Hey!
Who's that hiding in the background trying to look interested?!
Actually - I did learn quite a bit.
Learning how to solder surface mount components... you would not believe how incredibly SMALL those parts are. Not made for fat fingered dudes like me... but somehow I managed to get it to work. Really glad I went.
Some folks don't like the new firewall in 10.5
They recommend using waterroof - a front end for ipfw tables. (which are still in 10.5 like they were in 10.4)
Just to remind myself of where to download it from.
I am a big fan of the radio show "This American Life" - I have been for a while. Sometimes it's sad, sometimes it's silly, but for the most part it's usually very interesting. My mom, dad, daughter, and I still laugh about the squirrel who gets stuck in an attic, and how hard the police try to help get it out, and how wrong that scenario turns out.
Perhaps needless to say, I was thrilled when they started offering a free podcast (iTunes link) of the show. Now, even though Sirius dropped PRI from it's lineup (boo!), I can still listen to TAL every week.
For a long time now, I've thought about creating a TV show that was like TAL, except with pictures. So imagine my surprise when I see that they've finally decided to make their own TV show. They've posted some trailers for it up on their site, and I watched them and am now even more excited. Their vision for the show was way better than mine.
The cinematography looks amazing, and the glimpses of the stories they show look like they are 100% the same that are on the radio. I can't wait to watch these when the get on the air.
The only trouble is that I don't really watch TV anymore. I stopped so I could have more time to do other things. I also don't have a subscription to Showtime - and I don't see that changing anytime soon. So, for now, I'll just know that there is a TV show out there that I would like to watch... maybe I'll watch for the torrent, or just wait for the inevitable DVD to come out, and watch them then.
I have been reading the blog 'All manner of distractions' for several weeks now. And have been amazed watching someone use processing to create visuals... but today he threw it over the top for me. In his post http://www.flight404.com/blog/?p=49 he shows how he is using his new jazz mutant lemur to control some of these processing visuals.
Check out this other work he did with processing... it is also enthralling.
http://www.flight404.com/p5/magnets3_3D/
Man, I would like to know how to work with processing.
I would like to be able to create that kind of artwork. It is beautiful and inspiring.
I always tend to get trapped in the details of programming languages, so I haven't yet started trying to get my head around it - but, wow, what an inspiration. Given that he's been working on this type of animation for 4 years gives me hope. At least he didn't just start learning this last week!
I bet we'll be seeing some commercials using these type of effects soon.
Of course, it will take a design company learning processing to do it.. I don't think you can get this type of animation right out of After Effects or the Inferno. (I could be wrong.. maybe it's just _me_ who doesn't know how to do that!) :)
Finally, a post about something electronics related again!
An open source hardware project that will let you interface your real-life resistors etc. with a computer via USB... the best part... the price - $30!
The Arduino board
Ryan and I were trying to use something like this board for hooking up resistors to midi inputs on his computer running Max/Msp - and the project kind of went nowhere... The board he had bought was easily over $100!
This board is the kind of thing that makes me interested in physical computing again.
I'll admit though - learning the 'processing' language strikes me as a bit daunting. I have learned Basic, but not really any C... with all the 'int's and 'void's it strikes me as a bit intimidating.
However, I would still like to build the project where we set up all kind of variables around the office and have them influence drones that come out of our speakers. I can envision the hardware part of it without too much trouble -- it's the software coding that I have a feeling would slow me down quite a bit.
OK - just saw this on Get Lo Fi and now that I've started disassembling toys and playing with electronics more and more, I think I'm ready to start building something like this myself.
I might just follow his suggestion and try out the opto-resistors rather than the pots... but I _do_ like turning knobs though... so we'll see!
via Get Lo Fi
OK, OK - so it's linked on just about every blog I read today -
but I couldn't help it. I think this is a fantastic idea. I happen to LOVE the markings on my Avid keyboard. I prefer using it for a regular keyboard, even when I'm not cutting! The only thing I wish is that I had a Photoshop one, and a Final Cut Pro one, and one for Live, and one for Peak, and one for ... well, you get the idea.
A keyboard whose keys change to the application you are in.
Brilliant!
If this becomes real, and I can afford it, I'll buy it.
The following is from Make - my favorite blog - and magazine.
Optimus Keyboard (OLED Technology):
uh oh!
I think I may be addicted to listening to pod casts.
I'm listening to all sorts of shows - some SUCK OUT LOUD - but some make me laugh hard. I was listening to one by the name of 'evil genius' (I think he must be a cousin of evil blender!) Anyways over at Evil Genius Chronicles he's got an opinion that I just happen to agree with!
Maybe it is just me, but I think the juxtaposition of two recent Supreme Court decisions is highly disturbing. The intellectual property rights of corporations are so important that any technology that could conceivably impinge on them should be suppressed ...
You can read the rest over at the link.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
find more:
http://podcastalley.com/
or use itunes! I think apple might have blown podcasting out of geekdom and into the real world for the 'rest of us.'
OK - this sounds fantasticly cool...
Just cause Japan seems to do everything better with cell phones - thought I'd link to this link on engadget . Apparently rather than using wifi, or bluetooth, or any other specified format of wireless communication - they are going to use the flickering of either flourescent lights or LEDs to communicate with traveler's cell phones!
I LOVE this idea.
I imagine you could do this over infrared too - like remote controls for your TV/stereo etc. But I would assume that you'd want the blinking LEDs so that you can actually SEE where the data is coming from, and point your phone accordingly!
Flickering flourescent lights... sounds kind of crazy - I guess it will flicker faster than the human eye can detect the blinking - I'd hope. But I bet any time you move your eyes past the light it would look weird.
Just a guess.
All righty! I remember having a Tamagotchi... it didn't talk to other ones though. From the wonderful creators of Make magazine comes some initial exploration of how the little critters talk to each other.
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/06/this_is_what_it.html
Something tells me that Ivy wouldn't mind if I managed to hack together a system that would let her little critter get all the cake it wanted! :)
OK - here's a fun one - making a phone tap that will work with your PC!
How to Record Phone Conversations in the PC | Hardware Secrets
There are more practical uses as well - but getting a phone signal to an analog signal can sometimes be pretty useful.
(any clients want to listen to that mix??)
Anton’s Stuff » Blog Archive » Battery Powered Altoids LED Lamp
Oh yeah! LEDs and a little circuitry fun. Now we can all build our very own altoid flashlights. (I've already got my USB powered one) now I guess I'll just have to buy some batteries.
"This is a very clever move by Hasbro," said Silver. "The I-DOG is a great impulse buy. What little girl wouldn't fall in love with this product? It's playful and a fun add-on to the iPod."
I beg your pardon! _I'm_ not a little girl - and I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Perhaps I'm still a 'tween' at heart... but really... a little girl?
http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/02/news/fortune500/hasbro_furby/
I'll have to see if the new furbys are easier to take apart and remix than the older ones... maybe they'll be more old furbies for me to destroy... I mean explore!
I can't wait to use a virtual keyboard.
Sign me up now!
Thanks engadget!
iTech’s got the latest (Bluetooth) virtual keyboard - Engadget - www.engadget.com
We still remain vigilantly skeptical of the whole virtual keyboard thing (we know one day it will be a reality, keepin’ hope alive!)
I have always liked robots. I mean, who doesn't? I've also wondered how people figure out things like traffic flow, and other really complex systems that exist only out of numerous individual decisions.
Stock market predictions - even predicting the outcome of rock, paper, scissors.
Not too long ago, I was thinking about small transmitter/receivers that people would carry around with them, that would communicate with other people's... and when enough got into one area, one would somehow start a wave of similar reactions, almost like feedback slowly spreading out from one point.
How do you decide that point though?
Who gets to take the lead?
I've never followed through with my curiosity - not yet anyways - lacking both skill, knowledge, and money has it's drawbacks! But fortunately, there are others with lots of all of those.
The folks that make the roomba have made a swarm of robots that communicate with each other about position and information. Ant like.
Cool.
Check it: we make money not art: The Swarmbots
I would really like to have seen this myself.
we make money not art: Communicating with a goldenfish
Among its favourites is Fish-byte.net,
an installation, by Jason Babcock and Michael Kertesz, that uses
computer vision technology to open a communication channel between the
visitor and a live goldfish, capturing the behavior of one species and
translating it to another.
I've heard of this class at NYU - I briefly thought about taking it myself, just because of the cool stuff it outputs. But the money to go to NYU... can't do that anytime soon! :)
I wouldn't mind communicating with a fish for that matter either!
Now _that_ is a handsome looking jacket!
From
1UP.COM!
Donkey Kong is "lame." Tetris is "boring." Space Invaders "needs a superbomb or something." And why play Pong when it's more fun to "jump up and down on one foot"?
Have these kids lost their MIND?!
I guess I'm showing my age now when I say I get lost playing these stupid 1st person 3D games now. I've got better things to do with my time than memorize a map to a place that doesn't exist!
I'll admit - pong is pretty boring now days. And some of those atari classics are a little long in the tooth. However, I still think there's some use to the side-scroller game. I can't get enough of Mega-man - although I do think it started getting crazy complicated around X-10 days (possibly before too!)
Maybe once again, it's just my memories of playing the games themselves. But I've got other memories too. Doing stuff other than playing video games. How shocking! Can kids even imagine what it must be like to actually play a game that doesn't require a controller in your hand. Instead we held actual balls! (We had 'em too! yeah!)
I played some video games in college too mind you. Liked pinball better though. Liked skating even better. Liked making out most of all. So come on kids - get those priorities straight! Well, on second thought - guess we don't need 10 year old kids making out... so forget that last part kiddies. But do find something to do other than just play video games please. please.
Thanks for the heads up engadget... I've wanted to have something like this for a LONG time!
Connect those nintendo hand-helds over the internet instead of just with link cables.
I guess now that they are wireless maybe it will be easier to do!
I just know I still want to be able to watch Julia play pokemon over the internet! I know she'd dig it for sure.
I guess it makes sense... about time that there's a hello kitty cell phone!
I happen to know a little girl who would KILL for one of these. :)
No Ivy, you're not getting one of these for Christmas.
Pay as you go from Cingular. Maybe I can get one... it might cause some funny looks on the train though.
Wow---
Thank goodness for enterprising, tweaking, breaking, and fun-loving coders. Check out Ipod Hacks. There's a fellow there (the wizard) who's managed to not only grab all of the images out of the Ipod - but with some tweaking on your part, and a willingness to reformat the harddrive of the ipod - load your own images back inside!
Right now the program is windows only - so either I suck it up, and start my mandrake box back up in windows, or wait until an enterprising young mac hacker ports it to the mac. (It won't take that long will it? :) )
Can't wait to see the ipod skinning that will go on next!
Dear Santa,
I know what I want for Christmas.
A new PDA. 4 gig harddrive, linux OS, built in keyboard, works as a tablet, works as a tiny laptop... what's not to love.
And love I shall.
So santa, treat me right OK?