Top tech, social media and horror news (20/05/2013)

2.  Elvis Halilović - Slovenian
industrial designer and self-taught
carpenter has developed pinhole
cameras that he and his brother
make out of locally-harvested
chestnut and maple wood. The
cameras, which have been shared
thousands of times across social
media prove that vintage techniques
still have a place in an increasingly
digital world.
 The brand, named ONDU Pinhole
Cameras, have been constructed in a
range of sizes including 35mm and
4-by-5-inch. Most of the camera are
held together by magnetism rather
than bolts or screws.
The camera’s creator explained that
"Pinhole photography slows the
experience ... that you truly begin to
appreciate the phenomena of lights.“
He is currently raising funds on
Kickstarter to improve the design,
with various versions of the camera
offered as rewards

3. The world’s first liquid cooled smartphone
has been revealed this week. The NEC
Medias X 06E will feature liquid cooling
pipes beside the processor and behind the
display. According to test results, the
system does not make the phone perform
noticeably better, but can apparently
extend the life of the chip.
The phone comes running Android 4.2 and
also features a 4.7-inch 720 x 1,280 OLED
display, 13.1-megapixel shooter,
2,300 mAh battery and waterproof
and dustproof casing. No UK
release date has been confirmed,
but the phone will hit the shelves
this June in Japan. NEC claim that
the phone is primarily aimed at
women.
It is interesting to consider why
this new technology is being
aimed solely at women, with the
phone featuring a pink case and
being pre-loaded with ‘feminine’
themes. It is also worth
considering whether there is any
real benefit to the creation, or
whether it was made “just because
we can”

4.  Scientists in Glasgow have
created a low-cost way of
creating 3D images. Their
system uses detectors which
have a single pixel to sense
light instead of the millions
of pixels used in the
imaging sensors of digital
cameras.
 The above image explains
the technique known as
"shape from shade" A
projector displays patterned
light on the face on a
mannequin. These patterns
are used to produce a 2D
image. A 3D image is then
formed.
The detectors can "see" frequencies which the
human eye cannot, with researchers
predicting could open up new uses for 3D
imaging in medicine and geography.
The single-pixel detectors cost "a few pounds"
compared to current systems, which cost
"thousands". Prof Miles Padgett led the team
at University of Glasgow's School of Physics
and Astronomy, which developed the
technique.

5. Yahoo has announced this week that they have
acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion. The decision
was unanimous by Yahoo’s board and will be
CEO Marissa Mayer's largest deal since taking
control of Yahoo last year. As of yet, neither
Tumblr or Yahoo have released any official
statement on the deal.
The Wall Street Journal have
claimed that under the terms of
the acquisition, Tumblr would
continue to operate as an
independent business. The
company is currently run by
David Karp, a 26-year-old New
Yorker who founded Tumblr in
2007, and he is expected to
remain in his role. Social media
analysts believe that the move
was Yahoo’s attempt to claim
some control over social media,
and also aim their brand at a
younger target audience. A
concern being raised is that
advertising could become more
prominent on Tumblr.

6. Pinterest has received a major
upgrade this week which could see
it become a more viable marketing
platform for brands. From now on,
posts can be set up to link to brands
which will display information
rather than simply linking to the
source image.
For example, a film poster could link
to cinema showing times, or a product
image could link to an order form or
price guide.
A spokesperson for the company
explained the reasoning behind the
update as "community will now see
more useful Pins at first glance, rather
than having to dig around or click to
other websites."
Also included in the upgrade, is the
installation of the Pin It button on
third part mobile phone
apps. Etsy, Fotopedia, Jetsetter and
ModCloth will all feature the button
in an effort to expand Pinterest’s
presence on smartphones.

7. Facebook and Google debuted their new
messenger systems only six weeks apart,
and this week their move; and the two
systems , have been under scrutiny.
Facebook Home prominently places it’s
chat heads messaging alerts on the
home screen . Google’s new system is
focused more on group chat, something
which is still difficult to set up on
Facebook. The launches of both
products followed several key reports in
2012, which suggested that smartphone
instant messaging had begun evolving.
The unexpected popularity of Whats
App is being credited with the move by
both companies. Reports which also
showed that consumers were willing to
juggle several messaging apps (in
many cases up to five), probably
prompted the move by Google and
Facebook also.

8. The biggest story of the week is that Amazon has
cancelled the Zombieland series. Rhett Reese,
writer of the series and the film of the same name
spoke about the announcement on Twitter saying
– “Our Zombieland series will not be moving
forward on Amazon. Sad for everyone involved.
I’ll never understand the vehement hate the pilot
received from die-hard
Zombieland fans. You guys
successfully hated it out of
existence. Anyway, we did our
best, and we’re very proud of our
team.”
A few interesting article have
been written about the decision,
including speculation that the
series may have had more
success on Netflix. The reaction
from horror fans regarding the
series is also interesting to
consider, as many felt that the
series had to broad a target
market to appeal to the horror
fans it should have targeted.

9.  Although ABCs of Death received a
somewhat mixed reaction,
it’s definitely an interesting concept.
This week, it was announced
that ABCs of Death 2 is planned for
2014. The sequel’s new roster
includes Goya Award winner Álex de
la Iglesia (THE LAST CIRCUS, DAY
OF THE BEAST), ROOM 237
mastermind Rodney Ascher; Academy
Award-nominated animator Bill
Plympton; Filipino icon – and
Director’s Fortnight inductee – Erik
Matti (ON THE JOB, MAGIC TEMPLE);
and the founder of Nigerian
“Nollywood” cinema Lancelot Imasuen.
Sequels very often receive a great deal of
criticism, but the premise of ABCs of
Death is so open ended that there is no
reason for it to be repetitive. The fact
that an entirely different set of
directors are on board is also a bonus.
The competition for an aspiring film
maker to create the 26th short will again
be run in conjunction with the film.

10.  Upcoming
documentary Crystal Lake
Memories: The Complete
History of Friday The 13th scored
a release date this week. The
film will be released this August
27th, with pre-
orders beginning July 8th.
 With a running time of
approximately seven hours, the
documentary explores each film
from the original 1980 slasher
hit to the 2009 reboot. The film
is created by the team
behind Never Sleep Again: The
Elm Street Legacy.
 Due to the running time, there
will be no DVD release with the
documentary being a Blu-Ray
exclusive.