Recycling of electronic products will triple by 2016 thanks to the eCycling Leadership Initiative. The aim is to recycle one billion pounds per year by 2016, three times the amount recycled in 2010. That's enough to fill 88.9 billion cubic feet, the equivalent of a 71,000-seat NFL stadium.
How will this be accomplished? By improving consumer awareness of the existing 5000 industry-sponsored collection sites, increasing collection opportunities, and providing transparent metrics.
On my way out of Vegas, I had to stop by the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop where the History Channel series Pawn Stars is shot. Unfortunately, Rick, Old Man, Big Hoss, and Chumlee weren't there at the time, but it was cool to be in the store seen on the show, which is one of my favorites these days. Awesome!
Here's a shot of the TWiT skybox overlooking the lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from which Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Kirk Harnack, and I provided about 20 hours of coverage of the 2011 NAB show, supported by 10 hard-working members of Team TWiT. Design by Roger Ambrose, lighting by Brent Bye. To watch video of all the coverage, go to twit.tv/specials, and go here for a special episode of my Home Theater Geeks podcast from the show floor.
I received an e-mail on the last day of NAB announcing a demonstration of a new glasses-free 3D display technology from a company called 3DFusion, so I had to check it out before heading back to L.A. The company has licensed some 800 related patents from Philips and developed its own algorithms to solve the problems of limited viewing cones and crosstalk while using a lenticular filter on a flat-panel screen.
Google's revamp of YouTube as a platform for live events has generated plenty of excitement already, if mainly for its potential to dominate the rapidly expanding streaming market.
In this special episode of Home Theater Geeks, Leo Laporte and I visit the Panasonic, JVC, and Sony booths at NAB 2011 to talk about what they're up to in the professional realm and how that impacts the consumer experience.
One of the clearest trends at NAB was the dramatic drop in the cost of creating 3D content, bringing this capability within reach of hobbyists and wannabe stereographers. Sony showed two inexpensive 3D camcorders, the HXR-NX3D1 ($3400, available this Summer, shown above) and HDR-TD10 ($1500, available end of April). Both record 1920x1080 in AVCHD format to internal memory (96GB in the NX3D1, 64GB in the TD10), and they have a dual-format slot that can accept Memory Stick or SD memory cards. They can also copy files directly to a hard-disk drive from a USB port with no need for a computer. The TD10 records at 60i (60fps interlaced), while the NX3D1 can record at 60i or 24p. The only other difference is that the NX3D1 provides XLR audio inputs and generates time code.
I spoke with producer Butch Vig at length about the all-analog approach he took to recording the Foo Fighters’ kick-ass new album Wasting Light (Roswell/RCA) in bandleader Dave Grohl’s garage.
The wizarding world has become a dangerous place. The long-feared war has begun and the Dark Lord has seized control of the ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting all who might oppose him. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are on the run in search of the magical Horcruxes and must discover a way to destroy them in order to defeat Voldemort once and for all.
Having two kids who are part of the Harry Potter generation, I've had the pleasure of reading each of the books and watching every movie with them. I love how Warner finally decided to split the final book into two parts (something they should have done starting with Goblet of Fire), and we finally get to see more of J.K. Rowling's outstanding story grace the silver screen. Be advised, the story is quite dark and may be disturbing for younger audiences.