GeekSugar

John Lennon OLPC Ad: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:00:15 -0800

I love John Lennon and what he stood for; I love OLPCs and what they stand for. Combining them in an OLPC commercial is not a completely misguided move, but the execution is a bit off. If it's not the impersonator doing a cheesy Lennon accent, then it's the lazy way they connected the man and the movement.

Still, thinking of the song "Imagine" will always give me goosebumps.

Watch it, and tell me what you think.

Tech News Roundup - Next Generation Of Glowing TVs

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:00:43 -0700

Philips did something truly different on the TV front when it introduced its AmbiLight technology, where light panels on the back illuminate the wall behind and change color in response to whatever is on the screen. Philips Aurea – The Next Generation Of Glowing TVs - UK Gizmodo
If high-tech car gadgets are what you've been holding out for, you can finally make that Lamborghini purchase. Lamborghini tunes in to iPod - Crave
Do you have a WiFi connection but want to listen to your Internet radio without putting their computer's fan on overdrive? Tangent Quattro WiFi Internet Radio: retro style, modern core - Shiny Shiny
Though Apple still can't quite manage to get the entire Beatles collection on iTunes yet, it has managed to get 3/4 of the solo work that came after the Beatles squared away with the new addition of John Lennon's 13 solo albums. Apple Adds Lennon to iTunes - Switched
We can all agree it's hard getting into shape, but do we really need robotic help. MIT Working on Robotic Weight Loss Coach - Gina Hughes

Oscar Geek: Forrest Gump's Vintage and Modern Tech

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:05:33 -0800

Because of Oscar Week (don't forget to cast your ballot!) and our Oscar Worthy Gadgets feature, I've been thinking about the gadgets of past Oscar winners too. One of my favorite movies of all time is Forrest Gump, and this epic movie never fails to bring me to tears - or make me want to listen to oldies. Forrest Gump wasn't exactly geeky himself, but fictionally, he's responsible for an obsession I and many of you have today. Forrest mentions that Lieutenant Dan has made an investment for him in "a fruit company" - we of course then see a letter with the unmistakable (vintage) Apple logo.

In present day 1994, the film Forrest Gump needed a whole team of geeks to make several important scenes possible. Gary Sinise (as Dan), who had lost his legs in Vietnam, had his legs "removed" through CGI. To enable Forrest to "meet" historical figures like JFK and John Lennon, the filmmakers used chroma key, warping, morphing and rotoscoping, and Tom Hanks was later added in. The film won Best Visual Effects for this, which was, as is the case for the many awards they won that year, completely deserved.