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Isn't it

Microsoft software doesn't add up....

Oh dear poor old Microsoft have got their sums wrong. Apparently there is a calculating error in the new Excel software which shows the wrong number on the spreadsheet when you do calculations similar to =77.1*850. The correct figure is 65,535 but Excel thinks it is 100000....

Links: Blog article about the problem

An alternative search engine...

Stuck?

Ask Ms Dewey!

She probably won't give you the answer you were expecting ...and she gets very annoyed if you ignore her...

Enjoy!

iPhone - Worth the money or not?

The launch date of the iPhone has been revealed. So on the 9th of September people from the UK will be able to purchase this so called 'revolutionary product' for the price of £269. Apple has chosen o2 as it exclusive mobile network operator beating off rival networks such as Vodaphone and Orange. The iPhone comes available on three different 18 month contract packages: £35, £45 and £55.
The iPhone is essentially a phone, an iPod and a web browser, as well as much more packed into this tiny device. However, what about 3G, GPS and the lack of JAVA. This seems like a lot of money considering it is missing some vital bits of modern mobile technology. Here is a breakdown of the costs.

£269 + (£35 x 18 months) = £899
£269 + (£45 x 18 months) = £1079
£269 + (£55 x 18 months) = £1259

One begs the question is the iPhone worth all this money???

Links: BBC Article, Apple iPhone

Google Presenter - new online "powerpoint" tool

Google have today rolled out their long awaited presentation application which allows you to create presentations in a similar way to using PowerPoint. In this announcement on the Google Blog they describe how this tool can be used collaboratively by many authors and then shared over the web.

With this new tool it really opens up how you can collaborate online with other users to create rich resources.

JISC Student Expectations Study

An interesting report on prospective university student's ICT expectations published on the 6th Sept 07 available here http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/studentexpectations

New Apple iPod

Just read this BBC new article about the new iPod - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6980451.stm. Apple have announced that they are overhauling the entire iPod range to include touch screens and wi-fi connections - http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/.

It should be interesting to use once they are available. Being connected on the move to public wi-fi hotspots would enable people to browse the web (of course apple suggest you buy new music on the move) and access info. Educationally this would make the iPod much more flexible than at the moment where you have to connect to a computer to get new information onto the device.

Panoramic Conference Hyperlinks

IPC International Panorama Council www.panoramapainting.com

BV Panorama Mesdag www.panorama-mesdag.com

Innovate http://www.innovatecentre.co.uk/other/16thIPC.asp

Michael Punt (Faculty of Technology) web links

http://www.leonardo.info/

http://www.trans-techresearch.net/wiki/read/Home

Jeff Morgan’s Panorama links

http://www.jeffmorgangallery.com.au/

http://www.jeffmorgangallery.com.au/ipc/

http://www.jeffmorgangallery.com.au/hawker/panorama/picture/

Alpenpano

http://www.musee-suisse.ch/d/schwyz/exhibition/alpenpano/d/ausstellung.html

Sattlers Salzburg-Panorama 1829

http://www.smca.at/sattler/data.html

Jerusalem Panorama http://www.panorama-altoetting.de/

Camera Obscura www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de

http://www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de/cms/das_museum1.html

Sara Velas www.panoramaonview.org

Mike Phillips www.i-dat.org

www.nascent-research.net

www.arch-os.com

www.liquidpress.net

Downloading Podcasts

I've been playing with some Perl scripts to automate the downloading of Podcasts. I find software such as iPodder or iTunes really limiting in how they can handle files and wanted to find a flexible simple solution.

Eventually I found this script w98Podfetch which allows you to completley customise how podcasts get downloaded, where they get stored on my computer and also the filename used. The only problem is that I can't yet get this to work fully on a Windows system - "works out of the box" on linux.

If anyone else has any sucess in downloading mp3 files which aren't mangled up (sounds like the Darleks are invading on the ones I got) then let me know.

Producing Panoramics

Notes from a workshop I attended at the IPC Conference yesterday...

Presenters:
Ian Wood - www.azurevision.co.uk
Aldo Hoeben - www.fieldofview.com

Perspective Types:

• rectilinear - ie. normal lens
• fisheye - practical horizontal limit 180 degrees/ vertical 360 degrees
• cylindrical - practical horizontal limit 360 degrees/ vertical 120 degrees
• equirectangular - practical horizontal limit 360 degrees/ vertical 180 degrees - covers whole sphere of vision (used in Immersive Vision Theatre)

Methods of Capture:

• stitching multiple (high quality) photos
  
• do-able on ordinary digital cameras

• scanning/panoramic camera
• lens is a slit = v.shallow field of view producing curves
• expensive

• one shot systems (mirror attachment for lens)
• single photo = low quality
• no problem with moving objects
• never 360 x 180 degrees

Shooting:

• turn off all auto functions - switch to manual
• lock everything

unfortunately I got a bit lost at this point but they have promised to publish their presentation in the next couple of weeks! Ian also said to email him if you had any queries!

Panoheads - rotating tripods (which can be operated by remote control...)

• Aldo uses a Nodal Ninja (approx. $150)
  
• Ian built his own and uses his mobile phone to operate it if tripod is raised high (see LEGO Mindstorms NXT)

To stitch photos together...

• Ian used PTGui.com (panotools graphical user interface) - and 70mm lens
• This generates control points for all images
• Optimise - then tweak control points as necessary
• Create panorama :o)

They then demonstrated how to convert the panoramic's perspective, therefore creating different effects, using a plug in for Photoshop - Flaming Pear's Flexify 2

Thanks Tom for emailing me thew link to (free) Anamorph Me software which also converts images - cool!

Finally panoramics were viewed using QuickTime VR Viewer

Other cool panoramics:-

V. detailed hand drawn panorama of the river at Rotterdam at www.panographia.com
Lapses in Light - Timelapse video of Plymouth by PCAD graduate, Ollie Larkin - v cool indeed!

That's my notes written up - now to start creating... :o)

16th International Panoramic Conference; University of Plymouth

I attended the final day of this very inspiring conference yesterday. It was organised through INNOVATE - The Centre for Creative Industries at the University of Plymouth.

Presentations included a fascinating 'panomorfosis table' - an art installation based on anamorphic art where a distorted image (in this case, video) becomes clear through viewing it on a reflective tube. (Aldo Hoeben from fieldOfView) Anotherof his installations consisted of an illuminated tent with a projected panoramic image.

Martin Woolner from Innovate presented 'Project Imago' - a panoramic collections viewer/ cms system enabling curators to show little seen museum collections, complete with text and audio information. Ideas - a tablet PC fitted with a motion sensor (already in Wii and iphone) could be combined with a map for directions (fieldtrips?) and information about exhibits.

Michael Punt (Faculty of Technology) talked about 'Panoramas of Time: Cinema, Phantom Rides (shot as though seeing through actor's eyes) and Hale's Tours (similar to Phantom Rides but with more sensory - eg. cool breeze on ankles). He showed an extract of 'Letter from an Unknown Woman' which illustrated a fairground attraction - the view from a train window changes courtesy of an old man cycling...

Welcome to i209!

i209 aims to be a hub of creativity for the sharing of inspirations and ideas in art, design and new media by like-minded people across the south-west and beyond. Let's get creative!