What is Digg?45 Comments
- Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21Some people would say; "1984!!! this is crazy, this is scary". I disagree, this is purely a way of Videoconferencing while looking at someones face, instead of the current way of talking to square camera dot, while not exactly looking at the person! This is a good thing. Some people are afraid of do things a better way. To those people I say: turn of the TV, unplug to phone, trade in your car and get out the candles!
- 16x9, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Four months old!?!? Good heavens! It must be a technology based on sticks and rocks.
Look, it's not a dupe, it's new to me (and it looks like it's new to others as well) and it's a darned interesting technology. So with respect, please take your anti-Apple bias and stick it in your collective ears.
And for what it's worth, I'd Digg this and find it interesting regardless of who owned the patent. - OneZeroZeroOne, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8This would not work as camoflague, as it would be impossible to display multiple images across an infinite number of viewing angles.
Although, I remember reading about displays that ARE capable of displaying 2 or 3 different images based on viewing angle.
Combining the two could result in something camoflague like. - catbeller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5It's a wonderful idea, something videophones have needed forever. The online girl services will be very happy. However, I'm throwing a bucket of icy reality check in here: unlike a webcam, you won't be able to throw a paper cup over the lens if you want to make sure you have some privacy. Like cell phones, software will control whether or not the camera is transmitting, and that software can be manipulated without your consent. It is indeed an all-seeing screen. To use the computer will be giving consent to the use of the camera, for you can't view the screen without facing the camera. Perhaps if the circuitry for the camera matrix had a physical switch to interrupt operation -- separate power wiring for the screen and the camera matrices -- I can deal with the thing, can believe it's not operating against my will.
- Hypersapien, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Awesome. They finally did it. Now when you look at someone on webcam, you aren't looking off to the side. They just need to put a safety on it, a button on the monitor itself to turn the camera on and off.
- eddieroger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The new Macbooks flash the screen white to take a picture, lighting up the screen. For conferencing with the full screen, provided the brightness wasn't off, it should be fine.
- Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"software will control whether or not the camera is transmitting, and that software can be manipulated without your consent." I see you're a Windows user.
- carpespasm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2this makes me feel old, and i'm only 18. i can remember reading 1984 for the first time several years ago and thinking "at least they can't REALLY make telescreens, the best they can do is put small cameras everywhere" looks like reality will be a strange cross of the both of them
- dognose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The age checker is not Apple's as this story's name implies. Reported as inaccurate.
- WiseWeasel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This might be more of an input device than a video capture device, being able to sense objects in front of the screen. This might open the door to better direct interfaces such as a stylus on the screen, or even more complex ones like gesture-based interfaces. If I could close a window by waving it away, hit ok (enter) by giving it a thumbs-up or something, cancel with thumbs down; or easily drag windows around or scroll by gesturing (I would suggest waving a hand with flat palm as a cue to scroll, and with curled fingers to drag, like you're digging your claws in a window and draging it) within a certain distance in front of my screen, it could be very efficient and intuitive.
If they can actually make this work as a regular video camera, that would be great as well, but this has many more implications than that... - imnotquitesure, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Tough crowd...
- Amplix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1so THATS how the Picard and his crew did it
- tacom8, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9you sir get a rim shot
- CubiX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love the screen/camera idea. I hate the way people in video chat always look downwards or sideways :) It's just so impersonal.
But the age check thingy... Sure they can make out if the person is like 10 or 50, but what about 17 and 21? There's no way they can make it that accurate. - carpespasm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i think it's less like a pro apple lean as much as it is an apple awareness in general. there are those who fap at apple's almost churchlike stores, and those who venomously hate all things with the apple name attached to them.
i don't like seeing everything they do being treated like the best thing ever, since they screw up on many fronts like any company does (mighty mouse, puck mouse, ipod's non-removable battery), but they do alot right and in general hold a good public image, and for the most part rightly so. - thegsa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It Would Make Millions, IMO
- 16x9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1> crimsonalucard wrote: "There is no "anti-apple bias", he's just talking about how a lot of people practically worship apple as god on digg. Don't mod me down, you all know this is true, there is excessive pro apple bias on digg."
Speaking for myself, I make it a rule to NEVER mod down a comment just because I might not agree with what someone wrote. I admit, however, that I will mod down comments when the point of the comment seems to be little more than someone being a snot. Obviously, crimsonalucard, your comment was damned far from "snotty." :)
I should have been clearer. My "anti-Apple bias" reference was specific to riverside71's "cuz it's Apple and this is digg ... anything Apple is news here" comment. I'm not all that fond of so-called fanboys (Apple, Microsoft, Linux Ford, Chevy, Dial Soap, whatever) because they're just so over the top. But the anti-fanboys are even worse because their entire message is pointless divisiveness. - riverside71, on 10/12/2007, -10/+9cuz it's Apple and this is digg
anything Apple is news here. - shagz7, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2yeah, and it will only cost you 1 MILLION DOLLARS!!!
- zero_tek, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2This is pretty cool, but I have to admit my mind at once jumped to 1984.
- moshisushi, on 10/12/2007, -7/+7idean360: If it's news to New Scientist, it's probably news to a lot of other people (like me). Awesome idea anyway! Can't wait to see what they come up with using this technology.
- IcedZ, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Big Brother is watching you...
- DeathSun, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I don't know...the red-eye age checker on the page sounded cooler.
- SmartITGuy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I can just see Microsoft using this sort of technology to take secret snapshots of users who fail the WGA (Window Genuine Advantage) test. So they can have a photo of the pirate on file for court. (Then you can't say "that IP address you logged wasn't ME")
- lbeaty1981, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I'm curious as to how accurate the age checker would be. Could it tell the difference between someone who is 21 and someone who is 20.5? The way they describe it, it sounds like it could only give a general estimation of a person's age (doubtfully any more accurate than any bartender with more than 2 weeks of experience).
- Zippo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1OK, that's an awesome idea... I can't to see these things if and when they're ever created.
- datastorageguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0The best one was the Microwave breast scanner. Now if they can only make the version that will fit in nerd's glasses....
- Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Cool idea...Digg!
- antoniojvr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1http://www.visualcentury.com/products/via2platform.htm
I've used this software, it seems to do everything Apple's patent says... - geoffeg, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3It wouldn't illuminate the subject? Have you ever looked at someone using a laptop in a dark room? Their face is pretty well lit up. Go to a computer conference at some point and stand up front on the stage, everyone's face is lit up.
- flameboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Did anyone catch the next story?
Red-eye age checker
This could be bad news for under-age drinkers and anyone else trying to lie about their age. - BloodJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Yeah I know but what I mean is they would look like crap. LCD and cell phone screen light is not exactly a photographer's first choice for a lighting solution :)
- Bradl3y, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0That would be so easy to trick.
Besides, age verification based on looks obviously is not going to be accurate enough to tell the difference between a 20 and a 21 year old. Thats why "We Card". - bdr529, on 10/12/2007, -15/+13more like OLD Scientist...
LOL am i right guys? - Ilyanep, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3This may be an old patent, but i wonder how long it'll be untill we see these in the Macbook Pros. I'm especially interested cause I'm probably getting one 1Q 2007.
- BloodJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2"light from the screen should help illuminate a subject"?
uhhh...not really. cool idea though. you could potentially get much better images than digital cameras. - idean360, on 10/12/2007, -19/+14why do people think this is news? Its a four month old patent...
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/01/20060113041940.shtml - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -16/+11More apple spam, great.
- Pliep, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3Marked as "jurassic".
- longofest, on 10/12/2007, -17/+8definitely not news... marked as old. Sad that it made it to front page.
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