Sonntag, 21. November 2004

Rapid evolution for flat panel TVs. The flat panel TV market is exploding - screens are growing, technology is diverging and makers are flat out trying to win the race [Eyebeam reBlog] 8:49:38 PM    comment []

Newspapers on your mobile. People sick of manhandling large newspapers on their way to work will soon be able to view the days headlines on their mobile phone, reports Moconews. Mobile Dreams Factory has released a program named MicroEditions , which reformats newspaper headlines for multimedia phones. works on 52 different models, and works by obtaining the content, reformats it for each model and delivering them to the operator to be downloaded by the user. [Eyebeam reBlog] 8:35:56 PM    comment []

India: Sexual harassment of women through SMS on the rise. Harassment through SMS is a new phenomenon and is rising. The All India Democratic Women's Association has received a number of complaints where senior managers sent lewd SMSs to their junior women colleagues. This amounts to sexual harassment of women at workplace. [Eyebeam reBlog] 8:35:33 PM    comment []

History of SMS, Early Wireless Communications. The 100th anniversary issue of a an English language Norwegian journal called Telektronikk has some fascinating articles on the development of GSM and mobile communication, including a history of SMS. H ken Lie (one of the fellows that developed... [Eyebeam reBlog] 8:34:38 PM    comment []

starbucks uk. Some things are completely international. I'm in a Starbucks 5 mins from our house, sipping an eggnog latté (upgraded to mega size 'cause they're out of 'grandé' cups) downloading email attachments on the in-store wi-fi. Couple of quick skype calls and ofcourse an ipodder scan. Life in the old country is going to suit me just fine..... [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog] 5:18:09 PM    comment []

The Cochineal. Japanese media artist Noboru Tsubaki's work Cochineal is a machine to patrol cyber-terrorism. The large fiberglass insect lures visitors into its "web". They step inside the spaceship, wearing a suit embedded with sensors, and physically feel the attack of virus just as if they were insects on their skin. Visitors can destroy the worm by pushing a button. But, just like in the real world, simply killing it does not solve the problem as the more and more worms appear, begging to be exterminated. "With Cochineal, I wish to realistically represent the potential harm of a computer virus, or worm. We tend to adopt technological innovations without considering their long-term implications", says Tsubaki. "and we still choose to depend upon them, though they undoubtedly put us at risk. Through Cochineal, I wish to put forth a more realistic representation of these threats". Details in Derivative. [we make money not art] 1:19:58 PM    comment []

The "World Beard and Moustache Championships" will be held in Berlin, on Saturday, October 1, 2005. Long way to go. But the documentary DVD "A Harmony of Curves" of the last edition is available for purchase ($19.99). Via The Apartment. [we make money not art] 1:19:37 PM    comment []

Manipulating our own shadow. The installation lies, all lies , by Hannes Nehls, tries to create an awareness for media made manipulations by manipulating the "ultimate" picture: our own shadow. After the visitor has stepped into floodlighting, s/he recognizes her/his own shadow on the wall. But then this shadow suddenly moves for no apparent reason: software, data projectors, infra-red floodlights and infra-red sensitive video cameras simulate the shadow, which is alway genuine, and thus render it open to manipulation. The installation questions our perception for figurative information and thus makes visible the inherent manipulation. In Basel, at the VIPER festival till November 22. [we make money not art] 1:19:01 PM    comment []

CNN plugs Podcasting. CNN has been promoting an article on Podcasting on their homepage. [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog] 1:18:43 PM    comment []

9/11 and the age of the prosumer. Twenty-five years after Alvin Toffler coined the term "Prosumer" in his book The Third Wave, Consumer Anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff says the Prosumer is officially here to stay and that this holiday season is their coming of age. "Think of it as the coming out party for a new species, an evolution in a consumer mindset. It is now the producers - companies, manufacturers, marketers and retailers, who need to adapt," said Blinkoff. A Prosumer is part producer part consumer. Prosumers are engaged in a creative process of producing a product and service portfolio with guidance from trusted friends - the companies they've trusted for years and the new ones they've come to love. Certainly Toffler's prophesy was becoming a reality with mass computer consumption, Internet, Cable TV and digital technologies available, but Blinkoff, a Principal Anthropologist at Context-Based Research Group in Baltimore, says something dramatic happened to the Prosumer landscape that sped up the evolutionary process. That monumental event was 9/11. (RED NOVA) [Eyebeam reBlog] 1:18:03 PM    comment []

The collabowobble. "Collabolla" (aka collabowobble) is a videogame where you have to sit astride an inflatable ball (like the '70s "Spacehopper" balls) bounce, rock back and forth, roll or jump around to send commands to the computer. The two players don't play against each other but have to join forces and co-ordinate with each other to control the same character's movement and combat a common enemy. The joystick is replaced by the balls: one for the x axis and one for the y axis, one moving pacman up and down, and the other left and right. This is only a prototype, by Jennifer L. Bove, Simone Pia and Nathan Waterhouse, but I'll cherish the one who would manufacture and sell it. [Eyebeam reBlog] 1:17:02 PM    comment []

The stress watch. The Avidus watch accentuates the way that time seem to pass more quickly or more slowly depending on our mood. If we are in a hurry, time seems to pass so fast. But when we are relaxed (or bored), it appears to slow down. Two metal contacts on the watch face measure your stress level. If you're stressed and touch the watch then the hour displayed runs forwards, the more stressed the faster. If you're totally relaxed, the time can even run backwards. Avidus is one of the 7 amazing Mr Jones Watches that were designed by Crispin Jones. They were produced as one-off working timepieces, but a possible commercial production is under study. [Eyebeam reBlog] 1:16:20 PM    comment []