Category Archives: Images

Lost memorabilia up for auction; ultimate Losties inquire within

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Make your own kind of music, sing your own special song; make your own kind of music, even if nobody else sings along.

Who could forget the season two opener “Man of Science, Man of Faith”…when we first discovered a mysterious man living underground inside a hatch?  This man, who we would later come to know and love as Desmond David Hume, was minding his own business and listening to a catchy tune called “Make Your Own Kind of Music” by “Mama” Cass Elliot when another man named John Locke interupted his life of ever-lasting solitude with a loud blast of dynamite atop the Dharma-constructed hatch door.  The song abruptly stoppped when the needle fell off the record and the rest, as they say, is history.

And now you have a chance to be part of that history by owning the very record player that was used in the show!  On August 21-22, LOST: The Official Show Auction will take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.  Literally hundreds of Lost props and costumes will be available for fans to bid on.  Everything from Dharma beer cans to Charlie’s DriveShaft ring to Desmond’s photo of himself with Penny to Mr. Eko’s Jesus stick to the blue Dharma van to Jughead to Faraday’s time travel journal (“Desmond Hume will be my constant!”) to Locke’s wheelchair to Carl’s brainwashing googles to Naomi’s Iridium 9500 satellite phone…ugh I’m out of breath…will be up for grabs at the live auction next month.  But don’t expect to get away with any of these items easily.  The Apple-II Plus computer with an Apple III monitor (aka the Swan Station computer Desmond then Locke then Eko used to type in the Numbers every 108 minutes) starts at $1000.  But then again the Swan Station film projector and screen (the medium that first introduced Locke, Jack, and us to Mr. Pierre Change) is given a range of $400-$600, so item pricing will vary.

Interested in bidding?  You have a few options.  You can attend the live action in Santa Monica or you can bid over the phone, with absentee forms, or over the Internet at Live Auctioneers.  Interested in eyeing the goods?  Look in the gallery below for just a handful.  You’re going to want to hit up Profiles in History to view the full catalog (organized by season).  Each item is tagged with a description that’ll job your memory concerning its use in the show.  Minutes will quickly turn into hours when you browse this ultimate collection of Lost shwag.  Have fun, and happy bidding!

[Via Engadget]

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Say hello to your 2011 Avengers

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They are: Robert Downey Jr. — Tony Stark; Clark Gregg — Agent Coulson; Scarlett Johansson — Black Widow; Chris Hemsworth — Thor; Chris Evans — Captain America; Samuel L. Jackson — Nick Fury; Jeremy Renner — Hawkeye; Mark Ruffalo — Hulk.  Director Joss Whedon and Marvel head Kevin Feige are up there, too.

Marvel killed it at Comic Con this year.  They literally slaughtered the competition.  After unveiling new footage of Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor (in 3D), the official ensemble cast of The Avengers was announced.  The biggest surprises?  Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) is set in stone as Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island, The Kids Are Alright) replaces Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk.  Marvel head Kevin Feige on the Ruffalo decision: “Ruffalo is Joss Whedon’s Banner. He is the Banner that is going to be in that [Bill] Bixby type, wants to help people and is somewhat ashamed of what he goes through but isn’t as strong and angry in his Banner form as he is in his Hulk form, which is something we haven’t really seen in the past films. .. Something like how he was portrayed in the Ultimates, a guy who just wants to be left alone and wear his glasses and do his science.”  Feige also shares that he “hope[s] to develop a standalone franchise” for Renner’s Hawkeye post-Avengers.

During the panel Downey Jr. worked the crowd, naturally.  He invoked the success of Inception, saying it was “just about the most ambitious movie I’ve ever seen.”  He continued, “And then thought wait a goddamn second.  Marvel Studios is going to take all of their top super heros and they’re gonna put them all together in The Avengers?  That’s the most ambitious movie I’ve ever seen.”   He concluded, “If we’re going to make a movie this ambitious [then] the most important thing is that we had to find a person to helm it to get your [the fans’] approval”.  Enter Joss Whedon: “I have had a dream all my life and it was not this good…This cast is more than I could have ever of dreamed of working with. And I am going to blow it…I need your love, I need your support.”  Joss, you got it.

The Avengers is slated for a May 4, 2011 release.  Whet your appetite with Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger on May 6, 2011 and July 22, 2011 respectively.  Bonus!  Look in the gallery below for newly released mini-one-sheets featuring Thor and Cap concept art.  Peek after the break to watch your 2011 Avengers assemble at Comic Con in video form.

[Via IGN, here, here, here & here; Marvel]

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Amazing Daft Punk helmet took 17 months of labor to complete

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Now is that one of the coolest things you’ve ever seen?  Harrison Krix of Volpin Props set aside 17 months to create to most amazing DIY Daft Punk helmet ever made.  It lights up and everything!  Head over to Krix’s website to find an intensive two-part build archive if you think you’re up for the challenge (or if you’re even slightly interested to see how it was made).  Look in the gallery below for a collection of helmet pics and jump after the break for a brief video that speeds through the construction process and reveals the final result.  I am blown away right now, for realz.

[Via VolpinProps; @ChelseaLoPinto]

Continue reading Amazing Daft Punk helmet took 17 months of labor to complete →

High heels illuminated by fiber optics

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Italian fashion designer Francesca Castagnacci’s bold new project called “bright fashion” weaves and integrates LED-powered fiber optics into accessory fabrics.  Here is an example of the fashion statement instituted in a high heel shoe.  The result is an illuminated radiance that will surely catch the eye of modern trendsetters.  Each fiber optic wire is as thin as a human hair and requires an LED at either end to light up.  Ladies, interested?  Look in the gallery below for additional shots of this truly cutting-edge design.

[Via Gizmodo; DVICE; Yatzer]

Halo: Reach themed Xbox 360 console revealed

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When I mention the date September 14, what comes to mind?  If it isn’t Halo: Reach then what’s wrong with you?!  Well, probably nothing…but if you’re any type of gamer you should know that the next game in the coveted Halo franchise drops on that day.  To celebrate the release of Halo: Reach, Bungie and Microsoft have teamed up to create a limited edition Xbox 360 console inspired by the game.  It is worthy to note that this is the very first new 250GB Xbox 360 themed console.  The “whisper-quiet” fans, built-in 802.11n WiFi adapter, and slim form factor remain in tact.  It does away with the black glossy exterior and introduces a Halo: Reach theme.  It features “an exclusive silver design” that “captures the look and feel of the game.”  It also packs “custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe”; the press release did not elaborate on this feature, so it shall remain a surprise to buyers upon powering up the console.  The Xbox 360 comes bundled with a copy of Halo: Reach, two custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with artwork inspired by the game, a Reach themed Xbox 360 wired headset, a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, and an episode of “Halo Legends”, the anime-styled show based on the game.  The bundle is priced at $399 and is available to preorder today.  It will hit the market in tandem with the game on 9/14.  The Reach wireless controller ($59.99) and a wireless headset ($49.99) will be made available to purchase separately in late Augsust.  Look in the gallery below to view the console at various angles.

[Via XboxPress; Engadget]

Kinect for Xbox 360 priced at $149.99, bundles plus new Xbox model announced

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We finally have a release date and price to marry.  Kinect for Xbox 360, the advanced motion-tracking camera that aims to get games off the couch and into the game (so to speak), will release on November 4 for $149.99.  That’s a bit steeper than most had anticipated, but watchagonnado?  Now let’s talk bundles.  When you buy Kinect standalone for $149.99, the action/adventure game Kinect Adventures! comes packaged inside.  Speaking of Kinect titles, Microsoft says that all first-party Kinect-supported games will run $49.99 a pop (that’s ten bucks less than “standard” retail games).  In doing this Microsoft hopes to make this pricing standard for Kinect games, but they will leave third-party Kinect games up to the discretion of the developers.  Only Dance Central, the exercise disguised as a dancing game from MTV Games and Harmonix, has followed suit with a $49.99 price tag so far.  Kinect will also be bundled with a brand new Xbox 360 console.  This new SKU is similar to the new 250GB Xbox 360 announced at E3; it’s still “whisper quiet” and comes packed with a WiFi N-adapter.  What it lacks is the large HDD and shiny aesthetics.  The cheaper SKU will feature 4GB of internal flash memory and a black matte finish (as opposed to the 250GB Xbox’s glossy finish).  The new console will come with an empty HDD bay, leaving the option open for Microsoft to ship to market a HDD for expandable storage.  The new 4GB Xbox 360 will cost $199.99 and release on August 3.  The Kinect + Kinect Adventures! w/ 4GB Xbox 360 bundle will go for $299 and release alongside the Kinect standalone sensor on November 4.

Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg shared the reasoning behind the bundle pricing scheme: “We’re currently a full $100 less than the PS Move bundle which is $400, which is a single player experience. Obviously if you add a second player to that they get well over $500 pretty quickly.”  He also says that by setting the Kinect w/ console bundle price at $299 (fifty bucks cheaper than buying everything separately), this will help draw in new potential gamers and expand the market.  Look after the break for the full PR.

[Via IGN; Engadget]

Continue reading Kinect for Xbox 360 priced at $149.99, bundles plus new Xbox model announced →

Check out Apple’s $100 million phone test labs

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To prove that they invest a lot of time, energy, and money in making sure their phones are ready for launch, Apple showed off their state of the art testing facilities.  Apple spend $100 million to create 17 anechoic chambers.  These buildings are the largest on the Cupertino campus.  These chambers are “designed to stop reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves”, and this makes for the perfect environment for cell phone testing.  “You have to build these rooms or you don’t get accurate results,” Steve Jobs pointed out at today’s press conference regarding the iPhone 4’s antenna problem.  The chambers are “connected to sophisticated equipment that simulates cellular base stations, WiFi networks, Bluetooth devices – even GPS satellites” to ensure that all aspects of the phone are tested properly and thoroughly.  Apple also said that they have 18 PhD scientists and engineers on hand when it’s testing time.

Apple released three stills of these strikingly designed sound proof rooms; check ’em out in the gallery below.  Also head over to Apple’s site to watch a brief video that takes you into some of the chambers and does a great job of describing how they’re utilized.

Update: Apple uploaded the behind-the-scenes video to their YouTube page.  I went ahead and embedded it for you; it’s sitting after the break.

[Via Apple; Engadget]

Continue reading Check out Apple’s $100 million phone test labs →

This is what Ryan Reynolds will look like as Green Lantern

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The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (set to hit newsstands July 16) features the very first image of Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern on its cover.  The character looks pretty bad-ass to me.  And after proving he can kick some ass as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I have no doubt Van Wilder will impress as Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern.  Green Lantern, an upcoming sci-fi flick directed by Martin Campbell, is based on the DC Comic of the same name.  Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is granted a green ring that gives him awesome superpowers.  As one of many Green Lanterns, he is sworn to keep intergalactic order.  The movie also stars Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, and Tim Robbins.  It’s expected to hit theatres June 17, 2011.

[Via EW-PopWatch; CBR]

The Invisible Mouse

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Pranav Mistry of MIT Media Lab has invented an invisible mouse he calls “Mouseless.”  By combining an infrared (IR) laser beam and an IR camera inside the side of a laptop, software can detect and track your hand movement atop of a flat surface and convert it into on-screen mouse movement, left/right clicks, and pinch/scroll gestures.  Want to get a bit more technical?

The laser beam module is modified with a line cap and placed such that it creates a plane of IR laser just above the surface the computer sits on. The user cups their hand, as if a physical mouse was present underneath, and the laser beam lights up the hand which is in contact with the surface. The IR camera detects those bright IR blobs using computer vision. The change in the position and arrangements of these blobs are interpreted as mouse cursor movement and mouse clicks. As the user moves their hand the cursor on screen moves accordingly. When the user taps their index finger, the size of the blob changes and the camera recognizes the intended mouse click.

It’s pretty incredible.  The protoype costs a mere $20, so if this technology were to be picked up by a major manufacturer I’m sure it would be a simple addition.   See it in action in the video above.  And check out some relevant stills in the gallery below.

[Via Gizmodo; YouTube; pranavmistry]

Swimming at 600 feet in the air? Be wary of falling off the edge.

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The Marina Bay Sands Skypark, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, features a 150 meter long infinity swimming pool that stretches across three skyscraper structures 200 meters in the sky.  With the edge of the swimming pool so close, how come the man pictured above is practicing his breast stroke without any sign of fear?  It’s because falling off the edge won’t result in death by falling 55 stories to the ground; swimmers fall into a catchment area where excess water is re-released back into the main pool area.  The hotel is the current record holder for having the largest pool at this height.  Construction cost was around $80 million dollars.  Other amenities include a “bar, restaurant and spa, botanical garden with 250 species of trees and 650 plants, and an observation deck that provides a panoramic view of the waterfront.”  The observation deck can hold 900 people, while the Skypark itself can fit 3,900 people total.  Look in the gallery below for images of the visually splendid Singapore-based hotel.

[Via DesignBoom; Gizmodo]