All posts by Scott Meisner

Birds perch, man sees music

Music, photography, Technology, Video, ,

“Birds on the Wires” by Jarbas Agnelli.

Agnelli: “Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn’t the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.”

Mr. Agnelli, this is quite an original idea, and I am very impressed by your observation and musical ability.  To see the birds in such a fascinating pattern like that of musical notes, transform their locations into a melody, and share it with the world is a very cool achievement, to say the least.  Readers, enjoy the creativity and splendor that is in the video above.

[Via Gizmodo; Jarbas Agnelli’s vimeo]

Sony Ericsson unveils its “Motion Activated” headphones

Music, Technology, Video, , , , , , ,

The Sony Ericsson MH907 earbuds rightly claim to be the first “motion activiated” headphones that feature SE’s “SensMe Control.”  What does it do?  When you place the earbuds into your ears, your music starts playing, no button mashing required.  If you take a bud out of one ear, the music pauses, either to answer a call or to carry on conversation with a nearby pal.  How does this work?   The bud “requires [a] conductive surface to activate the controls.”  Basically, when the buds touch the surface of your ear they know to start playing the tunes.  When they are taken out from your ear they “sense” the removal and pause the music.  So you won’t have any problems shoving the ‘phones in your pocket; they won’t turn on becuase they are not hitting a conductive surface.

Engadget has received this claficiation from SE: “SE has further clarified that the technology is capacitive in nature. In other words, removing an ear bud isn’t breaking the flow of current between buds (and across your noodle) — it’s destroying the dynamic capacitor formed by the touch of human skin.”  Although this tech is not going to change things “forever” (as Sony Ericsson put it before the today’s unveil) it should make some impact in the market.  Let’s wait and see if competitors try to up the ante.

The MH907 is available this week for “most Sony Ericsson phones with a fast port connector” for 39 euros, or roughly 60 US dollars.

[Via Engadget; Sony Ericsson]

3D renders of cities created from thousands of Flickr photos; awesome!

Architecture, Art, Images, science, Technology, Video, , , , , , , , , , ,

Scientists from the University of Washington’s Graphics and Imaging Laboratory, with the help of over 150,000 Flickr users, managed to create 3D digital models of three different cities.  According to PopSci.com, “each video includes clusters of small diamond shapes, which represent each photographer and his or her vantage point.  ..  The team built a new algorithm that proceeds in two steps — first, by matching the photos by what they had in common, puzzle-style, and then by determining the scene and each photographer’s pose.”  One of the scientists, Steve Seitz: “This is one of the main intellectual challenges here.  We want to see how much of the city can be reconstructed from people’s tourist photos.”

Their next task: to create a 3D rendering of an entire city using at least one million photographs.  So keep taking pictures people, and upload them to your Flickr accounts.  Check out more 3D renderings the team is working on at their YouTube page.  Cool stuff, huh?

[Via Gizmodo; Popsci]

The Emmys airs tonight, and it’s going to be “HORRIBLE”

News, Television, , , , ,

So here’s both a friendly reminder and a revealing tidbit for you.

Sure, we all know that the Emmy’s air tonight on CBS at 8PM.  We also know that the hilarious, extremely talented Neil Patrick Harris is hosting.  What you may not be aware of is that there will be a “Dr. Horrible-themed production number about midway through [the] ceremony.”  Ah, this is going to be great.  Be sure to check back here for the results in all major categories.  And for the time-being, look back at my Emmy predictions.

[Via EW]

Hamish and Andy present “Ghosting in America”

Hilarity, Sports, Television, Video, , ,

Australia’s Hamish and Andy are taking America by storm with their new sport called “Ghosing.”  Ghosting, or “personal space invading,” is a sport that I can definitely see catching on here in the States.  And if it doesn’t, we will always have Hamish and Andy’s adventures to watch on YouTube.  If you found their latest gig on The Jay Leno Show laugh-out-loud funny like I did, be sure to check out their site where there’s plenty more to see.

“Halo in 5 Minutes”

Technology, Video, , , , , , , ,

Journey with IGN on a quick adventure through the Halo universe and rediscover (or for you newbies, discover) the Halo story from Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3.  This is all in preperation for Halo 3: ODST which releases this week on Xbox 360.  Go ahead; get caught up, preorder a copy, and PREPARE TO DROP.

[Via IGN]

LG intros the BL20, more Chocolate for us

Style, Technology, Video, , , , ,

We’ve already seen the BL-40 (or the New Chocolate) in pictures, videos, and even groped with a hands-on.  Now it’s time for its younger brother to flex its muscles.  Enter the BL20 (also dubbed the New Chocolate); it features a slide-out keypad with “hidden touch navigation keys,” a convenient widget hotkey,” and a 5-megapixel camera with flash.  Check out the BL20 in all its Chocolate-y glory in the over-dramaticized video above.

[Via Engadget]

HP & Dr. Dre reveal the first Beats-branded laptop

Images, Music, News, Technology, , , , , , , ,

This HP-branded Envy laptop wears the Dr. Dre Beats logo proud.  It is the first in a series of products Dre and HP have in the pipeline for music-oriented consumers looking for solid sound at an affordable price.  This limited edition Envy 15 features a 15-inch screen and comes in at 1-inches thin and 5.18-pounds.  It will include a ‘future’ Core i7 processor and will have the capacity for 16GB of RAM and two solid state drives.  Although official specs are limited for now, expect the Beats-inspired Envy 15 to cost at least $1,799, as its counterpart (the standard Envy) costs that much.  I will keep my ear to the ground and watch for updates on this and other Beats-branded machines.  The time for a revolution in better sound quality is now, right Dre?

[Via Engadget; Tom’s Hardware]

Lady Gaga performs live at Marc Jacobs event; Heartbeats give-away details, too

Music, Technology, Video, , , , , , , ,

Gaga’s performance, which involves only her voice and a piano, is actually quite good.

Remember the announcement of the new Heartbeats by Lady Gaga headphones I reported on last week?  Well, if you were at all intrigued by the new headphones in the Dr. Dre Beats lineup, be sure to check out the Heartbeats Daily Giveaway on Facebook.  “To celebrate the launch [of Heartbeats], Beats by Dr. Dre is giving away a pair of Heartbeats every day for 30 days, so enter..for your chance to win.”  Good luck, ladies (and guys, I guess).

Thanks, Aaron.