DIY Video Camera – The VanceCam VC25P

I like the idea of building something that fits your needs as opposed to going out and buying it. Building your own video camera is a little exteem but hey, I like that even more.

This is a one-of-a-kind "film-look" digital camcorder custom-built specifically to shoot the independent feature film, Cold Day in Hell. The camera module is based on a Hitachi HV-C20A/E, 1/2" format, 3 CCD industrial PAL camera with 700 lines of resolution.

I love the fact that they used a mechanical shutter in the camera. I bet the camera operator even got to yell ‘speed!’ when there were doing a take.

[via retrothing]
VanceCam VC25P Camcorder

Atari 2600 Joystick TV Remote Control

Alan over at Hacked Gadgets just told me about his latest project:

I wanted a simple remote that could be used to easily control the volume and mute the TV when the phone rings. I have replaced all of my remotes with a single Harmony 880 control which works great, but I wanted something a bit more cool to compliment it. Building the retro remote was fun and simple since the mini remote that I used was very easy to hack.

It looks pretty slick, and he even used a modern Atari Flashback case so no vintage 2600 controllers were harmed in the making of this project.

Atari 2600 Joystick TV Remote Control

US Version of British Hit ‘IT Crowd’ On NBC Mid Season

US version of British hit show IT CrowdI’ve said before that I’m a big fan of the British TV series ‘IT Crowd’, a show about two nerds surrounded by non tech supervisors in an equally tech illiterate company. Well in the grand tradition of British television programming migrating across the pond to the US shores, the IT Crowd has been picked up at a mid season series on NBC. Not h best of situations for a TV show but at least it will be in the air. The cast will include two US actors, Joel McHale ("The Soup") and Jessica St. Clair ("For Your Consideration") and an original member of the British series Richard Ayoade. I’m hoping that that spark of the original show will be carried over with Ayoade, if not this will crash and burn like the US adaptation of "Ad Fab" did.
 
[via lonelocust]
NBC’s New Shows for the 2007-08 Season

Variable Polychromatic Sunglasses

Electrochromic sunglassesResearchers have come up with sunglasses that can change hue and density at the flip of a switch. It works by altering the charge of an electrochromic polymer that is sandwiched between the lenses of the glasses. So far the researchers have created glasses with stable elements that change from clear to dark blue and less stable glasses that are in green or orange. A multi colored unit is in the works.
I’m quite happy to see research like this being done. Although I have to admit that I had an idea like this almost 20 years ago. My idea was not as simple as single variable density lenses but incorporated a LCD matrix and sensors to provide a high dynamic range of vision that we can currently enjoy. Oh well, I have lacked the funding to pursue this project but if any venture capitalists are out there looking for an investment drop me a line.

Smart Sunglasses Change Color on Demand

Barbarella Remake On The Way?

Wikipedia - BarbarellaPromo.jpgWith news of a Flash Gordon remake coming soon I’m not sure I can take another ‘re-imagining’ of a science fiction classic. Yeah, I just called Barbarella a classic. What can I say, I liked the film. I have my reasons, and if you’ve see if I think you do too. It has it’s, er.. finer points. Ans you can’t deny that it had an influence on the world. What would have the 80’s pop band ‘Duran Duran‘ called themselves if they hadn’t seen the movie?

Producers Dino and Martha De Laurentiis have completed a rights deal that will allow them to reinvent "Barbarella," and the producers have set "Casino Royale" scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to pen the script.

There is no time table set yet, so we could have a few years to mull this over.

‘Barbarella’ back in action

Go grab a copy from Amazon if you somehow missed seeing the original.
Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy