The origins of the PlayStation’s controller icons revealed

Design, News, Technology, , , , , , ,

In an interview with Famitsu magazine (translated by 1Up), the man behind the external design of every Sony PlayStation console, controller, and other accessories shared the motivation behind many of his design choices.  When referring to the original PlayStation, Teiyu Goto shared that “the console itself was a relatively easy design process, but we went through a great number of stages with the controller.”  During the early stages of design, Sony management insisted that the controller not look and function much differently from the SNES controller (see top right).  “The Super NES was a huge hit at the time, and naturally we wanted SNES gamers to upgrade to our system,” said Goto.  “That’s why the management department didn’t want the controller to be a radical departure — they said it had to be a standard type of design, or gamers wouldn’t accept it.”  Though management was against Goto’s idea of molding a controller with grips at both ends instead of creating a flat, SNES-like design, Goto (with support from then-Sony president Norio Ohga) was given the green light to move forward with his radical new approach.

And here’s the bombshell.  Goto finally made known the meanings behind the four face buttons that continue to live on in the PlayStation brand:

“Other game companies at the time assigned alphabet letters or colors to the buttons. We wanted something simple to remember, which is why we went with icons or symbols, and I came up with the triangle-circle-X-square combination immediately afterward. I gave each symbol a meaning and a color. The triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent one’s head or direction and made it green. Square refers to a piece of paper; I had it represent menus or documents and made it pink. The circle and X represent ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision-making and I made them red and blue respectively. People thought those colors were mixed up, and I had to reinforce to management that that’s what I wanted.”

And now you know.

[Via 1Up; Joystiq]

Google integrates calling phones feature into Gmail

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If you have a Gmail account, you can now call your friends and family from it.  A new button labeled “Call phone” is now visible at the top of your chat list.  Click it and a dial pad pops up; you can dial a person by entering their phone number or contact name.  After some initial test runs, I am happy to report that calls sound nearly crystal clear on both ends (far better than on Skype).  If you have a Google Voice account, you can easily tweak settings so that you can both send and receive phone calls on your cell phone, too.  Read more about that here.  “For at least the rest of the year” calls made to the U.S. and Canada will remain free of charge.  International rates are fairly cheap; they start as low as .2 cents per minute.  You will be able to purchase additional credits through Google Checkout.  Check out the full list of international rates here.  Before you can start using the new “call phone” feature inside Gmail, you must download the free voice and video plugin for your browser if you haven’t done so already.  Once that’s completed, you’re all set!  Give it a try and remember that calls made within the U.S. and Canada are free…so what are you waiting for?

[Via GoogleBlog]

Trailer: The Walking Dead (AMC’s fitting premiere date enclosed)

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I have not anticipated the premiere of a new fall TV series like this in quite some time.  The Walking Dead, the famed comic book series from Robert Kirkman that follows a band of survivors in a zombie-infested world, is being adapted to the small screen with executive producer/director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) at the helm.  I have attempted to hook you in from the start–reporting cast additions, production stills, and behind-the-scenes looks from the set.  Today the four-and-a-half minute trailer, originally screened at Comic Con in July, has hit the ‘Net and boy does it impress.  If nothing caught your attention in the past surrounding the development of the AMC series, this will.  In it you will meet Rick Grimes, a man who gets shots and wakes up after a prolonged period of time in a hospital to find his home infiltrated by a hoard of flesh-hungry zombies.  Said zombies look horrifyingly spectacular thanks to makeup/special FX extraordinaire Greg Nicotero.  I implore you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the first in-depth peek at The Walking Dead.

We’ve been told that The Walking Dead would premiere in October sometime during AMC’s Fearfest schedule, which will include 14 consecutive days of horror-themed programming.  Today THR reports that the zombie series will premiere on Halloween night, Sunday October 31 at 10:00PM ET.  If you’re planning on spending the night trick-or-treating, don’t forget to set your DVR!  The pilot episode, written and directed by Darabont, will run 90 minutes long.

[Via THR]

Spielberg, Orci & Kurtzman, Friedman & Hill onboard for ‘Locke & Key’ comic book adaptation

Comics, News, Television, , , , , , , , ,

Locke & Key, a comic book series written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez and published by IDW Publishing, follows three teenage brothers, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode Locke, who move to a Massachusetts mansion where they find the mystical Ghost Door which grants them powers, including the ability to separate his spirit from body and to transport between different worlds.  The modern (2008-present) comic book is about to undergo a transformation with some HUGE names at the helm.  A few months back, writers Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, Star Trek, Transformers) were approached to write a screenplay for a movie adaptation of the series.  After much speculation, Vulture breaks news that the series will be adapted for television.  In addition to Orci & Kurtzman, Steven Spielberg will serve as executive producer (via DreamWorks TV) and  Josh Friedman, who was the showrunner of the dearly missed Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, will write and exec produce.  Oh and you knnow Joe Hill, the writer of the comic book?  He just happens to be Steven King’s son.  20th Century Fox and DreamWorks TV will back the venture.  Now the wait begins to see which network is willing to scoop up all this talent and greenlight the production process.

[Via IGN; NYMag; Wiki]

‘Lost’ auction nets over $1 million, fans revel at The Island one last time

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From August 21-22 the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California was transformed into a Lost fan’s wet dream.  Not only did it house Lost memorabilia for the show’s most diehard fans and collectors to bid on, but it also contained key set pieces from the show (ie. the Oceanic 815 plane, the hatch, pieces of The Black Rock and The Temple) and actors (Sterling Beaumon (Young Ben Linus), Andrea Gabriel (Nadia), and Daniel Roebuck (Dr. Arzt)) for fans to see and take pictures with.  The auction was a smashing success; people in-person, over the telephone, and online paid a pretty penny to call themselves owners of some of Lost‘s most recognizable items.  The first day of bidding netted around $900,000, and early estimates speculated that the second day would exceed sales of $1 million.  Though it has not been disclosed where all the money will go, it has been made public that an undetermined portion of the proceeds will land in the hands of Hawaii-based charities.

So how much did some of the most exciting items go for?  The Dharma Van proved to be the most valuable item at the auction; it sold for $47,500!  Not even Hurley’s hot Camaro, which sold for $20,000, could top the vehicle that turned Hurley’s luck around.  Somewhat fitting, isn’t it?  Other top prizes include: Jacob’s dial mechanism and mirror array from “The Lighthouse” ($27,500); the frozen donkey wheel ($22,500);  Faraday’s journal ($20,000); the Dharma Swan station computer ($16,000); the pilot script signed by J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof ($15,000); 12 cans of Dharma beer ($5,000); Locke’s wheelchair ($3,250); and Sawyer’s paperback copy of Watership Down ($2,750).

Look after the break for a slightly more extensive list of the top-selling items from the auction.  Also after the break is a 12-minute video that will take you on a brief tour around the hangar.

[Via EW-PopWatch; TheWashingtonPost] Continue reading ‘Lost’ auction nets over $1 million, fans revel at The Island one last time →

‘Piranha 3D’ sequel is on the way

Movies, News, ,

After a strong $10 million performance during its opening weekend at the box office and receiving rave reviews, Dimension Films announced today that a Piranha 3D sequel is in the works.  Director Alexandre Aja and producer Mark Canton will team up to create another fun gorefest featuring lots of 3D boobies and oh-so-much blood.  “We are thrilled that audiences are not just loving Piranha 3D, but cheering for it,” said Canton.  “And it’s fantastic that so many critics are really getting the movie and recommending it. We can’t wait to get to work on the sequel.”

It’s true; the campy bloodbath starring killer piranha strong a chord with audiences and critics.  The film currently sits at a respectable 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  And read these words from the AP’s Christy Lemire: “Run, don’t walk: Piranha 3D is hilariously, cleverly gory. Mere words cannot describe how awesomely gnarly Piranha 3D is, how hugely entertaining, and how urgently you must get yourself to the theatre to see it. Like, now.”  Like, yeah–I saw this movie the other day and I whole heartedly agree with Lemire.  Piranha 3D is campy, bloody, sexy, fun.  Just the right ingredients for the perfect summer flick.

Though there has been no official word concerning the plot of the sequel, one can deduce it will likely involve the BLANK piranha introduced at the end of the Piranha 3D.  (Don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who have not seen it yet.)  A few weeks ago Aja mentioned in an interview that the production team was throwing some ideas around for a potential sequel.  “We had many ideas, like the full moon party in Thailand — a huge event with like 200,000 young people from all around the world taking mushrooms and partying on the beach.”  Can I preorder a ticket yet?  And where does the line start?

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider; MTV]

Recycled electronic junk combines to form intricate artwork

Art, Design, Images, , , , , , , , ,

Jason Mecier is a mosaic portrait artist.  He uses all kinds of materials–including beans, food, and yarn–to recreate famous artwork and come up with his own machinations.  What grabbed my eye was his work with recycled electronic junk.  As you can see in the Conan O’Brien portrait above, Mecier used electronic circuit boards, cell phones, remote controls, and various cables to reimagine the “I’m with Coco” portrait as made famous by Mike Mitchell.  I’ve posted a handful of creative electronic junk collages in the gallery below, but be sure to check out Mecier’s vast gallery of artwork at his personal website.  Neat stuff.

[Via Gizmodo; 1800recycling; JasonMecier]

M-Dress intuitively packs a cell phone in its seams

Design, Fashion, Image cache, Technology, , , ,

“Simplicity is elegance” is the theme of the forward-thinking M-Dress (or Mobile Phone Dress) from CuteCircuit.  It is a silk jersey dress that doubles as a cell phone.

The M-Dress was designed after our research showed that very often phone calls are missed because mobile phones are quite awkward to carry, especially for women, that have garments with small or no pockets.To allow women to stay connected while remaining stylish, CuteCircuit designed the M- Dress. A mobile phone in its own right but built out of soft circuitry.

A SIM card is inserted into a tiny slot located behind the dress’ label.  The antenna resides in the dress hem.  The dress uses “special gesture recognition” to answer a phone call; simply raise your hand to your ear and the call picks up and drop your hand to your side to tell the built-in sensor to end the call.  It’s that simple, really.  “It doesn’t make you look completely crazy like the Bluetooth-earpiece people,” says designer Francesca Rosella.  “You don’t have anything in your hand, but you at least look like you might be holding a phone.”  True dat.  Since there is no user interface or dial pad, the dress can only be programmed to call one number.  It can, however, receive calls from anyone.  “It’s not meant to wear every day, Rosella explains.  “It’s for a special evening when you don’t want to be bothered carrying all of your plastic boxes.”

The M-Dress is coming “soon” and a price point has yet to be disclosed.

[Via Gizmodo; CuteCircuit; TheStar]

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 →

Single: Cee-Lo Green – “F–k You” (NSFW)

Music, Video, , , , , , ,

Cee-Lo Green is a hip-hop/funk/soul artist whose been around since 1992; he is best known for his work with the Goodie Mob, but you will likely recognize his voice from his recent collab with Gnarls Barkley on the smash single “Crazy” off 2006’s St. Elsewhere.  Cee-Lo has a new album to promote, so he let loose this extremely catchy and profane single titled, um, “F–k You”.  In the song Cee-Lo curses out a girl who left him for a richer man.  There is a high level of profanity used in the track, but that is balanced out with really creative and witty lines like, “I’m sorry I can’t afford a Ferrari/I guess she’s an Xbox and I’m more Atari.”  This single could be an instant radio hit, but I don’t know how it would fare with the incessant bleeps.

Embedded above is the lyric video for the track (again, it’s filled with NSFW language).  A standard music video for the track is expected to drop sometime this week.  Cee-Lo’s third solo album Lady Killer hits stores October 4 December 7.

Update: 50 Cent has gone ahead and added a single new verse to the track.  In the freestyle he assumes the role of the rich man who stole away Cee-Lo’s lady.  Listen to 50’s addition after the break.

Update 2: In an interview with EW, Cee-Lo said that Lady Killer will drop later than expected on December 7.  He also revealed that a profanity-free radio edit is in the works.  “It’s called “Forget You,”” he says.  “It’s pretty close to the original, but not as effective.  But it’s politically correct.”  So I guess that catchy tune (minus its naughty bits) will make its way to the radio at some point.

[Via WSJ; EW-MusicMix] Continue reading Single: Cee-Lo Green — “F–k You” (NSFW) →

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]