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Sony Ericcson has launched a teaser site for its upcoming Rachael smartphone. Although the site does not directly name Rachael, se-blog.com blogger Michell Bak noticed that several references to the project’s codename are contained in the page’s source code. Sony Ericsson South Africa later confirmed the association between the teaser page and the upcoming device….
Macessity has introduced TrayStation, a new laptop riser that has been added to the company’s line of computer accessories. TrayStation consists of both a heavy steel base-station coated in aluminum, and a 5mm clear acrylic tray which raises the laptop approximately 6 inches and is designed to help reduce strain on the eyes and back. The stand provides four non-skid feet which prevent it from sliding on furniture, along with four latches at the top which secure the tray in place….
Your two favorite Mac geeks come together yet again to share your tips, answer your questions and solve your problems. Regularly voted one of the best Mac podcasts on iTunes, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode. John and Dave answer questions about AirPort Express in hotels, keyboards acting funny, some switcher-related issues, and also share your tips on Adobe Flash, USB ports on Mac Mini and more! Subscribe today for free so you don’t miss another episode.
Gigawiz has released an update to its graphic application, Citrin. Version 2 adds a range of new features including an “X-zooming” tool that allows users to walk through hierarchies of data in both directions. The feature prevents the exclusion of data from being a visual effect, as the content is not sent through the visualization pipeline….
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
A dreamachine is a strobing flicker device, invented by Brion Gysin and Ian Summerville, that pulses light in a frequency range relating to alpha waves present in the brain while relaxing. Originally created using a turntable, a bulb, and a cylinder, you close your eyes and and the pulsing of the lights as seen behind your eyelids is supposed to cause varying states of relaxation, sometimes creating colorful patterns of swirling lights.
Pulses from 1-4 beats per second are supposed to cause deep relaxation, while pulses from 8-13 beats per second are said to cause a waking sleep often with accompanied by psychedelic shapes and trippy colors.
Author William S. Burroughs, one of the first proponents of the dreamachine, wrote:
“Subjects report dazzling lights of unearthly brilliance and color. …Elaborate geometric constructions of incredible intricacy build up from multidimensional mosaic into living fireballs like the mandalas of Eastern mysticism or resolve momentarily into apparently individual images and powerfully dramatic scenes like brightly colored dreams.”
The Dreamr app tells you to turn the brightness all the way up, choose a number of beats per second and a color, and then to hold the device’s screen up to your closed eyes and see what happens. The buttons to choose beats per second were quite small and hard to consistently tap.
I gave Dreamr two ten minute tests, both in a comfortable recliner with my iPhone resting on my eyes. At 13 beats per second I found nothing at all, outside of noting that the speed of the flickering seeming to slow down and speed up after about 6 minutes. At 4 beats per second I may have been a bit more relaxed after about 8 minutes but that could have been due the quality of my recliner. Overall, I wasn’t affected. Your results, however, may vary.
The app comes with a warning that this should not be used by small children, photosensitive people, or those that react badly to flashing lights. The price is $US.99.
We’d be very curious to know of the experiences of anyone who has used Dreamr, or in fact, any dreamachine. And that, my friends, is what the comments section is for.
TUAWDreamr app: a relaxing experience? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Electronic Arts on Monday announced that the iPhone and iPod touch version of NBA Live is now available at the App Store. Featuring all 30 NBA teams and their players, NBA Live lets gamers guide a club through a full 82-game season mode, complete with playoffs, engage in an exhibition game, or skip straight to the good stuff with playoff mode.
Microsoft in a sudden reversal today exited its sponsorship of a Family Guy episode due to air in just under two weeks. The company had originally signed on to tie Windows 7 to an uninterrupted half-hour episode of the show known as Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show that airs November 8th but now says the material it saw in an early cut is “not a fit with the Windows brand” and will leave any Windows 7 advertising to a 12-week Family Guy-related tour. It’s believed the humor was considered too controversial for the software developer….
Third party testing has confirmed that Apple’s new 27″ iMac can only be used as an external display for devices designed to provide DisplayPort video. It will not work with any equipment that only supports VGA, DVI, or HDMI output.
Telestream has released an update to its ScreenFlow screencasting software for Mac. Version 2 allows users to upload content directly to YouTube, with support for both SD and HD resolutions. The company has also added a variety of new 2D and 3D transitions, along with expanded control over editing, video speed, audio levels, keyboard shortcuts and document packages….
