Giz friend Adam Savage, in our estimation, can make just about anything. Here he explains the path he took to turn a toy gun into an astoundingly sharp Blade Runner pistol replica. More »
The Kindle 2 and new iPod shuffle both feature new text-to-speech modes. So how well can the duo read the opening scene from Bladerunner?
A few months ago an LA real estate mogul revealed his plans to light up the LA skyline with giant animated bilboards. Love it or hate it, that was not the first time someone had the idea of creating building facades like those found in Blade Runner. OObect has put together a list of 15 of these architectural marvels–and the best part is that there are plenty of designs that are not all about advertising. [OObject]
The always fascinating and outworldly Xeni Jardin points us to this video of the Lego Blade Runner Spinner. She wrote: “Guys, you posted a while back about the badass one of a kind LEGO spinner car from Blade Runner that Joel Johnson spotted during the BBtv shoot at Syd Mead’s studio. We cut an episode about it, check it out!” Actually, what Xeni meant to write was: “Witness Joel Johnson getting a stiffy touching Syd’s Lego Spinner.” I can’t blame him. In his own words:
Hollywood is going a little bit crazy with the unnecessary sequels and remakes these days, more often than not taking a beloved show or movie from our younger years and holding it down while it drowns in a bathtub. Still, there are properties left unmolested, memories that have yet to be tarnished. Trust me: it’s only a matter of time. For this week’s Photoshop contest, I want to see you imagine some new sequels or remakes that would be so offensive to your precious memories that you would swear off movies for good.
Joel spent all day with Syd Mead of Aliens, Blade Runner, 2010, Tron vehicle design fame and the first thing he’s posted is this Lego Blade Runner Spinner Car replica that Lego made for him. It’s the only one in the world. More photos at [BoingBoing Gadgets.]
Being the businessman that he is, it wasn’t the movie Blade Runner that struck L.A. real estate mogul Sonny Astani, it was the animated billboards depicted in the opening sequence. In fact, the idea has had such a profound effect on him that he plans on making advertising in 2019 Los Angeles a reality ahead of schedule. His plans call for two 14 story animated billboards to be built on condos set for construction downtown.
Knife-proof, machine-washable T-shirt not enough protection for you out there on the mean streets? Bulletproof backpack insert just won’t cover enough of your nice, lead-free body? Maybe you need a hoodie with 2mm of Type IIA bulletproofing, enough to stop a 9mm full-metal-jacket round at a velocity of 1,090 feet-per-second. The bad news, besides the US$600 price tag, is that the protection is only in the body, not the hood itself. Bladerunner Ltd., UK-based retailer of the Defender Hoodie, says the pullover also protects you from unspecified “lesser ballistic threats.” (Do the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune count?) The hoodie goes on sale sometime in the next month, so please, for your own sake, don’t go pissing off any mailman/lunch lady/ex-girlfriend in the meantime. [Product Page]
It was like a real-life scene from Blade Runner, well, except for the pleasure-model skin jobs, the handguns that sound like laser blasters and the whole Harrison Ford thing. A NYC couple stumbles upon a digital camera left in a cab on New Year’s Eve, and decide to turn all sleuthy.
More in our ‘what to do this weekend’ special… Popcorn Taxi is presenting a very short run of Ridley Scott’s ‘Final Cut’ of the geek masterpiece ‘Blade Runner’. This weekend you can see it on the glorious screen at the Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne, and next weekend at the Astor Theatre, St Kilda. Four sessions in Sydney and seven in Melbourne. These are cutting edge HD screenings, too, on display using the world leading Sony CineAlta 4K DCI projector. The movie is remastered, with new and extended scenes, new effects, and a new 5.1 soundtrack.
The movie is out on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray December 19, but this short run of screenings will live long in the memory of those who make it along. More details and pre-sales at the Popcorn Taxi website.
And for the Melbourne crew, check in again Monday – Popcorn Taxi has given us 5 double passes to the Melbourne sessions to give away, so you’re sure to want to have a crack at those! If we had more time, we might hold a paper crane building competition, but with the short notice we’ll come up with something else over the weekend. [Popcorn Taxi] More »
