Laser projection creates galloping horse movie on the clouds
A bright green horse was projected across the sky over Nottingham late last month. It wasn’t a Bat-Signal-style projection that was made from a searchlight on the ground. Instead, the silhouette of a rider on a horse was projected directly onto the clouds from a Cessna 172 aircraft that flew over the city in the UK. Artist Dave Lynch created the first of its kind mobile projection with a zoopraxiscope, a movie projector that made its debut back in 1879. He repurposed the historical device and swapped its original light source with a laser for precision and efficiency. The display wasn’t clear from the ground, but viewed from the plane it looked like a horse galloping through the dark clouds.
The original zoopraxiscope was created by Eadweard Muybridge, an English photographer who pioneered and studied motion photography. The device used a slit method and each pocket held a glass disc with an image. When rotated, the sequential images would project the illusion of movement. This method worked well at the time but it created images that were too dim for Lynch’s project. He needed to sustain a projection on the clouds from about 50 meters away. He turned to scientists Mike Nix and Ben Whitaker in the chemistry department at University of Leeds for insight into new laser techniques. “[Laser] gives a sharp focus at any distance which is critical to attempt projection on the nebulas media of clouds at such short range,” Lynch told us. “We also adapted the zoopraxiscope with a series of specially made lenses, which make the 19th century technology [much] more efficient so we can see the projection against the clouds.”
Lynch spent the last three years working on mobile projections. He first thought of it when he read a detailed paper on non-lethal weapons by the US Air Force published in the early ’80s that listed the concept of “Holographic, Prophets.” The idea that the image of an ancient god could be projected over enemy territory as a psychological experiment inspired Lynch to create the projection in the sky. Initially he wanted to create an open source version for artists and activists. But over the years, he became cautious of the implications. “We specifically chose to stay away from the commercial requests, away from logos and social media stunts,” he said. “We all have a relationship to the clouds, the sense of looking up and dreaming, the project is rooted in [those] hopes and dreams.”
Microsoft has $500K in prize money for HoloLens science projects
Microsoft wowed me a few weeks ago with its internal HoloLens programs, but like we’ve seen with Kinect, the coolest uses aren’t always the ones Redmond devised. To help make more applications a reality, the tech giant has opened up what it’s calling the Academic Research Request for Proposals. Five awards — each including $100,000 and two HoloLens development kits — will go to accredited universities and be announced this October 6th. The official reasoning here is that Microsoft wants to “better understand the role and possible applications for holographic computing in society.” So, to see what people outside of the Redmond campus think augmented reality is capable of. Got it. Other objectives include spurring research for mixed reality and generally getting more people to make holograms. A few examples the company lays out are data visualizations (similar to Epic Games) and creating 3D models for medical training.
Microsoft stresses that these proposals need to be absolutely complete and that those submitting them be fully capable of carrying out the research or experiments. From the sounds of it, projects that answer high-value research questions and could be easily published in places like academic journals will curry favor among judges. All that to say, Microsoft isn’t giving any of these awards out lightly. Think your US-based institution has what it takes? Deadline for sign-ups is September 5th.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Wearables, Science, Software, Alt, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft Research
Documentary explains why ‘Shenmue 3’ is a big deal
The Shenmue series represents a milestone in the gaming industry for many fans, a point where console experiences truly took off. The first Shenmue, released in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast, was an immersive, emotional, cinematic role-playing game that expanded the definition of an action experience and pushed existing technology to its limits. A new documentary from filmmaker Adam Sipione and Fauxpop Media, A Gamer’s Journey: The Definitive History of Shenmue, dives into the franchise’s history and explores the recent announcement of Shenmue 3. Series creator Yu Suzuki revealed Shenmue 3 and its $2 million Kickstarter on-stage during Sony’s E3 2015 press conference, and nine hours later, the project had cleanly smashed that goal. Check out the teaser for A Gamer’s Journey, including footage direct from Sony’s E3 showcase and accompanying fan reactions, below.
[Image credit: Fauxpop Media]
Microsoft’s new Tossup app aims to make event planning easier than ever
Microsoft’s Garage team has already created a number of experimental applications for Android, and today we’re getting a good look at what’s next to come from the company. The newest app developed by the Garage is called Tossup, and it’s been designed to make event planning and opinion-gathering much easier.
If you’re appointed the not-so-fun task of figuring out where your friends want to go for drinks after work or for dinner on a particular night, Tossup may help you out with that. You can create polls to get quick “yes” or “no” responses from your friends, and also get opinions on any other topic you can think of. It also has a handy built-in messaging platform so you can share links and get opinions in real-time.
It can oftentimes be quite difficult to get all of your friends or co-workers to weigh in on a particular event, especially when group text messaging doesn’t work extremely well across all platforms and not everyone is too fond of planning events through Facebook. The app is free from the Google Play Store, and actually seems pretty easy to use so far. If you’re interested, head to the Play Store link below for more details.
TiVo gives ex-Aereo customers a break on its cord-cutter DVR
TiVo made no bones about wanting to scoop up Aereo’s former cord-cutter TV business, and that apparently includes many of its viewers. The DVR provider has launched a promo for ex-Aereo customers that gives you a Roamio OTA box, a TiVo Stream and two years of service for no money down and $20 per month. It’s not the hugest deal in the world, and it won’t exactly match what you got under Aereo, but it could help if you’re still hunting for an easy way to watch over-the-air broadcasts on your own terms.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: TiVo
Comedy Central channel starts streaming on Roku
It took a while, but Comedy Central is finally bringing its video content to Roku’s streaming devices. As Variety points out, although the network hasn’t made an official announcement, the channel’s now available for download. You will need a pay-TV subscription to access most of Comedy Central’s on-demand library, however, which includes The Daily Show, Key & Peele, South Park, Broad City and many more shows. That said, cord-cutters won’t be completely left out, since they’ll be able to enjoy the latest episodes of some shows — like The Daily Show, The Nightly Show with Larry More and a few select others. Don’t have it on your Roku player yet? You can install it directly from here.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: Variety
Source: Roku
Helio’s cellphone service comes back to life with a $29 plan
Remember Helio, the virtual carrier that tried to cater to the tech-savvy young crowd (not so successfully) with data-centric plans and rebranded basic phones? It’s baaaack. Ubi Telecom, a mobile company focused on Korean-speaking Americans, has quietly revived the brand as a mostly bring-your-own-device service on Sprint’s network, with Verizon* as a roaming partner. However, it’s definitely not the provider you remember from a decade ago. Service is much cheaper at $29 (tax included!) for unlimited data, text and voice, but that data is capped at a paltry 128Kbps — you won’t be checking out Netflix. The ready-to-go phone catalog is old, too, with the Galaxy S4 being as good as it gets. The resurrected Helio makes sense if you think that even Virgin Mobile’s $35 plans are too rich for your blood, but it won’t trigger those warm, fuzzy nostalgic feelings.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint
Via: TeleGeography, FierceWireless
Source: Helio
YouTube star PewDiePie made $7 million in 2014
Last year around this time, word got out that Felix Kjellberg, a 24-year-old Swedish bro known online as PewDiePie, made $4 million a year by playing video games, recording his reactions and uploading the resulting videos to YouTube. At the time, he had 27 million YouTube subscribers. Today, Kjellberg has 37.7 million subscribers on YouTube and his company, PewDiePie Productions, pulled in roughly $7.5 million in revenue in 2014, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen. It looks like this whole “watch people play video games on the internet” craze is here to stay.
When Kjellberg’s revenue numbers hit last year, he was inundated with questions and messages of incredulity — so many that he did a Reddit AMA to clear the air. He confirmed the $4 million figure and noted that he does charity work alongside his “Let’s Play” gaming videos: “I still spent far more money on charities than anything I’ve ever spent for myself. Which I am proud to say at least.” In June 2014, Kjellberg announced that his bro army (see: fans) had raised more than $1 million for various charities, including the World Wildlife Fund, Save the Children, St. Jude hospital and Charity: Water. In March this year, Charity: Water thanked Kjellberg for helping 10,028 people in Rwanda get access to clean water. Not bad for a band of bros.
Kjellberg’s next big thing is the launch of his book, titled This Book Loves You, a collection of inspirational quotes that he’s said over the years as an online personality. For example: “Don’t be yourself. Be a pizza. Everyone loves pizza.” This Book Loves You is due to drop in October.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, HD
Source: Expressen
Instagram Finally Bringing 1080px Photos to their Android App
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Android users that use Instagram at an almost daily basis for selfies and food porn, know that the quality of photos that get posted from their phone don’t always look as clear once placed in the feed. That’s because the Instagram Android app breaks down the image to 640×640, there by bringing down the quality of the beautiful picture you just took. Androidians will now start seeing the beauty in those food pics and sunsets in 1080×1080, and some users right now have already started receiving the update. Let us know if you got the update already and if there is a significant change in picture quality.
Source: Droid-Life
The post Instagram Finally Bringing 1080px Photos to their Android App appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Apple Retail Stores to Offer Third-Party Accessories in New Apple-Style Packaging
Apple is planning to introduce new co-designed packaging for many of the third-party accessories that it sells in its stores, according to retail store information shared by 9to5Mac. Apple has reportedly been working with several third-party accessory manufacturers on packaging design, helping to create a new look for boxes to better fit in with the packaging that’s used for Apple’s own products.
Companies participating in Apple’s revamped packaging efforts include Tech21, Sena, Incase, Mophie, Logitech, and Life Proof. When these products are sold in Apple Stores, they’ll be sold with simple, no-frills white boxes with minimal labeling as seen in photos.
According to the memo, the packaging will be mostly white to match the Mac, iPhone, and Apple Watch boxes, while they will also include simpler fonts, new photography, higher-quality materials, and more consistent compatibility labeling. This shift is yet another in a string for third-parties that has included new environmental guidelines and a ban on leveraging early iPhone leaks.
Apple’s new head of retail, Angela Ahrendts, has been working to revamp the Apple Store experience in recent months, streamlining the purchasing process and reimagining both product discovery and customer-employee interactions. The packaging redesign is part of a larger effort to overhaul Apple’s in-store accessory lineup, limiting the number of products that are sold for a more refined look.
News of the revamped packaging was first shared by Mac Otakara in June, and a sneak preview of what the accessory sections of Apple’s retail stores might look like can be seen at the company’s Upper East Side store in New York.
Apple’s Upper East Side store, image via Mark Lennihan, Associated Press
Apple Store accessory sections are expected to begin seeing changes starting next week, which is when the new packaging will be introduced.
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