Shoot first, re-focus later - New Lytro Camera!

Now this is actually pretty cool. Lytro have unveiled a new camera that's completely different to anything else out there on the market at the moment. The key? You can focus and re-focus your images after you've taken the shot.

The Lytro camera, named after the company, is about 11cm long, and 4cm square, and has a lens on one end, and an LCD touch screen display at the other. Along the sides are the shutter button, USB port, and a strip that controls the zoom function - 8x. It's a pretty different design to your standard camera, which is generally loaded with more buttons than you actually know how to use. (true story).

On the inside, is where it's really different. Conventional digital cameras use lenses to focus a subject so it's sharp on the image sensor, then it takes the picture. That means that for an in-focus part of the image, light from only one direction reaches the sensor. In the Lytro though, light from multiple directions hits each patch of the sensor; the camera records this directional information, and after-the-shot computing converts it into something a human eye can understand. This means that the focal point of the image can be re-adjusted multiple times on the computer, even after the image has been taken.

This means that you can whip it out, take a photo of a scene before it changes (a bird flying away, someone's smile, a fast-paced scene) and then fix it up later. In addition, this kind of photographic technology (known as light-field photography) allows the images taken to be shown in 3D - because you have an image with potential multiple depths-of-field.

There are three models - the $399 cameras with 'electric blue' and 'graphite' exteriors whose 8GB of built-in memory is enough for about 350 shots and the 'red hot,' 16GB camera that can record 750 shots. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like you can expand the storage space once it's purchased.
US residents can apparently order one online now, according to Chief Executive Ren Ng, and they'll be shipped in the first quarter of 2012. No word yet on a international release, but you could probably just import one if you wanted to.

via Cnet

Want to float in the clouds? "Niiiiimbus!"

I've always liked clouds. They look like a great big jumping castle in the sky. Seriously, imagine if they were bouncy? That's be awesome. Tiago Barros also likes clouds, but in a more sedate, float-amongst-them kind of way.

His 'Passing Cloud' concept allows people to float in the sky amongst the clouds, wherever the wind takes them, sitting on top of the zeppelin-like, nylon-covered and steel-skeletoned structure. It's environmentally friendly, and is completely reliant on wind-power.  

According to Barros, "nowadays, traveling is achieved with this idea of having a fixed destination and an estimated time of arrival. Passing Cloud completely inverts this system. A floating device is introduced that travels around the entire USA territory according to current predominant winds. It has no fixed time of arrival or place for arrival. The journey becomes the essence. Imagine traveling at wind speeds in a totally sustainable object that leaves no Human trace behind."

This actually looks pretty awesome. The idea of just travelling wherever, without any fixed plan or destination sounds pretty relaxing... and it reminds me of Flying Nimbus from Dragonball. Which is awesome. Although personally, I'd like to see some simple shelters on the structure, basic cabins or even tents, so that you weren't always exposed to the open air and weather.

via Dezeen

Create your own Portal 2 Level!?

Because the people over at Valve were concerned that we all weren't already in love with Portal 2, they are now working on an “a Photoshop for test chambers,”an easy way for amateurs to design their own Portal levels, and allow other users to download these created levels.

According to a report by Geoff Keighley, GTTV host, Valve are also developing a system that would allow Portal 2 players to access the new levels from within the game, without having to go outside the game to access them. “Now maps will appear on an easy to use menu, dramatically expanding the potential audience for fan-created content–and hopefully making it available on the consoles as well.”

If that doesn't seem exciting enough, Valve are also considering adding a personality to the level creator - a GLaDOS that would be watching how you did things, interjecting snide comments every now and again, and berating you if you spelt a word wrong.

Valve haven't confirmed all of this of course - they're definately working on it, but they haven't said as to whether it will actually be released, or if it's just an experiment.

For now, have a fun Cave Johnson quote. "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take back the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What the hell are these?! Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! WITH THE LEMONS! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that BURNS YOUR HOUSE DOWN!"

Halo concept art is awesome.

Halo is awesome. Everyone loves Halo, right? Know what's almost as awesome? This apparently brand-new, never-seen-before concept art by Alex Chu, Ashley Wood, and Frank Capezzuto. These works, among others, are being packaged in a new book, Halo: The Art of Building Worlds, which will be chock full of pretty concept art for the entire Halo trilogy. If you're interested in the book, which is a decent $18 from Amazon, check it out here.

Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the (free) pictures here.

Laws of Physics being overturned!? "She'll make point five past lightspeed."

In news that should excite sci-fi fans all over the world, scientists at CERN have announced that they have recorded sub-atomic particles travelling faster than the speed of light.

Spokesman for the researchers, Antonio Ereditato, said that measurements taken over the course of three years showed neutrinos pumped from CERN near Geneva to Gran Sasso in Italy had arrived 60 nanoseconds quicker than light would have done.

 

"We have high confidence in our results. We have checked and rechecked for anything that could have distorted our measurements but we found nothing," he said. "We now want colleagues to check them independently."

If their work is confirmed, it could shake the foundations of physics as we know it, overturning Einsteins 1905 theory of special relativity, which states that the speed of light is a 'constant,' and that nothing can travel faster.

"I just don't want to think of the implications," said Ereditato. "We are scientists and work with what we know."

60 nanoseconds may not sound like much (and it isn't) but it's the fact that it's possible that is so astonishing.
Many different works of science fiction are based on the possibility of exceeding the speed of light, and acheiving either time-travel or faster-than-light (FTL) travel.
Lets just hope if we do get there, we don't encounter Goa'uld, or Reapers. 

via SMH.com.au

 

IRL: Running from zombies!

Gotta admit, this is one of the most original, and awesome iPhone games in development at the moment. ZOMBIES, RUN! is an indie developed game that is still a WIP over at kickstarter, and merges reality and video games.

The core premise is that you are Runner 5, a survivor of the zombie apocalypse and a scout of sorts, looking for weapons, ammo, med kits and critical supplies to keep your base of hundreds alive.

As it says on the website: "Zombies, Run! is an ultra-immersive game for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android where you help rebuild civilisation after a zombie apocalypse. By going out and running in the real world, you can collect medicine, ammo, batteries, and spare parts that you can use to build up and expand your base - all while getting orders, clues, and story through your headphones."

Essentially, by running in real life, you run in the game, picking up the afore mentioned critical supplies. You don't need to watch the screen while you're running either, the story and instructions are delivered through the headphones; you simply press a button to start and to stop.

"Zombies, Run! is about making the thrill of running even better with a game and a story delivered through your headphones. We’re making running more fun, more exciting, and more addictive for everyone from couch-to-5k newbies to weekend joggers and marathon runners. And Zombies, Run! works anywhere - in a park, along a beach, in the city, even on treadmills!"

The game is still in development, and is expected to be released around February 2012. For those wishing to donate and contribute to the games development, head over here and you can get some sweet goodies for doing so.

via Kickstarter

Terry Pratchett makes a sword out of meteorites

Showing that he's not just awesome at writing books, Terry Pratchett decided to forge himself a sword after being knighted. As you do.

But believing that to be his sword, it had to be different, he found himself a field with iron ore near his home in Wiltshire, dug up 81kg of iron ore, and smelted it himself.

The 62 year-old bestselling author said "most of my life I've been producing stuff which is intangible and so it's amazing the achievement you feel when you have made something which is really real."

After creating a makeshift kiln built from clay and hay and fuelled with damp sheep manure to smelt his iron, he then tossed in "several pieces of meteorites — thunderbolt iron, you see — highly magical, you’ve got to chuck that stuff in whether you believe in it or not."

After spending some days hammering it into bars, he then took it to a blacksmith, who helped him shape it into a blade and finish it with silverwork.

Pratchett has hidden the sword in an unknown location after finishing it last year, fearing that the authorities may not appreciate his remarkable work on account of it being pointy and very sharp.

"It annoys me that knights aren’t allowed to carry their swords. That would be knife crime," he said.

via Evan, via news.com

New Sony OLED VR Goggles deliver a 750 inch screen!

Everyone likes big TVs right? You walk into stores and gaze longingly at the huge 60 inch plasma sitting there in all its hi-def glory.

But now Sony is upping the ante. How about a 750 inch screen? Which occupies less space than your PS3?

Introducing the "Personal 3D Viewer HMZ-T1," a head mounted goggle display that can project both 2D and 3D. The goggles consist of two 0.7-inch OLED screens (one per eye) with a resolution of 1024x720, which will appear as though you're watching a 750 inch screen. It can also support 5.1 surround sound, and has 2 HDMI ports for game consoles, Blu-Ray players, etc.

So you'll basically have a cinema style experience in one small, sweet package. But... you'll be paying for it. The goggles will be released in Japan (typically) on November 11, retailing for $780. Ouch.

To be honest, I'm still tempted. Imagine playing Modern Warfare 3 online with a cinema style display and surround sound. Awesome. Expensive. But awesome.

via Dvice

This Portal fan-made movie is Awesome.

When you think of a fan-made movie, you think of something done with a home video camera, cheesy lines, and Keanu Reeves-style acting.
But this fan-made Portal movie is none of those. It's awesome.
It was created by Dan Trachtenberg, a filmmaker and video podcast host from Los Angeles, who has also directed a number of ads for companies like Nike, Lexus, and Coca-Cola.

While video game inspired movies are generally something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, if they could do something like this - I'd be hyped for a Portal one.

via dantrachtenberg.com, and YouTube.