U2... up close and very personal

I know I promised this earlier so here it is... Everything I've read about U23D: The Movie is right on. "Everything" being rave reviews... giving it five stars... all that. Incredible... awesome... amazing... immersive... Ok, enough with the ambiguous adjectives.

It's not your normal 3D experience where the filmmakers attempt to startle you with hokey gimmicks and corny effects. There's simply a crisp realism in the shots and after the first song or two, you feel as though you are "there." So much so, that at one point I literally moved my head so I could see around some offensive object obstructing my view... The Edge's mic stand. When I caught myself, I had to laugh.

I appreciated the fact that the camera gave equal airtime to all members of the band. One moment you are closeup with Bono or posing with Adam Clayton and the next you are looking over The Edge's shoulder at 80,000 screaming fans. This in itself is a departure from the much smaller arena venues played here in North America and amazingly translates to a relatively small room with a capacity of only 400.

The film was shot entirely during the South America leg of the Vertigo tour and the crowds really brought the concert to life. Bono also played on the fact that he was South of the Equator by singing several lines in Spanish including the entire bridge of Beautiful Day.

Our particular viewing at the Channelside IMAX theatre in Tampa had some real fans. During the show, you could hear people singing along and at times even clapping which seemed completely normal even though we were in a theatre. At one point, my wife even stood up and no one seemed to give attention.

The set is similar to the Chicago DVD with some welcome variations including Bono singing the opera which completely blew me away. I've never really cared much for Atomic Bomb's Love and Peace but this one made me a believer. Some of the visuals during the song were incredible including Bono lightpainting with his finger which appeared to be right in your face.

In short, it's an experience all it's own. It's not a mere concert film and it's not a live experience either. You're all over the place in the stadium. The only complaint I have (if you can call it that) is that I wished the editor would have lingered on some of the shots a bit longer so we could take it all in. The cuts were a bit fast and I found myself really wanting to drink in the entire scope of some of the wider shots. Other than that, it's an outstanding and groundbreaking piece of work. If you are within an hour or two drive, make the effort... it's def worth it. Here's a little teaser I took for you from the iPhone of my favorite member, Adam Clayton... not that it'll do you any good without the glasses.

AirMail

Most of you have undoubtedly seen Apple's latest offering, the MacBook Air and maybe even the way Steve Jobs introduced it... in a manilla envelope. Well a couple of guys picked up on it and pretty quickly too. The new Mac doesn't ship for another week and a half and and yet the above case... yes, it's a padded case called AirMail not an actual envelope... is already in the making. Didn't take long.

Starbucks iPhone QuickOrder

Check out these mockups of the new Starbucks iPhone QuickOrder system rumored to be announced next week at MacWorld. Apple filed the patents for a retail ordering system not long ago. Thus far, Apple's partnerships have been limited to music but this could open the door for all sorts of new possibilities... all with Steve Jobs and Apple getting a small slice of the pie of course. via Crave and Ragamuffin Soul

Punch Buggy Daddy!

If an original VW Bug was worth one good lick on your sibling's arm and a convertible worth two, then you better break out the gloves when you see this thing coming down the road. Designer Alexandre Verdier introduces the new Westfalia Verdier Solar Power. The award winning design offers several innovations such as a system of intelligent solar panels called "Sun Tracker." This system makes it possible to provide electricity to the on-board accessories while the vehicle is in a stationary position. An on-board computer and a GPS calculate the optimal position for the Sun Tracker. Inside, the passenger seat is transformed mechanically into stairs, so that the second stage area can be easily reached. Of course, in the age of digitalization, your wonderful outdoor nature adventure wouldn't be complete without a multi-media computer with wireless Internet connection. This interface gives you a weather optimized travel plan so that you can follow the sun, historical and ecological comments during the trip, and a directory of campgrounds. All of this technological hippie love can be yours for $69,000. With that price tag, I don't think the Scooby-Do gang will be rolling in one of these anytime soon.

Pimp Your Tech

We like to customize everything. From ordering your trendy one-of-kind latte to creating your own shoes through Puma's Mongolian Shoe BBQ, we want the ability to mark our stuff with our own brand. Now you can take that expensive new Christmas gift like your MacBook or iPhone and pimp it out with your own stamp of personality. Engrave is a Portland based laser-engraving company that is taking their business online. Depending on the unit, it will cost you somewhere between $25 and $150. The results are beautiful in my opinion and it doesn't void your warranty since the modification is only cosmetic.

The Big Shift in 2008

If you've been reading Danis Linus for very long then you've probably noticed that I'm fascinated with culture shifts. I'm by no means a "futurist" in the sense that I'm able to predict what's coming next but it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to see that the way we receive our digital content is changing... drastically. My brother-in-law, Jon, of Erwin Brother Motion Pictures have an ongoing conversation about media, culture, and especially how technology is changing and shaping the landscape of film. I agree with him that the movie-going experience won't change all that much since we love the big-screen and our Dolby surround sound. I do think that in 2008 we'll be seeing a huge shift in the way we digest content on a smaller scale.

A few indicators that jump out... The first an incredibly humorous one. A couple weeks ago, the The Royal Monarchy launched their own YouTube channel in order to reach a broader audience. ABC is now streaming full episodes in High Definition through their new media player. And, Apple and Twentieth Century Fox are poised to announce a new deal where iTunes will be carrying movie rentals for download and not just purchase. In addition, communications giant AT&T is launching their new U-Verse interactive, IP-based digital television, internet, and phones in even more markets over the next couple years. Things are changing and the consumer truly is king indeed.

GoogleTalk Translates

I haven't attempted to try Google's newest feature... language translation for Google Talk. As a matter of fact, I've never used Google Talk (I use iChat and Skype) but I may make the leap with this addition. Google has introduced translation "bots" enabling instant translation between 30 different languages. I won't go into the technical details of how this works since I don't really understand it myself but the implications of this are massive.

Think of how this breaks down the most basic hindrance to communication and connectivity... the language barrier. I would love to sit down at the keyboard and chat with someone in a different culture and "explore" the world through their eyes. We truly are becoming more and more a global village. I'd love to see a multi-language social networking site that connects people from other cultures and languages using this technology.

What is your IM client of choice? iChat, MSN, AOL, Skype, GoogleTalk? Why do you prefer it?

My screennames are...
iChat/AOL - danatchison74@mac.com
Skype - danatchison

Japan Leads the World in Mobile Blogging

I watched Lost In Translation and didn't get it. The title was helpful in explaining the movie... Bill Murray was great... Sophie Coppola did a fine job directing, but I don't get Japanese culture. I'm intrigued by it... I just don't get it. Maybe that's because I'm not Japanese. Anyway, according to the Technorati 2007 “State of the Blogsphere” report, Japanese is the #1 blogging language in the world, accounting for 37% of all blog posts, narrowly edging out English at 36%." The article specifically focuses on the method of blogging by the Japanese... mobile phones.

According to a recent survey, the mobile phone was found to be the blogging device of choice, being used by over two-thirds of bloggers in Japan. In fact, over a third of the sample stated that they only blog by mobile phone, while another 20% used both mobile phone and PC, while favoring the phone. The levels for favoring using a PC for blogging were lower.

This naturally leads to the question, what exactly is being written by these mobile bloggers? Well according to the aforementioned survey, nearly 70% of content involves diary entries/columns, followed by movies/television/music at 31%.

Iceland Goes Green(er)

To label me an environmentalist is laughable but I did think this piece was quite interesting. Don't get me wrong, I believe it's an issue to grapple with (although not the most important issue in the upcoming election according to Al Gore). Anyway, back to the interesting bit.

202Collaborative, a Philadelphia based design firm has put out a proposal that helps assemble and conceptualize about hydrogen-powered urban design in Iceland. "The project, originally intended for a design competition, imagines carefully engineered algae ponds and balloons of hydrogen gas fueling the Icelandic city of the future."

As the designers note:

It has long been known that algae produce small amounts of hydrogen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. In 1999, researchers in Berkeley observed that algae alternate between hydrogen production and normal photosynthesis depending on the chemical environment. Depriving algae of oxygen and sulfur, the researchers greatly increased the hydrogen production and triggered the algae to produce hydrogen for an extended period of time. Another research group also discovered that algae will sustain simultaneous production of hydrogen and oxygen from water by illuminating the algae and depriving it of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Researchers estimate that a small pond (1.5 acre or 10 meter diameter) will produce enough hydrogen on a weekly basis to fuel 12 cars.

With fuel prices where they are, I could handle an algae powered car. Check out the whole concept and process over at BLDGBLOG.

Interactive Forest

I love creativity. I love creativity even more when it inspires, influences, shapes, or engages a child. That's why I'm so enthralled with this video of an installation called Funky Forest. Funky Forest is...

...an interactive ecosystem where children create trees with their body and then divert the water flowing from the waterfall to the trees to keep them alive. The health of the trees contributes to the overall health of the forest and the types of creatures that inhabit it.

I'm more captivated by the children and their own amazement and creativity than I am the actual piece. I'm constantly challenged by my sons to, as U2 puts it so brilliantly in Original of the Species, "please stay a child somewhere in your heart." And to quote an earlier work of theirs... "Into the heart of boy... I could go there. I could stay a while." Jesus talked about that someplace in the Gospels... I'm sure of it.

Jonas Samson: Light Emitting Wallpaper

This is by far one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Jonas Samson has created a high-tech, light-emitting wallpaper proving it “possible to use a two-dimensional flat surface as light source instead of a 3D object.” When turned off, it appears to be just what it is... wallpaper. There's a new light fixture in town... it's called your wall.

Hit the jump for more pics...

Survey: Teens Use Instant-Messaging to Avoid Awkward Moments

An AP-AOL poll released today revealed that...

For many teenagers, it's also a great way to avoid those OMG moments — that's "omigod" — of mortifying face-to-face confrontations.

More than four in 10, or 43 percent, of teens who instant message use it for things they wouldn't say in person, according to an Associated Press-AOL poll released Thursday.

Twenty-two percent use IMs to ask people out on dates or accept them, and 13 percent use them to break up.

To me, this brings up the question of true connectivity. I say this after having just posted about using Twitter to help stay "connected" to those I love but it certainly is something to consider. Technology can sometimes become this buffer zone that allows us to keep a distance that doesn't require true vulnerability.

Anyway... if you're on Skype or AOL/iChat hit up my usernames below and add me... but please don't ask me out on a date... I'm doing ok in that area.

AOL/iChat: danatchison74@mac.com (do not use as email)
Skype: danatchison

via FoxNews.com

Ambient Digital Noise - Filling in the gaps...

I posted up about Twitter a couple of weeks ago and I've decided that I like it... a lot. I wish more people were using it but here's why I like it.

It's kind of like the ambient noise when you leave the TV on in the background and it's just there. All these little pointless pithy little microblogs fill in the gaps of what people are doing that I care about or am interested in... I love getting a text through Twitter that over in Ireland, tyes has just finished his essay or that kelimalone just got done watching Nikki eat a salad and it was awkward or that mariadelpilar just got back from the park with Ben. No response is needed or required on my part because they didn't text me directly. But it fills in the gaps and helps me stay connected to good friends and family.

Sign up and then hit me up on Twitter here...

The responsibility to share...

We come across bits of information all the time through various mediums and forms. Sometimes it's just an interesting piece and other times it is something that really causes us to think and from that make some new decisions that impact our future.

When you find great content, how often do you share it through email, tweets, blogs, or text?

That's what social media is all about. Not many days go by that I don't get an email or IM from Tyler or Steven pointing me to something that benefits me or at the very least enriches my world through a broader understanding of what's "out there." So, do your friend and me a favor... pass along DanisLinus to someone you love.

We all have a responsibility to share...

Josh Spear on IABUK

Check out the keynote presentation of Josh Spear last week at the Internet Advertising Bureau's Engage conference last week in London. His talk, "Born Digital - they're not listening" gives us a pretty good feel for where things are and where they are headed as it relates to this new digital world we live in.

Hit the jump here to watch the video.  After you're redirected,  you'll have to click the link... it's the second one down on the page.

One Laptop Per Child begins Mass Production

Wired writes...

Nicholas Negroponte thinks everyone in the world should have a computer. He even quit his job as director of MIT's Media Lab to make it happen. In 2005, Negroponte founded the nonprofit OLPC with a mission to design, manufacture, and distribute the world's most affordable laptop, priced at less than $100 and aimed at youngsters in the developing world. With moisture- resistant seals and a crash-proof Flash hard drive, the no-frills notebook is sufficiently kid-friendly to last five years — more than enough time to work up the inevitable, pricier upgrade.

FoxNews writes...

The computers were dreamed up as $100 laptops but for now cost $188, and buyers are expected to let children keep the computers and tinker with them at home.

The initial recipients will be children in Uruguay, Peru and Mongolia. Also, beginning Monday, people in North America will be able to buy one for themselves and donate the other to a child overseas through http://www.laptopgiving.org.

Even with mass production beginning later than expected, One Laptop Per Child can claim success on several fronts.

The small yet rugged XOs require low power and can be recharged by hand, have a screen that can be read in full sunlight and boast a user interface designed specially for children.

Twitter me... Tweetly.

I know, I know. This is getting out of control. If you're not familiar with Twitter, I found a great article this morning explaining it. An excerpt is below. It basically marries social networking and micro-blogging with text messaging from your mobile.... which is why entries are limited to 140 character. Not exactly how or if I'll incorporate this into my digital world but if you do Twitter... hit me up at www.twitter.com/danatchison

Twittering Away -- So what should you twitter about? It doesn't really matter as long as you can answer this simple question: Does anyone care? Sometimes the answer may be limited - only your co-workers planning to meet you in an unfamiliar city may care that your plane was delayed, but that's fine. The fact you're brushing your teeth is of interest to only your dentist, and he's probably not following you. One friend with medical issues even uses Twitter to keep his family updated on his whereabouts so they don't worry about him.

In essence, Twitter is a form of blogging, where blog posts are limited to 140 characters, and where readers will likely see your post right away. Consider it near-time micro-blogging then, which makes it far, far easier to update than a traditional blog.

Textorizer

The above image was generated by Textorizor. I came across this little web app on The Brilliance and what's amazing is that it actually takes an image and then generates a text version of it using HTML code only. The image above was "snapped" using my screen capture on my Mac. Textorizer actually "traces" the photo and generates it back out with the source code looking something like this...

...only a lot longer. It's amazing to me how people come up with the code for things this complex. Try it out... it's pretty cool. All you need is an image URL and you're good to go. If you can't tell, the above "image" is my profile pic made up of the words Danis Linus.

How Flickr Got It Right...

I usually prefer any Google app over Yahoo. I use iGoogle, Gmail, Google Calendar, of course Blogger, and many of their search features. But, I much prefer Flickr over Picasa any day.

First off, I can email my pics straight from my iPhone and they publish automatically. Below is a list of features that I love...

• The aforementioned email feature
• Batch uploading of photos
• The Organizr - a powerful tool for managing your photos in batches or using sets
• Auto-generated sizes including thumbnails
• The ability to add notes to multiple areas of a pic
• Tags - keywords or labels that you add to a photo
• Groups - If you're a member of a group, add your photo to the group pool
• Sets - a group of photos similar to an album
  
• The map feature to see geographically where pics have been taken
• The amazing amount of great pics from people around the world

The map feature is really cool since you can click on a spot and see all the pics there were taken at that location such as a particular restaurant or landmark. If you don't Flickr, it's easy to sign up. So, share your photos with the world. If you already have a Flickr, hit up the comments and let us know. Or let us know why you use another photo sharing tool like Picasa, Photobucket or Slide.

Also... visit the ClearwaterMC Flickr page for shots of the team in action or life.

Apple to remake YouTube ad

The latest in consumer-generated content comes from Nick Haley, a native of Warwick, England, from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student. An Apple fanatic, he created and uploaded a self-made iPod Touch commercial to YouTube. As of yesterday, it was viewed over 2,100 times. Well, among the viewers were marketing employees at Apple who asked staff members on the Apple account at TBWA/Chiat/Day to get in touch with Mr. Haley about producing a professional version of the commercial. Quoting the New York Times...

“I was sitting on the bus and I got this e-mail on my phone,” Mr. Haley, a native of Warwick, England, said in an interview yesterday from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student.

The message said, ‘We represent Apple and we’ve seen what you have produced and we’d like a chat with you,’ ” Mr. Haley recalled, adding: “This seemed ridiculous and far-fetched. My initial reaction was, someone wanted to steal it.”

He was soon convinced that the message was real and came to Los Angeles this month, in his first visit to the United States, to work on a broadcast-ready version of his spot with creative executives at TBWA/Chiat/Day...

As for how faithful the professional spot is to the amateur version, Mr. Clow said, “we didn’t mess with his content” because “it has a charm to it, a youthful fun.”

The changes include more polished editing and filming the new version in high definition.

“My input was totally respected,” Mr. Haley said, adding that he considered the agency’s commercial “pretty similar” to the original. Speaking of the original... view it below.

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