Science & Technology – Page 4

VIZ Media Announces the U.S. License for Hatsune Miku

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced that it holds the U.S. product licensing rights for Hatsune Miku, the popular Vocaloid virtual pop singer that has become a massive pop culture phenomenon in Japan. VIZ Media will showcase Hatsune Miku among its other properties available for product license at the 2011 Licensing International Expo, held in Las Vegas, June 14th-16th, 2011. VIZ Media will be located in Booth #2481.

The Licensing International Expo is held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center and is the preeminent marketplace for the hottest international brands and properties. It features a show floor of more than 7,000 properties from all of Hollywood’s major film studios, global entertainment companies, Fortune 500 consumer brands, sporting teams, interactive properties, fashion labels, and cutting-edge artists and designers. The annual event celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2010.

Hatsune Miku is a striking, blue-haired digital female avatar and the most popular of the Vocaloid Character Series software originally created by Crypton Future Media and using Yamaha’s Vocaloid 2 engine. The innovative software enables users to create synthesized vocal tracks using Hatsune Miku’s vocals by simply typing in lyrics or inputting a melody. Crypton’s Vocaloid program uses vocals that are derived from pre-programmed samples of the voices of many popular actors/singers.

In Japan, the popularity of Hatsune Miku has become a national phenomenon. She has appeared in several video games and music videos and has also performed several sellout “concerts,” where she appeared on stage as a 3D hologram, backed by a live band. Most recently she appears in a new commercial for the U.S. market for the 2011 Toyota Corolla. The spot is also available on YouTube, and since its debut on May 4th, the segment has received more than 950,000 hits. The Japanese pop group Supercell also features Hatsune Miku as its vocalist and released their first single in the U.S on May 10th. The track, “The World Is Mine,” from their forthcoming full-length album, placed as high as #4 on the iTunes World Music charts.

“Hatsune Miku is the world’s first true digital pop star and her notoriety is spreading fast across North America,” says Tracy Hanchett, Director, Consumer Products. “Her development explores a whole new hybrid of digital technology and organic creativity. The Hatsune Miku brand is richly developed in Japan, where she stars in several video games by Sega, as well as CDs, books, arcade games, collectible figures, apparel and other accessories. We’re very excited to showcase this new property at the 2011 Licensing International Expo and welcome the opportunity to work with innovative product partners to further cultivate the Hatsune Miku brand for a new U.S. market.”

For more information on Hatsune Miku and other titles from VIZ Media please visit VIZ.com.

Innovative Multimedia Group Blends Technology and Pop Sensibilities for New Album Featuring Vocals by Virtual Pop Culture Star Hatsune Miku

from VIZ Media:

Sony Music Direct (Japan), Inc., a division of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Inc., has announced the U.S. release of the full-length major label debut from the Japanese pop group, Supercell, on Tuesday, June 21st. Supercell blends catchy pop melodies and technology-inspired vocals with captivating anime-influenced imagery and notably features the world’s first virtual pop star, Hatsune Miku. The new record will be available exclusively on iTunes and Amazon.

The album for Sony Music Direct is titled Supercell Featuring Hatsune Miku and features a striking cover illustration of the singer by renowned manga artist Shiro Miwa. The record’s first single, “The World is Mine,” was released in North America on May 10th on iTunes and Amazon and placed as high as Number 4 on the iTunes World Music charts.

Supercell is a group of multimedia creators and artists led by composer/lyricist Ryo. Hatsune Miku, whose name means, “first sound of the future,” is a digital female avatar and the most popular of the Vocaloid Character Series software originally created by Crypton Future Media using Yamaha’s Vocaloid 2 engine to create synthesized vocal tracks.

Supercell Featuring Hatsune Miku features 12 upbeat tracks that are driven by the singer’s bright vocals supported by lush electronic, pop and rock-inspired melodies. “Because Hatsune Miku is portrayed as a 16 year-old girl, I wanted to compose love songs that would be believable for a teen like her to sing,” says Ryo.

He adds, “I’m very intrigued with the new possibilities for creativity that vocaloid technology and virtual personalities like that of Hatsune Miku present. This is the ultimate hybrid of organic human creativity combined with the latest technological innovation to produce a whole new kind of pop group. I’m very excited at the prospect of U.S. audiences discovering Supercell!”

In Japan, Hatsune Miku is a major national phenomenon appearing in many popular video games and music videos. She’s also played several sellout “concerts,” where she performed on stage as a 3D hologram backed by a live band. Her international notoriety is spreading to North America, where she’s currently featured in a new commercial for the 2011 Toyota Corolla. Hatsune Miku is also scheduled to perform her first U.S. concert with an event called “MIKUNOPOLIS in LOS ANGELES,” at the 2011 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, CA July 1-4. Information on the concert is available at: mikunopolis.com.

More information on Supercell is available at: facebook.com/supercell.JPN.

ThinkGeek 1UPs the GeekDad Giveaway

from ThinkGeek:

Power up your patriarch with ThinkGeek’s Ultimate GeekDad Giveaway!
Father’s Day is June 19 and you can bring home super loot by entering our contest below by 12 noon ET on June 17, 2011. We’ll announce our randomly chosen winner the evening of June 17 so you’ll be able to deliver the good news on Father’s Day.

Enter Now!

ThinkGeek Flips On the Blinkenlights

from ThinkGeek:

Can you smell the BBQ?

Sumer is icumen in, Lhude sing cuccu! Okay, maybe it’s not QUITE summer yet, but Timmy’s been taking advantage of the warm weather. It’s all about the Hawaiian shirt and the charred meatstuff. It’s a good thing we don’t depend on Timmy to code anymore because he keeps skipping out on work early to fire up the grill.

And since we’re a little short on fireflies for our feasts, we love these jars full of Dreamlight Fireflies. They’re the perfect light by which to nom pulled-pork sammiches, don’t you think?

Dreamlights Fireflies in a Jar
Solar Powered Electroluminescent Robots Under Glass
When summer rolls through and pushes the chilly spring rains away, we’re left with sultry steamy nights full of bugs. Most of those bugs are of the annoying buzzing and bloodsucking varieties, but occasionally they’re of the pretty benign luminescent set. Call them fireflies or lightning-bugs, their blinky-backside broadcasts are as mysterious as they are beautiful. As kids, many of us would capture them in jars which, looking back, may have been a little cruel. Now you can have a solar-powered electronic analogue, cruelty-free, to mesmerize and delight you all year ’round!

Take $10 Off — Do you know where your towel is?
Are you ready for Towel Day on May 25th? You’ve got your Guide to the Galaxy (aka iPad), you’ve got a reasonable facsimile of the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, and you’ve got your towel. Stock up on the rest of your hitchhiking needs with code TOWELDAY2011 for $5 off orders of $30+ or $10 off orders of $60+ through 11:59 pm ET 5/20/11. We recommend some Tactical Sammiches (you can never trust alien sandwich shops).

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

“Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology” Exhibition: Join the Adventure Today!

from X3 Productions:

Don’t Wait in Line
Buy Your Tickets Online!

Indiana Jones landed in Montréal! Indeed, the Montréal Science Centre presents the world premiere of the Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology exhibition, from April 28 to September 18, 2011. The exhibition will then embark on a tour of museums in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The exhibition uses the Indiana Jones film series as both a starting point and a backdrop for an exciting and educational introduction to the real science of field archaeology.

Showcasing items from four different collections, Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology is far more than a static display of movie props. The entire experience is enhanced with the handheld interactive video companion that informs visitors about what they see with audio, text and video, and it gives all a chance to create their own “quest” through the exhibition. An interactive treasure hunt lets children, young and old, experience the science of archaeology while having fun.

Made possible by Lucasfilm Ltd., presented by the National Geographic Society and produced by Montreal’s X3 Productions, the exhibition is aimed at kids of all ages, Indy fans, history buffs and budding adventurers and explorers.

CONTEST!
Join the adventure on a special Indiana Jones evening June 15 at the Science Center!
Win a pair of tickets to the exhibition and attend a lecture on archaeology in the company of Fredrik Hiebert, Archaeologist and Associate Professor at the National Geographic Society and scientific advisor to the exhibition.

To participate click here.
Winners will be drawn on June 6th!
Contest rules are available at the main office of X3 Productions:
400, Maisonneuve Blvd West, 9th floor, Montréal (Québec), H3A 1L4

Exhibitions Inc. is not a sponsor of this Sweepstakes.
All Sweepstakes winners must release Exhibitions Inc. and its subsidiary, affiliated or related entities and divisions and their respective officers, employees, directors, shareholders, successors, licensees, agents or assigns.

montrealsciencecentre.com
indianajonestheexhibition.com
Montreal Science Centre Box Office
2, De la Commune Street West

New Japanese Pop Group Supercell Releases First Single “THE WORLD IS MINE feat. Hatsune Miku” in U.S.

Supercell: THE WORLD IS MINE feat. Hatsune Miku

from VIZ Media:

Sony Music Direct (Japan) Inc., a division of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. has announced the U.S. release of the first single — “THE WORLD IS MINE feat. Hatsune Miku” — by the Japanese pop group Supercell. The track is available now on Amazon (Amazon.com) and iTunes (iTunes.com).

Supercell is composed of a group of innovative multimedia creators for the 21st Century that blends catchy pop sensibilities, technology-inspired vocals, and captivating anime-influenced imagery. For the new single, “THE WORLD IS MINE,” the group employs the electronic vocals of Hatsune Miku, the world’s first virtual pop idol. Hatsune Miku, whose name means, “first sound of the future,” is a digital female avatar and the most popular of the Vocaloid Character Series software originally created by Crypton Future Media using Yamaha’s Vocaloid 2 engine to create synthesized vocal tracks.

Supercell is a league of creators led by composer/lyricist Ryo, who produces the music and writes the lyrics. Ryo tapped other creators to provide an array of vivid illustrations, animation, design, and photography for album booklets, CD cases and music videos. On “THE WORLD IS MINE,” artwork features illustrations by Redjuice, a member of the league. Led by composer Ryo, Supercell’s songs were initially posted on the Nico Nico Douga video sharing service in Japan and quickly garnered more than 20 million views, feeding a frenzied interest in the group that is now spreading to new overseas markets.

The self entitled album, supercell, debuted in Japan from Sony Music Direct in 2009, selling more than 150,000 copies. Same year, the group performed the ending theme song for the 2009 anime series Bakemonogatari. In March 2010, Supercell received the award for “The Best 5 New Artists” at the 2010 Japan Gold Disc Awards, a major record industry awards event. The Supercell track, “Kocchi Muite Baby,” created by Ryo and featuring vocals by Hatsune Miku, peaked at No. 11 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Singles Chart last July.

TIE Fighter Pilot MIMOBOT Now Available

from Mimoco:

NEW! Star Wars MIMOBOT! The limited-edition TIE Fighter character joins fellow Star Wars MIMOBOT USB character flash drives in honor of the unofficial May 4th Star Wars holiday! Shop Now!

Video Premiere: TIE Fighter Pilot Premiere! Watch our latest animation — Join the Empire with MIMOBOT — Recruitment video now!

STUFF WE LIKE! Android Mini Collectible Series 02! Shop Now!

VIZ Media Launches VIZ Manga App for the iPhone and iPod Touch

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, continues the digital integration of its vast library of manga (graphic novel) properties with the latest announcement of the availability of the VIZ Manga App for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch mobile devices. The expansion will be compatible with the VIZ Manga App on the iPad, and adds cross-platform features.

To support the launch, the publisher has also kicked off a special 7-day digital promotion that offers select Volume 1 titles for only $2.99 — 40% off the regular price! This is for a limited time only and runs until midnight PST May 9th.

Manga titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch are available via the VIZ Manga App, which is free through the iTunes Store. Volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada for only $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) each. Twenty-eight series and almost 200 volumes are available now, including popular series such as Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Death Note, Naruto and One Piece and dozens more from VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, and VIZ Signature imprints. Readers should check the app regularly, as new additions (including House of Five Leaves and not simple released today) and free Chapter 1 previews of forthcoming manga series are also featured.

“The VIZ Manga App is a unique proprietary platform that will become one of the leading digital applications to read manga on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch,” says Alvin Lu, SVP and General Manager of VIZ Media. “The technology allows readers to download, store and enjoy their favorite manga with easy access to a substantial and ongoing downloadable library. Now you can take hundreds of manga in your pocket anytime, anywhere on a mobile device with the VIZ Manga App!”

The VIZ Manga App also includes a new software upgrade for the iPad (Version 4.0), which delivers better functionality including bookmarks, improved storage, navigation, and the ability to browse-by-series in the “My Manga” library. Manga purchases can now be shared seamlessly between iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad and bookmarked for easy updates. Push notifications will also automatically notify users when new volumes of favorite bookmarked titles are added.

For more information on the VIZ Manga App and a list of all available titles, please visit VIZ.com/apps/.

Celebrate Earth Day with MIMOBOT! Plus Free MIMOBOT Mondays!

from Mimoco:

GURP for MIMOBOT! Earn GURP MIMOBOT Credits!
GURP is Mimoco’s GreenBot USB Recycling Program, where we pay you in MIMOBOT credits to buy back your old, unwanted, or otherwise worn out USB flash drives! Learn More!

Video premiere:
GURP Will Save the Pandas!
Check out our latest series of videos dedicated to saving the planet with our GURP, Greenbot USB Recycling Program!

tokidoki X MIMOBOT
Sandy and Sabochan are here! And while you’re at it, you can pick up some tokidoki cactus pups too! Shop Now!

Stuff We Like
MIMOBOT BLOTz

FREE MIMOBOT Monday!
Learn More!

J!NX: Minecraft Quest – Win an iPad 2

from J!NX:

J!NX Quest: Epic Minecraft Structure
Got an awesome building you created in Minecraft? Show it off for a chance to win an iPad 2.

Creeper Inside Now Available in Black
Due to your overwhelming demand, we’ve made this design available on black tees. Also available in Premium and Women’s.

Win $1000 from the J!NX Design Arcade

from J!NX:

New J!NX Classic Design: Computers
Marvel at the wonders of technology! Behold the spectacle of circuitry! Witness the birth of a machine that will forever eliminate the need for you to have a rickety old typewriter or abacus. With the “computer”, you can say goodbye to all your word processing and spreadsheet worries. With a soon-to-be-released upgrade, you’ll even be able to give up thinking for yourself, and just let the machines do it for you!

Special launch promotion for $5.00 off through April 15, 2011.

Submit to the J!NX Design Arcade for a chance at $1000
The J!NX Community has proven to have some very talented artists. More than a few have won $750 cash and a $250 J!NX Gift Certificate and had their designs selected to be printed as J!NX tees. Submit your design and you could be next! No artistic ability to speak of? You can still get in on the action by voting on submissions and receive 10 EXP per vote.

Phonekerchief: There’s a Nap for That

from GeekChicDaily:

The modern cell-phone is an incredible device. It reaches out to the web, communicates with GPS satellites and hurls cartoon birds in glorious destructive arcs at their pig enemies. It also rings, and not always when you want it to… like your super-secret post-lunch under-desk nap, for instance.

Enter the Phonekerchief. It’s a hanky specifically designed to wrap around your phone and block its signal. Crafted from a high-tech silver-fiber fabric, the Phonekerchief acts as a “Faraday Cage”, knocking out what service might still be trying to reach you at that candle-lit dinner you should probably be focusing on. Sure, you could just turn your phone off on your way into the restaurant, but why be practical when you can be scientific? The physicist who discovered the electrical principles that make a Faraday Cage possible didn’t get a Lost character named after him for turning things off.

And just in case your dinner date doesn’t notice the tech-sacrifice you’ve made in the name of giving them your full and undivided attention, one corner of the Phonekerchief is printed with the words “My Phone Is Off For You.”

This is perhaps the most rare and amazing effect of the Phonekerchief; how many nerdy scientific instruments do you know of that can actually gain you points with the opposite sex?