Craig.Carlen[Online].com

Back in April I blogged about a project from Microsoft’s LiveLab coined Photosynth.  At the time it was a preview of what they had planned - well Photosynth is a ready for primetime player and from what I’ve been able to tell, unique within the photo-manipulation category.  I’ve not had a lot of time to play with it as of yet but for the photobug this tool looks amazing and presents people with a totally new way of expressing themselves whether it be their vacation, selling a home, showing off their new landscaping project - anything you could do or say with a pitcure or pictures just became 1000% more functional as well as more fun.

Now I just need to get over the idea this bit of cool software engineering came from Microsoft.  Hey - at least Apple didn’t create it.

Adaptive Path has completed their series I’ve been following on their Aurora concept.

Part 3:

Aurora (Part 3) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

Part 4:

Aurora (Part 4) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

You can also view the entire video here.

The synic in my says with the likes of Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, Amazon and Google around, something like this just won’t happen.  But I would love to see it happen.  Full integration of software with hardware all while working within the framework of our lifestyles.  What a great idea!

Right now most things involving computing is proprietary.  For example: Apple’s OSX is proprietary to the Macintosh PC.  If you don’t have a Mac, then OSX won’t run properly if at all (and you’d be breaking the OSX EULA).  If you’re a heavy gamer, then you’re using a Window’s based PC.  The newest games for the most part run the best on windows-based systems - again, a proprietary union of software and hardware.  Even Linux users find themselves with ‘distros’ that work better with certain pieces of hardware.  In short, the computing world is proprietary.

Aurora and ideas like it go against that grain.  And I can only hope it succeeds.

Adaptive Path has posted the second video in their Aurora concept.

Aurora (Part 2) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

I remember when I first got on-line - it was before the World Wide Web was common place; Telnet and Gopher on the other hand were.  After about two years of playing around on what is now commonly referred to as the Application Layer of the TCP/IP Model (still sans a ‘browser‘), I was invited to be a part of Microsoft’s beta testing of their new Microsoft Network.  I had previously dinked around AOL and wanted no part of that - even then AOL was full of chats and message boards that proclaimed nothing more than “type 1 if you think _____ is ______“.  (To this day I still cannot fathom anyone paying hard earned money for the horrid service.)  Microsoft Network was to launch with the release of Windows 95 - which I also beta tested (before the Windows 95 preview program that upset so many MSN users at the time).

I love good television.  Being an aspiring editor/producer I tend to notice bad edits, bad lighting, poorly recorded audio, and other nit-picky things most television watchers don’t pick up on.  But even with all the bad, I still enjoy good television.

One of my and my wife’s favorite television programs is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  You can’t help but feel good after watching any episode.  The family that is helped always deserves it and the design team always endeavors to provide the family with a great design.  It’s good TV - I’d venture to say it’s powerful TV.  And it’s been very good to ABC and the shows sponsor Sears.  The show is constantly one of the top rated shows week in and week out and and undoubtedly is a big win for Sears who has not only sponsored the show since it’s inception but also provides the bulk the the products that are featured in each home that is built.

Truth be told, I could spend hours on end each day with my web browser open to TED.com.  If you don’t know what TED.com is I invite you to take a look around their site.  Within the scope of TED is the TEDTalk and it’s premise is simple: Invite a specialist in any given field to speak for roughly a half and hour.  Just released this month from the TEDTalk archive is a 30 minute talk given by Billy Graham originally filmed back in 1998.  This doesn’t really need any introduction on my part, so I’ll let Reverend Graham speak for himself:

Source

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted anything to this blog. I would attribute that to the new job I’ve been trying to settle into - and I say job because at this point, I don’t exactly consider it a career move.

Enough about that…I want to get right into this.  I was reading through some blogs and other sites tonight and came across this little gem: Apple just gave out my Apple ID password because someone asked.  Brilliant!  I don’t even need to comment - although I will - for no other reason than I really enjoy taking shots at Apple.

Hey - Everyone - LOOK!  The new iPhone is set to hit the streets on July 11th.  3G capable, more overall features and a $199 price tag which is $200 less that the first generation phone.  WOOT!

But…and it seems with Apple there’s always a but… …there’s a catch.  Your shinny new iPhone will really cost you $160 more than the first generation phone.  That’s right, it’s $200 cheaper out the door, but Apple and AT&T have changed some of the rules with their voice/data plans.