— M i a b i . F i l m s

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Tag "tech"

Auto-Tune is computer software that actually adjusts vocals on the fly to a predetermined pitch. As a muscian, I’m equally terrified and intrigued by Auto-Tune. I appreciate when artists use it deliberately and openly. As a separate instrument. This is what Daft Punk did. This is what Kanye does. The gay fish doesn’t pretend to be a singer. He uses it because it sounds cool. And in turn, he’s seemingly created a readily copied style. At least from these indie rock fan’s eyes.

What terrifies me is when Auto-Tune is used subtly. When supposed pop stars use it to sing. When it’s used to touch up and fix certain parts of songs because the singer can’t stay in key. It’s Photohsop for vocals and it’s ubiquitousness is frightening. (Which, I guess is part of my intrigue too.) If these people can’t sing, why are we giving them record contracts? Either redo the vocal track or move aside and let someone come in here with real talent. My homegirl Susan Boyle doesn’t need Auto-Tune.

Regardless of where it fits into pop culture, it’s still an amazing piece of technology. Some people are finding fun and creative ways to exploit it. A Brooklyn artist named Michael Gregory (everything creative comes out of Brooklyn) has been remixing nightly newscasts using Auto-Tune and beats. The results of Auto-Tune The News are often times hilarious and catchy. However, his greatest achievement to date is his remix of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. It’s pretty amazing and just as powerful as the original speech.

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I’m sitting in a church at a promo shoot we’re doing for work. This is a full-on professional shoot with upwards of 100 people cast and crew. I’m the client or, a “Suit”, and therefore have nothing to do but watch. Doing my best to stay out of the crew’s way, I take a pew and whip out my laptop. What a perfect opportunity to blog. (besides, being on a laptop makes me look important, even though all I really want to do is paint mustaches on people in Photoshop)

I assume of course, because I’m in church, that there must be some divine wireless connection that will be available to me, with download speeds that would let me get The Fast and the Furious from bit torrent in less than 5 minutes. I wouldn’t even have to search for it. I’ll just open my computer, it’ll begin to glow, and I’ll be instantly connected to Godnet. And it will be fast. And furious.

This of course does not work because god is magic and wireless internet is not and cross-platform software that would converge the two has yet to be written. Still in need of a wireless connection, I check the available networks in my laptop’s menu bar. To my luck I find the church’s own network. It’s locked. Feeling I have something brilliant to blog about, I feverishly start trying different passwords in the hope of somehow stealing wireless bandwidth from Christianity itself. I try all the usual suspects. J-E-S-U-S-I-S-B-E-S-T, G-O-D-1, H-O-L-Y-G-H-O-S-T. Nothing seems to be working. I’m looking for a sign. Anything that will allow me to get on Miabifilms and/or check to see how my fantasy baseball team did last night.

The rain outside had been heavy all night. This morning it’s overcast, with a near constant mist swirling about. A dreary day that makes life extra difficult for the crew that have to deal with cold and damp conditions. At that, the mist subsided. The sun peaked through. Could this be my sign? Would Godnet go online? No. But what does happen is the EP of the shoot comes in from the sunshine and sees that I’m having problems getting on the internet. He tells me I’m on the wrong wireless network and gives me the password to the correct one.

Perfect. I get online having tried and failed to hack into the church’s wireless. I suddenly feel a wave of guilt come over me and before I can begin to blog about the need for an alternative to toilet paper, I close the laptop and head to a confessional.

At least I haven’t been struck by lightning.

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Not really robots, but close enough. This is a strangely wonderful video of 80′s tech re-creating Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s long, but then, the song is too. You know you want to tough it out until the famous a cappella part. Mama mia-mama mia! Apparently no effects were used at all in this. These are the actual computer sounds.

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Contrary to what many people believe, the Flux Capacitor is not what makes time travel possible. Nope. My alarm clock is the time machine. No matter what time I go to sleep, my time machine sees to it I get up at the right moment. Usually the same moment every day. If I ever need a few extra minutes in the morning, all I have to do is set the alarm to go off a little early. It’s that simple. This thing actually gives me time.

We give the alarm clock so much grief. Occasionally inflicting mortal force to deal with an interrupting alarm clock. But you know what, these things unceremoniously and without thanks keep our schedules in check. When I yell at it, and wish destruction upon it, it still does its job. 7 minutes later it buzzes again. 7 minutes. Every time.

Doc Brown knew the power of the alarm clock. That’s why he put one on the dashboard to let Mary know when to step on the gas. Marty had to get back home, and that alarm clock was his ticket.

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Why don’t submarines have windows? It seems like an easy enough upgrade. Wouldn’t it make life a lot easier for them submarines?

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I just read that Lee Redmond, a woman in the Guinness Book of World Records for her long fingernails, was in a serious car accident on Tuesday. During the accident, her record-setting fingernails were shorn off. It is reported that she hadn’t cut them since 1979. Luckily Redmond, though still in serious condition, did not receive life-threatening injuries.

Here is my appeal to you Ms Redmond. Do not re-grow your fingernails. This is a blessing in disguise. The past 30 years have given way to a slurry of technological advancement, not seen since a steam engine powered the Industrial Revolution. I’m presuming you have family? Watch in amazement as this thing called a “cell phone” dials that niece you haven’t spoken to in years. You keep it in your pocket and bring it with you everwhere!

They now have a vast array of networked computers they’re calling the “World Wide Web”. There you’ll find a “website” called Facebook. While on Facebook you can keep up with old friends or tell people what you’re up to by typing “status messages”. Remember typing?

Be amazed that you can pick up things with your 10 digits with little to no effort at all. Lee, this really is for the best. And hey, while you’re at it, why don’t you get a new haircut to go along with your newly shortened fingernails?

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We’re winning! Revel in it ladies and gents. Boeing recently announced that they have successfully shot down a highly sophisticated Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; using a laser! Robots! Lasers! Side note, doesn’t it feel more appropriate to spell Lazer with a Z?

Humans 1 Robots 0

It should be noted that this was done without the aid of John Conner. A noble accomplishment. We’ll still need his help if we’re going to win this thing, but it’s a good start. Once Skynet is turned on, this is going to be a lot more difficult. Throw in the fact that soon the we’ll all be held captive by a neurological simulation while those very same UAVs use our bodies as batteries, and you start to realize that we should really relish this victory.

Also, according to the picture… this also coincides with the return of the dinosaurs. Bonus!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/26/first-shot-fired-in-war-of-robots-vs-humans-with-lasers-were-w/

Take that you aluminum scum!

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Why are public bathrooms the only place you’ll find toilets that feature the toilet seat gap? I’d like one for my home. Though I don’t quite understand the benefit of the gap- assuming it’s so my pee pee doesn’t touch the seat- I know I want it. But as I went about looking for a replacement toilet seat for my own little boy’s room, I stumbled upon something else. Something wonderful.

I’ve often spoken about “Recycled Butt Heat” (RBH). Yes, I really have spoken about “Recycled Butt Heat”, often. That unpleasant surprise you get when you settle down on a public toilet and realize it’s warm. Someone has done their business here. And recently! You’ve just recycled that butt heat. The Irony of RBH is that you are fully aware multiple asses have probably parked on that seat today. However, as long as that seat is cool to the touch, you turn a blind anus.

Oddly enough, a warm seat after a hot shower is also disgusting. Giving credence to the notion that maybe its not just the thought of someone else’s ass that is so oft-putting, but rather, a toilet seat should not be warm under any circumstances.

In my quest for the Toilet Seat Gap, I found something far greater. A happy accident. Behold the Thermochromatic Toilet Seat. A seat (with a gap) that changes color with heat. Yep. Hypercolor for your bum. A change in color should notify the user to: “Hold up- take a lap and come back. Someone was just here and this seat is warm as hell.” You’ll take comfort in knowing that that pew is ready to be prayed on without the shock of RBH.

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What really sucks about the proliferation of the in-ear bluetooth headset is that now I can’t tell who the crazies are anymore.

Oh no!!!!

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Look buddy. I appreciate the effort. I really do. But something must be said for design.

An inventor in Japan has created a subway sleep mask. A device designed to allow the person wearing it the ability to catch a snooze on a crowded subway train. He calls it the “Noriko-san”. You put this ugly thing around your head and doze off into dreamland. (He’s a manga artist, so that would explain the ridiculous look of this thing. Bug eyes and all.) The brilliant stroke? In the front of it is this LCD screen that broadcasts your destination. The thinking is that you’ll be granted piece of mind that a kind-hearted stranger will wake you up in time to get off. Hence, a better nap.

Is this guy for real? For starters, no one…. no one is happy to be on that train. You’re really going to depend on the kindness of strangers to get you home? I don’t think I’ve ever said anything to anyone on the train. (Ok, there was this one time I apologized for almost dropping my hot dog on this women who was sitting down. The real crazy thing was… how did I get that hot dog on the train in the first place?!?!)

Second, how is this giving you piece of mind? Now you have to worry if someone will in fact wake you up! Third, isn’t this a little much? Can’t you just set an alarm on your cell phone? It’s certainly a lot less goofy looking. After you’ve commuted for a week you can figure out, to the minute or two, how long it takes to get from point A to point B.

Check out Pink Tentacle for a video of the inventor testing of prototype of the Noriko-san on a subway in Japan. It doesn’t wake him up!

Ha!

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