Tag: hollywood

Big Buck Bunny In 4K, 60 Fps and 3D-stereo

An anonymous reader writes “Blender Foundation open movie projects like Sintel and Tears of Steel have been mentioned on Slashdot in the recent years. Now an old-timer, their open movie Big Buck Bunny from 2008, has been getting a make-over in a new release: The entire movie has been recreated in 3D stereo with a resolution of 4K (3840×2160) at 60fps. It took years to rework the movie because the original Big Buck Bunny was created for 2D. Most of the scenes had to be modified to work well in 3D stereo. Furthermore, the original movie was made for cinemas and was 24fps; a lot of changes to the animations had to be made to get the correct results. The creator of the reworked version explains about it on BlenderNation where he also talks about the fact that the entire movie was rendered via an online collaborative renderfarm, BURP, where volunteers provided spare CPU cycles to make it happen. If you want to see how your computer measures up to playing 4K content in 60 fps you can download the reworked movie from the official homepage — lower resolutions are also available.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Big Buck Bunny In 4K, 60 Fps and 3D-stereo

Photos Stream Back From China’s Lunar Lander

After the successful soft landing of its carrier vessel on the surface of the moon, China’s Jade Rabbit lunar rover has begun beaming back photos of the lunar surface. From the BBC’s article, with links to video as well as several photos, comes this description: “Chang’e-3 is the third unmanned rover mission to touch down on the lunar surface, and the first to go there in more than 40 years. The last was an 840kg (1, 900lb) Soviet vehicle known as Lunokhod-2, which was kept warm by polonium-210. But the six-wheeled Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload, including ground-penetrating radar which will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust. The 120kg (260lb) Jade Rabbit rover can reportedly climb slopes of up to 30 degrees and travel at 200m (660ft) per hour. … The rover and lander are powered by solar panels but some sources suggest they also carry radioisotope heating units (RHUs), containing plutonium-238 to keep them warm during the cold lunar night. According to Chinese space scientists, the mission is designed to test new technologies, gather scientific data and build intellectual expertise. It will also scout valuable mineral resources that could one day be mined.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Photos Stream Back From China’s Lunar Lander

The Smithsonian Is Uploading Its Lost Treasures to the Internet

With over 137 million artifacts, works of art, and specimens in its collections, the Smithsonian can’t display even one percent of that at any given time. Many historically significant pieces won’t go on display in our lifetimes and other likely won’t ever see the light of day again. But their replicants will. Read more…        

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The Smithsonian Is Uploading Its Lost Treasures to the Internet

The Throwable, Panoramic Ball Cam Is Finally Here—and It’s Incredible

When we first got wind of a throwable, 36-lens compound camera that automatically snaps 360-degree panoramas at the height of its toss, we were already impressed—and that was jus the prototype (seen above on the right). Now, the officially named Panono camera is nearly half its former size, just as powerful, and finally ready to be caught by consumer hands. And after playing around with the ball for a bit, we can officially say that, yes, it is every bit as awesome as it seems. Read more…        

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The Throwable, Panoramic Ball Cam Is Finally Here—and It’s Incredible

These Guys Just Built the Website Healthcare.gov Should Have Been

Calling the launch of Healthcare.gov a complete and utter disaster may sound a bit dramatic—but unfortunately, it’s also pretty accurate. With only six people able to actually enroll out of the 4.7 million unique visitors the site saw on launch day, something clearly needs to change. And since the government has its hands full with perpetually tripping over itself , three coders from San Francisco did what the feds couldn’t by building HealthSherpa.com— a website that actually works . Read more…        

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These Guys Just Built the Website Healthcare.gov Should Have Been

It’s official: A "number of" previously missing Doctor Who episodes have been "returned to the BBC,"

It’s official: A “number of” previously missing Doctor Who episodes have been “returned to the BBC, ” and we’ll find out how many, and which ones, later this week. Read more…        

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It’s official: A "number of" previously missing Doctor Who episodes have been "returned to the BBC,"

A Multi-Purpose Living Cube That Fits Life Into 100 Square Feet

Swiss designer Till Könneker recently came up with a fantastic way to maximize the space in his studio apartment, which lacked room for storage. He created a loft bed called the Living Cube that incorporates everything from an entertainment center, to a clothes rack, to even a walk-in closet for stashing things he wants kept out of sight. Read more…        

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A Multi-Purpose Living Cube That Fits Life Into 100 Square Feet

The New Star Wars Will Be Shot on Film, Which Is Probably Great

Last night, Star Wars: Episode VII cinematographer Dan Mindel announced that the J.J. Abrams-directed movie will be shot on 35mm film, as opposed to digital video. The decision symbolizes the changing of the guard from the reign of George Lucas, and hopefully adds some much-needed vigor to the beloved franchise. Read more…        

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The New Star Wars Will Be Shot on Film, Which Is Probably Great

Disney Announces “One Star Wars Movie Per Year” Plan

mvar writes “Various sources report that a few days ago at CinemaCon Disney announced their plan to release, following the 2015 JJ Abrams Episode VII, a new Star Wars movie every 1 (one, uno, une) year. Yep, get your stomachs ready, because that’s a lot of Jar Jar Binks.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Disney Announces “One Star Wars Movie Per Year” Plan