Nov 13 2009 Computer Graphics: Motherboard Mona Lisa
This is a recreation of Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' made entirely out of motherboard parts (plus a frame). It sits in the ASUS headquarters in Peitou, Taiwan and is almost half as good looking as the motherboard 'Starry Night' I made. Which I just so happen to be selling for $10 million. If you're interested shoot me an email and I'll start smashing every desktop in this computer lab ship it out as soon as the check clears.
Two closeups after the jump.
Continue Reading " Computer Graphics: Motherboard Mona Lisa "
Oct 7 2009 Photosketch: Photoshop For The Unskilled
Photosketch is an intuitive computer program that makes Photoshopping pictures of yourself humping a dinosaur crushing a robot's skull even easier. You just sketch out some stick figures, add text labels, and the program does all the heavy lifting for you.
A group of researchers have put together a system called PhotoSketch which allows the user to literally sketch a desired scene (see above for an example), label each part of the scene with keywords, then PhotoSketch searches the web for photos and assembles a photographic version of the sketch.
Why the hell anybody would want a picture of themself with a strange woman on a beach with a regatta in the background is beyond me, but hey, it's possible. And you know what else is? Anything you put your mind to. I jest, you'll never accomplish anything. Kidding -- you're all winners in my book. I mean that.
PhotoSketch: Make the Internet Create Photos for You [mentalfloss]
Thanks to Richard, Jack, susan and The Superficial Writer, who only use Photoshop for counterfeiting fast food coupons. The gig is up!
Sep 16 2009 Blockhead!: Face Rendered In Tetris Shapes
This is a head rendered in Tetris blocks as imagined by Rihards Rozans. I have no idea if he used his own face for the model, but if he did, he's a pretty handsome guy. You know, in a Donkey Kong sort of way. Speaking of which: remember Candy Kong in Donkey Kong Country? I wanted to hit that like a bushel of bananas: still green and $0.79/lb?
Hit the jump for three more shots of the blocks.
Continue Reading " Blockhead!: Face Rendered In Tetris Shapes "
Aug 27 2009 100 Years Of Movie Special Effects In 5:00
This is a little video montage of notable special effects from movies in the past 100 years all packed into a five minute clip. And as you'll see, we haven't come very far. I want to be able to feeeeeel the movies. I read Brave New World in high school! Also, almost half of a Shakespeare play. Now it's all comic books and cereal boxes.
100 Years of Special Effects [collegehumor]
Thanks to Paul, who once got specially infected by the government and now has the power of three men.
Apr 9 2009 Bumptop: Your Own Personal 3D Desktop
Bumptop (which has been in the works for awhile) is a program that makes your desktop appear 3D and much more customizable and manipulable so you can resize icons according to importance and post stuff on the walls and all around have a jolly ol' time not being productive. It's a free download (for light, $29 for full), so go grab it and then show it off to your office-mates. Yell things like "BOO-YA!" and "FINGERBANGARANG!" while showcasing its features to let them know how superior your desktop is to theirs. But, if they're anything like me, they may tell you your desktop sucks and that their desktop is 4-D. At this point, you'll go back and forth 1-upping each other with ridiculous claims of 5-D and 20-D desktops, until one of you says theirs is actually Infinity-D . Then they other (you want this to be you) will insist they have an Infinity+1-D desktop, and that person will win.
Hit the jump for a video explaining all the fun to be had.
Mar 25 2009 OnLive: The Future Of Video Gaming?
OnLive promises to change the way we game by requiring no heavy-duty consoles or gaming rigs in the future, just a simple box and high-speed internet connection.
The brainchild of Rearden Studios founder Steve Perlman, formerly of Atari, Apple, WebTV and more, and Mike McGarvey, formerly of Eidos, the technology looks to revolutionize the way computer games are brought home. Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on the latest video game hardware that will make games like Crysis playable at nearly maxed settings, let OnLive's servers handle the processing. All that's required is a low cost "micro console" or a low end PC and a broadband internet connection.
Using patented video compression in tandem with algorithms that compensate for lag, jitter and packet loss, OnLive delivers video at up to 720p resolution at frame rates up to 60 frames per second. Of course, the quality of the video feed relies on your connection.
Well not bad. I'm really curious to see how this plays out. And by curious I mean bi-curious. NOW WHICH ONE OF YOU HANDSOME DEVILS WANTS A KISSIE?! Haha, ignore that, it's just a cold sore.
Official Site
via
OnLive Makes PC Upgrades Extinct, Lets You Play Crysis On Your TV [kotaku]
Thanks to Julian, Ryan and Miguel, who don't need consoles because they game in their heads. They're freaking crazy people.
Feb 17 2009 I Can See Inside!: The Anatomy Of A Qee Doll
Okay, so I didn't know what a Qee was, but apparently they're little collectible dolls that come in all sorts of crazy funky-fresh designs. And this is what the insides would look like if there were actually living bear-mice and not plastic dolls for grownups. This anatomical chart was created by Jason Freeny, the same man responsible for the studies of balloon animal, gummi bear, and LEGO minifig. A limited edition of 1,000 prints are available if you're interested. Good looking, Jason. But not as good looking as yours truly. That mirror broke itself, I swear!
Jan 21 2009 Sure, Why Not?: Dude Laser Etches All The Levels Of Super Mario Land Onto His Eee Pc
Remember Super Mario Land for the Gameboy? Yeah, that shit was hard. Well Flickr user revolvingdork went and laser etched the top of his Eee PC with the entire freaking game.
Everything from the familiar layouts of 1-1 to the climactic battle with Tatanga in the clouds at the end of 4-3 is represented in the etching.
This was made possible with the laser cutter at NYC Resistor in Brooklyn, where you can go to get your laptop etched too!I set the laser in raster mode at 70% speed and 40% power to achieve this look.
There you have it folks, now get out there and laser-etch your laptops! Except for best results I recommend setting the laser for 1% speed and 100% power. Just trust me -- if your computer catches fire, it's working.
Hit the jump for a closeup in which you can really appreciate the detail.
Jan 9 2009 I Don't Know....The Evolution Of Robots
This is a German commercial for something I have no idea what is (saturn.de?) that shows the evolution of technology in robotic form. It confused me in my pants. I definitely felt a little twitter at the part with the t-rex, but the rest of it just scared me. And the chick from Tron at the end? Fine, I'll admit it: boner. It was her voice, I swear!
Thanks to pirhan and ITSELF, who know the only good robot is a dead one. Or one that looks like a dinosaur and has realistic-feeling skin.
Nov 25 2008 Google Employees Create Spreadsheet Art
This is a time-lapse video of three Google employees creating an 18,600 cell mosaic in a spreadsheet. As you will see, it has a nice wintry theme. Namely, snowflakes. Personally, I would have gone with Frosty bending Santa over his sleigh for not bringing him the new corncob pipe he wanted, while Mrs. Claus watches from the kitchen window and bakes those delicious cookies of hers. But I don't get paid to sit around and make spreadsheet art. I get paid to sit around and desecrate your Christmas memories. Happy holidays bitches!
18,600-Cell Spreadsheet Mosaic Captured On Time-Lapse Video [gizmodo]
Thanks to Harrison, who's allegedly keeping Frosty's head alive in his freezer.
Aug 29 2008 Recreating The Mona Lisa In Less Than A Second....With A 1,100 Barrel Paintball Gun
In a demonstration at Nvidia's NVISION show, the Mythbusters used paintball guns to illustrate the difference between current CPUs and future GPUs. The CPU's stand in was a single paintball gun that repositioned itself after every shot in order create a picture. But the GPU was represented by an 1,100 barrel gun, which paints the entire Mona Lisa in a single blast. You can watch the first one if you want, but I'd just skip to about 1:30, when they unveil the real nasty mother. And don't miss the last 10 seconds of the clip, because they replay the shot in slow motion, and it's freaking crazy. Which, incidentally, so am I. Just don't tell her I called her that, she'd get pissed.
Mythbusters Build a 1100-Barrel Paintball Gun to Paint the Mona Lisa, Instantly [gizmodo]
Thanks to Kezzzs and Dan, who once painted the town red with alcohol in less than 5 hours, but both lost shoes.
Jun 11 2008 HP's New Monitor Rocks Out With Its Color Out, Can Produce Over A Billion Of Them
The HP DreamColor LP2480xz is a 24-inch LED backlit monitor that can display over a billion colors (~64x what a typical LCD monitor can do). Unfortunately they cost $3,499. But if you're an artist or someone who really values accurate color display, maybe it's the monitor for you. And speaking of art, I bet this thing can display the hell out of some porno. Am I right? Hells yeah. *high fives* This old CRT can't replicate a natural nipple hue to save it's tube. Nipples aside though, vagina. Bet it looks good on that thing.
Hit the jump for another questionable comparison vs. regular LCD and a couple other product shots.
Apr 14 2008 The Real Sumo Fighting Series Made Me Sick
This is a sumo wrestling video. A "real" sumo fight. You get to see the lightning, snow storms, fireballs other shit they call from the heavens in order to defeat their opponent. It's questionable. It may even be CG. One thing is certain though -- don't watch it if you're epileptic. I'm serious about that. It damn near gave me a seizure (starting around 0:50), and I don't have any known health issues (minus chronic headaches caused by the sound of my wife's voice), although epilepsy may run in the family. One time my brother and I were playing Q-Zar laser tag and all the flashing lights caused him to collapse and start spazzing out on the floor. Since he was on the other team I just stood there and shot him repeatedly. I ended up with the high score that round.
Youtube (there's a whole series of these things if you like them)
via
The Real Sumo Fighting [albotas]
