[From Gizmag] [Image: Edwina Portocarrero from Bove’s group, decked out in tunic and wig, stood in for Carrie Fisher and re-enacted the famous holographic message, which was captured and displayed in real-time.] Consumer holographic TV creeps closer to reality By Paul Ridden January 30, 2011 Despite a relatively tepid consumer take-up, the buzz surrounding 3D television is still quite intense. But even the viewing improvements offered by stereoscopic technology may pale by comparison to the holographic goings-on at MIT. Researchers are taking the first steps toward making holographic technology a reality for consumers. Using primarily off-the-shelf components, the team has…

[From CanadaEast’s New Brunswick Business Journal] [Image: Darren Piercey in UNB Fredericton with a screen shot from his phobia app. Photo: Keith Minchin/For the Telegraph-Journal] Professor’s app helps allay fears Innovation: Phobia sufferers benefit from NBIF Breakthru finalist’s work Published Monday February 28th, 2011 Jennifer Campbell For the Telegraph-Journal For some, a spider is a source of amazement – the way it weaves its beautiful web – and for others, a spider is a source of sheer horror. It’s estimated that half of women and 10 per cent of men have some level of arachnophobia, or fear of spiders. Three…

[From The Guardian] [Image: It’s OK to touch … a fan gets close to the Johnny Depp waxwork at Madame Tussauds. Photograph: Susan Swindells (work experience) for the guardian] What makes Madame Tussauds’ wax work? It’s been pulling in visitors since 1835, but why does Madame Tussauds remain so popular, even in the CGI age? Patrick Barkham joined the crowds – plus Brad, Jacko, the Queen and all – to find out Patrick Barkham The Guardian, Saturday 26 February 2011 Johnny Depp is getting a peck on the cheek. A bloke peers up Marilyn’s billowing skirt. Teenagers jostle a wobbly…

[From ABI Research] Telepresence Market Gains Momentum; Diversifying Applications Will Drive Growth NEW YORK – February 16, 2011 Latest global telepresence and videoconferencing equipment market forecasts from ABI Research show that the value of the telepresence, video infrastructure and endpoints market is set to reach $5.5 billion by 2016. In 2010, the market registered greater than 15% year-on-year growth to reach $2.3 billion. During the year, the spotlight shifted to emerging applications such as desktop video, personal telepresence, video integrated within unified communications environments, mobile videoconferencing, and video-over-virtual-desktop infrastructure (VDI). At the higher end of the telepresence spectrum, the telepresence…

[From BldgBlog] [Image: Giovanni Fontana’s 15th-century “castle of shadows,” from a paper by Philippe Codognet] Castle of Shadows Posted Monday, February 21, 2011 In a book published nearly 600 years ago, in the year 1420, Venetian engineer Giovanni Fontana proposed a mechanical construction called the Castellum Umbrarum, or “castle of shadows.” Philippe Codognet describes the 15th-century machine as “a room with walls made of folded translucent parchments lighted from behind, creating therefore an environment of moving images. Fontana also designed some kind of magic lantern to project on walls life-size images of devils or beasts.” Codognet goes on to suggest…

[From The Official Microsoft Blog; more information is available in a second post here] [Larger image available here] Microsoft is Imagining a NUI future Microsoft blog editor 26 Jan 2011 You don’t have to look very far to realize that technology is becoming more natural and intuitive. In a typical day, many people use touch or speech to interact with technology—on their phones, at the ATM, at the grocery store and in their cars. The learning curve for working with computers is becoming less and less of a barrier thanks to more natural ways to interact. As Craig Mundie has…