Pink Tentacle blogs about a cool and somewhat creepy new technology created by Japanese company Motion Portrait that takes any photo and converts it into an animated image that blinks, makes facial expressions, and even speaks. Supposedly lightweight enough for portable devices like phones and PDAs, the technology is apparently already being used for animating…
Category: Information Society
Many Eyes: Cool community-based data visualization tool
A few weeks ago a colleague sent me a link to IBM’s data visualization project called "Many Eyes." Basically its a community-based website that enables anyone to upload data, examine existing datasets,…
Civil society activists from Global South sought for Oxford Internet research program
The Oxford Internet Institute is looking for civil society activists from the developing world to participate in their new Civil Society Practitioners Programme: This visitor programme is intended for Civil Society Practitioners of distinction or outstanding promise who wish to visit the Institute for a period of six weeks between February and December 2008, to…
Submit a question to the Dem Presidential debate via YouTube
YouTube and CNN are inviting citizens to submit questions to presidential candidates via YouTube video this summer. Get your video in by July 22 so it can be considered for the July 23 Democratic candidate debate on July 23 in Charleston, South Carolina. If your question is selected, you may be flown to Charleston to…
Japan rejects e-democracy in campaign time
Kan Suzuki’s boarded up SL headquarters Interesting article in the BBC about how Japan has instituted a freeze on all web-campaigning before their July 29 national elections. Reportedly, Japanese politicians are not allowed to create new websites or update their existing ones prior to the election. Diet member Kan Suzuki has even had to close…
Techology takes the sting out of distant love
I miss my girlfriend. But not as much as I would be missing her if we didn’t have Skype. And AIM. And SMS. And her blog. I’m going to sound like an old fogey right now: kids these days have it easy. Back when I was young and dumb and in love, I had to…
Net radio saved… negotiations between Sound Exchange and net broadcasters resume
It looks like net radio won’t go dark on July 15 as previously predicted. WIRED’s blog "Listening Post" reports that Sound Exchange, the consortium responsible for enforcing royalties for the music industry, has agreed before Congress that they will not collect fees from net radio stations under the proposed new fee structure until a new…
Ben Scott on why the iPhone sucks (hint, it rhymes with “AT&T”)
Here’s a great run-down by Ben Scott of the non-profit group Free Press of what’s wrong with the iPhone from a public policy perspective. (Recorded by Matt Stoller.) For those who can’t spare the time to watch Ben’s cogent 5 minute explanation, here’s the rundown: Consumer Choice: The iPhone locks consumers into one telephone company,…
I gave in to the hype: me and my new iPhone
I’ve been waiting for this bad boy for six months, saving my pennies and counting the days. I was unfortunately tied up all of June 29, so I couldn’t get in on the fun macgeek love-fest outside of Apple stores everywhere. But just as well. I got up at the crack of noon, cycled down…
9/11 3D “fly-through” and how media contextualizes experience
I just finished watching the fascinating video of a 3D representation of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center created by a bunch of researchers at Purdue. The goal was to create a visual representation to illustrate how the planes managed to destroy the buildings primary support structures, even though the architects had…