Lytro Illum: Lytro's New Light-Field Camera

A far cry from the toy-like appearance of its predecessor, the $1,599 Lytro Illum looks and feels like a genuine full-fledged camera meant for a more professional crowd. The innovation doesn't stop at just looks either, as the Illum is a much more serious effort at light field photography, with cutting-edge optics, a larger sensor and a whole lot of computational power that might make the Illum the most technologically advanced camera to land in consumer hands.

When Lytro first introduced its light field camera two years ago, it shook up not just the world of photography, but of technology in general. Bundled inside a tiny rectangular block was a groundbreaking image sensor that could capture millions of rays of light along with their color, intensity and direction -- a task that previously required hundreds of cameras and a supercomputer. That hardware, combined with some complex software, meant that you could not only get a 3D image from a single shot, but also had the ability to refocus a photograph after you take it. It's this latter trick that is arguably the Lytro camera's most identifying characteristic, and the one that put it on the technological map.  
More than just taking a good photo, however, Rosenthal and Ng believe that light field photography allows for living art. It's one of the reasons Lytro is also introducing something called Light Field Animations, which are video-like capabilities that essentially animate the effects of image refocusing. "If you think of how pictures work today online, it's as if we took our parent's photo albums, ripped out the 4-by-6 prints, and just shoved them up on the web," said Ng. "We're on this long-term journey of taking these advanced hardware and software capabilities to just make storytelling and photography more immersive, more interesting and more interactive." 

The Lytro Illum will be available starting July 15th for $1,599, which sounds expensive, but the closest professional camera with a similar lens will likely cost thousands more. And if you pre-order before that date, you can snag one for the introductory price of $1,499.

"If Camera 1.0 was film-based, and Camera 2.0 was the transition from film to digital, we're at Camera 3.0. It's about collecting very rich information about the world," said Rosenthal. "We're only just getting started. We can do much, much more in the future."

My Playlist

Save Rock and Roll is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Fall Out Boy.

it was produced by Butch Walker and released April 12, 2013, through Island Records

I’ve been listening to Fall Out Boy’s Save Rock and Roll lately..

and, I found myself mighty fall in love with this album!

it has good lyrics, catchy music and very fun to sing along to

I need more dreams and less life
I need that dark
in a little more light
if you haven’t listen to this album, here’s the tracklist:

1. The Phoenix

2. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark

3. Alone Together

4. Where Did the Party Go

5. Just One Yesterday

6. The Mighty Fall

7. Miss Missing You

8. Death Valley

9. Young Volcanoes

10. Rat a Tat

11. Save Rock and Roll

Palcohol turns vodka into a powdered condiment

Why sip on a nice glass of scotch when you can get tipsy on salad instead? A new product called Palcohol takes the pesky liquid out of your favorite drinks; turning them into a potent powder you can just sprinkle on your hamburger for an extra "kick." The company doesn't recommend snorting it (be honest, we know that's what you were thinking), but says it can be used most anywhere else. Powders are available in straight liquor form as well as premixes like Lemon Drop and Margarita, and if you'd rather drink your booze (as if!), Palcohol can be liquefied with water and consumed just like a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Sound too good to be true? US regulators have surprisingly already approved Palcohol for sale in the United States, but don't expect the product at your corner liquor store anytime soon. Individual states still have to approve the powder. And while the original idea for the product was supposedly booze that could be easily carried around by hikers and other outdoors-types, it also seems like it would appeal to a younger crowd (a no-no for many state legislators).
Palcohol's site originally suggested bringing your undercover "Pal" places like movie theaters where drinking isn't allowed or sprinkling a little vodka on eggs in the morning to "start your day off right." Neither sound like the most responsible of powdering (yes, we're coining a new term) choices. The site has since been updated to suggest better habits, but it's still pretty easy to see how something like powdered vodka could be misused.
Unfortunately, we haven't had an opportunity to taste-test the wares, but we imagine Palcohol is more on-par with cheap hangover-inducing booze than something you'd want to sip slowly with a cigar by the fire. It's unclear how much a package of tequila might run when it hits store shelves. However, the ability to have a margarita (no matter how bad) sprinkled on our nachos sounds priceless.