By David Ponce

It’s interesting to see what happens when you let algorithms run amok, free to accomplish whatever distant folly their architects never intended. In this particular case, Sebastian Schmieg of the Netherlands made the above video by feeding Google’s Image Search a transparent PNG, asking it to find the closest match, taking the top result and feeding that back into the loop 2,951 times. The result is an unpredictable, ever evolving metamorphosis that features a lot of stars and galaxies in its infancy, but eventually blossoms into a cacophonous sea of images with occasional seas of similarity. The images are then turned into a 12fps video

Aside from being interesting from a purely nerdy standpoint, I believe it does show a fascinating point of biology: that evolution doesn’t occur towards something specific and it is, as Dawkings would say, the conceit of hindsight that places us humans at the pinnacle of life. This video does a good job of illustrating that.

[ Project Website ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By David Ponce

I guess that G-Form, makers of the super tough Extreme Edge iPad case (among other things), are trying to recreate some of the marketing magic that Blendtec had going with its Will It Blend series. They’ve produced a series of videos putting the iPad through seemingly increasingly horrifying torture tests, from dropping a bowling ball onto it to tossing it out of a moving car. The latest such video has them tie the iPad with case to a weather balloon and letting it rise to the edge of space. 100,000 feet or so. Then the balloon pops and everything comes back down. Of course, since they’re releasing the video, the iPad survives.

I’m not sure this particular video is that compelling a case for the Extreme Edge’s toughness; the entire freefalling setup would hit terminal velocity way before the 100,000 had been exhausted. Also, the trailing shreds of balloon made it so that it landed screen facing up; the other way around would have produced very different results. Still, it’s entertaining to watch. The case itself is $45.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Tedchnabob ]

By David Ponce

This had me laughing good and hard for a bit. It’s a video of construction workers trying their damnedest to stop a gyrating concrete buffer that one of them apparently set loose. Their methods include dousing it with water (brilliant), threatening it with a stick and covering it with a tarp. The running commentary is particularly funny.

Not a darn thing to do with gadgets, but does anyone really care at this point?

VIA [ Geekologie ]

By David Ponce

Megapixels count for almost nothing when looking at video quality. First is the lens quality, but perhaps even as important is tracking shot stability. We talked about the CineSkates a while back. That accessory to the Gorillapod put your camera on wheels and opened up cinematic possibilities. Same goes for the Mobislyder, a 43 cm (1.4ft) track with 5 interchangeable mounts and a slider on roller bearings. The ends of the track are covered in rubber feet which help with grip on tilted surfaces, and a switch on the sliding mechanism lets you lock it in place should you need to. Sliding is done by hand so clearly some practice will be needed, but at least the camera is stabilized on two axes.

You can pre-order now for $129, while full retail price should be around $175. Shipping should happen on December 12th.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By David Ponce

Facetime is great and everything, but having to hold your phone in one hand severely hampers your ability to do pretty much anything else. Put it down somewhere and you can’t really go anyplace outside its field of view. To the rescue comes the Swivl, an accessory which securely holds your phone and tracks your every movement. It pans (left and right movements) and tilts (up and down movements) and will keep you in the frame as long as you are wearing its beacon. It’s not limited to the iPhone of course; as long as it fits in the holder you’re good to go. It’s available for pre-order right now and will ship out in early 2012 with an estimated price of $159.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By David Ponce

Winter’s around the corner, which means ski time for lots of people. And while strapping a GoPro camera to your helmet may be one way to capture your snowy prowesses, there are more dedicated solutions. Like these ski goggles that feature an HD camera directly integrated into them. The goggles themselves are dual-pane, anti-fog with UV protection, while the camera has the following features:

• Records 1080p video at up to 30 frames per second

• Records High Action HD 720p video at 60 frames per second

• Has a 136° full field of view wide angle lens

• Goggles can connect to a television using the RCA cable (included)

• Includes 4 GB SD card for photo and video storage

A rechargeable Lithium battery provides up to 2 hours of operation on a 2 hour charge from a USB connection. Of course they’re not cheap. At $400 you better be doing some crazy stunts for this to be justifiable.

Video available at destination link.

[ Product Page ]

By Chris Scott Barr

How many times have you shot a video with your iPhone, only to find out later that it is too shaky to really enjoy? Obviously you’re not going to be able to carry around some sort of steadycam rig, so the next best thing you can do is use some sort of image-stabilization software. You can find this sort of thing in newer desktop video editing programs, but what about doing it while the video is being recorded? If you have an iPhone 4, you might just be able to do that.

The Steadycam Pro app is supposed to allow you to shoot videos while it smooths it out on-the-fly. It’s even supposed to take care of rolling shutter issues that your phone’s camera experiences. A demo of the app is free to download, though it will limit you to 15-second clips that are watermarked. I’ve not had a chance to test it out myself, but according to iTunes, it seems to have mixed results. Definitely try  this one out before you spend the $3 to unlock the full version.

[ midnox ] VIA [ Geeky-Gadgets ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

About a week ago we posted an article about Roxio’s newest gem in the hardware industry, the Roxio Game Cap device. The device makes it very possible, and simple, to record your console gameplay (whether it be PS3 or Xbox 360), save it on your PC, edit the video, and even post it to Youtube or Facebook! We were able to get our hands on one of these devices, and I have been toying with it nonstop. Roxio also will be introducing PC game capture software, but we have a bit to wait on it. This is our review for the Roxio Game Cap console capture device.

I will admit that I am a newbie when it comes to capturing gameplay video. I’ve just begin to dabble in the realm of Let’s Plays, and my video editing skills, although more advanced than some, are a bit rusty. One of the cool things about this device is the ability to plug-and-play. Setup was simple, and the software has an amazing interface. For now, let’s focus on the device itself.

The device is essentially just a black box, like you see above. It comes packaged with a set of composite video cables, composite audio cables, and a USB cable to connect the device to your PC. Setup is extremely simple:

1. Plug the composite cables into the [OUT] side of the box, and then to your television.
2. Connect the composite cables from your system to the {IN] portion of the device.
3. Plug the USB cable into the device, and then into your PC.
4. Let the drivers install, and hardware setup is complete!

Roxio even put a diagram on their website so you folks who are more visual can see it:

So the hardware setup is very easy, really. In mere minutes I had the device connected to my PS3 and everything was a go.

Now, on to the software setup. The device comes packaged with software that will not only allow you to use it, but it will allow you to edit and share your gameplay videos. Once you install the software (which is easy as well), then you’re ready to open it up and begin capturing gameplay.

This is what you will be looking at while you prepare to capture gameplay. The interface is simple: set up the source (which will be your Game Cap device), edit the settings, set the destination for where your video will go, then get capturing!  My biggest complaint is that the device captures only in 480p, so it’s not perfect, but it does get the job done. I recommend doing a little bit of research to figure out which settings are best for you.

Once you capture your gameplay, you can edit the captured video in the software you see above. It’s much like Adobe Premiere, but without the fanciness. The software does have a lot of editing effects such as transitions, wipes, fades, audio tracking, and much more. It’s a perfect all-in-one set of software that is perfect for what it’s set out to do. You can even add narration to your video if you have a microphone, which makes creating Let’s Play videos a breeze. There are still a few settings that I haven’t messed with yet, but in due time I will get to them. Once you finish editing your masterpiece you can then set the software to export it out to your PC in a video file of your choosing. I will warn you, adding effects and narration will cause the video file to be pretty large, so you may want to download a file conversion program to help shrink the size.

Posted below is a video containing raw gameplay footage that I captured using the device. I am playing Black Ops on the PS3, and it’s only about five minutes worth of video, but it’s enough for you to see what you’re getting. This is footage captured and unedited using the default settings.

Overall the Roxio Game Cap is a diamond in the rough, so to speak. I have been looking for quite some time for a device such as this, and Roxio delivered. The device is easy to set up, the software is very user-friendly, and I am very happy with the end result. The only issue is that the device records in 480P, so things aren’t as crisp as they could be. Could we possibly see HDMI recording on the horizon? I’d like to think so. For $99.99 you can’t really beat the Roxio Game Cap. There aren’t any cards to fool with, no scrambling to find drivers, and no worrying about what software to use. Roxio created the ultimate package with this device, and I urge you to pick one up for yourselves.

[ Roxio ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

If you think your PC or console gaming exploits are worthy of sharing with the masses, but don’t know the first thing about capturing video, Roxio’s got you covered. The company is already well-known for their user-friendly video capture and DVD creation solutions, and have now created the Game Capture which will let gamers share their expletive-laden clips of pwnage and impressive feats of button mashing on YouTube, Facebook and other online communities.

It’s available as a software-only ($49.99, available Q2) PC version that’s able to capture gameplay at full screen resolutions, or a hardware/software ($99.99, available March 24) combo for consoles. The only catch is that when it comes to consoles the hardware, which connects to your laptop via USB, only records at 480P. That’s fine for the Wii which maxes out at that res, but kind of lacking when it comes to the hi-def capable Xbox 360 and PS3. Both kits also include editing software for adding transitions, overlaid graphics and even voiceovers, and will even hold your hand when it comes to the online uploading process.

[ Roxio Game Capture ] VIA [ Joystiq ]

One of the more intriguing iPhone accessories we discovered at last year’s CES is finally available, an entire year later. Tiffen, who own Steadicam, those carryable/wearable camera-stabilization systems you see on-stage at award shows, concerts or in DVD behind-the-scenes extras, are finally shipping their Smoothee stabilizer designed for the iPhone, camera-equipped iPod Touches or the Flip. At the moment the iPhone 3GS ‘kit’ is available, which includes the handheld stabilizer and an adapter to hold the phone in place, for $179.95. While swappable adapters for holding the Flip and iPhone 4 will be available soon for $24.95 each.

[ Steadicam Smoothee ]