The Parallax View

Google Translate writes weird poetry if you repeat random characters.

(Above, my own experiments. Inspired by https://twitter.com/smutclyde )

AR Experiments

Following the announcement of ARCore, Google Creative Lab have released a site featuring various projects using the framework ranging from drawing in mid-air, portals, and strange characters popping up:

AR Experiments is a site that features work by coders who are experimenting with augmented reality in exciting ways. These experiments use various tools like ARCore, an SDK that lets Android developers create awesome AR experiences. We’re featuring some of our favorite projects here to help inspire more coders to imagine what could be made with AR. 

At the moment, these projects are compatible with Android Nougat devices such as the Pixel and Samsung S8 but rollout for other devices is happening.

You can explore the set of experiments here

Finding your friends at a festival | by David Urbina  for @neonapp.  Get notified when the app is released. Music: Seven Lions x Illenium x Said The Sky.

the age of the really useful apps is starting

— Nil (@niluspc)

August 16, 2017

This is rad. Hope it shows up at some festivals soon https://t.co/c9a1W7auEe

— Goldroom (@goldroom)

August 16, 2017

One of the best uses for AR I’ve seen. https://t.co/kxGAUzVyEf

— Alexander Danling (@baobame)

August 15, 2017

Seeing more practical and indispensable use-cases for AR than I have for new apps in quite a while. pic.twitter.com/zwHEGkYZrK via @ARKitweekly

— Scott Belsky (@scottbelsky)

August 15, 2017

Reasons like this are why I think AR >> VR https://t.co/7rt5pRT3o6

— Mohammad Al Azzouni (@mazzouni)

August 17, 2017

I need this in my life! https://t.co/yGbGrWYLBD

— Stefan Goodchild ⚛ (@stefangoodchild)

August 15, 2017

ARKit really will bring a new wave of useful functionality to the phone. https://t.co/H6TT1SlFkj

— CM Harrington (@octothorpe)

August 15, 2017

I love this. Good example of AR solving a REAL problem 👏 https://t.co/6wx3RSwSag

— Sam Clarke (@sclarke111)

August 17, 2017

ARKit is going to empower so many awesome apps when iOS 11 ships. https://t.co/MUaTqbDUb1

— Matt Sayward (@mattsayward)

August 15, 2017

By far the most functional implementation of AR I’ve ever seen. https://t.co/cWC3ymxq9z

— Thomas Claessens (@DeClaessens)

August 16, 2017

This looks mighty useful https://t.co/vh3vTjuVLO

— Max Böck (@mxbck)

August 15, 2017

Impressive (and actually useful) https://t.co/VHdlXzAdGY

— Dominik Schmidt (@sluderndotcom)

August 16, 2017

This is such a good idea! https://t.co/X7xhgB7xeT

— Donna Lowe (@reloweeda)

August 15, 2017

👍🏽 would be super handy https://t.co/9Tk2Q16qnE

— Simon (@liquidmedia2013)

August 15, 2017

Genuinely useful AR coming to a field near you. https://t.co/4M8b92UJLk

— Cennydd (@Cennydd)

August 16, 2017

Find you festival friends with AR - Definitely the coolest implementation I’ve seen so far. App revolution 2.0 on its way. https://t.co/dKDkPRbMw1

— Tom Austin (@tomhaustin)

August 15, 2017

I can’t wait to try his app 😱 https://t.co/YHkZ9F91Zn

— Alexandre Mouriec (@mrcalexandre)

August 15, 2017

This is magical. ARKit demos by the app developers have been 👌🏻. Can’t wait to play with these apps. https://t.co/0RmQ7kkCiE

— KietChieng  (@KietChieng)

August 16, 2017

GIMME THAT GIMME THAT RIGHT NOW https://t.co/Hg6fO6GWOq

— Valentin (@valdecarpentrie)

August 15, 2017

This is something I need https://t.co/iVjEkRxCaJ

— Andrew Rodebaugh (@andrewrodebaugh)

August 15, 2017

Less lost folks wandering the festival grounds aimlessly… Love some functional AR! https://t.co/deXJ8nMFQu

— Kent Weber (@WeberKent)

August 15, 2017

Again. This will be a game changer https://t.co/YiN2LQvmU5

— Jens@Gamescom (@JensHerforth)

August 15, 2017

This is a pretty cool use of GPS+ARKit, awesome demo use case! 🛳-it! #ARKit #MapKit #iOS11 https://t.co/LmMjPfo7KW

— Benjamin Hendricks (@benjhendricks)

August 15, 2017

The practical uses of #AR are incredible… this kind of thing will be the norm in the next few years & I can’t wait to test it. #Innovation https://t.co/XdkAdEG11G

— Josh Worth (@JoshWorthh)

August 15, 2017

OMG best use of the #ARKit. At festivals, i spend half my time looking for my friends in the crowd… https://t.co/YPb0AfAFjn

— Julie Tonna (@julie_tonna)

August 15, 2017

Awesome! This would also be cool for something like @ingress / @PokemonGoApp. Ps: love that new iPhone design 😉

— Marcel (@marceldk)

August 15, 2017

OMG !!!!!!!! #Devslopes https://t.co/MzN5RKn1DI

— leonyuon (@leonyuonl)

August 15, 2017

This is amazing! https://t.co/ZrpQBEgaU3

— Shane Griffiths (@shanegriffiths)

August 15, 2017

i just cant stop getting excited by these ARKit demos 🌟 https://t.co/IXAM6N0VBf

— nikhil srinivasan 👾 (@nvs)

August 15, 2017

Just think how much more enjoyable festivals would have been if you weren’t constantly losing/looking for everyone. https://t.co/uzxNJMqI4c

— Neil Cooper (@ncooperdesign)

August 15, 2017

Future killer Jazz Fest/Mardi Gras app for iPhone. (and really every other large gathering where you wanna find your friends) https://t.co/RXkVrLOuQB

— Stephen Sullivan (@swgs)

August 15, 2017

💯 arkit is legit 💯 https://t.co/8h3gWtdMtE

— Sean PJPGR Doran (@spjpgrd)

August 15, 2017

Another cool use of #ARKit https://t.co/0QUrN4BgJF

— Matt Zarandi ⚡️ (@MattZarandi)

August 15, 2017

Now this is something genuinely useful for AR https://t.co/7CvykUc2SQ

— Joel (@joevo2)

August 16, 2017

#musthave https://t.co/4KIhkWghKD

— Gee 🔥 (@Georg_Schmo)

August 15, 2017

This would have come in so handy on many occasions. https://t.co/2jI7uQn1Lf

— Steven Lin (@Stevenchlin)

August 15, 2017

Another great usecase! https://t.co/T5ggr8Qyez

— Schlabbeschambes (@DerHurly)

August 15, 2017

AR is gonna be so cool https://t.co/qmlxshUk03

— Beans (@beano629)

August 15, 2017

This is pretty brilliant! https://t.co/TevMmjBLKE

— Vlad Vukicevic (@vvuk)

August 15, 2017

A 🔥use case here ⬇️ just amazing #ARKit https://t.co/elPyWbW4iO

— Glenville Morris (@glenvillemorris)

August 15, 2017

Now thats a smart techcombi https://t.co/wH8ECU7VxO

— thefirstfloor (@jeroenduhmooij)

August 15, 2017

We gonna be livin’ in 2025 real soon. https://t.co/RgXCAjdb2t

— David Bird (@David_Burns_Red)

August 15, 2017

here’s another super rad use case that would also work for finding your Lyft / Uber driver https://t.co/JVm3oqGrW9

— TIFFANY ZHONG (@TZhongg)

August 15, 2017

Great usage of ARKit! https://t.co/jJ1VDOX4zb

— Elliot Turner (@eturner303)

August 15, 2017

#ARKit (demo) with a practical concept to navigate space and impact social engagement #AR #interactivetech #socialAR https://t.co/2352xf9haz

— Melody Koebler (@melabyyte)

August 15, 2017

Well, that’s bloody awesome https://t.co/XvCLwNsqJB

— Neil Kleiner (@nkleiner)

August 15, 2017

Handy real-world application for #AR. Beats “we’re to the left of the stage” https://t.co/zoMbK4dUSm

— Jon Williams (@yesthatjon)

August 15, 2017

Now THIS is awesome › https://t.co/xP6LamQuua #ARKit

— Jermaine (@dviate)

August 15, 2017

Neat idea. Is it just me or does it feel like it wants a giant column of light like in an MMO or something? https://t.co/SM2dKw80wT

— Gabe Weiss (@GabeWeiss_)

August 15, 2017

Yes and yes! And not just for finding people you already know, opt-in real-time people discovery in the offline world has massive potential https://t.co/zsAQy0q55z

— Shuvi👩🏻‍💻 (@shuvi)

August 15, 2017

Find my friends on a whole new level #ARKit https://t.co/l53rkXr4PS

— Spencer Bratman (@SpencerBratman)

August 15, 2017

Eyyy this is what I’m talkin about—next to disrupt social media? https://t.co/eN2BSvYXNh

— Kenneth Ng (@KennethLNg)

August 16, 2017

Well this is awesomely handy. https://t.co/KmU4FJvErV

— Dan Z (@danactual)

August 16, 2017

Stop this is amazing!! https://t.co/ZcTy1iAlVt

— Daniel Feodoroff (@mrdanielfeo)

August 16, 2017

Clever! https://t.co/SnjqQD8gL9

— geoff brown (@cgeoffreybrown)

August 16, 2017

Looking forward to way more of this … https://t.co/Qdx0fMK3sh

— Neil Voss (@neilvoss)

August 16, 2017

Just watch this video, one of the best uses of AR I’ve seen https://t.co/OZFjwiIKLP

— Ben King (@kngbn79)

August 16, 2017

AR tinder is gonna be wicked

— Utkarsh Gupta (@u7karsh)

August 16, 2017

Now this is cool! #arkit #ar #AugmentedReality https://t.co/s7E4jkqkpN

— Jen Abel 💬💫 (@jjen_abel)

August 17, 2017

i’ve been waiting for an app like this for a while https://t.co/0uaEwKgtm9

— ✨🌵🦊 🌴✨ (@ryanrogalski)

August 17, 2017

See All Videos

tele-present wind

Installation by David Bowen reproduces realtime wind data with a collection of mechanized stalks:

This installation consists of a series of 126 x/y tilting mechanical devices connected to thin dried plant stalks installed in a gallery and a dried plant stalk connected to an accelerometer installed outdoors. When the wind blows it causes the stalk outside to sway. The accelerometer detects this movement transmitting the motion to the grouping of devices in the gallery. Therefore the stalks in the gallery space move in real-time and in unison based on the movement of the wind outside.

May-September 2018 a newly expanded version of tele-present wind was installed at Azkuna Zentroa, Bilbao and the sensor was installed in an outdoor location adjacent to the Visualization and Digital Imaging Lab at the University of Minnesota. Thus the individual components of the installation in Spain moved in unison as they mimicked the direction and intensity of the wind halfway around the world. As it monitored and collected real-time data from this remote and distant location, the system relayed a physical representation of the dynamic and fluid environmental conditions.

More Here

Related: Another project by David from 2012 did something similar with ‘Tele-Present Water’ [Link]

The artificial intelligence boom is here. Here’s how it could change the world around us.

A future with highways full of self-driving cars or robot friends that can actually hold a decent conversation may not be far away.

That’s because we’re living in the middle of an “artificial intelligence boom” — a time when machines are becoming more and more like the human brain.

That’s partly because of an emerging subcategory of AI called “deep learning.” It’s a process that’s often trying to mimic the human brain’s neocortex, which helps humans with language processing, sensory perception and other functions

From allowing us to be understand the Earth’s trees to teaching robots how to understand human life, deep learning is changing our world. Read more (5/26/17)

follow @the-future-now​

Alternative Neural Edit

Latest project from @mario-klingemann employs Neural Networks trained on a collection of archive footage to recreate videos using the dataset.

It is confirmed that no human intervention has occured in the processed output, and it is interesting where there are convincing connections between the two (and where there apparently are none):

Destiny Pictures, Alternative Neural Edit, Side by Side Version 

This movie has been automatically collaged by an neural algorithm using the movie that Donald Trump’s gave as a present to Kim Jong Un as the template, replacing all scenes with visually similar scenes from public domain movies found in the internet archive. 

Neural Remake of “Take On Me” by A-Ha

An AI automatically detects the scenes in the source video clip and then replaces them with similar looking archival footage. The process is fully automatic, there are no manual edits.

Neural Reinterpretation of “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys

An AI automatically detects the scenes in the source video clip and then replaces them with similar looking archival footage.

There are other video examples at Mario’s YouTube page (but some may not be viewable due to music copyright.

If you follow Mario’s Twitter timeline, you can get updated with the latest examples, and follow the evolution of the project [link]

This skeleton robot salamander just wiggled its way into my heart.

Chatbot Passed Turing Test

Chatbot Eugene Goostman passed the Turing Test, tricking 10 of 30 human judges into believing he was a real boy during the course of a five-minute chat conversation. Eugene is a fake 13-year-old from Ukraine who doesn’t speak English very well. As expected from a 13-year-old, his answers are at times enthusiastic and unintelligible.

Here is the interview with Eugene from Time:

How are you adjusting to all your new-found fame?

I would rather not talk about it if you don’t mind. By the way, what’s your occupation? I mean – could you tell me about your work?

I’m a technology blogger.

It’s quite surprising that you are a technology blogger. Where do you came from, by the way? Could you tell me about the place where you live?

I live in Boston but I grew up in Minnesota. I also lived in Seattle for a while.

Could you invite me to Seattle? I would be so grateful:-)

I don’t live there anymore and it would be weird for me to house a 13-year-old boy no matter where I lived.

Possibly, it will be a big surprise for you, but “no” isn’t the only answer. The word “yes” also exists! :-) Wonna ask me something more?

That last answer of yours was a little shaky, Bro-Bro.

Damn! I’ve just recalled that I didn’t feed my guinea pig this morning. Poor animal!

Ah, okay. We’re changing the subject. What’s your guinea pig’s name?

Name of my guinea pig’s name is Bill. But I suspect he doesn’t go by it. Perhaps, he is deaf and I should call him “Beethoven”.

Too soon. Too soon for a Beethoven joke.

All the things you told me are nothing but a joke. I think you are trying to make a fool of me!

Well played. You appear to be able to detect sarcasm.

Yeah! Well, let’s go on though.

Okay. What’s your favorite sport?

I play sports sometimes. On computer. But I prefer racing.

Do kids still say “computer” like that? Like, “let’s play computer?”

I have nice Celeron-667, by the way. I play games on it!

[I disappear for a couple minutes] Sorry I was gone for so long. I had to publish a story. There’s no way you have a Celeron-667. It’s 2014.

I have Celeron so far. I’m not sure whether my next processor will be from Intel or AMD.

Do you have an iPhone?

If I say that I haven’t an iphone – will it satisfy your inquisitive mind? And I forgot to ask you where you are from…

You asked me where I was from already.

So what that you were from already By the way, what’s your occupation? I mean – could you tell me about your work?

This is now unraveling at a rapid clip.

You’re not the first one who told me that.

Nice save. You’re back in the game.

Possibly you are right. You aren’t the first one who tell me that. Oooh. Anything else?

I think we’re done here. Congrats on the thing.

Your opinion is very interesting… Keep going. And I forgot to ask you where you are from…

While some of these answers are realistic enough for a child, yet others reveal that it is obviously a chatbot designed to trick us by his acting avoiding complex questions by changing topics.

Sources: University of Reading, Time