The Optimus keyboard

http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Every key of the Optimus keyboard is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at this very moment.

Designed by russian Levedeb Studio, the Optimus Keyboard will make use of cutting edge technology to redefine the peripheral’s functionality.

As we know, a computer keyboard is bound to whatever was printed on the keys when manufactured. This is something we usually don’t pay much attention to, unless we Continue reading The Optimus keyboard

The Vostok Suitcase Synth

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~concuss/concussor/vostok.htm

a powerful amount of modular synthesiser power into one small suitcase.

The Vostok is a sort of modular analog synthesizer with a cover that doubles as a suitcase: add a handful of solar cells and you’ll have the companion of choice to make noises on the field for synthesizer lovers and nans alike. The synthesizer is certainly appealing and promises endless hours of modular patching or EMS pinning, plus tons of weird cool sounds. Drawbacks? maybe the price, £1499 -modular synthesizers tend to be expensive. Also, an article in the sound-on-sound magazine pointed out some other issues, especially the behaviour of the digital oscillator, but the last version has replaced it with an analog one. This said, the Vostok looks superb as a portable semi-modular synth and I would take it everywhere, except airports: it wouldn’t be easy to convince the person behind the scanner that that thing actually is a music instrument (let me show you -I just have to switch it on, connect this pin, and it’ll make awesome sounds! the bass is so powerful, it can blow… the speakers I mean…).

ps. I have just found another modular-in-a-box (second thumbnail from the left). It’s not as sexy, but the case looks much more reliable.

Throw your SatuGO!

http://www.satugo.com/

Simply throw SatuGO into the motive to catch the moment, where it hits you get a picture, or take air photos by activating the timer before throwing (it)(…) SatuGO is based on a simple wish to be able to take more fun and edgy pictures where the photographer is part of the action.

Camera tossing is a technique for taking pictures by throwing a camera in mid- air; it is fun and quite addictive, but it can be quite risky too, especially for newcomers: -“I failed to catch the camera, and it almost broke!”, a reader told me yesterday. Even though there´s many of us who have at least one old digital camera that we can afford to break, not every cheapo webcam has a built-in timer, which limits very much the scope of results you can obtain. In this way, I certainly can’t but Continue reading Throw your SatuGO!

Animal Farm

I like Pink Floyd very much. They have handed down to Rock music history not only a fistful of memorable albums (the indisputable “Dark Side Of The Moon“, “Wish You Were Here”, the visionary “Ummagumma”, a less known gem titled “Meddle”, etc), but also a worldwide influential style due to their music, lyrics, performances… Very few times has a band been so unanimously acclaimed by public and critics.

But that symbolism which Waters and Gilmour liked so much (I think) has three great exponents: “The wall” album, the song “Wish you were here” and my favourite album, “Animals”. All of them full of that nonconformity (sometimes naïve nonconformity, but never unnecessary). Continue reading Animal Farm

Throw the camera!

http://cameratoss.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/cameratoss/

For we are the reckless folks on flickr that enjoy the abstract, chance, generative, physical photography that results from throwing our cameras into the air

The photography technique known as camera tossing can be described in three words: click, throw, catch (or not). The details of course depend on the type of camera you use, but that’s all that is needed. The key is to adjust the exposure time wisely, and throw the camera in a certain way so as to Continue reading Throw the camera!

14 million for an aibo?

Aibo is the name of the robotic pets brand that Sony was producing until very recently. Now discontinued, I understand that the prices for second hand units may rise… but I have just found this aibo selling for 7.917.029,53 EUR, which sounds a little too expensive. However, to my surprise there´s this other aibo selling for 14.639.379,30 EUR!! I wonder if there´s something fishy going on: take a look at the bidding history, you may be surprised… The aibos are announced as “complete & immaculate”.

ps. But if you really want them, they´re still on sale… 😉

Update A few hours later, one of the aibos has been retired and the other one has had its price reduced, the high bids canceled.

Zinc Mecha

http://www.zincpanic.com/

Japanese toy design is one of the last bastions of optimism in our increasingly luddite world-view. (…) we endeavor to be the most complete, thorough and accurate resource regarding anything related to Japanese toys

If you like japanese robots, you MUST visit Zinc Panic. This site features a huge collection of articles on japanese robot characters and toys of every kind you could think about. You say Mazinger? they have it. Evangelion? sure! Gundam? of course! You´ll probably have to fight the cool-looking, pixel-artsy, kinda-esotheric interface, but getting lost in the site is actually part of the experience, as the designers explain in the… er, helpful help section:

there is no end point, no goal to reach, within Zinc Panic.

All said and done: After quite some time exploring the site at my leisure, I recognize the great double effort made to build up a comprehensive database and a website with personality. I assure you, browsing through Zinc Panic will be a unique and rewarding experience!