Technabob » paparazzi

Now You Can Really Blow People off with These Paparazzi Shades

Hazel Chua — Sat, 21 May 2011 11:30:55 +0000

I’m no celebrity, but I’ve seen how annoying and pesky the paparazzi can get (by watching videos taken by paparazzis of other paparazzis. Oh, the irony.)

Celebrities can try to hide behind hoodies, don outrageous disguises, threaten violence if the photographers venture too close, or put a hand up to cover the lenses of the paparazzi. Or they can simply walk past them in these outrageous paparazzi shades.

Technically, they just cover the whole horizontal portion where your eyes are, but still. They won’t exactly render you unrecognizable, but they can hide a bigger part of your face than normal sunglasses or aviators can. Plus they sort of look good, in a Lady Gaga kind of way (and the model they used was pretty, so maybe that played a factor, too.)

These Paparazzi Shades were available from Urban Outfitters for $12(USD) but now they’re out of stock, so you might have to wait it out for a while until they get a new shipment of these in.

Anti-Paparazzi Clutch Bag Fights Flash With Flash

Lambert Varias — 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 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]