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Growing Up Geek: Steve Dent
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Steve Dent! If you make a bad career choice when you're young, don't worry -- I'm living proof that everything can still work out. Maybe I should've known I wouldn't be a great civil engineer when I pursued it after high school. My predilection for daydreaming wasn't suited to such a rigorous field, and resulted in early childhood trauma like the infamous "spacing out in class during a fire drill" episode -- which was not great considering that the school I went to at the time actually did burn down a year or two later (luckily while empty). In fact, as a child living in Vanderhoof, BC, Canada, I was happiest with a book, or Spider-Man comic, and being plopped in front of the TV, and it was a good thing that video games still hadn't arrived. When Pong ushered in that era, I became dangerously obsessed, even though we had a bum Atari machine that only worked for a few minutes before the ball would weirdly pass through the paddle.
Sony Anycast Touch live-broadcasting system hands-on (video)
The Anycast Touch is not only a sleeker incarnation of Sony's all-in-one studio, with a slider design and a manageable-enough 6.6-kg (13-pound) body; it's also the company's first such system to feature a touchscreen interface. The machine sports two touch-enabled displays, allowing users to adjust audio controls, type via an on-screen keyboard and edit footage, among other functions. Video sources are assigned to one side of the panel, and tapping a particular input will bring up the footage in the middle preview window. It seems like an intuitive interface, especially given all the live-broadcasting controls on board -- a six-input video switcher, a five-channel audio mixer, a built-in character and title generator, and a remote camera controller, just to name a few. Aside from the touchscreens, built-in live-streaming capability is one of the Anycast Touch's most unique features. On the show floor, Sony was sharing the product's output with WiFi-enabled devices. According to the company, this functionality will be useful in educational settings, at houses of worship, corporate seminars and any other events intended to reach a broad audience. The Anycast could even help news producers scale back on their own gear, letting them trade those gigantic live trucks for live vans or sedans, for example. Pricing info isn't set in stone, but Sony says the MSRP will be less than $20,000 when the device ships at the end of summer. There's simply a ton of functionality here, so we definitely recommend checking out the studio-in-a-box in action in our hands-on video after the break for a bit more detail. %Gallery-185049%
Commander Keen designer crowdfunds a sequel of sorts, lets us make our own (video)
PC gamers of a certain age will have very fond memories of the Commander Keen series -- usually trying to pogo toward a hard-to-reach gem or frantically escaping a Dopefish. Key creator Tom Hall and his startup Pieces of Fun may be playing our heartstrings like a fiddle, then, by launching a crowdfunding drive for the Keen series' spiritual successor, Secret Spaceship Club. Along with reintroducing the core sci-fi platform hopping we know so well, the game will include its own editor to let players build their own masterpieces. Newcomers just wanting to whip up a quick map should get a simple mode with easy drawing and visual, cause-and-effect scripting; those with some coding chops will have access to an advanced mode that lets them customize the scripting for objects, cutscenes and even the win conditions. We'll have the option to publish maps for the world to see, and the results should be playable on a swath of platforms that include Android tablets, iPads, Macs and PCs running either Ubuntu Linux or Windows. It's an ambitious plan, and Hall's development house would like to raise $400,000 by March 1st to make Secret Spaceship Club a reality by February 2014. There's perks for jumping in early, however, such as becoming an in-game character. Anyone who's still trying to learn whether or not aliens ate their babysitter will want to at least swing by the source link.
Powerful, fast audio editor Fission updated to version 2, available on Mac App Store
Rogue Amoeba does magical things with audio on the Mac. I've long been a fan of their software, and one of their best applications just got a big update with Fission 2. If you've ever wanted to split, edit, join or otherwise mangle audio clips regardless of format, Fission is a great tool. Not only that, the magic sauce in Fission keeps quality of the audio high even when dealing with formats like MP3. A couple of new features of note include support for making Enhanced Podcasts using AAC and SoundCloud support built right in. Full press release below, but if you go to Rogue Amoeba's website you can download a generous demo version. If you're already familiar with Fission 2, buy it in the Mac App Store. Previous owners of Fission have an upgrade path, and if you bought a copy after April 1 of 2012, your upgrade should be free. Show full PR text September 17th, 2012 Fission 2 - Fast Audio Editing on the Mac Is Better Than Ever Fission IconBoston, MA - Rogue Amoeba is proud to announce the availability of the next major version of this fabulous software: Fission 2. Rogue Amoeba's snappy audio editor Fission has long been the tool of choice for editing audio files quickly and easily, with none of the quality loss caused by typical audio editors. Now, it's better than ever. The most noticeable change in Fission 2 is the complete overhaul of its user interface. Every aspect of Fission has been examined and considered, with enhancements made across the board. The editing workflow is now a snap to learn for new users. Existing users of Fission will be instantly familiar with version 2, but will also enjoy a gorgeous new interface that's as fast to use as ever. As well, Fission is no longer limited to saving to a file's original format; thanks to a new exporting engine, Fission can now export audio to a multitude of file formats. After editing a file, users can save it to MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, or WAV, getting the exact audio file and format desired. The new Batch Converter tool uses that same engine to make it possible to transcode dozens of files in seconds. Drop an album's worth of FLAC files on the Batch Converter, and you can have a folder full of MP3s with just 2 clicks. Converting from one format to another format couldn't be simpler. Speaking of FLAC, Fission now has full support for the popular lossless audio format. FLAC files can be opened, edited, and saved, making it possible to change them as needed, or just export them to a smaller format for portability. Fission 2 now also supports WAV audio files, in addition to its "original four" formats of MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, and AIFF. Improvements to saving aren't limited to just file formats either, as Fission now has support for sharing directly to SoundCloud. SoundCloud is the world's leading social sound platform, allowing anyone to create sounds and share them everywhere. With SoundCloud support in Fission, it's now easier than ever to get audio onto the web and shared with others. Put it all together and Fission 2 adds up to one of the fastest and easiest-to-use audio editors in the world! All this and more is now available in Fission's free trial, right from our site. Key Features In Fission 2 Brand New Interface: This update features a gorgeous new interface, streamlined for fast and easy use, and offering both dark and a light themes. Multiple Windows: You can now open multiple audio files simultaneously in Fission, for easy copying and pasting back and forth, or simply to multitask. Cross-Format Conversions: Export from AIFF to AAC, from Apple Lossless to MP3, or any other combination you desire. Batch Conversions Too: With the new Batch Converter, it's a snap to convert dozens of files with just a few clicks. Chapterized AAC Files: Podcasters rejoice! Fission lets you make Enhanced Podcasts with AAC in just seconds. SoundCloud Support: Upload audio directly to your SoundCloud account. New Formats: Fission now offers full support for opening, editing, and saving the FLAC and WAV audio formats, in addition to MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, and AIFF. Plenty of other stuff too! Links & Information Fission can be purchased through the Mac App Store or directly from Rogue Amoeba's online store for just $32. A fully-functional free trial is available on the Rogue Amoeba site. While in its trial state, the quality of audio saved through Fission will be degraded through a series of audio fades. Owners of older versions of Fission can upgrade for just $15. For users who purchased Fission after April 1st, 2012, a complimentary upgrade is being provided, with upgrade information being sent directly via email. Fission information link: http://rogueamoeba.com/fission Direct download link: http://rogueamoeba.com/fission/download.php
GIMP now (finally) available as a native Mac app
This is something that's been a long time coming, and it's finally here. GIMP is an excellent Photoshop-esque open source photo editor. While it's been available on Mac for a long time, it has required the X11 Window environment, which itself needs a separate (and somewhat messy) installation. For a long time, the programmers working on GIMP have been promising to eventually take it native, but it hasn't happened until just recently. As of version 2.8.2, you can now simply go grab the GIMP .dmg file from the main website, and then install and run on your Mac as needed. That's good news for those of us who appreciate a powerful photo editor like this but don't necessarily have the cash for big-name apps like Photoshop or Pixelmator. Congrats to everyone who's worked on GIMP in the past. If you like the app and want to support great open sourced work, they could probably use a donation or two. [via LifeHacker]
YouTube video editing brings in real-time previews, trims UI down to the basics
YouTube's video editing suite is officially a toddler in human years, so it's about time that it grew a little more beyond learning how to walk and talk. By far the most conspicuous sign of maturity is a new real-time preview that shows edits and filter options as you play -- you'll now know if that effects filter at 1:37 is festive or just gaudy. The overall interface is also a little more buttoned-down with a simpler interface that cuts back on unnecessary clutter. YouTube has been rolling out the editor update in recent hours and may have wrapped up by the time you're reading this, which we'd take as a cue to start producing that streaming masterpiece.
Microsoft patent applications take Kinect into mobile cameras, movie-making
Microsoft has never been shy about its ambitions for Kinect's depth sensing abilities. A pair of patent applications, however, show that its hopes and dreams are taking a more Hollywood turn. One patent has the depth camera going portable: a "mobile environment sensor" determines its trajectory through a room and generates a depth map as it goes, whether it's using a Kinect-style infrared sensor or stereoscopic cameras. If the visual mapping isn't enough, the would-be camera relies on a motion sensor like an accelerometer to better judge its position as it's jostled around. Microsoft doesn't want to suggest what kind of device (if any) might use the patent for its camera, but it's not ruling out anything from smartphones through to traditional PCs. The second patent filing uses the Kinect already in the house for that directorial debut you've always been putting off. Hand gestures control the movie editing, but the depth camera both generates a model of the environment and creates 3D props out of real objects. Motion capture, naturally, lets the humans in the scene pursue their own short-lived acting careers. We haven't seen any immediate signs that Microsoft is planning to use this or the mobile sensor patent filing in the real world, although both are closer to reality than some of the flights of fancy that pass by the USPTO -- the movie editor has all the hallmarks of a potential Dashboard update or Kinect Fun Labs project.
Acorn 3.3 adds Retina Canvas, Smart Export, more
Version 3.3 of the popular Mac image editor Acorn is out, and developer Gus Mueller writes up the biggest changes on his blog. The Retina Canvas is likely the coolest update: If you're using Acorn, you can now see any art you create at a 1:1 ratio on a Retina Display. So if you have a MacBook Pro with Retina Display and Acorn, you can now see your own work perfectly clearly. All of the other elements have been updated for the new display as well. The update also includes the option to trim a certain selection out of a picture, redo a selection if you lose it for any reason, and the Smart Export feature as well (which will automatically save layers in a piece separately for later use in code). Acorn 3.3 is a sandboxed, App Store-only version (which makes sense, given that Apple is cracking the whip on that lately). But Mueller also says that if you'd rather run the version downloadable straight from the website, it'll know whether you've run the App Store version before, so you still have your choice. Sounds like a nice solid update to a great app.
VIM 101: a quick-and-dirty guide to our favorite free file editor
In the world of text editors, there's a plethora of options out there. If you've ever Googled "how to edit HTML sites" or some such, you know what we mean. Allow us, then, to introduce you to VIM, a free website editor that offers many of the same features as Adobe Dreamweaver, and runs on just about every desktop platform. Specifically, it comes by default on the vast majority of Linux distributions, OS X and commercial Unix systems. (It's available to install on Windows, too.) And did we mention it's free? That command line UI isn't necessarily self-explanatory, though, so join us after the break for a quick crash course to help you get started.
This is not a test: Portal 2 sales top 4 million, map editor DLC out today
Portal 2 has sold more than 4 million units worldwide since its launch on April 18, 2011, and Valve is slowly but steadily (mostly slowly) supporting it with new content, such as today's batch of DLC, the Perpetual Testing Initiative. The Perpetual Testing Initiative offers players a map-editing tool, which looks a lot like this, so fans can make testing chambers to rival GLaDOS'. And make maps shaped like penises, probably.The map editor in today's DLC is accessible for new players, yet robust enough to satisfy hardcore ones, Valve tells NeoGamr. Valve's first attempt at fan-made maps, the Hammer editor, is tech-heavy and complicated for most people to get a hang of, most likely because it's Valve's in-house map creation tool – still, players have created more than 400 maps with Hammer. However, without a standardized way to share the maps, most of these have gone unnoticed by the larger community.The Perpetual Testing Initiative's puzzle maker allows users to export their creations in Hammer's native format and continue building with the more powerful tools, if they so choose. The simple map editor is "incredibly powerful for all of its simplicity and can easily reproduce pretty much every puzzle from Portal 2," Valve said.
GIMP 2.8 gets a major facelift
Popular Mac, Linux and Windows image editing app GIMP has been updated to version 2.8. This latest version overhauls the UI to offer a new single window mode that lets users edit images, choose tools and set up docks all within one window. Earlier versions of GIMP had multiple windows for tool sets and images, which was confusing for some users accustomed to a single window work environment. If you like the multiple window paradigm, don't worry as GIMP lets you choose between multiple or single window mode. Besides a new UI, GIMP 2.8 lets you setup multiple column dock windows, edit text on the canvas and group layers. It also streamlined the saving and exporting of images. You can read the full list of changes, which includes many smaller tweaks, in the release notes for version 2.8. The GIMP 2.8 source code is available for free from GIMP's website and requires you to compile the code before you can run the app on your machine. Binaries packaged for installing on the Mac will be available soon. While you wait, you can check out an excellent overview of GIMP 2.8 from Ars Technica.
Scrivener for iPad under development
Last December, Literature & Latte confirmed the company will begin porting its popular Mac writing app, Scrivener, to the iPad. Though work is under way, progress is slow because, as Literature & Latte points out, good apps take time to plan and develop. Much of the time since December has been spent designing the app and testing which features will work best in a mobile version. When it launches, Scrivener for the iPad will include a working binder and corkboard, a rich text editor, and access to labels, status, synopses, notes and project notes. It will also let you seamlessly sync your project without having to close it on your Mac or Windows machine. Because of the complexity of the app, Literature & Latte expects to release Scrivener for the iPad by the end of the year. You can read more about the development in a detailed post on Literature & Latte's website. [Via MacSparky]
Trials Evolution track ranking bug resolved
An error in Trials Evolution's user-generated track ranking algorithm has been fixed, according to Eurogamer. The error, which resulted in newly created high-ranking tracks being promoted at the expense of older, equally awesome tracks has been corrected by making lifetime user ratings part of the calculation. This means that, old or new, the best user-created content should float to the top.We tried our hand at creating a Trials Evolution course, once. The idea was that the player would ride a motorcycle down an infinite ramp, gaining speed as they did so until they went so fast that they traveled back in time to the very creation of the universe, where they would instantly asphyxiate in the unforgiving void of space. Sadly, no one on staff had the time, patience or motivation to actually make any of that stuff happen, so what we ended up with was the Trials Evolution equivalent of a macaroni doodle.
iTextEditors provides quick app reference for plain text fans
The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who love to edit text files on the iPad, and those who really, really don't. For everyone in the first group, our resident mad scientist Brett Terpstra (ably assisted by a crew of volunteers including TUAW contributor Michael Jones) has kicked off the iTextEditors reference page. The page provides a full feature matrix for more than 30 iOS editors, with more entries on the way. Looking for an editor with printing capability, Dropbox sync and word count for $0.99? The chart's got you covered (several times over, actually, including iA Writer). Brett plans to continue updating the page indefinitely, so if you're a developer (or ardent and well-informed fan) of an application that's not yet on his list, check out the page and let him know.
Nokia Creative Studio brings panorama capture to Lumia handsets (hands-on)
Nokia recently launched a new photography app called Creative studio which is available in the Windows Phone Marketplace exclusively for its Lumia handsets. Part panorama stitcher, part photo filter and part image editor, the app lets you take new pictures or chose shots from existing albums and tweak them to your heart's content. It features ten Instagram-like effects (including vignette and auto-enhance) plus seven common adjustments (such as crop and sharpness). We took the app for a spin and the UI is pretty slick, with an optional side-by-side before and after view of the photo you are currently editing. Once done, you have the option to continue applying additional effects and making further adjustments, save the image or share it. Twitter, Flickr and Facebook are supported, but sadly there's no integration with Windows Phone's People Hub -- you'll have to login to each service in the app itself. Check out the screen shots in the gallery below and hit the break for more impressions and some samples.
YouTube wants to make your crummy video slightly less crummy
Upload a lot of videos to YouTube, but still can't afford that tripod? No worries, the Google-owned video site today announced some welcome additions to its editor, which can detect problems with your video and offer up corrections, so you can brighten things up a bit or eliminate some of the shakiness. If you're the type who needs this information explained in animated form, check out the YouTube video after the break. The feature, meanwhile, will be rolling out to users over the next few days.
Vimeo outs new iOS app at MWC, now sporting iPad compatibility
Back at CES, we first got wind of Vimeo's impending plans to welcome the iPad to its iOS party. Today at MWC, the outfit has announced that the new version of its app for iDevices is now available -- and it'll play nice with your Apple slate. If you're in need of a refresher, the update features browse-while-watching, a watch later queue, access to the Vimeo Music Store and a built-in video editor for managing those clips while you're on the move. Looking to take the leap? The free app is just a few clicks away via the source link and a bit more info waits in the PR below.
Want to write for Engadget? We're hiring in Europe!
We know you're out there, dear future Engadget writer, but we need you here with us, where we can touch you, teach you and pay you to write about all those gadgets you love so much. Professional writing experience isn't strictly necessary, but what we do require is an ability to write about gadgets with wit, concision and authority. And being obsessed with Engadget is good too. So here's what we're after: A European Editor: Full-time, based in or near any major European city, able to work from home but also able to travel to European events and meetings, if required. English must be your first language, as that's what you'll be writing for us in. To clarify, this is an Engadget US position, but based in Europe. This is not a position for Engadget German or any of our sister sites.Want to apply? Read on.
Vimeo updates iOS app to include iPad, releases Android and Windows Phone apps too
Vimeo is unleashing a handful of mobile apps here at CES. First, the company has announced mobile software is now available for Android (Gingerbread) and Windows Phone (Mango) sporting upload functionality and 'watch later' queue management. Absent from the PR below is the upcoming iOS overhaul what will welcome iPads to the party -- due out later this month. Enabling Full HD streaming on the Apple slate, the updated app includes an editor with access to the Vimeo Music Store, browse-while-watching capabilities and functions of the regular ol' apps. For a smattering of screens shots from the aforementioned devices, hit the gallery below.
Daily Mac App: Image Bucket
You don't realize how important batch processing is until you are faced with 50 photos that need to be resized from 3872 x 2592 to 640 x 480. Processing each photo one-by-one in an image editing app would take an hour. Instead of wasting your time with such a tedious task, you can turn to an app like Image Bucket, which will do all the work for you. Image Bucket is a batch image processing app for OS X. It'll let you resize, flip, rotate and watermark a group of images all at once. You can even change the file format of an image or modify the name of a file by tacking on a prefix or postfix. The app can sit in the dock or at the side of your desktop. You simply select the files or folders you want to batch process and drag them onto the app. This will open a dialog box with all the different resize, rename, and watermark options. Select your option, click start and sit back while the images are processed. The app is pretty fast; a batch of 10 images takes about 5 seconds to process. The batch tool does a good job modifying the images, but it's not perfect. The rename option doesn't fully rename the files. It adds a prefix and a postfix, but won't replace the name. This is inconvenient when you're doing screenshots and want to get rid of the date and time stamp in the image's name. The app also doesn't have any algorithm options for resizing. As a result, the images are not as sharp as they could be. This is fine if the image is going to end up on a general website, not so good if you want it to showcase your photography skills. Overall, I am pleased with Image Bucket. It's a nice companion to Pixelmator which I use for basic image editing. It's fast and always available in the dock which makes it easy to use. And for $3.99, it's priced favorably, too.
