NASA: To the Moon and Beyond
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2006 in Science
This is a great video from NASA on their future space exploration projects:
Below: Artists conception of the NASA Ares spacecraft.
Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2006 in Science
This is an amazing story of a computer found from ancient Greece:
An Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists
“A century ago, pieces of a strange mechanism with bronze gears and dials were recovered from an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Greece. Historians of science concluded that this was an instrument that calculated and illustrated astronomical information, particularly phases of the Moon and planetary motions, in the second century B.C.
The Antikythera Mechanism, sometimes called the world’s first computer, has now been examined with the latest in high-resolution imaging systems and three-dimensional X-ray tomography. A team of researchers was able to decipher many inscriptions and reconstruct the gear functions, revealing, they said, “an unexpected degree of technical sophistication for the period.”
The researchers said their findings showed that the inscriptions related to lunar-solar motions and the gears were a mechanical representation of the irregularities of the Moon’s orbital course across the sky, as theorized by the astronomer Hipparchos. They established the date of the mechanism at 150-100 B.C.”
Below: Fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism, left, have now been examined with the latest in high-resolution imaging systems and three-dimensional X-ray tomography.
For the geeky fanboy, the original reference story is from here:
Lego Batman
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 29, 2006 in Hobbies and Collections
It’s Lego AND Batman, what else more could a fanboy need?
Tony Scott to Remake ‘The Warriors’
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 29, 2006 in Cult TV and Movies
Can’t a good director like Tony Scott get a * new * project to work on? Have all the scriptwriters in Hollywood run out of ideas?
Exclusive: Scott Retools The Warriors
Tony plans bigger, bangier update
:Tony Scott, creator of bespoke celluloid chaos since 1985, has revealed exclusively to Empire that his next project, a remake of Walter Hill¹s The Warriors, will be a very different take on the gritty tale of a gang of teenage hoods battling their way home across enemy turf. For a start he’s moved it 3000 miles West, to L.A.. “Well, New York is visually vertical,” he tells Empire, “and L.A. is more horizontal so that¹ll be a big visual difference”.”
…and setting it in LA? Didn’t they already do that trick with the 2nd “Escape from NY” film!
Elebits on Wii
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 28, 2006 in Games
I have to admit I haven’t been excited about the game industry for quite some time, but this year Wii seems to be changing that. What’s odd is that when I first heard about Wii my thinking was “this machine can’t live up to the hype” and sure enough I was right, because the deserved hype isn’t so much about the hardware as good old fashioned game design which feels much more innovative and more interesting than the usual “Football 2007″ and “Yet Another More Realistic Shooter Game”.
Elebits on Wii is an example of one of those games that’s going to make the Wii a sure winner. Even from a casual glance Elebits from Konami looks like a fun game to play. The game design works like this:
“Elebits are creatures that serve as an energy source for the world, which strangely, suddenly go on strike. The name is a portmanteau of “electricity”, for their power, and “bits”, for their tiny size. As the player hunts the Elebits, the game world will slowly evolve.”
Here is a promotional video explaining the back story and some character designs:
Berryz Koubou
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 27, 2006 in Music
This is a very surrealistic appearance by J-Pop idols Berryz Koubou on a Japanese kids show:
So who is Berryz Koubou? Berryz工房 (Berryz Koubou or Berryz Kobo) is a Hello! Project group featuring seven Hello! Project Kids. The name Berryz Koubou, which means “Berryz Workshop”, reflects the initial idea that the group’s line-up would change from time to time, with each of the Hello! Project Kids eventually participating in the group. However, this idea was apparently dropped and in 2005, the other seven Hello! Project Kids ended up forming their own group, °C-ute.
Berryz Koubou debuted at a concert on March 3, 2004, and they often perform as backup dancers for W’s promotional videos. Even though there are exceptions (such as album songs) the lead singers in Berryz Koubou are always Natsuyaki Miyabi, Sugaya Risako,Tsugunaga Momoko and sometimes Kumai Yurina.
Above: Berryz Koubou, 2007 ; Top: Shimizu Saki, Sudou Maasa ; Middle: Kumai Yurina,Sugaya Risako , Tokunaga Chinami ; Bottom: Tsugunaga Momoko, Natsuyaki Miyabi,
Retro Geek Watches
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 27, 2006 in Hobbies and Collections
I love the industrial designs on these! Here are some very cool retro geek watches from Japan:
The Sims on Wii
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 26, 2006 in Games
The first official trailer (from Japan) for the Sims on Wii:
This looks very cool! I think Wii is going to win the field by focusing on doing great game design. Here is a scan from a Japanese magazine:
