establishment. This all may change, however, with the new Virtuo Jukebox.
It's not that the technology is anything ridiculously innovative or anything, but I just find it a little strange that something hasn't been around like this prior to now, especially with all of the touch-screen technology that has been around for quite a while now.
Oh well. I'll pay fifty cents to have a song played through a neat looking touch screen.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
ALEENS
I'll actually go ahead and summarize this one, because the article is rather long:
Scientist named Dr. Richard B. Hoover discovered fossilized organisms at the bottom of a lake in California that he is claiming to be extraterrestrial. Basically, at one point, it was alien bacteria.
He found this fossilized bacteria inside of fragments of extremely rare meteorite, and if his studies on the fossils prove correct, the organisms did not require nitrogen when they were still living. Which mean, of course, they are alien.
The doctor's credibility is somewhat up for question, though, as he has made similar claims before and has been shot down. However, this time, a hundred scientists are analyzing his research, findings, and writings before any of his claims get published.
Sure, it's not the same as having a full-blown alien invasion, and I'm a little skeptical of all of this in general, but something inside me hopes that this actually does end up being a big deal.
Check out the full article with all of the terms and citations here.
-Kevin
Scientist named Dr. Richard B. Hoover discovered fossilized organisms at the bottom of a lake in California that he is claiming to be extraterrestrial. Basically, at one point, it was alien bacteria.
He found this fossilized bacteria inside of fragments of extremely rare meteorite, and if his studies on the fossils prove correct, the organisms did not require nitrogen when they were still living. Which mean, of course, they are alien.
The doctor's credibility is somewhat up for question, though, as he has made similar claims before and has been shot down. However, this time, a hundred scientists are analyzing his research, findings, and writings before any of his claims get published.
Sure, it's not the same as having a full-blown alien invasion, and I'm a little skeptical of all of this in general, but something inside me hopes that this actually does end up being a big deal.
Check out the full article with all of the terms and citations here.
-Kevin
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sci-fi Space Movies Finally Come into Fruition
Before I say anymore, check out this video on Blogger.
Now, if I heard the lady at the end of the video correctly, it seemed like she was implying that this isn't even the finished product. They haven't even designed things like facial expressions and wrinkles yet. And yet...
It still looks so realistic!
Maybe this isn't the largest technological innovation that I have stumbled across in recent years (maybe this has even been a long time coming), but the realism portrayed in the generated face in that video is uncanny.
I look forward to seeing where this one goes.
-Kevin
Now, if I heard the lady at the end of the video correctly, it seemed like she was implying that this isn't even the finished product. They haven't even designed things like facial expressions and wrinkles yet. And yet...
It still looks so realistic!
Maybe this isn't the largest technological innovation that I have stumbled across in recent years (maybe this has even been a long time coming), but the realism portrayed in the generated face in that video is uncanny.
I look forward to seeing where this one goes.
-Kevin
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Planet Humungo
So there's a new planet. Four times larger than Jupiter. And we can't see it because of a cloud nebula that it is hiding behind.
This really just goes to show the massive things that we can discover with seemingly minor technological innovations. If we are discovering planets that are much larger than the biggest planet in our solar system now, what will happen next? Interesting stuff, in my opinion.
To read about the details, go here
This really just goes to show the massive things that we can discover with seemingly minor technological innovations. If we are discovering planets that are much larger than the biggest planet in our solar system now, what will happen next? Interesting stuff, in my opinion.
To read about the details, go here
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Holy Balls...
I am honestly a little speechless. Watch this video and you may feel the same.
Summary: a bunch of people played a really big dodgeball game and got a Guinness World Record for the biggest game of dodgeball ever. And they captured it in 360 video.
The intriguing part for me beyond the epic scope of this game is the interactive video that they allow the viewer to be a part of. I hope that more live events in the future can be put on the internet in this way; I think that it is quite awesome. I can only imagine the precision of alignment it must take to get a perfect 360 degree shot for this sort of thing.
Hope you guys enjoy the video!
Summary: a bunch of people played a really big dodgeball game and got a Guinness World Record for the biggest game of dodgeball ever. And they captured it in 360 video.
The intriguing part for me beyond the epic scope of this game is the interactive video that they allow the viewer to be a part of. I hope that more live events in the future can be put on the internet in this way; I think that it is quite awesome. I can only imagine the precision of alignment it must take to get a perfect 360 degree shot for this sort of thing.
Hope you guys enjoy the video!
Monday, February 7, 2011
I Wish I Didn't Live in a Hologram...
Last class, we were discussing technology that could alter peoples' states of mind to convince them they were in a simulated universe. Dr. Carter posed an interesting question to me: what is reality?
Well, Dr. Carter, I've been trying to figure that out. I watched this video (can't post the full video in this post), and honestly...
I'm not sure any of it was too revelational. It was moderately interesting, though. My curiosity was piqued in a couple of sections, including how three dimensions can be represented in two.
Either way, I guess I'm going to stay conservative on this one for now, and to quote the man at 3:30 in the video, reality is "the set of things we know to be the case." Like this website. And my fingers that are typing it.
-Kevin
Well, Dr. Carter, I've been trying to figure that out. I watched this video (can't post the full video in this post), and honestly...
I'm not sure any of it was too revelational. It was moderately interesting, though. My curiosity was piqued in a couple of sections, including how three dimensions can be represented in two.
Either way, I guess I'm going to stay conservative on this one for now, and to quote the man at 3:30 in the video, reality is "the set of things we know to be the case." Like this website. And my fingers that are typing it.
-Kevin
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wish I Was a Good Photographer...
Chris Kostiopoulos took a really good picture.
Ever heard of time-lapse photography? I think he just won. Look at the picture here and read about the details of exactly how he did it, and what exactly is in the shot. Freakin' cool.
While I have never really been a photographer, I have a lot of friends who are photography majors here at UCM, and I've acquired at least an eye for good photography. This picture just blows me away.
I think the fact that we can transcend our boundaries to linear time in a snapshot is more of a phenomenon than most people realize; before this, nobody could come even close to conjuring something of this magnitude.
Gaze and wonder; I'm going to make this my wallpaper.
-Kevin
Monday, January 24, 2011
Don't Record the Cops. Don't do it.
At least not in Illinois.
I live in St. Louis about 10 minutes away from the Illinois state line, and actually had the "opportunity" to work over the border for a year. While being there, I heard countless stories of the anal police officers in Illinois, and actually had an opportunity to get pulled over by who seemed to be the angry gremlin leader of them all.
So yeah. I have a bit of a bias going into this; it's probably the reason I'm blogging about this in the first place.
Anyways, APPARENTLY, any audio or video recording of a police officer in the state of Illinois qualifies one for a felony charge and up to fifteen years in prison. For recording a cop.
Now, I respect authority, and I obey authority, and I don't even like to be the one making this snarky blog that could possibly be disrespecting police officers (if you want to call the ones in Illinois that), but this just sounds fishy. If I were a keeper of the law, I would expect to behave with conduct that would show people how awesome I was if I happened to be recorded by someone that I pulled over.
Either way, I just find this funny that this is happening in Illinois, of all places.
One last note, the recording of a police officer about five minutes away from my house (in Missouri, thankfully) helped the public become aware of this and helped shut down an entire corrupt municipal. I am grateful for that, and feel like it should be our right to keep those protecting us in check. That is all.
Check it out here. Later
I live in St. Louis about 10 minutes away from the Illinois state line, and actually had the "opportunity" to work over the border for a year. While being there, I heard countless stories of the anal police officers in Illinois, and actually had an opportunity to get pulled over by who seemed to be the angry gremlin leader of them all.
So yeah. I have a bit of a bias going into this; it's probably the reason I'm blogging about this in the first place.
Anyways, APPARENTLY, any audio or video recording of a police officer in the state of Illinois qualifies one for a felony charge and up to fifteen years in prison. For recording a cop.
Now, I respect authority, and I obey authority, and I don't even like to be the one making this snarky blog that could possibly be disrespecting police officers (if you want to call the ones in Illinois that), but this just sounds fishy. If I were a keeper of the law, I would expect to behave with conduct that would show people how awesome I was if I happened to be recorded by someone that I pulled over.
Either way, I just find this funny that this is happening in Illinois, of all places.
One last note, the recording of a police officer about five minutes away from my house (in Missouri, thankfully) helped the public become aware of this and helped shut down an entire corrupt municipal. I am grateful for that, and feel like it should be our right to keep those protecting us in check. That is all.
Check it out here. Later
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