Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

You donât climb into a MMR25 to be a driverâ¦

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/404423011/

You do it because you’re completely hardcore. I will right here guarantee you that if cars like this begin to be driven in rallies, rally racing will be the new most popular race on television- nay, the new most popular sport in the world. Released at this years Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge; witness the tantalizingly futuristic Mitsubishi Motors MMR25 Rally Racer.

Mitsubishi lays it down like so: “Continuing its world racing heritage and its industry leading expertise in electric vehicles, Mitsubishi Motors has introduced the most revolutionary racing technology that will defy automotive racing standards in the year 2025.”

Paraphrased press release: [All electric race car with "revolutionary" drivetrain; four lightweight, high-efficiency, in-wheel electric motors with eight supplemental motors. "More" powerful, fully recyclable batteries that can run up to 1,000 miles on a single charge. Uniform composite Nano fibers give the Lithium batteries "long" life and reduced weight; located in the center and on each side of the vehicle, positioned low to the ground for enhanced stability and a lower center of gravity. Omnidirectional wheel design with eight independently-controlled electric motors in each wheel hub. Rotational direction of the tires allows the vehicle to be driven forward while pointing the nose of the vehicle in any direction. A windowless pod for the driver, seamless 360 degree panoramic screen displaying images from outside cameras.]

Rally Racing is a Back Alley Sport Filled with Jackals, Headhunters, and Thugs! That’s why you’ll be glad you purchased your brand new MMR25 from Mitsubishi Motors. *Cue futuristic stock price increase* This layman would love extra insight into the real possibility of this being a functional vehicle and furthermore the possibility of a new kind of race.

I ask you: is it possible? Given the specs above, could this be the template for a new age in racing?

[ Via: Jalopnik ]

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A Birdâs Eye View

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/406054628/

Skyros is an aerial camera which takes unparalleled overhead photographs. It illuminates a unique bird’s eye view from where one can understand the intimate relationship with the environment in a refreshing new light. If you’re a more cynical reader, just think of it as a way to see what birds see before they do a #2 on your car or worse, you!

How it works: Skyros is pneumatically launched up to 120 feet in the air where it stabilizes itself as the rotors start. As it flies back to the user it takes photographs at various intervals. The user then links it back to its base and can view the photographs. There is an inbuilt sensor in the flying module which brings the camera back to the user too. Thank the gods because I hate chasing after my toys.

One thing I love about this concept is the ability to use it as a regular camera. Most other aerial cams I’ve seen completely negate this novel fact.

Designer: Siddharth Kambe & Dipti Hanako Kambe

Wines of substance

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/406231298/wines-of-substa.html

New range of wines by Wines of Substance from Washington, certainly have standout! with a modern website that has an unusual approach to wines.

Criterion Considering Movie Downloads [Criterion Collection]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/406576083/criterion-considering-movie-downloads

Last week, while visiting Criterion Collection headquarters to observe their transition to Blu-ray, I brought up the subject of digital downloads. To my surprise, they let slip a little detail that sheds light on how a master disc maker like Criterion will manage in an all-download future.

As we've seen, even "HD" digital downloads are far from the quality of Blu-ray, so there's a hesitance to offer up their restorations in a format that doesn't live up to their very high standards. Lee Kline, Criterion's Technical Director says "I would be depressed if we just went from standard-def DVDs to standard-def downloads."

David Phillips, who works in DVD development at Criterion, explained further:

When you're talking about a dual-layer Blu-ray disc, you're talking about 50GB of data. Now, a lot of our films might not necessarily take up all that space, but even if they're taking up 25GB on a single layer disc, you're still talking about a heck of a lot of data to download. Now, the way that broadband infrastructure is in this country, any films you're downloading aren't going to have the data rate or resolution of Blu-ray.

When you work on the mastering part of it and the restoration and you see how good that image looks, it's really hard to say, OK, we're going to squash this down to the point where it'll fit through everybody's pipe.

However, according to Kline, digital downloads are on Criterion's radar.

We're pretty close to figuring out what we want to do with downloading, and I think our new website will cover that, which you'll see ! in a few months. I don't want to give any details yet, but we're not dismissing that as a viable option right now. But until it's faster and we're sure that we're going to give people a download that works in an acceptable amount of time, we'll go there when we need to go there. We're not scared of it, but we're also not ready to do it yet.

There'll be some sort of downloading and some sort of information regarding… OK, I'm going to stop, I'm giving away too much.

My guess is that there will be downloading of some sort, but it may or may not be full films. Who knows? Maybe it will be short scenes from classic movies, shown at higher-than-ever-before bitrates.

Would you be interested in downloading Criterion's restorations even if the quality wasn't that great? Or does that kind of go against everything that Criterion is about?

Kodak Zi6 Pocket Camcorder Lightning Review [Reviews]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/406501866/kodak-zi6-pocket-camcorder-lightning-review

The Gadget: The Kodak Zi6, a cheap pocket camcorder that records 720p HD video, vying for title of best camcorder under $200.

The Price: $180

The Verdict: When I got my first look at the Zi6, I had an inkling it could be the best "cheap" pocket camcorder yet, and I was right. I've been using it for a while both indoors and outdoors, and found the video quality to be stellar no matter the situation. To make things simple, here's how the Zi6 would've fared if it had been out in time for my Ultimate Cheap Camcorder Battlemodo:As you can see, this is a pretty badass pocket cam. The macro feature, a first on cheap camcorders like this, is a welcome way to film text and gadget screens up close. The camera's thick size actually makes it feel like a real piece of hardware and not something that could get lost in your bag. The HD recording is also great for giving users a bigger size for recording.

Despite all the good stuff, there are a few shortcomings with the Zi6. Most importantly, when switching between infinite and macro focus, or from low-light to full-light, the camera takes a while to refocus. Quick panning was similarly out of focus, and looked jagged at times. While ! HD was g ood for size, the Zi6 isn't recording at Blu-ray, or ever broadcast TV HD caliber. Truth is, the VGA should be sufficient for most videos. Finally, the USB connector popped open easily and often, a minor annoyance.

That said, the Zi6 may finally usher in the death of DV cams for most practical tasks. It takes clear video that can be imported to your PC immediately without fuss, and the AA battery slots ensure that you won't be stuck without power should the included rechargeables run dry. The Zi6 is truly best in its class, though that class is still "cheap pocket camcorders." [Kodak]

Examples of the Zi6 at work up close and at a distance in a variety of lighting situations:
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