[From The New York Times] January 29, 2010 Doctor and Patient Practicing on Patients, Real and Otherwise By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D. Near the end of my surgical training, I spent three months as chief resident of a hospital trauma team. Two other doctors-in-training and I formed the first-line emergency room response, assessing and resuscitating patients who had been mangled, burned or otherwise injured. It was my first experience as a leader, but each of us was already fairly proficient and we all got along. I was confident that we would work well together. I was wrong. During our first…

[From The Future of Media blog of The Interpublic Emerging Media Lab] Emerging MediaCES 2009: Yoostar, Guitar Hero for movies? Friday, January 9th, 2009 by: Devora Rogers What if you could star in famous movies, without ever leaving your home? That is what Yoostar Entertainment Group hopes to deliver to consumers with their recently unveiled Yoostar product. Using green screen technology, the system allows users to star in their favorite movie scenes along with famous actors (and their friends)–then share their performances with friends.…

[A press release from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)] FRONTLINE EXPLORES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN IN A WORLD IMMERSED IN TECHNOLOGY FRONTLINE Presents DIGITAL NATION Tuesday, February 2, 2010, from 9 to 10:30 P.M. ET on PBS www.pbs.org/frontline/digitalnation Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is our 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as…

[A press release from Panasonic] Panasonic Develops World’s Largest 152-inch Full HD 3D Plasma Display The ultra-large, 4K x 2K quadruple full HD plasma panel creates a true full HD 3D world, delivering an overwhelming immersive experience LAS VEGAS, NV (January 6, 2010) – Panasonic Corporation, a world leader in the HDTV technology, has developed the world’s largest [1] 152-inch 4K x 2K definition Full HD 3D plasma display.  The display features a revolutionary new plasma display panel (PDP) Panasonic developed with its new super-efficient quadruple luminous efficiency technology [2].  The technology enhances PDP’s unique advantages as self-illuminating device, contributing to…

[From Computerworld] Gadget Patents That We Hope Will Turn Into Real Products Harry McCracken 19.01.2010 IDG News Service Gadget patents can change the world, as everyone from Alexander Graham Bell to Steve Jobs has proved. Some of our favorite gadget-related patents, however, are for technologies and products that haven’t changed much of anything–at least not yet. Here are ten intriguing examples, including ones from both famously inventive companies and lone geniuses. We’re not saying that any of them are a catchy ad campaign away from becoming history-making breakthroughs–though one or two might stand a chance. We just like them. And…

[From Wired magazine’s Autopia blog] Ford Goes to Cyberspace to Help Astronauts By Chuck Squatriglia  January 20, 2010 Ford and United Space Alliance are cribbing from the movie and gaming industries by using virtual-reality software to create better cars — and spaceships. The automaker and the aerospace company — a lead contractor for the space shuttle — are sharing their experience with animation software to create simulations that benefit astronauts and motorists. In Ford’s case, engineers and designers work in cyberspace to design automobile interiors. United Space Alliance uses the same technology to track launch debris during liftoff. Now a new…

[From The Human Productivity Lab’s Telepresence Options web site] The Intercompany Telepresence and Videoconferencing Handbook “The Inter-Company Telepresence and Video Conferencing Handbook” educates CIOs, executives, managers, telepresence and video conferencing professionals about the opportunities, challenges and solutions for inter-company telepresence and video conferencing with partners, vendors, and customers.  Written by Howard S. Lichtman, President of the telepresence consultancy Human Productivity Lab and Peter Brockmann, President of Brockmann & Company – The Customer Insight Firm, the Handbook is a guide to reducing costs, improving individual and organizational productivity, improving time-to-market advantage, and leveraging your investment in telepresence and videoconferencing as part of…

[From Eye Weekly (“a publication of Eye Communications, a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited”)] Avatar fashion For those seeking aesthetic perfection, digital alter-egos may represent the final frontier BY Sarah Nicole Prickett   January 20, 2010 13:01 It’s strange that fashion has been long acknowledged to be fantasy, yet has taken just as long in turning to virtual reality. Cher Horowitz played computerized dress-up, like, 15 years ago. Why only now are there apps for that nothing-to-wear feeling? There’s iWeardrobe, which has you photograph the contents of your closet, then mix-and-match on screen. Cute, but virtual dressing shouldn’t involve…

[From This Is Bristol (“At the Heart of All Things Local”)] Bristol historians give the old world a Second Life Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Back in 1854, the life-sized replica of a Pompeian villa was one of the highlights for visitors to the newly-reopened Crystal Palace. Victorian thrill-seekers gazed in awe at the interactivity of the exhibit – though of course, they probably didn’t use the word “interactivity”. Four years after the Crystal Palace had attracted crowds for The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, it was rebuilt as an ultra-modern museum in Sydenham, south London, with a series of life-sized…

[From The Daily Mail] The 3D TV? It’s quite a spectacle, but how do they work – and are they worth the £1,000 price tag? By Robert Hardman Last updated at 10:28 AM on 18th January 2010 You’re walking past a pub and a mighty roar erupts. A crucial goal has obviously gone in, so you pop your head inside to catch the replay on television. But it’s not the sporting action that catches your eye. You suddenly wonder if you have wandered into a bad dream. The entire pub appears to be full of sun-worshippers and Bono clones. Just…

[From The Guardian] Virtual reality is coming of age If you want evidence of how virtual worlds are breaking into the mainstream, look at how commerce is taking hold within them Alexander Walters, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 31 December 2009 I’m standing outside a branch of Diesel and a colourfully dressed man is dancing the robot in front of me like Peter Crouch on steroids. Browsing through the items on offer in the window, I spot a pair of jeans that I like the look of. The price tag says £1.59. A licensed, authorised, branded pair of Diesel jeans for £1.59. The…

[From BBC News; a 1:39 video is here] Welsh ‘super-needle’ to aid pin-hole surgery training Hywel Griffiths BBC Wales health correspondent Wednesday, 30 December 2009 Virtual 3D patients could be used to train staff in pin-hole surgery, thanks to work at Bangor University. The ImaGINe-S simulator uses similar technology as computer games to recreate the feeling of guiding a surgical needle into the body. The device has already been awarded an European prize for the use of computer graphics in medicine. The team hope to see it introduced as a training tool within the health service over the next few…