Captain Owl, Creepy Commercial

I just saw this commercial about Captain Morgan, and I dont know what the developers of the commercial were thinking. It just pretty much proves that drunk people can't judge what is right or wrong. If I see this man owl on the street, i'm probably going to run away. This commercial itself is funny, but they're just too empty for me.

You know its kinda Bad, But its Good

I admit that I've watched this probably about ten times since this came out. I even posted it on my facebook page saying how adorable he is. So what drew me to watch this again and again and never get tired of listening to him?

The kid isn't even singing, and thats what I like about it. Its almost like an abstract painting that you need to decode to understand the emotion the artist is trying to convey. His jibberish lyrics still works with the accoustics which overshadows it in a good way. The real emotion of the song has been changed. If one was to listen to the original I'm Yours by Jason Mraz, your heart will melt. This song to me means a lot, because this reminds me of when me and my significant other started dating, and just to hear the words "I'm Yours" gives me an extra boost of trust in the relationship. But if you watch this video, you don't get the same effect, instead it makes you laugh. Obviously because of his sill facial expressions, but also the way he performs the act. He is so naive that he has all the condfidence in the world, that he isnt afraid to express what he feels is the right way to convey the song. We should learn from him, having a kid-like confidence could help us.

Christmas Guide: RoboSapien V2

Robosapien™ V2 combines fluid biomechanical motion with a multi-sensory, interactive humanoid personality. This 24" tall second generation Robosapien is capable of autonomous "free roam" behavior and is capable of multiple levels of environmental interaction - with humans and objects. This is not your ordinary robot with awesome sound effects, its an AI toy that everyone will love. We can also see the trend of immersion with toys. Toys themselves are already immersive, but we need to take that immersiveness to the next level. Kids nowadays want toys that respond to their questions, their gestures, anything. Robots like this fulfill the role of someone who will entertain a kid who's all alone at his house. Kids today are usually left by themselves at their house because parents today are just too busy. I know that nothing can compare to a parents attention to their kids, but this could fill in a day or two.

Yes, I do want the Emperor 1510 Workstation

Ultimate luxury package for nerds. We all deserve something better than a couch, or our wooden desks from surfing the web to sleepless nights of CSS coding. Surfing the web and or working will be something that we all will be waiting for the next morning. We will never get enough of this. By taking a practice that we dont like to do, and designing something to improve the relationship with that practice is a great idea to get the best out of us. If one's too comfortable to get up from this, that person will just be working all night finishing all the work they need to do. Talk about an overhaul for procrastinators. Whoever is reading this, I know deep inside you want this, well you better start saving up because it will only set you back about $5000. Good luck.

Dyson's Fan w/o Blades

So, by taking a major part of a technology we know, its still the same but with a better effect. Its like bacon and cheeseburger without the burger, but its still a bacon cheeseburger. Its like Frenchfries without the greasy fat. Its so much better, why? Its safer too. Parents won't be too worried about their kidding sticking their toungue or fingers in the fan.

I love the design of this fan. Not because its very futuristic, but because they were able to take a technology that we all are familiar with and making it beautiful and a have a better performance. When we think of a fan, automatically we picture blades spinning together in harmony to produce cool air. But Dyson's concept of a fan will change its successors.

Mag+ Puts E-Readers to Shame

E-books have been popping in and out of stores around this time. I have been wanting one for Christmas, specifically the Touch edition of the Sony E-Reader, however I checked that off my list. But I've been thinking lately that, ebooks kind of held back on us. We are so used to colored HD screens, and what do they give us? They give us a Black and White screen. This is one of my ten reasons why I didn't want it anymore. As a student, I carry textbooks and my laptop around the campus. I carry I huge bag to hold all those things with my little fragile frame, and it’s very tiring. So I thought maybe, I can use an e reader to replace all my textbooks and buy e-books instead, however there aren’t many e-book websites yet, at least not for textbooks.

Although there's no working prototype of Mag+ yet, the concept of this device could be a game changer. Imagine having no more magazines laying around the house, or newspapers just being stored in the garage. Subscriptions can be made through the Mag+, wehich makes it cheaper, because there're no paper to be wasted. All we need is more e-book, e-mags, e-textbooks, and e-newspaper suppliers.

Senior Capstone Concept A

It might seem like Senior year isn’t coming up too soon, but it’s right around the corner. I’ve thought of some ideas, most of them are not too plausible yet. For example, I want to start with the concept of holograms, is there a way for me to apply holograms to web design/development since I’m geared towards the web. This idea came to me just to see how far I can take my concepts, but they don’t seem plausible. It’s a challenging concept, I know, but if I do achieve a project with such level of difficulty, then that to me means I’ve started a new trend for technology.

What made me want to tackle this is its so challenging, and I myself love to tackle challenges. I've asked myself times on how I'm going to prepare myself for this? Who should I go to, to start working on this project? Do I have the right skills to manipulate tools that would do the job for me? I went to the capstone night in the Informatics building, and I saw projects that deserve a toast and ones that deserve just a good job. I know I'm in no place to criticize their project, because no matter what, they still put a lot of hardwork in what they did. And that inspired to tackle a mush more challenging project to impress people. So in my sophomore year, i'll research everything that I could with 3D holograms, starting with history, how they were started, how they are used today and how I can improve it and apply it to web. Then during my junior year, I'll find tools that will help me with the project, and performing it, and in the lastyear, i'll test it and see what kind of feedback I can get and do some last minute tweaking. All it takes is passion and curiosity.

Greenpeace's Controversial Posters

In this poster, we see Pres. Obama aged in 2020 with a large and bold statement of "I'M SORRY." Other powerful world leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have their faces plastered on the walls of Copenhagen's airport.


The posters' goal is to attract the audience and impact that one second glance. By including drastically changed images of leaders apologizing because no change happened, a strong message is conveyed right away.The statement itself is already powerful, but the aged face of a powerful and influential leader right next to it complements the text. The poster is much more emotional because it captures an image of failure that is reflected on the world leaders.

Although the concept might be powerful, is it even true? These are the kind of media that makes people think twice. It divides the people in my opinion. The use of an explicit image truly pushes one's conscience into a process of deep thinking and suddenly changing one's opinion.

Credibility plays a major role when altering images, especially when we have easy access to such softwares like photoshop or gimp. They create images that are on both ends of the spectrum, simply to gain more support or set a standard. For example, images of thin models on a magazine spread gives teenagers an ideal body created by the media. So it's just really up to us choose wisely on who to believe.

Paper Battery in the Works

Today, what we really need to solve our enrgy issue is finding power storage.Nanotechnology is the FUTURE. Scientists at Stanford are harnessing nanotechnology to produce ultra lightweight and bendable batteries in the form of everyday office paper some carbon and silver nanomaterials. Simply coat a piece of paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires, and voila you have a highly conducive storage device. Society today needs something low-cost, high-performance energy storage device, such as batteries and simple supercapacitors.

Just imagine how this nanotech supercapacitors will be used. Since our society in the digital age are on the go, we will have super ultra lightweight computing devices. Being green will be more affordable, this can also be used in solar panels which everybody will be able to afford. Here we are, another step closer to a brighter future.

Apps Report: What the Doodle?

What the Doodle? is the 2nd overall winner of this year's Android App Challenge. This app is a game meant to be played similar to Pictionary, but instead of staying at home and playing with people you know around the table, its expanded, its global and new. Imagine people everywhere playing with you, he'she might be another college student from Germany, a worker from Dubai, or a farmer from the Christmas Islands. We're able to interact and connect outside our circle of trust.

The concept of the game is very simple, but yet it was thought to be played in the 21st century for iPhone/Android lovers like us. Globalizing simple family games is just another way of modernizing games. Also, its a game played in real time, with other users, not just with the device. I myself have played a similar game online, however, What the Doodle is played on the go instead of being stuck to your laptop or computer, or just to pass time. This game is obviously nothing like Guitar Hero, yet people pay $1.99 to play this game. What the Doodle and Guitar Hero are 2 different types of game, although they are both interactive, the level of interactivity and how one solves the problem are not similar. Guitar Hero just needs a player with lightning fingers and a really good eye and hand coordination, flexibility is more involved and this game is Hot. What the Doodle on the other hand is cool, its a brain teaser and its unpredictable because its a player vs. player not player vs. machine.

We are a generation of game lovers, both hot and cool, both are great for entertaining us.

N201 Reflection

Since I've been in N201, I've been thinking more about the future. Future, as in how things will be in the future, how different our technology will be, innovation, and how is our everyday life going to be different. Lately I've thought of some really cool new ways of accomplishing a task.

For example, the day after thanksgiving, when I was putting up the tree and hanging decorations on my house, I was thinking if this task could be easier. Such as hanging light on the roof(meaning someone has to climb a ladder), dealing with broken lights, deciding how different the layout will be, etc. I came up with ideas, like having holographic decorations, having a tablet to plan where each decoration will be placed, setting up circular tablets from which the hologram will be projected from, and a smaller one for the things that will go on the roof or a wall.

I really have developed myself through self exploring and trying to find a solution for each challenge that Mr. Mannheimer gives me. They are hard, but because the future is going to be harder, new, different and innovative ideas are going to be needed to succeed.

iLingual App for Iphone

Language for everybody has a high importance, this is our means of communicating our emotions, ideas, etc. Without language, the human race will just be a muted community of people walking around with ideas just waiting to be released to everybody else, I might not even be able to write this blog and react to my topic. Although this is true for a certain race, a different race might have a different tongue. We still need something that will eventually connect everybody as one, not just by images, but also by speech.

The wait is over, iLingual app is available through iPhone that will finally let us communicate to anybody without studying a different language for 5 years. Traveling to different countries will be easier. You wont have worry about carrying dictionaries in your purse, taking classes before you leave your native country.If something happens to you in a foreign country, it'll be easier for you to communicate with their police, and explain what had happened.

From this we could go to the next level and develop a far more better advance app than this. What if we can hear what other people are saying too in foreign language, but translated to our native language, not only we can communicate with them, we can understand other foreign people surrounding us.

Saturn's Aurora Captured

Back then, we were so curious of what's out there. We've always wondered what the planets look like, what's happening to them as I'm typing this blog, but in the digital age, everybody is connected, everybody is able to see what's happening anywhere, even in outer space, all you need to do is Google "space video", and you will get millions of results.

The unknown isnt unknown anymore, instead, its publicly viewed by eveyone everyday, through you tube, hulu, and people sharing videos of anything.

In the future could it be possible to look into the FUTURE once we discover and see everything unknown to us? Perhaps it will be, the cavemen back then didnt know anything about the internet and what was outside their caves, now we know everything through the internet. Perhaps the internet will be able to give us insight as to what our future will look like, or maybe the million dollar question we've been wanting to answer on the universe was made.

ProForma

ProForma ( Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition) is a software that uses a regular cam in instantly transforms it into a 3D scanner. Usually scanning in 3D requires a purpose-made gear and time . ProForma lets you rotate a model in real time and scans the model building a fully 3D texture mapped model as fast as you can turn an object.

What does this mean for us? Well now we can scan a 3D model of ourselves and include ourselves as a Mii avatar instead of using the preset avatars the Wii provides us. We can even play as ourselves in mario kart. Augmented reality will be a step closer to being better. Viewers at home can also include themselves in a movie. Immersion will be taken to a higher level.

WiTricity

We could actually be using wireless electricity today, if only Nikola Tesla (yes he also invented a Death Ray) didn't lose his key financial in the late 1890's. If that was the case then, we would actually be ahead of the game.

WiTricity isn't entirely new to us, it was developed back then but now its been finished. I discussed in my recent post about the Powermat how we can convert the EMF waves into useful enrgy and throw away wire. With WiTricity, that conversion of EMF waves isn't really the case but the concept was the same. I discussed how every electronic gadgets we have in the house (a certain range) can be charged without the messy wires. In WiTricity, there's a main coil and it detects other gadgets with these coils and automatically charges them. For this to happen, we need electronic companies to agree that they will automatically include the coils needed to the products they sell, which should be made into a standard in order to use this technology. Sorry Powermat, but you're still behind.

Solar Power, let's embrace it

So okay, imagine our regular street lamp posts smarter. Philips was inspired by sunflowers, and used that concept to create a smarter way of using energy. Philips' Lightblossom follows the sun and stores the energy it gathers during daylight. What happens to that stored energy? It's used to light the streets at night when there's no sun.

The concept of gathering solar power in order to run machines isn't a new concept, there are people who use solar panels on the roof of their house, people who has bagpacks with solar panels to charge phones, etc. Its just that the way we use it so so limited. I know we can come up with a billion ways to manipulate solar power. The sun is a huge ball power supply which has an unlimited supply of energy, compared to the fossil fuels we use today.

Some doesn't like alternative fuels because it doesn't pack a lot of puch the way fossil fuels do. Its true, solar panels doesn't a 100% absorption rate, but that's fixable. How? I reserached and found that "Nanocoat" can absorb 96.2% (near perfect) of the sun's rays and can be absorbed in every angleso there's no need for panels to waste energy by mechanically tracking
the sun in the sky.. Problem solved, from there we could move forward towards a 100% absorption rate. We could just replace fossil fuel power plants with solar power plants. How about jobs? Some say alternative fuel could cause unemployment. Actually, it will increase the job rate from 1.9 million to 6.9 million according to Consumer Enrergy Report. If people could just realize that we don't have to settle for the given, and find a way to to solve problem, we could be moving forward faster, and more will be happier. Oh, it will be more expensive, well if companies cooperate and make these more affordable to the consumers. They might lose some at first but at the end, the rewards will be great.

From lamp posts to powering houses, we should let solar power replace fossil fuel.

Website Redesign

Before

After

I definitely think there was a really big jump from the old design to the new one. The old website was trying to create a 3D effect, but it wasn't working. The use of bevel frames are not the way to go. Instead in the 2nd one, different 3D aspects are used, like perspective, shadow, and blur. Also if someones is looking for a wedding photographer and ends up in the first website, they would leave. They wouldn't even think twice about browsing the site. Why?

a) It's gray. Gray doesn't represent wedding, its a very mournful color. Its not a color that celebrates the beginning of a new life.

b)The website lacks organization. Its like everything the website contains is in the home page.

The second website on the other hand, still contained aspects that are similar to the old website. The content is center aligned, and the 3D effect was improved

Although the 2nd website is a big jump from the old one, its still looks very ordinary. Nowadays everyone wants to be immersed, websites also need to be more immersive compared just clicking.

Virtual Girlfriend

In the digital age, we want everything virtual, virtual reality is starting to be more popular today. Just look at the augmented reality apps that Android and IPhone has been producing. Although this is a step closer to the cyberworld, there are some technologies out there that could be viewed unorthodox depending on how much you take this virtuality seriously.

LovePlus is a game for Nintendo DS. Here's how you play it.

a)The first part of the game is standard fare: players court three girls, trying to get them to fall in love with the player. That's where most dating sims end; Love Plus is just getting started.

b)The second half is open ended. You've already got the girl, now what do you want to do? Want to touch her on her forehead, cheeks, arms, etc. via the touch screen? You can email her, call her via the DS mic, and study together.
Players can set how they want their girlfriend to address them, and over time she changes to match the players' likes and dislikes. The way she speaks will even change slowly over the course of the game.

Some players take this seriously. Here is an article about a man who married his virtual girlfriend in real life.

"This week a church in Guam pronounced a man and his copy of dating sim Love Plus husband and, well, wife, and the happy couple will be hosting a reception in Japan that you are cordially invited to view tomorrow.
The unnamed man took his DS and the game to Guam where he said vows with to Nene Anegasaki, one of three virtual girlfriends featured in Love Plus. Tomorrow, the couple will have a reception held on Niconico Douga at around 12 p.m. (no time zone given, check local listings on the site, if you can read Japanese.) The media has been invited to attend; slides will be shown from their time dating up through the wedding.
I've heard of dudes marrying a mannequin before so, this not in fact the most weird-slash-creepy-slash-pathetic thing I've ever heard. But my forced nonjudgment about this really needs its own word. Begrimaced? Bittersad?"

Could this be a problem in the future? Virtuality might be so powerful in the future that we can't identify between real and virtual.

Android’s Invading, IPhone’s Reign is Over.

Last year the IPhone took us by storm. Everybody wanted one, young or old. You have to get it to be in the in crowd. We all watched the news and saw people camping outside AT&T stores nationwide to get their hands on the IPhone. Since when did consumers go crazy over a phone?

Move aside IPhone, Android is taking over. Since T-Mobile’s G1 came out, there was a glimmer of hope for Android to succeed, and by golly Q4 of 2009, more came. The telecommunication companies are backing up Android. T-Mobile’s My Touch 3G, Sprint’s HTC Hero and Verizon’s Droid, etc. So why is Android so much better? Well, one thing that developers love about it is that its an open platform for all kinds of mobile devices - Android. Leading this development are Google Inc, T-Mobile, Intel, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola along with many other companies under the umbrella of the Open Handset Alliance - a global alliance between technology and mobile industry leaders. This gives developers a chance to develop apps that will be more user friendly.

Evidence is clear, a lot of companies are jumping i n the Android wagon. Even Dell is releasing an Android based phone. Dell, isn't that a company famous for producing computers? Yes. Here are the current predictions for Android:

1. Many more phones to choose from (I personally can't wait for the Sony Ericsson Experia)
2. App development will take off and Iphone apps will cross over
3. Android will show up on many other devices
4. A more polished and stable Android OS
5. Android hardware will improve faster than Iphone
6. More exclusive content from Google
7. No more multi-touch hesitation
8. Ramped up Android marketing
9. Expect converts from the Blackberry and the Windows Mobile camps
10. More custom interface tweaks.

Christmas Guide: E - Readers

From books to ebooks, life will be paperless. So this is just one of the few really cool gifts this Christmas. Book lovers will no longer have to store books in storages that they might not remember after several years. Having an e-reader gives you the power of carrying your all -time favorite novels. Although that may sound cool, there are kinks here and there that need to be fixed to make e-readers last and be part og the digital game. First off, the black and white screen. We should be given the choice to use black and white screen or colored. Because there are people who prefer to read their newspaper in black and white and others in color. Also, we've been seeing many gadgets that are multi/touch screens. Kindle isn't a touch screen, Nook decided to give us half, but sony on the other hand came up with the pocket edition and touch edition.

E - readers could also replace textbooks I need to carry in school, however, there aren't enough E-book websites out there that offer textbooks. Also, using Sony's touch edition, you can go paperless through college, because you can now write your notes on the e reader to take notes.

Bottom line, this might just be a one time hit like the eight track and be obsolete, or it just be worth your money.

Augmented Reality Game

Since there are so many apps out there, from useless to must have of the week, us new comers need to stand out from the competition. We need to have ideas that will STICK right away, and from there, a new idea will sprout.

For example, I just thought of this earlier while i'm looking for some cool games to play on my droid. And I found a game that lets the user use the phone as a racket. The user can hit the ball and just watch it bounce, and hit it again. Well there's nothing exciting about a ball bouncing inside a made up room for the ball to bounce on. Instead I came up with a better more exciting pass time. Since augmented reality is popping up everywhere, and the phone acts like a Wii-mote, why don't we combine those two technologies and make an augmented reality game.

The game will use the phone's camera and scan its surroundings, not only that, but also the depth and the user's distance from objects surrounding him or her and the distance of the objects from each other and the walls. It will take in the information it scans and outputs on the screen a duplicate of the user's surroundings, but is still happening in real time. The ball will remain inside the screen, but the effects are there, so now if you want to bounce a ball, you won't be afraid to break something because it'll break inside your phone. If you point your phone to your 60" plasma tv, and bounce the ball there, your dad won't yell at you.

Although these kind of games are still stuck in the screen, the screen plays an important role between the players' reality and the interactive environment inside that screen, it becomes the window, we are able to peek out, we can't step out yet, we're going to crash and fall, we need a ladder to finally bridge the gap between our world and the cyberworld.

Apps Report : BioWallet

Finally, those James Bond movies could be a reality for regular people like us. BioWallet fulfills the hunger for our future cravings. Imagine protecting your phone with not a password, a fingerscan, not even your voice.

Our phone is basically our life, everything from secret messages from your friends to controlling our home security, our identity is encrypted in our phones. Phones nowadays are becoming more and more and more personal. A random stranger can browse your phone, and find out 75% about you. Your birthday, parents, relationships, what you buy, the type of cuisine you eat, your favorite genre of music, passwords, bills, your personal style, etc. One might say, "well if your not stupid, you wouldn't put everything in your phone". The problem is, we want access to everything without diggin through all the clutter to get to what we need. We want to control everything, from our houses to our families, our phone is our ONE STOP SHOP to our life, although it won't walk your dog.

What is BioWallet basically? It's an app that uses the camera installed in your phone to scan your iris and it becomes the lock to your phone. As we all know, new media is always broken, it has bugs, it needs new features to serve everyones petty needs and it needs to be fixed.

Well how do we fix this? First off, the FCC (Federal Communications Commisions) should set a camera standard. A phone cannot be distributed without having at least a 5 megapixel camera. The higher the resolution is, the better results we're going to get from using an app like the BioWallet. Plus who wants a junk camera on their phone. This is the major problem they're faced with right now, that's why sadly they couldn't release the app just yet, because not everybody has 5 megapixel camera on their phone. It might be expensive, but we have to sacrifice even an extra $100.00 because it will definitely benefit a user in the long run.

PowerMat - Not as Great

Yes its revolutionary, but it's another broken new media device. The PowerMat compared to the regular charger that comes with our phone could be seen two ways. It could be a step forward to charging devices, or it could be just as bad. Yea, a few kinks here and there, but we want something that will really click to everybosy, something that will fuel everyone else, something that will make us hungry. The Iphone did that, now Droid is catching up,then Pre, and telecommunication companies WANT to have it, to rise above other challengers. I know we really can't serve the needs of everybody, but we have to fix it.

The PowerMat compared to the regular charger is flat. Its a mat that charges just about everything, NOT everything. It gets rid of all the tangling wires, overloading your wall plug, and getting a 50/50 chance of your phone being fully charged or ending up with a dead phone the next morning. It charges other devices too, so its universal. We could finally get rid of the wires that ends up being trashed after a year or two.Yay, for environementally friendly, hmm maybe.

Although it has decent pros, the cons we're faced with need to be addressed. The electronics that we have at home emit harmful EMF waves. Many people see this as an issue and some people are sensitive to EMF waves. What if the PowerMat can convert EMF waves to usable non - harmful waves to charge our devices. It could scan a limited area, like one's house, maybe 2100sq ft of searchable area to find a device thats low on battery and needs to be recharged. The EMF waves floating around the house could then be useful. This way if we want to use our devices while they're charging, we're free to roam around the house and do whatever with it, instead of waiting for it to charge on a flat mat where I can't do anything.

I myself, use my phone at night, I fall asleep with it, thats why I prefer my regular charger. Although the wire isn't that long, I'm still able to talk on the phone while it's charging.

This kind of technology isn't just limited to our house, we can expand to this to our outer environment, just imagine how mush EMF waves are floating around busy city streets. We can then install EMF wave converter in cities and everyone's devices would be charged.

Philips Flavors - My take on it

Nowadays, everybody, especially young adults love to customize, it's what's big right now. We want to express our own style, instead of following what the company tells you to be. We don't want to settle on a design designed for us. Alot of companies are catching up to this trend, but there were early ones too.

For example, if you go to Converse's website, you can customize your own shoe, you don't have to settle on the choices they give you. Although it wasn't 100% you personally because they give you preset fabrics to choose from where you can mix and match each side of your shoe and you can even put your name on it. It was a great idea, I even bought a pair that I customized and put my name on it.

Another one is when many teens started using their phones, and wanted to be rebellious, and wanted everything their way, from that cellphone cases came to the market. You can now change the case of your cellphone and express your style through the shell of your phone.

Then Tmobile came out with MyTouch 3G, and because I always am an early adapter, I got one.

Anyways, tmo's whole concept is that when you buy the phone, it becomes 100% you. It gets to know you using an app called Sherpa, it basically remembers what you searched and compares and collects things similar to what you searched,because it assumes that you like whatever you searched. You can change the theme of your phone and the home screen so you can easily access the apps or whatever that you need easily. You can even download apps that you like, so each phone is basically unique because it will have different functions and data stored in the phone's memory.

Another technology that we all love that I wanted to focus on is the Philips Flavors. Its an exclusive home entertainment system that can be customized to match your style and interior. Again, this really isn't totally 100% you, why?..Because you have to buy the frames that are already made for the consumer. How about we take it up a notch, how can it be totally 100% you? Here are my ideas:

1. Instead of having interchangeable frames, the entertainment system could have digital nanoscreens that make up the frame that emits different images that would make up one whole image. And where would that image come from you ask, well from your computer. Using bluetooth technology, one can actually upload an image or any pattern they would like to the system using a template that would be downloaded to the computer and be compatibe to adobe image editing tools where one can scale, mix and match, crop, however one's heart desires to manipulate the image. Another way of aqcuiring the image is where the system can match itself to the decor of the room, it would produce its own palette of colors or a theme, and it can change by itself, and if you don't like the design, you can easily talk to it and ask to change it.Now that's smart technology.

2. My second concept is inspired by tmo's MyTouch 3G. It will get to know you through your flavor of shows. It will analyze the shows that you watch and the next time you turn on the T.V., it will have a recommendation of what you would want to watch. Everyone's already doing this, for example, Apple itunes and Microsoft marketplace, they give you recommendations on what you might like.

3. Last but not least is a full body sensor. It senses when somebody is in the room and would analyze how you're feeling at that moment and your stress level. The system will automatically turn on a channel that you might desire, or won't turn on at all if it thinks that you're sleepy and would not want to watch at all.

So, overall, Philips Flavor trumps the competition with their concept of interchangeable frames instead of the regular black and silver boring chrome, but it isn't my Flavor yet.

Digital Candy

We think of technology as something we handle and not as food. I wonder if we really would want to chew an iphone, or a computer? I guess the main goal of the digital candy makers is that if there's a technology out there that you love so much, you don't have to look at it, you can also chew it.

This isn't really something new, an inspiration for the makers of these candies could be pastry chefs that make cakes out of whatever their clients want, houses, computers, dogs, iphones, purses, etc. These cakes really look like the real thing. If this could be taken to the next level, it could be something that we could actually use first then eat it.They also make great gifts for children and adults who just love what they love.

Interactive Art

Usually when we look at an art on a wall, its static or if its dynamic, it has its own default settings to create the illusion, the art, and the entertainment, or whatever its trying to achieve. This interactive art in particular has an image that one can be immersed in and become part of the art. One could also argue that video games are immersive art too. They are, but our actions doesn't happen instantly. Even though we're hitting buttons and swinging our rackets, our motion is being translated digitally so that the computer could understand it. You don't really see yourself in it. The player is represented by a character in a game, and that character is digitally made.
What I like about this interactive art is that you yourself is in the art. The camera looks at the shape of a person's body and puts your uniqueness inside the art, where you can manipulate the art. One example that I like the most was the Text Rain, where there is a preset video on a wall with texts and letters that act like rain. The rain actually responds to the movement and shape your body or a material. Plus this art makes you appreciate the simplicity of the data in order to achieve the interaction, compared to a game where you have to process a lot of information before you can make your move. Truly the saying "A Little goes a Long Way" inspired the designers of this project.

Layar - Real Time Browsing

Have you ever walked down a Historic Street, or a neighbohood that you want to move in? Have you ever wondered, hmm,what's that building's name? or how can I reach the realtor of that house? We want to access information right away, without going to the web wondering what we have to type in the search bar, or what we actually need to browse for? Nowadays, we always think of different ways to be immersed with the digital world. Today, its made possible by iphone's augmented reality app, and also a company known as Layar. The app. that I’m most familiar with is Layar, because I’ve actually messed with it. I’m not sure what Iphone uses.
I think Layar’s idea of a Reality Browser is pure genius. Back then,even though it could only be 2 or 3 years ago, we have to mysteriously think of what we need to put on the search bar, that would relate to something we saw in real life and we have to try and translate it for the computer bots using tags and keywords, hopefully wishing that it would find its web page, therefore getting information. That’s just too much work for the kind of people nowadays, especially for me. Layar scans your surrounding which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your phone. On top of the camera image (displaying reality) Layar adds content layers. Layers are similar to web pages in normal browsers. Just like there are thousands of websites there could be thousands of layers in the future. You can also switch between layers by selecting another using the menu button, pressing the logobar or by swiping your finger across the screen. Layar shows, Facebook users, Twitter users, Yellowpages, Flickr photos, hotels, Wikipedia, etc. Being able to finally combine reality (in real time) and the digital world together could really change the way we could access information. Each experience is unique to each user, each one has their own story that they experience instead of going online and going through the same pages over and over again.

Paranormal Activity

Believe it or not, I thought this was scarier than "The Unborn", or "A Haunting in Conneticut". Paranormal Activity was especially frightening, because it was so simple. The film was made for under $15,000. The film avoided the normal cliches of a normal Hollywood horror film, it did not rely on special effects or even make up to scare the audience, the sound is used so well that it alone was scary enough to make me hide my face and cover my ears. Every time it would go back to the night vision camera the audience would all exhale as if to say "Not again!" The very switch of camera effects made me feel a sense of fear. I read stories on the internet of people actually getting up and leaving the theater because they were so frightened. This movie psychologically scares you by leaving you hanging as to what the "demon" looks like. This film certainly can raise a question as to whether indie films are on the rise. The film was originally going to be remade by Paramount Pictures and Steven Spielberg even watched the DVD at his home before it was released to theaters.
Good thing Paramount Pictures backed off and didn't remake this at all becaue it wouldn't be as good as the original. Going back to the the frozen moments for a commercial that we saw in class, this movie had a very similar concept and was effective. The camera stills at night when they're asleep is the one that produces a lot of reaction, as I discussed above, this is when then tention starts to rise, even though the actors are still, but there's a feeling that's being protruded out of that scene, and every time it happens, all the viewers get frightened.
So, could the future of better films lack technology? The movie didn't have as much technology, but it had a really strong story, and that story made the movie successful. Capstone project anybody? I would definitely keep this as an inspiration for a future capstone, being an amateur really pays off, be passionate and opinionated about something.

WayBack Machine - Internet Archive

I think this website is great. It's an internet archive. As a web designer, I can see the transitions the web has been through for more than a decade.

The idea of looking back at the old websites and comparing them today gives us a whole new outlook to what they will look like in the future. Mr. Mannheimer is right, that not everything will look like the way they are right now in the future. Its true, thats why we don't have ugly fanny packs at Target, we have modern handbags, because bags are not meant to go around our waist, just like websites are not meant to have bright yellow fonts and black background with frames and an animated banner. The internet archive can prevent a designer from committing those mistakes by looking at different examples of old websites.

Cybertime

When we talked about the time of cyberspace in class, it got me to think deeper about the internet and its cybertime. If I was to describe cybertime, it would be - "a time continuum where all the space and time that have ever existed through earth's lifetime, even before the first thought of the internet ever entered J.C.R Licklider's mind is stored."

Why I say this?. One can easily search the "Creation of The Universe" and in this search we are then entangled in a knowledge that existed before Humankind ever walked Earth, therefore, we are immersed in time that we never knew. One can even go further in time to 2050, with our top scientist's prediction for our future, a future not too far away.

I can access any time period, any knowledge past, present or future. The power of the internet to store TIME, that anybody, anywhere and anytime can access is a sign that we are at the cusp of the future.

Rubiks in the Digital Age

to

Kids of the 80's can now feel like they're kids again. The Rubik's cube, redesigned and revamped, for the old and the new. Old entertainment has been enhanced with today's technology to go head to head with nowadays tech toys.

I like how the makers of the RubiksTouch resurrected the old toy. It's like being able to play with a piece of history but with basics based on the 21st century to appeal to the young adults of this decade.

Future Cars

Futuristic Japanese Cars @ Yahoo! Video

Cars that we know today won't be the same in the future. I love future cars. Their design is so out of the box. Silicone cars, cars that park sideways(especially for people who doesn't like to parallel park, like me), rehtinking the usual soccer mom van, etc. Yes we need something that will transport us from point A to B but that something could be more than just a container that delivers.

Pomegranate NS08

This video was created so professionally, that I almost believed it. At least until the coffee brewing part. The projector, and voice translator could be possible, but the shaver and coffe maker, really?....

Yo Gabba Gabba

This is a show from Nick Jr., my sister loves it. I don't know how she doesn't get tired of watching this show. She's 3 years old, and she knows all the names of the characters. Usually I watch this with her, like a good sister and I only know one of the characters =). Anyways, I wanted to discuss the difference between the characters they use nowadays, compared to what I remember when I was her age.

Back in the 90's, the characters used in Kids shows are familiar ones, not something that would crawl out of the dark closet. Clearly, the Brobee (green monster) looks like a Boogey monster, Muno (red monster) looks like a hotdog man with pimples and DJ Lance Rock (host with the orange hat) looks creepy when he smiles. I remember Arnold from "Hey Arnold" had a football head, but he was still a child, with 2 arms, 2 legs, and a human face.

Little kids nowadays who watch shows similar to Yo Gabba Gabba are being trained not to be afraid. It's like their minds are being familiarized with different creatures that could possibly exist, even though they don't. Also, as their imaginations grow, they become for creative, inspiring them to create something outside of the box in the future.

AntiSmoking Sticker

This Anti-Smoking sticker conveys a really strong message. How? Well the combination of the image and the use of something that's part of our surrounding creates a much greater disgust towards the practice. For example, the ashtray mouth is a representation of what people see when one smokes. It's true, because, when you stick a cigarette in your mouth, your treating it like an ashtray. The old "Joe Chemo" ad is nothing compared to the image shown by these stickers. Even though Joe Chemo rhymes which make it easy to remember, the ashtray/mouth or pipe/mouth image has a stickier message, because the designer used a real human image that we all know, and an ashtray. This is a really successfull ad.

Cool Business Cards - Part 2

Actual Size Creative Business Card
- Their business card has a cool spin to it, the pop up person . The bracket also points to the person standing on the left side of the card meaning the information on the other side of the bracket is theirs.

Promptt Business Card
- This doesn't look like a business card at all. I think the idea is more inviting, because it looks like a ticket. If one has a ticket, it means they are welcome to come to that event. Therefore, a customer is welcome to contact that person if they needed something.

Thielen Designs Business Card
-This card looks like a price a tag. It even has a sale sticker on it. Even though it looks like price tag, the necessary information are still there, and the designer did a great job on representing different parts of the price tag and replacing them with the contact information.

Digital Age:MiniWorld

As the Digital Age gets closer, everything becomes smaller, cars, phones, notebooks, etc.

TO

From the giant Hummer that couldn't fit in narrow streets to the tiny Nissan Land Glider clearly gives us a peek at what the future of cars will look like. Today's cars still guzzles gas, not just that, they're too big. What will happen if we run out of space? Build roads that run across the building's surface, sure, but that will cost a lot of money, permission will be needed from different companies, not just, we have so many buildings that need to be covered. Solution, cute mini electric cars.

The way they designed the Nissan Land Glider is very pleasing to the eyes, curved lines, the clean white color and a happy face in front compared to the dark straight edge angry bull looking Hummer.

TO

Do you remember when those bulky square cellphones came out? I'm glad to say I sure don't, I was probably too young to remember. I grew up with the nut looking phones like the Nokia 5110 , which are palm sized, and they had big heavy batteries and were ugly, but anyway lets fast forward to 2009. Steve Job's Apple IPhone, thin, light, shiny and touchscreen, no white plastic buttons on this one.

Today, we want sleek, curvaceous phones that connects us with everybody in touch of a screen (not button). We design to appeal everybody, young or old, rich or poor. The IPhone design appeals to everybody. The old cellphones appealed to old rich businessmen with briefcases who waved for taxis in, calling different secretaries one by one letting them know that they're running late.

TO

Size really does matter. Especially for computers, the smaller it is, the more convenience it offers. Nowadays, nobody has time to sit down in front of the big computer to check emails, send projects, finish up a pie chart, etc. We're "on-the-go" impatient people of the 21st century, everything is fast, portable, and pocket sized. Our culture shapes the technology designs that are being developed.

Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize - Deserving or Not?

I know this has nothing to do with this class, but since we were told to treat this as a journal and if we found something interesting, we should blog about it.

Here we go....

"President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism." A quote from Yahoo and MSN news, shocks readers across America. I find this interesting because the nomination deadline for the Peace Prize is eight months before the announcement and a deadline of February 1st. How long has he been in office, 12 days, rougly 2 weeks. How can he do things deserving of a Peace Prize if he has only been in office for 12 days when he was nominated? Popularity contest? Sure.

Yes, he's been traveling across the globe apologizing to every country America has tensions with to promote peace and ease those tensions. Why was Pres. Obama nominated for this prize in less than a year after he took office? A quote from Nobel Committee head Thorbjoern Jagland said: “It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve”., hmm, PEACE... let's see if his actions has changed anything.

1.From Buffalo News (09Oct2009)
"A recent firefight in Kamdesh left eight Americans, three Afghans and an estimated 100 insurgents dead, according to NATO. Insurgents fought their way into the base during the battle, a rare breach of security that underscored how thinly manned the post was. It was the largest loss of U.S. life in a single skirmish in more than a year.

The Kamdesh base was largely burned down during the violence. But U.S. Master Sgt. Thomas Clementson said the damage did not affect the timing of the withdrawal and the U.S. was "just days" away from pulling out when the attack happened."

--The idea of slowly pulling out troops in Afghanistan backfired. After going in there in efforts of trying to stabilize the nation will all be for nothing after all the troops are gone. Slowly but surely more and more insurgents will get a chance of causing another incident like this.

2. From Yahoo News (09Oct2009)
"ALMATY, Kazakhstan – The reclusive Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has denied entry to dozens of Peace Corps volunteers, the organization's country director said Friday.

"We had the paperwork in place, and they were approved to come, but the day before they were due to leave the U.S., we received a diplomatic note from the embassy saying that they would be invited next year, but not for this year," Leal said by telephone from the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.

The Peace Corps, whose operations in Turkmenistan are devoted to teaching English and health education, is often viewed with suspicion by governments in former Soviet states.
In 2002, Russia expelled the organization and accused some of its volunteers of spying."

3. From The Huffington Post (16Jul2009)
"Other than a few hiccups, Russia was on its best behavior throughout both the U.S.-Russia and following G8 Summits. If we squinted our eyes just enough, it was possible to believe that we were looking at a normal and responsible world superpower, not a country with a smaller population than Bangladesh and a smaller GDP than Brazil.

For all the talk of "reset button diplomacy," by the time Obama left the continent, Russia had rebooted to default, exhibiting some of the most regrettable conduct and tragic events it has become known for over the past decade

-Keeping missiles in Kaliningrad and "flying to the brand new country of South Ossetia, formerly of Georgia, to warn Tbilisi not to provoke another invasion.", and women being abducted and found dead in a ditch somewhere just goes to show that Russia ignored Obama's attempt to establish "PEACE".

The Nobel Peace Prize committee just awarded this to a man that has acted to promote what they were supporting but caused diddly-squat. I thought awards like this are given to someone who has actually CHANGED something big across the world. Lets double check with Alfred Nobel's will, "According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize should be awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

Point is PEACE HASN'T HAPPENED.

Cool Business Cards - Part 1

Here are some unique business card designs. They're not the typical business card that you see being handed out in a meeting.



1. Peanut Business Card
-Now this is thinking outside the "paper"
Though they aren't practical, because they're fragile, it's an idea.

Maybe if it was coated it some kind of preserving material that could prevent it from cracking easily, then it could be used. Till then...

2. Nils von Blanc Business Card

-This one is from a graphic design company from Denmark and its a car freshener. I don't know if it they added some scent, but that would be cool.

One could just hang this in their car and they'd never lose it. Because most business cards are just put away by people. From my personal experience, busy professional engineers will not have time to organize their cards. Many end up in the very abyss of their desks, in an unrecognizable cardboard box, etc. So, by giving the receiver a familiar object could spark a light bulb in their heads, and say, you know what i'm gonna hang this in my car, because thats what it looks like. That's why this design works.

3. Francesca Pasini Business Card

- This card didn't use the usual paper material, instead its made of fabric. Each card would be unique, because different fabrics could be used, each stitch is unique, the positioning of the information is unique to just one card, and also each one is handmade.

Frank Lloyd Wright - American Architect

His architectural design of buildings and houses are unlike any of the common houses that are lined up in the suburbs of America. It sticks out like sore thumb, but in a good way. His design mostly consists of straight clean lines, a very contemporary concept. For example, the Fallingwater estate in Pennsylvania, almost looks like it was built in the 21st century.

There’s a clear contrast between the clean lines and the leaves of the trees. Nature is much busier compared to the design of the house, but it works, it creates a calm and serene living space. I would definitely live in a house he designed.

He also designed the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo


In this building, Wright managed to take Japanese and American design to mix perfectly. The overhanging flat roof is his design, mixed with the traditional pointed tops. Also, the building is symmetrical. This is also similar to the Taj Mahal, how the building is reflected of the pool of water in front of it and the pathway on both sides.ng, Wright managed to take Japanese and American design to mix perfectly. The overhanging flat roof is his design, mixed with the traditional pointed tops. Also, the building is symmetrical. This is also similar to the Taj Mahal, how the building is reflected of the pool of water in front of it and the pathway on both sides.

My Life like a Runway

People have asked me before why I always "dress up"? I don't really consider it as dressing up, but simply the fact that I want to express myself and hope to inspire somebody. By doing this, I become more confident everyday knowing that I look my best and people do notice that. I never go a day without a complement on any of what I'm wearing. And I admit, I do like that. It makes me hungry for more, I want to know If I can make it better, step it up a notch.

Just like a runway, its a showcase of a collection expressed in different ways, may it be a ready to wear, or a couture design. I consider my life to be a collection, and each outfit plays a role in making everything coherent. A runway also has it critics, they're the more knowledgeable, the more experienced, they're the ones you want to notice the designer, the dress, the shoes, the accesories, everything, they are the ones who approve of what has been produced. My critic, anybody, anyone that's sitting next to me in my classroom, anyone shopping with me at the store, anyone walking in the streets of downtown indy, anybody. The clothes guide me down the runway. Without them, you'll be naked and vulnerable to the outside world. And the runway itself, my catwalk, is the journey to where I will be heading, to the photographers at the end of the catwalk where the most important people to impress are waiting. My journey eventually will lead to my success, to make myself known out there.