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Posts Tagged ‘Hack’

Hearables: Sound-Controlling Earbuds Hack Everyday Acoustics

15 Jul

[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

here

With these earbuds, you can do anything from turning down the volume on crying babies, snoring spouses and passing sirens to tuning your own mix of bass, mids and trebles at a live concert in real time. If this description sounds like a bionic hearing device of the distant future, guess again: all of these benefits are being packed by Doppler Labs into a portable pair of well-funded wireless devices already in development.

custom audio filtering plugs

Starting with the simplest features of Here: users can turn up or down everyday sounds – basically a volume knob for ordinary acoustics all around. But it gets better: using machine learning and customizable inputs tied to your smart device, Here can also filter out specific soundwaves in real time, cancelling out unwanted sounds instead of replacing them with white noise or other filler.

sound design

Beyond this baseline feature set, however, things start to get really interesting, with audiophile-oriented features that let you add or subtract everything from treble and bass to reverbs and echoes, letting you personalize all kinds of soundscapes, from background music at bars and elevator Muzak at work to live concert performances. Users can employ presets or customize their experience on the fly then save favorite settings for later, and fans will undoubtedly begin remixing acoustics in unexpected situations, creating custom soundtracks out of walks through parks.

custom ear plug design

Like many wearables, these “hearables” are controllable from your favorite smart device and thus require little onboard processing power, resulting in more extended battery life – the buds are then recharged in a portable case. Doppler has already raised thousands via Kickstarter and millions more via tech and music company investors. Some of this money will be put toward hardware but much of which will be used to further refine their algorithms and give users ever-more-custom audio control over their everyday auditory experiences.

active listening

From their fundraising campaign: “Through two truly wireless, in-ear buds and a smartphone app, Here allows you to instantly control real world audio so you can hear what you want to hear – no matter the situation – and be fully immersed in your audio environment. Here does not stream or play recorded music. Instead, the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) inside Here acts as a studio in your ears by providing you with a volume knob, equalizer and effects to transform real world audio. Use this ‘remote control for your ears’ to have an optimal listening experience every time.”

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[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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1991 Nikon-Kodak hack was first DSLR in space

18 Apr

Screen_Shot_2014-04-17_at_12.40.46_PM.png

What was the first digital camera in space? It turns out in 1991 NASA sent a modified Nikon F3 with small Kodak CCD sensor and external processing unit on a shuttle mission. Called the Hawkeye II, this system used a RS-232 serial port to connect to its external gear. Kodak would use this platform as the basis for the DCS system, the first commercially available digital camera. Learn more

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Urban Jungle Street View: 3D Hack Uses Hidden Depth Data

26 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Gaming & Computing & Technology. ]

urban jungle street view

An explicitly illicit use of dimensional data buried in Google Street View, the Urban Jungle project adds eerie layers of post-apocalyptic green overgrowth to major cities around the world.

animated-new-york-city

urban jungle side street

As in Google Maps, a user can simply drag and drop their tiny avatar in a location of their choosing, then explore a plant-infested, tree-filled, vine-covered alternate version of reality. Click here to start exploring.

urban jungle street maps

From its creator: “This experiment using an undocumented part of Street View, the depth data. With that a depth map and a normal map is generated, which can be used in the shaders and to plot geometry and sprites in (almost) the correct position in 3d space.”

animated-street-jungle-view

street trees vines plants

Despite a glitch here or there, most locations and settings are shockingly convincing, looking like something that was lovingly crafted in incredible detail for a game (or an artist’s rendition of life after the apocalypse).

animated-time-square-signs

street view urban jungle

This otherworldly effect could just be the beginning – you too can grab the depth data at GitHub and create your own surreal landscapes or otherwise-hacked environments (samples via GMM, PSFK & PK).

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Hack Your City: 12 Creative DIY Urbanism Interventions

13 Mar

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

DIY Urbanism Main

If city officials won’t do their part to make public spaces more fun, efficient, useful, comfortable and creative, citizens will take matters into their own hands. DIY urbanism, or ‘hacktivism,’ is the practice of altering urban environments in ways that aren’t officially sanctioned, whether by turning vacant lots into temporary playgrounds, adding swings to bridges, seed-bombing neglected city spaces or knitting giant hats for bus stop shelters.

City Swings

DIY Urbanism City Swings 2

DIY Urbanism City Swings

The spaces under piers, beside bridges and beneath industrial remains are transformed into instant playgrounds with surreptitiously installed swings funded by The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences. The Los Angeles chapter of the group awarded its $ 1,000 2011 grant to artist Jeff Waldman, who chose underutilized spots around the city to install temporary swings. A similar project hung spill swings from the handrails on San Francisco’s BART public transit system, while the more complex 21 Swings project in Montreal coordinated the urban swings with music for an interactive experiment.

DIY Urban Furniture

DIY Urbanism Furniture Stair Square

DIY Urbanism Furniture Sign Chair

DIY Urbanism Furniture City Living Room

If there aren’t comfortable places to sit and hang out in urban locales, perhaps the people should just create them, whether they turn scaffolding into instant hangouts with bracket-equipped furniture or bring specially made tables that fit perfectly onto public steps. Some temporary installations have gone so far as to create entire urban living rooms complete with couches, bookshelves and coffee tables that invite passersby to take a seat, relax, get to know each other better and enjoy impromptu musical performances. One particularly creative guerrilla seat design is simply a piece of plywood printed with an icon of a chair that attaches quickly and easily to street signs and can be folded up when not in use.

Vacant Lot Playgrounds & Hangouts

DIY Urbanism Vacant Lot Mini Golf

It’s incredibly frustrating when your neighborhood lacks a decent playground or public recreation space, yet multiple vacant lots surrounded by razor wire-topped fences waste away for years on end. Why should such spaces be closed off to the public when they’re not in use? Many DIY urbanism projects focus on reclaiming these spaces with non-permanent setups for community gardens, swing sets and even mini golf. Repurposing vacant lots maintains a sense of vitality and egalitarianism in the community, especially during times of economic sluggishness when planned construction projects are indefinitely delayed.

Yarn Bombing

DIY Urbanism Yarnbombing

Who wouldn’t smile at custom-crocheted sweaters for trees, phone booths and bicycles? Yarn bombing is the practice of adding knitted and crocheted additions to all sorts of public objects, just for the fun of it. Bus stops are given giant winter hats, bus seats get a lot cozier and stop signs suddenly become red flowers with the addition of green leaves and a ‘stem.’

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City Hacktivism 12 Fun Diy Urbanism Interventions

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[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Hopscotch Intersection: 4 Artists Hack 16 Public Crosswalks

23 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

zebra crossing zipper art

Sixteen crosswalks at four intersections in Baltimore are the subject of a street-spanning public art project that re-imagines white-on-black zebra striping, each with a unique twist.

zebra hopscotch aerial view

Sponsored by the  Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, the first two of the series are already complete with two more yet to come.

zebra baltimore pedestrian interactions

Artist Paul Bertholet is behind the giant zip-up crosswalk while Graham Coreil-Allen designed the hopscotch-styled variant (additional images below by Graham Coreil-Allen).

zebra intersection crosswalk construction

One goal of this set of projects is to add a creative touch around the city’s Westside Arts and Entertainment District, attracting visitors and interaction while helping define the neighborhood.

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Adobe hack affects 38 million users, not 2.9 million

30 Oct

Adobe-Creative-Cloud-Logo.jpeg

A security breach at Adobe Systems earlier this month is more widespread than first reported. Adobe now says hackers stole information from at least 38 million customer accounts, including part of the source code to Photoshop, the widely used photo editing software. Earlier in the month, Adobe said data from 2.9 million user accounts were hacked. Learn more

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Explore Everything: Epic Book Shows How to Hack Cities

22 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Global & Urbex & Parkour. ]

urban exploration guide book

Combining harrowing first-hand experiences, vivid images and historical context, urban explorer and photographer Bradly L. Garrett takes his readers on a stunning in-depth tour through the hidden world of urban exploration and building infiltration. This trip passes through the sewers and subway tunnels of London, over bridges and skyscrapers of New York, and slip you in between derelict buildings and abandoned places around the world.

urban crane tower climb

Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City (from Verso Books) is more accessible than a manifesto yet more revealing than a manual. In highly readable and engaging prose, it manages to combine personal storytelling and thoughtful reflection with factual urban histories and practical tips for exploring secret spaces.

urban tunnel vertical view

If you are looking for a coffee-table book of eye candy to flip through, this is not the one for you, but there are plenty of those already. Instead, this is a rarer sort of volume that goes far deeper, drawing on meticulous notes, handmade maps, diligent research and many years of direct experience.

urban paris rooftop

urban deserted building structure

urban derelict building decay

urban tunnel graffiti art

urban subway tunnel

Like something from a China Miéville or Neil Gaiman novel, this author reveals that there truly is a layer of fantastic mystery behind, between or below the surfaces of any city. With stories of personal adventures, from climbing skyscrapers under construction to descending into derelict subway tunnels, Garrett conveys the hot sweat and cold fear experienced in his travels. At the same time, he manages to provide commentary that goes beyond the level of an explorer and into the realm of researcher and philosopher. His combination of first-hand and historical knowledge make this a book worth reading.

urban abandoned interior

urban detroit interior volume

The heavy volume may have travel anecdotes and photographs, but it is also not lacking in powerful insights and revealing opinions. Discussing Detroit, Garrett reveals the complexities of a city that is known for its abandonments but is simultaneously in many ways and places a “light, bright, vibrant, beautiful place” that is “full of life, events, politically active citizens, great places to go out” as well as “a plethora of sites ripe for infiltration.” He notes that “as images of decay had become culturally ubiqituitous in this city” many photographers have focused too hard on “sharp, vibrant, long-exposure photography” that produces stylized and idealized imagery that “look uncomfortably similar to traditional photos of colonial explorers, evoking images of white men sticking flags in the soil.” Detroiters sick of their city being seen as a one-sided wasteland will appreciate the author’s even-handed and open-minded approach to and appreciation of their home – and this is just one of many such examples.

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Explore Everything Epic Book Shows How To Hack Cities

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How to Steal without Stealing: Hack Your Post-Processing With Lightroom Presets

07 Feb

There are only 7 basic notes in music. There are only three colors on a computer screen. So, digital photography should not be that difficult. But ok, forget it, we all know it is too good to be true. When all you have is a set of bricks, building a castle does not become easier. Enough metaphors for now – Continue Reading

The post How to Steal without Stealing: Hack Your Post-Processing With Lightroom Presets appeared first on Photodoto.


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The Fastest Film Scanner in the World & More from Photo Hack Day Berlin!

16 Oct

If you could make your own photo hack, what would it be? Personally, we’d figure out a way to make CatPaint real life.

Over a hundred developers dreamed even bigger at Photo Hack Day Berlin last week!

With judges from Facebook, Getty Images, and EyeEm and participants like the Loopcam & InstaCRT team, competition was fierce and yielded some amazing apps that we actually wish we had on our phone right now.

These were the top three winners!

1.Helmut: The fastest scanner in the world! A simple box in which you place a film negative. The accompanying app shoots a photo of the film & inverts it into a positive image. We watched them scan a frame in under 5 seconds.
2. Tourist Eraser: Kinda like Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill for your phone. It detects tourists in your photo and erases them without you having to do any work.
3. Visual Weather: Pulls together Flickr photos of what the weather looked like on a day similar to today’s. (To figure out what to wear & such!)

EXTRA COOL THING! We helped celebrate with an online photo challenge with EyeEm. See the winners’ photos, which were actually shown at Photo Hack Day!

The Best Photo Hacks from Photo Hack Day Berlin

p.s. Looking for even more of the best DIY photo ideas on the interwebs? Follow us on Pinterest!

Related posts:

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  3. Camera Hack: Transform the Shape of your Photos with a Film Mask Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2, 3 Free shipping on…


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