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G5 Mac "Pro" (sic) receives Macquarium treatment
All the little fishies in bottom of the sea wish that they were swimming in my G5 Mac PC Or for the geekier devs among you: Joy to NSFishies in the G5 PC, @selector(joy:) to you and me... Video of the case conversion follows for your delectation. [via Gizmodo]
Miami zoo orangutans use iPads to communicate
iPads are everywhere, even in the orangutan cages at Miami's Jungle Island. As reported by Fox News, the Florida zoo is experimenting with iPads and using them to communicate with their apes. The apes are using a graphics-rich app designed to communicate with autistic children. Not surprisingly, it's the younger apes that are most adept at picking up the iPad, while the older ones just ignore it. Linda Jacobs, who oversees the iPad project, is excited by the possibility of letting other people communicate with the zoo's orangutans, Currently, only those trained in the ape's sign language can effectively communicate with the animals. Now that the orangutans are armed with iPads, they can talk to untrained personnel and maybe even interact with park visitors.
iPhones smuggled into China in beer bottles
It's pretty easy to understand most of this story. Someone in Hong Kong wanted to get a bunch of iPhones into Shenzen, China, so they decided to smuggle them across the border. That's illegal, but it makes sense. China charges heavy taxes on importing goods like these, and whoever ran this scheme wanted to avoid the tax. What doesn't make sense, however, is how they did it. The culprit cut open empty beer bottles, placing iPhones inside three at a time, and then resealed the bottles with tape. You can see the full Chinese news report below. Over 200 iPhones were being smuggled in beer bottles. I guess the best explanation is that people often bring empty bottles into China for recycling, and the hope was that these would just get lost in the mix. But it's definitely an unusual scheme. [via OBP]
Digital artists imagine Siri's face
If you're like me, you've probably anthropomorphized Siri. I think of her (as a US resident I have a female voice) almost as a person and address her as "Siri" when I make requests. I'm not alone as a recent contest from Shapeways, a 3D printing service and online marketplace, asked its community to submit their ideas of what Siri looks like. The contest recently ended and the New York-based start-up released its winners in both the 3D and non-3D Inspiring Design category. You can check out the winning entries and the runners-up on Shapeways's website. [Via The Huffington Post]
How to dye a MacBook
For Easter this year (which is on April 8), here's a wonderful idea for making your old white MacBook match up with your Easter eggs. "The Brain" at BrainDeadlockLabs decided to do a dye job on his MacBook to give it a bright orange finish that's more at home with Halloween than Easter, and provides full instructions on his amazing mod. The Brain's MacBook was dyed with Rit Fabric Dye, the same stuff hippies have trusted for more than a generation to produce clear, bright tie-dye clothing. He chose a bright orange finish for the outside of the computer, then used the keyboard and bezels from a "poor old liquid-spilled black MacBook" to make a hauntingly awesome orange and black MacBook. The process is a bit involved, since you have to remove all of the electronics from the MacBook before dipping it into the dye. And, as The Brain warns, "if you dye half your stove, your hands, and permanently ruin your computer, it rests on you." You're also warned that "Rit dye is toxic, and is meant for clothes/fabrics/things that don't normally touch your mouth," so if you have a tendency to lick your MacBook, this could prove to be fatal. It does look pretty cool, although commenters on the post believe that Krylon spray paint would work well and be a lot easier to apply.
Lost hiker saved by iPhone flashlight app
One time when I was day hiking Mount Washington, I took a wrong turn at the top and went down the wrong way. I raced down the mountain, but still had to navigate some rough terrain for a few hours in the dark. This was the late nineties. I had a phone, but it didn't get coverage and phones back then didn't have a flash for light. That was then, and this is now. Today, hiking in the woods is much safer thanks to improved cellular coverage and smartphones with apps. Based on this story from Jonathan Anker of HLNtv, I'm sure Christopher Tkacik of Maryland would agree. Mr Tkacik was out walking his dog on New Years Eve when he got lost in the woods surrounding Catoctin Mountain. After several hours of wandering around, he used his iPhone to call for help. He was instructed to stay where he was and wait for rescue. To help the rescue team find him, he didn't start an old-fashioned fire; he used a flashlight app as a beacon to attract them to his location. Tkacik and his dog made it out of the woods without injury, and he was home in time to keep his New Year's Eve plans.
Apple's founding contract sells for nearly $1.6 million
Last month we learned Sotheby's would auction off an original Apple contract signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Experts expected it to fetch around $100,000 - $150,000. Turns out they were way off, because the document sold for almost 1.6 million bucks. When the auction closed, the final bid was $1,350,500. Add Sotheby's 12 percent commission for a grand total of $1,594,500. Mr. Eduardo Cisneros, CEO of Cisneros Corp. in Miami is the proud new owner of this document. Congratulations to Mr. Cisneros on purchasing this significant piece of Apple history. You can watch the gavel fall in the video below.
iPhoneography exhibit opens in Denver tonight
Denverites looking for a fun way to spend Friday night need look no further than their local art galleries, which are open late tonight as part of Denver Arts Week. One exhibit opening this evening, Siobhan Keleher, iPhoneography, will be of special interest to iPhone fans and TUAW readers. The exhibit opens at 5 PM MT tonight at the Byers-Evans House Gallery at 1310 Bannock Street near the Denver Art Museum, and a free reception will provide you with sustenance as you look at the work of photographer Siobhan Keleher. The reception closes at 9 PM. The exhibit runs through December 31, 2011 at the the gallery, but if you wish to meet the artist you'll probably want to attend the opening this evening. Keleher apparently loves taking photos with the iPhone -- "My current work with the iPhone is a natural outgrowth of this approach. I take pictures at whim, everywhere. The camera has limited options -- I can't zoom or choose focus -- forcing me to make more judicious decisions about the features I can control, honing my sense of composition. The iPhone apps I use also introduce some randomness to the quality of the image while creating certain effects. At this time, I do no post-production work. The images are all that I, the iPhone and the apps make them at the given moment." Keleher won the "Best of Show" during last year's Denver Plein Air Arts Festival with iPhone photographs. You can get an idea of her style and subjects by visiting the Siobhan Keleher Photography website.
iPads, Angry Birds to travel to International Space Station
iPods and iPhones (in Airplane Mode? Spaceship mode?) have traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) via American and Russian launch vehicles. Now you can add the iPad to the list of iDevices that have left the planet. That's the word from Collect Space, which reports that 2 iPads will visit the ISS next month. NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries says the iPads will be used for entertainment purposes only, and that they will be the first tablet devices to fly in space. The space station is already stocked with laptops, but NASA is exploring the idea of using iPads on future space missions. Also on the manifest is an Angry Birds plush doll. It's part of a Russian tradition of hanging a toy from a string in the launch vehicle. About ten minutes after liftoff, the bird will start to become weightless, indicating to the space explorers that they have left the gravity of earth. There's no word on whether or not the iPads have the Angry Birds game installed, but it wouldn't be a shock if they did.
Cool off with an "iPhone 4" fan
Most fake Apple products make us roll our eyes, but this one is cute. Mostly because it's not trying to be an iPhone. The "shockingly thick" device is actually a personal cooling device, or "fan." To use it, slide off the real panel and remove the thin blue sponge inside. Get it wet, wring it out and put it back inside. Replace the back cover and then press the Home Button. The fan whirrs into action, providing the user with a cool, refreshing breeze. Keep the wind blowing by recharging the internal Lithium-ion battery by connecting to your Mac's USB port. Pro tip: add a little perfume to the sponge for scented refreshment. White "iPhone 4" Air Cooler from M.I.C. Gadget on Vimeo.
Guinness world record for iPad typing set by 15-year-old
Nimble-fingered 15-year-old, Eduard Saakashvili, has set the Guinness world record for fastest typing on an iPad. Eduard isn't your average teenager; he's the son of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Eduard earned the title and record by typing the alphabet on an iPad in just 5.26 seconds, using the software keyboard. He beat the previous record, held by British teenager Charlie Joseph McDonnell, by a full 1.05 seconds. A Guinness official was on hand to monitor and verify the event. Congratulations to Eduard. We'll see if iOS 5's spilt-screen keyboard has an effect on future contestants.
Conan O'Brien blasts Final Cut Pro X
Apple released Final Cut Pro X this week. Despite the price drop, many users were disappointed with this version, and others were downright upset. Heck, even host Conan O'Brien blasted the software on his late-night TV show. Conan notes that this update is "so different," that editors are having trouble adjusting. He then shows a parody video that his team assembled using the new version of Final Cut. Hilarity ensues (depending on your perspective). When a late-night talk show parodies high-end video editing software that most of its audience does not use, said software is either really, really good or ... well, you know. [Via 9to5]
Webcam antics with Rita and Frank
Here's an unintentionally amusing and decidedly sweet video of an older couple, Rita and Frank, trying to photograph themselves with their computer, referred to in the video description as "their new Mac." According to YouTube, the couple wants to take a photo commemorating Frank's 84th birthday, which they'll then share with friends. As they wait in vain for the image to be snapped, they somehow managed to unknowingly shoot a video of the proceedings. We can only assume they're using a Flash-capture web app of some sort, as Photo Booth doesn't count down from 15. Of course, that's a guess. If you ask me, the result is much sweeter and far more charming than the photo could have been. Happy birthday, Frank! [Via Gizmodo]
Richard Dreyfuss offers a dramatic reading of Apple EULA
License agreements are dull...until they're dramatically performed by an Academy Award-winning actor. The folks at CNET asked Richard Dreyfuss to read sections of an Apple EULA in dramatic fashion, and he obliged. The result is silly, hilarious and enjoyable. Don't miss the last section, "Effective Until." It's especially, well, final. Hats off to Richard for being a good sport.
iPhone 4 survives 1,000 foot fall from Air Force plane
Late last night, we received an email from U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Ron Walker, who wrote to tell us an incredible story about his iPhone 4 and a minor workplace mishap. Staff Sergeant Walker's duties as a jump master require him to ensure that his aircraft is in the proper location before sending parachute jumpers into the air. One week ago (on March 16), he stuck his body out of the plane's open door to look for landmarks as the plane sped through the air at 130 knots (about 150 mph), about 1,000 feet above the ground. As he did so, the Velcro seal on his pocket flew open, and out popped his iPhone. Airman Walker could do nothing but watch it fall away from the plane; he assumed it was lost forever, not to mention destroyed by the fall (for reference, that drop is roughly equivalent to tossing a phone off of a 90-story skyscraper). Later, he told his tale of loss to his colleagues on the ground, one of whom installed the Find My iPhone app on his iPhone. Within minutes, the app found the wayward phone, still active, and Walker and his buddy hopped on ATVs and tracked it down in a wooded area about 2 miles away. Not only was the iPhone undamaged, Walker reports, it was in perfect working order -- "not a scratch on it, not even dirty." That's the phone itself in the photo above. The phone was wearing a Griffin case at the time of its unexpected journey, but no special aerodynamic protection. (It wasn't even this Griffin case, which is designed to meet military standards.) Thanks to Staff Sgt. Walker for sharing this iPhone recovery saga, and for his continuing service to our country. We're glad it turned out so well. Next time, however, make sure the iPhone is wearing a parachute and carrying a flare gun. [Airman Walker also shared his story separately with iLounge.]
BBC comedians have fun with tech talk
Here's a bit of levity for your pre-holiday enjoyment. Comedians Harry Enfield and Ronnie Corbett elevated the play on words to a sublime level with this skit, reminiscent the famous "Fork Handles" bit. A befuddled shopper turns to his grocer for help with his Blackberry and Apple. We won't spoil the fun, so check it out after the break. Just put your drink down first to avoid a spit take all over your equipment.
MacBook Air powers four screens simultaneously
We're going to be agreeable and assume this picture of a MacBook Air powering 4 displays isn't a Photoshop job (It's Friday and we're in a good mood). From right to left, we've got: An old-school, 20" Apple Cinema Display A 7-inch Mimo 720-S USB display The MacBook Air itself An honest-to-goodness Apple //c running a terminal session through a serial cable Add a Kinect and Minecraft and you've got a portable holodeck. Not bad for an "underpowered laptop," eh? [Hat tips to Gizmodo and MacStories]
Police hunt down stolen iPhone in chopper
Police in Australia take iPhone theft seriously; so seriously, they will not hesitate to employ the use of a helicopter to nab a thief who has made off with one of Apple's prized mobile devices. The story begins in a hospital in Heidelberg, Australia where an iPhone was stolen from an unsuspecting woman. The woman's iPhone presumably had the now well-known Find My iPhone app setup installed, and the police used the app on another device or MobileMe to track and locate the iPhone in the neighboring suburb of Greensborough. Lucky for the lady and her missing iPhone, a police helicopter was already in the area and was dispatched to the iPhone's GPS coordinates. The tracking was so accurate that the helicopter was able to spot the thief riding a stolen bike down a city street. The 16-year old suspect ditched the bike as soon as the helicopter was hovering above him (who wouldn't?) and ran towards the Tram to make a hasty escape. The suspect was apprehended by police on the ground in Bundoora, and the unfortunate lad was caught with the stolen iPhone and some marijuana. He is now being charged with burglary, theft and the possession of cannabis. Mark that down as another win for the now free Find My iPhone service and another loss for iPhone thieves. Thanks to Gavin B for sending this in!
iPad portrait light array for photographers
Here's an interesting way to use 9 iPads. Photographer Jesse Rosten mounted the set on several pieces of plywood, maxed out the brightness on each and had assistants move then around while he shot his model. In fact, the iPad arrays were the only light sources for this particular shoot. Was it a publicity stunt? Of course (and well done). But watch the video after the break. The photos came out well! We hope Jesse borrowed the iPads because 9 x $499 is $4,491. Still, it was a fun idea with nice results. Good work, everyone. If the name Jesse Rosten sounds familiar it's because we recently featured his awesome "iPad + Velcro" film. Now we're eager to see what's next.
Toy Story director is a Mac addict
Lee Unkrich is one of the creative minds behind the Toy Story series, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo. Those are, of course, just a few of his accomplishments. He's obviously a fairly important part of the Pixar creative empire, and his movies have inspired millions of people. He's also a self-proclaimed Mac addict. In an interview with Cult of Mac, Unkrich fessed up to his undying love of Apple products. His first was the Apple II Plus, which is about as much Apple street cred as you can hope to get. Unkrich says he's owned nearly every Apple product since that first machine, even the much-maligned Newton. He's remained a devoted follower through the good times and the bad and is looking forward to even more Apple advances in the future. To me, the most interesting bit came pretty early in the interview with Unkrich. When asked what he loved so much about Macs, Unkrich replied that it was Apple's "unrelenting quest to make beautiful, functional devices. [Macs] practically drip with the care and attention that went into their creation." Isn't that really the thing that inspires us Mac users? That solid, remarkable design and careful consideration of every aspect of the Mac experience. It's good to see the appreciation for Mac poetry shared by such a creative director. Edit: Edit to make Unkrich's role a little more clear -- MG
