Intriguing Finds

I was really tired of the inability to use Mediatomb server to host high-def video like .mkv files to the PS3 from a macbook, so after a day of trying to bend mediatomb and installing ffmpeg from macports, building ffmpegthumbnailer from source and getting mediatomb to finally stream a high-def 1080p video in 5 second intervals ONLY I gave up and searched for other solutions. I came across the PS3 mediaserver. Check it out: it’s compatible on windows, linux and OSX

PS3 Media Server is a DLNA compliant Upnp Media Server for the PS3, written in Java, with the purpose of streaming or transcoding any kind of media files, with minimum configuration. It’s backed up with the powerful Mplayer/FFmpeg packages.

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I was so pissed off with all the cables on my desk, I asked Paul whether he could help me with decluttering it a bit. A bit of inspiration from here (http://lifehacker.com/237789/diy-under+desk-gadget-mount), Paul and I went out to Canadian Tire got some supplies and began this day long project. The progression of which is best seen in pictures.

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This weekend I just deployed the latest The War on Bullshit blog with an upgraded Wordpress 2.8 backend and a new theme.

The War on Bullshit

Kavan Wolfe and his thought provoking content hosted on this blog deserved a face-lift and I was more than happy to help out and design a new theme and deploy the site.

Please give us some feedback on how you like the design of the site and how we can make it better so that he can get his words out to as many people as possible.

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After the successful release of the Google Chrome Browser, Google has announced the release of it’s Chrome OS yesterday.

Their rationale behind this new venture is summed up as follows

We designed Google Chrome for people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. However, the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web.

The Google Chrome OS is going to be a lightweight and  open-source (obviously; it’s Google!!) and targeted initally for the netbooks.

To learn more read the official blog article at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

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A lot of experimentation with video advertising on the Web is going on these days. There are interactive overlays, contextual text ads, video-in-video, ads that take over the whole screen, and little icon bugs that crawl along the bottom. Nevertheless, the plain video pre-roll that mimics a traditional TV commercial remains the most popular, even though everyone knows it sucks.

Today, an Israeli startup called Innovid (see earlier coverage) is doing its part to help advertisers move away from the pre-roll with technology that allows for things like virtual product placements inside videos and turning entire surfaces into clickable canvases.

In the demo video above, for instance, you’ll see different advertising effects projected onto the walls of a room, from a Pong game that you can play to a RSS feeds running across the baseboard as a ticker to funny creatures whose eyes you can move with your mouse. (The video above is not interactive, but you can check out the interactive features at Innovid’s homepage).

Innovid also has an ad gallery that shows other types of clickable ads its technology can create, such as interactive product placements, video billboards (basically another video running in a frame on a wall), bugs, overlays, and hotspots. Frankly, I don’t find these quite as exciting as the clickable canvas approach.

The product placements just look cheezy and unconvincing, at least in the old 1950s video Innovid chose to demo the feature. But turning an entire surface inside a video into a 3-D interactive canvas could be highly engaging if done properly.This would definitely work for pure video ads that encourage interaction. It would be harder to pull off for a Web video show, but would be possible if a video was shot with enough blank spaces where ads could be inserted. The technology could also be used eventually as a way to add an interactive layer to any video. However, the company is focusing on advertising opportunities.

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I just read this interview of Vlad Gerasimov who is a really phenomenal graphic designer. Check him out at: http://www.vladstudio.com/home/

I found this cute little wallpaper of his that i had to slightly manipulate (using Skitch) for my own pleasure – Enjoy!

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Lately I feel like this a lot

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“Aah honey, where is the remote?” says Jane as she sweeps her hand over the couch.

“Found it!” she exclaims.

“Nope, sweety that’s not it” says Bob rousing up.

I can see such scenarios happening around all households when this thing is mass marketed. Who comes up with these gadgets ?

Constructed of a soft, flesh-like gel, the remote appears cold when off. Once turned on, however, it seems to come to life. A soft light emanates somewhere from within as the center of the device begins to slowly rise and fall, mimicking the tranquil motions of breath. Left undisturbed, the remote will slumber peacefully. Buth should a human hand approach, sensors inside alert it to the imminent touch. It stops breathing, grows rigid – the light from within is extinguished.

Not that the idea of the material isn’t cool, but could it not be used for something other than a remote … like a paper screen that can be rolled up and snuck away for example.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVEsIp0BicE]

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After thoroughly enjoying the Best-selling novel authored by Audrey Niffeneger, I was anxiously waiting for the movie. The book was tearful, joyful and heart-wrenching at points; it was beautifully constructed to give us an idea of the loneliness that Clare Abshire felt while Henry De Tamble, her husband, would be traveling through time. Suddenly popping in and out of her life yet always seeking out Clare during his adventures, Henry carried a gene that made him travel through time involuntarily. Even though the book is based on a science-fictional premise, the author doesn’t delve much into the paradox that is often so poorly handled by modern science-fiction. She rather focuses on the lives of these two people and how their love survives even the certainty of the flow of time. Enough said, go read the book.

I hope the makers of the movie will be able to maintain the balance of joy and sadness that the readers felt for the characters and the eventual understanding that the conclusion of the book wrought upon its readers. The movie has been set to be released on August 14th, 2009.

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A movie meant for the masses.

Imdb summary: “A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.”

The Hangover Movie Poster

In my opinion, Zach Galifianakis from What happens in Vegas and Tru Calling did the best job in the movie. His portrayal of a man who didn’t have all his marbles in place was brilliant. Best quote: “I didn’t even know they gave out rings during the Holocaust!”. Take a buddy, a date or better yet go with a bunch of friends that you could see yourself doing the wildest craziest things with and then end up not remembering any of it the next morning. It’s TOTALLY worth it.

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