Tapestry
Latest
Tapestry visual storytelling app adds support for iframe embeds
Tapestry from Betaworks is a visual, storytelling app that lets you tap your way through a tale. It can be used to create some very moving or entertaining narratives that you can share on the Tapestry network. Now, a new embed option expands your audience by allowing you to add your creations to any website or Tumblr blog. The embeds are available in two sizes -- small and large. The small size has a width of 500 pixels and is perfect for Tumblr, while the larger size measures in at a respectable 852 pixels that looks fantastic on websites and blogs. You can check out a sample Tapestry video that I embedded below using the iframe embed code.
Tapestry lets you create tappable iPhone stories
Tapestry describes itself as "a portable collection of beautifully designed, short, tappable stories." It's an online service from Betaworks that lets you create short stories for others to read on their iPhone or iPad. Unlike a traditional ebook, the Tapestry stories are meant to be read in one direction. You tap to go forward and you can't go back. It's difficult to appreciate the simplicity and elegance of the app until you experience it yourself. Tapestry has put together an example story (#itshardbeingtwo) on its website that illustrates the charm of the service. The demo is best viewed in the Tapestry iOS app, but you can still get the effect using a desktop web browser. The iOS app includes a handful of stories from author Robin Sloan and others. New stories will be added to the app on a regular basis. You can also create your own public stories using the web version of the service. Just log in to your account using a browser and hit the create button to begin. The Tapestry service and its accompanying iOS app are available for free. [Via Swiss Miss]
InPhase out of business, assets seized for back taxes
It's been something like five years that we've been eagerly waiting for InPhase to finally release that revolutionary holographic storage solution, and while there has been plenty of drama in the way of release dates promised and pushed back, and even some layoffs to keep things interesting, the company has been pretty, pretty quiet lately. As it turns out, this has been due to the fact that employees have been busy enough updating their resumes. "We were expecting it for a long time," said one employee, among the sixty or so who picked up their final paychecks last week. "So it wasn't a big surprise." To put a finer point on things, it's been announced that the Colorado Department of Revenue has seized the company's assets for non-payment of taxes. According to The Register, the state has changed the locks and announced that everything on the premises will be auctioned off, down to the fixtures and furniture. This is certainly an ignominious end to a once great idea, but as you know every cloud has a silver lining: If you're looking to get into the holographic storage business, drop us a line. We've heard that some equipment is becoming available soon -- and at a great price.
Priceless tapestries of Henry VIII now priceless projection screens
Modern HD projection technology is being used to restore the grandeur of some of the 2,000 tapestries collected by King Henry VIII, which are starting to fade and deteriorate. These pieces aren't as easily replaced as that velvet Elvis you love so much, so researchers from Manchester University were called in. By analyzing individual threads from the less-faded backsides of the tapestries, they were able to simulate the original color of the dyes and then create a "color correction" image of over 2-million pixels (1920x1080, perhaps?) that when projected on the front restores the original brilliance of the artwork. Considering that the tapestries are woven with threads of gold and silver and originally cost as much as two battleships, it's safe to assume that these are the world's most expensive (albeit heirloom-quality) projection screens. [Photo courtesy Inventory of Henry VIII -- Tapestries & Royal Wardrobe]
InPhase delays Tapestry holographic storage solution to late 2009
Wait, wait -- you're telling us InPhase Technologies may be the latest and greatest poster child for vaporware? Say it ain't so! After promising (and promising) a holographic storage solution for upwards of three years now, the outfit is delaying its dead-to-the-world Tapestry solution yet again, this time to late 2009. In theory, the company would introduce a drive that could record up to 300GB on a $180 CD-sized disc around this time next year, but with Blu-ray already up to 50GB and Royal Digital Media introducing a 100GB alternative, who's to say 300GB won't look puny by November '09? And besides, we're also hearing that GE's Polymer Systems Lab is developing a "layered approach to holographic storage" that will soon result in -- you guessed it -- 300GB discs. The difference? GE is a real company.
InPhase Technologies finally delivers... layoffs
We've been hearing about InPhase Technologies' Tapestry 300GB holographic storage disks since 2005, but we've never actually seen the product in action, even though the company has been promising ship dates the whole time -- and now it looks like we might never get the chance, as the company has apparently laid off "roughly half" of its workforce. The cuts are reportedly blamed on CEO Nelson Diaz refusing to listen to roadmaps from his engineers and setting unrealistic schedules -- hmm, you think that might be a problem after nearly three years of missed launch dates? There's still a chance we'll actually see these things make it out of the labs, but we're not holding out hope -- and we've got a feeling physical media might actually be dead when that happens.[Thanks, Meno]
InPhase to finally ship Tapestry 300r holographic storage solution in May
Talk about escaping the label of vaporware by this much. We've been hearing that holographic storage was right around the bend from InPhase for well over three years now, but it has finally managed to get its ducks in a row and should start shipping the unicorn-like Tapestry 300r next month. The firm had a demonstrative version on display at NAB Show earlier this month, and apparently real live working units will be making their way out to archival junkies in just weeks. Granted, it will demand a whopping $18,000 to get a shipping label made with your address on it, and each piece of 300GB media is $180 -- but hey, that's the price you pay these days to know that you'll decompose before your data degrades.[Via The Register]
