Daily Bits

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Adam Savage Does Doctor Who

I know I just posted a Doctor Who infographic yesterday, but this video is too good to pass up. I may not have seen the series yet, but I sure as heck am familiar with Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame. I don’t know about you, but I find him to be the most endearing member of the team.

Recently, he has attracted more attention, thanks to his stint dancing in a cage. Yes, a cage. To the theme from Doctor Who. Backing up Adam Savage is Arc Attack, and the cage is flanked by two Tesla coils to complete the setup.

The performance was given in this year’s Makers Faire, giving attendees a treat that they probably did not expect. If you’re feeling low or you just have some time to waste, this video is the perfect thing to watch. The music + Adam’s robot moves and gyrations = a hilarious few minutes!

Adam Savage, you rock!

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Angry Birds for Real

It’s been a while since I last played this overly addictive game, but there is no denying that there are still people who are only starting to get hooked. Unsurprisingly, businesses will continue to ride this wave as long as it can bring them benefits. And Deustche Telekom is not exempt from this.

Earlier this month, the telecommunications giant teamed up with Rovio, the creators of Angry Birds, to promote their new services. In a Spanish town called Terrassa, they set up a real-life Angry Birds scene, complete with pigs, birds, bricks, and what-have-you. To top it off, this talented band provides a jazzed up version of the game’s theme. Never mind that the people who participated in the event were all invited to be there and paid (I assume). The whole thing still looks fun.

Some of you may be sick of the birds by now, but this video just might change your mind.

I wonder if this will set off a string of copycat events?

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Star Wars in LEGO: Condensed Version

Have you ever tried telling the entire story of Star Wars to someone who has no idea what it’s about? You probably would need at least an hour and nifty story-telling skills to do the job. That or show that person this video telling a fast paced version of the story. In LEGO.

Now Star Wars LEGO is not a new thing. Try googling “Star Wars LEGO” and you will see countless results. This video is something else, though. Not only are the minifigs and the sets set up so they look really cool, but the background music and the narrative are also noteworthy. It’s not technically epic (whatever that means), but no one can say it is not funny and attention-grabbing. I can only imagine how much this kid has spent on buying all those LEGO pieces!

That is the more recent video that dzine123 uploaded, but sometime last year, he also had a similar video.

Now you can either use these videos for bedtime stories or you can actually transcribe the narrative and tell the story on your own. Either way, you are sure to have the Star Wars story understood by kids of all ages!

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All Along the Watchtower Jazz Cover

Time for a dose of Battlestar Galactica – well, sort of. We may not watch the entire BSG series every year, but enthusiasts will definitely get their hands on anything related to BSG on a regular basis. This month, what I stumbled upon is a jazzy rendition of Bear McCreary’s All Along the Watchtower.

I do not know a single person who has watched BSG who was not affected by that haunting piece by McCreary, and to be honest, I think that it’s still the best version. The Sac State Jazz Singers did a pretty good job, though, especially given the fact that there were no instruments involved. Oh, and they got a comment from McCreary himself!

Wow, guys… this is seriously awesome. Someone sent this link along, and I’m pretty much stunned listening to this. What a killer arrangement! I think I might like it better than mine. 🙂 Keep up the good work. So say we all…

-Bear
bearmccreary

That’s the best praise these guys can get. Without further ado, here is the video. Enjoy those BSG scenes in your head as you listen!

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Back to the Future in Real Life?

How many people have dreamt about being Marty McFly and traveling across time? If you’re one of them, then you might be interested to know about the GigaPan Time Machine. ((GigaPan Time Machine)) Created by some guys from Carnegie Mellon University, the GigaPan Time Machine might not exactly be like the DeLorean, but it does make time traveling somewhat of a reality for you and me.

It is actually a computer system that allows users to view certain locations via videos or images. These images and videos are rendered in gigapixel-scale (hence the name?). The cool thing is that you can explore the images/videos by moving back (or forward) in time. At the same time, you can also zoom in and out.

To make that clearer, let’s say you are looking at a field of tulips somewhere in The Netherlands. You can choose to zoom in to have a clearer view of the beautiful flowers. More so, you can go back in time and watch the flowers start to form as buds and then slowly come into full bloom.

Interested in knowing how the system was created? Believe it or not, it has been made possible by HTML5! Based on HTML5, the researchers were able to develop “algorithms and software architecture that make it possible to shift seamlessly from one video portion to another as viewers zoom in and out of Time Machine imagery.”

I guess words can’t really explain how much fun this thing can be, so here’s a video to show you.

Not exactly as glamorous as speeding up a clunky old car and not exactly Back to the Future, but it’s still something!