The longest word in English has 189,819 letters and would take you three and a half hours to pronounce correctly. Seriously. It’s the chemical name of Titin (or connectin), a giant protein “that functions as a molecular spring which is responsible for the passive elasticity of muscle.” You can listen to a guy pronounce the whole damn word. More »
Welcome to the future of 360-degree video.
MakingView, a company out of Norway, has created a camera called the ViewCam, an ultra lightweight camera that can be mounted almost anywhere and take full 360-degree video.
Unlike the Dot or GoPro, however, consumers can’t purchase the ViewCam, as it’s only available as proprietary technology, licensed out to companies like RedBull. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t cool, or that we won’t see it (or something like it) on consumer shelves in the coming years.
The potential uses for this technology are bountiful. Just imagine taking a tour of the Egyptian pyramids or the Grand Canyon from the comfort of your computer. Tour Guides for major attractions could strap one of these things on without even noticing it’s there and go about their daily business.
The ViewCam is remote-controlled, with a 2.4GHz processor, has 160 to 224GB of internal memory and takes 4K x 2K equirectangular video at 25 – 50 fps.
Viewers can pan around with their keyboard or mouse to see the sky, backwards, forwards, left and right, and even look down at whatever the camera is mounted on.
In the case below, that would be a RedBull biker flying down a hill.
Since the ViewCam only weighs around 600 grams, it can be mounted on a helmet without affecting the biker, driver, runner, spelunker or what have you.
If your company is interested in licensing the technology, you must contact Making View for a quote.
Chances are it costs a pretty penny, as only RedBull goes to such extremes for marketing.
In an unbelievable story that includes a fishing trip, a curious bird and a lost camera, a woman found a camera hanging around a bird’s neck, posted the pictures online and found the camera’s owner. More »
Hey all you IDIOT KIDS. Don’t text during a movie. Don’t do look at your phone. Don’t touch it. Don’t even think about it. That’s just basic common fucking courtesy you halfwit assholes. But because we’re horrible creatures that can’t resist checking Instagram once every 15 minutes, Cinemark will reward you for leaving your phone alone during a movie. It’s as if the Justice Department started giving tax breaks to people who don’t commit murder. More »
Last week, an internal memo from Cisco was leaked to the press. It was in response to reports that Cisco had overcharged California State University $100 million to use its network. Well, the leak made people at Cisco angry, and that anger has materialized into a bizarre manhunt, executed by one vice president, in his leisure time. More »
In a ridiculous fire story that even firefighters couldn’t believe, a vodka bottle acted as a magnifying glass for sunlight to burn through a liquor store. Seriously. More »
America, the Great Republic, is holding her elections today. And her voters, you voters, are, uh, still frantically Googling to find out who’s running for President. More »
This guys job is to walk on a mattress. No, seriously. His name is Reuben Reynoso and he’s a professional mattress walker. This is apparently the important, final step in making a mattress. I am not joking. More »
Tupac performed as a hologram alongside Snoop Dogg Lion at Coachella. The Republican party has created a Reagan hologram. And now TLC wants to resurrect the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in hologram form for a reunion tour. More »
If you prefer your exercise routines to be incredibly brief and awkward, Japan once again delivers with a contraption designed to tighten cheeks and eliminate double chins. The Kuwaete Sukkiri actually works out just your tongue, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a machine at your gym that can tighten facial muscles with just a minute of commitment every day. More »
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