Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, April 18, 2008

Bypass YouTube Restrictions with a URL Hack [Video]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/272852663/bypass-youtube-restrictions-with-a-url-hack

Find yourself on the wrong side of the ocean (or border) from a U.S.-only YouTube video? Don't want to log in to glimpse a clip that might have content that's "inappropriate for some users"? Both are fairly easy to get around by slightly altering the video's URL, according to the Google Operating System Blog. Most YouTube URLs take the form of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID

Note the 11-character code at the end, and place it like so:

http://www.youtube.com/v/VIDEOID

The swift move brings up the widget normally used to play embedded videos—a bit over-sized, sometimes, but nicely distraction-free as well.

Watch restricted YouTube Videos [Google Operating System]

Eee PC-like Deep Blue H1 mini laptop hits the Philippines

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/272960766/

Filed under: Laptops

There's certainly no shortage of Eee PC competitors these days, and it looks like another one recently snuck its way into the Philippines, where Blue Digital's diminutive Deep Blue H1 is apparently now on sale. Unlike the Eee PC, this one packs a 1.0GHz VIA Esther processor, though it boasts a similar 7-inch 800 x 480 display, along with 1GB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and the LinPus Linux distro as the standard OS, with Windows XP available as an option. Our tipster in Manilla also informs us that while it's only available in basic black at the moment, you'll apparently soon be able to get your choice of white or sky blue models as well. No word on a release anywhere else, unfortunately, but those in the Philippines can snag one for Php 16,995, or just over $400.

[Thanks, Alan]

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Video: Hands-on Panasonic's DMC-FX500 with 3-inch touchscreen and 720p video

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/272977889/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

No doubt, we liked Samsung's 10 megapixel NV24HD camera with 720p video. But we loves us some Panasonic DMC-FX500. It shoots 720p video and 10 megapixel stills just like its Korean competitor only with a 5x, 25-mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens instead of the 24-mm 3.6x zoomer found on the Sammy. Oh, and it brings a bigger 3.0-inch touchscreen too. With the unit already making its way out the door in the US for about $400, we're just waiting to hear about the image quality before grabbing one for ourselves. Reviews please, somebody... Bueller? Video hands-on after the break.

Continue reading Video: Hands-on Panasonic's DMC-FX500 with 3-inch touchscreen and 720p video

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Nikon D3 Firmware Update Reveals 24-Megapixel D3x, Already in the Wild [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/272566297/nikon-d3-firmware-update-reveals-24+megapixel-d3x-already-in-the-wild

Nikon's flagship full-frame DSLR, the D3, is a lot of things, but a megapixel warrior it is not, shooting a mere 12.1MP to other flagship DSLRs' 20+. Nikon said it was avoiding the pointless megapixel war. But the latest firmware update for the D3 turns up a string for the "D3x" containing the image sizes "6048x4032 24.4 M" and "5056x4032 20.4 M." Given that everyone else is speeding along pro DSLRs with 20+ megapixels, the D3x probably exists, and shares common code w/ the D3. Nikon expert Thom Hogan goes further, suggesting the reason it's in the code is because "there are some D3 bodies out there with the new sensor being tested." That's right, the new DSLR king, out there, right now. [DP Review via Gadget Lab]

NASA to Broadcast Earth Views in High Definition [Major Tom To Ground Control]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/272803299/nasa-to-broadcast-earth-views-in-high-definition

Fans of space, high definition television, and watching-your-washing-machine-go-round-while-stoned rejoice! Honoring planet Earth and hoping to bring us closer to the awe that astronauts feel while watching or home planet, NASA is going to start transmitting crystal-clear HD video of Gaia taken from orbit—both totally silent and also with commentary.

Unfortunately for Adam, Addy, and David Bowie, however, it won't be a 24/7 Live Earth channel, but an hour-long broadcast that is going to be repeated from April 18. The film has been edited from high quality HD footage taken from the International Space Station and the shuttle.

NASA to Broadcast Earth Views in High Definition Television HOUSTON — Since humans first flew in space, nothing has captivated astronauts more than the view of home out the window of their spacecraft. In honor of Earth Day, April 22, NASA will make those views available to people here on Earth with an event highlighting imagery taken by astronauts and the science behind it.
For the first time ever, NASA Television will air a special hour-long broadcast of views of Earth taken in High Definition, or HD, by astronauts on past space shuttle and International Space Station missions.

The special HD broadcast will air between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 18, and replay at the same time on Monday, April 21. It will air every hour from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22.

The Friday HD broadcast will feature a silent version of the Earth views. The broadcasts on Monday and Tuesday will include a discussion of the views by Dr. Justin Wilkinson, a scientist with the Crew Earth Observations Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The footage also will air on standard NASA TV during regularly scheduled Video File broadcasts. For technical information on how to receive the special broadcast in high definition, and for NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit NASA TV.

Until that day, you will have to keep smoking your astroturf watching Flight of the Conchords reruns:

[NASA TV]