31/12/2011 Click

in 2012. One in five felt that the eurozone would not continue in its

current form. Now on BBC News, time for Click.

Gone, 51 programmes done. 51 tapes finished with. Are you ready for

This week on the Click, we are giving you a year for, with the

best tech of the last 12 months. We will have the world's most

realistic flight simulator, getting straight to the heart of the action

at the extreme end of the massive gamey. We are copying and printing

ourselves at a rapid prototyping lab in London. We have an essential

guide to shooting and editing video for the web. A handy guide to

buying the right television. And the very best of the best of the

web. We start this week on a high. Back

in August, we decided to take a lot of flight simulators to a new level,

by finding out just how a massive and experience we could get. Never

mind pretty graphics or rumbling sound tracks. What we got was the

right of our lives. This street looks pretty normal. In fact, it

looks like thousands up and down Great Britain. Cars parked outside

people's homes, rubbish bins waiting for collection. But inside

this particular house, we found something quite unusual. Coventry's

very own, suburban, 747. This is John Davies. He has been doing some

extreme redecorating. It is a hobby that got totally out of hand. But

there are about five computers running it with approximately 30

programmes over the computers running it, interfacing with each

other. The main software that runs the fight model and the flight

displays that you can see just simulates the Boeing seven for 7.

Then I am using Microsoft Flight Simulator for the visuals only.

Flight simulators have long been the preserve of desktop pilots

using a PC and joystick. But the provision of large projected

feature was, as well as aircraft sounds, quickly makes me forget

that I'm in a bedroom in Coventry. Convincing as it is, it does not

improve my flying. But I wonder how Richard Taylor is getting on? He is

at the other end of the country, trying on a slightly different sort

of similar to set up. This is the British Airways flight

training simulator here at Heathrow Airport. It would be impossible to

fit this in a bedroom. This beast is capable of replicating movement,

as well as the sights and sounds of pilot experience. Having the motion

just reinforces all that training that we used to maximum effect. It

is very important indeed. You get the visuals, you look like you are

turning, but if your ears do not tell you why turning, you can get

that confusion. So, my mission is to land this virtual version of a

jumbo jet. This is going to hurt. Brace yourself. We are just about

to touch down. Back at Heathrow, after what I think you'll agree was

a relatively smooth journey. But if you really want to experience the

highs and lows, the thrills and spills of flying, you leave terra

firma completely. Which is why we have made this arduous trek to this

airfield in southern California. I am feeling the need, the need for

speed. I have got that loving feeling! Air combat pits would be

fighter pilots against one another in real aircraft. Thankfully, the

combat is simulated. Everything else, however, is real. Two X made

the Top Gun pilates, call-sign snails and spartan, will accompany

us on a sortie. They will take off and land the aircraft. In order to

have passed channel that enough fighter Jock, we got to look the

part. Having logged zero hours piloting real aircraft, a pre-

flight briefing is in order. We're going to do five dogfights. We are

trying to attack somebody from behind the wing line. When you get

them in your gun sight, and you shoot them, you'll see smoke come

out the back end. Briefing over, we received our parachutes, helmets

and pilot call signs. In the air, I will be known as Chisel. And I'll

be called Stitch. Looking forward to this! I can see him. Anticipate

where he's going. Hard-right! Shoot! Pull the trigger! I've got

you, Chisel! Spin, you went into a spin. Shoot him! That is what they

call a kilt. -- kill. He tapped me a few more times than I managed to

catch him. So Chisel takes it. have to remember, as every good

fighter Jock knows, the first kill is the only one that counts.

looks like you have lost that loving feeling.

They will now forever be known in the Click of this as Chisel and

Stage. One of our essential guides from this year, this one that was

about how to create urine video masterpiece. Whatever you are

shooting with, your raw footage can also -- always used some trimming.

You want to create a masterpiece. First rule, before you hit the

editing, get your source footage looking tip-top. That means a

variety of shot sizes film from different angles, kept steady, and

whatever you do not constantly zoom in and out. Footage in hand, you

can start editing. The good news is that most of you will already have

one of these on hand for absolutely nothing. For basic adepts, Windows

users can use movie-maker. The equivalent Mac programme is fine

movie. Once you have imported your files, it is time to start work in

earnest. The basic principle is to tell the story through pictures.

Drag them on to the timeline in the rough order you want and then trim

them to size. The variety of available transitions, sound and

visual effects will vary from one editing suite to another. But when

it comes to transitions, less is definitely more. Loads of head

spinning effect and transitions are a sure fire way off instantly

giving away your amateur credentials. Editing can be a

process heavy job, so if your computer is creaking under the

weight, you could try a web-based video editor or mine. J cut is

worth exploring, showing lots of features with the free desktop

editing tools, and it is not that easy to use. All cloud base to

video editors require you to upload or your footage onto the net first,

so what you do not need a powerful computer, you will need a fast

connection. Even those of us with a blistering download speeds will

find that upload speed is pitifully slow. With this in mind, it is no

surprise that the maximum limit for each clip his 250 megabytes, so if

you are trying to edit footage coming from a high-quality video

camera, this is not the place for you. Those of a social persuasion

may like to collaboratively added a beer with their friends and

publisher directly on to social the -- social networks. Most of us have

already publish stuff to YouTube without a care or edit in the world.

Fortunately, YouTube now has a basic video editor, allowing you to

make some slips and add some music, and recently it has added the

ability to stabilise your apparently drunken camera work.

Finally, some interesting developments are on the horizon.

Some programmes claim to be able to automatically choose the best bits

of your footage for you. It seems to do a reasonable job in choosing

good shots, but still lacks that human touch when it comes to

cutting and the right place. If you only want to pack up your mobile

phone footage then you can do away with the computer altogether.

Splice is a free video editing up for the iPhone. You can add

transitions, titles and music. It

even on the iPhone back four is a bit of a struggle.

There has been an awful lot of talk about 3D in the past year, but not

all that has been about 3D TV. Take this next report, from July, which

left me feeling rather small. I am having my head scan so that it

can be duplicated. Not so the BBC has a spare in case of any

accidents, but because my head is going to be reproduced by that

machine over there. A 3D Printer. Preedy printing is essentially

exactly what it sounds like. -- 3D printing. Producing a 3D object by

printing to layer by layer. It is now catching on with those trying

to create 3D models quickly and cheaply. Designers to need to test

the look and feel of that prototypes and CommSec devices in

the real world. Artists wanting to bring out to reduce desires to life.

An architect to be to create precision scale models of their

building plan. There is even talk that in the future, buildings

themselves will be printed. Section by section. Recently the technology

has become cheap enough to go mainstream. You can design guru and

models online, and then get them printed, packaged and posted

straight to you. It is even possible to print in colour. The

machines are not so different to traditional printers, except that

instead of flat layers of ink, these nozzles dispense thin layers

of plastic, resin or even food. One on top of the other, until you work

of art is complete. The process starts with the scan and the

scanner. What you have a two lenses at atwhich are taking tens

of photos every second. At the bottom you have a projector which

is projecting agreed on to the subject. Abul show you what it

looks like on the screen. -- I will show you. The Grid collects

geometric data about the subject, which has been scanned. All that

data is then fed into this piece of software which essentially stitches

all those photos together. It uses the geometric data to form a 3D

model of my head. Which you can see on the screen here. It does need to

be a human touch, this operator is going to tidy up all the extra bits

of noise, dots that have crept into the stand, and also fill in a hole

in my face. Once he has done that, he has the texture and the colour

back onto the head, presses go, and it sends all that information to

At this point you have three different types of three-

er will process the data it receives

in a different way. The sprinter for example only needs the model to

be broken up into cros into cros but a reason printer needs extra

information such as where to put in the right shape before reason

sets. One more thing to do, and that is to introduce you to my head.

That is the result of the powder three-dimensional Printer. Not bad,

is it? If your old television set has

given up the ghost and you have ve

an awful lot to consider. Earlier in the year, our reporter created

this guide to buying and the television.

What is left to know about how to buy a television? Not much, if you

enjoy sifting through technical magazines. But if you would rather

watch television and then trawl through jargon, keep watching.

ut, si sieverythingeverythingl

know, when it comes tot comes ton and if you get three-dimensional

television, you may miss out on quality. For example, televisions

in stores may be set up differently then how youen how youe it at home.

But get your new television home and what you are watching through

your set will complete the picture. The way a television manipulate

standard definition pictures tell see a lot about the processor

inside so gets you -- get yourself a taste of what you want by

watching something in standard definition.

fantastic vibrant colours in stores, whereas a football match shows

fast-moving action so you should watch someone like that to see if

you can -- if you will get a judder across the screen.

You need to stay away from a few others. It is still worth

inspecting your television from different angles to see how this

green deals with reflective light. One thing is easily forgotten is

sound. If you are not planning to play again a home theatre surround-

sound set, test the speakers on your television set. Check the

volume at low and high levels. Make sure you do not get distortion at

higher levels of volume. Smaller things that should help now

read your choice is how many inputs do you have at the back. And can

you use the remote control easily? Design is often not at the

forefront of a television so people are often confused by complicated

controls and cannot get a grip with any new systems. One thinks -- one

thing that manufacturers can improve is how usable some

televisions are and to make TV's accessible.

It is a game on as manufacturers engage viewers with newer, three-

dimensional capable sets emerging onto the market. You will pay a

significant premium while they are still in their infancy. Other

notable features include built-in Internet connections, wired or

wireless. But you do not need to get a new television set to update

your viewing experience. Some devices work with your existing

television set to give you a limited internet access on the

television. Some can string a media files on your home network or from

YouTube. Some gaining boxes also allow access to the internet.

Televisions are like pets. Think about what you want because once

you have decided, you will have it for a long time.

We could not say goodbye to 2011 without a look back at some of our

favourite websites. When I asked people on Twitter to

suggest their favourite websites, there was one surprisingly popular

choice. He knew so many of you were a karaoke fans? Because that is why

you chose puresolo.com. Hands up if you ever secretly

wished you had the guts to go on X Factor. This website is your chance

to show off your singing voice, a kind of online karaoke with a

social place where you record songs and other people compete with you.

If you are at a budding Jimi Hendrix, you can also showcase your

talent at playing guitar. If you are feeling very brave, you

can also add video. Looking at the quality of contributions of other

uses, it is not something I am prepared to do, especially not on a

global television. I know for a fact that some of you have managed

to do it justice. There is the chance to share your

tracks and you get your own page like Facebook where fans can gather

to shower you with compliments or in my case, tell me to please shut

up as I am making the dog howl. There is at a new craze hitting the

internet. This website does not have a catchy name but it does not

make it any less of a demon when it comes to getting things done.

It is all explained clearly on the home page. What it boiled down to

it is creating basic tasks. This could be if I am tired -- tags and

a photograph on Facebook, of the action this website suggests is t e

mail me and let me know. It is all made Super easy by

channels that they have created, giving you access that most of the

average internet Tyler will use and pre-set links to most of the things

people will want to use them for. Choose your trigger and a resulting

action and your task is up and running. The seed using computers

was complicated? -- who said.

Computer monitors are set up to look good in daytime, when the

screen is competing with sunlight but you may not realise the strain

you are putting on your eyes at night. So says the creator of Flux,

a friendly device that makes your screen been to make things more

internet -- internet in the evening. I do not know if there is any

official evidence to support the theory, but after installing this

application, I hardly noticed the screen at night, not until I turned

around to my second screen to check something and I was almost blinded

by the glare. Once installed, you set your

location and specify how warm you want your screen to be in the

evening and then just leave your software to gently transition from

day to night. When creativity strikes, you need

the right tools to take advantage of it and at aviary.com you will

find a whole flock of tools to help you with your pictures.

This is a great sweep of tools for anybody in a creative business he

wants to share and collaborate online. The applications are look

good and are very easy to use with a great range of features to make

something pretty beautiful. The only slight downside is the time it

takes to save large files but that is what happens when you work

online. Talking of the internet, do not

forget that we live online. On Twitter we also have a feed.