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Technology Elvis Halilović - Slovenian

industrial designer and self-taught carpenter has developed pinhole cameras that he and his brother make out of locally-harvested chestnut and maple wood. The cameras, which have been shared thousands of times across social media prove that vintage techniques still have a place in an increasingly digital world.

The brand, named ONDU Pinhole Cameras, have been constructed in a range of sizes including 35mm and 4-by-5-inch. Most of the camera are held together by magnetism rather than bolts or screws.

The camera’s creator explained that "Pinhole photography slows the experience ... that you truly begin to appreciate the phenomena of lights.“He is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to improve the design, with various versions of the camera offered as rewards

The world’s first liquid cooled smartphone has been revealed this week. The NEC Medias X 06E will feature liquid cooling pipes beside the processor and behind the display. According to test results, the system does not make the phone perform noticeably better, but can apparently extend the life of the chip.

The phone comes running Android 4.2 and also features a 4.7-inch 720 x 1,280 OLED

display, 13.1-megapixel shooter, 2,300 mAh battery and waterproof and dustproof casing. No UK release date has been confirmed, but the phone will hit the shelves this June in Japan. NEC claim that the phone is primarily aimed at women.

It is interesting to consider why this new technology is being aimed solely at women, with the phone featuring a pink case and being pre-loaded with ‘feminine’ themes. It is also worth considering whether there is any real benefit to the creation, or whether it was made “just because we can”

Scientists in Glasgow have created a low-cost way of creating 3D images. Their system uses detectors which have a single pixel to sense light instead of the millions of pixels used in the imaging sensors of digital cameras.

The above image explains the technique known as "shape from shade" A projector displays patterned light on the face on a mannequin. These patterns are used to produce a 2D image. A 3D image is then formed.

The detectors can "see" frequencies which the human eye cannot, with researchers predicting could open up new uses for 3D imaging in medicine and geography.The single-pixel detectors cost "a few pounds" compared to current systems, which cost "thousands". Prof Miles Padgett led the team at University of Glasgow's School of Physics and Astronomy, which developed the technique.

Social Media

Yahoo has announced this week that they have acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion. The decision was unanimous by Yahoo’s board and will be CEO Marissa Mayer's largest deal since taking control of Yahoo last year. As of yet, neither Tumblr or Yahoo have released any official statement on the deal.

The Wall Street Journal have claimed that under the terms of the acquisition, Tumblr would continue to operate as an independent business. The company is currently run by David Karp, a 26-year-old New Yorker who founded Tumblr in 2007, and he is expected to remain in his role. Social media analysts believe that the move was Yahoo’s attempt to claim some control over social media, and also aim their brand at a younger target audience. A concern being raised is that advertising could become more prominent on Tumblr.

Pinterest has received a major upgrade this week which could see it become a more viable marketing platform for brands. From now on, posts can be set up to link to brands which will display information rather than simply linking to the source image.

For example, a film poster could link to cinema showing times, or a product image could link to an order form or price guide.

A spokesperson for the company explained the reasoning behind the update as "community will now see more useful Pins at first glance, rather than having to dig around or click to other websites." 

Also included in the upgrade, is the installation of the Pin It button on third part mobile phone apps.  Etsy, Fotopedia, Jetsetter and ModCloth will all feature the button in an effort to expand Pinterest’s presence on smartphones.

Facebook and Google debuted their new messenger systems only six weeks apart, and this week their move; and the two systems , have been under scrutiny.

Facebook Home prominently places it’s chat heads messaging alerts on the home screen . Google’s new system is focused more on group chat, something which is still difficult to set up on Facebook. The launches of both products followed several key reports in 2012, which suggested that smartphone instant messaging had begun evolving.

The unexpected popularity of Whats App is being credited with the move by both companies. Reports which also showed that consumers were willing to

juggle several messaging apps (in many cases up to five), probably prompted the move by Google and Facebook also.

Horror News

The biggest story of the week is that Amazon has cancelled the Zombieland series. Rhett Reese, writer of the series and the film of the same name spoke about the announcement on Twitter saying – “Our Zombieland series will not be moving forward on Amazon. Sad for everyone involved. I’ll never understand the vehement hate the pilot

received from die-hard Zombieland fans. You guys successfully hated it out of existence. Anyway, we did our best, and we’re very proud of our team.”

A few interesting article have been written about the decision, including speculation that the series may have had more success on Netflix. The reaction from horror fans regarding the series is also interesting to consider, as many felt that the series had to broad a target market to appeal to the horror fans it should have targeted.

Although ABCs of Death received a somewhat mixed reaction, it’s definitely an interesting concept. This week, it was announced that ABCs of Death 2 is planned for 2014.  The sequel’s new roster includes Goya Award winner Álex de la Iglesia (THE LAST CIRCUS, DAY OF THE BEAST), ROOM 237

mastermind Rodney Ascher; Academy Award-nominated animator Bill Plympton; Filipino icon – and Director’s Fortnight inductee – Erik Matti (ON THE JOB, MAGIC TEMPLE); and the founder of Nigerian “Nollywood” cinema Lancelot Imasuen.

Sequels very often receive a great deal of criticism, but the premise of ABCs of Death is so open ended that there is no reason for it to be repetitive. The fact that an entirely different set of directors are on board is also a bonus.

The competition for an aspiring film maker to create the 26th short will again be run in conjunction with the film.

Upcoming documentary Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday The 13th scored a release date this week. The film will be released this August 27th, with pre-orders beginning July 8th.

With a running time of approximately seven hours, the documentary explores each film from the original 1980 slasher hit to the 2009 reboot. The film is created by the team behind Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. 

Due to the running time, there will be no DVD release with the documentary being a Blu-Ray exclusive.