Melodyne Plugin 2, the first product to incorporate DNA, has also added the ability to cut and paste / overlap notes and chords individually or in sequence. Unfortunately, the release date of the plugin has been pushed back to 2009—but Celemony has promised to run a public beta testing program prior to launch so people can familiarize themselves with the technology. The fact that it is getting pushed back sucks, but it's better late than never. After all, the recording industry needs a good kick in the pants to get their focus back on quality. [Music Radar]

The headline is my formulation of Murphy's Law, invoked just prior to putting a glass down next to something I want to read and then knocking it over.

"There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you're a presenter (or when you are supporting someone else's presentation). This site is going to try to help you break Murphy's Law so Murphy's Law can't break you."

Synaptics will be raking in some more moolah. They have confirmed that RIM’s first touch screen phone, Storm uses their Clearpad custom module to provide multi-touch gestures like copy-paste and so on.

The total revenue expected from this deal is under cover but the touch screen boom is definitely proving worthwhile for Synaptics. Prior to this deal, they also provided touch screen sensors to HTC for manufacturing G1.

[Via WashingtonPost]

Just like many other self-respecting smartphones these days, the BlackBerry Storm smartphone features an innovative touch screen which is able to depress slightly whenever you apply some pressure on it with your finger, letting you feel as though you were pressing an actual button, resulting in a “click”. This provides the user with a positive confirmation of their selection, and is touted to enhance touch interface dramatically as well as a highly-intuitive typing experience. I guess this is much better than haptic feedback that does nothing but buzz each time you make a selection.

The BlackBerry Storm works as good as it looks, being a high end 3G handset with global connectivity. Verizon Wireless’ BlackBerry Storm 9530 will feature 3G EV-DO Rev. A/CDMA technology, (2100Mhz) UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM connectivity while Vodafone’s BlackBerry Storm 9500 supports (2100Mhz) UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks. Inside you will find a full HTML browser, email support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, 1GB of internal memory, a microSDHC memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth connectivity and a 3.25″ display. No word on pricing at this point in time, although that situation will change in a few weeks’ time.

Press Release

It's been a while since I've had to write on a manual typewriter regularly (though I wrote a prior post where an old manual saved my life). Even as a kid watching my father type on his IBM Selectric that sounded like a machine-gun nest, I was fascinated by all the mechanics that went on inside. As I pursued writing in high school, I bought a 1930's Underwood manual typewriter because it felt important to get in touch with what it meant to be a “real” writer.

Watching the Underwood's insect-like iron mechanisms give life to my words was occasionally an emotional experience (especially if I typed a little too fast and the typebars got tangled up). I really did feel in a way that the typewriter was alive, so I might not have been surprised when the machine sprang to life into one of Jeremy Mayer's sculptures.

Mayer has created a series of sculptures that capture the mysteriously delicate, yet sturdy, inner structures of living things using old typewriters. I'm mystified at the curves and supple shapes that are sourced from office castoffs, and how each piece is simultaneously alive and yet coldly robotic.  Steampunk & “Naked Lunch” fans take note...

Mayer's online portfolio  [via Technabob]

related:

Typewriter Parable - How Far Have We Come?
Verbot: Tomy's Voice Controlled Robot
Super #1 Robot book
Robot erector sets

More after the jump.
Click here to view the embedded video.

The first thing tha struck me when I looked at the pink tank was that it looks pretty much like the real deal. Maybe not a tank per se, more an APC, but the authenticity is there. It weighs 2,000 pounds, so it has a bit of heft to it, it is certainly a lot to be pushing around under your own power, but it can be done.

While 2000 pounds would be impossible for one person, six people make light work of it. Prior to the build, a computer model of the design revealed that six people pedaling would be enough to generate 1.5 horsepower. Wheels were the more practical choice for this reason. Pedaling at a comfortable speed, the team was able to maintain a cruising speed of 15mph - couple that with 2000 pounds of metal and you have a contraption that is big, heavy and fast enough to actually be dangerous.

The steering system is a combination of pieces from a Geo Metro and a Ford 150, with the frame and axles hand-built. The powerplant melds the pedals, cranks and bottom brackets of some old 10-speed bicycles with industrial grade sprockets and chainwheels; with the gearing from the bicycles providing a nice added boost to the power output. All up, one awesome build and a steal at the $3000 it cost to put together. [PopSci]

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This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

There’s no denying that the Wii has changed the way that we play video games. Prior to the console’s release we would hold a controller with a dozen or so buttons, and simply use our thumbs to get the desired on-screen response. Sure, back in the earlier days of gaming there were fewer buttons, but it was always the same concept. Then the Wii came along and we’ve been waving controllers to swing golf clubs, shoot a bow and arrow or control any number of actions. Well the most recently-announced game for Nintendo’s flagship console plans to change things up once again.

As one could imagine, Let’s Tap requires you to tap on something. You’ll set your Wiimote on a flat surface, and then just tap away. What you’re actually doing in the game still remains a bit of a mystery. Something tells me that you won’t be doing much that couldn’t be accomplished (or be just as easy) to do by “tapping” the A button.

The game will come with its own special cardboard box that is supposed to be ideal, but I’m going to hold out for a 3rd-party box. Maybe something with custom graphics, or made out of some sort of polycarbonate material. I don’t know why, but it almost seems like a crime not to play a game on my Wii without some sort of special attachment these days.

Source

Given the great anticipation and the heavy pre-sale demand for the T-Mobile G1 with Google, we nearly tripled the number of phones initially available for delivery on our Oct. 22 launch date, and have sold through them all. However, to accommodate additional T-Mobile customers who want to pre-order a device, they now have the opportunity to place a pre-order through Oct. 21, for delivery at a later date. Also, people can still pre-register on the T-Mobile G1 Web site to be notified prior to launch where they can purchase the device beginning Oct. 22.

The purpose is to encourage us to think they tripled production and then sold it out under pre-ordering, when in fact it's said neither.

Nintendo used to be precise about why it couldn't get Wiis to store shelves. But here, we have "phones initially available for delivery" — and what exactly does "sold through," mean? If it was sold out, they could have said so.

The only thing this note makes clear is that they've consigned them all to retailers.

G1 Pre-Sale Madness: T-Mobile Triples Production, Sells Them All [Gizmodo]

Given the great anticipation and the heavy pre-sale demand for the T-Mobile G1 with Google, we nearly tripled the number of phones initially available for delivery on our Oct. 22 launch date, and have sold through them all. However, to accommodate additional T-Mobile customers who want to pre-order a device, they now have the opportunity to place a pre-order through Oct. 21, for delivery at a later date. Also, people can still pre-register on the T-Mobile G1 Web site to be notified prior to launch where they can purchase the device beginning Oct. 22.

[T-Mobile G1 Site]