rich

Online sequencing with Splice

Splice Music, a Flash-based online sequencing tool, opened to the broad Internet public about a year ago. It's free, although registration is required, and filled with thousands of sound samples and remixable songs, all licensed under various Creative Commons licenses, meaning that they're available for you to recombine. It's a fun place to start for old-school analog musicians who've never played with a sequencing program before. (And who don't have a Mac with Garage Band preinstalled.)

Remixing other users' songs is one way to learn how the tool works, but if you're like me … Read more

'Motoman' bot shows it's got rhythm

It's good to see that the Japanese haven't forgotten about cultural entertainment in their apparent quest for a human-free society. At least their robots haven't, anyway.

The recently unveiled "Motoman" was initially assigned to such mundane tasks as sorting mail, for example, but it's already showing that it's got rhythm too. Four of them, to be exact--two twin-armed models and two welding versions.

The robots displayed their prowess on the taiko drums at the Kokura Gion Daiko Festival, an event that Pink Tentacle says is almost 400 years old and is known for … Read more

Show notes--The Queue: Fast fingers!

A 13-year-old text-messaging champ; BlackBerry does Windows Mobile; Time Warner wants customers to share their Wi-Fi; high-paying high-tech jobs; and broadcasting yourself with Kyte.tv.

LG National Texting Championship on CNET TV http://www.cnettv.com/9710-1_53-27211.html

FON Wi-Fi http://www.fon.com/en/

AeA Cyberstates 2007 http://www.aeanet.org/Publications/idjj_cyberstates2007_press_releases.asp

Kyte.tv http://www.kyte.tv/home/index.html

Ways to watch The Queue CNET TV RSS Feed http://www.cnet.com/i/pod/thequeue.xml iTunes http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=250484661

Show notes - The Queue: Moon bound!

The latest episode of The Queue is now available for your viewing pleasure on CNET TV. Here are notes on the things I mentioned: Moon Resorts I first met the guys behind this at the X Prize Cup in Las Cruces, NM. I've always been fascinated with space and I thought the little 3-D model of the resort was so cool. I'm not sure how far along plans are to actually build one of these...but I can definitely see the potential appeal. Official Website http://www.moonworldresorts.com/ Full Resort Mockup Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g75DpUH_4Ww … Read more

I'm Rich!

CNET TV is growing up fast, and now we even have our very own blog! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Rich DeMuro, CNET TV's guy in New York City. Yes, much of our crew is out in San Francisco, but I'm headquartered in the Big Apple to cover the East Coast. It's not all that lonely here; we have a team of editors out here as well who review digital cameras, TVs, computers, and more. But I digress...I produce and host a show on CNET TV called The Queue, which is sort of like … Read more

Virtual drums roll into your pocket

Technology has allowed more amateur guitarists to take their instruments on the road, from guitars to keyboards. Yet the possibility of an easily mobile set of drums has been confined largely to the likes of the "Finger Drum Mousepad."

But percussion lovers can take heart now that the "Portable Electric Drum Set" is here. Similar to roll-up pianos that have been on the market for awhile, this virtual instrument is built into a 20-inch rubber mat that can be rolled away anytime, anywhere. Tokyomango says the eight-drum set even has "preset tunes and rhythms to … Read more

The combo TV fireplace--just shoot us

This would be laughable if it weren't so sad, but apparently the "Plasma TV Fireplace" is here to stay. Picture House Cabinets has come up with a new version of its fully functional hearth that conceals a pop-up flat screen, according to Shiny Shiny, this one complete with marble finish (so classy).

We understand that furniture makers are struggling to adjust to the era of plasmas and LCDs, but this is nothing more than an exercise in poor taste. It's also an example of technological perversion at its worst, as described in the company's product … Read more

Your drum solo on a mouse pad

If you're going to start messing around with combo gadgetry, at least be creative. That's the lesson that should be learned from Hammacher Schlemmer's "Finger Drum Mousepad." Rather than some useless combination like a mouse pad with built-in speakers, this electronic drumming surface lets you strum your fingers to eight percussive sounds, "including bass, snare, two rack toms, a floor tom, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals." You can even record up to 30 of your creations so you can play back the most annoying ones for all to hear, over and over.

Google's new 3D world

Google has released new rich 3D imagery for Google Earth 4, its interactive mapping application, which is officially out of beta.

In place of the usual map lines, satellite imagery and raised boxes, are rich textured 3D models of famous places.

Those that are complete are easy to spot, especially with Google Earth's new navigation compass that makes directional rotations and angle views easier to manipulate. Even a monolith such as the Met Life building in New York City has enough details to make it identifiable even without its famous label.

Facades of glass, bricks and stone abound, but … Read more