::thetcp::

Still here...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 04:07:00 +0000

I haven't posted in months, but I am still here...swamped with work, but also scheming for what this site and blog need to be. I love sharing cool stuff I find online, but there is purpose...direction...an identity that has been nagging at me. This blog is more than just clever quips and shots at cool tech...there is soul behind it. I'm still figuring out what exactly that is.

OMG Lebron James Just Got Dunked On!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:27:00 +0000

You must wonder what evil genius is working at Nike/Wieden&Kennedy to create such a stir about nothing...or if it was planned at all. This video surfaced a few weeks ago, but was "pulled down" reportedly by Nike because LeBron gets dunked on by a kid at his basketball camp. Conspiracy theories started to run about why Nike would do this...are they protecting LeBron's image, the face of their brand, er, one face of their brand? Was it because Jordan Crawford was wearing an Adidas jersey? Does it matter? But this is the off season. And we're still talking about it. ESPN reported on it. News articles are surfacing asking "What's the big deal?" So, Nike, you're welcome. We're still talking about you. And Lebron, man, tighten up the D.

Going Viral and Being Grateful :: Kuroshio Video and Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:48:00 +0000

An incredible video shot with a Canon 5D MKII has surfaced of the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium's Kuroshio Sea, the 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world.

This video was viewed over 1 million times in a week. As the video went viral, people began asking about the music which so perfectly fits the scene. The band, Barcelona, was used without their knowledge...a nice little piece of music supervision by the director. This week the band's single, "Please Don't Go" gained traction at iTunes and the band released this video response, which, if you can appreciate their humility, gratitude, and genuine surprise at their good fortune, makes you like them even more. If you like the song, go support these guys.

More at myspace.com/barcelona

Follow director Jon Rawlinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jonrawlinson

Star Wars Uncut :: Claim a Scene and Film 15 Seconds

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Cool idea. Claim a 15 second scene of Starwars, then the owners of the site will stich them together to make a full-length version. All the scenes have been claimed, so now we wait and watch!

http://starwarsuncut.com

The Plug :: I Tied a Camera to a Bench

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Fun idea - ThePlug.com tied a camera to a bench with a note:

Good afternoon,
I attached this camera to the bench so you could take pictures. Seriously. So have fun. I'll be back later this evening to pick it up.
Love, Jay / The Plug

Check out the photos HERE >>

Steve McNair :: A Farewell

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I was a huge sports fan throughout my childhood. Somewhere in highschool I took a turn for the arts and left sports behind. I focused on music and writing throughout college, and once I graduate from Belmont I stayed in Nashville. We were getting a football team, the former Houston Oilers, and they were to be named the Tennessee Titans. My dad, who was a huge football fan, kept asking me about the Titans...how are they doing, who are they playing, etc. I didn't know or really care to know. But as the season went a long and my dad kept asking me about the Titans, I began to pay attention. He was a big fan of the St. Louis Rams and brought up the prospect of the Rams vs. Titans in the Super Bowl. He had my attention.

For the next several months we knocked on each other's team in good fun. He would call me anytime the Rams made a great play and I would call him when the Titans did the same. Then this happened:

The Titans had stayed alive and eventually made it to the Super Bowl. It was a hell of a game. My dad called me every time the Titans screwed up or the Rams made a great play. We loved the ribbing. He was great at it. On the final play of the game I called him while the play unfolded..."McNair throws...caught!!! TOUCHD....NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" The other end of the phone distorted with celebration that the Rams won.

I lost my dad in 2003. I am forever grateful to that group of Titans for such a memorable season that brought dad and I closer. Without Steve McNair, I don't think we would have been there. Rest in Peace, Steve, and thank you for the memories that inspired the city of Nashville.

White Glove Tracking :: A Nerd Tribute to Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Tributes for Michael Jackson are showing up everywhere since his untimely death a few weeks ago. Some of the brightest are user-generated and open source. Here are two that I love.

WHITE GLOVE TRACKING
White Glove Tracking is an open source project initiated by Evan Roth and Ben Engebreth with support from the Rhizome Commissions Program and the Eyebeam OpenLab. A description of the project from the website www.whiteglovetracking.com:

On May 4th, 2007, we asked internet users to help isolate Michael Jackson's white glove in all 10,060 frames of his nationally televised landmark performance of Billy Jean. 72 hours later 125,000 gloves had been located. wgt_data_v1.txt is the culmination of data collected.

Users may download this data set and use it to manipulate the video, specifically, MJ's white glove. The nerd herd is in full song with the King of Pop. My favorite is the Giant Glove by Tim Knapen

Be sure to check out the gallery for some really great applications! www.whiteglovetracking.com

ETERNAL MOONWALK
You may have seen this but it's worth mentioning and you don't have to be quite as geeky to participate. The site invites users to upload a video of themselves doing the moonwalk. Once uploaded, it cycles through the submissions as if the moonwalk were being passed on through each window. It's really ingenious. One feature that takes it to the next level is that each participant's name, location, and social contacts are displayed beneath each video. Hit the user up via facebook, twitter, or email. Quite cool.

www.eternalmoonwalk.com

GET MICHAEL JACKSON MUSIC ON iTUNES >>

CampSpace :: Everyday Objects as Game Controllers

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:22:00 +0000

There is a group of developers working on some insane applications that interact with webcams. I blogged about a similar technology Microsoft is working on for X-Box 360 here. Now a similar controller is available from CampSpace. I haven't had a chance to try it but based on the video samples on their site, the technology looks fun, even if it's just for the novelty of using a water bottle as a steering wheel.

In the past couple of days I have come across a number of people who are working on object-based flash apps. This stuff is bridging the gap between today and a "Minority Report" world. Check out the work of Alex Milde, using color tracking in flash to manipulate a display in real time.

The technology below is called SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) and according to Wikipedia, can be used in computer vision tasks like object recognition or 3D reconstruction. This is sick stuff.

More flash work is on Alex's blog here. What kind of applications do you think this stuff can be used for...other than gaming? Sound off in the comments.

Fix Outlook :: A Really Cool Idea Birthed by a Stupid One

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Microsoft wants to use Word to render HTML emails in Outlook 2010. This basically means designers who spend a ton of time making sure their killer-looking HTML emails will work across multiple email programs are up in arms because this would essentially kill those designs across a wide swath of email readers.

So they are fighting back. Fixoutlook.org is their voice. The website does 2 things. It shows you why using Word to render HTML emails is a bad idea, and it displays the twitter users who are protesting this change in real-time. Hopefully Microsoft will get the message because this really is kinda a big deal.

From a "message standpoint" it's slightly skewed since some people will tweet the site URL just to get their photo to appear (that's 90% of the fun). But it's also a great awareness campaign so people who don't really know why they should care(the same people who don't know why they should upgrade from IE6) can find out. It's a great showcase for the incredibly talented gang at Newism, the company that made it.

View the site and then tweet about it to get your photo added to the user scroll: http://fixoutlook.org

Jon and Kate Plus Hate

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:49:00 +0000

In case you missed Jon and Kate's big announcement last night, this pretty much sums it up.

I am not talking about the end of their marriage, either. Their personal life is theirs even though they are aggressively broadcasting it to millions. What I'm talking about is the production of the show itself.

Was it just me or was the same interview piece from each used over and over again, ending with Jon not knowing what is going to happen and Kate almost in tears and then cutting to a charming promo piece for Cake Boss? My emotions didn't know what to do. So I cried and had a cupcake.

Seriously, though, I'm okay with a little Rock of Love because it's pathetic in a funny kind of way. I'm okay with The Amazing Race and Survivor because it's not reality, it's unscripted (as far as you know).

But this Jon and Kate thing is just way too invasive, too real, and there are kids involved, to boot. I am a lemming, and I tuned in to watch the "big announcement" like millions of others (did I just admit that?), and what I was fed was 30 minutes of Crooked House building and another 30 minutes that used seven minutes of interviews and re-edited it so they could fill all their ad spots. Maybe the people making the show are too close to Jon and Kate at this point, or maybe they ran out of time, but the production of the interview tried and failed to turn this awful event for the couple into a compelling drama. It was uncomfortable. So way to go, TLC for attempting to gracefully fill us in on the lives of two people I will never meet and their 8 adorable kids who in ten or twenty years can re-watch the DVD version of how their rents split.

Daisy of Love is on. I'm Out.

The Get Out Clause :: Surveillance Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Need to make a video, but don't have a budget? Chase Jarvis brought this killer video by The Get Out Clause to my attention. The band set up their gear in front of surveillance cameras in multiple locations, and using the Data Information Act, requested all of the video footage. Then a nice edit, and voila! Pretty good track, to boot. Read more about the video here.

Pacifica :: Marlon Torres and the Canon 5D MKII

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

This is the first piece of video I have seen that has really connected me to the 5D MKII. And by connected, I mean I want one. I also want to live on the beach but that ain't happening yet. There is a combination of things in this video that I love. The ocean, the clarity (Torres used the following lenses: 24-105mm L, 50mm L, Tamron 75-300mm), the music (Latika's Theme from Slumdog Millionaire) , the composition - incredible, and the edit...Torres lets the ocean do the work and lets it play out and sink in. Any time I want a vacation, I'll pull this up. Nice work!

Check out more about Marlon Torres HERE >>

earnote :: Free MP3 download and Ringtone - The Party Equation, just in time for summer.

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:16:00 +0000

Here's a head start on summer, a little free music from your friends at earnote.

To get the beats out there we're equipping you with the body-moving mp3 and ringtones you'll need to solve The Party Equation.

DOWNLOAD IT NOW >>

Want more earnote? Join our email list and you'll be in the know when some action happens.

SUBSCRIBE >>

Father's Day :: Dad's Rule

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Dad's rule. Being a dad rules. This is my first Father's Day with a son of my own who turns 1 at the end of the month. It's been a crazy year. Miles is almost walking. He has the best sense of humor. I'm crazy about him.

As he grows up I look forward to doing these kinds of things to solidify my rank as a great dad:

Lydia

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:35:00 +0000

I'm really into this band right now.

Penguins :: Bionic Solutions for Efficient Automation

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Some day I want an office atrium or foyer at my house with giant robotic Air Penguins just kicking it.

FESTO :: THIS IS LIKE EVIL SUPER-VILLAIN HEADQUARTERS STUFF

Festo is a German company with offices worldwide is a supplier of pneumatic and electrical automation technology. Some of their projects in the Bionic Learning Network mimic behaviors in nature to help us apply efficiencies in production.

"Bionic design principles serve as the basis for the development of new gripper technology for flexible adaptive grasping in the mechanical handling industry.

"In biomechatronics, Festo is investigating new approaches in the control and regulation of autonomous bionic systems, all the way up to smart system integration and the application of state-of-the-art communication technologies."

AUQUAPENGUIN

Like its natural archetype, the AquaPenguin from Festo has a hydrodynamic body contour. Its elegant wing propulsion and its head and tail sections, which can be moved in all directions, allow the robotic penguins to manoeuvre in cramped spatial conditions, to turn on the spot when necessary and – unlike their biological counterparts – even to swim backwards.

The bionic Penguins are designed as autonomous underwater vehicles that independently orient themselves and navigate through the water basin. They are supported by a 3D sonar system which, as with dolphins, allows communication with their surroundings and with other robotic penguins – for example to avoid collisions.

An entirely new feature in robotics is the torso that can move in any direction. The bionic Fin Ray® structure, derived from the tail fin of a fish, has thus been extended into three-dimensional space for the first time. The pengins' torso design can be used in automation in a flexible tripod configuration, thereby opening up new fields of application in mechanical handling technology.

AQUAJELLY

AquaJelly is an artificial autonomous jellyfish in water, a self-controlling system which emulates swarming behaviour. AquaJelly consists of a translucent hemisphere and eight tentacles for propulsion. At the centre of the AquaJelly is a watertight laser-sintered body. It houses a central electric motor, the two lithium-ion polymer batteries, the recharging control unit and the servo motors for the swash plate.

AIRJELLY

AirJelly's environment is the air. Unlike AquaJelly, the remote-controlled jellyfish AirJelly does not swim through water, but instead glides instead through a sea of air thanks to its central electric drive unit and an intelligent, adaptive mechanism. It is able to do so because it consists of a helium-filled ballonett.

AirJelly's sole source of power is two lithium-ion polymer batteries connected to the central electric drive unit. It transmits the force to a bevel gear and from there to a succession of eight spur gears, which move the eight tentacles of the jellyfish via cranks. Each tentacle is designed as a structure with Fin Ray Effect^® . Propulsion of a ballonett by means of peristaltic motion is hitherto unknown in the history of aviation. AirJelly is the first indoor flight object with peristaltic drive. This new drive concept, with propulsion based on the principle of recoil, moves the jellyfish gently through the air.

Dig into this company at their website: Festo.com >>

Terminator Salvation

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:30:00 +0000

My friend Lee Gilmore, who I worked with on the Kildare Red album, recently finished working on the sound for Terminator Salvation. He just uploaded some photos from behind the scenes and while I drool in envy at the projects he gets to work on, he clearly has put in his time. There were some long days and nights involved with this project, and though I'm sure every Hollywood blockbuster requires a similar set of commitment, it's cool that he's giving us a peek into his world. Thanks, Lee.

Check out more from Lee here

Shape Shifter

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:24:00 +0000

The Pentagon's Fringe Science unit (sounds like it's from Batman, but they're working on projects more on par with Terminator) has apparently been working on the science of shape-shifting--using "programmable matter" that can be ordered to “self-assemble or alter their shape, perform a function and then disassemble themselves.”

Several different science groups around the country are working on similar functions, from using synthetic DNA to intelligent material and using complex mathematical theorems to fold sheets of material into different three dimensional shapes.

Long-term, this technology could be used in scenarios from civilian to military. A few examples:

Morphing aircraft and ground vehicles
Uniforms that can alter themselves to be comfortable in any climate
’Soft’ robots that flow like mercury through small openings to enter caves and bunker complexes
Mimic the shape and appearance of a person or object being imaged in real time, and as the originals moved, so would their replicas
A soldier could even reach into a can of unformed goop, and order up a custom-made tool or a “universal spare part"

Our ideas formed in science fiction are catching up to reality. This stuff is pure Terminator-meets-Transformers.

READ MORE AT WIRED >>

XBOX :: Project Natal

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Do you buy $80 t-shirts?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:18:00 +0000

I was having a conversation with my buddy Eddie about a new client his company is working with. The client makes designer clothing, and by "designer clothing" I mean $80 t-shirts that make you look like a total douchebag. When did this clothing thing become so astronomical? Don't get me wrong, I occassionally play the game. I own a Prada wallet that is the best wallet I've ever had and I have a few core items in my closet that I've spent some extra coin on. I worked in retail during college when Diesel jeans were $100. I even justified owning a few. But when jeans started going above $200 I had to draw a line.

Now I shop the sale racks, discount stores, and target. I am also married with a kid, so discretionary spending is not really designated for daddy. But even if I were a high roller, I still don't think I would be able to lay down the asking price for many goods. Not when I found $250 jeans on sale for $25 and when I know the $80 douchebag t-shirt only cost $4 to make. Which kind of adds to the douchebaggery.

Do you buy $80 t-shirts? Sound off in the comments.

Those Beautiful 300 x 250 Ads Above the Fold

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:02:00 +0000

The Vimeo Staff knocked me out with this video.

Auto Tuning from Casey Donahue on Vimeo.

Lights :: Ars Electronica museum in Linz, Austria

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:52:00 +0000

The museum has a facade that contains 1085 LED controllable windows. The windows' colors are changed in realtime with music that's broadcasted on speakers surrounding the building.

lights on from thesystemis on Vimeo.

The installation was done by Multivision, a Marchtrenk-based firm founded in 2002. Music for the piece was composed by Daito Manabe, who in my opinion has a dream-job. What a cool project to be a part of.

From LEDINSIDE.com:
"The LED facade lighting installation is the largest of its kind in Europe. The LED strips built into one side of 1,100 of the glass facade’s panels are 20-120 cm long. A strip’s cross-section is 30 x 45 mm; each is studded with 20-48 high-output LEDs. Mounted on each diode is a special 22 x 22-mm lens that casts the light onto the glass panels. Each of the 1,100 LED strips can be individually controlled by an electronic unit that makes it possible to fine-tune brightness and the color mix.

Saved to memory on the lighting system’s master computer is a repertoire of patterns that can be applied to the Museum of the Future’s facade at night. Special artistic effects and new patterns can be created from scratch on the computer. A unique feature of the technology being utilized in Linz is the possibility of producing a pure white. With it, the AEC can be transformed at the push of a button into a 'white crystal.'"

READ MORE ABOUT THE INSTALL >>

A Short Love Story in Stop Motion :: Carlos Lascano

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Bravo for the work of Carlos Lascano on "A Short Love Story in Stop Motion." The story centers around an art student with a crush on her fellow pupil. As they are drawing, birds from her page take flight, leading us through her dreams of a long, wonderful life with this boy with whom she is secretly in love.

Digging into Carlos' blog, he shares some of the behind-the-scenes process. I am immediately impressed with the level of detail and planning that goes into creating even a 30 second spot. The amount of time they spend on story development shows in the final pieces. The progression of their life together, kissing on a hill, having a child, raising a family, settling down in a house in the countryside next to the hill from their first kiss...very well done.

The use of real elements like eyes and skin texture which are digitally added give the characters organic emotions and a sense of realism is a real work of magic.

The post production brings it all together for me, with sweeping, dynamic camera work and blurring that gives real depth to the images. The light, particularly the sunlight in the kissing scene, is spectacular. And at the root of all this is Carlos' illustration, which to me is at the same time both beautiful and grungy...innocent, but real.

Sigur Ros' soundscape is the perfect backdrop for the story of love and dreams, and Carlos has captured that incredible feeling of secret want and desire, and has made a gorgeous short. Incredible. Buy the song here:

I started a children story several years ago and this is the style of illustration that would be perfect for it. Carlos, I may be calling you soon.

Check out more work by Carlos Lascano and read his blog.

Fly :: Ludovico Einaudi

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:19:00 +0000

I LOVE the NBA Playoff ad campaign "Where Will Amazing Happen" featuring Ludovico Einaudi's song "Fly." The music supervisor made a genius pick.

GET THE MUSIC >>

Also, a shout out to my boys Eddie Meehan and Michael Holz for killing the new Koby Bryant website.

April (for Pittsburgh)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:48:00 +0000

I am a "feel" guy. Meaning, I respond more to and invest more in things that make me feel. The technical aspect matters less to me. How it's done matters less. There is great power in being wired this way and also a frustrating shortcoming.

The older I get, the more I seem to want to figure it out. I want to know how it's done. I want to be on the SFX team that did Bullet-Time in the Matrix...I want to be on set for Stink Digital's Send in the Clowns.

And then I hit a video like this one. Simple, yet refined. Still photography set in motion. The technology moves out of the way. It's something beautiful that makes me feel all over again. It doesn't have to blow me away, but it does have to move me. After all, I think in the end, the best special effects are the ones you don't realize are there.

April (For Pittsburgh) from Mothlight Creative on Vimeo.