Pixar's Little Lamp Is Alive!

Remember how before every single Pixar movie you see a little lamp hobbling it's way on the screen? No? Does this image bring back the memories? 

So- that lamp, named by Pixar as Luxo inspired 3 students from New Zealand to create a robot version of it. Called Pinokio, the object was created using 6 servos (motors used for controlling a system/process), a processor and a webcam.

Human beings have always been fascinated with robots (*cough* China, Korea, Japan *cough*) and when I watched this defenseless lamp come alive all I could think about was the movie, Terminator. Moving on...Pinokio tracks movement and reacts to the surrounding environment among other things. It relies on OpenCV (programming functions)...in other words- a lot of coding to make it what it is today. I'll avoid the programming jargon and leave you with this video but not before saying- I WANT!

Got a (Bad) Habit?

How many times have you decided you will or will not do something and then failed at it? I have so many I'm not even going to list them. Breaking or creating a habit is a pain in the...neck. Smokers, procrastinators...the list can go on.

Enter my discovery- the Hipster Habit App. It's a fun 'app'.

The reason why I found it to be fun is because it's an offline 'app'. Let me explain. This particular 'app' fits in your pocket as opposed to a mobile device.

  
Yep- it's a printable 'app' that helps you achieve a habit or get rid of a bad one (at least that's the aim of it). You write down what you want to do and then follow the steps. There are different levels to reach- each bringing you closer to your goal. Fun!

I've jotted down 'Water' (as in 'drink more water') in my app since that option wasn't available. Just print it out from their website , fold into a booklet and get going!

The Limited Edition Batman Accessory

I'm a huge comic books fan and even a bigger fan of Batman. I don't like any of the other superheroes from DC Comics or Marvel Comics the way I like  love Batman. This passion stems from the fact that I grew up watching Batman cartoons, the TV series and religiously reading the comic books.

Image credit: Dale Thompson

I have to thank my younger brother though- he was the one who'd stayed glued to the TV series and got me hooked on to it. We were obsessed with Batman...so much that we used to sing "nananananana Batmaaaan" and run around the house with bedsheets wrapped around our necks (that was a cape to us). We also managed to re-create Batman's mask by using our hands stuck to our faces (Batman fans will know this).

Fast forward to today and I'm still a die-hard fan of the caped crusader (so is my bro). So it goes without saying that I have a few customized Batman accessories including post-it-notes (that I made!) and also 2 original Batman figurines. I would like more. A fan can never have enough, right?

The latest installment in the Batman series and the final chapter from director Christopher Nolan is 'Batman: The Dark Knight Rises'. I've been following the releases closely in terms of 'first look' at images from the movie, sketches and the trailers. All of this looks amazing and I can hardly wait for the movie to hit the big screen. And on that note, let me tell you what I discovered last week-

A Nokia x Batman special edition mobile phone. Don't you just love Nokia now?

Nokia Lumia 800 Batman Edition

Wait, it gets better. The phone, a Nokia Lumia 800 looks like a prop that would be used in the Batman movies. It comes in a black casing with the ever so recognizable Batman logo carved in by laser. And the best part of this? Only 40 of them have been manufactured which makes it a limited edition phone- so good luck finding one, I'm pretty sure they're sold out. The model was available for purchase ever since Dec 2011 and I find out about this now- pathetic. I doubt this edition is available in this region because the local Nokia website has no data on this.

I shall leave you with these images (all from Pocket-Lint.com; I am jealous of the reviewer who got his hands on it). If anyone wants to know- my birthday is not anytime soon but I am accepting gifts *cough* this specific phone model *cough.

They put in effort for a special box

That would be the 15th piece out of the 40 that have been manufactured

How sleek is this? That's the actual phone and not the cover/case

Why did Nokia have to release only 40 of these?

I do not care about the features. I just want this phone because it's Batman!

Tech Going Crazy

While doing a bit of research on iPhone vs. Blackberry since I'm going to buy a new phone, I stumbled upon some cool iPhone cases some of which have a 3D feel, some other random gadgets and tech accessories. How rad are these?

Available on Switch Easy

Available on Switch Easy

Image credit: Range

Image credit: Luuux

Image credit: A Brilliant Melody

Image credit: Craziest Gadgets

Image credit: The Clearly Dope

And then you have some weird but funky earphones.

Image credit: Nerd Approved

 You got mushrooms growing out of your ears!

Image credit: Gizmodo

 Got a bullet to the ear

Image credits: Flickr

 Super Mario anyone?

Image credit: Flickr

How awesome? I want these!

Image credit: Craziest Gadgets

 A Mickey Mouse Adapter

Oh, hello!

So here's the first post of the new blog. On this blog, I'm going to cover fashion, food, movies and everything in between.

Starting off with my latest purchase called the iPad2! I've never been an Apple fan. I remember years ago receiving (at that time) the latest iPod. I actually gave it to my brother because I didn't fancy it. That or any other Apple products. You see I'm a Microsoft fan. I'm pretty sure Apple is great in it's own league and you will write a list of things as to why I should convert to Apple but that's not going to happen anytime soon. Having said that, I bought an iPad 2 recently. I also ended up with a fashionable leopard print sleeve! How cool is that? I love leopard prints but I will leave that story for another day.

 So far, the device has been used to make notes, tweet, email and play Angry Birds. And of course, Instagram! I love this app but am pretty upset that Apple didn't pay attention to the iPad's camera/  megapixels. I'm sure you will agree, the device takes crappy pics- it's way too pixelated. You got a great device but sad camera- no, don't give me an excuse as to why the camera is below average. But apart from that, no complaints.


Time to go play some more of those Angry Birds.