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Monday, May 7, 2012

The Tech Behind The Tupac Hologram & How It Could Rock The World [MakeUseOf Explains]


When Tupac Shakur strode on stage at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival to perform a song with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, most of those in attendance were struck dumb with awe, because Tupac was shot and killed in 1996. Thanks to a combination of an old-time stage trick and modern technology he returned to life in virtual form in front of 100,000 stunned music fans.
There is talk of his holographic performance being extended to accommodate a full tour. It makes a lot of sense in making this happen. The possibility made me consider a future in which holographic projections such as the one which enabled Tupac fans to experience their hero one more time become standard. Both for those who are still performing music and those who have passed on.

Pepper’s Ghost

These days Pepper’s Ghost is mainly used in haunted houses, theme parks, and museums. Amateur enthusiasts have even been know to rig up Pepper’s Ghost displays in their back gardens. But there is clearly a new use for this centuries-old technique which, with the addition of the latest AV equipment, could change the nature of live concerts.

Modern Applications

According to MTVDigital Domain is the company responsible for recreating the virtual form of Tupac, but it has also worked on Hollywood movies. Its credits including The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, in which it managed to convincingly age and de-age Brad Pitt, and Tron: Legacy, in which it shaved years off Jeff Bridges’ age. AV Concepts is responsible for actually projecting the hologram onto the stage, though it’s being careful not to reveal too many of its secrets.
We do know that the company uses a version of the Musion Eyeliner system, which it licenses from patent holder Musion Systems. The video embedded above shows how it works. This is essentially the Pepper’s Ghost technique but created using modern technology. The metallic foil that has replaced the glass is positioned on stage at a 45-degree angle to the audience. A video projector beams an HD image onto a reflective surface, which then reflects from the foil towards the audience, giving the illusion of someone or something being physically present.
This means anything that can be displayed on a video projector can be recreated on stage. Opening up an endless number of possibilities. It also means this isn’t a hologram as such, but merely an optical illusion. Unfortunately that doesn’t sound anywhere near as compelling.

Dead Musicians

Musicians who have long gone from this world could be brought back for one-off shows or even tours. Just like Tupac at Coachella. I would pay good money to see the following perform live.
Elvis Presley had become something of a caricature of his former self. Imagine seeing him as a young man setting out to change the world with a holographic version of him from the late 1950s, early 1960s. An Elvis Presley world tour would sell out in seconds. The technology would allow the King to return.
The Beatles were, are, and will forever remain, the greatest pop group of all time. With two of the four having now sadly passed away a world tour with holograms of the four Beatles in their heyday would make utter sense. The technology would allow for the group to be shown at different stages of their career.
Jimi Hendrix is probably the greatest guitarist who ever lived. Unfortunately he died way before his time, being a member of that exclusive group of musicians who died aged 27. The technology would give fans the opportunity to see a guitar god up on stage performing once more.
Queen were a true rock band, with a frontman that many consider to be the greatest of all time. Imagine a Queen tour with the real-life Brian May and Roger Taylor joined on stage by a holographic version of Freddie Mercury. The technology would allow one of the greatest showmen of all time emit his incredible stage presence again.
Michael Jackson was once the King of Pop. At the time of his death, Jackson was preparing to go out on tour; a grand, possibly final tour to thank all his fans. The technology would enable the hundreds of thousands who had tickets for This Is It! to fulfill their dream.

Live Musicians


This wouldn’t just be a boon for (the estates of) dead musicians. Living ones could utilize the technology in a number of different ways. Duets could be performed at concerts despite one party not being present. Former band members who then became solo artists could include sections of their gigs in which they re-team with their former bands. Artists who love themselves a little too much could create virtual clones to appear on stage with them.
The laziest performers could one day even send their holograms out on tour while they relax on holiday. An unlikely scenario perhaps, but if the technology keeps on improving there may come a day when an audience wouldn’t actually be able to tell the difference.

Conclusions

Would you pay money to see a concert performed entirely by a holographic representation of a music artist who is no longer with us? Would you like the spectacle of a real band adding holographic elements to their shows? What other uses can you imagine this innovation being used for? As always we want to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

The technology behind the Tupac hologram is both amazing and simplistic at the same time. The technique being used actually dates back to at least the 19th century and is called ‘Pepper’s Ghost‘, named after John Henry Pepper. While he didn’t invent the technique, Pepper popularized it and the name stuck.
The technique was first described by Giambattista della Porta in the 16th century, and Henry Dircks is known to have used it in his Dircksian Phantasmagoria performances before Pepper brought it into mainstream theaters.
In those days the Pepper’s Ghost effect, which conjures a ghostly image in one room from an actual object in another, was brought to life using a sheet of plate glass. When the glass was angled correctly and had a light source aimed at it, a realistic image was displayed to the audience without them ever seeing the source.

Egofly Hawkspy LT-712 Helicopter with Spy Camera Review and Giveaway


Geeks will go crazy over anything that can be remotely controlled. So I am fairly certain that this is up a geek’s alley. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Egofly Hawkspy radio-controlled helicopter (LT-712) from Xenon Project which retails for $69.99. They also carry an entire line of remote control helicopters which is worth a look. What sets the Hawkspy apart from other RC helicopters is the addition of an onboard camera that can be triggered from the transmitter.
I have to be honest here, I haven’t reviewed many RC helicopters — none, in fact. But if you’ll bear with me, I’ll try my best to go over the Hawkspy. We’ll also be giving this review unit away to a MakeUseOf reader so be sure to join the giveaway and be in the running to win it.
hawkspy review
For $70, you’ll get the Hawkspy, its remote control (transmitter), a 1GB MicroSD card, a (very bright orange) MicroSD card reader, a spare tail blade, 4 landing skid rubbers, a wall charger and the user manual. The first I did was throw away the user manual — it was most probably written and printed in China and therefore extremely confusing. I learnt more about flying an RC helicopter by browsing on YouTube for instructional videos. There was however, one important fact about the Hawkspy that did come through the user manual — it shouldn’t be charged any longer than an hour to 75 minutes. That was about it
The helicopter unit is smaller than I had anticipated; measuring at 12.5 inches, which is roughly the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger on an average human. It’s also extremely light, being made out of mostly plastic trim and an aluminium frame.
The main attraction of the Hawkspy is most definitely its onboard “spy” camera which is mounted at the bottom of the unit. The fixed forward-facing camera is activated by a button on the transmitter and once enabled, it records video only at a resolution of 720×480 in MJPEG format directly into the MicroSD card.
hawkspy review
Where the MicroSD card slots into the camera unit is pictured below. There’s also an LED light to indicate when recording is in progress. Although the camera isn’t capable of recording in high definition, I found the quality of the video to be acceptable even in low light conditions. There are quite a lot of videos recorded by the Hawkspy on YouTube so I won’t bore you with any of my test footages. The only thing that’s missing from the entire setup is a way to remotely view the captured video without actually having to remove the MicroSD card and inserting it into the reader. It would have been nice to actually see what’s being recorded in real-time. But then again, for a $70 toy, that is probably asking too much.
hawkspy review
Now, operation. The mode-2-ish transmitter requires a whopping 6 AA batteries to operate. The retractable antenna is able to control the helicopter up to 90 meters away. On the left, you’ll find the throttle control (makes the helicopter fly higher or lower). The rudder and the forward/backwards flying directions are controlled on the right. The power slider is smack right in the middle, which an LED indicator right above it. RC helicopter hobbyists will probably point out that the cyclic controls are sort of inadequate — the right/left cyclic controls are missing so the helicopter isn’t able to pitch to the left or right.
There is also an additional slider below each control toggle. The one of the right is the ST trim slider, which needs to be adjusted if the helicopter spins to the right or left on its own while in the air. Unfortunately, the slider on the left is a dud and the transmitter is missing throttle and pitch trims.
The two additional buttons on the left and right of the power slider controls the landing and rudder LED lights on the helicopter and the 2-speed mode (which didn’t make any difference during testing) respectively.
hawkspy review
On a full charge, the Egofly Hawkspy provides you with 10-15 minutes of flying fun. The included 1GB MicroSD card is more than sufficient to record your entire flight session.

Conclusion

The Hawkspy is a novelty toy with the added capability of recording video. It’s certainly a fun toy to have around. It’s small, light and pretty durable. If the flight time could be improved, I’d easily recommend it.
We’re giving one away this week! Join the giveaway below to be in the running to win a free Egofly Hawkspy.

How do I win it?

It’s simple, just follow the instructions.

Step 1: Fill in the giveaway form

Please fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. Click here if you can’t view the form.
The giveaway code required to activate the form is available from our Facebook pageour Twitter stream and Google+ page.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Sindhu Menon Actress Indian


Menon, then moved to "small screen", hosting TV shows and acting in serials, which include "Sriman Srimathi" and "Stree Hrudayam", before accepting film offers again. Currently, she is acting in the Malayalam films, Bharya Onnu Makkal Moonnu, and Rahasya Police. She acted in the Tamil film Eeram, produced by popular Tamil director S. Shankar.

Zarine Khan Actress Smart Photo Collection


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Ferrari cars pictures

Ferrari cars pictures
Ferrari cars pictures 1 - Ferrari F430 spider

Ferrari cars pictures 2 - Ferrari Dino  Concept car 2007



Ferrari cars pictures 4 - Lamborghini vs Ferrari
Pictures 1 and 2 Coutesy  of european-cars-pics.blogspot.com/
Ferrari cars pictures 5 - 2006 Ferrari P4 by Pininfarina
Ferrari cars pictures 6 - Ferrari Dino Concept
Ferrari cars pictures 7 - Ferrari Aurea
Ferrari cars pictures 8 - Ferrari crash

Top cars for 2011

Amazing cars Saab aero x concept car

Amazing cars Saab aero x concept car
cars
No doubt this Saab Aero x is an amazing car