Wow....
I've got a lot to talk about, which I've been failing to update to this here blog. However, if anyone hasn't seen Microsoft's new demo of PhotoSynth then perhaps they should.
It's easy to talk about the future, hard to get it right. In terms of photographic / recording techonology, I agree with David Brin and Charles Stross that ubiquitous recording is going to become the norm - a situation where things are not recorded in public will be unusual. The usual response to this position is "why the **** would anyone want that?", misunderstanding that the real question is "Who has the political will to prevent the inevitable?"
Here's an interesting thing, though - someone's come up with a genius idea for why ubiquitous recording might be a good thing after all. Photosynth looks like something special. Assuming it's not snake-oil, then it's really exciting. Yes, it requires a browser plugin, and yes it's from Microsoft, but man - if it's true then it's really interesting.
What Photosynth claims to do is to analyse structures inside photographs - say you search for 'Alhambra' on Google images. Then it parses the images, and constructs a 3D model of the original structure, based on multiple viewpoints. Then it shows you the parsed model in wireframe (dot-frame, it appears) and shows you virtual 'frames' floating in space. If you click on the frame, you're taken to the original holiday snap, just scaled and rotated so it's coherent according to the internal model.
It's really hard to explain, but amazing to use. I seriously commend it to your good selves.
Incidentally, I believe this is also the first time that Microsoft Labs have pulled a really awesome trick on Google. A week after the release of StreetView, along comes PhotoSynth. Microsoft win this one, hands-down.
It's easy to talk about the future, hard to get it right. In terms of photographic / recording techonology, I agree with David Brin and Charles Stross that ubiquitous recording is going to become the norm - a situation where things are not recorded in public will be unusual. The usual response to this position is "why the **** would anyone want that?", misunderstanding that the real question is "Who has the political will to prevent the inevitable?"
Here's an interesting thing, though - someone's come up with a genius idea for why ubiquitous recording might be a good thing after all. Photosynth looks like something special. Assuming it's not snake-oil, then it's really exciting. Yes, it requires a browser plugin, and yes it's from Microsoft, but man - if it's true then it's really interesting.
What Photosynth claims to do is to analyse structures inside photographs - say you search for 'Alhambra' on Google images. Then it parses the images, and constructs a 3D model of the original structure, based on multiple viewpoints. Then it shows you the parsed model in wireframe (dot-frame, it appears) and shows you virtual 'frames' floating in space. If you click on the frame, you're taken to the original holiday snap, just scaled and rotated so it's coherent according to the internal model.
It's really hard to explain, but amazing to use. I seriously commend it to your good selves.
Incidentally, I believe this is also the first time that Microsoft Labs have pulled a really awesome trick on Google. A week after the release of StreetView, along comes PhotoSynth. Microsoft win this one, hands-down.