Now this is what I call multitasking!
[Via Geekosystem]
Tech toys heading for Christmas lists
We live in an age when children seem more interested in grown-up gadgetry (my 12-year-old niece is currently unsuccessfully lobbying her parents for a BlackBerry) than traditional toys. But if forecasts are correct, this could be a particularly tech-filled Christmas.
The UK’s Toy Retailers’ Association has just published its annual Christmas best-seller prediction list, in which staff from 20 retail chains name the dozen toys they expect to be most popular. Although the resulting publicity gives it a good chance of being a self-fulfilling prophecy, the forecasts aren’t always on the money.
This year’s list has several high-tech entries, both original gadgets and child editions of more familiar gadgets. The chairman of the selection panel told the BBC that “This year we have seen some amazing technological advancements from the toy industry. This does not mean to say that the toys are ‘techie’, rather that technology has been used to enrich the whole experience of play.”
Of most interest to Geeks Are Sexy readers will likely be the umpteen billionth take on the lightsaber, this time the “Darth Vader Ultimate FX edition” which comes with a training DVD. It’s also got motion-powered sound effects, which surely takes half the fun out of it. (Whispers “Whooossssh.”)
The likely most annoying gift is the Fijit Friends, which are some sort of robot alien abomination aimed squarely at girls. They allegedly respond to 30 keywords (plus tickling and cuddles) and can reply with 150 phrases, crack jokes, or dance along in time to any nearby source of music.
Speaking of music there’s Let’s Rock Elmo, who can sing or play a tambourine or drums, as well as interacting with people who’ve bought an optional human-size guitar, keyboard or microphone. Special prize to the first YouTuber who uploads a clip of Elmo completing Rock Band.
On the kiddie version front, there’s both a digital camera and a tablet up for grabs. The Kidizoom twist is a 2 megapixel stills and video camera that also has on board photo editing and games. Meanwhile the LeapPad is a tablet designed for 4-9 year-olds and comes with “100+ games and apps, including e-books, videos and more.” Those of us who bought the original iPad will be unimpressed to note the device includes a built-in stills and video camera which can be used to place the child’s image into video stories.
In other toy news, Lego now comes in a Ninja edition, while Nerf has a “Vortex Nitron” model that automatically fires discs.
But the most striking toy on the list is also arguably the most low-tech. Doggie Doo is what geeks would call a twist on the Buckaroo game engine in which:
Players throw the dice to determine how often they squeeze the dachshund’s lead. Each squeeze pushes the plasticine poop nearer to fruition and when the deed is done, players scoop the poop.
The Crazy Human Slingshot [Video]
Yikes! These people have used 2 poles witha bungie cord to create what looks like the most fun, dangerous thing I’ve seen in a while.
[Via Crenk]
Android Dreams: A Time-Lapse Tribute to Blade Runner
Check out this amazing time-lapse video of Tokyo by French photographer and video artist Samuel Cockedey, which was filmed to pay homage to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Vangelis. Enjoy!
[Via Laughing Squid]
Awesome Batman: Arkham City Costume is Awesome [Gallery]
Lab rat Batpirisss of The FX Lab worked with two other artists to craft this incredibly detailed batsuit, modeled primarily from the Arkham City suit and designed to have a better movement (head, joints) and overall texture than the movie suits. You have to admire the craftsmanship here — it took about 3 months to build all of the parts, which are individual and interchangeable but anchored to an undersuit so it fits the Bruce Wayne-wannabe underneath. Particularly interesting is the way the grid texture is uniform over the entire muscle suit, “to run synced up on all panels as the game suit does.” That’s attention to detail.
There are some close-up shots of the utility belt and cowls (there are two), but a full description of the process and some interesting notes about the Batsuit construction are hanging out in the FXLab thread.
[g.tdw]
Stephen King’s Dark Tower Headed to HBO
So the movies will have to wait a bit, until a new studio picks them up. But a miniseries based on Stephen King’s seven-book series, “The Dark Tower”, will hit air on HBO. “We’re going to do with HBO,” producer Brian Grazer said. “We’ll do the TV with HBO, and we’ll do the movie with… to be determined. We’ll do it right.”
Originally planned as a trio of films, the project’s budget has been reduced significantly–down $45 million from initial investments–but Grazer remains optimistic. He also maintains confidence that Roland Deschain will be portrayed by Javier Bardem, which is just fine with us.
If you could cast the HBO miniseries yourself, who would you put in each role? I think I’d keep Bardem, but… but what about Oy?
[source]
The Unfortunate Reality [Pic]
[Via FG]