Aiaiai Y-Com Earbuds

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Handhelds,

Aiaiai’s new Y-Com is not only less metallic and ugly than most earbuds, it is compatible with iPhones. With a choice of 3 different color combinations, it one ups its non-iPhone design with thicker cords for less tangling, and has an inline mic button to control incoming and outgoing calls. Three sets of buds come with the headphones, and the Danish company claims great sound-isolation and full spectrum sound from C4 Studios. Available from Aiaiai for a price of €55 (~$110.00.)

Read More | Cool Hunting

Gnomedex 8.0: Kris Krug: Making Better Photographs

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Productivity,

Kris Krug is here at Gnomedex to talk to us about taking better pictures. He goes into tips:

1. Light in the Eyes: You want to try and get light in the eyes.
2. Evaluate the Light: Sun? Shade? Incandesent? Halogen? Look around and find highlights, spotlights, and shadows, and then put your subject in good light. Look for reflection and light in the eyes, and if possible, use lamps.
3. To shoot in low light: Turn your ISO UP, Increase your aperture (make number lower), decrease your shutter speed, focus manually if autofocus fails you, tinker with manual settings/metering, brace on things (tripod, wall, gear bag)
4. Reflections are Yummy: Look for puddles, glass, metal, shiny floors that may have reflections in them, and then take an image of that reflection.
5. Focus on a theme: Black and white, portraits, funny faces, laptop stickers, over-exposed. This will give you a goal.
6. Learn Your Camera: Isolate the variables like depth of field, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc. ALso, Tinker, tweek, shoot a bunch of photos, share them, get feedback, and feel free to change up your style. Share your gear by finding someone you can test out lenses, flashes, etc. with. Last, but certainly not least, set the white balance.
7. Take a look at your background: No trees sprouting out of peoples heads, less busy puts more focus on the subject.
8. Fill the frame: Hold your hand out, and if your subject isn’t bigger than your hand, you are too far away.
9. Get High! Swing Low: People look better from above, so stand on things, lay down, get the angle, and change your perspective. This is why people are always taking MySpace photos by holding their phone above themselves.
10. Tips for being a good subject: Laugh, smile, have fun. Make eye contact with the camera. Stand in the light.
11. Camera buying advice: Lenses are more important than the body. You should spend 2/3 of your camera budget on your lens. Don’t fall for megapixels. Look for manual controls. Cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Fuji are great.

You can find Kris at Static Photography. This dude is an amazing photographer.

Obama and McCain’s Playlists

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Music, Portable Audio / Video,

The two Presidential candidates were asked what was on their top ten play list. Barack Obama listed “Ready or Not” by the Fugees, “What’s Going On” from Marvin Gaye, and Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” as his top three, while John McCain said that “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA, as well as Roy Orbison’s Blue Bayou” were his faves.

Somewhat related (not really, we just wanted to share,) Rolling Stone has claimed Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” the top karaoke song of all time, no doubt prompting the singer to come out of the shadows for over 20 years and release his new album, Venus in Overdrive.

Read More | Blender

Turtle Turns Narc

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: GPS, Misc. Tech, Science,

In Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC, a turtle wearing a GPS device for research happened across a marijuana field. The discovery was found by the ranger in charge of the program. Apparently, this is not the first time that people have used the park for growing their own. The culprit was taken into custody and the turtle has gone back to his research. When complimented on his dedication and discovery, the turtle just looked glassy-eyed and commented “Far out, man.”
😉

Read More | WUSA9

NMI Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science,

The Northeast Maritime Institute has developed Golden Shellback coating. This waterproof polymer repels oil, dirt, dust, synthetic fluids, hazardous materials, and water based solutions. It can be applied to plastic, metals, ceramic, glass, and other types of sufaces to also become anti-corrosive. While the coating is not yet available to the public, it would appear that the process would involve sending the gadget to them and paying ~$50.00 to $75.00, depending on the size. To see it in action, catch the video featuring lots of electronic devices, including an iPod touch.

Read More | Golden Shellback

Tamiya Loopwing Wind Power Generator Set

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Toys, Transportation,

Get your kids thinking about alternate energy sources with the Tamiya Loopwing Wind Power Generator Set. The windmill has a loop-wing design with low-friction connectors that needs very little breeze to run. A rechargeable vehicle is included that, after a 5 to 10 minute charge, can run for 1 to 2 minutes. The set has a double gear for light wind and triple for strong, and the base can also be used as a handle. Pre-order for $67.00, which sounds expensive until you realize no fuel costs are involved.

Read More | Tamiya

Cryptic Studios Star Trek Video Game

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Movies, Video Games,

Cryptic Studios has announced that they are developing Star Trek Online, as well as for some consoles. Set 30 years after the last film, the game is not only a role-player, it will have player-vs-player combat. Look for Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, Klingons, and more. Each player has its own vessel to command and can team up for battles. We like the looks of the preview, although we really think Shattner should have voiced the intro. For more info, read an interview by GameSpot with Cryptic’s EP Craig Zinkievich.

Read More | Gamespot

Behringer USB Guitar Link

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Music, PC / Laptop,

Become your own portable studio. Behringer’s Guitar Link interface allows you to hook up your guitar to your computer and record in 16 tracks, play, and add effects with nothing else attached. Hook up to your PC or Mac USB port and use the 3 Guitar Combos to create blues, rock, or pop sounds. Also featured is their Kristal Audio Engine multi-track sequencer and Audacity audio editor. For those who don’t want to share the music, the device comes with a headphone output. The Link is available for $74.20.

Read More | firebox

Bleeding Edge TV 288: TNA iMPACT! Preview: Christy Hemme & Christopher Daniels interview

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Short Bytes, Features, Home Entertainment, Podcasts, Software, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos,

At E3 2008, we got the opportunity to chat with TNA Knockout Christy Hemme along with “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels about the upcoming TNA iMPACT! video game. Christy and Chris give us their take on what we can expect from Midway’s first outing with the TNA brand, and after we are done chatting with them, we jump right into a preview of the Ultimate X match. A TNA exclusive, you won’t find this mode in the Smackdown vs. RAW series - if you are curious how the mode works, hit the video to get a nice, long look, as Samoa Joe goes head to head with Chris Sabin.

TNA iMPACT! hits stores shelves on September 9, and will be available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Touch Sight Camera for the Visually Impaired

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Design, Science,

What a unique idea. Designers Chueh Lee and team from Samsung, China came up with Touch Sight, a digital camera for the visually impaired. The cam records sound when the shutter button is pressed and can be used as a reference for managing the photos. The device has a lightweight Braille display sheet with a 3D image instead of an LCD. Once taken, the images can be down or uploaded for sharing. The team discovered that the forehead is the best place for this device to aim and stabilize. We can’t wait to see the results if the prototype becomes reality.

Read More | Yanko Design