Augmented reality maps – TED2010 Talk – Blaise Aguera’s demo

Blaise Aguera, co-creator of Photosynth, demonstrates the latest Microsoft augmented reality mapping technology from MS Live Labs.

Great fodder for brainstorming ways emerging mapping (and image/data crowdsourcing) technology can be wrapped up in practical applications.

That’s a live video feed layered over 3D map of an interior space.

Layered images from multiple sources.

Look up for time-based constellation mapping.

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

@iclazie

5 Amazing and Unique Portfolio Interfaces

There’s a sea of portfolio sites out there. Of the best ones there are many that look great but don’t stray far from the typical interface design frameworks and information architecture.

Here’s a collection of five seriously impressive efforts to innovate, take chances, do something unique, delight and surprise… Great stuff.

1. Wonderwall Inc. – www.wonder-wall.com

This Japanese interior design firm presents their work via a sproingy, elastic, 3D, slightly off the grid mosaic interface. It’s just fun to play with and tightly executed. It’s not a facade, either – the transitions and detail views are well thought through.

2. Resn - www.resn.co.nz

Not a new site, but if this New Zealand based creative agency ever changes their portfolio I look forward to seeing how they plan to improve on it. The imagination behind the navigation rollover effects and the presentation of the work in the portfolio section are inspiring. Use of full bleed background imagery and subtle audio really surround the visitor. Great balance of creativity and usability.

3. thetoke - www.thetoke.com

Slick, clean, technical. Slightly ambiguous concept around the identity and the intro, but it all makes for good eye candy. Play with the viewing modes in the top right hand corner to see cool applications of 3D in Flash.

4. bio-bak - www.bio-bak.nl

Wow. Also been around a while but something truly bizarre. It’s a game. The object is to find the site’s navigation. This site has balls. And they’re hairy and badly drawn.

5. Futuretainment – www.futuretainment.com

Ok, so it’s a book launch, not a portfolio, but it’s classic Frost and fits beautifully with the others for a range of inspiration on how to simultaneously provide a stage and set a tone.

Enjoy!

@iclazie

It’s a map… of the future.

Created by DensityDesign, this impressive piece of info-cartography takes a while to digest but is worth a look if you’re into this sort of thing.

• Learn more:
  http://www.densitydesign.org/2009/10/02/we-will-be-here-map-of-the-future/
• Hires version for download: http://www.flickr.com/photos/densitydesign/3975416561/
• The sketch that the final piece is based on:
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/densitydesign/3976187364/in/photostream/

Wonder if this belongs on Strange Maps? :-)

Also makes me think of the iA Web Trends Map:

 

@iclazie

A robot that can keep a beat

At Amnesia Razorfish we blog about robots quite a bit. Here’s one that finds objects it can turn into drums, beats the object, records the sound and then plays with it until it gets bored.

Amazing.

(As far as drumming goes it’s almost as cool as this: http://amnesiablog.wordpress.com/2008/02/07/best-product-demonstration-ever-m/ )

The Share.tv video is from a while back. It’s an interview of creator Frits Lyneborg of letsmakerobots.com.

Interesting thoughts on AI.

@iclazie

Web fonts – where are we? Untangling the tangle

This post from I Love Typography explains how close designers may be to practical solutions for total typography freedom for editable text in web pages.

One solution discussed is TypeKit, a subscription based font licensing system.

Interesting read for web designers and font nerds. @iclazie

Amnesia Razorfish explores gestural interfaces with Surface

In what’s just the very tip of a potentially massive iceberg, AR has prototyped an interactive staff directory for the Microsoft Surface table platform.

Watch the video on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/3384040

See video of other Surface applications that have been developed by the various Razorfish offices.

Microsoft Office Labs vision 2019 (montage + video)

Packed with experience concepts and interface eye candy, the 2019 video from MS Office Labs is pretty entertaining for those interested in that sort of thing (or anyone who enjoyed Minority Report).

Watch the video and learn more here: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090228/microsoft-office-labs-vision-2019-video/

Robo Brawl

http://robobrawl.com/

Robot Wars esque game to flog Intel Xeon. Clean, consistent look and feel… nice details and overall good execution.

It feels very Disney/Pixar – would be interesting to have the rough and dirty version of this for a more hardcore audience. Something reminiscent of the original Robot Wars (not the UK tv show) which I was lucky enough to see live at Fort Mason in San Francisco back in 1997. It was a smoky, gritty, big smelly geek fest.

Interesting photography technique – mini planets

Here’s a collection of cool pics…

…and a bunch more here on Flickr…

…along with this explanation of how they’re done:

vega – no secret, as jung said, it is a re-projection of an full 360° equirectangular pano, i use a photoshop plugin called flexify to do the trick, although there are many other ways, helmut dersch’s pano-tools, etc -

this original composite pano was stitched from 8 10.5mm FF fisheye shots, but a non fisheye could have been used as well…

and a simple tutorial here – www.dirkpaessler.com/blog/index.php/photographers-tools/2… although this does not give quite the same results as starting with a full equirectangular image…

sam

Thanks to Ryan at Amnesia for putting me on to this.