2001
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Farewell Douglas Trumbull, visual effects pioneer
He produced pioneering visual effects for some of the most important sci-fi movies of the last century, and pushed the limits of what could be achieved with the technology long before CGI arrived.
HAL 9000 replica's crowdfunding project goes bust
A crowdfunding project for a voice-activated HAL 9000 replica has gone bust after the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
HAL 9000 wants to be your Mac screensaver
Remember the iconic HAL 9000 computer from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey? We all wanted our own HAL, even though he pretty thoroughly crashed in the movie: "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." The folks at the HAL Project have been involved with simulating the look of HAL for years. Their first project was an animated desktop back in 1999. The screensaver version of the HAL GUI has been around for years, but it's recently had a major update to provide smooth animation and really authentic simulations of the HAL screens. The screensaver is free, but there is a US$5 version that eliminates the splash screen and has eight HAL screens with the HAL unit in the middle. To be honest, I prefer the free version because it fills the full screen of my Mac, but I donated the five bucks for the paid version because I appreciate what the HAL Project is doing. It's a striking screensaver, and really looks just like the HAL screens from the movie. Kudos. 2001: A Space Odyssey director Stanley Kubrick would be proud. The HAL screensaver has just been updated to work on Mavericks, and you can get it at the HAL Project website. Look around a little bit to see what they are doing, and enjoy this tribute to one of the great movies of all time.
ThinkGeek offers $500 HAL 9000 replica, makes you answer to 'Dave'
It was a little over a year ago that ThinkGeek gave folks a chance to add a bit of 2001 to their home with the IRIS 9000 iPhone dock, but it's really gone the extra mile this year. The retailer has today announced its new HAL 9000 Life-Size Replica, a $500 device that's said to be built using the original 1967 blueprints and image files. What's more, while it isn't exactly "fully functional," it is able to respond to voice commands and most IR remotes with a variety of suitably unsettling phrases (yes, including a rendition of "Daisy Bell"). The downside is that it will set you back considerably more than the $60 of its smaller counterpart -- ThinkGeek is asking a full $500 for this conversation starter, each of which is "hand-assembled to make sure they are perfect." Would-be purchasers can get a taste of what's in store in the video after the break.
Samsung cites '2001: A Space Odyssey' in Apple case
We always appreciate a good 2001 reference, but we can't say we expected to see one crop up in Samsung's ongoing legal dispute with Apple. As noted by FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller though, that's just what Samsung has done in an opposition brief filed last night, which cites the tablet-like devices pictured above as an example of prior art for Apple's iPad-related design patent. Of course, that's just one small part of Samsung's overall defense, but it is certainly one of the most interesting we've seen so far. Head on past the break for the film clip in question.
No Comment: Just what do you think of this decal, Dave?
This MacBook decal is great, and it looks like it would work well on your iPad, too -- though you might not get that glowing effect that makes it so awesome. We've seen quite a few fun decals similar to this before, including some specifically for the iPad, some for the iPhone, and even some other great geeky ones. But none have made such a statement about the ubiquity of computers lately, so we'll just post this one right here under No Comment. Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do ...
Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 Newspad finally arrives, nine years late
One of my all-time favorite movies is Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. At several points during the film, we see ill-fated astronauts David Bowman and Frank Poole using a flat, iPad-like device. In one of the posters for the movie, astronauts at a base on the Moon are seen using this device (see image at right). Those who read Arthur C. Clarke's companion novel will remember that he described this device as the "Newspad," something that was used by people of the future (as envisioned in 1968) to watch TV and read newspapers. You can read the full description of the device after the break -- it's described as a newsreader, with two-digit codes for each article online, and a constant stream of information from the hourly updates on "electronic papers." Of course, we don't have two-digit references to articles; we simply need to tap on them to bring them up. We do need to know the "codes" for the world's major electronic papers; we refer to them as URLs or specific apps. But like many things Clarke foresaw in his lifetime of writing science fiction, the Newspad has finally become reality in the form of Apple's iPad. I think Arthur would be proud.
Want a 1st generation iPod? They're still available from the Apple Store
In 2001, the same year the Game Boy Advance was introduced, Apple brought the iPod to us (and not to universal enthusiasm, either). When I was doing some Google searching last night on Apple model numbers, I found something quite strange. Who knew that there were first-generation iPods still for sale on store.apple.com! This is the very first iPod model, introduced in 2001. I don't know how they ended up there, or why they're selling them, but they're shipping "within 24 hours" and are available for $129.00. Remember, this is the model with the "scroll wheel," it's not touch sensitive, and you have to physically turn it with your thumb or finger. Note that the image Apple is using on the store is actually for a third-generation iPod, but the product description and model number are for the first-gen. Also, these iPods are refurbished, they're not brand new. It includes a 5GB iPod (for Mac only, the Windows-compatible versions came later) w/rechargeable lithium battery, original scroll wheel, headphones, an Apple iPod Power Adapter, an Apple FireWire Cable (2 meters), a Manual (iPod Getting Started), CD-ROM Disc w/iTunes (version unknown, but let's take a guess and say "old"), and a One Year Limited Warranty that by rights should have expired eight years ago. Are you going to take the plunge? Will it look good next to your G3 iMac? If you do or don't, feel free to leave a comment below! Update: Before this post was written, I did order the 5GB iPod linked on this page, but it looks like they will now send me a 10GB 2nd generation iPod instead for some reason. We are also getting reports of confusion as people try to order over the phone. Plus, there's a brand new 1GB iPod shuffle available. %Gallery-70602% Update 2: It must be random nostalgia day in Cupertino, because tipster Will V. sent us a list of more old iPods supposedly for sale. Check them out on the next page. Update 3: I just got an email from Apple stating that this iPod is no longer available. Update 4: I just got refunded by Apple for this iPod. Case closed.
Nothing can go wrong.... Hal 9000 is on the iPhone
You knew it had to happen. The charming but murderous computer from the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey has made to the iPhone/iPod touch. Hal 9000 [App Store link] awaits you for US $0.99.It's basically a still of HAL, with lots of his famous sayings from both 2001 and the 1984 sequel, 2010. The real voice of HAL was Canadian actor Douglas Rain. Don't know how MGM, owner of the two films, or actor Rain will feel about their work being appropriated for this app, but sound clips of HAL have been floating around on computers for a long, time. Images of HAL have also been used as desktops and wallpaper on computers and phones.The author of the program, Jonathan Mulcahy is a Boston Systems Engineer. Not surprisingly, he used to fool around with robotics.[via VentureBeat]
HDTV Listings for July 1, 2006
What we're watching: Saturday night is interesting once again, with the big boys lining up Lilo & Stitch, Bridget Jones' Diary and Deep Impact tonight. HDNet also came to play, with a re-air of the shuttle launch (it should be launching about the time this post goes live or not, the launch rumors were debunked by bad weather, they'll try again tomorrow), and the HD premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey on HDNet Movies. It's Lance Armstrong night on Discovery, where they celebrate the start of a Lance-less Tour de France by reairing a bunch of his specials. Mr. July, Will Smith, checks in with Men in Black on TNT and Independence Day on HBO-HD.Sports fans are probably watching Brazil vs. France at the World Cup right now on ESPN, while NASCAR queues up night racing at Daytona tonight on Fox.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
