StarTrek
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Netflix signs up some TV shows from CBS' library for Watch Instantly streaming
Let's be honest, as much as we all like to play film snob, we're thinking more of you watch Family Ties, Star Trek and Cheers than the works of Bergman and Kurosawa. As long as that's the case, perhaps the pain of losing Criterion's content to Hulu Plus will be eased by word of a new deal with CBS bringing a slew of its older shows including the aforementioned plus Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone and newer-but-not-new shows like Medium to the service for two years starting in early April. No word on how big of a check the now-20 million strong Netflix had to cut to pull this off, but the deal is non-exclusive, so you could see all of these on Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Redbox or... you get the picture.
DIY Star-Trek style air powered sliding doors are something from the future that you can have at home right now
So, we don't mind a small home renovation project every now and then, and this is one we're seriously considering. Instructables has posted a step-by-step guide on installing sliding doors which are powered by an air compressor, and which look super cool. As you'll see in the video which is after the break, it's a pretty simple idea, which requires a pretty fair amount of work, but the results are very impressive. The sliding doors are controlled by a panel switch and have a key which can lock them open or shut, and the door also boasts a vent above it for air ventilation after operation. Yes, we actually want one of these.
Nokia Star Trek Communicator is simply awesome, sadly just a prototype (video)
Nokia had a little product placement going on in the latest Star Trek movie, you know that already. But did you also know that those crazy Finns made a few never-released prototypes for a most bodacious tie-in handset? That "Starfleet Communicator" above is said to be one of only 14 units built by Nokia, intended to simulate the iconic voice comms devices of the original TV series. Hardware-wise, it's based on the somewhat less exciting N76 and comes with an external LCD and a trifecta of lights on its front, both protected by a big and heavy brass grill. It's a fully functioning phone, too, replete with preinstalled chirps when flipping it open. Check it out on video after the break! [Thanks, Randall]
Used ink cartridges repurposed as sci-fi movie mementos
We've seen ink cartridges enlisted to provide light and as the basis for a bike path, and so many other things that it makes us wonder if we missed the boat by using them to, you know, print stuff. Apparently the kids at the Ink and Media Blog feel the same way, so rather than throw out the used cartridges, they handed 'em off to an artist named Faith Pearson, who used 'em to recreate scenes from her favorite sci-fi movies. They look great and sure as hell beat the C-SPAN re-enactments that we did last summer using Popsicle sticks and a broken Lego Mindstorms kit. Hit the source link to see for yourself.
Seagate teams with Paramount, pre-loads movies onto 500GB FreeAgent Go
Another fine day in paradise, another fine external hard drive for archivists to consider. Seagate has just announced its latest FreeAgent Go USB 2.0 drive, a pocket-sized external HDD with a 2.5-inch 500GB disc in there ready to be stuffed with your favorite blurred images and shakycam videos from the decade that was... except for the 20GB or so that's already claimed. In a move that may or may not be indicative of forward progress in the fight to free digital content, Seagate has partnered with Paramount Pictures in order to pre-load these drives with Star Trek (yes, the 2009 version), which can be unlocked gratis and shuffled about as you please after you register the drive. Additionally, 20 other titles are pre-loaded, and those guys can be "easily and securely unlocked through the online purchase of a license key," with pricing ranging from $9.99 to $14.99 per film. We had an opportunity to fire up Star Trek, and we must say -- the whole unlocking process was pretty painless on a Windows 7 rig. We didn't splurge on a third ninth copy of Nacho Libre, but we're pretty sure that masterpiece would be similarly easy to tap into. Oh, and if you'd rather just have free space rather than movies you already own / couldn't care less about, the delete command works wonders. %Gallery-89866%
iPad app previews aplenty all across the Web
We're seeing tons and tons of news about iPad apps dropping now, and we're still a few days away from launch. In addition to our own coverage, here's a bunch of the other previews we've seen popping up around the community: This iVerse Comics app looks excellent, and it's one of the first universal binaries we've seen -- one purchase will get you the app on both your iPhone and your iPad. In-app purchase content will cross over as well. Flickr won't have an official app yet (as far as we know), but Flickr Photos will let you browse through Flickr on the iPad right away. Sonasaurus Rex is a looping/music app that will be available on day one. iTap will have a VNC client available for the iPad right away. Of course, no iPad will be complete with out the Star Trek-inspired IPADD app. The iPhone music app RJDJ is releasing both an iPad app and a Mac app to complement its handheld version. DashApp is designed to bring just a little bit of web multitasking to Apple's less-than-multitasking friendly device. Design Brief will help you collect information about new design clients (if you happen to be a designer, or just want random information about people) by using the iPad onsite. Dashboard App recreates Apple's Dashboard unofficially on the iPad. Globetrotters looks like a fun bit of party gaming. Can you imagine something like this becoming a killer app? Talk about revolutionary. We've seen private previews of the Box.net and Bento apps for iPad, and should be showing more in the next few days. And finally, even though I believe we'd heard about it before, Harbor Master for the iPad is officially confirmed as well. See what I mean? That's a lot of apps! Stay tuned -- we've also got our own exclusive coverage coming up over the next few days, but we'll continue to update you on what we see showing up out there in iPad-land.
Found Footage: Apple vs. Predator
Molly Wood of "Buzz Out Loud" issued a call earlier this week to make an Apple vs. Predator video and YouTube user Kelvington stepped up to the challenge. The video shows that the Predators invented the "slide to unlock" feature circa 1987 and are pissed that Steve Jobs stole their idea. However, instead of ripping Steve's spine out, the video mocks that things are "about to get litigious." One cool thing about the video is that it shows other clips of iPad and multitouch tech in past movies and TV shows like Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Minority Report. It's always interesting to remember that while some sci-fi movie tech is based on actual applied science, sci-fi can spur the imagination of scientists and technologists to create technologies that were once only in the domain of science fantasy fiction.
George Takei can't show you Sharp's fourth pixel, can still blow your mind
We've seen our fair share of thin HDTVs -- and pressed iPhones against them for comparison -- so it's no big deal when Sharp swivels its latest edge lit LED creation and shows off its 1.6-inch depth, but George Takei's "Oh My" reaction is priceless. We were in the house for Sharp's unveiling of its quad-pixel technology (now called Quattron) and weren't sure we got the difference, so there's no doubt they needed an extra something to show viewers why they should care (embedded after the break in case you didn't spot it during the NCAA Tournament) since your display just isn't ready for constant loops of sunflowers, saxophones and repeat playback of Oh Yeah via the USB media port.
STO's Zinkievich talks interiors and more
Star Trek Online Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich recently spoke with Alltern 8's Mike Nudd to answer some unusually hard-hitting questions about Cryptic's recently released MMORPG. The title has purportedly been a financial success for Cryptic and its parent company Atari, but has also met with strong fan criticism over everything from game mechanics, to business model decisions, to authenticity with respect to the source material. "That's funny. The way you asked that question makes it seem that if I were to say no, that would make us look unknowledgeable -- like we didn't know about Star Trek and its fan base. On the other hand, if I were to say, "Yes, we knew this," then it would make us seem like we didn't care what Star Trek fans thought. This couldn't be further from the truth," Zinkievich comments. Hit the link and boldly go to the full interview.
Found Footage: Sir Patrick Stewart adores his iPhone
Don't even bother questioning why there is video of Jean-Luc Picard bashing Twitter and talking about his love for the iPhone, just watch and enjoy. Okay, okay, it's from a PBS interview designed to promote some of their Shakespeare programming, but that doesn't matter, really. All that matters is that Sir Patrick Stewart calls his "beautiful" iPhone "an extension of whom I am," in the way that only he can. He also bashes gaming, but only because he says it's extremely addictive, so we'll let that one slide. Here's the really important question: Has anyone pointed out the Star Trek phaser [iTunes link] to him yet? What apps (besides the weather one, we guess) does he run on a daily basis? [via iPhone Savior]
Blu-ray releases on November 17th 2009
The biggest blockbuster of the year finally gets to see the light of Blu today and we can all enjoy those weird lighting effects in HD in the comfort of our own home. But also this week, there are a few new shows from Fox and HBO as well as more than one all time classic like Fight Club and The Professional. So in other words, if you don't see something you like this week, you don't like movies or TV shows. Star Trek (Paramount) Bruno (Universal) Chasing Amy (Miramax) Clerks (Miramax) Fight Club (Fox) It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (Fox) Franklyn (Image) Galaxy Quest (DreamWorks) Gone With The Wind (Warner) Is Anybody There? (Magnolia) Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (Ideale) Lords of the Street (Phase 4) Moonshot (A&E) My Sister's Keeper (New Line) National Geographic: Darwin's Darkest Hour (National Geographic) The Open Road (Anchor Bay) The Professional (Sony) Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Sony) Rome: The Complete Series (HBO) Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season (Disney)
NASA turns iPhone into chemical sensor, can an App Store rejection be far away?
People have been trying to turn cellphones into medical and atmospheric scanners for some time now, but when it's NASA stepping up to the plate with a little device to monitor trace amounts of chemicals in the air, it's hard to not start thinking we might finally have a use for all those tricorder ringtones. Developed by a team of researchers at the Ames Research Center led by Jing Li, the device is a small chip that plugs into the bottom of an iPhone and uses 16 nanosensors to detect the concentration of gasses like ammonia, chlorine, and methane. To what purpose exactly this device will serve and why the relatively closed iPhone was chosen as a development platform are mysteries we're simply not capable of answering. Damn it, man, we're bloggers not scientists! Update: George Yu, a developer who wrote this implementation for Jing Li, commented to let us know that the choice to go with the iPhone was made because it was "cool," but he soon realized that choice was a "horrible mistake." We're guessing that could have something to do with an apparent lack of wireless coverage at Ames if the above screenshot is anything to go by.
Make your own Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator (video)
If you're looking for a project for the weekend and the Knock Lock seems a little naff, why not try building your own Bluetooth Star Trek communicator? This is definitely not a project for the faint of heart -- expect to custom cut a circuit-board, drill some holes, add a serial port, a Bluetooth module, and a microcontroller. That said, when it's all said and done you'll be placing (and answering) calls the same way they do in the 23rd century: by speaking through a small, distorted speaker. If this is your thing, hit up that read link to get the full step-by-step. But before you go that route, be sure to peep the video demo after the break.
Tricorder PMP-09 won't analyze data or call Starfleet, will lift your spirits with music
Let us tell you, this isn't any ordinary Star Trek tricorder prop, if such a thing exists. The Tricorder PMP-09 looks an awful lot like the Mark X model from the series, has a 2.8-inch TFT screen, plays up to 12 hours music / 4 hours of video and supports AVI, MP4, JPG, BMP, and WAV files. It boasts 12 different LCARS / themed interface, and from what we can see on the site, at least six different skins, including Starfleet, Borg, Workbee, and Marine. Starting price is $362.50 for US orders / $384.50 for international. It probably won't help you in the event of a Sith or Dalek encounter, or if you find yourself in need of medical assistance, but the next time you run into a Deep Space 9 crew member on the street, you better believe this'll make for a great ice breaker. Videos of the packaging and working display model, flashing LEDs and all, after the break. [Thanks, Anthony]
Transparent aluminum! Would that be worth somethin' to ya, eh?
It's hard to say if boffins at Oxford University got their inspiration from Nimoy and Co., but one thing's for sure: they aren't joking about the creation of transparent aluminum. In what can only be described as a breakthrough for the ages, a team of mad scientists across the way have created "a completely new state of matter nobody has seen before" by blasting aluminum walls (around one-inch thick) with brief pulses of soft X-ray light, each of which is "more powerful than the output of a power plant that provides electricity to a whole city." For approximately 40 femtoseconds, an "invisible effect" is seen, giving the gurus hope that their experiment could lead to new studies in exotic states of matter. For a taste of exactly what we mean, feel free to voice command your PC to jump past the break. Or use the keyboard, if you're feeling quaint.
Hands on With RunPee for iPhone
One movie. One iPhone. One app. One blogger. That was the scenario last night when I put RunPee for iPhone to the test. Available from Rock Software (iTunes Link) for $0.99, RunPee lets you know which points in a given movie that are safe to miss. When word of this app first hit TUAW, it inspired a lively discussion about the appropriateness of missing any part of a movie. Our own Christina Warren argued passionately that to do so would take you out of the movie, even if you never got up and left. Other, smaller-bladdered bloggers, welcomed the idea saying that if you had to go, it was better to go at a time where less was happening on-screen. Since I knew I was going to be seeing Star Trek, I volunteered to put the software to the test. RunPee provides a timed list for most of the newest releases, Star Trek among them. I took my iPhone and headed off to the Cinema. So how did things go? Well, to be frank, not as well as I'd hoped. First of all, the RunPee software provides a list of times and cues, so you know when to head loo-wards. For example, at nearly an hour into the movie, one character says to another to take the con. Notice that I do not mention which characters are involved. RunPee is not that discreet. In fact, its relatively short list of times and actions can be seen as a series of movie spoilers. There's no timed/reveal of each successive break so I was inadvertently spoiled from the start by several big plot developments, which are all shown on-screen at once. In use it's also really hard to track the suggested break times. The app comes with a built-in timer but no other cues. You cannot stick the iPhone in your pocket and wait for alarmed vibrations, pulling it out to see if you're at the proper place or not. This feature is not in the software. Instead, you have to keep unlocking the screen and checking the time. It feels like work and it's really annoying to the people around you who keep getting flashed by the lit iPhone screen. To use this application, you need Internet access. There's no way to download the data and then read it later offline. If your theater has poor cell reception, you're out of luck. In short, RunPee does not yet bring anything to the table that a spoiler website couldn't. Yes, you get access to pre-timed lists that you could possibly use to service bladder interruptus but between the difficulty of use, the annoyance to other patrons, and the outright spoiling of movie points, RunPee didn't do what I had hoped. So points to Christina, who argued exactly that. In e-mail, the developer has promised to add vibration support and is working on improving the product in other ways. For now, if you don't mind spoilers and you want to avoid the whole crazy astronaut woman syndrome, RunPee may supply the information you want. And the movie? Thumbs up. One of the better Star Trek offerings. Name: Run Pee Mobile (iTunes link) Developer: Rock Software Platform: iPhone or iPod touch Price: 0.99
EVE Evolved: Competition for EVE Online
Although the most popular MMOs of today are in the fantasy genre, a niche within the MMO market has always existed for sci-fi games. For quite some time, EVE Online has dominated this niche with a steadily growing playerbase that has now exceeded 300,000 paying subscribers. It's been noted that releases in the fantasy market tend not to affect EVE Online, showing that it's not directly competing with games in the fantasy market. Perhaps the target markets of sci-fi and fantasy MMOs have very little overlap or perhaps the gameplay in EVE is unique enough that no real alternatives exist. Whatever the reason, EVE has been blessed with a relative lack of competition since its release in 2003. But with four major sci-fi MMOs on the horizon, could the game's creators CCP be in for a rough ride?In this speculative opinion piece, I examine how EVE reacted to competition in the past and suggest how it may react to the next wave of sci-fi MMOs to hit the market.
If you saw Star Trek or The Dark Knight on IMAX Digital, did you get your money's worth?
Since most of you are apparently waiting to see Star Trek at home anyway, this might not affect you but recently there's been a ruckus over what constitutes "real" IMAX. Judging from the map above, the company has been very successful spreading its IMAX Digital gospel to movie theaters across the country, but when patrons drop an extra $5 or so and don't see the gigantic field of vision-filling screen they're used to, is that really the IMAX experience? Whether you agree with IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond that the quality of digital projection, improved sound and slightly shifted viewing angle is enough to create the "wow factor" or Aziz Ansari's accusation of Liemax for the converted theaters, it's not right that it usually isn't clearly indicated which kind of setup your local theater has until you're actually inside. Check out the Google Map link to know what your local moviehouse is like, and let us know which kind of screen you've seen recent blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Star Trek on.[Thanks, Ryan]Read - AZIZ VS. IMAX ROUND 2: IMAX CEO Responds! And so do I. I challenge you to a televised debate sir!Read - IMAX Digital vs. 70mm IMAX Google Map
Nokia, cheesiness featured in new Star Trek movie
Do you like your Star Trek movies riddled with Beastie Boys songs and Nokia product placements? Yeah, neither do we. Still, if you've been to see the reboot of the franchise, then you probably noticed the outrageous spot for the Finnish phone-maker. Said ad comes in the form of a futuristic "Nokia ring" coupled with a large, touchscreen device placed in the dash of the totally tubular Corvette a young James T. Kirk is about to smash up but good. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and check it out in the soon-to-be-pulled-by-the-studio clip after the break.
Poll: Is Star Trek better at an IMAX or a DLP theater?
With all the buzz about the new Star Trek movie -- IMDB of 8.2 and at #82 of all time already -- we might actually head to the theater to check it out instead of just waiting and enjoying it on our HDTV at home. So we're wondering: Which is the better movie going experience, IMAX or DLP, for an HD Snob? Now there is little doubt that DLP is the way to go when a movie is created with a digital camera like the RED, but Star Trek was filmed the old fashioned way with Kodak 35mm film (Kodak Vision2 100T 5212, Vision2 500T 5218 to be exact). At the same time IMAX is a no brainer when there are IMAX filmed sequences in the movie like in the case of The Dark Knight. So considering that to present Star Trek on either IMAX and DLP requires some sort of conversion, we wonder which is the best way to go? %Poll-29919%
