korg nanoseries is a dj's dream for portability

Forget the nanoSeries for portable use--this seems legitimate as a main interface for a learning producer. Korg's three new interfaces--the nanoPAD, nanoKEY, and nanoKONTROL--are designed "to meet the needs of artists who like to make music on the go but don't want to make any sacrifices in the control department." The nanoKEY is a 25-key keyboard, the nanoPAD is a drum machine/sampler, and the nanoKONTROL is an EQ device including 9 faders, 9 knobs, 18 switches and a transport section. Are all powered via USB which makes for an ultimately light production set-up.

No word on price yet, but reports say it won't cost anymore than £60. I don't know how much that is, but that weird looking L totally dominates the $.

(Found via Music Radar & Billionaire Boys Club) FULL POST

bmw's gina, a shape-shifting car made from fabric

BMW is and has been for years my favorite auto company. Yeah, I know they don't get great gas mileage, cost an unreasonable amount of money and time to maintain, and don't run off tomatoes, but I'm a sucker for German design. Even with that bias, I'd say they've outdone themselves by building a shape-shifting car out of what appears to be the material used for those awkward looking American Apparel leggings. Or maybe that cape Christian Bale had in Batman Begins.

It's obviously only a concept and everyone knows that means nothing when it comes to actual production; the real point, however, is innovation, and BMW really took it to a new level of creativity with this design. According to the WIRED article on BMW's GINA (the name of the concept):

"Instead of steel, aluminum or even carbon fiber, the GINA Light Visionary Model has a body of seamless fabric stretched over a movable metal frame that allows the driver to change its shape at will. The car -- which actually runs and drives -- is a styling design headed straight for the BMW Museum in Munich and so it will never see production, but building a practical car wasn't the point."

It's hard to predict how this technology would ever be used effectively, but innovation is innovation and I'm glad I can leave it up to BMW to figure that out. You can also watch a short video clip about the car here. FULL POST

avid acutus reference turntable reminds me that people do actually make money

This year I've been slowly getting into music production and have been looking for a turntable and thought I'd just go ahead and start out with the Avid Acutus Reference Turntable. It's only $24,000. That's pretty reasonable, right? I was thinking I'd just Danger Mouse it and blow all my student loan cash on it. Who needs education when you got sick beats? The Avid website gives an overview of the turntable:

"Vibration caused by the stylus during playback is transmitted to the subchassis directly through the bearing and not absorbed into the platter. This is achieved using a unique matting material and clamping system. External vibrations are isolated by a unique suspension system, now conveniently adjustable from above. A purpose designed power supply coupled to a unique hand made motor, 10 times more powerful than normally used, drive a massive 10Kg platter. Recently improvements to the suspension, now allows adjustments from above, making set-up easier.

Also the out-board power supply has a cosmetic facelift with universal approval.
Stunningly finished in Polished Chrome or special order plated Gold, this product is the natural choice of equipment for those who demand the best."

Hey, I have no idea what that means, but it sounds bad ass. And that's what matters.

(Found via Crate Kings) FULL POST

slick self-balancing speaker by hugh thomas

"Set for Rapid prototyping," Hugh Thomas has designed himself a pretty awesome set of wireless, self-balancing speakers. I've been really into typography lately, so the grill design really caught my eye, too. Nice touch.

(Found via ego technique) FULL POST

virtual wall traffic light concept

Concepts can be annoying, I know. Mobs of tech writers and bloggers just love to show some ridiculous drawings or photoshop mock-ups that, when the actual product finally surfaces (if it even does), you're wondering where the rest of the fifty features went (in the production process?). I won't claim that Hanyoung Lee's concept will ever see the light of day, but it is cool to consider his "virtual wall" traffic lights.

The idea is to create a clear visual barrier so that motorists, hopefully, won't cross that ever-so-neglected thick white line. I, however, happen to like the brush with death while walking across the street.

(Found via Core77) FULL POST

word clock by simon heys

Oh how simplicity is key. This word clock screensaver by Simon Heys is exactly that. However, you'll only be able to get this if you're a hipster-Mac-kid. The fonts, colors, etc. are fully customizable.

(Found via BAULDOFF) FULL POST

more diy: youth guitar turned functional radio

What can I say--we're crafty. Just last week Rich unveiled his all-too-authentic retro iPod speaker unit; and although impressive, he's the first to admit that he had some help in the matter--from a good friend by the name of Randy. Randy's also in the diy business, recently completing his youth guitar turned functional radio.

Of the project, Randy said:

I took a youth guitar that had a mini amplifier and speaker in the body and a 1980's am/fm radio and combined the two. The [original] radio was gutted for parts and retro-fitted into a made-from-scratch body for the guitar. I used all old parts from the original guitar except the tremelo bridge. I added wood to the headstock to make an exaggerated "Stratocaster" style head.

Aside from the coolness of the radio, it stands as an art piece as well. While Randy said to me that it's "a statement about appearances in the music industry," the work, to me, resonates as a criticism towards the creative possibilities of an instrument as dwindled through a corrupt medium of communication. But, hey, I may be a tad cynical about all that stuff.

What do you make of Randy's work?

More pics of the finished project here, here, and here. FULL POST

exosquad real? sarcos says so.

Popular Science's article, "Building the Real Iron Man," is a six page detailing the story behind Sarcos' functional XOS Exoskeleton.

I mean, I guess it isn't too aesthetic or practical in daily living, but it's still bad ass. There are possible plans to use the exoskeleton for the Army (they'll be field testing it next year). Pretty cool--dudes could be tearing stuff up like ED-209 from Robocop (watch out or he'll authorize physical force).

You can see a video of the XOS exoskeleton here.

(Found via Engadget) FULL POST

The Compact Humor of Someecards.com

I've never sent an e-card. That's probably because I don't buy real cards. There's something about the expectedness of a card that makes it a little too trivial for me. Someecards may have changed that.

Someecards was founded by former Onion writer Brook Lundy and Duncan Mitchell. That probably explains the type of humor that these little guys possess. They often contain satire and irony, making oh-so-smug observations about society at large. My kind of humor. The object of the company is to create e-cards that span all different types of categories that you can send to anyone you'd like.
If you're like me and not really a card sender, both in the physical and the virtual world, you can still scour through the 1900+ cards and laugh quite a bit.

(Found via TechCrunch) FULL POST

Irony: Nintendo Last in Greenpeace Electronic Rankings

Thanks to Joystiq for the find, Nintendo was recently given a 0.3 rating by Greenpeace on their environmental friendliness. This is almost four full points from the nearest company.

Now, I don't own a Wii, nor do I plan to, but I am fully aware of its place in contemporary culture. The Wii is to video games as what Apple is to computers, and perhaps what indie films are to, well, films. That is, it's trendy, fits within a certain aesthetic, and is apart of a crowd that probably comprises much of our readership--in a roundabout way, I assume you want the planet to be in good shape.

This, I think, touches on an aspect we should start looking to when discussing environmental responsibility. Some of us may be doing all the right things, or at least a few of the right things, but are we inadvertently supporting companies that are against our moral stance? The answer is obviously yes, as it's impossible to fully separate yourself from the big, bad corporations. However, I think it shows that we need to be pushing companies that hold a place in our culture to adopt policies that we agree with. After all, we are the ones making these companies successful. Sure, Nintendo makes a great system that a lot of people love, but why can't they have better policies on toxic chemicals and recycling?

Once the time comes that what we can be less conscious in our buying habits because companies take on responsibility, we're going in the right direction. FULL POST

Think-tank gets ambitious by blaming increased crime on iPods

I really never understand when people blame social epidemics on pop-culture technology. It seems to serve a larger agenda of sorts, although I doubt that those agendas can be pinned down.

When I read today that the Urban Institute, a Washington "think" tank, did research concluding that the iPod is responsible for increased crime, I was dumbfounded and slightly irked. Okay, yeah, I may have a certain questionable playlist on my iPod that may cause me to do something extreme, but that's beside the point. Well, it's beside the point of the research, too. When I first read the headline for this, I thought some fool had blamed crime on the effects of iPods. Thankfully, this was not true. Apparently the increased popularity in iPods has caused more people to steal them, thus raising crime levels.

However, not much support is behind this halfhearted claim, and I was relieved to see that the blaming wasn't placed on what the iPod does, but rather what it represents.

FULL POST

Apple releases new MacBooks and MacBook Pros--300GB HD!

Okay well you'd figure that after five years of owning a Mac that I'd realize these guys continually make you hate your machine when something new is released. It's very bittersweet to be a Mac owner; they release some amazing products, but they upgrade often and substantially, making you wish you'd maybe waited a little longer to get the most powerful, up-to-date system. Damn you Apple, why can't you be more like the rest, where adding 512mb RAM after three years is an accomplishment?

Anyway, having said that, TUAW reveals that "New MacBook and MacBook Pros [are] now available":

"Well, the rumors were right on target -- new MacBook and MacBook Pros are finally here! Unlike the very minor updates in November, this refresh features across the board speed bumps, bigger hard drives, more stock RAM and for the MacBook Pro, a few new features sure to make every Apple fan's mouth water. Both lines are now featuring the new Penryn Core 2 Duo chipset, with the higher end MacBook Pro models taking advantage of a spectacular 6MB of L2 cache."

The report goes on to say that the Pro has an available 300 GB hard drive, which five years ago would've made a laptop about the size of a PC tower.

FULL POST