Facebook, Google, And Sony Are Getting Ready To Fight A Cyberpunk War

Science fiction has always presaged the advent of actual technology, and taught us how to think about it before it comes. A century before the Apollo Space Program, Jules Verne had flown a rocketship to the moon; 40 years before the iPad, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey imagined touch-screen tablets in every bag and briefcase.

Now, the next big war in tech is coming, and it has once again been predicted by science fiction: the curious subgenre of the 1980s known as cyberpunk, which deals with the technological blurring of the lines between individuals, machines, and mega-corporations. With Google Glass, Sony's recent announcement of a virtual reality headset, and Facebook's $2 billion purchase yesterday of the company that makes the VR headset Oculus Rift, it's clear that the cyberpunk era is now here, three decades after it was first predicted by novels like Neuromancer and Snow Crash. A cyberpunk tech war is coming. Not for your pocket, desktop or living room, but for how you experience reality...

Read on...
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3027921/facebook-google-and-sony-are-getting-ready-to-fight-a-cyberpunk-war?partner=rss

Ah...

We use the characters in our daily life. And these visual characters have various, context-dependent meanings. In the Japanese system of hiragana, “あ” [ah] is the most flexible character. Despite its simple sound, different inflections can express various human emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. As such, the character of “あ” [ah] must reflect the emotional nuances of its use in the highly context-dependent culture of Japan. People often use this character without realizing its various expressions. To make them know this amazing feature, we proposed an object whose visual shape is the character “あ” [ah]. When people play with the object striking, bending, or rubbing, the various sounds of “あ” [ah] are expressed. Through the communicative possibilities of “あ” [ah], we can learn to appreciate the nuanced relationship between a character and its meaning. Finalist at 20th International collegiate Virtual Reality Contest (IVRC2012). Jury Prize at 18th Student CG Contest. Awards for Excellence at 2012 Asia Digital Art Award.

Original:
http://vimeo.com/52555492