Illustranovellas

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles is a new book series that combines art and text to create illustranovellas - a new kind of book designed to enhance the reading experience for a visually oriented generation of kids, especially reluctant readers. I recently purchased The First Escape for my brother, and was enchanted when I began to flip through the pages. I have never seen anything like this type of book. It is utterly unique and brilliant in its conception.

The illustrations are an integral part of the story. Readers can now see the story unfold before their eyes. Each turn of the page brings surprises...

The author, G.P. Taylor, intends to write six books, all told, in the Dopple Ganger series. In order to promote the sequel, The Secret of the Indigo Moon, a book trailer [no, your eyes are not fooling you] was created.

The design of the book is brilliant. Taylor combines elements of text and art into an appealing story. His writing is excellent, and the story flows with the artwork to create a new sort of atmosphere. Picture book meets good story blended with a graphic novel. Genius. I wonder how many others will follow in his proverbial footsteps.

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Mixing It Up

This type of mixing is referred to as Auto Tunes. And in order for the general public to better understand the story behind Auto Tunes, this wonderfully informative video clip was created and posted on Youtube:

So, as you can see, this technology is still in its infancy. In the meantime, it makes for some really amusing parodies.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

With the release of JJ Abrams' new Star Trek film, people are beginning to take a retrospective glance back to the technologies that were showcased in the original series. How much of the fictional technologies from the 1960s Star Trek have become actuality? I didn't grow up watching Star Trek, and so the novelty is somewhat lost on me. But having seen the film, my interest was piqued. I found an answer to my query on the guardian.co.uk, a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. This site has just about everything you want to know about anything.


Star Trek Communicator - precursor to the flip up mobile phones which are now widespread technology that young people like myself take for granted.


Captain Kirk's daily log, an electronic notepad...


...the PDA: a handheld computer notepad.


The bridge of the Starship Enterprise had no windows, so the crew could only see where they were going via a giant viewscreen.


Today's equivalent: flatscreen television, like this Panasonic 150in HD plasma screen.


Uhura's ultra fancy earpiece, as shown above...


...can be seen adorning thousands of ears as the Bluetooth earpiece.


The handheld phaser was the Star Trek weapon of choice, which could be set to kill or just to stun...


...and the Taser, which police officers use to stun rather than to kill.

While there were several other technologies that I didn't cover here [and you should check out guardian.com.uk's website to see the rest], one fictional technology remains a dream. Sadly, the Transporter is still beyond our grasp. We may, however, get a handle on this technology in the next 300 years or so - there is still hope.

My point in sharing these predictions is to emphasize (again) that technology is fueled by concepts. Science fiction - like the Star Trek series - drives the creative process. Digital media needs innovative thinkers who are not afraid to voice their ideas, no matter how ridiculous that concept may sound at the time. I am sure that Uhara's fancy earpiece was considered 'far out' in the 1960s, but Bluetooth earpieces have become commonplace today.

He Sure Gets Around

If you ever decide to play around with Google Earth, you may happen to run across Monster Milktruck. This game allows you to type in any conceivable geographical location, and then Monster Milktruck will teleport you there. Right before your very eyes, buildings will grow up out of the ground, and bustling metropolises will take shape. You control the milktruck, and you can travel all over the virtual reality terrain. You can explore the world without even stepping foot outside your door.

The game is amusing, but it was not exciting enough to hold my attention for long. However, Monster Milktruck is a creative, strange way to travel the world...

See How They Shine For You

I have always, or at least as long as I can remember, been fascinated by the stars in the sky. I love to gaze up at the heavens in wonder, and am fixated by the bright lights that glitter like diamonds in the huge expanse that stretches on for eternity. What must space look like, beyond our planet and solar system? Before Hubble, we could only speculate. But now, we can see actual images of deep space. The images captured by Hubble are truly astounding. Breath-taking.

What I found to be fascinating are the types of programs that are available to amateur stargazers. There are many great resources for those who desire to satisfy their curiosity. Imaginova, a leading digital media and commerce company, calls itself the premier destination for the intellectually curious. They are the creators of the world's leading family of astronomy software, Starry Night. This program allows users to transform their computers into digital observatories. Starry Night software enables users to discover the night sky in ways that Galileo could not have even fathomed. This amazing technology is based on precise, mathematical laws, for the universe runs like a giant clock. Using this program, a person can animate the sky at any given day in history from any vantage point. You could see the same stars that lit the skies in Biblical times. This is truly a data packed program, and one that has whet my desire to know more about the stars that captivate my imagination.

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Wii Are Fit

I am no gamer. I have never been enamored by video games, MMOs, PlayStation, and the like. As far as immersive entertainment goes, I watch movies. I prefer to invest my time in relationships with people rather than in virtual reality living out my fantasies. I will confess that even I have broken down and bowled on the Wii. A few times. But even though the Wii is entertaining, it just isn't my thing.

Instead of playing a virtual game of soccer, I would rather interact with my friends in a real game out in my backyard or a local park. I am more interested in bowling in a dinky alley and wearing funky, smelly shoes [who really cares where they've been or thinks about who else has worn them?] along with a group of friends, because that is an experience. The physicality creates lasting memories. I love bonding with people by spending time with them, and it so happens that 'fun' and entertainment are a by-product of quality time spent in developing my relationships.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am somewhat of a cynical person. Or perhaps the sarcastic twist is flat out funny. Whatever the reason, when I watched this YouTube clip, I knew it would end up on my blog. It says a lot about today's culture. Enjoy it ... I certainly did.

How much of our lives do we spend 'stepping up on a little white thing?' We can laugh at the mash-up, but it is humorous because it is so true. I am cynical, and I love sarcastic humor, but the truth of the matter is that Wii is just the beginning. Virtual reality gaming has been steadily rising in popularity, and as new technologies are created, Wii will become a thing of the past. People will clamor for the latest and greatest, and digital media will continue to impress. The distinction between reality and virtuality is merging, for we are living in the age of convergence.

Are You Feeling It?

Microsoft Surface, also known as Microsoft Tabletop, is an interactive tabletop computer. There is no mouse and no keyboard. It is the surface that feels you.

The tabletop features four main interface components:

Direct interaction: Facility to manage digital information with hand gestures and touch instead on mouse and keyboard.

Multi-touch contact: User need not use only one finger to manage digital data. If user dips five fingers in five different colors in the on screen paint palette and draws five lines with five fingers, you get five lines with five colors.

Multi-user experience: Typical computers accept only one keyboard and a mouse. Microsoft Surface accepts multiple inputs from multiple users. More than one person sitting across the Surface, can do independent work on the same Surface.

Object recognition: The system can identify physical objects placed on the Surface. It can relate the appropriate software for the appropriate item placed on surface. Objects may be recognized based on their shape or on special codes (like barcodes) affixed to them.

While viewing the short promotional video, I kept asking myself, "Is this for real?" My second thought was, "Gosh, these must be a pain to keep clean. Imagine all of those fingerprints..." We have a touch screen computer at work, and it is impossible to keep the screen oil-free. There are always fingerprint smudges. But at the same time, I can't help but marvel at the digital advancements.

The following video clip parodies the Microsoft Surface.

I had to smile. I'm not sure that I am willing to blow $10,000 on a technological coffee table. I know for a fact that I don't have that kind of money laying around. But the breakthroughs that Microsoft is making are filled with possibilities, and I can see this kind of technology catching on in business corporations, as well as restaurants. So yeah, take that Apple.

Mirrors&Smoke

I am a huge Lifehouse fan, and I have been anticipating their new album release for some time. Today, I just discovered their premiere cover for their long-awaited album, Smoke & Mirrors. I have to say that I was impressed. The elements of design that were infused into the cover are appealing, and the layout makes the title pop. Against a dark backdrop, wisps of curving blue smoke dance across the edges of the square. The font is modern, and the design is such that the top half of the cover is bold, while the bottom half is a mirrored reflection and dimmer. It is mysterious and intriguing. Smoke & Mirrors. Honestly, I would buy it just for the cover art.

This image is an earlier rendition that didn't quite make the cut. While not a horrible design, it does not as effectively convey the message. It is lacking in certain aspects, and does not grab attention in the same way as the premiere cover. There is less drama and more empty space.

On a side note, I do tend to judge things by their covers. I think the cover is an important aspect of the product, and speaks volumes about the content within. My eyes are drawn to appealing designs, and I would be more inclined to purchase a book or CD if the cover art is attractive or interesting. I am now more eager than before to have Lifehouse's new album in my possession. I certainly hope it lives up to the cover.

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Free Economy

The rise of "freeconomics" is being driven by the underlying technologies that power the Web. Just as Moore's law dictates that a unit of processing power halves in price every 18 months, the price of bandwidth and storage is dropping even faster. Which is to say, the trend lines that determine the cost of doing business online all point the same way: to zero.

As this video clip demonstrates, we are headed in the direction of a new type of economics. In this industry, it is a challenge for businesses to market themselves, and so they have begun to change their tactics in order to survive.

Times are changing. In order to be successful it is vital for businesses be flexible in their approach to marketing and advertisement.

...a generation raised on the free Web is coming of age, and they will find entirely new ways to embrace waste, transforming the world in the process. Because free is what you want — and free, increasingly, is what you're going to get.

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Natural Beauty

Inspiration for design is all around us. Sometimes we just need to open up our eyes to take it in. Nature is filled with contrasting, complementary colors, differing textures, and balanced compositions. It is a beauty that most of us never even take the time to observe.

I find solace in quiet walks, and it was during a recent meandering stroll that I captured these images on camera. There is design to be found in even the smallest, seemingly insignificant things.

Do not become so lost in the technology that you forget to appreciate the simple things. Already, the colors of Autumn are fading, and the leaves are falling from the branches of the trees. Life is fleeting. We are only here for a short time. May these images remind us to slow down and enjoy the fleeting moments.

The Augumentation Generation

The application known as "Layar" is a free app that aims to display real time digital information on top of the reality you see through a phone's camera. These new content layers can be created by other users and companies in order to add their own data to specific locations and landmarks. For a better understanding of the Layar app and "augmented mobile reality" take a look at this introduction video below.

Augmented reality is going to be the next big thing. Already, this new technology is beginning to catch on. I predict that it will soon spread across the world, and it will not be limited to cell phone apps.

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Magnificent Mosaic

At the SEG 2009 Conference in Houston on October 26, 2009, Mechdyne introduced Mosaic(TM) display modules, a scalable technology suitable for single and multi-screen AV applications and for building of large-scale stereoscopic 3D video walls and surround screen immersive environments. Large-scale systems based on the Mosaic display will occupy significantly less space than previously available rear projection-based systems while supporting extreme resolutions. This is a world first for this format of rear projection display.

The Mosaic display is an individual rear projected module that can be used as a visualization system building block. Each 70 in. (178 cm) module offers 1920 x 1080p resolution but occupies only 25 in. (63.5 cm) of depth. Multiple units can be stacked and tiled into any configuration and overall resolution with minimal impact on image quality and room space. The no-frame design creates incredibly small seams between joined modules that will be almost unnoticeable when one image is displayed across multiple screens. Additionally, separate images within each module will display in high resolution with sharp, defined edges.

Mosaic display modules are ideal for research programs, medical imaging, command control, collaboration room, and presentation and entertainment environments. Due to the small depth footprint of the Mosaic modules, immersive room configurations need less than half the space of a system based on large screen projection technology.

Mechdyne Corporation is the world's largest company dedicated to consulting and development of turnkey advanced AV, immersive 3D, networked and collaborative visualization solutions. Winner of a 2008 AV Award from ArchiTech Magazine and Infocomm, the company addresses complex projects where in-depth understanding of user requirements leads to the development of products and customized solutions involving elements of display, graphics computing, software and professional services. Headquartered in Marshalltown, Iowa, Mechdyne's customers include leading government laboratories, military research programs, energy companies and a variety of 'edutainment,' manufacturing, and other users of visualization technology. More information is available at www.mechdyne.com.

I am such a visually oriented person that I searched the web for images of the Mosaic. And since I could not find any photographs, or even conceptual art, I had to settle for the description. If, however, I happen to stumble across an image in the future, I will be sure to post my find here. I am curious to see what the display looks like. And who knows? Maybe Mosaics will become the new medium of choice for high resolution screens. I will keep my eyes peeled for them in the days ahead.

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Visibly Yours

Due to the fact that my uncle works in the IT building on IUPUI's campus, I have been privileged enough to be granted access to the upper level floors. He has even given me a quick tour of several amazing digital technologies. Though I only peeked into the rooms, what I saw was enough to pique my curiosity, and it certainly gave me a renewed sense of wonder.

IT 403 is home to a reconfigurable Virtual Reality Theater - the MOVE Lite system from BARCO's Virtual and Augmented Reality Division. I only glimpsed into the room, which was shadowy and dim because it was not in use. Wanting to find out more about the capabilities of the VR Theater, I looked it up on IUPUI's website. Incredibly, this display provides a bright, high-resolution, immersive experience using four 10' x 7.5' screens featuring 1400 x 1050 pixels at 6000 lumens. It is among the highest resolution and brightest 3D projection systems available anywhere. The side screens are motorized to support flat, panoramic, "L"-shape, and cube configurations. The system is driven by an SGI Onyx4 system as well as an Opteron-based Linux cluster, and features wireless, optical tracking of multiple input devices over a 30' x 10' space. The variety of configurations, computing systems, and input devices allows researchers, educators, and artists to precisely customize the VR Theater for their applications and audiences, and supports scenarios ranging from wide screen design reviews for collaborative teams, to panoramic, semi-immersive visualization for classes, to fully immersive artistic environments for small groups.

Having read about the VR Theater itself, I was interested in learning more about the company that created the technology in the first place. Since there was a link to Barco, I decided to satisfy my curiosity. What I discovered was not only insightful and informative - it was very interesting.

Barco is a global technology company. They have designed and developed an entire range of visualization solutions that render collaboration processes more efficient, and help enable people 'to make the correct decisions faster'. Their systems display local and networked sources simultaneously on a widescreen Windows desktop, in any combination of 2D and 3D stereo. They market their visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets: medical imaging, media and entertainment, infrastructure and utilities, traffic and transportation, defense and security, education and training, and Pro AV. In 2008 Barco posted sales of 725 million euro. For those of us who are not familiar with the value of Euros, this is the equivalent to 1.068795 billion U.S. dollars. That's right. Billion.

One of Barco's most recent accomplishments was a "Super Bowl" video display, which was featured in China's Opening Ceremony for their 11th National Games. The cylindrical display screen measured 164-ft. in diameter and 85-ft. in height.

“In an era of visually expansive events, today's producers continually seek out new and more dynamic ways to engage and entertain audiences,” says Zhao Gang, executive general director of the Opening Ceremony of the 11th National Games. “More and more, creative direction and conceptual ideas tend to exceed the limitations of traditional lighting solutions, and lighting engineers find themselves challenged to realise clients' grand visions. Barco, as the industry's premier visual solutions provider, remains on the cutting edge of new technologies, continually surpassing the limitations of traditional lighting sources. What they've helped us achieve in the China Games' opening ceremony is nothing short of breathtaking.”

“Barco has a successful track record in supporting large scale events,” said Frank Christiaens, president of Barco for Greater China. “This success has allowed us to maintain a leading position in the events and staging industry around the world. Here in China, the China National Games is the country's premiere sporting event. Needless to say, we feel it's an honor for us to take part in such a marquee event.

I had no idea that this company even existed. Their breakthrough technologies are providing high resolution imaging screens for the medical field. They offer the most advanced, realistic Night Vision Goggles available for the flight training market. Not to mention Virtual Reality Theaters. I don't think it will be long before Barco becomes a common household name. Their success is spreading all over the globe. Barco's visibility remarkable.

Virtual Reality Theater
BARCO
All China Games Opening Ceremony

CQ + PQ > IQ

I've written about passion. It is something that I recognize when I see it. I have heard a lot about passion. It is something that my Professors, teachers, parents, and mentors drill into me. They tell me to pursue a career that I can be passionate about. I have been told that people who are driven by curiosity and passion are more sought after than people with intelligence. That curiosity and passion combined are greater than intelligence. And with all this information about passion swirling in my head, I found an article that reinforced the very issues that I have been hearing so much about: passion and curiosity.

Four Myths About Career Passion
by Curt Rosengren

Myth No. 1: Pursuing your passion is selfish and self-indulgent. It is nonsensical to believe that if a job is fun, it must be selfish. To sum up, when you love what you're doing for such a significant portion of your waking hours, the positive ripple effect on your family, your coworkers, and even just random people you encounter can be substantial.

Myth No. 2: You have to be "realistic." Work, after all, is called work for a reason; right? It is true that people are realistic, but they should be clear on what that means. Learn to distinguish between positive realism and 'negative realism.' We're amazingly creative, we humans, but when we buy into negative realism, we allow ourselves to be trapped in a tiny box of possibility.

Myth No. 3: Do what you love, and the money will follow. Hate to break it to you, but this is not entirely true. The full version is "Do what you love, work really, really hard, be patient, be persistent, be open, work really, really hard some more, and the money will follow." Not quite as catchy, I know, but much more accurate.

Myth No. 4: I'm limited by the rules. "The rules" create a needless barrier between you and your potential. When you follow cookie-cutter rules and take a cookie-cutter approach, you'll get cookie-cutter results. Pursuing your passion is inherently about creating your own path. It's about breaking out of the ruts and saying, "No, guess what? These are my rules. This is the way it's done."

I've begun to reflect on what I am passionate about. What turns me on, and makes me 'come alive'. For me, it is art - the act of creating. I derive pleasure from taking something that I visualize in my head and turning it into reality. Whether it is writing, music, painting, sketching, or photography, I take joy in creating. This is my passion. Art makes me animated.

If you haven't noticed, another passion of mine is travel. I love exploring new cultures and experiencing different environments. I am thrilled whenever I have an opportunity to travel to a different country. The sights, smells, and the change of scenery charge me. I enjoy observing people's mannerisms, and love learning about the rich histories of nations. Understanding where they have come from helps me to better understand who they are today.

Each of us are given passions. It is up to us to decide what we are to do with them.

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In Pursuit of Happyness

This blog post deviates from design issues in New Media, but it is a story that I feel compelled to tell. So without further ado, I will begin the true story of my Pursuit of Happyness.

All Hallows Eve, commonly known as Halloween, is the night where kids and young adults all across the United States 'trick or treat' and petition strangers for free quantities of candy, sweets, and treats. I, however, was not in the mood for candy. Rather, I had an intense craving for ice cream - specifically a Dairy Queen sundae. My thoughts kept wandering back to soft serve ice cream, spiraling up and swooping in a nice curly-q. Hot fudge, caramel, strawberry ... the actual topping didn't really matter as much as the ice cream itself. I had to have it.

My mother discouraged me from going, but I was bent on getting that sundae. By now, my ice cream craving had spread to my younger siblings. Five requests for sundaes was too tall an order to be ignored, so I hopped into my car with my sister Kami and made my way to the local Dairy Queen.

The place was empty. And very dark. Closed. Bummer. I couldn't figure out why they were closed on Halloween night. I'm not gonna lie - I was disappointed. After all, I had geared myself up for one of their sundaes. Not easily deterred, I turned my car around and headed over to Target. I would make my own sundae. I selected a jar of strawberry topping and my sister grabbed a caramel syrup, and then the two of us entered the frozen goods aisle. Since we were getting ice cream for five people, with the possible addition of our parents making a grand total of seven, we decided to get a 5 gallon tub.

To our great dismay, we discovered that Target only had reduced fat ice cream in their 5 gallon buckets. Everyone knows that reduced fat is not real ice cream. It was completely unacceptable. But we formed a plan C: Chick-fil-A's soft serve. So I purchased the toppings and we set out for Chick-fil-A.

I should have known. I should have listened to my mother. How do moms always know these things? Because when I pulled up to the drive through and placed my order for five icedreams, the voice on the other end said, "Wait just a moment, please." That didn't sound good. Somehow, I knew right then what he would say to me. And in spite of myself, I couldn't help cracking into a smile. Chick-fil-A's ice cream machine was - for some odd, unexplainable reason - not working properly. Could he interest me in a brownie, or cheesecake, perhaps?

A short, simple run to Dairy Queen had turned into quite an episode. I felt as though I was thrown into some sort of scripted plot. But I still wanted that ice cream. Besides, I was committed - I had bought the toppings. I drove across the street and pulled into the Meijer parking lot. Laughing with my sister as we walked into the store, we again made our way to the frozen food section. Making sure that the tub of ice cream was not reduced fat, we finally made it to the check-out with the sought after item.

It was so worth it. Granted, it was not soft serve. But it was delicious and creamy, and the strawberry topping was wonderful. I think I will have to start a tradition. Instead of candy, I will have an ice cream sundae every Halloween.