Technabob » ambient

Star Trek Ambient Engine Noise: for Your Trip to the Dreamy Frontier

Lambert Varias — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:00:23 +0000

YouTuber/Trekkie/ambient noise addict crysknife007 loves the idling engine noise in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He loves it so much that he made a 24-hour looping version of it. On video. And put it up on YouTube.

Got 24 hours to spare? Here:

As if that wasn’t absurd enough, crysknife007 also made an HD version. It’s only one and a half hours long, but come on.

Thankfully, he also uploaded an audio (.ogg) file of the 24-hour loop. Warp to Mediafire for the free download.

[via io9]

Automatic Ambient Umbrella Knows if Its Going to Rain Before You Do

Range — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:00:16 +0000

This awesome piece of umbrella-technology is kind of like a divining rod for rain! It knows when it’s going to rain before you do!

If you’re like me, you rarely check the weather. I’ve been caught off guard a few times, but it just darn sucks when you get totally drenched by a rain shower and there are no umbrellas in sight.

The $129 (USD) Ambient Umbrella is basically a smart umbrella. The handle has a small light which can connect to a wireless receiver. This receiver gets updates on the weather automatically, and it tells the handle what light to show. Depending on its glow, you’ll know the severity of the coming rain storm.

The umbrella receives these updates automatically. There’s no need to set it up or configure it. The LED light on the handle will tell you if it’s going to rain, drizzle, snow, or thunderstorm. Naturally, the design of the umbrella is well suited for strong winds, so it won’t be blown inside out.

[via Designboom]

Microsia Makes Molecular Music

Technabob — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Here’s a cool little PC program for creating ambient electronic music. And it sure looks purty while it’s doing it.

The setting for Andreas Illiger’s Microsia is inside of a virtual “plant cell” of a leaf. As you move your cursor around, you touch “cellular particles” which will be used as triggers for the ambient sounds.

Microsia may look a bit like Flow, but it’s not about gameplay this time – it’s all about making music. Sounds are created by manipulating the position of the particles, then turning them on to initiate sequences of sounds. Some of the particles set tone, while others modulate sounds or tempo. It’s really pretty cool once you actually read the instructions.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you’re intrigued by what you saw in the video clip, you can download the demo version of Microsia here. The full version normally retails for 19.95 (appx. $29 USD), but is currently on sale for 9.95 (appx. $15).

Turn Your Tv Into a Huge Mood Light

Technabob — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:45:44 +0000

Sure, you could drop over a grand on a Philips Ambilight television if you want your TV to set a mood, or you can also turn any television into a giant glowing ambient light for just the cost of a single DVD.

Created by Japan’s Kyouei Design, this minimal DVD contains a rainbow of soothing colors that you can display on your TV screen. It’s perfect for all those times you’re not engrossed in the latest episode of America’s Next Great Biggest 5th Grade Loser, or when you’re completely fed up with the writers’ strike.

The Color Light DVD offers a truly mellow light show, gradually dissolving through its spectrum of colors in about 20 minutes. I’m already chilling out just looking at the pictures, so I can only imagine how sleep-inducing this would be in my darkened living room.

The disc is available from the designboom shop for $19 (plus $7 shipping). [FYI, the disc isn't region-encoded, so it should play anywhere in the world.]

Ambient Puts Baseball Scores on Any Desktop

Technabob — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:07:31 +0000

With Spring training just a couple of months away, here’s a great gift idea for the baseball fan in your life. This new wireless device sits anywhere in your home or office, and provides baseball scores without a computer.

The new Ambient Devices Baseball ScoreCast receives a digital radio-frequency broadcast to update with the latest scores every half-inning. It’ll even tell your the current standings for your team’s division as they race towards the Pennant.

Keep in mind that Ambient’s wireless data network covers only 90% of the U.S., so be sure to check coverage before buying. Expect the device to hit stores just in time for the 2008 baseball season for about $125.

[via Engadget]

Philips Aurea Video Shows TV’s True Colors

Technabob — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 02:49:47 +0000

A few weeks back I told you about the new Philips Aurea flat screens, and their illuminated color LED frames. Now Philips has just posted a dramatic video clip by director Wong Kar Wai which really shows off what the set can do.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

For the first time, you can really see the cool color-shifting effects of the Aurea’s semi-transparent border. What’s much more interesting than I thought it would be is that different colors flow all the way around the screen, matching the adjacent screen area, rather than a single color for the entire screen.

While I’m not sure if it would annoy me after 10 minutes of viewing, I have to admit the effect is really striking. If I owned a cool bar or nightclub, I’d definitely put one of these in there. My living room – I doubt it.

If you’d like to see more,check out the full-length, full-screen version of the short film, entitled “There’s Only One Sun” over on the Aurea website.