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Deeper Into The Uncanny Valley

[ 1 Comment ]Posted on August 20, 2008 by admin in Technology

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Uncanny Valley Girls On The Web

In the video at left, a woman named Emily tells us about the cutting edge computer imaging company Image Metrics. The twist? She’s not real; she’s a product of the company’s unique facial animation tools. We’ve written about the Uncanny Valley before, but more in the context of creepy robots. For another example of creep facial animation, see this clip, created using Studio Pendulum’s Alter Ego system, in which three faces simultaneously execute the same facial expressions. Only two years ago, this animated woman was about the highest quality work around, and required extensive manual editing in Photoshop. It’s odd how not uncanny these images start to look as the images become more completely realistic.

Toyota Winglet A Segway Killer?

[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 12, 2008 by admin in Technology

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Building a better rubber crutch

Chines Segway PoliceCall me cynical, but I’d have to say that calling Toyota’s new Winglet a Segway Killer is sort of like calling a submarine screen door a “rubber crutch killer”. Okay, Segways are fun (yes, I’ve tried one), but other than the Chinese police forces (more amusing photos here), who’s really putting them to any practical use? The best use I’ve seen so far for the Winglet is the attractive Asian model riding in circles in this demo video. On that note, if you watch the video all the way through, you’ll see some other cool gizmos, including something that looks like a Maserati wheelchair. Now THAT would be cool. 200 MPH, stylish wheelchairs.

Bound for Extinction: Books

[ 3 Comments ]Posted on August 1, 2008 by admin in Technology

Friday, August 1st, 2008

Are we witnessing a Gutenberg-like shift in the publishing paradigm?

Ever since I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey at the age of seven, I’ve been waiting for the day that I could read the latest news with moving visuals on a thin sheet of plastic like the astronauts in the movie. Well, in spite of the murkiness of the developing markets for this sort of thing (Amazon’s Kindle, for example), that day is getting closer all the time. In October of this year, Esquire magazine will release a special 75th anniversary issue that features an electronic cover, utilizing e-Ink technology. Although this is fundamentally just an expensive promotional ploy, it will almost certainly raise awareness in the public’s mind of the products made possible by this sort of technology. Products like the Iliad, which allows you to read and write documents just like paper, except you can transfer pretty much anything on your PC to and from the device, or like Digital Whiteboards, which provide the same functionality on a blackboard-like scale. With innovations like these, the availability of On-Demand Publishing, and concerns about the intrinsic wastefulness of paper, the publishing world is, er, bound to go through some major changes over the next few years .

Napkin PC: Not Great For Dating, But…

[ Comments Off ]Posted on July 30, 2008 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Pretty cool at the board-room table.

Napkin PCAs a person who REALLY loathes carrying a laptop about, I’m occasionally accused of being a luddite, or at least receive some amusing glances when I pull out my index cards or notepad at meetings. That’s why I love ideas like High Tech Napkins. This ingenious concept utilizes e-ink and RF technology to create the electronic equivalent of jotting ideas on cocktail napkins. This is where some of both my best (late-night-problem solving or business ideas) and worst (martini-goggle romances) ideas have come about. I wish someone would at least develop a tablet PC that has a detachable touchscreen that connects to the laptop wirelessly. [Note to self: call patent office.] An additional benefit of this design concept: It’s very green; no paper waste, no battery to deal with, and eventually recycling the display requires only separating the plastic sheeting from the inner component.

In Space, No-One Can Hear Richard Branson Scream…

[ Comments Off ]Posted on July 29, 2008 by admin in Technology

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Never mind the White Knight II, check out the DelFly Micro

DelFly Micro…as you toss him out the airlock for being so annoying. I must admit I was a little under-impressed by billionaire beach-bum Richard Branson’s show-and-tell of the new White Knight Two yesterday. Yes, amazing technology, blah blah blah. With it’s huge wingspan, conventional jet engines, and twin fuselage, it really just looks like a LearJet gone wrong. Somehow I find the DelFly Micro (pictured here) much more impressive. It weighs only 3 grams, has a 10 cm wingspan, and can still carry a video camera! See a cool dual-view video on YouTube here. Want one of your own? Too bad. You’ll have to settle for something like the massive (6 inch long) Spinmaster Air Hog. At thirty bucks, it’s cheaper than a night at the bar, and probably a lot more fun.

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