Sony's 360 degree display

WOW... imagine this on a really really large scale

LOVE this work

'Battle of the Cheetos': Social Game To Determine 'Crunchy' or 'Puffy' Dominance via Genwow

Usually choosing variants of snack foods is a personal thing, from plain to ruffled and everywhere in between.

But Cheetos wants to change all that, with Battle of the Cheetos, a social game from Goodby and North Kingdom designed to enable you to choose your favorite battle fields - Mashable, Gawker, BoingBoing.net, you name it - and the call out your friends and others for battles that can be tracked and saved via Facebook. You can even taunt your opponent by activating your PC's microphone.

http://www.battleofthecheetos.com/

THE NEXT DIMENSION

Thanks Trendcentral for this on the fast approaching (virtual) world in 3D

With 3D this genuine, who needs reality?

3D is on its way to becoming the norm at the neighborhood multiplex, particularly for animated features and horror flicks. And while it may be a while before Woody Allen's next film visually plants us on a NYC sidewalk while screening in a Topeka theater, 3D soon will be moving from the cinema to the living room in order to enhance your home entertainment experience. Here's a look at some of these retina popping devices and how artists are taking the technology and running with it:

Sony 3D: Sony says it will have 3D technology in American living rooms by 2010 in products including BRAVIA LCD HDTVs, VAIO computers, Blu-ray discs and PlayStation 3. Although the idea of watching Lost in 3D is certainly not without its appeal, we expect that gaming may be the category to really lasso this technology. Today's new third dimension isn't like going to the arcade in the mid-'90s and paying $8 for three minutes of watching neon lines. It's adding a feeling of actual space. This could upgrade the "guy stuff" on your computer to a whole new intensity level - imagine video game bullets that feel like they're headed right into your couch.

i-3D Video Glasses : While Sony confirmed that they are going to have 3D TVs ready for gaming addicts next year, don't expect to be able to walk around images in the same way that Princess Leia circled Obe-Wan Kenobi begging for help. You'll still have to don some head gear to make the images pop off the screen. For those of us who can't wait for Sony to fine-tune the home 3D experience, the i-3D Video Glasses plug into any DVD or MP4 player and feed you video like Star Trek's Geordi LaForge got his. The images look like they're on a 80" x 69" screen, while you look like you need a ticket to Comic Con.

Projection Bombing : Let's not forget that our interest in 3D was sparked by illusions designed to look like they have depth. That concept is being stretched by street artists and, more recently, projection artists. A tech-driven evolution of graffiti, projection bombing is when fleeting images are transmitted on to unsuspecting walls and buildings with nothing more than a Honda generator, projector and laptop. (Check out this video of a digital tiger running across a city's buildings.) Urban Screen, a collective of German artists and architects involved in research and development of experimental media installations with the aim to stage urban displays, seems to be the leader in these optical assaults. The content housed in their Vimeo channel will trick your eyes even more than that online pinwheel everyone's been staring at to make their hands look like they're melting.

Liquid space

Diesel’s Spring/Summer 08 catwalk show, staged a few days ago at the Pitti Immagine Uomo fair in Florence, was nothing short of stunning. While regular human models paced up and down the runway, a host of polyp-like CGI characters appeared in mid-air to interact with them within an underwater landscape. And in a unique twist, these animated holograms were entirely viewable from both sides of the stage. But this was no Paul Daniels Magic Show trickery – more a perfect blend of cutting edge digital art and performance.

Diesel explain how some of this technology works:

“The visuals are projected through a series of ‘foils’ into mid air, so you see the images in mid-air. The models can then interact with them and walk through them. We used plastic foils placed at 45 degree angles so that the projected light from the ceiling goes onto a foil, is reflected on to another and then into the air.

We worked it so it had a real catwalk feel and so that you could view it from both sides: you can see the models, the holograms and the public from both sides. It’s never been used this way before as the technology has just been used in the corporate world before, for sales presentations, and the visuals have always just been viewed from one side. So we set up two rigs instead.

The animations were done with standard CGI animation software but were made for a 15m by 2.5m screen. It’s all rendered in HD, too, so was quite demanding as it’s 30 frames per second. We worked on the whole thing, from storyboard through to the final render in just two and a half months. Bringing together Dvein and Vizoo gave us this unique, truly holographic, 3D motion graphic experience.”

2008 Metaverse Tour Video: The Social Virtual World's a Stage

Thanks Gary Hayes at futurelab for this holiday video from the virtual universe

Gary Hazlitt and Gazlitt (aka as me!) take a ‘break’ in over fifty worlds comprising the current metaverse, here is the holiday video…

I am doing a commercial report and curriculum development on the evolving range of social virtual worlds and have recently ventured into fifty of them to review and sample the culture, creative, business and educational potential. On my travels I got out my virtual camera and decided to capture a bunch of small vignettes which quickly turned into a body of audio visual delights - so decided to create a nice seven minute video for posterity.

I thought I would share the video publically as it demonstrates how ubiquitous, popular and streamlined many of these spaces are becoming across the intraweb / ‘cloud’. With over 300 million frequenting or registering for the non-game based worlds and millions of new investment in 2nd and 3rd generation services there seems to be no stopping them…Enjoy

5MB MP4 Download available at http://www.justvirtual.com/SVWS_2008.mp4

A few immediate things that struck me on my travels:

• That there are quite a few worlds now getting their balance on the shoulders of Second Life and really getting to grips with the social networking aspects vs the 3D’ness
• There IS a balance between a social space and an ‘agreed’ advertorial world - “you give me valid experience, I accept a level of advertising”
• A few new entrants realise that using a fully fledged, 3D game engine as the client for what is in the end a glamorous 3D facebook and requiring a high spec’d PC is not the best way. Second generation services like vSide have followed a good middle ground
• As I reported a few days ago the ‘layered-over-the-2d-web’ version of these worlds such as RocketOn Exit Reality and Weblin show great usability and promise
• Some worlds are demonstrating the precursor to photo realism and smooth motion while others have as much ‘immersion’ by providing intimacy with your friends in more cutesy environments
• Many of these worlds operate without the hype we have seen with Second Life and have slowly been building up large communities. Beware any world that tries to launch on hype, as most of these worlds are still in adolescence and not ready for mainstream
• The Metaverse is a world of connected worlds, how/when/if they are connected will be a real challenge from a technical and standardisation perspective. Especially as a few are starting to concentrate on themes, music, sport and probably in the end very defined niches - fly fishing social world anyone?
• It is important for those who are supposedly representing or blogging about ‘the metaverse’ to get in there and try these services - beyond registering and wandering around for only 10 minutes (I could name several who haven’t a clue!) but…
• There are not enough hours in the day to attempt to truly engage with each world but it is amazing how adept you become at spotting flaws and innovation when you put the effort in
• lots more to follow from the official report in a future post…

KZero are turning out to be the best resource on the planet, tracking Social Virtual Worlds and their latent potential. They gave me permission to publish/post this great chart with a great stab at putting many of the worlds in the video across content sectors.

Here is a list of the worlds featured in my video in order of appearance:

• Kaneva
• YoVille (in Facebook)
• RocketOn
• Prototerra
• Gaia Online
• HiPiHi
• Google Lively
• Habbo Hotel
• Laguna Beach (vMTV)
• Whyville
• Twinity
• Cyworld
• Football Superstars
• Weblin
• IMVU
• Second Life
• Club Penguin
• Active Worlds
• vSide
• A Tale in the Desert
• Barbie Online
• Amazing Worlds
• Webkinz
• Worlds.com
• Spore
• Exit Reality
• and 15 others including SpineWorld, Stardoll, The Manor, There.com, Vastpark, Qwaq, PS3Home, GoSupermodel, Grockit, Croquet, Metaplace, Coke Studios, Dreamville, Dubit, Mokitown, Moove, Muse, The Palace, Playdo, Sora City, Voodoo Chat, TowerChat, Traveler, Virtual Ibiza

Video details:

The ‘Social Virtual’ World’s A Stage
A Film by Gary Hayes © Personalizemedia 2008
http://www.personalizemedia.com

“This is not a Game” - Music composed and performed by
Gary Hayes http://www.cubrisound.com

Original post: http://www.personalizemedia.com/2008-metaverse-tour-video-the-social-virtual-worlds-a-stage/

Tags:

• Gary Hayes
• metaverse
• online
• social media
• video
• virtual worlds

Interactive displays and projections

Cheers Helen Cowley for sharing these posts on some great stuff that's happening in interactive display:

Live hologram of Telstra CEO hosts conference - Musion from the UK are behind Australia's first look at a real time, 3D holographic projection. Sort of fitting that Telstra yet again makes a splash by showcase something that isn't theirs :).

Some work from De-Construct in the UK: Interactive shop front


















Task
– Create an innovative launch idea for a new loyalty / credit card
– Integrate with the above the line advertising, which used the Dean Martin song ‘That’s Amore’


Solution
– Use a combination of interactive technology and an innovative audio application to turn the M&S flagship branch on Oxford Street into a live brand experience
– Install a system triggered by passers-by that would serenade them down the street with the
‘Amore’ soundtrack
– Enable the lyrics displayed across a series of plasma screens to change colour in response to people’s clothing colour

Results
– Research on 2 store windows at M&S on Oxford Street showed that the interactive window increased the number of passersby who stopped and looked at the windows by 1500%
– Acknowledged as a ground breaking use of interactive technology for retail window marketing

Smart shoe wall
–Created bespoke retail installation using RFID technology
–Customers can choose a shoe and place it on a reader to receive rich media content
- 171 smart shoe walls are in use in
adidas flagship stores in the US and are being rolled out to Europe

Awesome visualisation projects

Cheers analogue Simon for sharing this: http://bestiario.org/

3D graffiti - Tagged in motion

Thanks Fred!

Some very cool use of 3D here

Store adds new dimension to online shopping

Consumers looking to avoid crowded malls and the tedium of online shopping can now shop in a virtual three-dimensional store.

Specialty retailer Brookstone opened the virtual doors to its 3D store, (http://kinset.com/brookstone.php) which combines a Second Life-like visual experience with real merchandise customers can buy.

"The 3D brings that fun part of shopping back. When you go into a physical store, there is that sort of energy around 'what am I going to find?' and there's always that discovery process," Greg Sweeney, a vice president at Brookstone, said in an interview.

The virtual store replicates the look and layout of a real store. Customers can move through the aisles and browse and zoom on products using a mouse and keyboard. Detailed information is available by stopping in front of an item.

"We think it really appeals to a younger audience for us, a demographic probably 25 to 40...because of the almost gaming nature of it," said Sweeney.

Certainly those adept at navigating through a virtual world will find the environment familiar. For new users, it will take some getting used to, Sweeney added.

Brookstone.com will still offer its wares in the conventional way, but offers the 3D store as an alternative.

"It really helps the evolution of the Internet shopping experience," Sweeney said.

By Reuters

Published: November 27, 2007, 12:16 PM PST

Target Fashion Show uses Holograms instead of hot Models

Posted on Thu, 1 Nov 2007 07:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Major retailer Target will present the first completely model-less fashion show on November 6 in Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

The live, 3D-virtual fashion show will be created with high-definition holograms, allowing the clothes and accessories to walk, dance and interact.

The model-less fashion show is powered by Musion Systems Limited. These are the guys who also did the fantastic Gorillaz Live appearance at the MTV Awards in Lisbon 2005.
The Target Model-less Fashion Show will employ an illusionary technique that uses Eyeliner foil to give two dimensional images the illusion of depth. The installations are recorded, played back and projected in true High Definition giving the holograms unprecedented quality and clarity.

The Target Model-less Fashion Show will feature men’s, women’s, bridal and maternity collections from Bowie by Keanan Duffty for Target, Erin Fetherston™ for Target, Isaac Mizrahi for Target, Liz Lange for Target and Mossimo for Target as well as jewelry, handbags and shoes from Dominique Cohen for Target and HOLLYWOULD for Target.
The Target Model-less Fashion Show will take place on Tuesday, November 6, and Wednesday, November 7, in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal on E. 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

I love technology, but hey I prefer seeing real fashion models like Gisele Bündchen and not some hologram.
See also the Musion site.