Quick Post: Interactive 3D Plug-in for SMARTBoard (Video) Notebook

GOOGLE CHROME WEB STORE: All sorts of apps, educational and more!

 I'll have to admit, I no longer consider myself an early adopter.  I put off exploring the Google Chrome Web Store until.... today.  Most of my recent explorations have centered on discovering great apps for my iDevices, but since I'm a cross-platform, cross-device, transmedia type of person, I could not neglect the world of interactive web apps!


Here is a screen shot of the educational web apps from the Google Chrome Web Store:


























After you select a few web apps, you can access them from your Chrome browser by selecting a new tab or new window.  The screen shot below shows the apps I've currently chosen to explore:

I have an HP TouchSmart, and I found that many of the web app worked out OK with touch interaction, even 3D  "rotate and pan".  My hunch is that many of the web apps will work fine on an interactive whiteboard. 


I took a quick look at the MeeGenius! Children's Books interactive web app and was pleasantly surprised.  This web app is a talking book that highlights each word as it is spoken. A human voice is used for the narration.

I'm looking forward to getting into work early on Monday to see what web apps work well on the SMARTboard!

RELATED and SOMEWHAT RELATED
Free Education Apps from Google's New Chrome Web Store
The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education, 2/9/11
Below is a list of educational Chrome apps recommended in the above linked post:

• Planetarium –an interactive star map for kids (or adults!) interested in astronomy
• Google Books – millions of free e-books in a plethora of subjects
• 3DTin – A realistic 3D model-maker
• MathBoard – a math learning tool appropriate for elementary and kindergarten students
• MeeGenuis! Children’s Books – personalized, “enhanced” web books for younger students
• LucidChart – a collaborative diagramming tool, not unlike Inspiration or MindManager
• Picnik Photo Editor – web-based photo manipulation a la Photoshop
• 20 Things I Learned about Browsers & the Web – a great introduction to how the internet works
• Springpad – note-taking tool that can incorporate assignments, photos, to-do lists, etc.
• Bomomo – an innovative illustration and drawing tool
• A variety of flashcard-based apps which can aid memory, vocabulary, math skills and more

Plinks and Tonecraft - two music tools for Chrome
Danny Nicholson, The Whiteboard Blog  10/11/11
Dinahmoe Labs  (creators of Plink and Tonecraft)
The Whiteboard Blog

Intel's 'Museum of Me': Moving 3D visualizations of your Facebook life.

(I missed this one when the buzz started. Thanks to Liz Dorland for the link.)


Museum of Me is a website created by Intel that provides a variety of interesting information visualizations of your photos and other information from Facebook.  Below is a video from Intel that gives a preview of what Museum of Me is about.  Better yet, take a look at all of the 'Museum of Me' videos posted on YouTube.

Video Demo: Museum of Me


RELATED
Intel's 'Museum of Me' is Cool, Creepy Facebook Fun
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, PCWorld, 6/1/11


Intel's Facebook 'Museum of Me' is a Must-Try
Don  Reisinger, CNET News, The Digital Home 6/2/11

Intel on Facebook

Quicklinks: Cute video about need for Google+, Spielburg on 3D, Tactile Pixels, Touch Screen Steering Wheel, and More

Here are a few interesting links  and a couple of videos.  Enjoy exploring!


Comic-Con 2011: Steven Spielberg Gives His Thoughts on 3D
Jason Barr, Collider, 7/22/11

Tactile Pixels Will Make It Easy To Read Braille on Touchscreens

Kwame Opam, Gizmodo, 7/9/11

Gestural Input on a Touch Screen Steering Wheel in the Media

Albrecht Schmidt, User Interface Engineering Blog, 7/17/11

Potential to improve some user experiences, using HTML 5
HCI 596 Course Blog, Iowa State University, 7/11/11


PBS Launches LearningMedia, a New Digital Repository for Educational Content
Audrey Watters, Hack Education, 6/27/11


Link to Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK and Resources
Luis Cabrera, Surface Blog, 7/12/11


AI (Artificial Intelligence) Demonstrates Natural Learning, Applies New Skills To Civilization
Devin Coldewey, Tech Crunch, 7/13/11


21 Google+ Privacy Tips: the Ultimate Guide
Craid Kanalley, Huffington Post, 7/21/11


iPad K-12 Sales Outpace Mac Products
Ian Quillen, Education Week, 7/20/11


Wearable lab coat TV packs thousands of LEDs, heads for Burning Man
Zach Honig, Engaget, 7/13/11

(I'd like a job where I can do tech experiments, silly ones, too!)

Immersive Cocoon Interaction: "It's people who are now the interface" (Updated, with videos, photos, links.)

"It's people who are now the interface." -Ole Bowman, cultural and architectural historian


I found the above quote from the Immersive Cocoon website and smiled.


When I first learned about the Immersive Cocoon in 2008, I thought it was just another technological fancy that probably would not come to market anytime soon.  Although it still is in the concept stage, I think it has a chance of making it, given the rapid advances in interactive technology over the past few years.

It wouldn't surprise me to see i-Cocoons finding a place in libraries, educational settings, museums, and other public spaces within the next 5-8 years, given an economic turnaround.


What is the Immersive Cocoon?
"The Immersive Cocoon is a future concept study by Tino Schaedler with design collective NAU; an idea to push the envelope and provoke a new conception of interface technology...Directed and 3D CG by Oliver Zeller. More info, behind the scenes and full credits at i-cocoon.com." -adNAU"


What is inside the cocoon?



Photo: arch.nau.coop

Photo: arch.nau.coop
Teaser Video:

Immersive Cocoon "2011" | 1080HD from adNAU on Vimeo.

"Please play fullscreen and LOUD! ...This spec teaser reveals an evolution in computing interaction, within a setting inspired by the penultimate scene from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey...Starring that film's lead actor, Keir Dullea; "2011" was developed over a two year period. Live action was filmed multi-camera, against green screen atop a backlit plexi floor on a shoestring budget. Mr. Dullea was then integrated into an entirely digitally created CG set rendered at 1080HD."

Here are some previous videos about the iCocoon concept:

RELATED
Immersive Cocoon Concept Website
Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon'
Mark Tutton, 9/12/08, Telepresence Options /Human Productivity Lab
Immersive Cocoon-Facebook
"NAU is an international, multidisciplinary design firm, spanning the spectrum from architecture and interior design to exhibitions and interactive interfaces. As futurists creating both visual design and constructed projects, NAU melds the precision of experienced builders with the imagination and attention to detail required to create innovative exhibits, public events and architecture."
FYI:
Concerning interactive technology, things have changed a bit in my corner of the world - as I write this post, there is a Kinect beckoning me to dance in my bonus room. The Kinect was something that came to market much sooner than I expected.  I'll have an iPad2 sometime in the near future- another example of how rapidly things are evolving.   I skim the news by touch/swiping my now-outdated HTC Incredible.  My 88-year-old aunt, has used Skype more than once to "chat" with her baby great-nephew across the miles.


I use a Wii at work at least once a week to support social interaction skills with some students who have moderate-to-severe autism. Every classroom in the main school I serve has a huge, immersive, interactive whiteboard that relies on touch and kinesthetic interaction-my colleagues can't imagine going back to teaching without them.  

Transmedia Storytelling, Interactive Multimedia, & Video Content Funded by 27 Million in Grants

Press  Release:  Education Secretary Arne Duncan Announces $27 Million for Three Ready-to-Learn Television Program Grants

Here is information from the release:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced three awards totaling $27 million for projects to improve educational opportunities for young learners through innovative technology. Grants will be used to develop and deliver high-quality, age-appropriate, educational content to increase the early literacy and mathematics skills of young children age two through eight years old. The current cycle of awards will provide early learning content through the well-planned and coordinated use of multiple media platforms, commonly known as transmedia storytelling.

"It is critical that we focus our educational improvement efforts on the earliest learners and those most at risk of educational failure, including our children living in poverty,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “We know that children of all ages are engaged when given the opportunity to learn with new technologies. These grants will surround young children with a variety of innovative media to equip them with early literacy and numeracy skills to prepare them for success in school."

The five-year grants were awarded to three public telecommunications entities that will offer services across the nation. In addition to programming content, the grantees will provide outreach materials and resources to families, child care providers, preschool and early elementary teachers and others whose work addresses early learning. Each grant includes a strong research component. According to Jacqueline Jones, senior advisor to the Secretary for Early Learning, “These projects represent a critical investment in moving the Department’s early learning agenda forward and ultimately improving outcomes for young learners. We are particularly excited that through accessible media and technologies, these projects will encourage families, caregivers and teachers to interact with and engage young learners in both formal and informal settings.”

"Window to the World Communications (WTTW) will partner with W!ldbrain, an entertainment and animation company, to deliver a multiple-platform, media-based, mathematics curriculum for children that will provide corresponding support materials and digital resources for families, caregivers and teachers. The project will allow children to use multiple entry points to a virtual world of mathematics principles through cell phones, computers, handheld video game systems, television, books and trading cards."

"The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will deliver transmedia content in literacy and numeracy that is aligned with rigorous academic frameworks and research. Through a multi-level partnership, CPB will develop video, interactive online games (3D-rendered collaborative challenges and immersive games), mobile applications (augmented reality games) and interactive white board applications."

"The Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) will partner with Callaway Arts and Entertainment to develop and evaluate three transmedia properties that will cross multiple platforms using the inherent benefits of each to engage early learners. One such property, Learning Apps Media Partnership (LAMP), focuses on English Language Learners and immerses them in literacy and mathematics curricula that draw on real-life situations and encourage the expression of diverse perspectives where children freely use their native language or dialect."

The following list of grantees, by state, reflects 2010 funding:

 ILLINOIS Window to the World Communications; Chicago; Reese Marcusson, (773) 509-5408 or rmarcusson@wttw.com; $6,623,475

NEW YORK Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network; New York City; Linda Hernandez, (646) 731- 3601 or lhernandez@hitn.org; $6,000,000

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Washington, D.C.; Debra Sanchez, (202) 879-9784 or dsanchez@cpg.or; $14,627,354

 
RELATED
Partnership with Calloway Digital Arts and Michael Cohen Group LLC Will Create Educational Media for Reading and Math Targeted at Closing Achievement Gap    PR Newswire 10/18/10 -Excerpt Below:


"Project LAMP targets next-generation learners including children from low-income groups. The content will be largely available as an open educational resource and use a transmedia storytelling approach through books, iPAD/Touch Screen applications, mobile device and phone applications, console and hand held gaming applications, sing along DVDs and CDs, an interactive Website, and television. The USDE, in 2010, expanded the Ready to Learn grant program to include transmedia storytelling."


Project LAMP will leverage the existing characters of Callaway's Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends (ages 2-5) and Nova the Robot (ages 5-8).It will also create a third new ELL property produced by HITN. Content in all three properties will align to the 2010 Common Core State Standards in Math and Reading and promote the essential skills defined by the National Early Literacy Panel and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.  


An essential component of Project LAMP will be the ongoing use of research and evaluation. Dr. Michael Cohen, President of the Michael Cohen Group and one of the co-Principal Investigators of the project said, "As the project activities move forward, we foresee new forms of educational media being developed. As a result, new assessments will be required to provide the producers with useful information on children's learning and comprehension. This is an exciting process for evaluators because research findings will aid in product development, determine if goals are met, and contribute to our general understanding of the role and impact of media in young children's lives." Cohen added, "Our plan is to evaluate the applications at different stages of development by testing with children, teachers, and parents. Research will help ensure that the curricula, design, and narrative are age-appropriate, appealing, and result in student learning." 


The 2010 Ready to Learn grants include outreach monies in addition to program funding. Project LAMP outreach activities will leverage wireless network technology, social media, and community-based organizations to engage children, parents, caregivers, and teachers in New York, Connecticut, and Texas the first year alone. Over the life of the grant, Project LAMP will partner for exchange of ideas, opinions, and results with: 1) persistently low achieving schools, 2) a media production program at an accredited postsecondary institution, and 3) a teacher preparation program at an accredited postsecondary institution focused on early childhood education.
Callaway Digital Arts (CDA)

Cool Sci/Tech News in my Local Paper! (Links, videos, and more)

My local paper, the Charlotte Observer, has a great Science & Technology section every Monday.  Each week, it includes a wealth of interesting news. Although some of the information is culled from other sources,  there usually is a local twist.  For example, on Sunday, our newspaper came with 3D glasses, just in time to view 3D pictures in print, and online.

Below is a sample of recent "Sci/Tech" related articles in the Observer, along with related links.  (At the end of the post, I've added a few more links to other interesting "scie/tech" items of interest that recently crossed my path.)

3D and the Charlotte Observer

Why 3-D? Just because it could be fun (Rick Thames, Executive Director, Charlotte Observer)

Charlotte Observer's 3-D Gallery  (Online and in the paper.)

Graphic:  Fooling your mind with 3D printing

Article: Toshiba unveils glasses-free 3-D TV  (Associated Press, 10/5/10)

Thin skin for sensitive robots

"Engineers have developed a pressure-sensitive electronic material that could one day serve as skin for general purpose human-like robots".  The skin is made from a mesh of pressure-sensitive electronic nanowires made out of germanium-silicon. The mess provides information about force to sensors under the "skin". 

Original press release: Engineers make artificial skin out of nanowires (Sara Yang, UC Berkely News, 9/12/10)

(Images: Ali Javey and Kuniharu Takei, UC Berkeley)

NELL :  Never-Ending Language Learning System

Computer teaches itself on the Web (Steve Lohr, NY Times)

NELL is a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Google.  The project uses Yahoo's research supercomputing cluster to do the heavy work. The research goal of this project is to "build a never-ending machine learning system that acquires the ability to extract structured information from unstructured web pages. If successful, this will result in a knowledge base (i.e. relational database) of structured information that mirrors the content of the web."


The project's progress and knowledge base is available on-line: http://rtw.ml.cmu.edu/rtw/resources Tom Mitchell, the Fredkin Professor of A.I. and Learning at Carnegie Mellon, is involved with this research.  

Below is a demonstration of Tom Mitchell's work in the area of "thought reading" with his colleague, Marcel Just: "We are specifically interested in algorithms that can learn to identify and track the cognitive processes that give rise to observed fMRI data."

"Professor of psychology Marcel Just and professor of artificial intelligence Tom Mitchell demonstrate how they are using brain imaging and machine learning to predict a subject's thoughts." -Carnegie Mellon University YouTube Channel

HTML 5

Latest Web code offers far more ways to track what you do online (Tanzina Vega, NY Times)

HTML 5 will make it easy for "them" to track your every Internet move, and raises concerns about online privacy and security.  

Charlotte Observer/Scitech    Highlighted Blogs:

He looks into the minds of animals, kids (T.DeLene Beeland, Charlotte Observer 10/10/10)

This article is about Jason Goldman and his research in the area of developmental psychology.  His research focuses on social cognition, which he writes about in his blogs:

Thoughtful Animal Blog:  http://scienceblogs.com/thoughtfulanimal

Childsplay Blog:  http://scientopia.org/blogs/childsplay

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS

Navigating the Aural Web
"The PI's goal in this project is to establish advanced design strategies for the aural navigation of complex Web information architectures, where users exclusively or primarily listen to, rather than look at, content and navigational prompts. Conventional on-screen visual displays may not work well, if at all, in many situations. The most obvious instances occur when persons who are blind or visually impaired need to use technologies designed for sighted users. A much more common situation, however, occurs with users of mobile devices. These users are often engaged in another activity (e.g., walking around a city or driving a car) where it is inconvenient, distracting or even dangerous to continuously look at the screen...." -Award Abstract #1018054

Digital Graffiti Wall, by Cyan Design
Twenty Things: More Awesome and Geeky Graffiti

Digital Graffiti Wall at Ingenuity Fest 2010 from Chris Yanc on Vimeo.

New Grants Aim to Boost Computer Science (Education Week, 10/8/10)

"Two federal grants that were just announced will together provide nearly $27 million to advance computer science education. The announcements come the same week that a new report was issued raising concerns that the subject is getting short shrift in schools. The National Science Foundation is providing a $12.5 million grant to UCLA to promote new and innovative computer science instruction in high schools through the use of mobile phones and Web technology. (The effort will also use that technology for standards-based math and science classes.) The project, dubbed MOBILIZE: Mobilizing for Innovative Computer Science Teaching and Learning, is a partnership between two UCLA centers and the Los Angeles Unified School District."  MOBILIZE website

Good News: Unity 3D (Game Dev Co.) and Electronic Arts Join Forces

I discovered Unity 3D a few years ago and was impressed by the company's great game development products.  I especially liked the company's Unity Web Player- it makes web-based 3D interaction come to life.I shared my impressions of the company on a post,  Chill in an on-line 3-d tropical paradise from Unity 3D.  At the time, Unity 3D was a very new company.

A lot has changed since then!  

I learned today that "the companies are announcing that EA has signed a multi-year enterprise deal with Unity: EA will be using Unity’s platform across multiple franchises, and all of EA’s developers will have access to the “entire range of Unity products from web and mobile to consoles and beyond”. The timing is also good: Unity is launching its 3.0 upgrade next week."   -Jason Kincaid, TechCrunch 

What I like about Unity 3D is that it was created to support cross-platform development.

For more details:

Electronic Arts Gives Unity's Game Development Platform A Big Wet Kiss 

(Jason Kincaid, TechCrunch 9/22/10)

Unity Technologies and Electronic Arts (EA) Announce Deep Partnership 

Unity to Be Used Across Multiple Franchises; New Unity Enterprise License Gives Every EA Studio and Developer Access to All unity Products 

(MarketWire Press Release, 9/22/10)

Unity 3D

Electronic Arts

Unity 3D Demo Reel

Unity Spring 2010 Highlight Reel from Unity3D on Vimeo.

Unity Technologies Motto:  
"Taking the Pain out of Game Development"

Almost missed this: "MSI Announces Availability of the World’s First 3D Multi-Touch All-in-One PC in North America" (Press Release)

I haven't had the chance to get my hands on one of these:

MSI Announces Availability of the World’s First 3D Multi-Touch All-in-One PC in North America "MSI’s Wind Top AE2420 3D addresses the shortage of 3D content with family-friendly PC that converts any 2D movie into 3D"  -Business Wire

MSI Features

MSI Website

Virtual Reality Effectively Treats PTSD and Related Disorders: Skip Rizzo's TEDx Talk about promising interdisciplinary work at the Institute for Creative Technologies

-Skip Rizzo, Co-Director of the VRPSYCH Lab at the USC Institute of Creative Technologies (ICT)

Note: Skip's talk begins about 4 minutes into the presentation.


In this TEDx Talk video, Marilyn Flynn, Dean of the University of Southern California's School of Social Work, introduces Skip Rizzo, a research scientist and Co-Director of the VRPSYCH Lab at the USC  Institute of Creative Technologies (ICT).  Skip's research has focused on the use of virtual realty and related technologies for treatment and training purposes.

In this talk,  Skip provides an overview of the interdisciplinary research taking place at the Institute of Creative Technologies (ICT). Skip goes on to explain the urgency of ICT's current work, focusing on the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other problems experienced by people who have sacrificed so much to serve our country in places of wars and conflicts such as Iraq and Afganistan.  Neary one-third of our military personnel are significantly at-risk for developing PTSD or other debilitating conditions that will negatively affect their functioning upon returning home.

Skip goes on to show how the latest VR (Virtual Reality) related technologies and applications combine with with evidence-based intervention and treatment strategies to successfully treat PTSD.  Recent research indicates that 75% of clients treated through 10 sessions of exposure therapy no longer exhibit clinical symptoms of the disorder. Given the numbers of people suffering from PTSD and related disorders, the potential for this treatment method holds promise.

Skip points out that one problem many veterans or their loved ones experience is that they are not aware that effective treatment is available.  Additionally, there are few therapists who are trained in the use of VR as a therapeutic tool.  By working with USC's School of Social Work, this may no longer be the case in the future.  Therapist can learn ways to provide effective evidence-based treatment through interacting with a "virtual human" application that uses an "intelligent" character that simulates the conversational exchanges that are likely to occur during treatment sessions. Additionally, the research behind this effort has resulted in the creation of an on-line system that includes virtual guides that can provide support and guidance to people suffering from PSTD in order to get them to engage in the treatment they require.


Here is information from the Institute of Creative Technologies regarding Skip Rizzo's TEDx USC Talk:
Skip Rizzo's TEDx USC Talk Now Online
"ICT’s Skip Rizzo spoke at this year’s TEDx USC conference and was introduced by Dean Marilyn Flynn of the USC School of Social Work. Video of their talk is now available for viewing on the TEDx Talk’s Channel on YouTube...Of the more than 1.6 million men and women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly one-third are expected to return with disabling combat stress disorders that may affect some for a lifetime if left untreated.

Through and unlikely marriage of social work and cutting edge technology, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and the USC School of Social Work are revolutionizing the training methods for a new generation of mental health professionals, shifting the way clinicians learn to interact with their patients."
  
Introduction: Marilyn Flynn, Dean, USC School of Social Work
Virtual Reality Demonstration: Albert “Skip” Rizzo, Research Scientist, USC Institute for Creative Technologies 

RELATED
USC Institute for Creative Technologies
"The USC Institute for Creative Technologies brings together high-tech tools + classic storytelling to pioneer new ways to teach + to train."
Virtual Reality & Convergence with Game Technology IMT blogpost, 7/2006
Convergence:  Video Games and Virtual Reality for Special Needs: Autism, ADD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Social Skills TechPsych blogpost, 8/2006
(I will revisit this and related topics in future posts.)

What is new at SMART Technologies? 3D-Ready SMART Board 600i, Mixed Reality Document Camera, Scholastic's Story Stage App for the SMARTTable, an IPO, and more!

A lot is happening at one SMART Technologies, one of my favorite "interactive" companies.  Not long ago, SMART Technologies, a company most known for interactive whiteboards found in classrooms and businesses, acquired one of my favorite interactive touch-screen display companies, NextWindow. (SMART Technologies' acquisition of NextWindow: A "smart window" to the world)

SMART Technologies is moving ahead into the world of augmented reality (AR) with a new document camera.  The company's latest interactive whiteboard, the fourth generation 600i,  is ready for stereoscopic 3D content, which is on the way via the Discovery Channel and other media companies.  The SMARTTable looks like it will be provided with more content, at least in the UK, where Scholastic has partnered with SMART Technologies to provide multi-touch and multi-student interaction via the collaborative Story Stage application.

For those with money to invest, SMART Technologies has filed for a proposed initial IPO (Initial Public Offering).


-The SMART Table at Wolfe School 

New SMART Document Camera 330 is mixed reality ready:  Document camera enables exploration of 2D, 3D, animated and audio-enriched content
"Mixed Reality Technology -Manipulate and explore 2D, 3D, text, animation and audio-enriched content on the SMART Board interactive whiteboard by placing a physical object bearing a digital marker under the SMART Document Camera lens"


SMART introduces next-generation SMART Board™ 600i: New projector lowers total cost of ownership and is 3D-ready
"Available in both standard and widescreen formats, the latest generation of the 600i system features an improved and easy-to-use extended control panel (ECP) and a fully integrated short-throw projector that is 3D-ready and has a longer lamp life. The newly designed ECP is mounted to the interactive whiteboard bezel, not to the wall, making it aesthetically pleasing and easier to install."


SMART and Scholastic to develop multi-touch educational content:  Story Stage application for SMART Table to encourage student creativity and collaboration
"Story Stage is an easy-to-use resource designed to facilitate collaborative literacy work. The interactive activities use digital puppets to encourage pairs or groups of children to work together to create their own imaginative retellings of familiar stories."


SMART Classroom Suite 2010 enhances interactive learning: New version offers improved wireless performance and greater support for formative assessment
"The software combines classroom management, assessment, lesson creation and assignment management tools in one offering."


RELATED
SMART Technologies Files for Proposed Initial Public Offering: Stock to be listed on NASDAQ and TSX
Scholastic Story Stage
SOMEWHAT RELATED
Updates: Cognitive "bursts", technology-supported interactive whiteboards, digital storytelling, social skills, and reflections about a new SMARTtable. (long post)
SMART Technologies' acquisition of NextWindow: A "smart window" to the world
InfoComm AV Whitepaper:
Reaching Learners: Immersive Education through Interactive Multimedia (pdf)
By Lynn V. Marentette, Sp.A., NCSP and Anthony Uhrick, VP Sales & Marketing, NextWindow "The value of an immersive approach to education, using multimedia technologies, over traditional classroom environments."

Also posted on the TechPsych blog.

YouTube's Move to Slower Media: Leanback - in HD, full screen, minimal clicks, merges with your other online "stuff".

The details are demonstrated in the video below:

My hunch?
One motivation behind Leanback is to prepare us for the next wave of online 3D HDTV, which is a "slow media" experience, best viewed from a comfy sofa or recliner.  This is the "10-foot experience".

RELATED

YouTube Leanback offers effortless viewing

Broadcasting Ourselves ;): The Official YouTube Blog, 7/7/10

YouTube Leanback Formats Videos for TVs and Second Monitors

Kevin Purdy, Lifehacker, 7/8/10

YouTube Leanback is live. It's time to get chilled

Brad NcCartym, thenextweb, 7/8/10

YouTube Leanback caters to the lazy: The video service automatically strams HD content based on your prefs Wilson Rothman, msnbc.com, 7/7/10

YouTube Leanback Actively Wants Your Passive Attention

Brian Barrett, Gizmodo, 7/7/10
YouTube launches Leanback, mobile site gets HTML5 revamp (video)

Ross Miller, Engadget, 7/7/10
YouTube tries for the TV again with Leanback
Tom Krazit, CNET, 7/7/10

SOMEWHAT RELATED

Slow Media Manifesto

NVDIA Press Release: Stereoscopic 3D Video Streamed over Internet

I'm putting together information for my next post about the evolution of 3D technologies and thought I'd go ahead and share this press release about 3D video streaming.  I'd love to see this in action!


The beauty of this news is that NVIDIA has worked in collaboration with Microsoft to develop streaming content using Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming so people can watch stereoscopic 3D content from their PC's.


COMPUTEX 2010—TAIPEI—May 31, 2010—NVIDIA today demonstrated 3D video streamed live over the Internet using an NVIDIA® 3D VisionTM PC, Microsoft Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming technology. The demonstration, which streamed the music video “We Are the World” 3D, at a press conference at Computex, comes at a time when consumer interest in seeing 3D movies is at its highest level ever.


“We’ve been collaborating with Microsoft to enable 3D in an Internet browser so that it’s very simple to use,” said Phil Eisler, General Manager of 3D Vision technology at NVIDIA. “Just click on a 3D video and it plays in 3D, using the latest 3D Vision Silverlight-based video player and NVIDIA 3D Vision. Internet users can now enjoy 3D video content streamed in high-definition (HD) quality and viewed at full resolution. This is another great benefit of having a 3D PC.”


To take advantage of this technology, consumers will need an NVIDIA 3D Vision-based desktop or notebook PC equipped with the latest 3D Vision drivers and the Silverlight browser plug-in. Once these are installed, consumers can then navigate to any Web site hosting 3D Vision-based content.


For content owners, this milestone provides a secure path to distribute and monetize 3D video over the Web with Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming. Movies, trailers, sports and any form of 3D video can now be hosted and streamed over the Internet to a growing market of 3D PCs, most of which ship with Windows 7.


“Customers have a peaked interest in 3D entertainment experiences, and Microsoft is looking forward to working with NVIDIA to bring these experiences to users through their PCs,” said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Division at Microsoft Corp. “Silverlight and IIS Smooth Streaming together deliver the highest quality HD video experiences over the Web and, with NVIDIA 3D Vision, will now provide consumers with a way to watch their favorite movies, sporting events, music videos and more, all in 3D from their own computer.”


For more information on how to use and install 3D streaming capabilities on 3D Vision PCs visit http://www.nvidia.com/get3D


Useful Links:

http://www.nvidia.com/3DPC 

http://www.nvidia.com/get3D 

http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight


For further information, contact:
Bryan Del Rizzo
NVIDIA Corporation
(408) 486-2772
bdelrizzo@nvidia.com



Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on NVIDIA, please visit the NVIDIA Press Room at http://www.nvidia.com/page/press_room.html