The blogosphere has been saturated with news and images about the earthquake in Haiti but what’s it really like at ground zero? Immersive Media’s innovative use of 360º video capturing technology enables us to see it with our own eyes. It’s similar to a video stream except that the recording allows you to play/pause at any moment and rotate 360º to view any part of the scene (you can even rotate while the video is playing)! Amazing stuff with multiple applications for online news, real-time events, and viral marketing/advertising.
Imagine getting live updates through various Twitter feeds with supplementary real-time 360º videos. This type of technology will only bring our global village closer together and allow people access to information which was either not available or censored just five years ago. Check out all four videos at this link, courtesy of CNN. Thanks for the link Leon.
Liu Bolin is a Beijing-based artist whose work was made famous at last year’s Solo Show at the Galerie Bertin Toublanc in Paris. His most famous exhibit titled “Camouflage” is based on Bolin’s exploration into human nature, showing how people blend into their environments for safety, much like the chameleon in the reptilian kingdom.
I wish I had gone back to Hong Kong during National Week to check out the Graffiti Analysis 2.0 exhibition at the Input/Output Gallery. Graffiti Analysis 2.0 is an open-framework application that tracks the motion of graffiti tags and digitally represents them in 3D forms based on a single-line input created by the user.
It’s a remarkably cool project by digital artist Evan Roth and software developer Chris Sugrue. It may look like a one-trick pony right now but with a few more technical tweaks and colour customizations, this effect will surely make its way into advertisements and mainstream media in the near future.
In addition to this amazing timelapse video of the National Day parade created by Dan Chung, here are a few more stunning images that capture China’s organizational brilliance. Courtesy of XinHua.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the city of Beijing wowed the world audience with a spectacle that was part weapons showcase, part salute to country, and all so lavishly techni-colour that it would have made Joseph and his dreamcoat jealous.
Helicopters, fighter jets, missile-armed tanks, dancers, martial artists, athletes, you name it; no dollar was left unspent to make this celebration unforgettable. Even the usual smoggy skies were clear and blue, thanks to special government ordained weather and cloud control procedures.
If you didn’t catch the show on TV, Dan Chung has filtered the six hour extravaganza and edited the footage down to a timelapsed 3.5 minute video for your viewing pleasure. The surreal synchronization is captured beautifully; in certain shots, the scene is so sublime that I thought I was looking at a fake movie set full of plastic figurines.
The popularity of TED has spread like wildfire in the past couple of years. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an annual event where the world’s leading thinkers and doers share the latest developments and issues shaping their respective fields. Previous distinguished speakers include Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Frank Gehry, Tim Brown (IDEO), Sir Richard Branson (Virgin), Philippe Starck, Bono, JJ Abrams (Lost), Chris Anderson (WIRED), just to name a few.
Recently, TED has expanded to include an international conference called TEDGlobal and other media initiatives such as TED Talks and TED.com. In the spirit of their motto “Ideas worth spreading”, TED has created a program called TEDx as an outlet for local, self organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. I’m happy to announce that the next TEDx event will be held in Hong Kong on September 19th, 2009.
The press release and more information are available after the jump
Apologies for the lack of posts and updates in the past month. Two very important things have kept me away from my computer and blogging.
1. I’ve packed my bags and moved to Beijing which means I’ve been battling the “Great Firewall of China”. For those of you who don’t know or haven’t heard, please find out and share in my frustration. Annoying indeed, but I will find a way around it. Communism isn’t going to stop me!
2. I’ve been traveling around North America for one of my best friend’s epic wedding adventure. Vancouver -> Las Vegas -> Bodega Bay -> Sonoma -> San Francisco. Can you blame me for letting the dust settle on my laptop? Didn’t think so.
Stay tuned…the brain won’t be stagnant for too much longer.
The Google Zeitgeist conference addresses issues concerning the overall intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of our generation. These insights are based on millions of queries received daily through Google’s search engine.
The most talked about presentation this year came from Isreali conductor Itay Talgam. Itay uses the metaphor of conducting a symphony to touch upon the topic of leadership and collaboration, the importance of interpretation within a structure, and what he calls “doing by not doing”. A fascinating video and well worth 30 minutes of your weekend.
