Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Saturday, May 16, 2009

TiltShift Makes Your Photos Look Like Miniatures [Photography]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/hI4CG99bxKU/tiltshift-makes-your-photos-look-like-miniatures

Web site and Adobe AIR application TiltShift gives your photos a tilt-shift photography effect that normally requires expensive special lenses or Photoshop chops.

We've actually featured a similar service once before, but TiltShift is a much better tool, offering more advanced features and more control. As Jason pointed out last time we talked about tilt-shift photography: "Tilt-shift lenses start at $1200'ish and only rise in cost from there. Most people won't be running out to buy a lens that expensive for a little hobbyist fun." So true. Moreover, tilt-shift photography isn't exclusively used for the miniature effect; you can transform photographs of any kind with TiltShift and get amazing results.

TiltShift works either on its web page (where it's Flash-based), or you can download TiltShift for free as an Adobe AIR application (meaning it'll run on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux).

TiltShift [via RefreshingApps]

The Full-Screen Firefox Cloud Desktop [Featured Desktop]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Wuh-JsPpqPg/the-full+screen-firefox-cloud-desktop

Reader cain novocain took the experimental Firefox Desktop extension and made it his real desktop, an interesting idea for those that spend all their time in the cloud.

The desktop, explained in his own words:

Using Lifehacker featured Firefox extension Desktop as my REAL desktop at the moment. It really made me think again about the Cloud operating system we've heard so much about. A peaceful middle ground would be great. Its wonderful! The second thumbnail from the bottom right is the CTA Bus Tracker that allows me to track mass transit in Chicago, specificly, my bus, just by hitting the refresh button.

I also altered the Pidgin.exe and .dll files to use the eclipse_2 PNG Chat icon instead of the ugly Pidgin available icon for the taskbar (Done with IcoFX)

Also using Start Killer, StandaloneStack, Powermenu (for light transparency) and Dropbox.

The result might not be for everybody, but it's an interesting idea and a great way to bridge the gap between a desktop machine and all your web-based applications. Great job, cain novocain!

Want to see your desktop featured here? Once you've created your ow! n beauti fully tweaked (and hopefully productive) desktop, post it over in the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr Group complete with a description of the programs and tweaks you used (and preferably links as well!), and we just might feature it here.

Full-Screen Firefox Desktop [Flickr]

Voyij Finds Best Deals for Travelers with an Open Calendar [Travel]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/gix5FUiSSlc/voyij-finds-best-deals-for-travelers-with-an-open-calendar

Sometimes your vacations are elaborate, months-long planned excursions. Other times, you just want to get out of Dodge as cheap and quick as possible. Voyij can help with the latter.

Tell Yoyij where you want to leave from and give it a rough time frame to work with. You can also search destinations and departure dates in a truly wide-open style if you're adventurous, or narrow it with parameters like "next weekend" or "June". Once Voyij has the basics, it searches for the best prices for airfare, hotel accommodations, and vacation package deals and brings them back. From there, you can refine the deal search and your whimsical mini-vacation with various filters, as seen in the screenshot above.

If you need more control than Voyij offers, make sure to check out the Hive Five on best travel search engines. Would you use an open-ended search (and a bit of luck) to plan your next vacation? Sound off in the comments below with your desires for adventure or horror at the lack of structured planning.

[via Mashable]

Amazing Collaborative YouTube Music Project Lets You Control Every Instrument [Music]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/5lwp602Pz8Q/amazing-collaborative-youtube-music-project-lets-you-control-every-instrument

It's difficult to do the In Bb 2.0 project justice in words. Essentially, it's a bunch of YouTube videos that you play at the same time. Let me explain, then go play with it.

The site is a grid of various YouTube videos, each a couple of minutes in length, each showing a musician playing a simple Bb major texture. You can play them in any order using as many as you like, starting some as others stop or having them all go at once. It's remarkable. Seriously, don't take my word for it, go check it out now. You won't be disappointed.

Want to participate? Just make a video of your own going by the guidelines on the site and send it in to be included. This can only get more interesting as more videos are added. [In Bb 2.0 via Anthony King]

Albatron storms back with 10.2-inch ultrathin netbook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/15/albatron-storms-back-with-10-2-inch-ultrathin-netbook/

Nice timing, Albatron. With the whole world feeling that the time is right to enter the quaint and mysterious realm of "thin and light" netbooks, this just proves that you're totally vibing with money-hungry suits the world over. Truth be told, there's not much we know about the admittedly striking laptop above. It's got a 10.2-inch panel, weighs around 2.2 pounds and packs at least an audio input and output. We're promised that more images and even a video are on the horizon, so hold tight, vaquero.

[Via Slashgear]

Update: Hands-on videos are up! Check it after the break.

Continue reading Albatron storms back with 10.2-inch ultrathin netbook

Filed under: Laptops