Category Archives: Video

DJ transforms Nike running shoes into musical instruments

Design, Music, Video, , , ,

DJ Daito Manabe was hired by Nike to create this viral video to promote Nike’s new Free Run+ running shoes.  Daito and crew effectively turned the shoes into controllers and used them to create slick beats and alter sounds by tapping, bending, and twisting them in all sorts of ways.  How’d they do it?  In an interview Daito said “he used flex sensors and accelerometers to make the shoes interactive.  He then processed the control signal and converted it to sound using the modular visual programming environment Max/MSP and Ableton’s Max for Live.”  The result is what you see in the video above.  Freakin’ awesome.

[Via CreateDigitalMusic; Engadget]

There’s something wrong with Fergie Olver

Hilarity, Video, , ,

Here’s a compilation of clips from an old ’70s Canadian game show called Just Like Mom.  It was hosted by husband and wife team Fergie Olver and Catherine Swift.  Anyone who watched this show must’ve noticed Fergie Olver’s pedophile tendencies.  Right?  Right!?  Kudos to YouTuber Haggardmike for putting this together and exposing this creepy, disturbing man.

Note: After a flurry of incoming comments and spam consisting of borderline inappropriate conversation, commenting on this post has been disabled. However, it is encouraged that you share your opinions surrounding this video over at the page it’s hosted on at YouTube.

[Via @undeadproducer]

Octopus steals diver’s camera, makes directorial debut

nature, Video, ,

New Zealander Victor Huang was free diving, recording the deep ocean blue with his brand new underwater camera, when all of a sudden an octopus showed up.  The shine of the camera caught its eye and it immediately went for it.  Its death grip becoming too strong for Huang to handle, the octopus snatched it away and forced Huang to chase after it.  Distracting it with a speargun, Huang eventually mangaged to get his camera back.  And the best part of the story?  The entire adventure was caught on camera!  Oh, and the fact that Huang was holding his breath the entire time.  There’s that, too.

[Via AnimalsDontThink; Gizmodo]

The Pale Blue Dot, narrated by Carl Sagan

Movies, space, Video, , ,

This is an expert from the book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space.  In it astronomer Carl Sagan talks about the the famous picture of the Earth, our “pale blue dot” taken by Voyager I on February 14, 1990.  The short film adds a layer of classic movie scenes to the narration; it was put together by David Fu.  Really puts things into perspective.  We are but a speck in the vastness that is the universe.

[Via Gizmodo]

NASA and GM are sending world’s first humanoid into space

space, Technology, Video, , , ,

NASA and General Motors are collaborating to send a robot to the International Space Station to aid the human astronauts who reside there.  Sure we’ve sent robots into space before; you’ve heard of the Mars Rover, right?  This is different.  Robonaut 2, nicknamed R2, is preparing to become the first humanoid robot to enter space.  It’s got arms, legs, a body, and head.  R2 looks like one of us.  So what’s it going to do up there?  According to The New York Times, it “will be monitored in space to see how it performs in weightlessness, but NASA hopes to eventually use R2 to assist astronauts during space walks and to work alongside engineers in the space station.”  R2 is scheduled to leave for space via the Space Shuttle Discovery in September.  To infinity and beyond, I say!  Look after the break for a video that takes you behind the construction of R2.

[Via NYT; Engadget]

Continue reading NASA and GM are sending world’s first humanoid into space →

Multitouch? Pfft! Try multi-toe.

Technology, Video, , , , ,

A bunch of bright minds at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Germany have been working on this research project they call “multi-toe interaction.”  Basically it’s a multitouch floor that can recognize a person based on their shoe pattern.  But I’ll let the masterminds explain:

The key factor of the shown design is that it is based on frustrated total internal reflection sensing. FTIR allows it to identify and track users based on their sole patterns. The floor recognizes foot postures, distinguishes users who interact from people walking by, and enables high-precision interaction. In addition, the floor can approximate users’ head positions based on the pressure profile in the soles and it extracts enough details from soles to allow users to play first person shooters by balancing their feet.

So precise!  Not so sure if this can ever be practically implemented, but it’s always good to see unique implementations of a multitouch interface.  Even if it involves stinky feet.

[Via YouTube; Engadget]

A virtual window into a scene you wish lived outside your home

DIY, Technology, Video, , , , , , ,

One Ryan Hoagland has a created a DIY virtual window of sorts using two 46-inch Panasonic plasma displays, a Mac Pro workstation, a Wii-mote with a custom-built IR-emitting necklace, Bluetooth, and custom software called Winscape.  If everything is implemented correctly, it should result in two large virtual windows that could theoretically project any scene you’d like.  And thanks to headtracking technology, the windows will create an illusion that you are actually peering inside this virtual realm.  Oh, and you can control scene selection with an iPhone app.  Intruiged?  You can build one of your own virtual landscapes come this July when Hoagland plans to sell basic kits for under $3000.  Look after the break for a timelapse video of its construction.

[Via RationalCraft; Engadget]

Continue reading A virtual window into a scene you wish lived outside your home →