Are you curious about Adobe CS4? Check out this free 70-page superguide, published by Creative Studio (CAFE). It always seems like Adobe makes their Creative Suite software as polished as possible, yet every 18 months they release a new version that always surprises and delights.
[via CreativeTechs]
If you have a Netflix account, then you know what it’s all about. If you don’t, please reconsider subscribing if you love movies, or just easy to access video content. However, not even every Netflix subscriber may be taking full advantage of their accounts.
Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’ works best when you have a large flat panel monitor, or have your computer connected to your TV/entertainment system. Like Hulu.com, but without commercials and more studios/networks backing the content. Top videos include: Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Ratatouille, Superbad, Spiderman, Illusionist, etc. And now, an additional 8.21% of the market–Mac users–can enjoy their favorite entertainment content too. Check it out!
To those who have been avidly following Photosynth, this isn’t a surprise. But to those who have initially glossed over this technology or didn’t hear about it at all, watch this video of Microsoft Live Labs Architect Blaise Aguera y Arcas demonstrating an early version of Photosynth in May 2007.
Photosynth analyzes a group of digital photos and combines them into an interactive 3D model. The demo above uses images taken from flickr, though you can create a model with just your own photographs, too. This technology was released to the public in August 2008, though unfortunately (but predictably) only to PC users. Microsoft claims that Mac access is currently under develepment. This powerful technology is definitely worth following!
Modifying desktops makes for a more efficient digital space, and more productive workflow. This can range from picking a pleasing background image, to keeping your desktop icon-free, or even adding useful widgets.
Check out this collection of interesting desktops put together by Lifehacker.
Click the image above to see a Windows XP desktop in detail–it looks so minimalistic and stress-free!
I just finished watching the new Abode Creative Suite launch event. Outlining the best new features in most of the CS4 products, as usual, I’m continually amazed. Who knew so much could be introduced that actually makes the hefty upgrade price tag worthwhile?
Watch some of the Adobe CS4 feature videos here: http://tv.adobe.com
How can we watch “interactive television,” and what does this mean for the viewer? I was reading Steve Kilisky’s post on his Dynamic Media Blog and it got me reflecting about the increasingly blurring lines between television the Internet. It’s funny how the last few classes I’m taking at UCSC all discuss ways in which electronic media merge, overlap, or displace one another; all this questioning leads to a (mostly) unpredictable future for Television 2.0–similar to a recent grad’s?
Henry Jenkins analyzes this newer convergence culture, Lisa Parks talks about “microcasting” to niche audiences, and William Boddy adds to and interprets the results of the growing list of failed WebTV-like ventures. Where are we now? We have:
-user created content piped through a cable television station (Current TV)
-television distributed through the Internet & brought to your computer (Joost)
-content distributed through the Internet & brought to your TV (Apple TV)
We have all these different technologies grasping for similar goals. As Kilisky comments, much of interactive TV’s poor adoption has stemmed by a poor user experience. Perhaps progress has been made, but it’s difficult to tell. Newer technologies might encourage more “lean forward” viewing practices, but is that what the average television viewer wants? Is it even possible to successfully mix newer, Internet based technologies with the same old original television format?
Videoguys has updated the original version of their DIY 5 editing computer with updates from NAB 2007. The new guide for building your own HDV editing workstation is complete with thorough explanations of every PC component and their reasoning behind choosing one model over another.
I like to take the recipe a step further and use the quietest PC components to make sure my new workstation isn’t overpowered by one part that’s louder than a jet engine–I like it better when my creativity isn’t disturbed by something like an annoying $5 case fan.
[via Videoguys]
