The Cuckoo's Egg (Good vs. Evil)

Almost any ability can be embraced by a wide spectrum of ethical code. Take for example film. A director can choose to create a compelling piece of art that uplifts and transcends, or at the very least, exploits issues that demand a social awareness. However, a director can also make a film that simply taps into our carnal senses and does nothing but derails and degrades it's viewers.

In the Cuckoo's Egg, Clifford Stole finds himself on the good side of computer espionage. Stole's innovative thinking and determination helps him to eventually track down German spy, Markus Hess. The fascinating thing about this story is the similarity in Hess and Stole's talents and methods. Both were spies, both were trying to stay undetected, both had to be clever, both had to have a profound knowledge of computers, operating systems and networks. However the reader finds these two to be ethically polar opposites. The reader finds themselves cheering for Stole and hoping for the capture of Hess, while technically they are doing very similar work.

In our pursuits in this life we may find ourselves in professions with equally polar outcomes. I don't believe those who chose the "evil" end of the spectrum initially start heading that direction. Rather individuals find themselves developed in their talent and then an opportunity comes along and a decision has to be made whether to do what's right, or do what's easy. It is only when people use this power for good that societal progress is made. We will all find ourselves at the crossroads one day, no matter what our pursuits, passions and talents. The question will be, what will we decide to do once the opportunity finds us. The two paths start in the same place, and are often quite difficult to discern. The choice will define us and will result in our contribution to society, one way or another.

Here it comes...I think?

When I first started this blog, my original intent was to explore the future of augmented reality. I have been a long time fanatic of Disneyland and I have always believed that a theme park would be the best place to actualize the potential of augmented reality.

My last post discussed the application of augmented reality to make the film Avatar. Coincidentally, Disney has just announced that Avatar will be coming to their theme parks. With Pandora being such a fantastical and elaborate world, it's hard to ignore the ideal application of a interactive CG environment where guests can look around and see 10 ft Na'vi and flying creatures and be totally immersed by a virtual world. It seems like such a natural transition to take the virtual camera that Cameron used to make Avatar, place it into some user friendly goggles, and allow Disney guests to experience a world like no other. It sounds far fetched, but come on... it's Disney & James Cameron.

Application of Augmented Reality (Current Event)

A good idea is only as valuable as it's application. For years augmented reality has been struggling to hit main stream because it is typically gimmicky and clunky. One of the most applicable uses in recent years has been in movies, such as Avatar. James Cameron used motion capture technology to preview animation and simulate camera moves into a simulated world. This data was later taken into heavier cg packages, touched up and rendered at full resolution.



This process used to make films costs millions of dollars and is not applicable in a real world setting, but lately LEGO has been finding a way to bring a simpler version into the hands of developing children.



This technology still has far to go before it's potential is fully realized. As society grows in an increasingly stimulating world, businesses may find it necessary to explore further into the augmented reality world in order to draw interest of the consumer.

Robots vs. Humans

Less than 10 years ago, if you had a cell phone in high school, you were one of the lucky few. Nowadays if you don't have one by the end of grade school you are potentially a societal outcast. The greatest threat that cell phones bring as they reach the pockets of virtually every adult is that they are slowly consuming more and more of our time. First they were just used for calling and the occasional game of snake. Then people seemed to go crazy with texting (and some still do). Cell phones are becoming more like a small laptop, and coincidentally are turning society into robots. More people are punching at their touch screen and families are fighting for interaction as our phone's consume our attention. As tablets get smaller and more portable, it's fearful to wonder if we will eventually walk around with our phones and never see the world around us, just our small virtual screen.

http://www.awn.com/blogs/im-game/what-s-future-slates-tablets-and-ipads

Place for pointless pursuits??

At the end of this life, there are two goals that many would consider the most important: understanding and fortifying a relationship with the Lord; and understanding and fortifying a relationship with family and friends. It is hard to argue that we should do much else in life besides survive and pursue these two goals, yet so much time is spent pursuing seemingly useless endeavors. Sometimes people need to escape and simply relax. For some this desire can be small, and others it can be overly consuming. The trick is to see that there is a need to relax, as it allows us to pursue our main two goals with rejuvenation, while not allotting more time than necessary to inevitably archaic pursuits. Much of computer science is dedicated to creating programs that will become black holes of time, but they do have their place. It is the decision of the user to find the fine-line between escape and excuse.

coming soon...

Posts will be coming soon, but for now check out what Augmented Reality is all about

wikipedia

how it works

applications