Chris Pirillo » glow

Things That Glow

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:05:03 +0000

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A caller asked recently if I still have my Laserpod from ThinkGeek. He is considering buying one for himself, but isn’t quite sure how they work. He said the pictures on the site don’t really show how they work. I had to go grab mine from the other side of the office, and was happy to see that the batteries still work!

According to ThinkGeek: “This desktop sized device splits three electronic lasers and three high-intensity blue and ultraviolet LEDs, then throws them into a hand-cut faceted crystal to create some of the most unique and memorable mood lighting you’ll ever witness.”

You can see in the video that it looks like a prism of sorts sitting inside, and that the lights are moving in a random configuration. I can stick the plastic sheath on top of it, and they move about and throw colors around in different patterns. Placing the glass pieces on top diffuse the light and change things up.

You can have a light show on your ceiling or wall with the Laserpod. The lights that are thrown out are very soothing and calming. They’re also a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong! Imagine wowing your office mates during the next boring meeting or dazzling your friend at the Friday night geek fest. Heck, you can whip this sucker out during your next LAN party!

I don’t recommend playing with the Laserpod when you are under the influence of too much caffeine, though… trust me.

Never buy anything from ThinkGeek without checking out our coupon thread. I have a ton of different coupons you can use on your ThinkGeek shopping spree.

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Geek Drinks

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:46:08 +0000

While in Hawaii last week for the [re]Think Hawaii conference, a few of us stopped in to have a drink at Tiki’s Grill. This place makes some amazing drinks, lemme tell ya.

This particular drink is called Sex on the Beach. It includes Peach Schnapps, Vodka, Cranberry juice, Orange juice and Pineapple juice. I swear to you… it glows. I can’t remember, though, if it glowed before or after I drank the first one and had moved on to the second!

Thanks to my new friend Michael for the drink!

[awsbullet:sex on the beach drink hoodie]

Camera Glow Stick Trick

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:05:59 +0000

The last time I did something like this, I had a far less powerful camera (and was still living in San Francisco). I thought it was about time I made a new version.

I used the Panasonic Lumix G1 to snap this photo – and the quality is astounding. If you haven’t done so already, click through and view the original size of this photo.

As I outlined in an earlier post, you need a digital camera that allows you to set a shutter priority. The rest is fairly simple. I’m not going to rehash the instructions as they’re already here.

Does Your Computer Glow?

Chris Pirillo — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:18:41 +0000

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I unboxed the HP TouchSmart PC the other night, and found something on it that is just too completely cool for words. There is software on here that, in conjunction with the hardware, will change the color coming out of the front bezel. I can change it myself, or set it to do so automatically!

Colored HP Ambient Light lets you select a color lighting to set a mood, or see your keyboard in the dark. This is the way computers are supposed to be. The only thing that could possibly be any better is if the colors came out from all sides of the PC, and not just where the bezel is. I mean, seriously. Why hasn’t anyone else done this yet?

Kudos, HP, for giving this Geek something else that glows to use! I can’t get enough of it.

FirstRSS ERROR: "http://shop.tagjag.com/products/color" NOT FOUND!

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The Neon Autograph

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 13 Aug 2002 11:38:57 +0000

Here's how I did that fancy neon autograph thing. When I was in the seventh grade, I was given a scholarship to attend a couple of courses at the Des Moines Art Center (in, of all places, Des Moines, Iowa). I chose photography, and have been somewhat addicted to taking snapshots ever since.

These days, digital cameras are the rule. At least, as far as I'm concerned. We have an unlimited supply of “film” and instant gratification. You know me – I'm all about playing with things that were designed for productivity. That's why I strongarmed our producers into letting me tell you about this cool little trick that you can do right away.

Without any digital editing, we're going to write our name in neon. To get this done, you'll need a digital camera that has a “shutter priority” option, a tripod, a flashlight or LED, and a dark area of your home. Normally, the shutter priority option is used for capturing low light scenes. Which is, by the way, what we're doing – with a flair.

(1) Place your camera on a tripod (or flat surface where it won't move). (2) Set the camera to the highest possible shutter priority (15″ – fifteen seconds – is sufficient). (3) Set the camera on a timer, so it won't move when the shutter opens. (4) Have a friend stand in front of the camera, turn down the lights, and have them turn on the flashlight (or LED). Have them hold it in the starting position. (5) Start the countdown. When the shutter opens, your friend should start spelling his or her name backwards. (6) When they're finished writing their name, have them pause until the shutter closes. It may take a while for your camera to process everything. (7) That's it!