It goes by the name of Hashima, or Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island"), or even "The Dead Island", since it inspired the water-locked cyberterrorist HQ in Skyfall. As you can see for yourself, courtesy of the new Google Street View (and official "making of" video) embedded after the break, it's a very a real place off the coast of Japan's Nagasaki Peninsula, and it's even lonelier than its fictional counterpart in the Bond film (which wasn't actually filmed there). There are no tourist offices or giant Oedipus Complexes, as far as we can see, just long stretches of overgrown roads and collapsing apartment blocks that once housed 5,000 people, before they abandoned the island in 1974 following the demise of its coal industry. It took a Google employee two hours to map the place and preserve its crumbling visage for posterity using a special backpack, but don't be surprised if you want to leave it after just a few minutes.
Filed under: GPS, Internet, Google
Source: Google's Japanese Blog
Regular season pro hoops action takes this weekend off for the All-Star Game, while NHL action is in full swing. Reality TV fans have new season of long running series Survivor and The Amazing Race to look forward to, and a new Bond is coming home on Blu-ray. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
NBA All-Star Weekend
Celebs, up and coming players, and the league's top stars (as voted by fans and coaches) collide this weekend in Houston for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. As always, there's some conflict about who is most qualified to play, and the usual controversy about whether or not the dunk contest will be any good this year. We'll be keeping an eye on the Rising Stars game Friday night to see which first or second year players are the best, and the second half of the ASG itself to see if Dwyane Wade hits Kobe in the face (again).
(All weekend, ESPN / TNT)
Skyfall
James Bond is back, in a nicely shot entry in the series. This flick has a slightly different angle as Bond, M and the rest of the agents find themselves under attack directly, but as usual Daniel Craig is up to the task.
($19.99 on Amazon)
State of the Union
Clear your Tuesday night schedule on several networks, as the President takes the stage for the first State of the Union Address of his second term in office. Regardless of your affiliation or even interest in politics, it does provide a good opportunity to compare/contrast the quality of each network's feed.
(February 12th, 9PM)
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
If you watched Skyfall, you probably cringed at the sight of the iconic Aston Martin DB5 being blown to bits by a rain of bullets shot from a helicopter. But you didn’t think it was an actual DB5, did you? The real car is far too valuable to destroy like that, so the team created a 1:3 replica using high quality industrial 3D printers. They called on a company called “Voxeljet who used a massive VX4000 3D printer with 283 cubic feet of space” to create 18 different components, who were then “sent off to Propshop Modelmakers in London to be assembled, finished, lacquered, and chromed to make them look exactly like the original.” As someone who’s watched the scene, we can assure you the effect is spot on.
There’s no word on how much the 3D prints cost, but one of the unused model was recently auctioned off for $100,000. This price of course may be more reflective of the collector’s enthusiast rather than the price demanded by Voxeljet for their product, but it at least assures you that this wasn’t the work of some $500 printer.
VIA [ SlashGear ]
Spoiler alert: a reoccurring cast member bids farewell in the latest James Bond flick. When the production of Skyfall called for the complete decimation of a classic 1960s era Aston Martin DB5, filmmakers opted for something a little more lifelike than computer graphics. The movie studio contracted the services of Augsburg-based 3D printing company Voxeljet to make replicas of the vintage ride. Skipping over the residential-friendly MakerBot Replicator, the company used a beastly industrial VX4000 3D printer to craft three 1:3 scale models of the car with a plot to blow them to smithereens. The 18 piece miniatures were shipped off to Propshop Modelmakers in London to be assembled, painted, chromed and outfitted with fake bullet holes. The final product was used in the film during a high-octane action sequence, which resulted in the meticulously crafted prop receiving a Wile E. Coyote-like sendoff. Now, rest easy knowing that no real Aston Martins were harmed during the making of this film. Head past the break to get a look at a completed model prior to its untimely demise.
Continue reading Voxeljet 3D printer used to produce Skyfall's Aston Martin stunt double
Filed under: Misc
Voxeljet 3D printer used to produce Skyfall's Aston Martin stunt double originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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As Sony's second stab at the US mobile market, the Xperia TL arrives with a major corporate synergistic push: a 007 movie franchise tie-in. But an awkward distinction as the official Bond phone and a smattering of pre-loaded "Skyfall" multimedia content alone won't drive consumer adoption; the specs and pricing will. Following in the footsteps of the company's first stateside flagship, the Ion, this AT&T 4G LTE exclusive is priced aggressively at $99 on two-year contract, packing a 4.6-inch HD Reality display (1,280 x 720) powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz, 16GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), 1GB RAM, NFC, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as an integrated 1,850mAh battery.
With Ice Cream Sandwich running the show and a planned upgrade to Jelly Bean in the works, it has all the makings of a current-gen high-end offering. So will the Xperia TL help Sony build much-needed buzz for its mobile division here in the states? Can a sub-$100 price tag effectively lure consumers away from the bigger, faster and flashier Android phones AT&T has to offer? Or is this mainly one for Sony loyalists? Find out after the break as we put the TL through its paces.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony, AT&T
Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The release of the upcoming Skyfall is a chance to celebrate not only the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise or Daniel Craig’s third appearance as the title character, but the 50th anniversary of the release of the first film in the Bond franchise, Dr. No.
There have been six Bond’s over these ...
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O2 and ThreeUK have announced that they'll be carrying Sony's Xperia T, the phone James Bond totes 'round in Skyfall. He's got a tough decision on his hands depending on which network he chooses, however, with O2 offering an exclusive tie-in edition of the handset with custom ringtones and pre-release images. On the other hand, he probably gets through plenty of data reading classified files and flicking through the Tom Ford catalogue, so perhaps he'd prefer Three's unlimited data. Either way, you can follow in the footsteps of your hero right now, with price plans starting from £30 per month.
Continue reading Sony's Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included
Filed under: Mobile
Sony's Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Given that James Bond himself is rocking Sony's Xperia T as his handset of choice in Skyfall, it's natural that wannabe Bonds will be clamoring for similar gear. Fortunately, Carphone Warehouse has announced that it's stocking the T, Xperia J and Xperia Tablet S when they make their debut in the UK. The two smartphones will be arriving on the increasingly busy September 5th, while the Tablet S's arrival date is still in the air, but we know it'll cost you £330 for the WiFi or £430 for the 3G version.
Continue reading Carphone Warehouse stocking Sony's Xperia T, J and Tablet S for wannabe James Bonds
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Carphone Warehouse stocking Sony's Xperia T, J and Tablet S for wannabe James Bonds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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