Boing Boing Gadgets

"Nasty Business"

2009-07-10T21:52:09Z

Over on the front door, there's an ancient arcade game you won't, I assure you, have any recollection of playing. It's part of a Date Farmers and Logan installation in LA over the weekend: Xeni with more.

A couple of neat tools for making cheap camcorders produce awesome footage

2009-07-10T21:17:15Z

There's nothing wrong with being a critic. We serve a purpose, perhaps even a necessary one, but we'd be bootless without the work of others.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to be working on now that I'm less-than-fully employed. But I'm leaning toward taking a creative sabbatical, enjoying the last couple of months of summer to absorb—and hopefully create—a little bit of culture.

I'm looking forward to decoupling myself from the internet and creating things that others can criticize.

One of the things I'm already working on is video. You always hear about how it's easier than ever to make professional-level video on the cheap—and that's as half-true now more than ever. The tools are certainly cheaper; the skills are just as expensive and precious as they ever were.

But man, what tools! For less than a thousand dollars, you can buy an inexpensive HD camcorder like my HV20 and a basic editing suite like Sony Vegas. Learning a few basic things about exposure, keeping the camera steady, color correction, and simple editing should only take a few days, especially when you can so inexpensively learn by doing. (I've been shocked at what a difference color correcting makes, and it applies just as easily to footage shot in HD as it does to simple VGA grabs from cellphones.)

Anyway, I'm excited, and I wanted to show you a couple of cool things that are somewhere past the basic DIY world, but not into the full-blown professional world—and the results they can bring.

Handy35

Kadir Köymen's "Handy35" is a custom mount that lets you wed a photographic 35mm lens to consumer videocameras. There are limitations—the video comes into the camera upside-down, so you'll have to flip it in post-production; focusing is entirely manual; some lenses don't play as nice as others with the whole rig—but for just under a thousand dollars fully kitted-out, the Handy35 V5 makes it possible to achieve film-like video with all that pretty depth-of-field in a package that is sturdy and professional looking.

It's the same sort of thing that makes using new video-capable DSLRs so compelling, but is for the moment still a cheaper option than, say, the Canon 5D mk II.

Glidetrack

Those smooth tracking shots that go from side to side are done with great big train-like track systems in professional shoots. Alastair Brown's "Glidetrack" gets you pretty close in a portable solution. You snap a Glidetrack to the top of a tripod and its weighted ends keep everything in place.

The basic Glidetrack "SD" is $320; a model that works with heavier cameras, the "HD", is $475; the $280 "Glidetrack Compact" is half as long, but is small enough to be packed into a travel bag.

Both Together

OC Films shot this test footage with a Handy35 and a Glidetrack. That's just pretty stuff. Note the vignetting that came from using the Handy35 without being fully zoomed in past the adapter. (I like it, but some people don't.)

Poor Man's Steadycam

An oldie-but-a-goodie: Johnny Chung Lee's "Poor Man's Steadycam" can work with all of this stuff to provide gorgeous shots, although depending on your rig it might overweigh the suggest five-pound limit. You can also simply hold your tripod at a balance point to get a similar effect; you could even add a clip-on handle that would give you more stability.

This is barely a list, let only an exhaustive one, so if you have any suggestions of things I should be checking out, I am ready to be educated.

Mysterious Japanese electronic ion toothbrush

2009-07-10T18:35:25Z

While cleaning out my bathroom cabinet earlier this week, I found this mysterious Japanese "Densi POWER" electronic ion toothbrush. It claims to emit 30 microamps of electric currents throughout the body, which somehow prevents cavities. The currents are only activated when it's used with toothpaste. I would stay away from it, but it has the official seal of approval from the Japanese Association of Preventive Medicine for Adult Disease on it. If anybody has any further information on this toothbrush &mdash how it works, or how it got in my bathroom cabinet, even &mdash please leave a comment.

Taser shotguns: mine shall be in green

2009-07-10T16:09:09Z

O'er the front door, Xeni spots the forthcoming release of an elecrifying shotgun from Taser International. Beats that old BB that I always wanted, that's for sure!

Recently on Offworld: classics reborn, self-evolving games, Sackboys for sale

2009-07-10T14:46:18Z

It was a return-to-classics kind of day on Offworld, with Bethesda releasing their early first-person/open-world RPG Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall as a free download, and with the revivification of both Team17's classic Amiga shooter Alien Breed as a fully 3D affair, and the former FASA designers at Smith & Tinker giving MechWarrior a fantastic looking full reboot for PC and Xbox 360.

Elsewhere we started to take our first look at the weird worlds of Galactic Arms Race, a self-described 'space Diablo' with a twist: all of the weapons in the game are designed by AI and are evolving over time based on the aggregate behavior of all the game's players, with some spectacular and unexpected results; and got a guide to the rest of this summer's Xbox Live Arcade releases.

Finally, we bought our own custom Left 4 Dead Sackboys from the crocheter himself (above), saw Fangamer go all Anderson and release a browsable version of their fan-made Mother 3 guide for free, and our 'one shots' for the day: a plush member of Rhythm Heaven's Glee Club, and Cooking Mama, and Cooking Samus, and Cooking Zelda, and Cooking Lara...

Contest: Win My Fighting Cock-Bot

2009-07-10T14:45:00Z

I stumbled on this Fighting Cock-bot at a junk shop in San Francisco that was having an everything-must-go sale. The box is dated 1986 and indicates the robo-chicken was manufactured by the Chi Land Plastic Manufacturing, Co in Taiwan.

Aside from stumbling on a .gov that lists the manufacturer, I haven't had much luck tracking any more of these down online. (Feel free to Google "fighting cock" and let me know if you find one.)

Battery-operated, the 12-inch toy is supposed to fire little plastic discs ("bullets") that you store in little plastic "eggs." To be honest, I don't really care what the thing does.

The packaging is what sold me on it [sic for everything below...]:

• Head with colorful lamp
• Chest with colorful lamp
• Attached with 2 eggs. There are 12 bullets in each egg.
• Walkable feet for advancing
• Wings can wave and shoot the bullet.
• The cock can turn it body for 360°
• Never let a child swallow the bullet

For those not keeping score: the Fighting Cock has a cockpit emblazoned with the phrase "Space Cock."
You really can't make this stuff up.

Enter To Win:

Get creative. PhotoShop the art (here's a larger version). Create an original painting, drawing, watercolor of or inspired by the Fighting Chicken. Write a song. Shoot a video of yourself singing said song. Create a claymation music video for said song.

Post a link to your stuff in the comments below or email me: steven AT boingboing DOT net ; The winner will be chosen based on the merit, effort, and originality of his/her creation. Go nuts.

...And remember: never, ever swallow the bullet. Unless, of course, you are an adult.

NES Controller Netbook Sleeve

2009-07-10T14:20:25Z

This lovely sleeve, snugly accommodating a netbook, was made by mendicon's girlfriend for his Acer Apire One. [via Gizmodo]

Vaio W first impressions: great HD display but tough competition

2009-07-10T13:35:03Z

British reviewers have already gotten Vaio W netbooks, and the reports are in: everyone loves the high-def 1366x768 display, smooth HD video, and all but one liked the keyboard. Some knock the high price in Britain, but it won't be as expensive in the U.S. [via Engadget]

PC Pro writes "The Mini W Series big selling factor is undoubtedly that screen, and the Sony VAIO brand name, but we'll have to put it through our barrage of performance, battery and quality tests before giving our definitive verdict. Nevertheless, this is a fine first stab at a netbook by Sony, and a promising sign of things to come."

Tech Radar writes "You are paying extra for one of the best keyboards ... [and] for the lovely screen. ... Gripes? Not many, really. No HDMI output. No slot for a SIM-card for 3G internet access."

Stuff.tv writes "The best thing about Sony's 10in netbook is its screen. ...We were also impressed with the chiclet keyboard - it's 86% full size so takes a little getting used to, but there's plenty of travel in the keys and it feels more premium than most netbooks we've used."

What Laptop writes "Not cheap then, but it's definitely one of the nicer high-end netbooks we've seen, and the screen really is a stunner."

Photo: What Laptop.

2009-07-10T13:32:01Z

Sheet music is now available for Kindle. [Amazon via Gadget Lab]

Vaio P sales "significant," Mk. II in October

2009-07-10T12:46:06Z

Tech Radar writes that the "mark II" version of Sony's Vaio P mini-laptop will be out in October or November, but offers no details beyond that it will boot up quicker than the current one. As installing something on it other than Vista accomplishes exactly that, perhaps that's the substantive upgrade! October is Windows 7 month, so there you go.

Sarah May Scott is not a cyborg

2009-07-10T07:00:54Z

If you missed yesterday's interview with Sarah May Scott, it's a must-read. As the result of a terrible injury, she is a heavily tech-augmented person:

I am not a cyborg, but I am getting closer and closer to being a terminator. My back is already full of titanium, and I've got a radio-controlled device in my abdomen that feeds medication into my spinal canal. If the trials go well, I hope to get my chance at being the female Hardiman with the ReWalk system. You can start calling me Ripley when that happens.

Sarah's blog, Tumblr, Flickr, Twitter, Etsy, and service dog training blog.

New source claims $55 iPhone tethering plan (Update: Denied again!)

2009-07-10T04:37:38Z

Appmodo says a source tells it that rumors of a high price on AT&T's forthcoming iPhone tethering plans are true.

The controversy over tethering pricing remains the same. Tethering for iPhone will cost $55 on top of the current iPhone data plans.
MMS will be included with the current text messaging plans.

There you have it folks.

If it pans out, hats off to Appmodo. But AT&T specifically denies this: "rumors of $55 tethering plan on top of an unlimited data plan are false."

I know what you're thinking: that AT&T might be stupid enough to do it, but not stupid enough to lie about it.

Update: AT&T re-issues its denial: "an AT&T spokesman said the company will charge for a tethering plan but still has not determined how much it will cost or when it will become available." [Gadget Lab]

Apple iPhone MMS Delayed, Coming Sept, Tethering $55 Extra [Appmodo]

Albert Hofmann's letter to Steve Jobs

2009-07-09T19:02:56Z

Ryan Grim hangs a short overview of psychedelic use among computing luminaries around a letter from LSD-discoverer Albert Hofmann's letter to Steve Jobs, asking for the Apple founder's support of Dr. Peter Gasser's MAPS study project:

Hello from Albert Hofmann. I understand from media accounts that you feel LSD helped you creatively in your development of Apple computers and your personal spiritual quest. I'm interested in learning more about how LSD was useful to you.

Grim's book, This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America, is on sale now.

Image: Dylan Roscover

Review: Garmin nüvi 1490T

2009-07-09T18:55:47Z

Once Garmin announced the Nuviphone, it was clear they knew the writing was on the wall. The challenge for GPS manufacturers and a handful of portable product makers (like, say, Pure Digital) is what they're going to do now that mobile phones in the U.S. are starting to deliver improved video, photo, audio, GPS, etc.

One approach: do as TomTom does and start making apps for the iPhone and other platforms.

Another approach: keep adding features!

Garmin's nüvi 1490T sports a fairly responsive five-inch touchscreen, microSD slot, picture viewer, and Bluetooth. You're also getting some of the best Garmin has to offer in terms of mapping, including ecoRoute (for hypermilers), traffic alerts, up to 10 saved routes, and lane assist, to name a few. The GPS is great, too: I actually discovered a faster route from my home to the freeway (a route Google Maps has never once suggested).

Best of all, the 1490T is commendably lightweight (7.8 ounces) and extremely thin (0.6 inches thick), presumably to make it easier to pocket, too.*

Unfortunately, the battery life isn't quite up to snuff, at least not for a device intended to be carried wirelessly. On one trip, my fully-charged 1490T lasted just over 2 hours before the "low battery" message came on the screen. Not a big deal if you're in the car, but for a device intended to be carried with you, presumably, everywhere and anywhere, it's certainly something to be aware of.

If you're hoping to take this sightseeing or hiking for any prolonged period of time, I'd argue this is somewhat of a dealbreaker, especially since the 1490T only comes with a USB cable and 12-volt adapter. Thus, if you're out and about and looking to score some juice from a standard wall outlet, you'd need to pocket an adapter &mdash otherwise, you're SOL (three letters that should never come to mind when you think "GPS.").

What's also missing: MP3 player/FM radio, headphone jack, Web browser, camera, and it can't make calls obviously (though it can be paired as a speaker for your cell phone). Sure it could be construed as entirely silly to expect all of these, but for $500, maybe holding my breath for some of these features isn't too much to ask?

*note: I never attached the device to my windshield, mainly because I'm terrified of adding additional blindspots to my car. As a result, I left it sitting either in my lap or on the center console. Easier to grab when exiting, but unfortunately the speaker is in the rear. Thus, I had to choose between viewing the screen and muffling the sound, or forgoing the screen for a reasonable volume. Not a huge deal, but felt worth mentioning here in smaller print.

Previously:

Giant solar-powered LED flowers in Jerusalem

2009-07-09T17:41:34Z

In Jerusalem, an art collective called O*GE has a neat installation that consists of giant solar-powered low-wattage LED flowers. It's a joint effort with Israel's electric company to promote alternative energy. The flowers, which include lotuses and tulips, are made of steel wires and laser-cut glass. Pretty!

O*GE Gallery [via Art MoCo]