drfilmcommission.com

Brazilian artist Vivian Caccuri has put together a really neat piece of installation art that remixes music from an MP3 player based on the movements of live fish. The setup uses a proximity sensor to monitor what the fish are doing and changes the processing levels, adding and removing distortion and speaker fade as they go about their fishy business.

Related: Electroplankton for the Nintendo DS.

The video, which I’ve embedded below, was shot by Alex Tyson, who recorded straight off the installation’s sound board. To appreciate it properly you should watch it with a good pair of headphones, as the music has been mixed down from four channels to two. If you want to go see it yourself you’ll have to visit Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Submersed Songs | Can??es Submersas from ∆LEX on Vimeo.

Note: To see this video in HD, head over to its page on Vimeo.

Wilson Audio Specialties’ director of sales, Peter McGrath, came to New York City to present the Sasha W/P to the press at Wilson dealer Innovative Audio last week. The new speaker’s sweeping curves and refined shape make for the best-looking Wilson speaker of all time.

Wilson Audio's latest, the Sasha W/P speaker.

(Credit:
Steve Guttenberg)

The WATT was soon joined by the matching Puppy (woofer), and over the ensuing decades the two-piece WATT/Puppy system evolved, culminating in the WATT/Puppy 8 in 2006. Well over 15,000 WATT/Puppys have been sold since 1986, but rather than move to the W/P 9, founder David Wilson decided to start afresh, so now we have the Sasha W/P ($26,900/pair).

McGrath played a mix of music styles that night, but his own high-resolution classical recordings were the ones most breathtakingly rendered by the Sasha W/P. It was one of those rare, “you are there” audio experiences where you feel transported to the musical event. The Sasha W/P’s ability to unravel massive works with ease is what separates it from merely excellent high-end speakers. The Sasha W/P can unleash uninhibited dynamic contrasts that belie its modest footprint.

It’s a three-way design, with a 1-inch inverted dome tweeter, 7-inch midrange, and two 8-inch woofers elegantly housed within the 197-pound cabinet. Build quality is off-the-charts impressive, and the 12-step automotive paint job is absolutely flawless. The tweeter and midrange drivers are identical to the ones used in the $68,000 Wilson MAXX Series 3 speakers. Wilson Audio just recently expanded its factory in Provo, Utah.

Up to that point, state-of-the-art speakers were all large beasts, but the WATT was a comparatively tiny stand-mounted speaker. Its distinctive pyramidal shape went on to spawn countless imitations.

Wilson Audio Specialties didn’t invent high-end speakers, but its original WATT speaker, introduced in 1986, changed the rules of the game.

Hawk, who says he’s been a “loyal Sidekick user since the first model” had a hand in designing the special edition model and builds off the Sidekick LX with a slate gray shell, blue-and-white accents, and the skater’s signature hawk graphic. In addition, the back of the handset has a texture that simulates the grip tape found on top of a skateboard deck. Other Hawk influences include an exclusive video of him performing skate tricks and skating sound effects for when you open and close the swivel screen.

The Tony Hawk Sidekick LX will also be the first Sidekick to ship with video recording, playback, and sharing capabilities, plus stereo Bluetooth support and more personalization options. Now, all you current Sidekick LX owners, don’t get all in a huff. T-Mobile will release an over-the-air update later this summer to provide you with the same functionalities. The T-Mobile Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition will be available in stores and online some time in July. Current Sidekick customers will get first dibs and you can preregister for the device on the Sidekick Web site. Pricing has not been finalized at this time.

What do Dwyane Wade, Diane von Furstenberg, and LRG have in common? Give up? They all have their own special edition T-Mobile Sidekick model, and now you can add professional skateboarder Tony Hawk to that list. Today, T-Mobile and Hawk introduced the T-Mobile Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition, which not only boasts new design elements but also new features.

(Credit:
T-Mobile)

T-Mobile Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition

If fry grease can run a Mercedes, why can’t it power the restaurant it came from?

That’s the idea behind Owl Power Company’s Vegawatt power system, a machine that converts a restaurant’s waste oil into electricity and hot water.

A concept drawing of the Vegawatt system that converts restaurant waste grease into 5 kilowatts of electricity.

(Credit:
Owl Power Company)

Co-generation, where a fuel is burned to make electricity, is regularly done at landfill incinerators or industrial biomass generators. There are also home co-generators, such as the Freewatt from Climate Energy.

Owl Power’s twist on co-generation is that it lets restaurants use what’s normally a waste product as a fuel for themselves.

James Peret, the president and CEO of Owl Power Systems, is a mechanical engineer who started to work with a grease
car, which uses vegetable oil to power a diesel engine. He realized that a lawnmower-size diesel engine could be used as a co-generator as well.

The company now has a prototype of the Vegawatt power system which it will begin beta testing with restaurants in the fall and release next year.

For restaurant owners, the generator shouldn’t be a big change. They just dump their used fry grease into the Vegawatt system rather than their existing dumpsters.

Owl Power System intends to lease the machine, which is about 6 feet high and 2 feet deep, to restaurants for $400 a month. It’s appropriate for restaurants that have two or three fryers–that covers a lot of McDonalds and donut shops, said Peret.

The electricity and hot water the machine generates won’t cover all a restaurant’s energy usage, but it could be used during peak times when electricity is most expensive.

Between 50 and 80 gallons of oil will cover about one-third of the electricity usage in a restaurant, Peret estimates. They also avoid paying hauling charges.

A leasing model, where Owl Power does the maintenance, means that companies don’t need to purchase the machine.

“The minute restaurants hear about this, they say, ‘When can I get it?’” said Chad Joshi, chief operating officer of the company.

Even though it is a waste product, fry grease has become more valuable to restaurant owners, particularly as rising soy prices have made biodiesel from soy uneconomical for producers. Enthusiasts collect it for making “grease cars” and there have even been reports of grease bandits.

It might be a bit off-putting if you do this with photos of people, but still-life images or travel photos? Fantastic.

Myfotowall takes any of your own photographs and turns them into wallpaper. The company, based in West Yorkshire, England, says it can take any image and blow it up 16 times larger than the original without compromising the quality.

Photos as wallpaper by Myfotowall.

(Credit:
Myfotowall)

Myfotowall uses inkjet printing technology to put your chosen image onto paper-backed vinyl. The company charges 45 pounds Sterling per square meter, or about $90 per 10 square feet. You get to hang the paper yourself with spatula and glue after they print it.

The photos will stay bright for three years, but after that, there’s no guarantee against fading, Myfotowall says.

Bummer if the idea of redoing your wallpaper every third year doesn’t send you leaping for joy.

(Via Red Ferret via Oh Gizmo)

Microsoft said on Monday that it has wrapped up development of its long-awaited Service Pack 3 update to Windows XP.

The update, which consists of previously released updates and a few new bug fixes and changes, will be available for download via the Web on April 29. Microsoft said it plans to start pushing out XP SP3 this summer to “home users” who have Automatic Updates turned on.

A Microsoft representative said the company won’t update boxed copies of Windows XP with the service pack, though it will be an option for computer makers that are still offering XP on new machines. Large computer makers have only until June to sell XP on standard systems, though some low-cost, low-memory machines can be sold with XP until 2010, as can some PCs aimed at emerging markets.

Microsoft has been testing Windows XP Service Pack 3 for some time. The product was planned to be released as early as 2006, but was pushed back several times as Microsoft focused on developing and updating
Windows Vista.

Colleague Robert Vamosi will have a hands-on look shortly and I’ll post a link here.

Update 12:40 p.m.: Robert’s blog is now live and available here.

(Credit: Joel Escalona)

I know what I’m getting Major League Baseball’s all-time leading home run hitter for his birthday this year.

A big, fat asterisk.

I know, I know. I’m the most generous Dodgers’ fan ever, right? Besides being eminently appropriate, and just plain awesome-looking, this asterisk is actually useful. Especially if Barry has, say, a MacBook Air.

This asterisk is a four-port USB hub created by industrial designer Joel Escalona. It’s also bright red, and very sleek.

(Note: depending on where your sports loyalties lie, this gift can also work for Roger Clemens, Bill Belichick, or any member of the New England Patriots.)

(Via Ubergizmo)

commentary

Someday Steve Ballmer will descend from Sinai to find that the natives have grown very restless. In the meantime, it would be interesting to discover with whom he talks, since his understanding of open source continues to be seriously flawed.

At a recent Minority Student Day, a student asked Ballmer if Windows would ever go open source. “No” was the immediate response, with this tacked on for good measure:

An open-source version of Windows would mean not only would we publish Windows source code, we would make it free. That’s what open source means. We wouldn’t be hosting Minority Student Day if we open-source Windows because we wouldn’t have enough profit to pay people, let alone invite in people from the community.

I’m not saying open-source is a bad thing, but it doesn’t pay the bills in this company, so we can’t embrace that way of doing things. … We give out free soda pop to everybody who works here. We make our stuff free, people gotta give back the soda pop — it’s just inconsistent with what we do around here.

Ignorance, thy name is Ballmer.

Ballmer’s statement, however, may be true on one level, but it’s a level that is irrelevant going forward: It may well be that Microsoft-sized profits aren’t possible selling open-source bits. Of course, this obscures the fact that Google and others happily build businesses on open source and make Microsoft-esque profits. It’s all in figuring out what to sell.

Microsoft’s model of selling software is a 20th-century model that will continue to work for it until enterprises discover that they now live in the 21st Century when software is free (but services are not). The model going forward is to give away the core code and charge for services around that software. This is Google’s model. It’s also Red Hat’s, Alfresco’s, Facebook’s, etc.

Giving away Windows wouldn’t necessarily make it “free” (as in soda). That’s just Ballmer being obtuse. He’s a relic of yesterday’s software model. He made a ton of money for himself and for shareholders and the residual of that model will feed many mouths with free soda for years.

But it’s yesterday’s model, for yesterday’s companies. Microsoft might have noticed that it hasn’t proved to be relevant in any of the 21st Century’s businesses. Its bid for Yahoo! won’t change this unless Microsoft changes the way it views its software business.

Interoperability between stereo headphones and music cell phones is a popular concern, but how about using your cell phone headset with other, standard audio sources? At least one person wonders how to make this happen with no sound issues. Also on deck today: a sports fan wants an MP3 player with AM radio built in, and a discerning listener is curious about file quality and compatibility.

LG VX8530

(Credit:
CNET Networks)

Q: I found your address on CNET and was hoping you can help me with a question that seems to be hard to get answered. I have the LG VX8350 phone from Verizon. I also have the headset that comes with the music essentials kit. I like the headset that I have as it works with the phone in phone and music player modes; however, it is a 2.5mm plug that was made for the phone. My problem is that I would like an adapter that would allow me to use this headset with other equipment as well that has a 3.5mm jack (such as the equipment at the gym). I have found a few such adapters online, but have heard reviews that they will not work correctly and I would only get 1/2 of the sound coming through them. (I think it has to do with the mic feature on my headset.) Do you have any information that might help me with this?–Gayle, via e-mail

A: You know, this is actually a pretty rare request, as most users are looking for the opposite adapter. That is, one that allows them to use standard 3.5mm headphones with their 2.5mm jack-sporting cell phones. There are a lot of adapters for that. What you need, though, is a 2.5mm female to 3.5mm male adapter. These are somewhat hard to come by, especially taking into account the extra mic band on your headset, which can cause the problem you describe. However, I came across this one online. It notes: “With this adapter, you can listen to music from any audio source with a 3.5mm headphone jack via your cell phone’s 2.5mm headset.” This should work for you, but I have to stress that I’ve never tested this product, so I can’t guarantee it.

Q: Is there a reason that MP3 players don’t have an AM tuner? I live in Salt Lake City and all of the sports radio is on the AM dial. I’d like to be able to listen to a ball game without having to use my 15-year-old Walkman.–Mike, via e-mail

Mini Radio YourWay

(Credit:
PoGo Products)

A: Well, the main reason that is given is that they use a large antenna, so it adds undesired bulk to the device. There is at least one MP3 player that I know of that has one, though: the PoGo Products Radio YourWay. I’m not sure if they still sell that one, but they do sell a “Mini”.

Q: Which recording format (MP3, WAV, Windows Media Pro, AAC) do you recommend that folks rip music for the best quality and use across the most diverse of players? In addition, which application do you recommend?–Eric, via e-mail

For the very best quality file that works across the largest variety of players, I would go with WAV. Pretty much any jukebox/music management application will let you rip CDs to that format (I generally use Windows Media Player). However, they are going to be very large files–about 41MB for one, four minute song–so you’d only get about two albums per gigabyte of memory on the MP3 player. The next best option for compatibility is MP3, though it’s a lossy format. Rip at the highest available bit rate (320kbps) to get the best quality. That same four minute song will be under 10MB, meaning you’d get closer to 10 albums per gigabyte.

(Credit:
CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)

MP3 Mailbox Monday is a recurring feature where I answer a selection of questions about MP3 players and accessories, such as headphones, speakers, and music services and software. Check back often to see if the advice presented here might be of some use to you, or send your questions directly to me. (Note: We never include last names, but if you prefer to remain completely anonymous, please state as much in your e-mail.)

I have to hand it to fellow analyst Rob Enderle. Way back in August of 2005, he called the high-def format war in a piece titled “Blu-ray Wins or Nothing Does.”

Logo of the Blu-ray Disc Association, winner of the high-def disc format war

(Credit:
The Blu-ray Disc Association)

Then again, he also said in that article that “the more likely outcome is that the market will bypass both products and move to something else,” so perhaps he wasn’t perfectly prescient.

And come to think of it, a year later (in December 2006) he changed his mind entirely in columns titled “Optical HD Battle May Be Over: HD DVD Wins,” “HD DVD Wins,” and “Sony Kills Blu-ray.”

And in August and even November of 2007, Enderle still believed HD DVD would win.

Well, if Rob Enderle couldn’t predict the result, who could? Even just before the Consumer Electronics Show this year, when Warner Bros. Entertainment announced it would stop supporting HD DVD and join the Blu-ray camp, I was still hedging my bets: “Blu-ray wins, HD DVD loses. Probably.”)

But when Wal-Mart–the Brünnhilde of modern retailing–took the stage last week to throw its weight behind Blu-ray, everyone knew it was over. And this week, Toshiba–leader of the DVD Forum, which developed HD DVD–officially conceded defeat. The company aims to end production on HD DVD hardware for home theaters as well as PCs by the end of March.

So we can all relax. Right?

Well, for a while, sure. But remember, DVD and Blu-ray were separated by only five or six years, so presumably we’re due for yet another format three or four years from now. And a new format means the potential for a new format war.

The basic parameters are easy to predict. As I described last August in “After HD, what’s next?” the heir apparent to HDTV is what’s called “4K”– that is, a display resolution with about 4,096 horizontal pixels and 2,160 scan lines. Sony already makes projectors that support this resolution. Red Digital Cinema makes 4K cameras. Director Peter Jackson has made a short film in 4K, and the “Final Cut” of Blade Runner was remastered in 4K.

So 4K is coming, and it isn’t far away.

But why should there be a format war?

Well, there’s always a format war. There was even a DVD format war, although we’re all fortunate that it was resolved well before discs or players hit the market.

Sony will want to lead the transition to 4K, but the DVD Forum will still be around in five years. That’s a recipe for a format war right there.

Will it happen? I sure hope not. Our best hope for a lasting peace is that Sony, Toshiba, and the rest of the DVD Forum members settle their differences and start working on the next generation immediately. If you have any influence within these companies, now’s the time to start cooperating on technology development. The future won’t wait.