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TUAW on YouTube Geek Week: Southern Stars and SkyCube
By now we hope you've watched the first two YouTube Geek Week videos from TUAW -- the Stupid WeMo Tricks. Now we're going to something equally geeky, but much more impressive. In these two videos, TUAW editor-in-chief Victor Agreda Jr. talks with Southern Stars Founder and CEO Tim DeBenedictis not only about the company's products -- astronomy and telescope control apps -- but also a project that DeBenedictis is literally trying to get off the ground. In this first video, you'll see Southern Stars' incredible SkySafari 3 Pro app (US$39.99) in action, not only giving you a view of what it would be like to be in orbit around Saturn, but also controlling a telescope using the company's SkyFi Wireless Telescope Controller. You'll also get an idea of how the company's SkySafari Plus for Mac ($19.99) works. But wait, there's more geekiness. DeBenedictis is working on a project to launch a small "CubeSat" called the SkyCube next year. It was funded through Kickstarter, and you can still buy a sponsorship of the satellite (including tweeting messages from space or having the satellite take a picture for you) on the SkyCube web page. The Southern Stars Satellite Safari app ($4.99) is what sponsors will use to command the satellite. In this video, Victor chats with DeBenedictis about the SkyCube project and you can see a mockup of the tiny satellite in action.
TUAW on YouTube Geek Week: Stupid WeMo Tricks
YouTube fans rejoice! It's Geek Week, which means that you can get your geeky groove on by checking out all of the best nerd-produced videos on the Web. TUAW has provided four videos for your Geek Week enjoyment on Brainiac Tuesday -- that's today -- and we've got 'em on the YouTube TUAWVideo channel. My contribution was a pair of videos showing some "Stupid WeMo Tricks." As longtime TUAW readers may remember, WeMo is a line of home automation products made by accessory manufacturer Belkin that can be controlled via a free app and/or iFTTT. In these two videos, The Cat Cooler and The Magic Fountain, you can see how I used the WeMo Switch and Motion Sensor to perform some automated "magic." The company added a connected wall switch to the line on July 22, so that's not included in the videos. You can also see Victor Agreda, Jr.'s two-part interview with Tim DeBenedictis, founder and president of Southern Stars. You'll get to see how their premier product SkySafari 3 works, and how to use a wireless connection to control a telescope. Enjoy the videos, and be sure to check out all of the Geek Week action on YouTube. The Cat Cooler The Magic Fountain
