Week of « Prev | Next »
1-20 of 116 articles « Prev | Next »
BlueBeat’s Hank Risan: That’s Not the Beatles, It’s a "Virtual Cover Band"
6 November 2009 9:30 PM, PST
If you thought that was AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles you streamed for free or downloaded this week for $.25 from BlueBeat.com, it’s an understandable error. The music sounded identical to songs by those artists.
But the site’s owner Hank Risan tells Fast Company his catalog of music doesn’t include tracks by the original artists, who, of course, own the publishing rights to their music (many have long resisted posting their music for sale online). His tunes aren’t technically Beatles tracks at all but, rather, "psycho-acoustic simulations" of Beatles songs performed and broadcast on BlueBeat and made available for download.
Performances? By, what, some kind of virtual cover band? "Exactly!" Risan says. "Only they don’t eat as much. And you don’t have to pay them union wages!" It was if we’d summed up a concept he’d long been »
- Tyler Gray
Mon Dieu! Apple Store Coming the Louvre
6 November 2009 3:30 PM, PST
There's a price for everything, even in the Louvre: Tomorrow, Apple will be opening up their very first Parisian Apple Store, and it'll sit in the concourse right below I.M. Pei's glass pyramid.
According to Bloomberg, this'll be Apple's 277th store, worldwide. It's set to be slightly smaller than the one on Oxford Circus in London. But it's not tiny: The bilevel store will employ 150 people. You can expect the place to be mobbed. The Louvre concourse is one of the most heavily trafficked places in Paris. It links all of the wings of the Louvre, and visitors to the museum have to pass by before entering the museum.
For Microsoft, it comes at a particularly irksome time. Last month they opened a very sad looking cafe to coincide with the launch of Windows 7.
By next summer, Apple will open two more stores in France--one near Opera, a major hub on the Left Bank, »
- Cliff Kuang
Streaming Video? Forget Myka or Roku and Get Windows 7
6 November 2009 2:45 PM, PST
We already know Netflix users are begging for easier ways to get streaming video to their TVs--Xbox, PS3, Roku, and Blu-ray players apparently aren't simple enough solutions. Instead, more and more people watch TV and film on their computers while fuming because they can't easily get all that content--Hulu, Netflix, Amazon--in one place.
The Myka Ion aims to bridge that gap as the first gizmo to stream both Hulu and Boxee to big screens (in addition to running full-fledged PC apps, which let you add other streaming services). But it's not cheap. At $379 (more if you add on a wireless card and a Blu-Ray drive), it's ultimately expandable but inching toward PC pricing. And that got us wondering whether we've been thinking all wrong about the way we stream video.
Here's where the demand for streaming video has thus far pushed people:
Toward traditional home theater gear (TVs, DVD players, »
- Chris Dannen
Lamp Powered by Phone Lines Is a Sneaky Way to Get Around Energy Costs
6 November 2009 2:30 PM, PST
Is hooking up electronics to a phone jack unethical? Maybe, but the RJ11 lamp can at least save some cash. The lamp, which features 8 Led bulbs, gets power from your phone socket instead of the grid or a Usb port.
It's a sneaky way to skirt around power meters, but it does siphon cash from the local telco. Still, the RJ11 does bring a new use to increasingly-abandoned landline jacks. And while the lamp may be incredibly ugly, the $4.69 product is a worthwhile science experiment at the very least.
Before trying to hook up all your electronics to the phone line, think twice: the voltage that runs through phone lines isn't intended to provide significant amounts of current, and your phone service could get terminated for abuse. But if you're still interested, the video below provides some more details on just how the RJ11 (and similar devices) work.
[Via Wired]
More Diy videos at 5min. »
- Ariel Schwartz
$9M Investment in Heat-Harnessing Geodynamics Project Rocks!
6 November 2009 2:00 PM, PST
Geothermal technology is the ugly duckling of the renewable energy industry--it's not nearly as flashy as wind or solar, and it deals with the most unsexy of materials: rocks. But Australian company Geodynamics just got a big push to make its geothermal technology a reality, with $90 million from Australia's Renewable Energy Demonstration program.
The company's Hot Fractured Rock (Hfr) technology, which is based on a method previously used by the oil industry, siphons off heat from broken granite three kilometers down into the earth's crust. Geodynamics plans to pump high-pressure water into a heat exchanger, which sends the water back up to the surface into another heat exchanger once it hits 200 degrees C.
Geodynamics' technology might not be as sexy as a shiny silicon solar panel. But unlike both solar and wind, it can operate 24/7 because rocks are always hot. Hfr isn't suitable for just anywhere, however. Only certain locations »
- Ariel Schwartz
The World's Most Efficient Electric Car Is Tinier Than a Golf Cart
6 November 2009 1:30 PM, PST
The world's most efficient electric car isn't much to look at--yet. Designed by Gordon Murray (the design mind behind the tiny T25 city car) and Zytek Automotive, the T27 Ev will supposedly be incredibly efficient thanks to its low weight (1,653 lbs), "clean sheet design," and bank of lithium ion batteries that can deliver a 60- to 70-mile range.
The vehicle will be manufactured using Murray's iStream process, which uses computer designs and welding instead of stamped-together metal sheets. The process is so streamlined that iStream factories can be just a fifth of the size of normal plants. Overall, Murray believes that the process can lower the T27's life-cycle emissions by 67% compared to an average car and 27% compared to the closest Ev rival.
The T27 isn't quite ready to go to market, though--Murray still has to design a motor, gearbox, mounting system, and inverter for the three-seat vehicle. And of course, »
- Ariel Schwartz
Layar Augmented Reality App Hits 200th Data Layer
6 November 2009 1:00 PM, PST
We've been following the development of Layar, the cross-platform smartphone augmented reality app-- because it just might be a model for the future of Ar. Its utility has been zooming, and it just hit its 200th Ar geotagged data layer.
The 200th layer is a system that helps users find the real-time availability of public rental bicycles that are part of the Le Vélo Star system in Rennes, France. The add-in to Layar, developed by In Cité Solution, gives you the location of the nearest bike parking spot, and handily tells you how many bikes are available at the moment.
Neat and eco-friendly, it's a near-perfect demonstration of the power of Ar apps to improve day-to-day life. In Cité has plans to develop their Layar apps further by adding social networking powers for Rennes. They may also expand the service for bike, bus, and metro systems in other cities, and »
- Kit Eaton
Postal Strike Returns Brits to Old-School Tech
6 November 2009 12:30 PM, PST
For old-fashioned letter writers like me, the past few months have been pretty horrid, what with the U.K.'s postal strike. Despite yesterday's news that the unions and management of Royal Mail have decided to suspend the strike until the New Year, a couple of pay checks have gone missing, not to mention a credit card payment--which resulted in my card being suspended. Many of you will no doubt be wondering why a tech writer doesn't pay all her bills online. Answer: because I'm an awkward bugger.
That's why news that the old-fashioned telegram is having a bit of a second wind doesn't really surprise me. Two firms, Telegramsonline and Couriergram, have both reported an increase in business since the mailmen started getting all bolshy.
While emails, tweets, and SMS messages are pretty much the norm in the modern age, sometimes nothing will do but a letter sent via snail mail. »
- Addy Dugdale
The Rhythm of Design: How Being a Marine Drummer Set My Lifetime Creative Tempo
6 November 2009 12:00 PM, PST
Who would have thought my training as a young man in the U.S. Marine Corps Band would prepare me to become the founder of a structural packaging agency? Back when I was doing the barbed wire crawl with my M16 or providing the drum beat for a pass and review ceremony, I certainly didn't expect that someday these experiences would help me shape many of the world's best known brands. It was this early foundation of discipline, creative performance, demanding expectations, and commitment to excellence that set the stage for my career in design.
Clarke is the second-from-the-left marching drummer
In the swamps of Paris Island--where I encountered commands and demands, and fielded expectations to perform seemingly impossible feats--i learned firsthand why the Marine Corps is renowned for its elite training. But what really prepared me for the strategic creative leadership I provide today was playing the drums in the Marine Corps Band. »
- Peter Clarke
U.S. and U.K.'s Individuality Is Depressing, but Social Nets May Help
6 November 2009 11:30 AM, PST
Western society's habits, according to a new survey, are resulting in overly individualistic behavior that makes us depressed. But before that news makes you sad, a different piece of research says the social networking boom may be able to help.
The Northwestern University study examined depression and anxiety in different nations around the world, comparing in particular individualistic nations like those in the West, and collectivist nations like China. Interestingly the U.K. came top in individualism (that stiff upper lip perhaps?), followed by the U.S., Australia, and Western Europe. And though you may think that's a good thing, it comes at a price: Around one in ten Brits are sufferers of depression and anxiety, compared to one in twelve in Europe and a mere one in 25 in China. Though there's likely to be a genetic component in action, it seems likely that Western individualism is causing stress and sadness. »
- Kit Eaton
Air Filter Uses Plants to Filter Toxins
6 November 2009 11:00 AM, PST
Two years ago, when this concept was first shown off, we never thought it had a chance. But this week, the Andrea air filter has finally gone on sale--for $199.
The idea is simple enough: Plants naturally filter toxins. So the design has a fan that silently sucks up air, and forces that air over a houseplant's leaves and soils. Pollution-free air then circulates through the room.
The designer, Mathieu Lehannuer, won a rack of awards for the concept. But he then went gone on to test it in labs, and claims that it's 40 times more efficient than Hepa or activated carbon filters. (For real?!) He also claims that instead of shunting noxious pollutants onto a filter, the plant itself metabolizes the waste and eliminates pollution. The added bonus: There are no filters to change.
You can use any houseplant with the filter, but the best performing ones are Peace Lily, »
- Cliff Kuang
How Long Can Free Broadcast TV Last? Not Long, Perhaps
6 November 2009 10:30 AM, PST
Though Time Warner's CEO Jeff Bewkes has his own agenda to push regarding the future of TV, speaking to the Daily Beast recently he mentioned the future of free-to-air TV. He thinks it hasn't got one, and he may have a point.
Among various other pronouncements on Time Warner's business, Bewkes was asked about how free TV's future might go, and he didn't mince his words: "their business model is becoming increasingly not viable" before long, if they don't enforce some kind of carriage fee they "may not survive."
Is Bewkes merely trotting out the same old line about the future of the TV (and newspapers and books and...) being on the Internet and as paid-for content? Kinda. But he backs up his thinking with some sensible points: Fewer people are watching the free broadcast networks, they're doing so for fewer hours each day, and ratings are sliding ever downwards. »
- Kit Eaton
Infographic of the Day: How Do Different Wines Taste?
6 November 2009 9:30 AM, PST
Here's an infographic that should help anyone who loves getting drunk drinking wine, but can't tell a pinot from a merlot from 7-Eleven's new cab sav.
For his class, Visualizing the Five Senses, Nyu grad student Carl Tashian amassed the descriptive words used in over 5,000 wine reviews, published in one Australian wine magazine in the course of five years. Then he split those according to the wine variety--whites, reds, and variations thereof--and then charted what words pop up most often for each one. What results is a pretty nifty set of graphs displaying the typical flavor profiles of various wines. So cab savs, as you can see above, are pretty heavy on the oak. Pinot noirs, by contrast, tend to be a bit fruitier and more flavorful--which explains their booming popularity. Obviously, any wine nerd will know all this stuff already--but it's a pretty great tool for neophytes.
That said, »
- Cliff Kuang
Rotterdam's Fantastic Plan to Make Storm Water Beautiful
6 November 2009 8:30 AM, PST
The city is planning 25 parks that will recycle rainwater while serving as urban playgrounds.
You don't usually see the water-management infrastructure in a city--it flows from your tap then disappears down the drain. It might as well be magic. No wonder your average joe doesn't care about how vital water management is to a working city.
This week, architects Florian Boer and Marco Vermeulen are holding a seminar in Toronto on Waterpleinen, a solution to that problem, which they designed for Rotterdam. It's part of Water, a slate of symposiums and an exhibition at the University of Toronto, all dedicated to the ways that designers are reimagining water use.
The Rotterdam plan is brilliantly simple: Rather than hiding storm management systems underground, it turns them into a public park. Massive concrete playgrounds double as rainwater collectors; when they're not full, they are programmed with activities. When they are full, the »
- Cliff Kuang
Does It Feel Green in Here? Turning Down the Office Thermostat Doesn't Save Energy
6 November 2009 8:00 AM, PST
Your employees have agreed to sacrifice their comfort in exchange for energy savings. You turn down the thermostat, everyone dons a sweater, and it's all good, right? Not so fast. A new study from energy efficiency company Johnson Controls shows that while 69% of U.S. office workers (in an 800-person survey) are willing to forgo comfort for the sake of energy conservation, 78% of workers feel that their productivity lowers when the temperature is uncomfortable.
That's a whole lot of uncomfortable, unproductive people--98% of workers surveyed also said that their office is too hot or too cold at some point. And in the end, a turned-down thermostat often doesn't even save energy, since many employees turn to quick fixes like space heaters and personal fans. And when it's really hot or cold, 30% of workers will take a walk. So what can be done to gain back all that lost productivity without giving up on energy efficiency? »
- Ariel Schwartz
Blu Dot Drops Chairs on NYC Streets; Tracks Movements, Cool, but is it Marketing?
6 November 2009 7:30 AM, PST
At 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, a white van pulled over near the corner of 68th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. A cameraman armed with a telephoto lens watched from the corner. A video crew snooped from a rooftop. Half a dozen operatives on the street murmured discretely into walkie-talkies, calling each other "Hound Dog," "Crow's Nest," and other code names. Within minutes Andrew Haarsager, an interaction designer with the technology firm Tellart, removed a white steel chair from the van and placed it on the sidewalk. He crouched over to activate a Motorola cell phone with Gps software affixed to the underside of the seat, then skulked away.
Over the course of two days this week, Mono, an advertising firm based in Minneapolis, dropped off 25 Real Good Chairs, a $129 item designed and manufactured by Blu Dot. Whoever found the chairs was free to take them. The chairs »
- Michael Cannell
Gambit Lets You Be a Mechanical Turk for Social Game Credits
6 November 2009 7:00 AM, PST
If you could earn virtual coin in exchange for doing simple real world tasks, would you do it? Now there's a way to find out: Gambit, a company that specializes in monetizing social gaming, has teamed with Crowdflower, which manages crowd-sourced tasks for clients to create a weirdly novel hybrid system. Players who complete tasks for Crowdflower companies can earn social gaming credits in exchange for their work.
The system, dubbed Gambit Tasks, is a simple mechanical turk-like problem-solver. As Gambit puts it, imagine a Crowdflower client company has thousands of images it needs checking for copyright. They'd submit the task to Crowdflower, who'd forward it to Gambit and it would appear as an offer to Gambit players.
Basically, instead of relying on advertising or strangely spam-like commercial product tie-ins as some social gaming sites are doing (like the controversial Zynga games on Facebook) Gambit has realized there's money to »
- Kit Eaton
Lisa Strausfeld, Yves Behar, and Abbott Miller Form Supergroup, Design Litl Netbook
6 November 2009 6:30 AM, PST
The Litl netbook rethinks interface design, and boasts pitch-perfect design details. Too bad about the price.
It's baffling that no one's really overhauling laptop design. They're getting thinner and smaller, while capabilities and processing power swell, but the user interface stays exactly the same. Litl, a brand-new laptop, isn't going to change the world--but it's proof of what a set of excellent designers can do, if given a bit of breathing room.
The design pedigree is flagrantly high-caliber: One Laptop Per Child designer Yves Behar created the case; Abbott Miller designed the logo; and Lisa Strausfeld, our recent Master of Design, did the Gui, alongside Christian Marc Schmidt. There's a joke about Voltron in there somewhere.
The biggest innovations lie in the interface: It has two modes. One functions like an ordinary laptop. But flip the screen open some more, and it becomes an easel for media viewing. (Litl dubs »
- Cliff Kuang
AP Tightens Grip on Internet News With App-Making App
6 November 2009 6:00 AM, PST
The Associated Press has just rolled out a service to make it simpler for news publishing companies to make apps for practically every smartphone out here. And guess what? In typical "we own the news" AP style, the finished apps can grab feeds from the AP.
The system is coming in collaboration with Verve Wireless, which actually developed the AP's mobile service for it--clearly the two think their technology is successful and can easily be expanded to suit other news organizations. And it taps into the whole apps-are-everything drive on the Net at the moment. The press release notes that the solution will offer other publishers "best of breed" tech to "accelerate their mobile strategies." The reasoning seems pretty sound--Verve notes that "mobile apps drive 4x-10x greater usage because they are fast and easier to use," presumably over accessing the data via a browser on a smartphone--which is perhaps »
- Kit Eaton
'30 Rock' Ends Product Placement Speculation, Writes Cisco Into Last Night's Episode
6 November 2009 5:30 AM, PST
Cisco got one hell of a pitch man in Jack Donaghy.
Last night's 30 Rock wasn't just notable for the its usual cavalcade of shenanigans, or even the NBC in-house fun-poking (Brian Williams as a stand-up comic? Jack saying something was "as useless as the Winter Olympics" then turning to the camera and adding, "only on NBC"). It was the first and most blatant integration of a full-on commercial into the plot. Sure, Tina Fey has sported a Slanket ("as a joke"), made a joke about obviously shilling for Verizon, and an entire episode where Jack finds his father has mirroed the plot of Mamma Mia (a commercial for the DVD release followed the episode).
But this was next-level.
Right after a commercial block that included Ellen Page in a new ad for Cisco's video conferencing gadget, Alec Baldwin's character did a minute-long bit on the same product, slogan and all. »
- Tyler Gray
1-20 of 116 articles « Prev | Next »
