Monthly Archives: February 2017

Photography: Meet the ludicrous 960fps Sony Xperia XZ

Mobile, Photography

Cue Keanu-style whoa:

PetaPixel notes,

The technological magic behind this sensor—as Sony points out multiple times in the videos above—is the RAM built right into the sensor stack. This allows for 5x faster readout and a max slow mo capture speed of 960fps at up to 720p resolution. That is not a typo, and it makes 240fps looks like a sad joke.

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Remember—if, like me, you’re about to turn to dust—when the mere existence of a “PHONE video” seemed entirely insane? Cue this Nokia ad from ~2002:

[YouTube 1 & 2]

VR: Google’s new tech provides windows to the (uncanny?) soul

AR/VR, Illustration

This is bonkers: By having your face 3D scanned, you can now have it show through a VR headset (complete with moving, blinking eyes!), like this:

The Daydream VR team explains,

The first step to removing the VR headset is to construct a dynamic 3D model of the person’s face, capturing facial variations as they blink or look in different directions. This model allows us to mimic where the person is looking, even though it’s hidden under the headset.

Next, we use an HTC Vive, modified by SMI to include eye-tracking, to capture the person’s eye-gaze from inside the headset. From there, we create the illusion of the person’s face by aligning and blending the 3D face model with a camera’s video stream. A translucent “scuba mask” look helps avoid an “uncanny valley” effect.

For a really funny tour, check out the Try Guys’ adventures in VR:

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[YouTube]

Design: BMW -> Lego -> BMW

Design

How this for some Inception? Back in January, Lego released a 603-piece Technic BMW R 1200. Then the BMW Junior Company unit took Lego’s design and transformed it into a full-size aerial motorcycle called the Hover Ride Concept. Check out the process:

What happens when you put together a team of LEGO Technic designers and a BMW Motorrad engineer?  Watch this short documentary and immerse yourself in the journey of the two teams from recreating the iconic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure to pushing the limits and transforming the alternative LEGO Technic model into a real life size BMW Motorrad Concept Hover Ride.

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[YouTube] [Via]

Explore Earth via drawing in Google’s “Land Lines”

Illustration

“Simpsons Did It!!” So goes the cry that lets you know that your unique new idea just ain’t so unique. And so it went, at least inside my head, a couple of months ago when I sent Google’s Geo team a suggestion: 

Quick, Draw! and Terrapattern make me wonder whether you could offer a simple drawing UI for Earth that would let people find things that roughly match what they draw… I can see it being a playful, serendipitous way to explore.

Ah, they told me: Sit tight, because we’re about to launch Land Lines. It lets you “Start with a line, let the planet complete the picture.” Take it for a spin yourself, or just watch how it works:

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[YouTube]

Illustration: “Make mine a tall, creamy Zuckerberg…”

Illustration

“You Know You’re Living In A Late Culture When…,” Episode #397: Coffee Ripples“customizes coffee with high quality images in just a few seconds. Ripples are made of tiny coffee bean drops that keep the natural quality and flavor of your coffee.” Behold:

Oh, and haven’t I been blogging about printing weird stuff on food for, like, 10+ years? So I have. Now excuse me while I turn to dust.

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[YouTube]