Just a short post tonight. We got a little over 9 inches (23 cm) of snow yesterday. Not only is shoveling it all off the sidewalk a lot of work but so is getting around in it. So I am worn out. But I have two nifty tech-related things to share.
Ever wonder what your library catalog searches might look like translated into light you could see? Me either, but Filament Mind does just that. The Teton County Library in Wyoming wanted something cool for their grand opening and they got it. Filament Mind is an art installation that visualizes library searches in flashes of colored lights. It took five miles of fiber-optic cables and 44 LED illuminators to create this visual marvel. WordPress doesn’t let me embed vimeo video so go check out the video and article at Wired (via Library Stuff).
Something totally different but equally cool, airwriting. It is a new way to enter text into a computer or mobile device, no keyboard needed. Sensors attached to a glove translate your hand movements into text so you can write in the air and see your words appear on the screen. I doubt we will be seeing one our devices anytime soon, but it could be really interesting watching people writing in the air. What would space aliens think? I mean, how strange would it be to see a bunch of people waving their hands in the air and not paying attention to one another? The article doesn’t say anything about bad handwriting and what happens when your gestures aren’t recognized. Things still to be worked out most likely.
Writing in the air is clearly going to be the next thing to worry about after hearing people apparently talking to themselves using phone headsets. A number of times I’ve had to stop myself asking if someone needed any help having just noticed that they were all wired up.
Sorry about the snow.
Alex, I work in downtown Minneapolis and some days it is hard to tell the difference between the people who are talking on a hands-free phone and those who are talking to themselves! When people start writing in the air I am sure it will be hard to determine if they are waving at me or writing!
Snow happens. The weather people are promising major melting next week. I hope they don’t let me down!
*This* was the post I meant to leave my own ‘snow’ comment on. Has your snow melted or do you just get a weekly fresh layer of the stuff?! By the end of the week we are supposed to hit 50F! I hate to say it so soon, but Friday can’t come soon enough.
Danielle, no, we’ve had snow on the ground since December so it will take a while before it all melts but we did get some significant melting over the weekend. We might reach 40 by Saturday which would be something!
Ugh, the snow. We have it here, too! Not that it has laid for us, just swirled about in the air and made everything ten times harder – and colder – than it need be. Brrrr! Spring is a long time coming this year – hurry up!
Litlove, you got snow? You aren’t supposed to have snow! I’ve been imagining the sunny daffodils blooming on green lawns in you neighborhood. I guess spring is taking its time for both of us this year!