Oct 29 2009 I See You!: 8x Zoom Case For Nintendo DSi

Want an 8x zoom lens for your DSi because you're secretly a spy? Me neither. Want an 8x zoom lens for your DSi because you're in love with the receptionist at the free clinic and you want to candidly take pictures of her? You've got problems. But if you've also got $25 you can have the Nyko DSi Zoom Case, a case and lens that attach to your DSi and allow up to 8x zoom. Plus, it's super inconspicuous. Goodbye bow tie camera!

Hit the jump for a shot of it's zooming capabilities and all the accessories.

Continue Reading " I See You!: 8x Zoom Case For Nintendo DSi "

Sep 27 2009 Scientists To Pull Pictures From Your Brain

I know for a fact the government can pull images from a person's brain because they've been probing around in my dome for years, messing with the delicate ecosystem up there. And one time when I was being interrogated I saw a picture of a dinosaur in an agent's file folder, SO I KNOW. Anyway, apparently they've decided to make the technology public knowledge.

Having modeled how images are represented in the brain, the researchers translated recorded patterns of neural activity into pictures of what test subjects had seen.

To construct their model, the researchers used an fMRI machine, which measures blood flow through the brain, to track neural activity in three people as they looked at pictures of everyday settings and objects.

As in the earlier study, they looked at parts of the brain linked to the shape of objects. Unlike before, they looked at regions whose activity correlates with general classifications, such as "buildings" or "small groups of people."

Once the model was calibrated, the test subjects looked at another set of pictures. After interpreting the resulting neural patterns, the researchers' program plucked corresponding pictures from a database of 6 million images.

Soon, everyone will have a photo printer in the back of their head to print off worthwhile images they've seen. Me? I already have one. Don't believe me -- check this stack of pictures. What? Don't act like you've never seen a dinosaur penis before!

Brain Scans Reveal What You've Seen [wired]

Thanks to Anit, who can read minds like comic books: with incredible difficulty.

Sep 9 2009 Sticking It To The Man: Guy Dons Monkey Mask To Avoid Paying Speeding Fines

Guys, I know I said I'd have the haiku graded by last night, but I still have 200 to go. Then, I have to choose 4 out of the top 100 I've pulled aside. I WILL DO IT TONIGHT, I PRETTY PRETTY PROMISE. That said, some jackass is speeding around Phoenix, AZ wearing a monkey mask to avoid paying speeding-camera fines. To date, he's already been sent 37 tickets.

"Not one of them there is a picture where you can identify the driver," said Dave Vontesmar, a flight attendant who works at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. "The ball's in their court. I sent back all these ones I got with a copy of my driver's license and said, 'It's not me. I'm not paying them.' "

"We watched him four different times put the monkey mask on and put the giraffe-style mask on," Officer Dave Porter told AZcentral.com. "Based on surveillance, we were positive that Vontesmar was the driver."

"It's obviously a revenue grab," he said of the new photo-enforcement program. "They're required by law to ID the driver of the vehicle. If they can't identify the driver or the vehicle by the picture, what are they doing to identify the driver?"

Really -- monkey and giraffe masks? Save 'em for the bedroom, Dave.

Man Dons Mask for Speed-Camera Photos [aolnews]

Thanks to Pat, who only drives in style -- on the sidewalk with a grocery bag on his head.

Aug 4 2009 Okay: Lamps That Look Like Security Cameras

The Antrepo 'I'm Not A Security Camera' is a desk lamp in the form factor of a security camera. Set it on the desk or hang it on the wall -- either way you'll think twice before looking at what you and I both know you looked at online while at work. Tsk, tsk. Plus, it might help deter stapler theft. Better than a loaded gun? No, but safer. Remember when you shot yourself in the leg trying to fill up a cup at the water cooler? That was funny. Your blood makes me laugh.

Spoticam Lamp [ohgizmo]

Thanks to Steven, who just booby traps everything instead.

Jul 8 2009 Yes Please: Virtual Reality Dinosaurs In Japan

Canon, using virtual reality technology (that I'm going to steal), is planning an entirely nonexistent dinosaur exhibit at a museum in Chiba, Japan.

Visitors will be allowed to don a pair of virtual reality glasses that will display nearly life-sized three-dimensional images of various dinosaurs right there on the museum floor.

Displaying over 260 dinosaur specimens, some of the virtual creatures in the exhibit will also move, adding to their realistic effect.

First of all, Canon, those are not virtual reality glasses. Glasses don't look like a Polaroid camera and have a power cord. Secondly, how funny would it be to see me some random guy with a VR mask on dry humping thin air in the middle of a museum? If you answered, "that's not funny, that's love", congratulations, I'll let you pay for my that other guy's admittance.

Canon launches virtual reality dinosaur exhibit in Japan [dvice]

Thanks to FDSY, b-man and Aaron, who BACK OFF THE TRICERATOPS, HE'S MINE.

Jun 2 2009 XBox's Project Natal: You ARE The Controller

XBox announced Project Natal at E3 yesterday and, hooray. Basically it's a video camera capable of full-body tracking so that you can punch and kick and break your television to your heart's content. This is a video of the possibilities. Also, there's another video after the jump that introduces Milo, which appears to be some kind of pedo-program that makes it easier to troll the interweb for 12-year old boys. Because, let's face it, AOL chatrooms are beat, yo.

Hit the jump for the other video that made no sense and not just because I stopped paying attention and went to heat my burrito (ladies?) after thirty seconds.

Continue Reading " XBox's Project Natal: You ARE The Controller "

May 12 2009 No Surprises Here: How That Viral Samsung HD Camera Phone Commercial Was Created

Remember that viral Samsung ad with the mysterious disappearing phone? Me neither! *rewatches video* Oh right, that looked vaguely familiar. Well, this video explains how they made it just in case you care. And, not to ring our own collective bike bell or anything, but it's exactly how we all thought. Well, except for you -- you're slow. Like a turtle. ONE WHO CAN'T EVEN BEAT A RABBIT IN A FOOTRACE. But still, I like you. I like turtles.

Samsung's puzzling camera trick: here's how they did it [dvice]

Apr 25 2009 Hidden Necktie Camera For Corporate Spying

The $66 Necktie Spycam can discreetly record up to 2GB of company secrets in stunning 352 x 288 resolution, and even comes with a wireless remote so you can start and stop the action from your pocket. Unfortunately, I can honestly say there's not a single thing I'd want to secretly record at work. But that's because I sit in a cubicle with The Superficial and IWatchStuff writers for ten hours a day. I mean, we don't even have a good looking secretary. Or an ugly secretary. We steal internet from the company upstairs and pee in the stairwell. We used to have an intern but he quit and filed a harassment lawsuit against The Superficial Writer. Which, I think we can all agree, should be illegal for unpaid employees. Also, he was a little bitch.

Hit the jump for several more spy shots.

Continue Reading " Hidden Necktie Camera For Corporate Spying "

Apr 16 2009 Viral Samsung Ads: Now With Trickery

This is a viral ad for Samsung's new I8910 camera phone. I found the guy in the video annoying but I would do his girlfriend. Twice. Once with the lights on.

OUR CHALLENGE: GUESS HOW WE DID THIS. This clip was shot on an I8910 HD phone, a new camera phone just released by Samsung with an 8 megapixel camera that can actually record and output video in HD format. It was shot in one take, with no post production or special effects of any kind. Everything you see here was done "in-camera". Our challenge to you is to figure out how we did it. Hint: it's worth watching in HD...

I went ahead and took the time to embed the video in high definition for you. You know, since I'm your little bitch. And now I'll go ahead and ruin it for you. SPOILER ALERT: Not a mirror. Just a hole. A big, gaping hole. Which, SPOILER ALERT: my ex-wife.

Samsung camera trick: How did they do it? [dvice]

Apr 16 2009 Impressive Stop Motion: Wolf Vs Pig

I'm sure this sort of thing has been done before (OLD!) but that doesn't make the feat any less impressive. Or fun to watch. Which is why I'm posting it. I DON'T NEED YOUR PERMISSION! Well, what do you say, can I? Haha, I meant touch your boobs!

At first I photographed stop motion　animation. And I displayed the photographs in my room and photographed it again.　Enjoy a connection with the world of the room and the world in the photograph.

I tried to count the number of photos used to make the video, but I lost track around a trillion. And yes, as a matter of fact that does make me the world's highest counter. Seriously, this shit's the chronic.

Youtube

Thanks to twellve, who once dressed up in a sheep costume, but I knew it was still her. You can't fool me, twellve!

Feb 27 2009 Aha!: The Secret To Google Street View

You ever wonder how those Google Street cars are covering the world's roads so quickly? Hyperdrive, baby, hyperdrive. CLICK CLICK VROOM VROOM!

Google Maps

Thanks to kulow, who discovered the worm hole searching for directions to Jimmy John's. Subs so fast you'll freak, mmmm.

Feb 9 2009 'Sixth Sense' Device Created, Sadly Doesn't Capture The Ghost That Lives In My Closet

The brainiacs at MIT have gone and created a 'sixth sense' device, which is basically a smart phone/camera/projector combo small enough to be worn on your face like my fist. KA-POW! Also, it does stuff, and won't leave you bruised.

The device...can turn any surface into a touch-screen for computing, controlled by simple hand gestures. The gadget can even take photographs if a user frames a scene with his or her hands, or project a watch face with the proper time on a wrist if the user makes a circle there with a finger. The device can recognize items on store shelves, retrieving and projecting information about products or even providing quick signals to let users know which choices suit their tastes.

Other than letting some of you live out your fantasy of looking as cool as Tom Cruise in 'Minority Report' it can really let you connect as a sixth sense device with whatever is in front of you," said MIT researcher Patty Maes.

"It is very much a work in progress. Maybe in ten years we will be here with the ultimate sixth-sense brain implant."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Brain implants -- that's where I draw the line. There may be nothing but cobwebs, The Golden Girls theme song, and a candy bar wrapper up there, but, damnit, this is my brain we're talking about here. That said, I'll saw my own skull open if it gives me x-ray vision.

MIT researchers make 'sixth sense' gadget [physorg]

Thanks to Ain and Icehawg, who created a 7th sense device but their research was muffled because it was too far ahead of its time.

Feb 5 2009 Want A Mini-Robot Version Of Yourself?

If you answered yes, I want you to leave your name and address in the comments section, as I'd like to send you some anthrax literature. You will not be saved. But, for the sake of my Pulitzer, I'll report on these devilish little bastards anyway. Available from Little Island for a little over $2,000, the little creeps serve as a VoIP phone so you can talk "face to face" to you family or pets while you're away. But wait, there's a little more!

Unfortunately, the "robot" doesn't appear to actually have many true robot abilities, although it does have a built-in camera to let you check out its surroundings via a connected computer, and it's apparently able to do a few basic tasks like read your RSS feeds or check the weather. The bot is also essentially just a plush PC itself (complete with a 500MHz Geode processor), so there's certainly plenty of opportunity to expand its capabilities for those so inclined.

Oh my God, you're actually considering one aren't you? You are sicker than I expected. And let me tell you, I expected at least a 9 of out 10. And to think, your parents said you'd never be a 10 at anything. You showed them!

Little Island promises to craft you in creepy robot form [engadget]

Thanks to Julian, who had a robot version of himself until it drank his last beer and had to be scrapped.

Jan 27 2009 It's A Sock, It's A Camera, It's A....Sockera?

This is a digital camera made out socks by Netta Amir. Unfortunately, it can only take really fuzzy(!) pictures and is kind of a pervert (foot fetish). Wanna make one yourself? Look under your computer desk -- balled up socks? Well wash them. Then stitch them together and, if you're anything like me, PRESTO -- you're bleeding. Ha, I wasn't supposed to put them on first. But they were so warm and fresh out of the dryer! Alright, let's try this again. Ah, there we go -- eight socks sewn together. Kind of looks like an octopus. Hmm, I guess there are actual skills involved. But not gloves -- save those for the video camera.

Hit the jump for a bunch of closeups, including a picture the camera took.

Continue Reading " It's A Sock, It's A Camera, It's A....Sockera? "

Jan 25 2009 Eye Candy: A 1,474 Megapixel Inauguration Photo With Sweet Zoom-In Capabilities

Oh man, you can actually zoom in on faces in the audience and see the snot dripping.

But what you're looking at is not a single image. The photo, which was shot using a Canon G10 and Gigapan Imager, is comprised of over 200 different shots that were then combined over the course of six hours using Gigapan software. The final product has a resolution of 1,474 megapixels and a TIF file size of almost 2 gigabytes

Pretty freaking awesome. So go HERE to explore the image for yourself. It's fun, I spent the better part of five minutes celebrity-hunting in the audience. Thought I spotted Oprah, but it was just some no-name with a turkey drumstick.

Fullscreen Inauguration Gigapan Viewer
via
Panaramic Inaugural Photo [ign]

Thanks to Matt and Hanes, who were both invited to the inauguration but fell in the reflecting pool and had to go home and change clothes, missing it.

Jan 20 2009 Wow, What A Go-Getter: Kid Buys Back Car To Prove Speeding Ticket Was Falsely Issued

One day Dale Lyle got a speeding ticket in the mail issued by one of those automatic ticketing cameras. It claimed he was doing 98MPH in his 14-year old Honda Civic, a car he insisted could only do 85MPH max on a downhill slope with a tailwind. So what did he do? He did what any badass would do -- he stuck it to the man like dogshit under a cardoor handle.

Mr Lyle, 21, who has a clean driving license, had already sold the car to a friend for £600. He had to take out a bank overdraft to buy it back. Then he had to pay an independent driving expert £600 to test the 1.3litre Civic's top speed at a circuit in Bedfordshire.

The result was as expected. Even when driven flat-out, the Honda could still only do a top speed of 85.4mph in fourth gear and 81.3mph in fifth.

Next, Mr Lyle obtained the mobile speed-camera footage of his alleged offence - travelling at 98mph on a 70mph three-lane carriageway of the A38, near Plymouth, on December 13, 2007.

The three-minute film shows three other cars in the frame at the same time, he said, which he believes means his vehicle was mistaken for another.

Nice, Dale, way to make us all proud. Now make the court give you back all the money you spent. I swear, I wish I was more like you. I probably would have just paid the fines and then vandalized the ticketing camera. Yay, passive-aggressiveness!

Also, somebody make this website a freaking Wikipedia page already. Geekologie demands Wikognition!

Hit the jump for a picture of the test report Dale had run.

Continue Reading " Wow, What A Go-Getter: Kid Buys Back Car To Prove Speeding Ticket Was Falsely Issued "

Jan 13 2009 Over And Out: LEGO Making Digital Cameras, Walk Talkies For Children, Adults Like Me

Modular plastic god LEGO has "teamed with Digital Blue to bring out a line of digital cameras, PMPs (portable media players), and walkie talkies for children". Dropping sometime this summer, the devices will run $19 - $60 and not be made of actual LEGO blocks. They'll look like it though. And looking, my friends, is half the battle. Touching is the other, trickier half.

Lego announces line of digital cameras, PMPs, etc. for your teeny human friends [engadget]

Thanks to Julian, who once convinced a model to let him take nude pictures of her with an alleged LEGO camera. It was just a castle set.

Dec 26 2008 High School Students Use Photoshop, Traffic Cameras To Prank Enemies, Puzzle Police

High school students in Montgomery County, Maryland (where, incidentally, I used to live -- go Q.O.!) are Photoshopping pictures of their enemy's license plates, taping them to another car, and then speeding through areas with those automatic ticketing cameras. Interesting....

The Speed Camera Program was implemented in March of this year and used for the purpose of reducing traffic and pedestrian collisions in the county. Cameras are located in residential areas and school zones where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or lower. A $40 citation is mailed to the owner of the car for violating the speed limit in these areas.

The ingenuity of today's teenagers is truly awe inspiring. They would even go as far as to borrow car's so they would appear similar to the make and model of the car they were pranking.

Well damn. I catch any of you jerks out there rocking paper GKLGIST plates and I'll rear-end that ass with the force of a dump truck. You know, because that's what I drive. HONK HONK!

Kids Prank using Speed Cameras [lastgeek]

Thanks to Bryce, who doesn't drive a car because he's too busy driving women wild. HIYO!

Dec 12 2008 Mmmm: Fondant-y Nikon D700 DSLR Cake

Some woman's husband had a bakery make her a Nikon D700 cake, then he gave her the actual camera afterward. How romantic. Well, not as romantic as presenting your wife with a cake that looks like two hands, then giving her the clap, but, pfft, what is?

Hit the jump for a bunch more from all angles.

Continue Reading " Mmmm: Fondant-y Nikon D700 DSLR Cake "

Dec 1 2008 The Race Is On: To A Camera In Your Eye

Remember the story a few weeks ago of the artist woman that wanted a webcam installed in her eyeball? Well it turns out she may have been beat to the chase (and subsequent fall and eye gouging) by Steve Mann, who is *this close* to having the procedure done. Check out the Eyeborg blog for more info on Steve's quest to become part machine (and thus, a mortal enemy). There's even a really gross video of Steve getting his (already damaged) eye removed. Awesome! And by awesome I mean I just threw up cereal all over the keyboard! Cool! Not really! But kind of! Okay I'm mostly just grossed out! Can you tell the period key is stuck?

Eyeborg

Thanks to Arni, who had a camera installed in his ear but broke it with a Q-tip.