GeekSugar

How Photoshop Works Its Digital Lipo Magic

GeekSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:00:39 -0700

If you've ever wondered how models and celebrities can appear so picture perfect in magazines you can stop wondering. Beyonce may have looked flawless for her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition photoshoot, but something tells me even she has a little help from the photoshop gods. It's common knowledge that photo editors remove cellulite, erase stretch marks, blur wrinkles, hide pimples, slim, tone, adjust, tweak, lengthen, shorten, lighten, darken and re-touch images before they send them to the press, but what does that transformation look like? Check out this video and witness a woman drop from a size 20 to a size 8 right before your very eyes...all because of Dr. Photoshop...no cutting, tucking, lipo, dieting or exercising required.

I don't know about you, but it's somewhat shocking how quickly an image can be transformed. I'm not opposed to a little digital nip and tuck but being totally altered is not what I'd call a digital enhancement.

Viacom Sues Google For One Billion Dollars

GeekSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:42:25 -0700

Media giant Viacom, the parent company of networks like MTV, Comedy Central and the Cartoon Network, put the smack down today suing Google and YouTube for “massive intentional copyright infringement.” Viacom has been fighting with YouTube for some time over clips of Viacom programs and shows that end up on the site, and is now asking for $1 billion in damages. As we all know, Google bought YouTube recently for 1.65 billion, so $1 billion isn't exactly chump change. Here's more:

Viacom accused the video-sharing Web site of “exploiting the devotion of fans to others’ creative work in order to enrich itself.” It added: “There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the fruit of our efforts without permission and destroying enormous value in the process.”

The lawsuit is the latest scuffle between YouTube and Viacom. Last month, Viacom demanded that YouTube remove more than 100,000 clips of its programming. YouTube complied, and in some cases posted a disclaimer that read: “removed at the request of Viacom International” where Viacom material once was.

Viacom said 160,000 clips of its programming have been available on YouTube and that they had been viewed more than 1.5 billion times. Somewhere, Austin Powers is getting really excited about the return of the "1 billion dollars."

Daily Tech: Happy First Birthday Apple App Store!

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:03:17 -0700

Apple's iTunes App Store celebrates its very first birthday today - Wired
The popular Fonera 2.0 wireless router has just made its way to the United States - Engadget
Head on over to Amazon for some great Blu-ray movie deals - CrunchGear
A couple in Indiana was arrested for trying to hire a hitman via text message - Switched
RIM will be launching its own social network for BB users tomorrow - TechCrunch
Have a four-way video chat while watching YouTube clips with DeskTube - Mashable

Google News Includes YouTube Clips With Content

GeekSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:30:20 -0700

Now when you're perusing through Google News, you'll notice the little YouTube logo under any news story that offers a video clip.

What's great about the new addition, is the fact that you can watch the clip directly under the story - no need to navigate away from the page. Similar to how you can watch YouTube videos right in your Gmail inbox window.

PBS Reaches the Masses With PBS Video

GeekSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:00:17 -0700

I often get the urge to step away from the funny YouTube videos and expose myself to something. . . educational. Gasp! Yes, you can find me watching just as many videos on Academic Earth and iTunes U, as I do on sites like Hulu. And now I've got a new one to add to the mix - PBS Video. PBS has just launched a new video portal (in beta) where you can find all sorts of clips and full length episodes from a variety of programs and topic areas. The site also gives you the ability to share videos with friends and family, or purchase a copy by clicking "Own It."

Gmail Labs Adds Previews For Yelp, Picasa, YouTube, Flickr

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:15:51 -0700

Imagine if it wasn't necessary to click a link to view a photo album or YouTube video? Now if you go into your Gmail Labs under Settings and enable YouTube videos (you can watch the entire clip right from your inbox), Flickr and Picasa preview, and Yelp review preview, you can see everything inside your mail window. Yes, Gmail will automatically detect links from various sites and show you previews right from your email message.

Sharing Your Wedding Videos Online

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:30:10 -0700

Sadly, Wedding Season is drawing to an end on the Sugar Network. From learning how to make a wedding site to what to look for in a wedding videographer and sharing your photos, I've hopefully provided you with a breadth of geeky tips and info to help you make your wedding and honeymoon as memorable as possible. Last but not least, I'm sure you are eager to get all your video footage from the big day and honeymoon up online for friends and family to see. Keep reading to learn what sites will help you host your videos online without any costs.

YouTube: YouTube is a great site to upload videos because it's free and you can tag and comment on videos. Personally, I love it because it has extensive privacy options so you can keep your videos private and prevent them from being copied. You can assign people to a friends or family contact list, or create additional ones. Then whenever you upload videos, you can decide which list you want to make it available to. The only downfall is the ten minute limit on uploaded clips. But then again, you could do the videos in segments by doing part one, part two, etc.
Jumpcut: Jumpcut is fun because you can actually edit your videos online. Jumpcut's online editor is very easy and lets you add and arrange content in your video by dragging and dropping thumbnails, by selecting the best parts of your video clips, changing the duration of your images, add music or sound effects, choose transitions, add titles, cool effects etc. Just like YouTube, you can select who you want to see your videos.
Other sites with similar features include: ifilm, clipshack and LiveVideo.

Be Thankful For Your Country, They Let You Have YouTube

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:02:15 -0800

The Pakistani government has banned access to YouTube due to anti-Islamic videos being posted on the site by various users. The entire site, and not just the offending users or clips, have been blocked until further notice. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority urged users to write to YouTube to take down the videos, but unless they do, YouTube will remain blocked.

Turkey also blocked YouTube in January in the face of a film that insulted the country's founding father (it's illegal to do so in Turkey). And it doesn't end there - both Thailand and Morocco have banned YouTube because of videos that were critical of their countries' leaders.

It seems so unfair and misguided for YouTube to suffer as a host rather than the actual videos and users that spurred the banning, doesn't it? I can't imagine being blocked from my favorite websites by my government, so it goes to show - don't forget to vote.

SNL to Get Its Own Video Website!

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:00:25 -0700

I love my video websites like YouTube, Vimio, and Hulu, and even though it's fun to watch hilarious viral videos, they're indispensable for TV clips; before when you forgot to watch or DVR something, you just missed it. The end. But the rise of websites with clips on them ensures you're never out of the loop; can you imagine living in a world where you missed "D*ck in a Box"?

I can't, and it seems that Saturday Night Live doesn't want you to ever imagine such a fate - the legendary show is launching its own website!

My crush Seth Meyers slipped the news recently, and I think it makes so much sense. Say goodbye to scouring Hulu, YouTube and NBC.com for the skits you want to show your friends, because now you'll have a one-stop shop. You know what else you can say goodbye to? Many, many hours of your time. Hello, classic Chris Farley!

Source

Fabulous Pure Flip Video Camera

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 10:30:28 -0700

There's been a lot of talk across the blogosphere about Pure's new Flip Video Camera, but I wasn't sure about it until I got a chance to test it out. How do I feel now? I think it's called love.

I took the Flip Video to one of my sister's dance performances last week and even though I was sitting about 20 rows back, I managed to clearly capture both the dance and the music. After I figured out how to subtly turn the camera on while the crowd was clapping (it makes a tiny beep which seemed to really bother my uptight neighbor), I just pointed it at the stage, pressed the red record button and voilà! I am the next Sofia Coppola.

For additional photos and specs of the Flip Video, read more

The Pure Flip Video camera was designed with users like myself in mind. I want to have easy access to a light, portable and quality camcorder, but I'm not ready to commit to a $2,000 device. Because the camera has simple "power," "play," "delete," and "record" buttons, it's virtually fool proof. It has a 2X zoom and allows you to do instant playback like any other camcorder, but unlike any other camcorder, it has a built-in Flip Video Software Program that launches directly from the camcorder (see the flip out USB arm? It plugs right into your computer). Using the program you can view, organize, and locally archive your videos in a clip-based library system. You can also capture still photos from video clips and edit your videos to create fun montages and YouTube ready videos.

I've always been the woman that whips out her digital camera at every event to take pictures, but I had never actually used a camcorder because I hate the idea of all the post-shooting work. The Flip Cam kills the need for tapes, memory cards or batteries and packs all your video needs into a sleek, simple camera that will fit in your purse, diaper bag or palm. Even better, the fact that you can capture still photos means you don't have to carry your digital camera too.

View 9 Photos ›

It comes in two models, one 30-minute version with a 512 MB flash memory, and one 60-minute version with 1 GB of memory. It has a 1.4 inch color screen for instant viewing and the flip-out USB 2.0 Arm connects to PC or Mac. You can also use the included cable to connect to your TV and plug in a microphone or speaker.

The 30-minute Flip Video is $102.99 on Amazon and available in electronic and drug stores around the country.