If you were flicking around their satellite or cable channels during the US election count last week, or surfing online and reading reports of the coverage, you’ll have come across CNN’s gimmick of the night.The BBC’s Jeremy Vine had a green screen studio and stabbed his invisible touch screen. ITV had Jon Culshaw to mimic any guests they were unable to get in front of a camera. But CNN projected their Chicago reporter Jessica Yellin into their New York election centre studio by hologram! (Worth remembering that CNN was being broadcast in high def.) It was CNN senior vice president David Bohrman’s idea, and much of the technical nous came from Vizrt and SportVU.Take 1 green screen tent (called “Casper” after the friendly ghost), 35 HD cameras in a 220 degree arc, telemetry...
Clearing out some old junk stuff in work, I came across a fifty year calendar. With one of these and an empty notebook, you could make yourself a diary!You simply match the month up to the year at the top, and then the days of the week will correspond to the dates below. And by the time you’ve done that, you’ll have launched Outlook, done a Ctrl-Shift-A to make a new appointment, typed in the date, and it’ll have come back with the day...
Having been away over the weekend, I've just got around to watching through some bits of the Olympic closing ceremony. The over-riding impression I was left with as I watched was the sheer organisation and discipline of the Chinese organisers.Huge numbers of performers, working in low light, with few cues. Beyond military timing. But close to perfect.And taking chances with high wire jinks and acrobatics, light wheels (gyro-cycles) and synchronised fireworks.Fireworks that can spell out numbers. That can be fired by cannon into the air. That make the coloured Olympic rings.With no way of practising the closing ceremony in the stadium after the sporting events had started, there was no opportunity for a last minute dress rehearsal. (Maybe explains why the camera work around the London...
My Stuff via nerd. May 28th, 2008 at 21:19
A lot of people come to this site searching for help on specific issues with or opinions/info a specific gadget or technology. For that reason, I thought I’d state publicly the gadgets and technologies I use (embarrassing though that may prove).
Wireless Media Streamer Buffalo LinkTheater
Streams video (most divx/xvid and wmv9) and/or music to my TV from a DLNA compliant server like the Linkstation Live or Windows Media Player’s built-in media sharing service.
500GB Home NAS Buffalo LinkStation Live (HS-DH500GL)
Can store video and music files and stream them over a wireless network to a DLNA certified media streaming device like my LinkTheater.
Mobile Phone - Nokia N73 smartphone
5 megapixel camera, Symbian/Series 60 OS, currently on Orange Pay As You Go
Nintendo Wii...
Style is so often in the eye of the beholder.And so it is with pixelated soft furnishings like the Pixel Couch. Designed by Cristian Zuzunaga who spent time in the Royal College of Art - and graduated too - and now being manufactured by Kvadrat (a Danish firm). But keep your Post-It pad in your hand in case you lose it when you set it down! Moroso will be selling them. Reminds me a bit of the Post-It wall art that a guy did over the weekend in his office ... so popular that it’s now become a permanent, approved feature. And then there was the write on, peel away Post-It wallpaper from last March.Toaster stamps have been around for a while, to put quick Happy Birthday messages or Hearts on your childrens’ (or older loved ones’) breakfast. But the ZUSE compact toaster aims to take...
Nowadays it would be deemed politically incorrect to thump moles over the head with a hammer ... even if it is a plastic mole and a plastic hammer. But after the dodgems, Whac-a-Mole (apparently there's not a "k" in Whack) it was probably the most satisfying aspect of a visit to a Portrush amusement arcade when spending a weekend up on the North Coast. Physical exertion combined with mental concentration. Fun. Well now you can do it at your desk. Without the hammer. And without the physical exertion. Bit rubbish really.But the firms who make a fortune churning out pointless gizmos that can be powered from your computer’s USB port have created the USB Whack It. Uses your finger. Would be far more fun with a big hammer!Think I’ll stick to the magnetic letter anagrams on the side of the...
Company car schemes are good and bad. At their best, they’re convenient and admin-light with car tax, MOT, servicing all someone else’s problem. The flip side is that they’re basically a big hole into which you drop money and have nothing to show for at the end of four years. Oh, and they give you the loan of a car to sweeten the four year payment plan! And standard commercial leases – often for much shorter period – are no better.The little yellow Mini that has been a joy to drive – and pretty easy to find in airport car parks – celebrated its fourth birthday in early January and on Wednesday I left it back to the workshop so it can be auctioned off.Now I’m no petrol head, and have no real interest in cars other than I like them to be reliable, hassle free, reasonably...
Late Spring 2007, Travelodge started a trial goldfish hire service in a two of its hotels in Leeds and Birmingham, citing research it sponsored that suggested"63% of the nation is sleep deprived due to stress and 58% claimed watching goldfish could be the answer".So jittery customers were allowed to request a fish therapy room at check-in for no extra cost, and then proceed to watch the goldfish for a de-stressing 15 minutes before shutting their eyelids for the night.Clearing out some old trade magazines, I stumbled across this on the back page of teh June 2007 Business Travel World - not quite sure how I got on that mailing list, but it's full of wierd and wonderful ideas about travel.Not sure how the trial went - maybe someone from Travelodge's PR team would like to leave a comment!...
If you’re a book reader, or even if you’re just a book buyer, the nice people at IWOOT (I Want One Of Those) have a couple of gift ideas. First there’s a floating bookshelf disguised as a French novel that screws into the wall - no visible means of support - and allows you to stack other books on top. Maybe it would allow you to get rid of the pile dominating your bedside table, or down on the floor? And if you’ve just got rid of a pile of books on the floor, why not replace them with a solid book stool, described on the IWOOT website as:“Hollow and yet hefty, this resin moulded and exceedingly realistic pile of books makes a brilliant stool for the computer generation - a gentle reminder that the printed page still has a place in today's digital world, even if it's for your...
Since Sony merged radios and cassette players into a single Walkman device, the world has debated the pros and cons of consolidating lots of devices into single units.There are audiophiles who think that hi fi separates are the only way, while others applaud the neatness and usability multi-function midi-systems.Can the cameras built into mobile phones ever compete with standalone digital cameras? And is it sensible to merge PDAs, phones, radios, MP3 players, cameras and now GPS all into a single device?But now a new debate will rage: combining the toaster and the teapot!That’s right, the nice people at Teapottery.co.uk (“home of the eccentric teapot”) are selling a single kitchen appliance that can simultaneously make your toast and brew your tea. (The descriptions on Teapottery...
Ever since the rise in popularity of and familiarity with Linux (GNU-Linux for those that prefer), penguins have been popping up all over the place.No better example that the Penguin Teaboy ... a penguin with a pocketwatch that lifts your tea bag out of your cup after your optimum brew time. $18.98 + P&P from Signals.In my opinion, a specious product if there ever was one.In our canteen, the perfect brew time can be achieved by popping the tea bag in the cardboard cup, fill with hot water, walk to the cash till, hand over the money, and immediately take the tea bag out and add milk on the counter behind the till.Use the human penguin: no need for some plastic!(via Shiny...