Posts Filed under: Audio/Video

Ultimate 'VideoMan' Suit Lets You Project Movies Anywhere

by Evan Shamoon, posted Dec 5th 2008 at 9:08AM

Not content to simply be in movies, the VideoMan suit is designed to allow you to actually be the movies.

Actually, the real goal of its creators is to put together the ultimate power suit for protesting and rabble-rousing. The rig consists of a video camera, projector, portable battery pack (a big one), power inverters, amplifiers and other noise generators. And makes you look like a ridiculous Ghostbuster.

In theory, we kinda like it. But in the wrong hands -- like someone very annoying with something very annoying to say -- it could be unspeakably dangerous. In other words: Keep this thing away from the Verizon guy. (Yes, we can already hear you now.) [From: Techeblog]

Gift Tip: iFrogz Custom Headphones for iPhone/iPod

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Dec 5th 2008 at 7:48AM

If there's anyone who's raking in the iPhone cash besides Apple, it's the third-party accessory makers. From cases to speakers to, um, telescopes, there is no shortage of add-ons to tailor your iPhone to whatever your needs may be. ifrogz, a fairly well-known Apple accessory and custom-skin maker, hopes to take things to another level, though, with its customizable iPhone/iPod EarPollution headphones.

Starting with your choice of base headphone, you can then customize the color of the bands, side pieces, speakers, and cushions. Then, if you're feeling especially perky, ifrogz allows you to choose from one of a wide assortment of art patterns that overlay the outside shell of the headphones. Of course, if you choose the earbuds as a base, your customization options are more limited.

While the selection of prints isn't too shabby, letting people use their own photos for designs the way Pure Digital's Flip cameras do would surely broaden the headphones' appeal. Our only other issue? There doesn't appear to be a built-in mic or remote on any of the headphones, once again limiting the headphones' appeal, especially to iPhone users. Then again, even Apple's own headphones with mic and remote don't completely support the iPhone (the volume buttons won't work), so maybe the point is moot... [From: Walyou]

Obama Carries a Zune?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 5th 2008 at 6:04AM

Apparently when Obama talks about "change" he means absolutely everything. It's the only way that we can explain the fact that this confirmed Mac user is lugging a Microsoft Zune to the gym. We know that President Bush has an iPod, so the only reason we can figure that the President-elect is using a music player he can't even sync with his computer (Zunes are not yet Mac-compatible) is out of a desire to be different from Bush in every way possible.

To be fair, we don't know that it was his Zune, just that he was spotted with a Zune. But it's just another item we can add to the list of gadgets that Obama apparently keeps on hand. Thankfully, unlike his BlackBerry, we can see no reason why the president would be forced to give up his audio player.

Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are admitted iPod fans, which leads us to believe that Obama really is trying to create a bipartisan administration. Leave it to Obama to prove Microsoft and Mac products can peacefully co-exist.

There has already been speculation that an Obama presidency will spell the end of comedy -- maybe he'll also put an end to the flame wars between Mac and Windows fans. That would be real change. [From: Gizmodo and City Paper]

Dr. Dre-Approved In-ear Headphones Roll Deep for $150

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 4th 2008 at 10:48AM

Seriously, we feel a little more street just by lookin' at these things. The followup to the smashing over-the-head Beats headphones are here, and yes, they deliver sound so big, you'll think you've got speakers in your ears (Dre's words, not ours). They also feature what's touted as the planet's first "tangle-free earphone cable," in-ear noise isolation and a trio of cone tips to ensure the most comfortable fit for every gangster's ear. Get your "ding ding dong... ring-gading ding ding dong" on in one to two weeks for $149.95. Holla.

[Thanks, Robert M.]

Tweeter Site Egregiously Hacked as Company Bows Out

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 4th 2008 at 6:34AM

Not that we haven't seen Web sites hacked in good fun before, but this is downright disturbing. Just hours after getting word that the many faces of Tweeter were all fading away into the sunset (to put it nicely), an apparently disgruntled employee has showcased his / her 1337 hax0r skills by totally transforming Tweeter.com's main page. Let's just say it's less than becoming, but the full screen grab is down below if you care to indulge. Hey, if you're going to burn a bridge, you might as well leave it in ruins, right? [Thanks, Jason]

Weird Experiment Transposes Your 'Body' to Mannequins, Other Folks

by Lee Bains, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 6:46PM

A research team at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has successfully engineered an experiment in which test subjects perceive themselves as occupying bodies other than their own, USA Today tells us.

The study was designed to research technology potentially useful for robotics and the treatment of sensory disorders. Head researcher Henrik Ehrsson told USA Today, "The participants has [sic] a sensory experience of having a new body. They of course realize that it is an illusion, but they can't think it away," he told Science Fair.

With the aid of cameras, and a mechanism that touches the subject's skin and that of the second body simultaneously, the typical test subject -- over the course of the experiments -- perceived himself as being face-to-face with himself transposed into another person's body, as well as a mannequin. The visual-sensory experiment actually had test subjects "shaking their own hands."

While the success of this experiment could be a boon to disabled folks interested in robotic appendages, we suspect it will be some time before science is able to engineer fully functional, sensitive prosthetics. Let alone prosthetics that allow full-fledged bumping and grinding. [From: Science Fair]

Drive Folks of All Ages Away With High-Pitch-Emitting 'Mosquito' Device

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 5:14PM

Tool to Annoy the Youthful Turned on Adults

The Mosquito, a small box designed to irritate young people by emitting a high pitched whine only audible to those 25 years old or younger, is expanding its audience by lowering the pitch to annoy everyone. Great...

Until now, the high-frequency box has been used primarily to keep young hooligans from bothering shopkeepers by loitering. But now that it can be heard by everyone, the box can be used to keep anyone from entering a store. Why anyone would want that we're not exactly sure, but to each his own, right?

The devices may find their way into parking garages and secluded parts of parks where criminals or the homeless might hang around. Of course, we can see this becoming a favorite tool of pranksters everywhere, and it's only a matter of time before one these drives some poor stressed out person to violence. [From: Techdirt]

Mall Displaying Mugshots of Convicted Shoplifters

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 11:01AM

Finding an effective way to deter crime is obviously preferable to stopping a crime in progress. The question is, how do you do it? At home, people bar their windows, put up "Beware of Dog" signs, and conspicuously display security system signage in hopes of scaring off criminals before they commit a crime. But what if you're a shop owner inside a mall? The Staten Island district attorney thinks he has the solution: advertise criminal mugshots on HDTVs throughout the building.

Already in effect at the Staten Island Mall on 11 in-mall displays, district attorney Daniel Donovan used $8000.00 of forfeited criminal money to buy the "ads." By mid-January, the selected mugshots will have been shown over two million times to an uncountable number of shoppers. The company serving the incriminating photos, Adspace Digital Mall Network, owns numerous video displays in 105 malls across 39 cities, so if proven successful, chances are you'll be seeing eye-to-eye with the mugshots of some convicted local criminals.

While we can generally see the benefits of this concept, there are many variables here that have to be taken into consideration. Kara Gotsch, advocacy director of The Sentencing Project, a civil liberties group makes one especially good point: "Their sentence was whatever the judge gave them. This is punishment above and beyond," said Gotsch . "It's stigmatizing these people." Even though Donovon stresses that only chronic cases are getting the ad treatment, don't people deserve the right to start over? [From: WalletPop]

Even With $199 Players, Blu-ray Sales Are Struggling

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 7:25AM

Back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, Blu-ray and HD-DVD coexisted in a competitive market that frustrated consumers with a lack of high-def disc formats. The result was no one really upgrading to either format due to fears of one or the other going obsolete. Then HD-DVD officially gave up, and Blu-ray was declared the winner. Happily ever after, right? Not quite.

According to a study by ABI Research, only 8% of consumers were considering upgrading to Blu-ray players this holiday season due to the cost involved. Not just the cost of the players (which have dropped dramatically over months, all the way down to $199), but the cost of an HDTV, a Blu-ray player, and the more expensive movies combined. Especially when you can now download HD content over the Internet and watch it on your TV with your PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Netflix box, or Vudu player. Given that many people don't care that much for high-def content (yet), or simply don't see much difference between SD and HD content, paying twice as much for a television, player, and movie seems like a waste.

So is Blu-ray out for the count? Maybe not. Let's not forget we're in a struggling economy that will one day get better. Additionally, PlayStation 3 sales have been skyrocketing, automatically giving millions of people a Blu-ray player in their house. Add onto that some DVD-like prices for Blu-ray movies on Amazon, and there's hope for the format yet. Regardless, we still buy physical media every now and then, mostly because digital options (like downloads) have yet to include all the special features included on discs. [From: Boing Boing]

'YouTube Symphony Orchestra' Competition Announced

by Lee Bains, posted Dec 2nd 2008 at 3:56PM

Over the next few months, musicians will use YouTube to compete for a chance to perform at Carnegie Hall.

In conjunction with San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and composer Tan Dun, YouTube executives have given musicians until January 28th to submit their video applications for the opportunity to perform a newly penned Tan symphony, under the direction of Thomas, on the hallowed stage of that grand old hall.

According to the competition's rules, each performer will post two videos to the Web site -- one video highlighting the poster's musical talents, and the other featuring a performance of an original Tan composition.

The entries that make it past a panel of expert judges will be finally selected by a YouTube poll, the winners going on to perform Tan's 'Internet Symphony No. 1 - Eroica' as the 'YouTube Symphony Orchestra' on April 15th.

We know there's one dude in Korea who's desperately hoping there's room in the orchestra for some screamin' leads. [From: AP/MSNBC]

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