Like a kid in a camera store, I’m pretty excited about this discovery made and passed along by a friend of mine last week (Thanks Aaron!). These little lenses magnetically hold in place on any camera phone and judging from the shots on http://photojojo.com/ they really work! There are three lenses available -> Fisheye, Macro, and [...]]]>

Like a kid in a camera store, I’m pretty excited about this discovery made and passed along by a friend of mine last week (Thanks Aaron!). These little lenses magnetically hold in place on any camera phone and judging from the shots on http://photojojo.com/ they really work! There are three lenses available -> Fisheye, Macro, and Wide Angle. The other cool feature is that they can be worn as jewelry around your neck, similar to a charm necklace. One of the coolest gift/gadget ideas I’ve seen in a long while.

Visit -> http://photojojo.com/store/

Along with the news of the iPhone 4 release on June 24th, Grove Made is taking pre-orders on their new laser engraved iPhone case specifically designed for the new model. I wondered how the bamboo case would look given that the new iPhone design has some sharper edges to it… still looks very nice.

Visit -> [...]]]>

Along with the news of the iPhone 4 release on June 24th, Grove Made is taking pre-orders on their new laser engraved iPhone case specifically designed for the new model. I wondered how the bamboo case would look given that the new iPhone design has some sharper edges to it… still looks very nice.

Visit -> http://www.grovemade.com/

iPad cases -> http://ipadcasefinder.com/

Old Post -> http://circuitbreaks.com/2010/05/25/

I was just speaking to someone yesterday of the apparent fluidity and unlimited potential for the iPad/iPhone/eReader/mobile anything case sub-markets and then coincidentally, later in the evening stumbled upon this interesting company called ‘Grove Made’ who makes these nifty laser engraved bamboo iPhone cases. Pretty slick. I found this on one of my favorite posterous [...]]]>

I was just speaking to someone yesterday of the apparent fluidity and unlimited potential for the iPad/iPhone/eReader/mobile anything case sub-markets and then coincidentally, later in the evening stumbled upon this interesting company called ‘Grove Made’ who makes these nifty laser engraved bamboo iPhone cases. Pretty slick. I found this on one of my favorite posterous blogs -> subnetwork.posterous.com

Visit -> http://www.grovemade.com/collections/artist

iPad cases -> http://ipadcasefinder.com/

Classic German camera design company Leica has come out with the M9 which will be replacing the now cult classic M8. The M9 will be selling for a cool 7K, not the most affordable camera on the planet but definitely one of the most desired. Any expert camera sales person will tell you that the [...]]]>

Classic German camera design company Leica has come out with the M9 which will be replacing the now cult classic M8. The M9 will be selling for a cool 7K, not the most affordable camera on the planet but definitely one of the most desired. Any expert camera sales person will tell you that the Leica M8 and M9, with their steep price tags are probably not the best deals out there but if you’re looking for a Porsche rather than a peppy Toyota… you get the idea. The M9 is a full – frame 24 x 36mm and offers an extremely high-resolution sensor and beautiful high performance M lenses. Now I’m going to go salivate over more pics via the link below.

Visit -> us.leica-camera.com

Classic 80s surf brand Stussy has re-released it’s old-school line of ‘Shark’ watches available in three different color variations. The black and grey color style will be available at all Stussy retailers, the Pink/Black style will only at the Zozo Chapter Store and the CMY style only at Stussy Chapter Stores. Set to release this [...]]]>

Classic 80s surf brand Stussy has re-released it’s old-school line of ‘Shark’ watches available in three different color variations. The black and grey color style will be available at all Stussy retailers, the Pink/Black style will only at the Zozo Chapter Store and the CMY style only at Stussy Chapter Stores. Set to release this coming Monday, July 20th. I first saw these on highsnobiety.com. Totally rad.

Visit Stussy -> http://www.stussy.jp/

The above video shows us the use of BMI technology (Brain-Machine Interface) that allows humans to control Honda’s Asimo humanoid robot simply by thinking certain thoughts. I discovered this amazing technology on one of my favorite “all things Japanese” blogs Pinktentacle.com.

Here is an excerpt from Pinktentacle’s post that explains how BMI works:

“The high-precision BMI technology [...]]]>

The above video shows us the use of BMI technology (Brain-Machine Interface) that allows humans to control Honda’s Asimo humanoid robot simply by thinking certain thoughts. I discovered this amazing technology on one of my favorite “all things Japanese” blogs Pinktentacle.com.

Here is an excerpt from Pinktentacle’s post that explains how BMI works:

“The high-precision BMI technology relies on three different types of brain activity measurements. EEG (electroencephalography) sensors measure the slight fluctuations in electrical potential on the scalp that occur when thinking, while NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) sensors measure changes in cerebral blood flow. Newly developed information extraction technology is used to process the complex data from these two types of sensors, resulting in a more accurate reading. The system reportedly has an accuracy rate of more than 90%.”

If you take the amazing Asimo out of the picture and just think of how this technology could apply to other computers and gadgets the potential is pretty mind blowing. Instead of clicking a button to make something happen you may be able to just think about it. Answering your mobile phone, turning on the lights or even lifting a large X-Wing from a muddy bog. Just THINK of the possibilities. He, he. The only downside for now is the goofy spark plug ridden helmet and the fact that this technology is probably going to remain unavailable to us average civilians for at least the next 5-10 years. Below are links to more information:

Source information from Honda -> Honda’s Asimo BMI

Video collection on YouTube -> Honda’s Asimo humanoid robot

This video proves many things:

1. No matter how smart you are, you should probably clean your house up a little before you YouTube your latest tech creation

2. One should probably build a smaller blimp in order to fit it into your line of view (go from 5.5 to 3.5 maybe?)

3. Call a friend to help [...]]]>

This video proves many things:

1. No matter how smart you are, you should probably clean your house up a little before you YouTube your latest tech creation

2. One should probably build a smaller blimp in order to fit it into your line of view (go from 5.5 to 3.5 maybe?)

3. Call a friend to help you demo your creation. It’s hard to point your camera, narrate and control the blimp through your mobile device all at the same time.

4. Decorative in-home bushes are a blimp hazard (no matter how cool they look)

5. Android has really taken off with the super nerdy, all things geek demographic (as expected)

Don’t get me wrong. I see a ton of potential for this creation by “serveyorcorp”. There are a ton of great home use robots available on the market right now and I don’t see this trend fading away any time soon. Check out this amazing RC house mate called Rovio (WowWee toys) that emerged last Fall. It’s a web browser controlled home companion that enables you to see, speak to and manouver your entire home terrain. Rovio is even smart enough to go back to it’s docking station when his battery has started to dry up. I think Rovio is a pretty cool gadget for under $400 bucks. You can set up an online test drive on the website.

What this is all eludes to in my mind is that our mobile phones, once again will start to do things that we had not planned for. The screens we hold in our hand will become much more than a means of communication. Blah, blah, blah… you know what I’m saying. Here are some related links:

YARB site -> www.surveyor.com/YARB.html

Surveyor product info -> http://www.surveyor.com

Open source info -> http://code.google.com/p/srv1console/

I’m really excited at how music and technology continue to merge in interesting ways. It really pleases my inner-nerd to discover a new musical gadget or gizmo. This time in the form of a series of chips or dominoes called “Siftables”, created by David Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi [...]]]>
Siftables Music Sequencer from Jeevan Kalanithi on Vimeo.

I’m really excited at how music and technology continue to merge in interesting ways. It really pleases my inner-nerd to discover a new musical gadget or gizmo. This time in the form of a series of chips or dominoes called “Siftables”, created by David Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi at the MIT Media Lab. They react and feed off one another in real time as the user (or users) re-arrange their configuration and add to their complexity.  Very much like the popular Cube World series toys. Cube World cubes feature small digital characters that live in small boxes and react to each other when closely arranged or shaken and moved. Siftables are a similar idea, only taken from a much more technically advanced musical approach. My imagination runs wild as I begin to fathom the future possibilities and uses of these little squares. From casual music creation, gaming or use as a social stimulant, these little computers have endless possibilities. I’ll be looking forward to their release to the public.

Here is the definition of Siftables from the Siftables website:

“Siftables are cookie-sized computers with motion sensing, neighbor detection, graphical display, and wireless communication. They act in concert to form a single interface: users physically manipulate them – piling, grouping, sorting – to interact with digital information and media. Siftables provides a new platform on which to implement tangible, visual and mobile applications.”

More info on -> Siftables.com

To purchase follow -> Taco Lab Blog for updates.