Incredibly Life-Like Game Graphics

This past week at the Game Developer's Conference, the game company Activision revealed some examples of character development possibilities in the next generation of gaming consoles (particularly the PlayStation 4 and whatever the new Xbox console will be). They showed multiple pictures of gaming character's faces as well as an example of a moving face making random facial expressions. These pictures are unbelievably detailed in their texturing, as well as other features. The fact that these faces aren't that of a real person is almost creepy, considering how realistic and life-like they are. I find this very incredible, and it excites me to see what the next generation of gaming consoles are going to bring. Here are some of the examples that Activision gave:

Article with more information here, which includes a video showcasing some of the possible facial movements.

3D Printing is Awesome

I read an article today (which can be found here) tailing about a company that has made a useable snowboard from a 3D printer. This, to me, is pretty awesome. The ability to "print" solid objects seems like it could have many different benefits in our society. While the whole idea still seems science-fictiony and a little weird, it seems to be becoming more and more practical and possible to print more useful things. I also found a video here which shows a company that can actually take a real-world item (even if it has complex moving parts!), scan it, and copy it using their 3D printer. Crazy!

"Starvation" Propaganda Poster

Here is  my propaganda poster for our project. It is titled "Starvation."

This poster was not intended to be reminiscent of the classic "There are starving children in Africa, eat your vegetables!" although that is kind of the feeling it gives off. It was more intended as a  wake-up call for people who either A) don't realize the amount of starving people there are in the world, or B) don't know how little it would actually cost to support them. There are many organizations in which you can donate about $1 per day (or $30/month) to support a child with food, education, shelter, and things of that nature. $1 per day is nearly nothing to most of us, as we would rather spend $5 on a latte that we don't need and some probably don't even want. Food for thought, eh? 

New Super-Thin Flatscreen TV

Philips television company has released information and pictures on a new style of TV they have come up with, which they call the "DesignLine." This super-thin television eliminates the need of a stand or a wall mount to place it on, and can instead be simply leaned up against a wall. I find this awesome, but at the same time kind of stupid, too. I find it awesome because of the step forward in technology. This television is extremely thin and the first of its kind. It always excites me to see new and different types of things come out that I use every day. I like hearing about upgrades and things of that nature.
I do, however, find this invention a little stupid. Not the TV itself, but rather the whole leaning against the wall thing. Seems like a recipe for a broken TV if you ask me. Sounds like it could slip or slide on hardwood floors fairly easily (especially since the current design has no rubber stoppers on the bottom) or could be easily damaged from something else hitting it, due to it being so close to the floor. Overall I like the new invention, but think they could improve on how the product is supposedly supposed to be used.

Philip's "DesignLine" Television

Link to the article here.

The Awesomeness of the "Bean"

As I was flipping through the book, something of interest caught my eye. I noticed a picture of Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate on page 201. This is a picture of a large sculpture located at the entrance of Millennium Park in Chicago. It is a fairly simple looking design: a large bean-shaped sculpture with a reflective surface. That's about it. However, this simple design makes for quite an incredible experience. I have been to Chicago twice, and both times have visited this awesome landmark. The only way I can describe the sculpture is surreal. The reflection the mirror gives off is somewhat skewed due to the angles and rounded shape of the sculpture, giving a surreal image that is different than the usual reflection you're used to when you look into a regular mirror. But this one is different. It makes you think, and makes you wonder. As you look at your strangely distorted face with the rounded city in the background, it just makes you think.
I had known about this sculpture for a long time, but never really thought about how artistic it is until recently.

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate