projectors

Planetarium projectors are one of the most fascinating devices you never think of. People visit planetariums to take a trip through the cosmos. But according to one man, the projectors themselves are worthy of admiration -- and he has built a museum to prove it.

The Planetarium Projector Museum sits inside an unassuming building in Big Bear Lake, Calif. In a modified military parachute, owner and curator Owen Phairis displays his collection of more than 17 projectors, some of which were made as far back as the 1950s.… Read more

Let's say you want to throw the ultimate football-watching party for the last game of the year. (Alas, using the name of said game is fraught with copyright challenges, so we're playing it safe.) Will a single big-screen TV suffice? Maybe. But what if you want to go really hard core, and have a few dozen people over. Can they all see the screen? Would the party be even better with multiple TVs in different rooms?

I'd say yes, and it's easier than you might think.… Read more

I've shared many an Instagram image by handing my phone over for someone to view. They always squint and angle the screen, then hand it back. If I could magically make them bigger, sharing Instagrams in real life would be a lot more social and lot more fun. That will soon be possible with Projecteo, a tiny projector designed just for Instagram.

There's a bit more to this than just Instagram + projector. Projecteo is really a miniscule 35mm slide film projector. You pick out your favorite Instagram images, Projecteo puts them on slide film, and then mails it to you. … Read more

Sometimes, it's nice to just sit back and enjoy yourself as a mind-bending light show and distorted ambient music collide in the name of digital expression.

Throughout October, Belgian artist Romain Tardy displayed a mesmerizing art installation titled "Pagan" on an exterior wall of the Museum of National Antiquities in Toulouse, France.

The light show -- somehow inspired by a bacchanalian head from the third century -- consists of stars, lines, and abstract figures breaking apart and merging back together. Musician Squeaky Lobster provided the eerily calming music for the event, ensuring a total transformation of the senses for most observers. … Read more

In the past week, CNET has reviewed three separate media devices, each costing $300, and one of them was a television. And guess what: the TV wasn't terrible.

The three products were the TCL L40FHDP60 ($309), the 3M Streaming Projector ($299), and the Apple iPod Touch ($299). Seeing them all together got me thinking: which one of these would I actually buy if I had the money? Is there something else I'd rather do with my $300?

Until we find out whether the Apple iPad Mini exists, I cast the net out a bit farther and two other … Read more

Happy Monday! OK, Mondays aren't typically a happy time, especially if yours involves waking before the sun, fighting commuter traffic, and/or long lines at Starbucks. (First-world problems, am I right?)

Hopefully I can make your day a little brighter by offering not one, not two, but four sweet buys. That's right: it's a multi-deal Monday. You're feeling better already, I bet.

1. First up, Daily Steals has the refurbished Logitech Harmony 650 universal remote for $29.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. The Harmony series is quite popular around these parts, offering a user-friendly replacement … Read more

Driving around in a snowstorm or heavy rain often feels similar to the hyperspace travel effect seen in the various "Star Wars" movies, which can distract even the most seasoned driver (unless you can make the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs). A new smart headlight from Carnegie Mellon University could make distracting precipitation far less dangerous to drive through.… Read more

At the risk of sounding reductive, New Zealand is most famous for three things: "Lord of the Rings," those guys on HBO, and sauvignon blanc.

Now you can add a fourth item to the list: New Zealand is the home of what claims to be the world's first film to be sold to the public as a 4K resolution file you can actually own at home. Called "TimeScapes," the movie is the brainchild of Orange County photographer and former serviceman Tom Lowe and New Zealand composer Nigel Stanford. It's a 50-minute film featuring some … Read more