Archives for August 2006
To hop to music or onto a bus?
Edvarcl Heng | Aug 14, 2006
Impatient commuters in Singapore can now drown their tardy anxieties in Ronin's tunes (a local indie outfit)… provided they bring their own earphones. As part of Motorola's marketing efforts for its ROKR E2, five bus stops have been converted into impromptu listening posts from August 10 to September 6. For patient listeners who skip the bus queue for the music line, a phone number will be revealed at the end of a song. SMS to that and one commuter will have an opportunity to go one up on his karaoke-mad neighbor when he wins the chance to host the band in his home.
Get your music dose at the following bus stop locations: Orchard Boulevard (opposite Orchard MRT Station), Victoria Street (in front of Bugis Village), Dunearn Road (outside Nanyang Girls School and National Junior College), Temasek Polytechnic (opposite main entrance) and Somerset MRT (opposite Hotel Phoenix and in front of the skate park).
Project make-me-beautiful
Damian Koh | Aug 14, 2006
Think of it this way, the next time you decide to head to a plastic surgeon, you might not have to pay the initial consultation fees for a preview of what or how you might look like post-surgery. You could do that in the comfort of your home with a new software.
Tommer Leyvand, a graduate of Tel Aviv University of Israel has developed a new program that applies an algorithm that can make minor adjustments, for example, to the thickness of the eyebrows or the ratio of facial width at the eye and mouth level. This "digital beautification" algorithm is supposed to make a face more attractive in a few minutes without dramatically altering the appearance.
According to New Scientist, a team led by Leyvand's colleague, Yael Eisenthal, did a poll asking people to rate the attractiveness of about 200 photographs and wrote a program that would make these facial adjustments based on the rules generated from the survey.
While initial results have proved promising, it doesn't mean that if you look like the Hulk, the program will turn you into Tom Cruise. You'll probably have to go to a plastic surgeon for that.
Freeze Dried Blood
Juniper Foo | Aug 14, 2006
Gory as it may sound, you could soon be packing freeze dried blood next to your coffee sachets as early as two years' time. Necessity being the mother of invention, the Israel Defense Forces is said to be working with a company to develop freeze dried plasma, minus the ice crystals, which its soldiers can carry into the field for injuries. And it'll percolate like coffee, too. In case of emergency, simply mix the crystals with purified water, and voila: Insta-blood. To be, ah, injected, not drunk. One smart aleck on CNET gave this a "9 out of 10 Vampires". (Picture not available at press time)
Via haaretz.com
Price: N.A.
Availability: In two years' time
Device: Freeze dry technology for blood
Basic specs: N.A.
International Sound and Sight Exhibition is back
Philip Wong | Aug 11, 2006
The annual International Sound and Sight Exhibition is back. Occupying three floors at the Le Meridien Orchard Singapore hotel, the three day-long exhibition will see several big names from the A/V industry such as Pioneer, Yamaha, InFocus and Onkyo. Not forgetting the audiophile-oriented vendors, of which include McIntosh, Linn and Accuphase, among many others.
To capitalize on the growing momentum of High Definition in the region, the exhibitors are also offering a family of full-HD displays to woo the deep-pocketed videophiles. They include two world's firsts, namely the Pioneer PDP-5000EX plasma TV and Marantz VP-11S1 DLP projector--both are first to sport 1080p-compatibility for their class. That's besides the CES-announced Optoma HD81 and an onsite demonstration from Pioneer BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player.
Bargain hunters may also like to check out the wide selection of CDs, Super Audio CDs and accessories available for sale. The S$10 (US$7.35) entrance fee comes with a free demo disc with 15 remastered music tracks, perfect for demonstrating the capability of your new purchases.
More info here
allTunes
Juniper Foo | Aug 11, 2006
Wasn't too long ago that our busy little Russian designer put on his thinking cap and coughed up some fascinating gizmos (see: Remobeads , Flashbag). Now it seems Dima Komissarov has had another quirky idea, this time for an allTunes MP3 knob-view player. Essentially a no-frills MP3 player, this attaches to your bag or monitor or any surface via a velcro strap or magnet. Whether this comes bundled or not isn't clear on the Web site. The knob itself sports just play/pause, repeat/shuffle, and volume buttons. That said, we've yet to see any of Dimi's great ideas go into production.
See views here and here
Price: N.A.
Availability: Patent pending, see Web site
Device: MP3 knob view player
Basic specs: N.A.
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