Homemade Portal Video

POrtal: Terminal Velocity from Jason Craft on Vimeo.

The story was posted yesterday on TechCrunch. The homevideo is really well done. We can dream, can’t we?

Ender’s Game Goes to Hollywood

On Feb 27, 2012, on ARVEL sig Ning, I blogged that while watching the Oscars, the news of Ender’s Game being given the big screen treatment was ongoing. Expected release date is mid 2013:

“I don’t know what you did last night, but my family and I were watching the Oscars and the On The Red Carpet after-Oscar programming…..during which some gossip came about Ender’s Game the movie coming to theaters in 2013 (starring Harrison Ford!). How exciting is that!!!!”

IMDb has the movie listed: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/
and Deadline New York has a short piece on it: http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/franchise-hungry-summit-plays-enders-game-with-filmmaker-gavin-hood/

Fandom did not take too long to catch the bug and created some interesting unofficial trailers, such as this one:

Conversation threads: on the original blog, and at the Prophets of Science Fiction group space.

Repost of my comment on Prophets of SF: ” Ender’s Game is an interesting piece of literature for several reasons: It’s been used in classroom to illustrate and analyze different subjects: communication arts in high school, English class in Grade 9, cyberbullying in middle school, in psychology 101 in college, etc. As a prophet of science fiction, Orson Scott Card visualized a battle room (the anti-gravity CAVE), a personal desktop (similar to an iPad), a flash suit ( flash suits exists but they are thermal-protective garment made of heavy weight NOMEX, PBI or other flame-retardant material, that protect from temperatures of up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. However in the sf novel, the flash suit seems closer to a smart textile suit than a fireman protection gear), and Free Play (or The Mind Game, a data-driven game system). The novel explores the use of simulation and technology to train critical and creative thinking and decision-making (the military have been interested in training in virtual reality for quite some times; as well as medicine, surgery, architecture, etc.)”

Today, I noticed that Amazon has started to drum up some interests again in the Ender’s Game novel. So if you do not have your copy yet, go get it, or start hanging out at your local library shop for the fifty-cent deal. I know my library shop has a couple copies for sale last time I checked.

Now, you tell me what you think of Ender’s Game. Have you read it? Have you used it in class?

Interactive Surfaces

We are hearing more and more about flexible epaper, flexible screens -especially for mobile devices, and other flexible AMOLED-based technology…

My personal favorite is the Nokia Morph concept

…but here is something very interesting as well: Another really cool innovative proposal from glass manufacturer Corning, “A Day Made of Glass 2”

I believe that’s why we should add all science fiction resources as required readings or viewing. Now that we’ve caught up with the Minority Report, when do you think we’ll see something similar to the Matrix-download? Prophets of Science Fiction, all of them.

Add another prophets of science fiction in comment. Cheers!

Sony PS3 Video Store -Realtime Projection Mapping

Posted a month ago. I can’t believe I did not see this sooner. Imagine this technique for school projects. I mean, come on! Shot in one take, all in real-time, no post-production.

Find the R&D story behind it here:

Enjoy. Tweet. Spread the word!

Glitch

You can’t imagine how excited I was when I finally got an invitation to join Glitch. I sent my email address and waited and waited for their open invite to start. While following tweets and updates on the Facebook Group, I notice one of their admin offering to extend an invite. Did I jump on it! 10 minutes later, I found my invite waiting for me in my email box. Sweet!

This screenshot is my avatar Willow Shenlin (hey, she’s a virtual world traveler!) in her first 10 minutes of play…which involved a hands on training during which I not only learned the functions, but collected some food, fruits and a watering can. 5 minutes later, I met my first friend; 5 minutes after that, I reached level 3. Upon clamoring it in Global chat, I got mobbed by an overly friendly group who maxed out my 12-space bag (inventory), was given 2 more bags, and by default learned how to organize my newfound wealth among those bags. Someone had 15 bags! Needless to say, I did not have to worry about food to boost my energy level in future quests. A Level 53 friend even asked if I needed anything…a hatchet maybe so that i can go back and get that wood I missed earlier. no problem. Just dropped it on my avatar. wow. just like that. A very friendly and fun community.

After a half hour play, I am now a level 4 with a few badges and skills under my belt and 10 friends. oh, and 3 Giltch invites. So if you want in, let me know 😀

I have yet to find any educational use to this world. But I had fun and the community has been overwhelmingly gracious and generous. I am certainly on to reach that two digit level in no time. Games on!

Not only can i give you a Glitch invite if you wish (only 3 in my bag though!), but i’ll give you an Educedge joystick if you comment on this post 😀

Marco Tempest: The Augmented Reality Techno-Magic

A wonderfully elegant speaker, a wonderfully imaginative storyteller, a wonderfully creative magician. But magic is wonder, is it not? Watch the video for your less than 6 minute break today.

http://www.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_the_augmented_reality_of_techno_magic.html

(my embedded video app does not seem to work today. i’ll refresh this post later to make sure so you don’t have to open another window to view this video.)

“…art as an R&D for humanity.” M. Tempest (July 2011)

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” (Arthur C. Clarke)

This badge is yours for watching the video. Let me know what you think. Thanks!