Daily Bits

noemi

These Photos Will Make Your Jaw Drop

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Taking photos is easy, especially with the high tech cameras one can easily purchase these days. You just turn the device on, point, and then shoot.

Taking awesome photos is a totally different story, though. I don’t know how those guys do it – they must have a special gift within them that they have nurtured and honed over the years. While it is true that the subject does have a huge role to play, there must be something else that makes certain photos as powerful as they are.

National Geographic has a photo of the day section, and true to their reputation, they showcase only the best that one can see. ((National Geographic Photography))

When I first saw this photo, I told myself, “Forget the old saying that pictures say a thousand words!” This photo goes beyond that. It takes the need for words away. It inundates you with all the words you know. It just is amazing.
camel-thorn-trees-namibia
This photo was taken in Namibia by Frans Lanting, and it shows camel thorn trees in Namib-Naukluft Park. It looks like a painting that only a master can create, but it is a photo!
aurora-iceland
This one is of the Aurora Borealis in Iceland and is taken by Olgeir Andresson. Doesn’t that make you want to hop onto a plane and go see it with your own eyes?
sea-grass-bodega-head
Taken in California (Bodega Head) by David Liittschwager, this photo of sea grass atop rocks with the lone starfish at the center is nothing less than awesome.

Aren’t these lovely images to take with you over the weekend?

Viper Mark II Wallscape

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Tired of looking at a boring plain white wall at night when you can’t sleep? You’re not alone. I bet that you and I, together with countless other people, have the same issue. It’s difficult enough to amuse yourself when insomnia strikes, but that blank thing of a wall makes things even worse.

That’s why online stores like QMX are useful. Guess what I found today? A WallscapeTM that will delight you to no end. A WallscapeTM is a fancy name for a wallpaper or a decorative sticker for your wall, but depending on the design, you will get your money’s worth. The WallscapeTM that I stumbled upon today features nothing less than the Viper Mark II.

Battlestar Galactica fans will know that this fighter was the primary attack craft used by the Colonial Fleet in the first Cylon War. This fighter continued to be effectively used against the Cylons when the Twelve Colonies were left behind.

You may never get a life-size replica of the Viper Mark II in your bedroom, but you can always get this WallscapeTM to help your imagination along. Forty-eight inches of space fighter goodness, with an incredible amount of detail, on your wall – it will be easy to imagine that you are Lee Adama or Kara Thrace as you drift off to beddy-bye land.

The WallscapeTM is based on the original studio 3D digital model of the Viper Mark II, and it even includes details such as scars from battles. It’s really something that any decent BSG fan will want on his wall. And for $49.95, it is not such a bad deal. That’s a small price to pay for the peace of mind that having a fighter at your disposal in case the Cylons under your bed decide to go on the offensive. 😉

Angry Birds for Real

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It’s been a while since I last played this overly addictive game, but there is no denying that there are still people who are only starting to get hooked. Unsurprisingly, businesses will continue to ride this wave as long as it can bring them benefits. And Deustche Telekom is not exempt from this.

Earlier this month, the telecommunications giant teamed up with Rovio, the creators of Angry Birds, to promote their new services. In a Spanish town called Terrassa, they set up a real-life Angry Birds scene, complete with pigs, birds, bricks, and what-have-you. To top it off, this talented band provides a jazzed up version of the game’s theme. Never mind that the people who participated in the event were all invited to be there and paid (I assume). The whole thing still looks fun.

Some of you may be sick of the birds by now, but this video just might change your mind.

I wonder if this will set off a string of copycat events?

Virtual Fitting Room Courtesy of the Kinect

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Virtual Fitting Room

Want to bet that before the year is over, we might just have no need to actually try on clothes when we go shopping? If the setup that Russian company AR Door ((AR Door)) is successful in its endeavors – and I don’t see why it won’t be – we could very well see virtual fitting rooms everywhere.

The idea is simple and not new. In fact, I seem to remember a teeny bopper movie from ages ago where the lead character used a similar system. She would merely use her computer to try on combinations of clothes to see which looked good.

What AR Door is doing, though, is far from a mere teeny bopper project. Using software that they have created, coupled with the Microsoft Kinect, they have created virtual fitting rooms for Topshop, a popular clothing chain. Basically, if a customer fancies a dress, she does not have to look for a private fitting room to undress and actually put the dress on. Instead, she only has to stand in front of a huge screen and let the system do the work. The Kinect scans the customer and displays her on the screen. The customer then has to push virtual buttons to try clothes on. And yes, it works with the back as well. (Of course, you have to see how your backside looks in that pair of jeans!)

See the virtual fitting room in action.

I have to say that this is a brilliant application of the Kinect, which I thought was silly when I saw some people playing with it during a tweet-up. I can already imagine the convenience that this setup will bring!

Mobile Phone Battery Dying? Talk Louder!

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ShoutTechnology never ceases to amaze me, and even the most improbable ideas can turn into reality, thanks to some of the most creative minds in this world. In the future, if you are in the middle of nowhere without electricity and your phone’s battery is running out of juice, you might just have to talk louder to power up your gadget.

I kid you not – this is the technique that has been developed by some electrical engineers in South Korea. The idea is simple – sound waves being converted into electricity. The brainchild of Dr. Sang-Woo Kim of the Institute of Nanotechnology at the Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, this technique holds a lot of promise for the average person today.

Not only can using the phone to make a call help to charge the battery, but the background noise can also be used to power up the device. Before you get too excited, you have to understand that there are limitations to the technology. For one, the power that can be derived from the sound waves may not be enough to charge the battery to its full capacity. However, if the technology works properly, the sound waves may at least be able to allow the device to keep on functioning until a proper outlet can be accessed. Even better, this technology can be applied to gadgets other than mobile phones. Think netbooks and laptops.

Here’s the science behind the idea: set up two electrodes with strands of zinc oxide in between. Attach a sound absorbing pad. When this pad vibrates, the zinc oxide strands move as well, the result of which is an electrical current. That is, of course, simplifying things, but the concept alone is enough to evoke some excitement as to its potential!

Via Crazy Engineers

Star Wars in LEGO: Condensed Version

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Have you ever tried telling the entire story of Star Wars to someone who has no idea what it’s about? You probably would need at least an hour and nifty story-telling skills to do the job. That or show that person this video telling a fast paced version of the story. In LEGO.

Now Star Wars LEGO is not a new thing. Try googling “Star Wars LEGO” and you will see countless results. This video is something else, though. Not only are the minifigs and the sets set up so they look really cool, but the background music and the narrative are also noteworthy. It’s not technically epic (whatever that means), but no one can say it is not funny and attention-grabbing. I can only imagine how much this kid has spent on buying all those LEGO pieces!

That is the more recent video that dzine123 uploaded, but sometime last year, he also had a similar video.

Now you can either use these videos for bedtime stories or you can actually transcribe the narrative and tell the story on your own. Either way, you are sure to have the Star Wars story understood by kids of all ages!