I’ve just been sent this great video which shows the Extreme Gamer strapping on a PS3 Slim and an Epson EH-TW450 high definition video projector and then taking to the night streets to play Need for Speed. You’d have to be pretty strong to do this, as not only do you have the weight of the hardware but also need a power pack. This definitely works best at night (and presumably not when it’s raining!) because, bright though the projected image may be, it’s not going to look quite so good during the day. The projector can display an image up to 318 inches (that’s 26.5 foot) diagonally. Pretty impressive Read more »
Monthly Archives: December 2009
scoreLight: Using object-tracing lasers to generate music
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of synthesisers and electronically-generated music and sound, particularly when it’s done in an interesting way, so I was pleased to find these videos of “music” being generated from a laser tracking system. scoreLight is “a laser-based synesthetic experience” and works by allowing one, two or more red lasers to trace over drawn shapes, objects, even people. Similar to how the pickup of a record player scans the grooves in vinyl, these lasers simply traces the shape and then sound is generated based upon its movement. There’s no camera or projector involved. It’s not only the shape of the objects being traced that affects Read more »
Practice your ventriloquism with talking animals pen
You know we’re approaching Christmas when the silly gift ideas start appearing. Not that there’s anything particularly Christmassy about these ventriloquist pens, but be honest — when else are you likely to buy (or be given) something like this. (If you think this is the best gift ever, you need to read our 12 tips for buying geek Christmas presents) Right, so what is it? Forget dictaphones and other recording devices. Nothing says “I’m a geek making it in the business world” more than turning up with one of these pens, recording memos on it, and then pretending you’re an ace ventriloquist by playing it back, at which point the Read more »
An Overanalysis of Modern Warfare 2 Dive Signals
There probably is no point to what I’m about to disclose, but I do want to point out that it bothered me just a little bit. If you’ve played Modern Warfare you will remember the opening scene where Roach’s squad of Navy Seals infiltrate an oil tanker being used as a SAM site in order to get to the Gulag. There were two seal teams making their way to the bottom of the rig. As the player, your DPV was released first, was brought into a U turn and caught up with the second team that was jettisoned afterward. It was at that particular moment that the pilot of the Read more »
Machinarium: Robots and puzzle solving in one beautiful package
When Machinarium was made available for download on Steam, I paid no heed to the steam punk like poster that promoted happy robots making their way through a post-apocalyptic world where robots have thrived similarly as how humans did. Machinarium is beautiful. In its three years of development, you can clearly see how much love, detail and passion had been brought into a USD $1,000 budget game. Clearly, the vision of Machinarium was to create a beautiful world first full of characters, conflict and backstory and it just so happens to play itself out without the use of any words. The art direction is amazing. No, it’s beautiful. In terms Read more »
Would you still buy a tape deck? Pioneer will sell you one
When was the last time you played a cassette tape? I mean, the compact consumer version, not some digital master tape. Chances are it was the early- to mid-90s. The best thing about the cassette tape for a long time was the fact that it was so easy to record your own audio onto it. In fact, we still talk about the “mix tape” even though now you can burn it to a CD or DVD or simply store it digitally in iTunes or stream it from Spotify. Looking back, though, that was about all that was good about the tape (if you’re feeling nostalgic, take a look at some Read more »
A Decade of Zombies II: Apocalypse, Anytime
This is Part II of a series titled ‘A Decade of Zombies.’ Part I is here. Playwright David Ives once said that “it is all in the timing” referring to the concept of the punch line. It appears to be the similar case with the zombie apocalypse where the punch line is made more humorous when it occurs in moments of absurd timeliness. Take for instance Joe Ballarini’s Dance of the Dead (2008), where the apocalypse takes place on the night of the senior prom in a small town high school. The UK was also particularly successful in creating similar scenarios. On one hand we have Shaun of the Dead Read more »
Imposter! Iron Samurai Japanese LED watch you can easily tell the time on
I love Japanese watches though I’ve never owned one and they’re not usually the easiest timepieces to actually tell the time with — not to begin with anyway. Yet here comes a definite imposter. Take a look at the Iron Samurai red LED watch and you’ll see that it features standard digits. OK, so the fact that the hour is displayed above, and not next to, the minutes might catch a few people out, but it’s not rocket science. I suppose you could fool people into thinking you’re just wearing a chunky bracelet. If you need something a little more complicated, but still red, check out the Alpha Centauri red Read more »
iPhone being trialled in British classroom. Luddites rebel.
iPhones have been used as a lure for students for several years now, but it’s the first time I’ve seen such an experiment happening in the UK. A West London school is trialling the use of iPhones to aid in teaching, and good luck to them I say. A group of student volunteers have been lent iPhones and have to pay around £10 ($15) per month for the cost of calls. They are then able to use them in the classroom to aid in group discussion and learning. Thanks to the range of applications, plus access to the Internet, it’s possible to learn all manner of things via the iPhone. Read more »
Burn MORE Calories With Gadgets
Working out is FUN. It may not seem so in the beginning, but after a while, it kind of grows on you and you find yourself yearning for the release that it gives you. I have to admit, though, that I cannot run on the treadmill or ride the stationary bike without my trusty mp3 player. Without music blaring in my ears, I would die of boredom. Taking a look at the gadgets on sale today, I realized that I am not alone – people want toys to go with their workout routines; and I am not only talking about mp3 players! For those of you who want to work Read more »
