That glare can be a bear!

Some pretty cool research on glass glare has yielded awesome results with the "Invisible Glass." It doesn't seem to be a new type of glass or clear material, but rather a coating on either side that lets more light pass through then bounce off.

"According to our friends at Tech-On, the company has developed a new type of vitrine that reduces glare by using a special film on each side of the substrate, which allows more light to pass through the layers rather than bounce off the surface. Normal glass reflects around eight percent of light, while the new variety only rebounds 0.5 percent, dramatically reducing the luminous reflectance to around 0.1 percent or lower."

Here's the source article with an example image of what the Invisible Glass can do.

Grab Any Color on Your Screen with Instant Eyedropper

It's happened before: You've found just the color you want for that next piece, but you have no idea what it actually is or how to get it into Photoshop. Enter Instant Eyedropper. It sits in the system tray until you click on it, at which point it begins presenting a pixel-overlay next to your mouse cursor, along with the average color of the area in #RRGGBB format. Upon clicking, it copies the color in the preselected format to the clipboard, where you can paste it and use the color however you'd like.

Instant Eyedropper is a free utility available at http://instant-eyedropper.com/.

HQ Rendered Maps

Here's a mapping solution for those who need really detailed maps. It works in three steps. First, a special camera is attached to a either a manned or unmanned plane or helicopter. It can cover 100 square miles in an hour.

Then it processes that same area in five hours, generating the 3D land masses, including building and trees. It can then apply textures to the rendered terrain and building, and classify certain parts of the terrain. For example, if it was flying over DC, it could identify the White House, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, etc.

Finally, the terrain is viewable and calculations can be made on it. It can be used for simulations, training, line-of-sight evaluation, architecture research, etc.

This would be a great addition to any GPS or Google Maps.

The New Touch Screen

Thirty years ago, when people were imagining what technology would look like in 2000, I'm sure there were expectations of projected screens that shoot out through thumbs. Well, we're not quite there yet but researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University are getting close. They have developed a shoulder mounted projector that can transform any surface into a touch screen. Could this really be the future of display screens? Will everybody on the University of Delaware campus be walking around with a shoulder mounted projector on their shoulder in a few years? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, researchers are going above and beyond to make new technology.

Want more information? Check out the article:

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/38933/?mod=chfeatured

Gradient

Looking for an easier way to add gradients in CSS3? How about giving Gradient a try, it's "the missing link between web designers and colors."

Here's a link the Mac OSX App:

http://www.gradientapp.com/

Microsoft's Vision of the Future

This is what Microsoft envisions as our post PC future. However, how realistic is it, and how far into the future could something like this be achievable?

Facebook takes an Arctic Plunge

You may think the only things living in the Arctic Circle are moose, Scandinavians, and Santa Clause, but it looks like they'll soon have a new neighbor.

Drawn by the promise of lower electricity costs, Facebook announced this week that it will build a data center just south of the Arctic Circle in Lulea, Sweden. The cooler temperatures of the region mean less electricity needed too cool the servers - both a cost and environmental benefit. Facebook plans to build three 300,00 square foot buildings in Sweden, projected to be in operation by 2012. Utilizing cool outside air can result in tens of millions of dollars in savings per year for each site, according to a representative for the company. Tax breaks and abundant renewable energy sources are also appealing to tech companies taking a polar plunge, like Google, which also holds a data center in Finland. Brrr!

KID HISTORY

There are a group of guys out West that have created quite a following with their short movies, called "Kid History." The movies are based on family stories as retold by their children. The movies are wildly popular and funny in part because the adults act out the stories but utilize the kid's voices and mannerisms. Technically, they have successfully been able to sync voices in a fun and dynamic way.

Here's the link. Start by watching Episode 1 and then consecutively make your way through them. You will not be disappointed!

http://boredshorts.tv/category/kidhistory/

"Sexy" Thermostats

Tony Fadell, father of the iPod, has taken on the task of redesigning the thermostat. Nest is a 100-person start-up company that's applying the design and user-experience DNA of Apple to the thermostat. With its Learning Thermostat, Nest took a device that hasn't had a major redesign in decades and gave it some of the iPod and iPhone design magic. Fadell and his team think they've come up with an alternative that's easy to use and that learns from what we do. Along the way, the company thinks it could cut 20 to 30 percent off the average household's $1,000 or so in annual energy bills.

The system was built to learn about a household's use of cooling or heating, and to automatically adjust temperatures based on current and forecasted weather conditions, as well as whether anyone is home, their schedules, and their normal usage patterns. Rogers said the Learning Thermostat picks up on those patterns in about a week. Crazy... I want one. Looked at some of the pictures, and they are pretty sexy!

Unzooming a Really Really Zoomed in Mac Screen

Matt and I had a user accidentally magnify her screen big time tonight (the Firefox icon in the dock took up the entire screen). For some reason "Command + Scroll" was not working even with a separate mouse. She had been writing a paper and asked if we could not restart the computer if possible. We found the easiest way to get her screen back to normal was to go into system preferences (which was fun with the screen completely zoomed in) and go to Mouse Preferences and uncheck the option "Zoom using scroll ball while holding:" option. It is at the bottom of the menu. Hope this helps some people with future problems!

iMovie Tip #1

Projects

The other day some students were working on a video project and due to some complications with an external hard drive, their iMovie Project file became corrupted. While they could see all of their edits in the project window, they could not save anything added to the project and copying all of the files for a new project did not work. Luckily they were able to save their iMovie Events--i.e. all of their video files.

So the only option in this case was to start over with their edits. To aid in this process, and rather than trying to remember what the edits were, the students could have printed their project or saved it as a PDF. This would have allowed them to see their placement of titles, clips, transitions, etc.; it would have served as a blueprint to more accurately build the project again and to speed up the process.

Tip

Before going to the file menu and selecting Print Project, turn on some of the display and show preferences; these will aid in indicating the length (hours, minutes, seconds, frames) of each project element.

From the menu, select:

iMovie > Preferences > Browser and choose Always show clip durations
iMovie > Preferences > General and choose Display time as HH:MM:SS:Frames
File > Print Project > Print
File > Print Project > PDF > Save as PDF
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The New iPhone 4S: What's New, You Ask?

While many loyal customers of Apple were let down to learn the tech powerhouse would be introducing the iPhone 4S instead of the highly anticipated iPhone 5 this month, the newest release provides several new upgrades. If you're debating whether the purchase would be worth it, check this out! And learn about what the new iPhone 4S has to offer.

How colleges use social media -- what do you think?

CNN posted an article about how colleges and universities use Facebook to recruit students.  They site Johns Hopkins who has an entire site called Hopkins Interactive which is described thus:  "Hopkins Interactive is a social media website designed to enable prospective and admitted students to Johns Hopkins to connect with the University by offering them candid, uncensored information about student life on campus and throughout Baltimore."  Check it out, links to blogs, Twitter feeds, etc. Under the Videos menu, there are several series aimed at prospective students, describing Baltimore, dorm life, and students relating why they chose Hopkins.  The article also cites some bad examples of college use of social media, for example sounding more like PR than genuine student perspectives.

 There's also a website that lists the "Top 100 Social Media Colleges" (UD isn't on the list).  UD has a "Virtual Campus Experience" linked from its homepage but it doesn't have life in the dorms or Newark type videos that I can see.  Do you ever read UD's Facebook and Twitter feeds?  Did they have any influence on you choosing UD as your school (if they were available when you were looking)?

Rich

T(ether), 3d space manipulation

Hey Guys!

This is something interesting that i stumbled upon the other day. The t(ether) is a "novel spatially aware display that supports intuitive interaction with volumetric data." In other words, the t(ether) is a glove and app system that allows the user to map out 3d space with the added dimension of depth that is lost when working on a 2 dimension screen. Although the t(ether) is still being perfected, the idea driving the invention has opened up new doors for electronic media.

LaCie Rugged Mini

LaCie has introduced a new rugged drive called the Mini. This little drive offers USB 3.0 connectivity and options for 500GB, 500 GB--7200rpm, 1 TB, and 1.5TB capacities. Starting price $99.00.

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?id=10564

Nifty Video Editing Software!

I thought this was pretty neat, especially with the way it handled lighting effects and animations. What do you guys think?

http://laughingsquid.com/new-software-system-for-realistically-adding-objects-into-photos/

iPod 10 Years Old

Today, October 23, 2011, the iPod is 10 years old. It was seen by some people as a ridiculous product by a barely-hanging computer company. It cost $400, was only 5GB, and was only available on Macs. But over the last ten years, the iPod became a huge success and helped the spawn the products we know as the iPhone and the iPad.

There's no denying it helped to change the music industry, either. Apple created the iTunes music store, one of the first ways people could buy single tracks instead of paying $10+ for the whole album. Some people may bemoan the social aspect of going to a record store and talking about the newest Hüsker Dü album while buying it, but no one can deny the ease of sitting in your bed at 3AM and buying the same album on your iPod Touch. In minutes, the songs are on your iPod and you can listen easily.

Thought Macs were safe? Not anymore.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/20/8413274-malware-can-cripple-your-macs-built-in-security-tools

A new back door trojan has been discovered that targets mac users. It cripples the anti-malware program called X-Protect. The Trojan disables the anti-malware program by blocking any updates that come through, which prevents the program from finding viruses.

Having a ball!

Let's get one of these and see how long it takes for it to get lost or broken!

A student at the Technical University of Berlin created a ball filled with 2 megapixel cell phone cameras that allows you to take spherical panoramic pictures. Complete with a very cool demonstration video!

Check it out here!

LYTRO Light Field Camera

"It's here. The only camera that captures life in living pictures." Check out this new type of camera, the Light Field Camera by Lytro. It's a "Picture Revolution."


https://www.lytro.com/camera

The Ultimate Headset

For those of you that need it (or think you need it) Razer announced that they will be releasing the "world's first" circumaural headset for a 7.1 Surround Sound experience. The Tiamat 7.1 will go on sale before the end of the year, with a projected cost of about $180.

http://www.razerzone.com/tiamat/en/features

Phishing Scams

phishing |ˈfiSHiNG|
noun
the activity of defrauding an online account holder of financial information by posing as a legitimate company: [ as modifier ] : phishing exercises in which criminals create replicas of commercial Web sites.

_____

Beware of phishing scams that have hit UD:

http://sites.udel.edu/phishing/

Toggl-- and see how you really spend your time

Have you ever wondered how much time you actually spent on a particular project, or what you really spend your time doing on a daily basis? I know it sounds cliche, but there's an app for that! There's also a browser version too, for non-smartphone users. Toggl helps you keep track of how you use your time and lets you see the results in graph form. It's a good motivator to stay on task, or to see just how much time you spend (and waste) on a daily basis.

Why So Siri-ous?

The iPhone 4s has hit the markets and with much success approaching the month of November. Most iPhone users are happy with the upgrade and a noticeable difference from the iPhone 4 is the new program called "Siri". Siri is the ultimate helper when it comes to finding information with the iPhone 4s. The app is capable of scheduling meetings, placing phone calls, sending texts, and finding where some good Chinese food is in your area. Even having casual conversation is something Siri has the ability to do. Telling Siri you love it gets a response of "I bet you say that to all the mobile phones.". Siri saves time on internet searches, keeps things a little more hands-free during driving and other activities and also provides a good laugh every now and again. Siri recognizes your voice and gives plenty of witty responses.

iPhone 4s User: "What is the weather going to be like in Miami this week?"
Siri: "Bring your sunglasses. It's going to be sunny in Miami."

With the new iPhone 4s, one can find everything they need with the usage of one program and one voice. Within only a few weeks, this new app is a Siri-ous hit amongst iPhone 4s owners.

P.s like the custom artwork? ..pay close attention!

Masterpieces + PJ's = Good Times

Being a full-time student and working part-time jobs, my free time can be very limited, like most UD students, so knowing how to de-stress can be a blessing. With my limited time, funding and resources my options are limited. Until the day I found out about Art Project by Google.



Being a visual person, loving art in all forms, not to mention cultural influences, enhances my longing to see the world and to experience new places. Daydreaming of days when I can throw my responsibilities to the wind and travel the world are far from being a reality. Now Art Project by Google is super cool and can get me there now!

Art Project isn't any normal online art collection, it takes Artstor.org down a level! Art Project is a virtual tour of the Masterpieces from all over the world. You can even get up close and personal with the pieces, zooming in and out with ease. To make it even better, it isn't just the art works but the museums as well! You can virtually walk the halls of The Tate (London), MoMA (NY), The State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), all in your PJ's!

How can life get any better, oh wait, no entrance fees! Whoooohoooo! Be sure to check it out and maybe find a new love and appreciation!

iCloud's silver lining

As a bit of a techie, I was eager to jump on the bandwagon and update my iPod Touch to Apple's new operating system iOS5, when it was released last Wednesday. After waiting an excruciating two hours for it to download and install, I was up and running with access to iCloud. I had a basic knowledge of what iCloud did and what it could be used for, so I went ahead and gave it access to my mail, contacts, iCal, etc. and one important new feature for the iPod touch called "Find My iPod" - which was previously available only for iPhone.

After galavanting around with my friends this weekend, I returned home to find my iPod missing from my purse, jacket pocket, backpack, and anywhere else I could fathom it might be. Then I vaguely remembered having turned on the "Find My iPod" app on my device and with great hope and anxiety, I logged onto iCloud.com for the first time. Sure enough, right next to my email, photos, and calendar, popped up a GPS icon for remotely locating my iPod. The software traced my iPod back to my friend's house, where it was sitting safely on her kitchen table. From iCloud, I was also able to send a message directly to my iPod (as well as the option of remotely locking or wiping the data) before I called and swung by to pick it up.

Since iCloud saved the day, I've been interested in what other features it has to offer. iCloud is integrated into many of the basic apps on iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches running iOS5. These apps sync wirelessly between your devices and can be accessed via iCloud.com from any computer, anywhere. So you can take photos on your iPhone, that are automatically streamed to your free 5GB of iCloud storage so you can access them from your home or work computer, print them, or view them on your television via AirPlay for iPad. The days of plugging in and syncing devices are over and the possibilities are endless.

Podcast Walking Tour of Historical New London Area

This oral history project website contains a podcast walking tour of New London Road's (Rte. 896) Historic African American Community. The content was created by Art Conservation students using our digital voice recorders and also using collections from the Library's Special Collections Dept.

There's a celebration reception and presentation tonight(Tuesday) for the project:
New London Road Community Celebration

* October 18, 2011 5:00PM – 6:30PM

Art Conservation Dept: Join us downstairs in the Trabant Theatre for a reception and presentation of the New London Road Community Project, and learn more about the history of the New London Road's Historic African American community located near UD's North Campus.

Dramatic Lighting Can Spice Up Your Video

We've all heard people talk about using lighting kits to improve the look of a video shot.  However, we normally try to make a nice balance -- soft light with mild shadows and a nice "back light" to enhance the subject against the background.  But sometimes this is not what you want -- strong shadows or bright direct light can make your scene much more exciting.  Here's some tips for these techniques...

http://videoproductiontips.com/dramatic-lighting-tips

iPad fun

Still not convinced that the iPad is awesome? Check out this video released by the band moe. who pay tribute to Steve Jobs by playing their song "Crab Eyes" entirely on the iPad!!

Watch the impressive video here

Enjoy!

Snazzy LED Black-lighting with the Arduino

Technology has been making our viewing experiences more and more interesting since the birth of photography. First the photos were put in a sequence to create video, then audio was synced to the video to create "talkies," then color was added to the film, the first attempts at 3D with cyan and red glasses came about, then the more modern 3D movies.

Here is a project you can do yourself to add even more excitement to your viewing experience if interested in micro electronics: LINK

This guide lets you use an Arudino or similar micro controller to program a group of LEDs to give dynamic black lighting to any computer monitor. If interested in programming, electronics, or micro controllers, this might be something to try doing, or checking out for ideas on your own projects.

The Arudino is an open source project supported by many volunteers on forums, and micro electronic hobbyists developing extensive libraries for components. The Arduino website is located at www.arduino.cc The micro controller can be purchased at a few online micro controller websites like SparkFun. If experienced with computer programming you'll be a step ahead since Arduino uses the C programming language.

For your rock star dreams

For those of you who may have seen me on the desk rocking out on my air guitar, you may finally get to hear whatever song I'm actually playing in my head.

GhostGuitar is a new augmented reality iOS application that allows you to produce music by just flailing your arms as though you were playing a guitar. You can program 5 different chords, and the display will show you with a choice of 4 guitars in your hands. Complete with 5 programmable chords and 3 effects pedals.

Click here for more info and a demonstration

Mason Bates: When Worlds Collide

What spins at a nightclub may differ greatly from the repertoire that rings through concert halls, but composer-DJ Mason Bates has managed to bring the two worlds together in his own way. He has written a piece specifically for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble consisting of amateur and professional of the YouTube community through uploaded audition videos. The piece, entitled "Mothership", features improvisation like that of a live DJ set and encorporates electronic triggers and drum pads. Here's the video to see the final outcome with some commentary from Bates himself.

iCloud is so much more than a hard drive in the sky.

"iCloud is so much more than a hard drive in the sky. It makes it quick and effortless to access just about everything on the devices you use every day. iCloud automatically and securely stores your content so it's always available to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC. It gives you access to your music, apps, latest photos, and more from whichever device you happen to be using. And it keeps your email, contacts, and calendars up to date across all your devices. No syncing required. No management required. In fact, no anything required. iCloud does it all for you."

To watch the icloud video, go to:
http://www.apple.com/icloud/what-is.html