technabob » celebrity

minipops go mobile: 8-bit pop icons get an iphone app

technabob — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:48:09 +0000

I’ve seen Craig Robinson’s wonderful little Minipops before, and now you can enjoy these tiny 8-bit pixel art caricatures on your iPhone with a brand new app.

The app features 1,000 celebrity and pop culture Minipop images, along with a directory which lets you quickly find the peeps you’re looking for. But the best part of the app (besides a tiny Alanis Morissette in her 8-bit birthday suit) is the “Guess Who?” mode, which is a nice little timewaster. Just turn your phone sideways, and the app hides the celebrity names. Flip it back to portrait mode, and you can see if your guess was correct. Hmmm… was that Mr. Roarke and Tattoo, or Dr. Evil and Mini-me?

You can get your hands on the new Minipop app over at the iTunes App Store for $2.99 (USD). It’s a solid 5-star app from my perspective. But then again, I’m a pixel art nut.

[via INVADERS.COM]

anti-paparazzi clutch bag fights flash with flash

lambert v. — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:41:19 +0000

New York University graduate Adam Harvey created a product designed to protect and empower one of the planet’s most abused lifeforms, The Celebrity. The Celebrity is hunted worldwide by marksmen popularly known as The Paparazzi. To counter The Paparazzi’s flashing weapons, Harvey fitted a light sensor and 3 microcontrolled-LED lights in a clutch bag. The sensor looks out for changes in the ambient light, and once it detects a change – which in this case is supposed to mean camera flashes – it sends a signal that causes the LED lights to flash for 1/15th of a second, wrecking the photograph in the process.

Of course the device is useless against cameras with no flash, but it’s a start. It’s about time someone stood up for those poor Celebrities. Harvey wants to make miniature versions of his invention, but at the same time now that his baby is itself getting some attention, he’s working on obtaining a patent for it. If Harvey’s invention catches on, we might eventually see him cavorting with the stars – like Dame Jane Goodall and her chimpanzee friends – and bravely fighting for their right to party privacy.

Check out Adam Harvey’s website for more pics and info.

[via pdn gear guide via CrunchGear]

celebrity lego minifigs are totally freaking me out, man

karen m. — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:30:07 +0000

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Lego minifig, they’ve come out with 7 celebrity versions. They won’t be available to the public, however- which is probably for the best as they are sure to scare children and adults alike.

The Amy Winehouse minifig actually looks good, for her, but then again it’s hard to express “I’m a nasty crackhead” in the minifig medium. The Madonna one is emphasizing her mannishness to a frightening degree, and furthermore, why aren’t either of them wearing any pants?

The Angelina Jolie minifig is especially freaky, as she looks crazy evil and not at all hot, and is wearing weird holster thingies to boot. Loving the babies though, although the count (not to mention the ethnicities) are not quite correct. Brad is not looking too hot either, but instead rather like a homeless guy.

You can check out the full set although unless you hail from the UK or spend loads of time watching the BBC you may not recognize the remaining celebrities.

[via Gigwise]

celebrity lamp is made from 40 pairs of sunglasses

karen m. — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:35:34 +0000

The Celebrity Lamp by Deeply Madly Living is made from 40 pairs of Aviator sunglasses, and brings a touch of our paparazzified culture into your living room.

Attention to detail is what makes this lamp stand out. My favorite bit has got to be the true-to-form temple switch mechanism. Furthermore, because the sunglasses are mirrored, it casts nifty disco ball-esque shadows on your wall. But why didn’t they think to add a rotating mechanism to take advantage of that?

The lamp was originally created as a way to repurpose old Aviator glasses, but unfortunately now that it’s in mass production mode, the makers have thrown the recycling bit under the bus and just make them out of all brand-new parts. I’m not sure I understand the economics here, but I can’t quite see how taking a couple dozen cheap pairs of sunglasses and adding a lightbulb = $1,600, but I guess they are marking it up for originality and detailed execution.

You can buy one here- and it might please you to know that both American and European voltage versions are available.

[via Inhabitat]

what would jesus weigh?

technabob — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:45:05 +0000

Rather than displaying your weight in pounds or kilos, this clever bathroom scale from Firebox lets you compare your heft with that of famous world figures, actors and other characters from pop culture.

Perfect for those who really don’t want to know how much they weigh, the scale lets you see how you measure up to everyone from Donald Trump, to Fozzie Bear, to Ron Jeremy and even to Baby Jesus. The scale costs $34.95, and comes in both white and blue styles.

I won’t tell you what I weigh, all I’ll say is that it’s somewhere in between Yoda and Mister Ed.

[via Coolest Gadgets]