Shouting Grounds

Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.

The potential uses, and more importantly the abuses, of this technology are astounding.

The Angry Video Game Nerd from Screwattack reviews a series of video games from the Batman franchise.

Fucking awesome!

It looks like a new game will be coming out for the iPhone, and judging from the video it looks like it still needs a bit of work, and hopefully won’t be too terrible. Obviously this is a different breed from the console versions, and meant to focus on taking advantage of the iPhone’s touch, and motion interface (for lack of anything else). Hopefully there will be some actual lightsaber swordplay at some point. Due for a September ‘08 release.

Tags: StarWars, Force Unleashed, iPhone, Apple, App Store

Those with iPhones or iPod Touch devices might be wondering, “if I buy a program on the App Store, what happens if a new version comes out?”

Well luckily that’s all been worked out.  Anyone who has downloaded the free New York Times app and been immediately disappointed by the performance and quality of it have probably noticed the App Store icon on the home screen showing a little number badge on top of it.

If you go to the App Store and follow that notification a similar badge appears in the updates section, allowing you to download the new version of whatever application needs updating.  If you are away from your sync computer, it will install and prompt you to copy the new version over to your sync computer when the phone is connected.  Very slick. 

Nothing like a little som’n som’m to look forward too every now and again.

Tags: AppStore, itunes, iPhone, iPod Touch, updates

By running Apple Software Update you should see iTunes version 7.7 now available for download.  Even though the App Store doesn’t seem to have a direct link on the iTunes storefront.  A simple search for Super Monkey Ball will let you get to the App Store tab. 

With this single move you can download and purchase a shit tonne of goddamn applications.  Free apps include (finally) AIM, Facebook App, MySpace Mobile App, eBay App, IGN Game reviews, NetNewsWire, Evernote, and all sorts of little games and productivity applications. 

Pay software includes, Bejeweled, Super Monkey Ball, OmniFocus, Band, and christ there’s too much to name.  Seriously, tomorrow is going to kick all forms of ass when the 2.0 software is avaiable.

Or you could just download the 2.0 iPhone update yourself, right now.

Of couse, I can’t guarantee that that update will work properly, and it is known that updating your iPhone or iPod touch with 2.0 software will wipe the phone and attempt to restore from a backup created just before the wipe.  The backup checks what is available and authorized in your iTunes library for the restore so make sure (if you do this) to update using your main iTunes library.

This program is an example of why the App store and iPhone combo is going to be awesome.

Tags: iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, iTunes, Apple, App Store, iPhone 2.0

I Just downloaded this browser called Flock.  Remember how Jobe from Lawnmower Man looked after he OD’ed on data.  That was me looking at this browser.  So much information at once…too…intense…

Anyways, you can load it up with all of your social networking info, so that you have access to all of these sites at once.  It’s very “aware” of all of these sites and the normal tasks people take while on the web.  Taking links and adding them to a blog, or sending them to facebook, or even media is a snap.  As long as you can handle a little clutter (we are all used to it), you may find that this browser is exactly the end-all-be-all Internet tool it’s advertised as.

1.2 is available for download now, for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Tags: flock, browser, software, Mac OS X, OS X, Social Networking

I’d heard of CodeWeavers‘ “CrossOver Mac” before. I understood that it was an attempt to run Windows applications without installing windows. It was basically an actively supported OS X build of WINE that was tailor-made for running business applications like Office and Photoshop. It seemed promising, especially when word of games support was advertised. I installed the demo copy about a year ago and was mildly impressed. It installed Office 2003 fairly well and ran quickly, compared to emulators that were publicly available. I had already bought Parallels and since I was using my original copy of Windows XP with it, I didn’t feel that I needed a program like CrossOver Mac since my needs were being fulfilled.

On the games front, I believe I had tried to install a game or two using CrossOver mac, but I didn’t have much luck. The program gives you a list of supported applications to choose from, but you can also launch an unsupported installer if your app of choice isn’t on the list. Since it had just coalesced as a product, their supported applications were mainly productivity packages and fairly limited. Since this was the case, I forgot about it for a while.

I was searching the net yesterday and noticed that CodeWeavers had split their flagship program into two halves. CrossOver Mac would now be dedicated purely to productivity and CrossOver Games would cover the entertainment sides of things. Each program is to be separately updated and expanded based on customer demand. There’s even an application voting section where you can show your interest in particular applications and games. Should you have deep interest in having a program be supported (and deeper pockets) you can pledge funds toward its support. Not a bad idea.

What does a year of development get you in regards to CrossOver? Steam support. That’s right! CodeWeavers has added specific support for the Steam gaming platform! You can install it from a game disc, or pull the installer directly from the web. After I finally remembered my login information for steam, I had, within minutes, over ten games available (yes 90% of those games are variants of Half-Life, but still) for play. I only have a measly MacBook (pre Core2 Duo) with a built-in Intel 950 graphics chip, but I was able to play Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, Half-Life Source, and Ragdoll Kung-Fu without a problem. The framerate on Ragdoll Kung-fu was very playable. HL2 was ok, not great, still playable. I’ll have tweak my settings a bit. I’d assume that even if Half-Life 2 was natively built for OS X it wouldn’t play much faster with my little video card. This software is amazing!

Yes, WINE is free and UNIX based, but CodeWeavers are putting a badly needed support framework around the app that makes it much more accessible and functional. The built-in net-install of steam is a great touch. So many PC games are up on steam now, that it only makes sense to get that program under your developmental belt.

So far, I’m really impressed with this offering as it means that all the money I’ve spent on PC games might very well not be wasted. I’d be able play these games in the future on my platform of choice (even if my old PC dies on me through severe neglect). CodeWeavers even has a Linux version with the same perks as the Mac app.

CrossOver Games is $39.99 at the CodeWeavers’ website and is downloadable immediately upon purchase (as God intended).

I’ve installed the update and had no issues booting up so far. I did notice that a few Calendar synchronization windows came up, but I believe this is because they revamped the iCal synch procedure. All the iCal appointments are correct after the sync. VMWare Fusion 2.0 Beta is running fine right now. It’s even allowing me to do odd stuff that I haven’t tested yet, like interact with the Sony Reader.

The update is a 400MB+ download that affects iCal, Time Machine, AirPort, Spaces and General OS X features. A full list of changes is available from Apple.

I’ll keep you posted. Obviously this blog post is masturbatory since I’m the only Mac user. Sue me.

WARNING - Though it sounds at the beginning of the video that the amplitude of the recording will surely blow your fucking ears in, it’s, in reality, just a poor compression on the video. It will play at a reasonable level when it does get started. NO NOT FEAR!

I am totally fucking excited to see this come out. First the DS-10 virtual synth from Korg, then this home brew sample scratcher. Awesome! Definitely check out that video.

The interface reminds me of a mini-version of the JazzMutant Lemur or Dexter. So as long as you can overcome the smaller screen realestate, you can have a similar touch-based music interface box, though it’s not multi-touch, and probably not very customizable. So scratch that (pun intended), I guess the only real comparison between this and the JazzMutant offerings is they both deal with music controls and both sport similar-looking interfaces. Still very exciting.

Original project web page

UPDATE

After doing a bit more research on this project, it seems that there’s more here than meets the eye! Along with the scratching and loop triggering, there’s MIDI output via the Nintendo DS’s wifi radio, as well as the ability to utilize the DS’s built-in microphone to live-record audio clips for use in the software! Shit, if I had this little thing on the train, I’d probably miss my stops, for fuck’s sake!

I know I’m a little late to the game in discovering this, but I couldn’t be more excited. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s (and I suppose still to this day) there was a music phenomenon of sorts that allowed any computer user (that wasn’t an adept programmer) to create full musical compositions via a sample-based utility known as a tracker.

The early tracker application “VicTracker” for the Commodore Vic-20.

Trackers come in all shapes and sizes but they have evolved from utilities that meet the “bare minimum requirements of music making” to full blown powerhouses of sample and virtual instrument manipulation. The tracker that I started with back in 1996 was Impulse Tracker. Seen here in all it’s glory.

I liked Impulse Tracker at the time because it was all I knew, but having inherited a hardware synthesizer from my father I started to want more MIDI implementation in my software. Plus, at the time, there was a sort of chic-vacuum when using trackers. Probably from my inexperience in using Impulse Tracker I assumed that things like Groove Quantization and virtual instruments were not possible with a mere tracker. I also had discovered that I could load samples into my Sound Blaster 64 AWE and sequence them in Calkwalk with full-blown DSP effects! I started moving away from trackers thinking that I would be much better off using Calkwalk then eventually Logic for all my music making.

I have to admit that I’ve been able to do a lot with the much more expensive software packages like Logic. Multi-track recording is obviously suited for the bigger apps, but since I primary make electronic/dance music, multi-track recording is usually unnecessary. Enter Renoise…

Renoise has re-lit my appreciation for trackers like I never felt possible. It creates a bridge between what I wanted from a digital audio workstation (DAW) and what I need as an electronic musician. Sure it doesn’t have a full multi-track recording interface but it allows you to export all tracks into a DAW should you want to throw in some real instruments. Or you can just sample. There’s a sample editor, recorder, and generator built-in, including the ability to cue up any portion of that sample at any speed, direction, or repeat-rate.

It’s really liberating to have a tool that allows me to compose while within the limiting constraints of a train seat with only my laptop; nothing else. I’ve been searching for a really small MIDI instrument to control my other apps, but now I have the perfect input device, the computer keyboard. Sequencing is a dream when you’re just a keyboard shortcut away from any feature.

I was hesitant to use Renoise because of my prior experiences with Trackers, but Renoise is built for electronic music, has VST/VSTi support, is PC and Mac compatible and is actively developed. Yes, it’s not as Free as Impulse Tracker was back in the day, but 90 bucks is a steal for what this will do for your creativity.

I’ll be sure to post some samples of things I’m working on, but right now I’m just happy to be creating again.

The ProjectMix I/O is M-Audio’s answer to the more expensive Digidesign (despite being part of the same company, AVID), Tascam, and Mackie control surfaces. It gives you a flexible audio interface and motorized fader-based control-surface. I’ve debated making the leap in purchasing this thing on several occasions. I don’t have any need for it now, but seeing how M-Audio likes to drop driver support for certain products, I’m glad I didn’t pick it up.

It’s safe to assume that the ProjectMix I/O is one of (if not) the flagship devices M-Audio makes currently. OS X Leopard (10.5 to be exact) was released October of 2007 and M-Audio still has not provided support for the operating system. It seems odd to me that a company that has such a partnership with a software manufacturer could be “caught with it’s pants down” when it’s new, much publicized, operating system is released. No doubt M-Audio was given advance access to the pre-release copies of Leopard as to allow them to release updates to their product lines. Why a company as prolific as M-audio is in the Mac Pro-Audio field would not be able to write a driver update for their flagship hardware devices after over a year is beyond my sphere of understanding.

I’ve already come to grips that I won’t be able to use my much-beloved Omnistudio Pro USB anymore, since they’ve stated they have “no plans” to support it into OS X Leopard. Fine. It’s an older device; gone discontinued since 2005, I believe. Sucks, but I can take it. How the hell is anyone to have any confidence with this company when you can’t be guaranteed to have drivers prepared for your $1500 recording device a YEAR after an operating system is released. For fuck’s sake, point-releases are coming through (already 10.5.2 and 10.5.3 on the way) and nothing. I don’t envy ProjectMix owners.

Currently, I’ve been experiencing problems with my FastTrack Pro USB interface that I purchased to replace the OmniStudio (I believe in second chances). The audio will drop out after functioning normally for an arbitrary amount of time. I don’t know if it’s a problem with the device or with the driver software that M-Audio dutifully provided, several months after OS X Leopard was released. I like to know if there’s a company out their more trust worthy than M-audio to fill the void on reliable audio interfaces. I hear bad stuff about everyone else’s products like Tascam, Lexicon, Focusrite, etc, (minus Pro Tools rigs, but I hear issues regarding the software required to run them, plus I want be able to use software other than ProTools), maybe this is all their is? All I can do is tune in and wait.

Adding true multi-monitor support and “experimental” DX 9, it looks like version 2 of Fusion will fully close any gap that may exist between its rivals over at Parallels.

Anyone using Parallels Desktop 3 knows that their idea of “Multi-Monitor” is really “giant-ass monitor” support. They decide to combine horizontal resolutions of multiple monitors when in Convergence mode, using the root monitor’s vertical resolution as a base. This means that you aren’t able to take advantage of 100% screen realestate if you use monitors of varying resolutions. An invisible cutoff point will exist when you try to drag a Convergence window south of your initial display’s max vertical res. Weak.

Fusion 2 actually passes monitor detection to the guest OS, allowing it to treat each additional display as its own, configurable, and arrangeable output. Check the youtube vid below to see this in action. Their testing proves that it can work with as many as 8 independent displays.

Sure, the 3d performance won’t blow anyone’s socks off, but DX 9 support alone is pretty impressive.

the beta 1 release is available as a free download from VMware via the following link. You can see more videos of Beta 1 in action here.

Even though it probably won’t happen, I would like to see either company develop a utility to allow a user to convert a virtual machine into a Boot Camp partition, in case you wanted to dual boot. I realize that it’s probably infeasible, but we can hope can’t we?

Another great provider of excellent, value-packed, Macintosh software bundles is MacHeist. Usually they kick off their bundles with a “spy/mystery” themed puzzle that you have to solve. As you solve these puzzles, or “cases” you accrue “loot”, which may include free software or credits that you can use towards future bundles. The cases are usually extremely clever in their design, but a helpful community forum may help you along should you need help. It’s really just a fun way to get the word out on new Mac software.

Should you have a Mac, I suggest supporting the site and buying 12 apps for $49 bucks, even though (as Socrates will point out) Bugdom and Nanosaur don’t really count. It’s more like 10 apps for $49 bones, which is still a great deal.

Get this one while it’s hot!

The good folks over at MacUpdate have extended us another wonderful Mac software bundle for a reasonable price. For the price, you are once again getting an assload of software! Check it out, NOW!