Technabob » sky

Imhotep Blows into New Brunswick, Canada

Hazel Chua — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:00:49 +0000

I’ve spent a fair share of my afternoons lying down on the grass and just staring at the clouds as they move gently across the sky, prodded along by the occasional breeze.

My mom used to make me identify animals and objects that the clouds formed during some of our lazy afternoons together. I’m sure you’ve had your own cloud naming moments way back when, too.

Animal clouds, food clouds, and random geometrically shaped clouds are a pretty common sight, but have you ever seen a real, un-live Imhotep cloud?

Okay, so this isn’t exactly Imhotep, but doesn’t it sort of look like an Egyptian pharaoh to you? With the narrow nose, sharp cheekbones, and sculpted forehead?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The whole pre and post Imhotep-forming was captured on film, luckily, and as of writing, has garnered over six hundred thousand views on YouTube.

[via TechEBlog]

Stellarwindow Turns Tablet Pcs Into a Virtual Planetarium

Technabob — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:02:03 +0000

This intriguing hardware/software combo from Japan’s Fairy Devices lets you turn a tablet PC into a veritable “window to the stars”.

As you hold your PC up and move it around, the highly-sensitive motion-sensor USB module sends position data to the StellarWindow’s planetarium software, adjusting the viewport to match the angle of your screen. The motion sensor module detects both acceleration and earth magnetism on X, Y and Z axes.

The stunning star maps include a combination of photographic and CGI images, including are over 2.6 million stars and other celestial bodies cataloged and overlayed onto the display.

The software also includes a voice guidance capability that helps you position the sensor in the right direction. This video clip really shows off the StellarWindow in action…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you don’t happen to have a tablet PC lying around, you can also attach the sensor to a pair of binoculars and view the feedback on a connected Windows PC (a Mac OS X version is coming soon).

While casual stargazers can do something similar on iPhones with Craic Design’s Pocket Universe, that doesn’t really compare to the high resolution imagery and sheer volume of data you’ll find in this software. If you’re seriously into astronomy, there’s no comparison. Then again, StellarWindow costs 100-times more than Pocket Universe.

Fairy Devices sells the StellarWindow for $299 (USD), but only accepts PayPal. But if you want to pay by credit card, the guys over at the Japan Trend Shop have them for $338 (USD).

Dining in the Sky: Hope You Wore Your Parachute

Technabob — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:40:58 +0000

This strange restaurant combines the delights of dining with a thrill of well, a thrill ride. You’ll travel about 150 feet into the sky before you chow down on a gourmet meal prepared mid-air.

Dinner In The Sky uses a mobile crane to lift its entire 22-seat open-air dining room over city streets all over Europe. Before they can leave the earth, diners are strapped into their seats with a four-point harness as if they were about to get onto a ride at Great America.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The whole setup is available for rent starting from about 7900 € (a little more than $10,000 USD) for a day in the operator’s homeland of Belgium. They’ll even bring the dining room to other countries for a bit more money. Those prices don’t include electricity or catering either, so this is clearly an experience reserved for the filthy rich.

My only recommendation… be sure to hit the bathroom BEFORE you take off.

Projector Paints the Aurora Borealis on Your Walls

Technabob — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:53:22 +0000

Now you can bring the famous Northern Lights inside your house with this nifty light projector from Japan.

The Genso Kukan Aurora simulates the beautiful atmospheric phenomena known as the Aurora Borealis and projects the images on your wall or ceiling.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’m pretty sure that its using LEDs and other optical trickery to generate its relaxing patterns of animated color. The machine measures about 6″ x 6″ x 4″ and should run for about twenty hours on three AA batteries. It even has a 30-minute sleep timer so you can set it to go right before you head off to slumberland. The projector even comes with a complimentary CD of new-age music to complete the chill-out effect.

The Aurora light can be found from Japanese importer HimeyaShop for $61 plus shipping. I have one of these on order for myself so I’ll let you know how it really looks in action once I receive mine.

[UPDATE 4/8/2007: I received my Aurora projector today, and it's pretty underwhelming. You'll need a pitch black room to really see the effect, and it really isn't effective at projecting anything more than about a two foot area of color. In my opinion, you'd be better off with a Laserpod or some Morpheus fixtures if you're looking for something more dramatic.]

Turn Your Walls Into a Starfield

Technabob — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:38:05 +0000

Sick of the same four white walls? This new projection gadget might just help you make that room a little less drab. The Laser Stars Projector will take a plain white room and turn it into a twinkling, ever changing starfield (assuming you turn off the lights.)

The 10-inch tall projector uses a bright green laser and other holographic tricks to create a panorama of thousands of stars. The stars and clouds are constantly changing, creating a truly unique visual effect. When placed properly in your room, its beam is wide enough to cover several walls and an entire ceiling (in a small room). There’s also an option to turn adjust the intensity (or turn off) simulated blue vapor clouds, completing the effect. The Laser Stars Projector is available now for around $180.