Becoming a Better, Faster Digital Photographer

posted by Ken Kaplan on November 27, 2008

It was almost 10 years ago when I got my first digital camera. Never having to wait attentively for those fleeting magical moments, and never having to take my rolls of film to the drugstore anymore freed me up to become the shutterbug I am today.

Three years ago I got my wife "our" first SLR camera and we were amazed at the quality. It unleashed a new passion for snapping photos of original Roman mosaics, southern Italy seascapes and amazing keepsake photos of our two kids.

Services like Snapfish for my wife and Flickr for me allowed us to share our new snap-happy hobby with family, friends and the world.

For the past year, my interest in photography has turned to editing and enhancing some of the most eye catching, peculiar photos I take...not to mention correcting some of the lame shots I captured without dialing in the right exposure.

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Attention Chic Geeks: Technology Tips for Today's Economy

posted by Alison Wesley on November 24, 2008

No need to completely cut the Internet cord or pack away the laptop as we travel down today's tough economic road.  I've compiled a few tech tips to help you can stay "chic geek."

Need a new computer? Keep the bottom line in mind.

• Buy a laptop. The savings will come from your energy bill. A laptop will give you annual computer-related energy savings of as much as 50 percent over a desktop. Keep in mind that it's what's inside that counts. Certain processors make computers more energy-efficient, such as those powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo. Also, a good trick for laptops and desktops alike is to look for the ENERGY STAR label.

Consider a new class of PCs called MIDs (mobile internet device) or Netbooks

• These miniature laptops are affordable and the processors inside (Intel's new Atom processor) make them waste much less energy. If you use your computer mostly for email, word processing and surfing the Web, this is a great affordable option and many PC makers, such as Asus and Dell, have stylish options available for the holidays for under $500.

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What the experts are saying about the Digital Drag Race

posted by Michael Brito on November 24, 2008

Mike Kanfer, Business Development Manager for Adobe Systems -- who also contributed a few posts to this blog -- does a great job analyzing the four racers over at the Digital Drag Race blog. His analysis of Matt and Angela can be found here.  Chris and Ehren's analysis can be found here. The actual videos are also on the post for your reference. Check it!

 

Editing Highly Compressed HD Video Files with Ease

posted by Ken Kaplan on November 20, 2008

This week I got to see filmmaker Jacob Rosenberg in video editing action during the Intel Core i7 event at San Francisco's Dogpatch Studios.

For this Bandito Brothers editor, it's all about an efficient workflow, killer HD skateboarding footage and capabilities of his Adobe CS4 matched with the new Intel Core i7 processor he's been testing out courtesy of Intel.  Seeing Rosenberg work his magic was inspiring.

I love shooting with my Sony HDV, but I often switch to SD depending on what my final video will be used for and what other video sources I may want to intertwine.  This can help save me time when editing.

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Final Thoughts from the Digital Drag Race

posted by Mike Kanfer on November 19, 2008

The work that we have seen from the four talented artists is a testament to their creativity, skill and resourcefulness with the Adobe CS4 suite of products running on a blazing fast Intel Core i7 system.  Being under the gun as they were, time was of the essence.  The integration between Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, After Effects and Premiere is unique to our industry, and when every second counts, you don't want to be stuck going in and out of unrelated applications with vastly different interfaces.  I was blown away by the processing speed of the Intel Core i7 based computers and how well they functioned with our software. You really get to see these processors shine on things like lightning fast rendering of some very CPU intensive plug-ins such as the particle and atmospheric glows that are in the videos.  And don't forget how crucial fast processing was to rendering the After Effects lighting layers that the artists used throughout their compositions.

Drag Race speed shootouts like this require that ability to render as quickly as one can, so that you can get as many iterations as possible viewed in the course of an hour.  In day-to-day work in the real world, jobs don't of course have to be cranked out at this extreme pace, but as deadlines approach, and clients get more demanding, incredible processing power and state of the art software are two things you can't live without.  

For more info on Mike Kanfer's credits and awards, check him out on the Internet Movie Database.

 

Digital Drag Race: the judges talk

posted by Michael Brito on November 17, 2008

The judges talk and discuss the work of Eric and Clint. It's a little hard to hear.

 

Uncut Interview with both Digital Drag Racers

posted by Michael Brito on November 17, 2008

I'm not telling who won this Drag Race. You will have to visit Digital Drag Race in the upcoming weeks.

 

Interview with Clint and Eric: the two Digital Drag Racers

posted by Michael Brito on November 17, 2008

Sorry no smack talking quite yet. But here is Clint and Eric explaining their work.

Meet Eric

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Behind the scenes at the Core i7 launch in San Francisco

posted by Michael Brito on November 17, 2008

I am having a blast here at the Core i7 launch event in San Francisco. This is my first product related event at Intel and the excitement here at the Dog Patch Studios is contagious. I am gearing up for the keynote in about 5 minutes but wanted to share this quick video of the scene here.  The Digital Drag Race is going on as I write these words and I had a chance to interview the three judges and the host.  I will also be interviewing both racers and post them tomorrow.

 

Guest Post: Mike Kanfer from Adobe and Digital Drag Race Judge

posted by Mike Kanfer on November 17, 2008

Hi there.  I'm Mike Kanfer.  I'm a Business Development Manager for Adobe specializing in video and film production in Hollywood.  In a former life I was a compositing and visual effects supervisor for feature films for 12 years.   I joined Adobe in 2005 to promote the use of our tools such as After Effects and Premiere Pro by filmmakers all over the world.  Before I became a VFX supervisor, I was a compositor and editor, so I have a special place in my heart for artists who do great work with our tools, especially the ones who can work at lightning pace and make it all look so easy!  I was excited to be asked by Intel to come on board for a few days as a Digital Drag Race judge, and had a great time critiquing the work and meeting the artists afterwards.

In the next few days, I will be providing a few posts that talk about each of the two drag races; and share my thoughts and opinions about the racers.

For more info on Mike Kanfer's credits and awards, check him out on the Internet Movie Database.

 

Far Cry 2 optimized for Intel

posted by Annie Frost on November 17, 2008

Meet Dominic Guay, technical director at Ubisoft, and head of the team who developed Far Cry 2.  Ubisoft and Intel worked together to create an optimal gaming experience when Intel's Inside.  With today's launch of Intel's latest processor, Core i7, it's timely to share this story with you:

Personally, I am more of an AddictingGames fan, but I know plenty of people who will be really excited to be testing out Far Cry 2.

 

It's time to animate ... "Live Music" is finally here!

posted by Michael Brito on November 16, 2008

The highly anticipated Facebook Animation project is finally here. "Live Music" tells the tale of Riff, a rock n' roll guitar, who falls in love to the wrong song, but ends up with Vanessa, the violin of his dreams. If you have the skills to participate in this project, watch the story reel to decide which scenes that you want to animate.  Don't forget to spread the word to your peeps so they can vote for you. Here is a link to the app and Facebook fan page.

The following is Ann Marie who plays the voice of Vanessa, the Violin.

 

Ubergizmo Tech Party: Netbooks, MIDS & Intel Insiders

posted by Michael Brito on November 14, 2008

Here is a quick recap of the Ubergizmo party in San Francisco last night.  In case you are wondering, Intel and Federated Media sponsored the event, hence the reason I was there rubbing elbows with the important people.

We - meaning Intel - had small table with a bunch of Netbooks, Centrino 2 laptops, MIDS and a brand-spanken-new Dell XPS powered by the Core i7. I also met and interviewed some really cool peeps -- Patrick Haynes, Director of Photography for Podtech; Xavier Lanier, founder of Notebooks.com; and Norman Liang from Photobucket (interviews to come next week so be on the look out).

Several of the Intel Insiders were there; although I didn't get a chance to meet with many of them. I did chat for a few minutes with Sarah Austin and Cathy Brooks. Other notable Insiders that attended the party were Irina Slutsky, JD Lasica and Tom Foremski. 

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Video: The Making of Intel Core i7

posted by Ken Kaplan on November 14, 2008

My teammate Kari Aakre and I spent time meeting up with five of the thousands of Intel experts that helped design and test the new Intel Core i7 processor. 

While shooting on location in the benchmarking lab in Santa Clara, California and in labs in Hillsboro, Oregon, we saw first-hand the enthusiasm, brilliance and dedication that went into the new chip microarchitecture, codenamed "Nehalem." I actually think those traits were built into the new chip!

We learned that the Core i7 can handle more data, quicker and more energy efficiently.  There are many new power and performance-smart features, some that sound like rocket science.  But the one thing that rang true during every interview was the sense of camaraderie and belief that each individual was helping create the best processor on the planet.  One engineer even joked that it could be the best processor in the universe -- he might be right, but of course he's biased because he help build the thing!

"Building this microprocessor brings a lot of people together, like architects, micro architects and the design teams," says Rani Borkar, vice president of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group. "As you get into the development phases, working with the process technology, it's a mind-boggling effort that requires a lot of teamwork across the board."

Seeing this final video kindles a sense of rededication to the spirit of innovation that I see down so many halls I walk and so many people I meet inside Intel.

 

Take a sneak peak at the Digital Drag Race

posted by Michael Brito on November 13, 2008

No commentary. No editorial. Not even my charming personality. Just watch!

 

Netbooks appear to be growing in market share

posted by Michael Brito on November 13, 2008

Not sure if it's a good or bad thing that Netbooks are cannibalizing market share away from laptops; I will leave that up to the suits and ties up on the 6th floor.

I just read this interesting article at PCWorld about Netbooks and how they are growing not only in market share but also mind share.  The article links off to a post from Engadget where they posted a screen shot highlighting the top 10 list of best selling "laptop computers" over at Amazon.  If you closely examine the screen shot, you will notice that all but one computer (a MacBook) are actually Netbooks.  

One of the comments on the Engadget post touches on something I want to share:

Is it safe to say that people are shifting towards apple notebooks and they are buying netbooks as secondary notebooks for carrying around and simple tasks like school, work etc.

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Uber10 Top Holiday Gadgets for Under $400

posted by Ken Kaplan on November 13, 2008

I've been a fan of tech and gadget blog Ubergizmo since first meeting "everywhere" co-founder Hubert Nguyen in April 2008 at a Lunch 2.0 event. 

A few months later, I met Ubergizmo's other co-founder, Eliane Fiolet, first through Facebook and later at the launch of Intel Centrino 2 and the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.  

The two entrepreneurs work hard and love what they do...and it shows.

When I heard about the Uber10 party they held in 2007, I was fired up.  I always dig a good top 10 list, especially when it relates to holiday gift ideas.

I asked if we could help grow the Uber10 event this year, and that's what I hope to see at invite-only gathering at San Francisco's Mighty club this evening.

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Meet Tanaka Shuichiro, Bijinga (美人画) Artist

posted by Annie Frost on November 12, 2008

One of the great things about working at a Global Company is the worldwide perspective.  In the last year, we've collected and published ~200 customer stories spanning ~11 countries and most continents.  One of my favorite digital artists I've seen along the way is Tanaka Shuichiro, an artist out of Japan.

Tanaka uses a desktop powered by Intel's Core™2 Extreme processor.  I first heard of Tanaka from the Japanese Web Marketing team.  Apparently, his Desktop Wallpaper art is an extremely popular download!  And why shouldn't it be?  It's beautiful:

Tanaka is exploring new and interesting ways to mix traditional artist methods like painting with digital art methods.  He relies heavily on the traditions of Bijinga for inspiration.  Check out some of his work today and download calendar wallpaper for your desktop.

 

Intel Health Guide, Help Me! Doctor Appointments Give Me High-Blood Pressure

posted by Alison Wesley on November 11, 2008

Yesterday Intel announced the Intel Health Guide, a tool for health care professionals to manage patients with chronic conditions. As someone with type I/juvenile diabetes, I read this announcement with great excitement. See what it looks like here or watch a video demo.

It's a robust personal health management system comprised of an Internet-enabled device that hosts a health management system that patients use to record, store and share their health information with their doctor.

In other words, your doctor can provide ongoing advice and input on your condition without you having to physically go into the doctor's office every time! More ongoing communication may allow my endocrinologist to make more "on the fly" changes to my medicine and overall improve my health.

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Update on Mass Animation; and why you should consider joining the fun!

posted by Michael Brito on November 10, 2008

If you are having second thoughts on participating in the Mass Animation project scheduled to kick off on November 17th, think again. With less than a week left before pandemonium erupts in Facebook, the benefits are stockpiling. 

Check this ...

Each week of the competition, Dell will be giving away a new Dell Studio XPS™ desktop computer powered by the Intel® Core™ i7 processor to the animator with the most popular animation of the week; based on voting from the Facebook community.  So the key take away is that if you decide to join the fun, be sure to let your peeps know what you are doing and how to get involved.

For the Grand Prize, it's all about ego and fame!  Each animator who get's selected by the director to be in the film will receive an on-screen credit and $500. Yup, your name for millions to see and envy; and a little coin in your pocket. Not bad for doing the things you love to do!

 

Filmmakers and Intel

posted by Annie Frost on November 10, 2008

I love storytelling.  As part of intel.com, there is an entire section of the site devoted to storytelling, What's Inside You.  We collect stories from Intel Customers and share them.  One of my favorite stories is Mike Landry's Cubicle, a fun short video:

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Can You Hear the Glass Ceiling Shattering?

posted by Alison Wesley on November 07, 2008

During the recent presidential election, there was a focus on glass ceilings being shattered. I believe that the appointment of a bi-racial man to president and a woman to the GOP ticket may be seen as a sign of progress by some.

This sentiment was top of mind for me as I read the Intel announcement that a new group of Intel Fellows has been named this week - including another woman, Dr. Genevieve Bell.

Intel Fellows have the highest level of technical achievement in our company, equivalent to vice president on the management track. And Genevieve has rightfully earned this designation and has demonstrated a career of outstanding achievement. Genevieve joins Kelin Kuhn as the second female Intel Fellow, and both women share a passion for technology and how it's positively impacting our lives.

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Madagascar 2 in theaters today and a little surprise during the previews

posted by Michael Brito on November 07, 2008

Get the popcorn and Red Vines ready because I am gearing up to go see Madagascar 2 this weekend for two reasons, well three.  The first is that my daughters loved the first one and I promised to take them.  The second is that I am a huge fan of Ben, Chris and Jada.  And the third is to see the Monsters vs. Aliens trailer during the previews; and believe it or not, the previews are always the best part of the movie-going experience for me.

Not only does Monsters vs. Aliens has an awesome cast featuring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Hugh Laurie (from House) and Seth Rogen (Superbad, Knocked Up and Kung Fu Panda); but it's also the first-ever animated movie using InTru3D technology.

So Michael, tell me .... what exactly is InTru3D technology?

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Get Mobile!

posted by Kiesha Cochrane on November 07, 2008

In our fast paced ever changing world, mobility is becoming more and more important. With the help of Intel's innovative processors like the new ultra tiny Atom processor, devices are getting smaller, sleeker and more fashionable as well! Yesterday at the Chelsea Art Tower in New York city, Intel put on a "technology fashion show" to showcase the latest netbooks, MID's, gaming pc's and even a laptop the releases a floral scent as it heats up!

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And the Winner is . . . The Internet

posted by Connie Brown on November 04, 2008

There's an interesting post today on Arianna Huffington's blog. She declares the Internet the winner in this year's U.S. Presidential race. I couldn't agree more.

From the amount of laptops and internet-connected mobile devices to the real time results sliced and diced anyway you want them, the Internet is best way to see the election unfold. The post on Huffington's blog also has a list of sites that will be providing coverage.

It's not just today and the results, this race has used the Internet like no other election before it and it's just a taste of what's to come in the future.

 

A great 3rd party review of the differences between Netbooks and Notebooks

posted by Michael Brito on November 04, 2008

There's some confusion by some in the market about the differences between netbooks and notebooks; and quite honestly, I thought they were one in the safe before joining Intel. Rather than spewing off my own comparison and confusing you even more, I thought I'd direct you to CNET, where there are several conversations going on about this topic. This one is my favorite. Here is an excerpt of 3rdalbum's explanation:

Some people look at notebooks and netbooks and think "Why should I buy a device with a 9 inch screen, slow processor, no optical drive for $500, when I can buy a full-featured notebook for the same amount?". The difference is convenience and speed. A netbook is more convenient because it is generally more resistant to the elements, it's lighter, and it usually has a lightweight operating system. The processor itself isn't as powerful, but there's much less processing that needs to be done with Windows XP or Linux in order to be usable.