Aliens! Floating in space! It’s got to be the premiere of Katy Perry’s music video for the insanely catchy tune “E.T.” The video is brimmed with sci-fi aesthetics. The video opens with freaky looking alien hovering in zero-gravity space; soon enough it transforms into the pop star. Kanye West pops up throughout the episode, also floating around in a bottomless pit of darkness; his lower row of sparkly teeth light up the scene. Bits and pieces of the song are mixed differently you’ll notice. Perry also throws in a new verse for good measure. Overall the video is just OK since the story it tells is lacking in depth (but listen to the lyrics, was to be expected?); however, Perry put much effort into costume design and makeup and these aspects of the vid were certainly made for impressive eye candy. And now to get this song out of my head…
Still waiting for your iPad 2 to arrive?
Enjoy this stop motion-enhanced Plasticine model in action!
[Via Gizmodo]
Photoshop gets real on the iPad
At an event dubbed Photoshop World 2011, an Adobe exec demonstrated the future of Photoshop…on an iPad! You might think Photoshop Express in the App Store is a useful tool to edit photos on a mobile device, but you ain’t seen nothing yet. Resizing, manipulating, and applying filters to images is a smooth experience on this conceptual, futuristic version of Ps for iPad. The coolest feature, though, is the ability to add layers and view all applied layers in a 3D animation mode that reveals how exactly they are organized in relation to one another. But alas–this tease of an insanely cool iPad app is but a concept and no release date was shared with the event’s crowd in awe.
[Via Engadget; Photography Bay]
Google wants you to ‘like’ search results using new feature called “+1s” (also, Kansas City gets ultra high-speed network)
So you know how you can ‘like’ websites, in the same way you can ‘like’ a friend’s status update on Facebook? Well Google wants a slice of the social recommendation pie, and they’re doing that by introducing a new Google Search feature called +1s. El Goog describes it as “the digital shorthand for “this is pretty cool.”” If you understand the ‘like’ concept invented by Facebook, you’ll immediately get what Google is going for with +1. When you tap the new +1 button, which is located at the end of every search result right next to the Instant Preview magnifying glass icon, you are instantly recommending that site to friends and the public at large. Need a concrete example to fully comprehend what’s going on here? Google explains…
“Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop. … The beauty of +1’s is their relevance—you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results).”
Currently the search giant requires you to be logged into a Google Account to see the +1 results. The new feature will already rolling out to English Google search results and ads. Once you see them appear, start +1-ing and let the great social search experiment begin!
In related Google news, the company has selected Kansas City, Kansas to be the inaugural recipient of the fiber-based ultra high-speed 1 gigabit broadband network. Back in February of last year Google began a country-wide search looking for a U.S. to use as a test subject for its broadband network installation plans. The mayor of Topeka, Kansas went so far as legally changing the name of the town to “Google” for the entire month of April to gain the attention of the company; but in the end, Google selected Kansas City and things are about to get blazingly fast there. But don’t fret, towns that didn’t get selected. Google assures everyone that “today is the start, not the end of the project. And over the coming months, we’ll be talking to other interested cities about the possibility of us bringing ultra high-speed broadband to their communities.”
Look after the break to watch videos summing up the +1 and Kansas City news bites.
[Via GoogleBlog 1, 2] Continue reading Google wants you to ‘like’ search results using new feature called “+1s” (also, Kansas City gets ultra high-speed network)
‘How To Make It In America’ begins season 2 production
Right on schedule HBO has begun production on the second season of How To Make It In America, the dramedy that follows 20-somethings (Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk) who are trying to make it big in the fashion industry in New York City. Pictured above is Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi) and Greenberg. Cudder posted it on his new Tumblr site, and he promises fans that Domingo Brown will have more of a presence in the upcoming season. And this is already being proven–check out the gallery below to sneak a peek of Cudi and female lead Lake Bell walking the streets of NYC (specifically East 12th Street) filming a scene. HTMIIA season two is set to premiere this summer.
[Via CudLife; DatNewCudi; DNAInfo]
Babies debate in mesmerizing babble-speak
Watch as eighteen-month-old fraternal twin boys Sam and Ren converse in a heated debate about something we mere older people will never comprehend. This week the video pasted above has gone viral, and after you mash play you’ll no longer wonder why. But how is this da-da-da conversation taking place? Listen to what the experts have to say.
According to Stephen Camarata, professor of hearing and speech, “These kids are right on the cusp of language. They’re using the intonation patterns of sentences — imitating sentences in a crude way. It’s one way that children learn how to talk.” Adds Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, education professor and director of the infant language project at the University of Delaware: “Even before they have words, they know how conversation work. They’re producing syllables emphatically and using them for communication purposes. They’re having a ball.”
Crazy huh?
[Via ABC News]
Single: Death Cab for Cutie – “You Are a Tourist”
The wait for Death Cab for Cutie’s first album in three years is almost over. Codes and Keys, their seventh studio album to date if you’re counting, will feature 11 new tracks from the indie-pop/alt-rock band and it releases May 31. Frontman and lead vocalist Ben Gibbard told Stereogum that “this a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before.” The band recently outed the lead single off the album and it’s called “You Are a Tourist.” Listen to it below and quickly you’ll notice the changes they’ve made. This still very much sounds like a DCFC track (Gibbard’s voice echos along with the upbeat tune), and at the same time its message is uplifting, too. Bassist Nick Harmer admits that “the emotional spectrum feels much wider this time…. I think there is a lot more light in this record.” Bet you’re really looking forward to contrasting Codes and Keys with their 2008 melancholic smash Narrow Stairs. For now, hear the single and anticipate the end-of-May release.
Poster: The Hangover Part II
Ah ha, the Wolfpack is back alright. We’ve been teased before, but this time it’s in picture form. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), and that vicious-looking monkey find themselves in a bind here, this time in Bangkok. But where’s their best friend Doug (Justin Bartha)? That, my friends, still remains a mystery; but we can guesstimate that his absence will once again catapult the band of brothers into a memorable heap of laugh-out-loud trouble.
The Hangover Part II hits theatres May 26.
Reminder: Kiefer Sutherland’s web series ‘The Confession’ premieres tonight on Hulu
The Confession, fully previewed here, is a thriller that follows a hitman (Kiefer Sutherland) who has a theological discussion with a priest (John Hurt) about why his victims deserved to die. The series streams exclusively on Hulu; 10 five-to-seven-minute webisodes have been produced. The first batch of “chapters” have been made available to watch starting today. In “Chapter 1” Sutherland enters a Catholic church confessional where he confronts a priest at gunpoint and forces the holy man to listen to his sins. Sutherland makes it a point that it has been 35 years since his last confession. The episode switches back and forth between the confession and action-packed flashbacks highlighting the hitman’s misdoings. Having watched the first episode I can say though this new character is not Jack Bauer, Sutherland certainly can’t contain the man he played for so many years. Also of note, 24‘s composer Sean Callery has produced the music for this series, and you can hear (ever-so-slightly) hints of 24‘s sound effects. Whether or not you’re a fan of the genre-defining FOX show you should make some time to watch this top notch, high caliber series being distributed over the web. Graphic scenes do pop up, so if you haven’t signed up for a free Hulu account you’ll have to do that to access the video page.
Watch the intense trailer above, then head over to Hulu and stream the first three chapters of The Confession.
‘Fringe’ asks, “Where will you be when it happens?”
In this tantalizing teaser highlighting what’s to come on Fringe the show asks fans, “Where will you be when it happens?”
When what happens exactly? What is “it“? Perhaps they are referring to the impending doom (the obliteration of one universe) brought on by the machine + Peter Bishop. Or maybe it’s something else entirely…
Whatever’s going to happening, it’s going down when the sun comes up at 6:02AM. Now how do I know that? In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, the time “6:02AM” flashes precisely at :12 and then again at :13 in the video above. Sneaky, huh? FOX posted a lengthier promo called “Life and Death” and this video also makes mention of this mysterious time. I’ve embedded the second spot after the break, and I’ll leave it up to you to find the clue.
With promise of another season, I can’t wait to see what the team has in store for the May season finale. Fringe airs Fridays at 9PM on FOX. New episodes return April 15. Continue reading ‘Fringe’ asks, “Where will you be when it happens?”
Apple’s WWDC 2011 begins June 6
Today Apple announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (otherwise known as WWDC) June 6 through June 10 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. According to the press release, “Apple will unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS, including exciting demonstrations of the new kinds of apps that developers can build using Apple’s advanced frameworks and more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers.” In years past, we’ve come to expect the unveiling of the next-generation iPhone at WWDC. According to various sources (All Things D, The Loop, Daring Fireball), however, iPhone 5 will likely not make an appearance at this year’s event. Hardware announcement(s) will wait for the fall (updated iPhone and/or iPad hardware may show up during Apple’s September event for new iPods) and WWDC will strictly highlight software–that is, iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion. Look after the break for the full PR.
[Via Apple] Continue reading Apple’s WWDC 2011 begins June 6
Earth Hour 2011 is tonight, and you’re invited!
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2011
Time: 8:30PM, local time
Place: Wherever you live
What to do: Turn off your lights for one hour
“From its inception as a single-city initiative — Sydney, Australia – in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global symbol of hope and movement for change. Earth Hour 2010 created history as the world’s largest ever voluntary action with people, businesses and governments in 128 countries across every continent coming together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the one thing that unites us all — the planet.”
DO YOUR PART and contribute to Earth Hour 2011 by turning off your lights for one hour starting at 8:30PM (local time) on Saturday, March 27. And while you’re at it, disconnect all electronics from their wall sockets and conserve energy during this time. Even the small things count. Since 2007 Earth Hour has become a worldwide shared experience with an important mission: to make a positive impact on our planet.
[Via EarthHour; YouTube Channel] Continue reading Earth Hour 2011 is tonight, and you’re invited!