Twitter-Controlled Cockroach Explores Human Relationship With Social Media
Chances are you wouldn't expect a cockroach to make a statement about the overstimulating connection between humans and social media. But that is what artist Brittany Ransom has done with the TweetRoach.
Happy New Year
While many news organisations/blogs in our space will use this as an opportunity to heavily promote their activities for 2013; but we come with a far simpler message. Happy New Year to all 400,000 people who read what we write, and watch what we film.
Hitman: Absolution Review (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Six long years since the bald-headed, bar-coded Agent 47 last appeared on home consoles in Hitman: Blood Money, there's something to cherish about his return. With a scarcity of truly stealth-driven games at market – where set-piece laden, high-octane action titles are ten-a-penny – IO Interactive have sought to redress the balance with Absolution. It's a genuine shame, then, that it just comes up short.
New Rising Media Christmas Gift Guide: Music
The standard music recommended in Christmas gift guides across the globe can get rather dire. A selection of albums from the most commercialised of "talent," which quickly loses all musical value in a storm of stereotypical song structure and torrenting. With that in mind, we've counted down the Top 25 albums of this year, all of which will make a great present in both physical or downloaded form.
Star N8000 Note Review
We may not always notice this, but more and more new phone releases just don’t hit the west at all; least of which the technological backwater UK. A myriad of reasons are enough to keep them from our shores, but it nevertheless got us thinking: what are we missing?
Guns Transformed Into Musical Instruments
Artist Pedro Reyes has used a large cache of weapons to build a selection of musical instruments. Called Imagine, this project was made using confiscated guns, which were publicly destroyed by the Mexican Government as an anti-violence statement. To further communicate this message, Reyes has turned to the world of musical instruments and Rage Against The Machine.
DARPA's Headless, Four-Legged 'LS3' Robot Now Follows Voice Commands
If the Terminator ever needed a four-legged companion, we imagine DARPA’s robotic pack mule, the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) would be a strong contender for the title.
Social Media Prosecution Guidelines Released By CPS
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) today has released a document outlining guidelines for dealing with potentially aggressive, or offensive posts on social media sites. The document urges judges to factor in context, public interest and even whether the post could be seen as “banter”.
A Reaction To The Hobbit's HFR 3D
With 48 RED EPIC cameras to its name (each assigned a name, from Witchy-Poo to Walter), the production of The Hobbit marks not only the first time Peter Jackson has stepped into the world of live-action 3D but represents, potentially, the dawn of a new cinematic standard: 48 fps.
Instagram Ad Policy Seeks Right To Sell Your Photos
As of January 16 next year Instagram will be changing their Terms & Conditions and for the first time you might really want to read them. The 2013 change gives the Facebook owned company a whole host more rights regarding what they can do with your content.
Computers Will Be Able To Smell, Hear, Touch, Taste And See By 2018 Says IBM
As part of its annual '5 in 5' predictions feature (in which the brightest minds and forward-thinking individuals of the company second-guess the future of technology), IBM presents the “five innovations that will change our lives in the next five years.” Over the coming years, computer hardware will develop the five senses...
Filmography 2012: Every Movie Of The Year Cut Into One Trailer
Vampire-hunting presidents, foul-mouthed teddy bears, twisted slave drivers, a caped crusader, 007, unexpected journeys, a romantic take on the end of the world and...The Avengers. Still believe 2012 was a dud year for film?
Researchers Present An Alternative To Pixels
Truth be known, there aren’t too many technological constants. Passing electricity through a wire to make it bright, using flammable liquid to push pistons, and pixels. But while great strides have been made to improve each, underneath they haven’t changed. Researches at Bath University, Root6 Technology, Smoke & Mirror and Ovation Data Services have launched a new video codec that could finally put the old pixel to bed. In fact, those behind the research predict the death of the pixel within the next five years.
New Rising Media Christmas Gift Guide: Technology
The standard gadgets recommended in Christmas gift guides across the globe are boring, and they quickly become unused after the first few days of use 'just to show Grandma you're enjoying her present.' It's with this determination to do better, both for you and your loved ones, that we have compiled ten presents that will not only fascinate people upon first use; but stand the test of time.
FlyVIZ Gives You True 360-Degree Vision In Real-Time
Ever dreamt of having eyes in the back of your head? It seems a daft question, but not until you get your eyes on this from a team of French engineers. It’s called ‘FlyVIZ’ and it lets the wearer experience a 360-degree vision of their surroundings, in real-time no less, with the aid of a head-mounted display (HMD).
An Introduction To 'eSports' And The World Of Competitive Gaming
The idea of playing games competitively has existed for a long time, but only relatively recently have ‘eSports’ come into their own as a spectator sport. With games like Starcraft 2 and League of Legends gaining popularity in the West; a sprawling community of players, commentators and dedicated fans is growing ever larger day-on-day, hour-upon-hour.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Review From A Tolkien Nerd
Over a decade after I first saw The Fellowship of the Ring, another Tolkien film is back in our cinemas. Lord of the Rings was such a massive part of my childhood that this prequel had me equally nervous and excited – I was begging Peter Jackson not to fail me. Fortunately, he didn't.
An Interview With Jack Olesker: The Writer Of Power Rangers
Power Rangers was a personal favourite Saturday morning show from the days of my youth; but the works of Jack Olesker have had a significant impact on practically everyone who had a childhood in the eighties and nineties.
From writing murder mysteries to The Care Bears his portfolio is rather diverse, becoming part of the paradigm shift in children's TV in the final decade of the 20th century. In a classic story of chasing 'The American Dream,' Olesker went on to become a key figure in the TV industry, and has recently launched a Kickstarter project to fund his latest creation: ZTV The Zombie Network.
With a taste for horror, a fascinating career epitomised by the boom in children's TV, and his feet placed firmly on the ground alongside his fanbase. We speak to Jack about his big breakout into the screenwriting business, the career spanning nearly 3 decades, and his plans with ZTV.
'Good Old Games' Gets Generous: Duke Nukem Free-D
‘Tis the season of giving over at gog.com, beloved digital distributer of gaming gems from a bygone age; but one of their greatest gifts is tucked neatly under the darkest corners of the tree. For the next few hours, Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition, is absolutely free.
New Myspace Review
Myspace has suffered in its position as the 'punch line' to any Social Media humour. Destroyed by News Corporation, then rendered further into obsolescence by a minor reboot and a subpar software integration into TVs. That is until a certain popstar/star in a movie about Facebook took interest, both financially and mentally. The result is what you see, a complete overhaul.
Has this proverbial phoenix risen from the ashes, or have we fallen for good looks with no form and function?