Category Archives: News

IKEA’s kitchen of the future gets conceptualized

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This year IKEA commissioned a study by The Future Laboratory, a UK-based think tank that prides itself for “its innovative approach to trend forecasting, consumer insight and brand strategy”, to come up with various visions of how kitchens will function in the year 2040.  “In thirty years time, the kitchen will be so technologically advanced that it will almost be alive” claims the study.  One possible future kitchen scenario is dubbed “INTUITIV”:

As you walk into the INTUITIV kitchen of the future, LED light projections adjust to your mood – it will know if you have a hangover via sensors that will read your brainwaves. Aromatherapy infused walls will be synced to your calendar, calming you before a big meeting or energising you before a gym session. The fridge will have selected some breakfast options, identifying the essential vitamins for your day via sensors. When you get home, a hologrammed chef will be on hand for recipe inspiration.

Two others are the ELEMENTARA (the “back to nature kitchen”) and the SKARPP (the “smart kitchen”):

The ELEMENTARA kitchen will encourage you to grow your own food and be self-sufficient with a garden or mini allotment as a standard extension of the room. Food will be kept cool through cold larders and recycling facilities will be seamlessly incorporated into the kitchen.

[The SKARPP] kitchen will be intelligent, predicting its inhabitants’ needs with smart technology. Synchronized appliances will make everything happen at the touch of a button, communicating through iPad style devices which will act as the brain of the kitchen, making our lives easier.

In essense, the study finds that our kitchens of the future will “respond to your energy levels, nutritional needs and mood, even with a high use of technology, it will also be sustainable and eco-friendly.”  Celebrity chef holograms, 3D food printing, sixth generation iPads.  Most of this tech is being developed today; I say we speed up the process and make all this a reality within the next ten years!  Who’s with me?  Official PR is after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading IKEA’s kitchen of the future gets conceptualized →

Kanye West debuts “Power” remix, promises new songs every weekend until X-mas

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Kanye West dropped the official remix to his super single “Power” over the weekend.  The track features a verse from Kanye’s long-time collaborator Jay-Z and production by Swizz Beatz.  Jay-Z opens the remix strong; he raps about living in the 31st century, makes a Norman Mailer reference, and says this: “In search of the truth, even if it goes through Taylor Swift/Tell her this.”  Yes, this marks the first time a Kanye track alludes to the harsh “imma let you finish” Swift incident from last year’s VMAs.  After Jay-Z does his thing, Kanye hops onto the record with two brand new verses.  In them be brings up topics like social commentary (“Now we’re not all gonna be American idols/but you can at least grab a camera, shoot a viral”) and politics and war (Bring our troops back from Iraq, keep our troops out of Iran/So the next couple bars, I’ma drop them in Islam/They say as-salaam alaikum, say wa alaikum as-salaam/That’s no Oscar Mayer bacon, you should run and tell your mom/Now the question is, how we gon’ stop the next Vietnam/Keep Flex out of Korea, ’cause you know we drop bombs”).  With about 2 minutes left, a Swizz Beatz produced sample of “The Power” by Snap! consumes the track and Kanye goes in for one more verse.  He raps, “Don’t even think you can allude to the rumors/I’m immune to the booze, I’m a prude to you losers.”  When the five minute 15 second track is about to end, Swizzy pops on to kill it: “Chill, ‘Ye, chill/Sh-t’s burnt up already/It’s over.”

Overall the remix is really great.  It does away with the “21st Century Schizoid Man” sample and introduces a different but familiar flow for the chorus.  In many ways the remix is bigger than the original track (Kanye opens up about more topics in the former), but they both hold their own weight.  Be sure to preview the remix below; there’s also a download link for keeps.

Download: Kanye West – Power (Remix) (Featuring Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

[audio: Kanye West – Power (Remix) (Featuring Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz).mp3]

Late last night Kanye shared some very exciting news.  He promises to release new music every weekend until Christmas.  On G.O.O.D. Fridays (G.O.O.D. Music is the name of his record label) new songs will be released; he specifies that they may come from him, Jay-Z, and other rappers.  He released “See Me Now” (Featuring Beyonce & Charlie Wilson) last week for the fans, and he realized that the fans deserve new content on a regular basis.  He tweeted: “I know yall need the music so I’m dropping 1 new song every weekend until Xmas. It may be my song it may be a new Jay song etc… I’m calling it good Fridays. Yall know every Friday yall gone have a new joint from our family. We look at the game completely different now. It’s about the fans. No more holding back. That’s why I dropped see me now… It wasn’t about me it was about the Summer the BBQs etc…“  Though Kanye has not mentioned what’s on deck for next weekend, many speculate that “All of the Lights”, the planned second single off his upcoming album that he previewed during his UStream chat, might be it.  Kanye is also finalizing a remix to Justin Bieber’s “Runaway Love” with Raekwon, so that’s in the pipeline, too.

Currently Kanye is in Prague working Dark Twisted Fantasy, an artistic film that will accompany the untitled album when it releases November 16.

[Via KWBlog; Twitter; EW-MusicMix; WSJ; Rap-Up]

Creative Arts Emmys made winners out of Betty White, NPH & network and premium cable series

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The Creative Arts Emmys ceremony acts as a precursor to the actual Emmys (which airs live next week) and many of the awards given cover guest spots and technical achievements.  Betty White, Neil Patrick Harris, John Lithgow, and Ann-Margret took home Emmys for their guest roles in Saturday Night Live, Glee, Dexter, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, respectively.  (Fun(ny) fact: When John Lithgow accepted his award for best guest spot in Dexter, he thanked HBO.  Dexter is a Showtime series!  Oops!)  HBO took was awarded 17 trophies; its mini-series The Pacific brought in 7 of them.  ABC (15 Emmys), FOX (9), and CBS, NBC, and PBS (7 each) followed.

Other notable winners include: Modern Family (Best Casting of a Comedy Series, Best Picture Editing for Comedy Series); Saturday Night Live (Best Makeup/ Multi-Camera (Non-Prosthetic), Best Direction of Variety); 24 (Best Music Score); Lost (Best Picture Editing for Drama Series (Single Camera)); Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Best Short Form Picture Editing, Best Creative Achievement in Interactive); FlashForward (Best Stunt Coordination); Glee (Best Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series); The Colbert Report (Best Variety Writing).

Look after the break for the full list of winners.  Make sure to tune into the Emmys hosted by Jimmy Fallon August 29 on NBC.

[Via EW; AP; LATimes] Continue reading Creative Arts Emmys made winners out of Betty White, NPH & network and premium cable series →

HBO porn series is in the works

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Executive producers Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson, who currently work together on HBO’s Entourage and the upcoming series Boardwalk Empire, are teaming up with controversial writer James Frey to produce a new one-hour drama about the porn industry that will star both actors and porn stars.  According to the NY Post, “The plot will focus on a giant video company under siege from Internet competitors and a girl from the Midwest whose boyfriend convinces her to move to Los Angeles to become a star.”  Frey, who is currently writing the pilot, shares, “We’re going to make a sprawling epic about the porn business in LA.  We’re going to tell the type of stories no one else has told before, and go places no one has gone before.”  OK I’m hooked.

[Via IGN; NYP]

Malin Akerman hints at a third season of Childrens Hospital

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You probably know actress Malin Akerman for her pivotal role in Watchmen as  Silk Spectre II or her comedic turn in Couples Retreat.  More recently she has decided to foster her funny side by starring in Rob Corddry’s web series-turned-TV show Childrens Hospital.  In season 2 of the satirical medical comedy Akerman plays Dr. Valerie Flame.  In an interview with IGN she describes her character as “the new hot-to-trot lady in the hospital who gets all the guys going.”  Season 1, which was filmed for the web in 2008, just finished airing on Adult Swim.  It starred Lake Bell who lended her voice for narration of the series.  After the show got picked up for TV, Corddry decided to film a second season made for TV.  This time around, however, Bell was committed to HBO’s How To Make It In America, so her role was downsized and Akerman was given narration duty.

In the interview with IGN Akerman hints that if ratings continue to impress then the whole team would definitely consider filming a third season:

“As long as time permits and schedules all come together properly, then absolutely! I’d go back, and they have asked about availabilities and such, so I’m guessing that’s a good sign. There’s definitely been talk about a Season 3 – I see that possibly happening. The numbers have been great, and I think people have been watching and enjoying Childrens Hospital, which means there’s a lot of sick people out there which is great!”

If you happened to have missed season 1 of Childrens Hospital during its web and TV run, that’s OK.  This is one of those shows that you can just jump into and start laughing.  It really is hysterical.  And with an all-star cast including Rob Corddry, Ken Marino (Party Down), Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), Rob Huebel (Human Giant) and Henry Winkler (The Fonz!) and guest stars including Ed Begley Jr. (Arrested Development), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), and John Cho (Star Trek), Childrens Hospital is a must-see.  It returns with brand new episodes tonight (8/22) at 10:30PM on Adult Swim.  Season 2 will consist of six 11-minute episodes and will run consecutively through Sunday September 26.

[Via IGN]

Here is the 83-track setlist for Rock Band 3

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To make a short story even shorter… Last week RockBandAide leaked a partial setlist from the upcoming Harmonix music game Rock Band 3.  This week at Gamescom in Germany, three Harmonix developers set up a camera and dispelled all rumors surrounding the “official” setlist.  During this brief video (which is embedded after the break), the developers revealed the entire 83-track setlist in a tongue-in-cheek manner; while two devs told viewers not to believe the misinformed rumors posted online, the other dev nonchalantly scrolled through the entire setlist while the camera was rolling!  Avenged Sevenfold, The Bronx, Bob Marley, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Devo, Elton John, Foreigner, INXS, John Lennon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozzy Osbourne, The Police, Queen, Steve Miller Band, War, The Who, Yes.  The setlist is pretty phenomenal, so make sure you peek past the break to check it out.  Thanks to disc export and DLC support, the game will have access to a library of over 2,000 songs!  Rock Band 3 releases October 26, 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading Here is the 83-track setlist for Rock Band 3 →

Justin Bieber track “U Smile” slowed down 800%, sounds glorious

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I hate on Jusin Bieber as much as the next person does, but there’s no denying how insanely epic his song “U Smile” is…when it’s slow down 800 percent!  Twenty-year-old musician and producer Nick Pittsinger slowed down the track using a computer program called Paulstretch.  What started as a joke quickly turned into an Internet meme of epic proportions.  When played at eight times slower than normal, the song becomes a thirty-five minute trippy score that could easily find a home in something as cinematic as James Horner’s Avatar soundtrack.  Listening to it really is a mind-blowing experience.  What was once so annoying and shameful has turned into a musically precise and epic journey.  Turn up your speakers, close your eyes, and enter the world of Pandora, erm…listen to a Bieber track slowed down.  (Feel free to compare it to the original version here.)

[Via Gizmodo]

Chelsea Handler to host the VMAs

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Last night comedian Chelsea Handler announced on her E! late night show Chelsea Lately that she will be the host of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.  But why Handler?  She explains, “This has been a huge year for hip-hop and rap, and it is well-known that I have the closest ties with these communities — musically and sexually.  I am to rap and hippity-hop, what Warren Buffet is to finance, minus the sex.”  Yup, that’s Chelsea.  Fun fact: She is first female to host the awards show since 1994.  With expected performances from Kanye West, Justin Bieber (eh), Drake, Jay Sean, B.o.B, and Florence + The Machine, this year’s VMAs should be memorable in just the right way.  The VMAs airs live from the Nokia Theatre in LA September 12.  Check out this year’s nominees!  Look after the break to watch Chelsea make the exciting announcement.

[Via EW-Popwatch] Continue reading Chelsea Handler to host the VMAs →

Conan releasing two comedy (rock) albums on Jack White’s Third Man Records label

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With his highly anticipated TBS show looming on the horizon, Conan O’Brien is readying two comedy albums for his most loyal fans.  The first record, “Conan O’Brien Live at Third Man”, is a live LP that features “an amazing set of rock and roll tunes and hilarity” and includes performances by Conan and The Legally Prohibited Band (from his Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour), 7 Nation Army, and The White Stripes’ Jack White duet with Conan of Eddie Cochran’s 20 Flight Rock.  This 12″ vinyl is available to purchase today.  The second record “And They Call Me Mad” is a 7″ vinyl; the A side features a improvisational spoken word take on the Frankenstein legend, and the B side is an interview with Conan conduced by Jack White.  This record is due out August 24.  Both of them were recorded at Third Man Records (founded by White) in Nashville, Tennessee during his stop there on tour.  A blog post on the TeamCoco website describes the studio session:

Conan blazed through a rocking setlist of stuff from our Legally Prohibited show – as well as a few other jams that we’ve never done!  The energy in the room was incredible: The band lit by a dim red light, the hot Nashville air thick with excitement; the room packed to capacity – it was a scene the likes of which I’ve never experienced.  I could totally see this show being something that happened outside under a tent in the South in the 50’s.  A very, very cool vibe.

[Via EW-MusicMix; TeamCoco]

VEVO brings its music video library to the iPhone

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VEVO, the vast and growing music video portal on YouTube, is now available in app form.  Besides containing over 20,000 music videos from more than 7,000 artists the VEVO app also brings with it:

  • Enjoy special features including exclusive videos, premieres, top charts, top playlists, artists on tour and VEVO original music programming.
  • Create and save custom playlists for easy on-demand playback of favorite videos.
  • Easily discover what videos are being watched around your location right now using Location Services/GPS.
  • Stay up to date on video premieres and special events with push notification alerts.
  • Have fun with music trivia before watching each video.
  • Optimized for iPhone 4.0 high resolution Retina Display.
  • Share any video easily with friends via Twitter, Facebook and via Email.
  • Download music from each video within the iTunes Store.

    • The VEVO app is only available in the U.S. and Canada.  iPad and Android versions are coming soon.  Download it for free here.

    [Via VEVOBlog; Gizmodo]

    Facebook Places ready to share your location with friends on the iPhone

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    Similar to Foursquare, Facebook Places gives you the ability to share your location in the world with friends and view your friends’ location.  “Checking in” and sharing your location is simple:

    Go to Places on the iPhone application or touch.facebook.com site and then tap the “Check In” button. You’ll see a list of places near you. Choose the place that matches where you are. If it’s not on the list, search for it or add it. After checking in, your check-in will create a story in your friends’ News Feeds and show up in the Recent Activity section on the page for that place.

    You can even “tag” friends that are with you, just as you can tag a friend in a status update or photo.  You can also post an update along with your check-in to tell people more about what you are doing.  The “People Here Now” section reveals a list of nearby Facebook users, whether they are “friends” or not.  People will only show up in this list if they are checked into the same location as you.

    Privacy concerns are an ongoing issue at Facebook HQ, so they made sure to highlight ways to tweak Places options.  The default setting shares your location and previously tagged locations with friends only; you have to option to change the master privacy control to “Everyone” if you like.  You also have the option whether or not to allow your friends to check you in to places.  If you let them do so, you will receive notification every time you are checked into a place.  You can always remove yourself from the places you’ve been checked or tagged into, just as you can remove your name from a tagged photo.  Want to learn more about controlling your privacy with Places?  Watch this helpful and informative video from Lifehacker that goes through the motions step-by-step.

    Facebook Places is only available on the iPhone in the US.  In order to access the new feature you must download the free update for the Facebook app.  Along with Places, version 3.2 brings background photo and video uploads (for iOS4 users), some visual and loading enhancements, and various bug fixes.  Got an Android and Blackberry device?  Point your browser to touch.facebook.com to access an HTML 5 version of Places to join the fun.  Facebook is working on bring Places to other mobile devices and more countries.  They have opened up a Places API for third party developers like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp to use in their respective services.

    [Via Facebook; Engadget]

    Portal 2 gets a release date

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    After numerous delays, Valve has decided to kick things in to high gear by announcing a firm release date for the sequel to 2007’s critically acclaimed puzzler.  Portal 2 will release on February 9, 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac.  Valve has also confirmed that British writer and actor Stephen Merchant (The Office, Ricky Gervais Show) will voice the British robot Wheatley who has been featured in the game’s trailers.  “Meet Wheatley” at the Portal 2 site.

    [Via GameInformer]