Subscribe by EmailiPhone Ocarina: Geekiest Musical Instrument Ever
November 22, 2008 by Casey | 1 commentBy Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
In a fit of boredom I decided to try out a bunch of iPhone apps yesterday, and have decided that Ocarina is a keeper. This is one of those concepts that really makes me wonder what the developer was thinking: (1) let’s turn the iPhone into a wind instrument by blowing into the microphone, and (2) hey, wouldn’t it be cool if it were an ocarina like in Zelda? I think that the combination of those two things make it officially the geekiest musical instrument ever. It’s a phone dressed up as an instrument from a video game. (Of course, the ocarina did not come to be with the N64, but the iPhone version even features a “Zeldarian” scale mode.) Here’s how it works:
Of course, after playing with it for twenty minutes, I sound nothing like that. It’s just like any other musical instrument, I guess–it requires practice. You should have heard me playing the oboe when I first picked it up in the sixth grade. It sounded like I was strangling a duck.
One of the coolest things about the Ocarina, however, is that it’s not just something to practice alone and then whip out to impress your friends–there’s a community component, too. The website has forums where Ocarina enthusiasts post sheet music for how to play different songs. Even better, there’s a “World” mode on the Ocarina where you can listen to someone else anywhere in the world playing; there’s a neat rendering of a globe that spins, and it displays the username of the person playing and a pinpoint of where they are. Last night I listened to someone in southern China trying out a pretty convincing rendition of the Star Wars theme.
New Fanboys Trailer Looks Geektastic
November 22, 2008 by Kiltak | 3 commentsScheduled to be released in movie theaters on February 6th 2009 (it was pushed back many times, so who knows if this is the final release date?), Fanboys promises to be one of the most geek-acclaimed comedy of the decade. Check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
[Via Neatorama]
iPhone 2.2 Firmware Released Today!
November 21, 2008 by Jimmy Rogers | 2 commentsBy Jimmy Rogers
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
That’s right - yet another upgrade to the mighty JesusPhone. Why do we report on this stuff? Because people want to know, that’s why!
iPhone users received an email today telling them to upgrade to firmware version 2.2. It’s been a little while since a major upgrade was made, so not only will the new features be of immediate interest, but so will the enhancements to performance and general usability. With the previous iteration of the firmware I had a lot of problems syncing and the device crashed much more often (though the latter may be the result of poor App design).
Guitar Praise: Rock that Positive Message, Kids!
November 21, 2008 by Casey | 6 comments
By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
Apparently Guitar Praise is supposed to be a big seller this holiday season. The idea makes sense in theory–basically a port of Guitar Hero with all of the music replaced with Christian rock for those who have issues with secular music–but it could have been executed so much better if it were an official Guitar Hero product, like the Aerosmith version (or for example, how Karaoke Revolution had a country music version). Instead it just comes off as a lame rip-off. Check out the commercial:
The voice-over sounds like your dorky dad reading a script that he thinks is “how all the kids are talking these days.” “You can move around the room as you rock!” “Shred those rifts!” “Soon you’ll be rockin’ with the best of them while conveying that positive Christian message!”
It just looks like an inferior product, from having to be played on a computer to the lack of character graphics. And that has nothing to do with the music… I was actually a big fan of the Newsboys back in junior high (kind of surprised they’re still around, actually!). Still, I guess if you’re a kid and your parents won’t let you play videogames because they’re all terrible influences on you, and this is the best you’re going to get, then it’s not bad.
Of course, this whole thing just makes me think of other Christian versions of games… like this amazing rip-off of Wolfenstein 3D. SUPER NOAH’S ARK 3D. Because shooting zombies and Nazis is evil, but plugging goats with a slingshot is wholesome (and apparently, educational).
Dance Off with the Star Wars Stars 2008
November 21, 2008 by Kiltak | 1 commentAm I the only one that thinks that this is absolutely awesome? This show took place last June during the Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Be sure to watch it till the end, unless you don’t mind missing Lord Vader’s awesome performance.
Google introduces Digg-style voting buttons
November 21, 2008 by Mark O'Neill | 5 commentsBy Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
Google has introduced a very interesting new feature to their search index - Digg-style voting buttons, where you can vote websites up and down using your Google account.
This is something which apparently has been tested for a long time by Google and which has now been released for prime time. Once you make your search for something, you can show your approval or disapproval by clicking the up or down arrow and your name will appear underneath the result. If you give something a thumb up, it will bring the item on top of the search results for the keyword you just typed in.
According to the official Google blog, this will have no effect whatsoever on actual search ranking. The feature is only there to tweak what is displayed on your own search result pages.
Your thoughts?
HOLY CRAP: Nokia Ad Features Bruce Lee-Like Ping Pong Player
November 21, 2008 by Kiltak | 0 commentsProcuced to promote Nokia’s new N96 Bruce Lee Edition mobile, this commercial features a Bruce Lee look-alike nunchucking the hell out of a ping pong ball.
WOW: Ozzy Osbourne is NOT the Prince of Darkness
November 20, 2008 by Kiltak | 1 commentAfter Mr. T’s Night Elf Mohawk, William Shatner’s shaman, and Verne Troyer’s Mage, Blizzard has hired Ozzy Osbourne to play the role of the “wannabe” prince of darkness in their latest WOW commercial. Check it out.
Gmail Plays Dress-Up
November 20, 2008 by Casey | 12 comments
By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
Those of you accessing Gmail through the web (as I do) may have noticed the new “Themes” that showed up yesterday. I’m already a fan, myself! The options encompass everything from basic color scheme changes to more complicated redesigns that use soothing photos or cute cartoons.
To change your Gmail theme, click on “Settings” at the top righthand corner of the screen, just beside your email address, and you’ll see a new “Themes” tab. They activate automatically when you click on them, so you can easily click through and try them out.
I suppose the “geeky” one is supposed to be “Terminal” (pictured to the right), but I think I’d go blind if I had to stare at the neon-green-on-black for too long. So far my favorite is “Tea House” (pictured above), which seems to a time sensitive theme. When I first activated it, the fox was sitting in the middle of the yard, and now he’s up in the shade of the tower while the sun is higher in the sky. I suspect this may be one of the “weather-sensitive” themes as well, since it asks for your specific location when you activate it.
Sometimes little differences can actually be big ones. I’m thinking of how excited Livejournal users get when the site adds new blog themes to choose from.
If you you’ve chosen a new Gmail theme, which one are you using?
Ding! Dong! Lively’s Gone!
November 20, 2008 by Mark O'Neill | 3 commentsBy Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
What the hell? No sooner have I gotten my bed up the stairs and my bachelor pad all set up, Google has decided to pull the plug on its Second Life-like set up, Lively. As of the end of the year, they are killing it. It’s history baby.
What is it with Google and its beta products that never make it past its first few months? We start playing with them and begin to like them, then after a while…BAM! They close up shop never to be seen again. I thought it was Yahoo who was notorious for doing that? Now it seems Google is doing it too.
OK, I admit I was deeply skeptical of Lively and its exact place in a search company, but it’s one of those products that grow on you after a while. You dress your character up, you get your virtual pad together and you invite a few virtual good looking friends around for a dance and a conversation or two. After a while, you realize a few hours have flown by and you think “wow! this Lively thing isn’t so bad after all!”.
Lively also had the potential for Google to place advertising in it - virtual billboards for example, interactive YouTube videos inside Lively rooms, and so on. So it really mystifies me why Google is pulling the plug on this! Killing this product is almost an impardonable sin!
Fans are distraught and have set up a special Lively room to talk about it (for all the good THAT will do). That’s like doing an online petition.
I wonder what will be the next Google service to get killed? Want to place any bets?
Sexy Green Geek: Part 3 - Recycle
November 20, 2008 by Mackenzie | 0 comments
Here’s the third and final installment in the series on green geekery. We’ve already gone over reducing consumption and reusing what you have, so now it’s time to address recycling. Unfortunately, the heavy metals often found in hardware make electronics difficult to recycle on the same scale as much simpler things, like plastic.
Recycling and reusing are very similar processes, but usually recycling involves parts. To this end, there are a few neat things out there for the technically inclined. Sending e-waste to municipal recycling often doesn’t work out so well. The effort to recycle also depends on there being a demand for new items made from recycled parts. Nobody’s going to go through the work of converting junk into cool stuff if nobody wants the cool stuff they’re making, right? That means there are two ways to work with recycling. You can donate your junk to be recycled, and you can buy the cool stuff made from recycled parts.
Planetary Scientist Explains How The Moon Was Made
November 20, 2008 by Kiltak | 0 comments
In the following video presentation, Nasa Scientist Jennifer Heldmann explains very simply how the moon was initially formed and how it later helped Earth’s life creation process by stabilizing its environmental conditions. Videos after the jump.
