technabob » classical

robots + classical music + horror = robotic piano hand

lambert v. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:38:08 +0000

I think Gomez and Morticia should get this robotic hand piano to keep Thing company. Like Thing, the robotic hand piano doesn’t talk. Actually it can’t talk. Anyway, although it can’t talk, it can play classical music. And by play I mean two things: audio playback of its built-in classical piano music, and air piano, meaning its fingers move in sync with the music, as if it was playing on a piano.

After seeing white bread wrist rests I’ve learned not to question the motivation behind the creation of some things, so as to prevent bits of my brain from trickling down my nose. Sanity and rationale are rarely welcome here.

As you can see it’s encased in clear plastic so you can see its innards. If I ever encounter this hand in a dark place I’m going to drop dead out of sheer shock. Even if it’s playing Happy Birthday on a toy piano. Especially if it’s playing Happy Birthday on a toy piano.

You can buy it at Stupid.com for $13 USD. I wish it could also play this.

via [Random Good Stuff]

bachpod: classical music on the go

lambert v. — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:30:39 +0000

Classical music store Passionato has packed the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach into an equally classic 120 Gb iPod classic. Classic classic classic. From the pictures on the site it doesn’t seem like the iPod has any Bachmarks on it, unlike the U2 iPod, but even at £499 ($748) this thing is still quite a steal for all Bach fans.

Why would a $750 iPod still count as a good deal? Because if you buy the complete works of the Bachman separately, it’ll run you close to $1,500. And that’s without the iPod. Passionato sweetens the deal by including a copy of all of the Bachmusic in the form of 3 DVDs, so even if you lose the Bachpod, you’ll still have your Bachup. Pada-bish!

Also, even with the complete works stuffed in it the iPod still has 63 Gb of disk space left. Just add Skid Row and the Bachpod is truly complete. As for the music, Passionato says, “Renowned Bach conductor Helmuth Rilling is joined by Thomas Quasthoff, Christoph Prégardien, Christine Schäfer and many other fantastic soloists, ensembles, choirs and orchestras on this truly outstanding set of award-winning recordings from prestigious German label Hänssler.”

It’s a bit disappointing however that the songs are only encoded in 128 kb AAC. Also, Passionato says that the box set includes “headphones”, but does not mention the brand or the model. But still, the savings alone is enough if you’re planning on collecting the Bachman’s music anyway. If you’re already sold on this and you want to get it by Christmas, make sure to place your order before December 15.

What I really want, not that anyone cares, is a Bachmobile. But if that’s just a horse-drawn carriage then never mind.

[Passionato via tech digest]

music orb: portable music goes back to nature

technabob — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:42:12 +0000

Ok, I’ll say it now. This music player only plays one tune, “Voi Che Sapete,” from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, but it sure looks cool doing it.

The Music Orb is a perfectly smooth wooden globe that contains a tiny mechanical music box. Artisans on the fringes of Germany’s Black Forest handcraft natural oak wood into a 3.5-inch diameter spherical player. While it won’t connect to my computer, stream digital files, or even play the music I want, I still want one.

It’s available from the MOMA Store for $90 (or if you’re a member, $81.)