Augmented Google Earth Gets Real-Time People, Cars, Clouds

This is an interesting utilization of technology although I'm not 100% convinced on the benefits of displaying even more detailed visual information–which will require more RAM–on Google Earth, a program that already requires lots of RAM to run smoothly.

holograms providing tactile feedback

I just came across the video above via a eNewsletter from Gizmag. to summarize: the idea of holograms providing tactile feedback was presented in 2009 SIGGRAPH by students from the University of Tokyo.

below are a couple excerpts from a presentation for a class I took at OSU. the objective of the course was to submit design ideas which sought to improve the quality of one's living room experience regardless of technological contraints. to summarize this project: this floating hologram would control all of the electronics in a users' home. one of the features of this technology included tactile feedback (shown in the images below).

here the user is selecting "yes" to continue watching the movie from the previous night.

profile view of the hologram, depicting the tactile feedback.

while watching the movie, the user decides to dim the lights in the living room.

when I presented this project, many people's first reaction was "that's impossible." however (as previously mentioned), the objective of this project was to design without technological constraints under the pretense that engineering restrictions are only a matter of time before they're overcome.

"Now that we can make anything, what will we make?"

the new look of Sean John

although Sean John's new logo is now legible (compared to the previous 'signature' logo) I'm not quite sure how it directly reflects the style of most of the clothing shown in the video above. yes, I understand the concept: futuristic (yeah, yeah, who DOESN'T claim to be futuristic these days?) however the multiple designs using acid washed denim don't seem to echo the clean-cut logo. although I did notice a couple cardigans, the "metal in the nylon fabric" and "printing on the inside of the t-shirt" seemed to be the most celebrated designs. while most of the designs are indeed cutting edge and new, the logo seems to be futuristic in a different (more conservative) way.

if the new Sean John logo were an article of clothing, I imagine it would be something one might wear with an evening gown or tuxedo, not with acid washed denim.

Happy Nelson Mandela Day

"Obama buttons! $5!" ("trek to Washington")

I noticed this young Brother in Potomac Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC. I had to buy a button. this should inspire many of those who stand on corners with cardboard signs begging for money as if they can't work... this is America.

"Obama Hats!"

"trek to Washington" is a documentary depicting many of Matthew Stanford's experiences during the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies.

just imagine...

Google has used its wit to outsmart the world once again. Google Latitude (being released today) enables users to locate their friends and vice versa via their location on Google Maps Mobile.

This is such a dumb idea.

of course, I don't mean dumb in the sense that it should not have been done, but dumb in the sense that someone should have already released this by now as it is not a result of some break-through technological advance, but rather, this is what happens when the technology is available for long enough and people begin to think.

"What else can we do with this?"

Bruce Mau's Massive Change discusses the power we as humans (specifically as designers) now have. Technology has facilitated an array of options which seem to be endless. In effect, since we have yet to discover the full range of what may be accomplished through existing technology, we are not yet fully aware of our capabilities.

"Now that we can make anything, what will we make?"

Just imagine how many lives might have been save had someone thought of this application years ago? Take, for example, James Kim, an editor of C-Net.com (a web site which provides expert reviews of modern technology), who died from exposure and hypothermia while trying to retrieve help for his family after their car was buried in snow during a road trip. Kim’s death could have certainly been prevented had he received a signal on his cellular phone and been able to contact the appropriate local authorities for help. Furthermore, had his cell phone been equipped with Google Latitude, certainly his death would not have occurred from being lost in the cold.

Ironically, only a few weeks after Kim’s death, C-Net.com released survey results that indicated the general public’s distrust of location based software in cellular phones largely due to the pervasive fear of being watched by “Big Brother” regardless of the palpable dangers that surfaced during Kim’s disappearance and death. Also, most cellular phones are already equipped with software enabling users to be located during emergencies while the device is turned on (even if there is no service signal available). This indicates that the fear of being located by a mobile communication device is merely perceptual; users have been located by their cellular phones before this feature was advertised as a technological breakthrough.

Design can save lives...

Technology provides us with possibilities and allows us to imagine; design utilizes both possibilities and imagination so that we may make our lives easier through new ways of navigating, communicating, interacting, sharing, learning, teaching, dating, and expressing emotion. My only hope is that this technology becomes more affordable and lasts longer than a year or so. This new era brings forth positive change and maturation... dream.